ACI Worldwide ups guidance following positive results statement

Source: ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide, Inc. ( ACIW ), a leading international provider of electronic payment and banking systems , today announced financial results for the period ended December 31, 2013.

Management will host a conference call at 8:30 am EST to discuss these results as well as 2014 guidance. Interested persons may access a real-time audio broadcast of the teleconference at www.aciworldwide.com/investors or use the following numbers for dial-in participation: US/Canada: (866) 914-7436, International/Local: +1 (817) 385-9117. Please provide your name, the conference name ACI Worldwide, Inc. and conference code 76644361. There will be a replay available for two weeks on (855) 859-2056 for US/Canada dial-in and +1 (404) 537- 3406 for International/Local dial-in participants.

ACI has finished an important transitional year, commented Phil Heasley, ACI President and CEO. The integration of Online Resources is substantially complete, Official Payments is on schedule and our EBPP business is performing better than expected. Our Universal Payments strategy came to fruition in 2013 and we have seen encouraging interest in the marketplace. Our overall pipeline is at record levels and we have enhanced our financial guidance. We are very confident our efforts have positioned us to successfully take advantage of significant opportunity in 2014 and beyond.

Q4 FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Revenue in Q4 was $283 million, an increase of $59 million, or 26%, above the prior-year quarter.

New sales bookings, net of term extensions (SNET), increased 25% compared to the prior-year quarter. Excluding the contribution from Online Resources and Official Payments, SNET increased 13% in Q4, compared to last years quarter.

Operating income was $86 million for the quarter, an increase of $10 million, or 14%, above the prior-year quarter. Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $117 million was 15% above the prior years $101 million.

Net income for the quarter was $50 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared to net income of $50 million, or $1.24 per diluted share, during the same period the prior year. Operating free cash flow in Q4 was $62 million, up from $24 million in the prior-year quarter.

FULL YEAR 2013 FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Revenue for the full year 2013 was $865 million, an increase of $198 million, or 30%. The acquisitions of Online Resources and Official Payments contributed $144 million of GAAP revenue to the full year. Non-GAAP revenue for the full year 2013 was $871 million, up 26% from the prior years $689 million. These figures include $6 million and $22 million, respectively, in deferred revenue not reportable under GAAP purchase accounting requirements.

New sales bookings, net of term extensions (SNET) for the year was $600 million, up 20% from $501 million in 2012. Excluding the contribution from Online Resources and Official Payments, SNET grew 7% compared to the prior year.

Operating income for the full year 2013 was $123 million, versus $74 million for the full year 2012. Non-GAAP operating income for the year was $155 million, up 21% from the prior years $128 million. Adjusted EBITDA of $239 million for the year grew 25% from the prior years $191 million. Non-GAAP figures include $6 million and $22 million of deferred revenue adjustments due to purchase accounting and exclude one-time acquisition-related expenses of $26 million and $31 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively. Excluding pass through interchange revenues of $38 million in 2013, net adjusted EBITDA margin represented 29% of revenue in the 2013, versus 28% in 2012.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $64 million, or $1.60 per diluted share, compared to net income of $49 million, or $1.22 per diluted share, in the prior year. Non-GAAP net income for the year was $85 million, or $2.11 per diluted share, versus $84 million, or $2.10 per diluted share for 2012. Operating free cash flow for the year was $151 million, up from $24 million the prior year.

We ended the year with a 60-month backlog of $3.9 billion, adjusted for foreign currency fluctuations, up 24% from last quarter. Similarly, our 12-month backlog increased to $870 million. Official Payments contributed $696 million and $142 million to 60- and 12-month backlog, respectively.

As of December 31, 2013, we had $95 million in cash on hand, a debt balance of $755 million, down slightly from last quarters $764 million. We repurchased $81 million of our stock during 2013.

INCREASING SHARE REPURCHASE AUTHORIZATION

Year to date in 2014, we have repurchased 930,000 shares for $54 million. In addition, ACIs Board of Directors has authorized an increase to its Share Repurchase Program of $100 million. Including this increase, we now have $156 million remaining on our share buyback authorization.

2014 GUIDANCE

We expect to generate non-GAAP revenue in a range of $1.06 to $1.08 billion for the full year and $220 to $230 million in the first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in a range of $290 to $300 million. This guidance excludes $13 to $15 million of one-time integration-related expenses and $2 million of deferred revenue haircut. Lastly, we expect full year 2014 net new sales bookings to increase in the upper single digit range.

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