Rosetta Stone Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2016 Results

Company delivers solid bottom-line performance as year-over-year total operating expense reductions extends to seventh consecutive quarter; Double-digit revenue growth at Lexia and launch of new Catalyst^TM product in E&E Language segment underscore progress in strategic turnaround

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE:RST), a world leader in technology-based learning solutions, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016. Revenue in the third quarter 2016 totaled $48.7 million, down 2% from $49.8 million in the year-ago period. Third quarter 2016 net loss totaled $5.5 million, an improvement of 25% compared to the net loss of $7.3 million in the year-ago period. Included in the third quarter 2016 net loss were (pre-tax) restructuring and impairment charges totaling $1.2 million, compared to (pre-tax) restructuring and impairment charges totaling $0.5 million in the year-ago period. Earnings per diluted share in the third quarter 2016 totaled $(0.25), an improvement of 26% compared to $(0.34) per diluted share in the third quarter 2015.

Third Quarter 2016 Overview

• Total revenue declined $1.1 million or 2% year-over-year to $48.7 million
• Revenue at Lexia, the Company’s Literacy segment, grew 52% year-over-year to a record high $8.8 million. Adjusting for the impact of purchase accounting on Lexia’s revenue, third quarter 2016 revenue would have been $9.7 million, up 28% year-over-year, compared to $7.6 million in the year-ago period
• Total operating expenses decreased $5.2 million or 10% year-over-year, representing the Company’s seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year expense reductions. General and administrative expenses declined 17% year-over-year to $10.0 million in the third quarter 2016, which was the lowest quarterly expense level since the first quarter 2009. In addition, sales and marketing expenses and research and development (“R&D”) expenses each declined 10% year-over-year
• Net loss improved 25% year-over-year to $5.5 million or $(0.25) per diluted share; third quarter 2016 results included (pre-tax) charges of $0.2 million for restructuring and $1.0 million for the impairment of capitalized R&D
• The Company ended the quarter with $32.2 million in cash and cash equivalents with zero debt outstanding
• Rosetta Stone introduced Catalyst^TM, the most comprehensive language learning solution for business that the Company has ever offered. Catalyst provides employers intelligence into the language skills of their workforce and tailored learning paths for learners at all levels, in 24 languages including English

“This was a solid quarter of achievement across all facets of Rosetta Stone. Our results reflect the fundamentally strong growth at Lexia and the ongoing investments we are making to support its long-term growth. In addition, ongoing expense reductions have resulted in seven consecutive quarters of favorable year-over-year comparisons and the lowest level of total operating expenses since the first quarter 2009, despite the fact that we now operate three distinct businesses,” said John Hass, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our focus on product innovation was evident again this past quarter with the September launch of Catalyst, our most comprehensive language solution for businesses. This product has strong potential to expand our impact in the enterprise language learning marketplace and we’re already seeing strong interest and buy-in from existing customers and new prospects.”

Third Quarter 2016 Review

Revenue:  Total revenue declined 2% year-over-year to $48.7 million. Revenue at Lexia, the Company’s Literacy segment, grew 52% year-over-year to a record high $8.8 million, reflecting the impact of purchase accounting. Adjusting for the impact of purchase accounting, Lexia’s revenue would have been $9.7 million in the second quarter compared to $7.6 million in the year-ago period, and Lexia’s pro forma revenue growth would have been 28% year-over-year.

Enterprise & Education (“E&E”) Language segment revenue decreased 6% year-over-year to $18.3 million, as a decline in Enterprise revenue more than offset an increase in Education revenue. Consumer segment revenue declined 12% year-over-year to $21.6 million, primarily reflecting a decline in the Company’s direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) business and the sale of the Korea entity in the third quarter of 2015.

US$ thousands, except for percentages

Net Loss:  The third quarter 2016 net loss improved 25% year-over-year to $5.5 million or $(0.25) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $7.3 million or $(0.34) per diluted share in the year-ago period. Net loss included the (pre-tax) charges of $0.2 million for restructuring and $1.0 million for impairment in the third quarter 2016, compared to (pre-tax) charges of $0.1 million for restructuring and $0.4 million for impairment in the year-ago period.

Management’s ongoing efforts to return the Company to profitability have resulted in seven consecutive quarters of favorable year-over-year operating expense improvements on both a reported basis as well as before restructuring and impairment charges in all periods. Total operating expenses decreased $5.2 million or 10% year-over-year to $44.5 million in the third quarter 2016, which included year-over-year increases of $0.1 million in restructuring charges and $0.7 million in impairment charges. The increase in impairment was due to a $1.0 million non-cash charge to impair capitalized R&D that no longer aligns to the Company’s strategic direction.

Decreases were realized in all three major operating expense categories in the third quarter 2016, with the most significant percentage reduction being a $2.1 million or 17% year-over-year decrease in general and administrative expenses and the most significant dollar reduction being a $3.1 million or 10% year-over-year decrease in sales and marketing expenses. Research and development expenses also decreased $0.7 million or 10% year-over-year.

Balance Sheet:  The Company had zero debt and a cash and cash equivalents balance of $32.2 million at September 30, 2016. Deferred revenue increased to $145.0 million at September 30, 2016, compared to $142.7 million at December 31, 2015. Short-term deferred revenue, which will be recognized as revenue over the next 12 months, totaled $115.7 million or approximately 80% of the total September 30, 2016 balance.

Free Cash Flow and Adjusted EBITDA:  Free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $2.8 million in the third quarter 2016, compared to $5.2 million in the third quarter 2015. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, improved $4.0 million year-over-year to $2.4 million in the third quarter, compared to $(1.6) million in the year-ago period.

Earnings Conference Call

In conjunction with this announcement, Rosetta Stone will host a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. ET during which time there will be a discussion of the results and the Company’s 2016 outlook. Investors may dial into the live conference call using 1-201-689-8470 (toll / international) or 1-877-407-9039 (toll-free). A live webcast will also be available in the investor relations section of the Company’s website at http://investors.rosettastone.com. A replay will be made available soon after the live conference call is completed and will remain available until midnight on November 14. Investors may dial into the replay using 1-412-317-6671 and passcode 13647537.

Caution on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by non-historical statements and often include words such as “outlook,” “potential,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks” or words of similar meaning, or future-looking or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “might, ” “aims,” “intends,” or “projects.” These statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: our revised business strategy; guidance or projections related to revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, bookings, and other measures of future economic performance; the contributions and performance of our businesses including acquired businesses and international operations; projections for future capital expenditures; and other guidance, projections, plans, objectives, and related estimates and assumptions. A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances. In addition, forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current assumptions, expectations and beliefs and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our present expectations or projections. Some important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the risk that we are unable to execute our business strategy; declining demand for our language learning solutions; the risk that we are not able to manage and grow our business; the impact of any revisions to our pricing strategy; the risk that we might not succeed in introducing and producing new products and services; the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations; the adequacy of internally generated funds and existing sources of liquidity, such as bank financing, as well as our ability to raise additional funds; the risk that we cannot effectively adapt to and manage complex and numerous technologies; the risk that businesses acquired by us might not perform as expected; and the risk that we are not able to successfully expand internationally. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements, risks and uncertainties that are more fully described in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent quarterly Form 10-Q filings and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as such factors may be updated from time to time.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the condensed consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company uses, and this press release contains references to, the non-GAAP financial measures of financial performance listed below.

• Bookings represent executed sales contracts received by the Company that are either recorded immediately as revenue or as deferred revenue.
• Adjusted EBITDA is GAAP net income/(loss) plus interest income and expense, other income/expense, income tax benefit and expense, impairment, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, and restructuring expenses. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA excludes “Other” items related to the litigation with Google Inc., consulting and other related costs associated with the development and implementation of the accelerated strategy and cost reductions, non-restructuring wind down and severance costs, and transaction and other costs associated with mergers and acquisitions, as well as all adjustments related to recording the non-cash tax valuation allowance for deferred tax assets. Adjusted EBITDA for prior periods has been revised to conform to current definition.
• Free cash flow is cash flow from operating activities minus cash used in purchases of property and equipment.
• Segment contribution includes segment revenue and expenses incurred directly by the segment, including material costs, service costs, customer care and coaching costs, sales and marketing expenses, and bad debt expense.

The definitions, GAAP comparisons, and reconciliation of those measures with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are available in this press release or in the corresponding earnings presentation, which are posted on our website at www.rosettastone.com.

Management believes that these non-GAAP measures of financial results provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, enabling a better understanding of the long-term performance of the Company’s business. Management uses these non-GAAP measures to compare the Company’s performance to that of prior periods for trend analyses, and for budgeting and planning purposes. Management believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing the Company’s financial measures with other software and education-technology companies, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors.

The presentation of this additional financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company urges investors to review the reconciliation of its non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures, which it includes in press releases announcing earnings information, including this press release, or in corresponding earnings presentations, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate the Company’s business. The Company’s non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to those used by other companies, and we encourage you to review and understand all our financial reporting before making any investment decision.

About Rosetta Stone Inc.

Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE:RST) is dedicated to changing people’s lives through the power of language and literacy education. The Company’s innovative, personalized language and reading programs drive positive learning outcomes in thousands of schools, businesses, government organizations and for millions of individual learners around the world.

Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone pioneered the use of interactive software to accelerate language learning and is widely recognized today as the industry leader in providing effective language programs. The Company’s cloud-based programs allow users to learn online or on-the-go via tablet or smartphone, whether in a classroom, in a corporate setting, or in a personal learning environment. Rosetta Stone is also a leader in the literacy education space, helping millions of students build fundamental reading skills through its Lexia Learning division. Additionally, the Company’s Fit Brains business offers personalized brain training programs developed by neuroscientists and award-winning game designers to be fun and help keep your brain sharp.

Rosetta Stone is based in Arlington, VA, and has offices and operations around the world. For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. “Rosetta Stone” is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries.

* Adjusted EBITDA is GAAP net income/(loss) plus interest income and expense, other income/expense, income tax benefit and expense, impairment, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, and restructuring expenses. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA excludes “Other” items related to the litigation with Google Inc., consulting and other related costs associated with the development and implementation of the accelerated strategy and cost reductions, non-restructuring wind down and severance costs, and transaction and other costs associated with mergers and acquisitions, as well as all adjustments related to recording the non-cash tax valuation allowance for deferred tax assets. Adjusted EBITDA for prior periods has been revised to conform to current definition.

* Free cash flow is cash flow from operations minus cash used in purchases of property and equipment.

Prior period data has been modified where applicable to conform to current presentation for comparative purposes. Immaterial rounding differences may be present in this data in order to conform to Financial Statement totals.

Investors: Frank Milano [email protected] 703-387-5876  Media Contact: Michelle Alvarez [email protected] 703-387-5862