Perficient Reports First Quarter 2024 Results

Company enters into definitive agreement to be acquired by EQT for approximately $3 Billion

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Perficient, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRFT) (“Perficient”), the leading global digital consultancy transforming the world’s largest enterprises and biggest brands, today reported its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.

Financial Highlights

For the quarter ended March 31, 2024:

• Revenues decreased 7% to $215.3 million from $231.4 million in the first quarter of 2023;
• Net income decreased 57% to $11.6 million, compared to $26.8 million in the first quarter of 2023;
• GAAP earnings per share results on a fully diluted basis decreased 56% to $0.33 from $0.75 in the first quarter of 2023;
• Adjusted earnings per share results (a non-GAAP measure; see attached schedule, which reconciles to GAAP earnings per share) on a fully diluted basis decreased 26% to $0.77 from $1.04 in the first quarter of 2023; and
• Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure; see attached schedule, which reconciles to GAAP net income) decreased 27% to $36.5 million from $50.1 million in the first quarter of 2023.

“Our business is steadily improving and our pipeline remains robust,” said Tom Hogan, President and CEO. “We remain confident that momentum will continue to build throughout 2024. We are also excited to have reached the separately announced agreement with EQT, which provides our stockholders with compelling, certain cash value for their shares. EQT shares our vision for the future as we transform how the world’s biggest brands connect with customers.”

Other Highlights

Among other recent achievements, Perficient:

• Was named a 2024 Top Workplace by USA Today, serving as a testament to Perficient’s collaborative and people-first global culture. Perficient ranks 26 on the top 100 list of large employers in the U.S.;
• Published the 2023 Community Impact Report, highlighting the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives Perficient and its colleagues are supporting to advance STEM education, improve health and well-being, and make a difference in our global communities;
• Entered into a multi-year and multi-faceted partnership with professional golfer and two-time PGA TOUR winner Josef “Sepp” Straka in a marketing and sponsorship relationship;
• Received an Innovation in Philanthropy Award from the St. Louis Business Journal for its partnership with the Mark Cuban Foundation to host AI Bootcamps for high school students. Perficient will host seven AI Bootcamps this fall;
• Received the 2024 Appian Partner Impact and Excellence Award for Delivery, recognizing Perficient for excellence in creating and delivering impactful solutions that exceed customer expectations;
• Introduced the Perficient Gives Global Grants Program, offering global colleagues the opportunity to nominate a charity to receive a monetary donation from Perficient;
• Was included in Forrester’s “Adobe Services Landscape, Q1, 2024” report as a medium-sized consultancy helping companies keep pace in B2B marketing engagement, workflow management, and digital enrollment and onboarding; and
• Was recognized in Forrester’s “Automation Fabric Services Landscape, Q1 2024” as a large consultancy providing strategy consulting, advisory, and implementation services to help develop automation fabric and support autonomous workflows within an enterprise.

Transaction with EQT

In a separate press release issued today, Perficient announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of BPEA Private Equity Fund VIII (“EQT”), part of EQT AB, a purpose-driven global investment organization. The press release is available via Perficient’s website under the Investor Relations section.

In light of the announced transaction, Perficient will not host an earnings conference call or provide financial guidance in conjunction with this earnings release. Perficient is also withdrawing its previously announced financial guidance for 2024 and has suspended any further updates as a result of the pending transaction.

About Perficient

Perficient is the leading global digital consultancy. We imagine, create, engineer, and run digital transformation solutions that help our clients exceed customers’ expectations, outpace competition, and grow their business. With unparalleled strategy, creative, and technology capabilities, we bring big thinking and innovative ideas, along with a practical approach to help the world’s largest enterprises and biggest brands succeed. Traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, Perficient is a member of the Russell 2000 index and the S&P SmallCap 600 index. For more information, visit www.perficient.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Some of the statements contained in this news release that are not purely historical statements discuss future expectations or state other forward-looking information related to financial results and business outlook for 2024. Those statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements. The forward-looking information is based on management’s current intent, belief, expectations, estimates, and projections regarding our company and our industry. You should be aware that those statements only reflect our predictions. Actual events or results may differ substantially. Important factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from the forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to) those disclosed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K and other securities filings, and the following:

This list is not exhaustive but is designed to highlight important factors that may impact our forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. This cautionary statement is provided pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release are made only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

See the Company’s Form 10-Q for the full consolidated statements of cash flows.

About Non-GAAP Financial Information

This news release includes non-GAAP financial measures. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses each measure, and reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), please see the section entitled “About Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and the accompanying tables entitled “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures.”

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Perficient provides non-GAAP financial measures for adjusted EBITDA (earnings before income taxes, interest, depreciation, amortization, acquisition costs, adjustment to fair value of contingent consideration, stock compensation and the impact of other infrequent or unusual transactions), adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share data as supplemental information regarding Perficient’s business performance. Perficient believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they provide investors with a better understanding of Perficient’s past financial performance and future results. Perficient’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures when it internally evaluates the performance of Perficient’s business and makes operating decisions, including internal operating budgeting, performance measurement, and the calculation of bonuses and discretionary compensation. Management excludes stock-based compensation related to restricted stock awards, the amortization of intangible assets, amortization of debt issuance costs related to convertible senior notes, acquisition costs, adjustments to the fair value of contingent consideration, net other income and expense, the impact of other infrequent or unusual transactions, and income tax effects of the foregoing, when making operational decisions.

Perficient believes that providing the non-GAAP financial measures to its investors is useful because it allows investors to evaluate Perficient’s performance using the same methodology and information used by Perficient’s management. Specifically, adjusted net income is used by management primarily to review business performance and determine performance-based incentive compensation for executives and other employees. Management uses adjusted EBITDA to measure operating profitability, evaluate trends, and make strategic business decisions.

Non-GAAP financial measures are subject to inherent limitations because they do not include all of the expenses included under GAAP and because they involve the exercise of discretionary judgment as to which charges are excluded from the non-GAAP financial measure. However, Perficient’s management compensates for these limitations by providing the relevant disclosure of the items excluded in the calculation of adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share. In addition, some items that are excluded from adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share can have a material impact on cash. Management compensates for these limitations by evaluating the non-GAAP measure together with the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Perficient has historically provided non-GAAP financial measures to the investment community as a supplement to its GAAP results to enable investors to evaluate Perficient’s business performance in the way that management does. Perficient’s definition may be different from similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies and/or analysts.

The non-GAAP adjustments, and the basis for excluding them, are outlined below:

Amortization

Perficient has incurred expense on amortization of intangible assets primarily related to various acquisitions. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share. Perficient believes that eliminating this expense from its non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because the amortization of intangible assets can be inconsistent in amount and frequency, and is significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of Perficient’s acquisition transactions, which also vary substantially in frequency from period to period.

Acquisition Costs

Perficient incurs transaction costs related to merger and acquisition-related activities which are expensed in its GAAP financial statements. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share. Perficient believes that excluding these expenses from its non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these are expenses associated with each transaction and are inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult.

Adjustment to Fair Value of Contingent Consideration

Perficient is required to remeasure its contingent consideration liability related to acquisitions each reporting period until the contingency is settled. Any changes in fair value are recognized in earnings. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share. Perficient believes that excluding these adjustments from its non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because they are related to acquisitions and are inconsistent in amount and frequency from period to period.

Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs

On November 9, 2021, Perficient issued $380.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0.125% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026, and on August 14, 2020, Perficient issued $230.0 million aggregate principal amount of 1.250% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025 (the “2026 Notes,” and “2025 Notes,” respectively, and collectively, the “Notes”) in private placements to qualified institutional purchasers. Issuance costs attributable to the Notes, in addition to issuance costs related to Perficient’s credit agreement, are being amortized to interest expense over their respective terms. Perficient believes that excluding these non-cash expenses from its non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because the expenses are not reflective of Perficient’s business performance.

Foreign Exchange Loss (Gain)

Non-operating foreign currency exchange gains and losses, inclusive of gains and losses on related foreign exchange forward contracts not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, are reported in net other expense (income) in our consolidated statements of operations. As our operations expand into countries outside of the United States, foreign exchange gains and losses have and will become increasingly material. Perficient believes that excluding these gains and losses from its non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because foreign exchange gains and losses will vary as the underlying currencies fluctuate, which makes it difficult to compare current and historical results.

Stock Compensation

Perficient incurs stock-based compensation expense under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. Perficient excludes stock-based compensation expense and the related tax effects for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, and adjusted earnings per share because stock-based compensation is a non-cash expense, which Perficient believes is not reflective of its business performance. The nature of stock-based compensation expense also makes it very difficult to estimate prospectively, since the expense will vary with changes in the stock price and market conditions at the time of new grants, varying valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions, and different award types, making the comparison of current results with forward-looking guidance potentially difficult for investors to interpret. The tax effects of stock-based compensation expense may also vary significantly from period to period, without any change in underlying operational performance, thereby obscuring the underlying profitability of operations relative to prior periods. Perficient believes that non-GAAP measures of profitability, which exclude stock-based compensation, are widely used by analysts and investors.

Dilution Offset from Convertible Note Hedge Transactions

It is Perficient’s current intent to settle conversions of the Notes through combination settlement, which involves repayment of the principal portion in cash and any excess of the conversion value over the principal amount in shares of our common stock. Perficient excludes the shares that are issuable upon conversions of the Notes because Perficient expects that the dilution from such shares will be offset by the convertible note hedge transactions entered into in November 2021 and August 2020 in connection with the issuance of the Notes.

Contacts

Bill Davis, Perficient, 314-529-3555

bill.davis@perficient.com

Read full story here