Mr. Peter Mabson reports
EXACTEARTH ANNOUNCES FISCAL 2017 FINANCIAL RESULTS
exactEarth Ltd. has released its financial results for the three- and 12-month periods ended Oct. 31, 2017.
2017 financial highlights:
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Revenue of $12.8-million;
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Revenue in the commercial market increased 14 per cent from 2016;
- Revenue backlog of $26.0-million at year-end;
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Order bookings of $17.3-million in 2017;
- Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) loss of $4.5-million;
- Net loss of $33.8-million, which included a $26.9-million non-cash charge related to the impairment and writedown of certain assets;
- Cash balance of $8.1-million at Oct. 31, 2017.
"Our major milestone in 2017 was the formal launch our second-generation satellite constellation capability, exactView RT Powered by Harris, which will make us the first provider capable of delivering global S-AIS vessel data in real time," said Peter Mabson, chief executive officer of exactEarth. "This constellation will ultimately consist of 58 satellite payloads hosted on board the Iridium Next constellation, and as of today, 18 are already in operation.
"Powered by its real-time capability, exactView RT is a premium S-AIS service, which we believe when fully deployed will appeal to all AIS users, but in particular, to those involved in security, surveillance, and search and rescue. Superior vessel detection, rapid update rate, longevity and reliability, and continuous innovation are all features of exactView RT that we believe will be unrivalled in the market. In 2018 we will focus on capitalizing on this evolving service advantage as well as seeking new opportunities to monetize the data that we are collecting daily on a population of more than 250,000 vessels."
Financial review
Total revenue for the three- and 12-month periods ended Oct. 31, 2017, was $2.9-million and $12.8-million compared with $3.3-million and $18.9-million in the same periods last year. The change in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 was primarily due to $680,000 of non-cash revenue generated in the fourth quarter of 2016 from an asset transfer agreement with Communitech related to the EV9 satellite transfer. There was no revenue related to the asset transfer agreement recognized in the fourth quarter of 2017. The change in revenue for the full-year period was primarily due to lower revenue generated by the government of Canada (GoC) contract in 2017, which accounted for $5.3-million of the difference year over year, and lower non-cash revenue related to the asset transfer agreement in 2017, which accounted for $2.4-million of the difference year over year. Excluding the loss of revenue associated with the GoC contract and the asset transfer agreement, total revenue would have increased 8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017 and would have increased 14 per cent year over year.
Order bookings for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $3.0-million compared with $6.1-million in the fourth quarter of 2016. For the full year, order bookings were $17.3-million compared with $27.0-million last year. Revenue backlog at Oct. 31, 2017, was $26.0-million compared with $22.6-million at Oct. 31, 2016.
Subscription services revenue for fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $2.7-million and $10.6-million compared with $2.8-million and $15.1-million in the same periods last year. For the fourth quarter of 2017 and the full year, exactEarth generated nil and $620,000 in non-cash subscription services revenue, from the asset transfer agreement, compared with $680,000 and $1.4-million in the same periods last year. Excluding the loss of revenue associated with the GoC contract and the asset transfer agreement, subscription services revenue would have increased by 25 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 18 per cent for the full year.
Subscription services revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period represented 94 per cent and 83 per cent of total revenue compared with 85 per cent and 80 per cent in the same periods last year. Subscription services revenue from commercial customers rose 2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 12 per cent for the full year, compared with the same periods last year.
Data products revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $130,000 and $1.0-million compared with $170,000 and $2.4-million in the same periods last year. The comparative periods in 2016 include non-cash data products revenue of nil and $1.6-million, respectively, related to the asset transfer agreement. Excluding non-cash revenue from the asset transfer agreement, data products revenue would have increased year over year. As of Jan. 31, 2017, the company has recognized, in full, all of the non-cash revenue from the in-kind sale of these data sets. The complete data sets have been delivered to Communitech and title to the EV9 satellite has transferred to exactEarth.
Other products and services revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $400,000 and $1.2-million compared with $320,000 and $1.4-million in the same periods last year.
Gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was 30 per cent and 33 per cent compared with 21 per cent and 48 per cent in the same periods last year. Gross margin increased quarter over quarter due to a greater percentage of revenue generated from higher margin subscription services. Gross margin decreased in the full-year period due primarily to lower subscription services and data products revenue. This was offset, in part, by lower operating expenses for the year-to-date period and the reimbursement of costs related to the company's technology demonstration program collaboration agreement (TDP) with MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. TDP agreement financing recognized as an offset to cost of revenue for 2017 was $380,000 compared with $680,000 in 2016 (TDP agreement financing started in the company's third quarter of 2016).
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $1.9-million and $7.0-million compared with $1.7-million and $7.5-million in the same periods last year. SG&A decreased year over year due primarily to lower payroll expenses resulting from the restructuring undertaken in October, 2016. Commission expenses may cause SG&A may fluctuate from quarter to quarter depending on the volume of new subscriptions versus renewals and the timing of renewals.
Product development and research and development (R&D) expense for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $360,000 and $1.7-million compared with $510,000 and $2.0-million in the same periods last year. exactEarth generated $240,000 in R&D expense in 2017. The R&D expense was incurred on project Vesta, which is a proof of concept related to VHF data exchange technology.
Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was a loss of $1.5-million and $4.5-million compared with a loss of $960,000 and $520,000 in the same periods last year. The quarter-over-quarter decrease in adjusted EBITDA is due to an increased unrealized foreign exchange loss and a restructuring expense recovery, offset in part by a greater percentage of revenue being generated from higher margin subscription services and lower operating expenses resulting from the restructuring in October, 2016. The year-over-year decrease in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to lower revenue from the GoC contract, offset in part by lower operating expenses.
Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year period was $29.0-million, or $1.34 per share, and $33.8-million, or $1.57 per share, compared with $4.1-million, or 19 cents per share, and $36.0-million, or $1.90 per share, in the same periods last year. Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2017 and full-year periods includes a $26.9-million non-cash charge related to the impairment and writedown of certain assets. Net loss for the 2016 full-year period includes a $28.0-million non-cash impairment charge related to the writedown of certain assets on the balance sheet.
Net loss for fiscal 2017 excluding the non-cash impairment of $26.9-million, other income of $1.5-million and the restructuring reversal of $100,000, was $8.5-million. Net loss for fiscal 2016 excluding the non-cash impairment of $28.0-million and the restructuring charge of $1.7-million, was $6.2-million. Excluding those items, the fiscal 2017 net loss is higher than the fiscal 2016 net loss primarily due to lower revenue, which was partially offset by decreases in cost of revenue, SG&A expense, product development expense and interest expense.
exactEarth used $1.6-million of cash in operations in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared with $1.4-million of cash used in operations in the fourth quarter of 2016. For the full-year period, exactEarth used $7.7-million of cash in operations compared with $2.9-million of cash used in operations in fiscal 2016. The company's cash balance at Oct. 31, 2017, was $8.1-million compared with $13.7-million at Oct. 31, 2016.
As at Oct. 31, 2017, the company had 21,614,120 shares outstanding.
Change to board of directors
exactEarth is pleased to announce upcoming proposed changes to its board of directors through the addition to its board of William "Mac" Evans. Mr. Evans is expected to be appointed to the board effective Jan. 25, 2018.
Mr. Evans has more than 35 years of experience in the Canadian space program, and served as president of the Canadian Space Agency from 1994 to 2001. Mr. Evans also led the development of the Canadian astronaut and RADARSAT programs and negotiated Canada's role in the ISS (International Space Station) and a number of international agreements that are the foundation of Canada's international space partnerships. In 2004, Mr. Evans was chief of staff for the Minister of National Defence (Canada). He is currently of chair of the defence advisory board, which provides advice to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Deputy Minister of National Defence. In 2016, Mr. Evans was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 2017, he was appointed to Canada's space advisory board, which advises the Minister of Industry, Science and Economic Development.
"We are very pleased that Mac Evans has agreed to join our board," said Eric Zahler, chairman of the board of exactEarth. "He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge about Canadian space policy, and we look forward to his counsel and guidance as we continue to roll out our enhanced maritime surveillance capabilities and advanced analytics, through our next-generation, real-time, satellite-AIS constellation."
Concurrent with this new appointment, Pui-Ling Chan informed the board that he will not stand for re-election at the company's next shareholder's meeting in order to pursue other personal opportunities. Added Mr. Zahler: "I'd like to thank Pui-Ling for having played an active role on our board since the company went public in February, 2016. We are grateful and appreciative of the contributions he has made, and we wish him continued success in the future."
Review of strategic alternatives
The company also announced today that the board has commenced a process to explore and evaluate potential strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. These alternatives could include, among other things, a financing, a sale of assets, a sale of the company, or a merger or other business combination or other strategic transactions that may be available to the company.
In conjunction with the strategic review, the company's board has formed a special committee of independent directors to oversee the strategic review process. The special committee will be chaired by Mr. Zahler and includes Maria Izurieta and Mr. Evans. It is the intention of the special committee to engage a financial adviser in the coming weeks. The company's board is committed to fully evaluating appropriate strategic alternatives while concurrently supporting management and employees in their delivery of services and products to customers. The board believes that this course of action is in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
The board has not set a timetable for this process nor has it made any decisions related to any strategic alternatives at this time. There can be no assurance that the exploration and review of strategic alternatives will result in a transaction. The company does not intend to provide announcements or updates unless or until it determines that further disclosure is required by law.
Conference call
The management of exactEarth will host an investor conference call to discuss these results in greater detail. All interested investors and analysts are invited to participate.
Date:
Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
Dial-in numbers: 647-427-7450 or 1-888-231-8191
Replay:
Encore toll-free dial-in number: 855-859-2056
Encore password: 3249369
Dial-in replay availability: Jan. 25, 2018, 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time to Feb. 8, 2018, 11:59 p.m. ET
About exactEarth Ltd.
exactEarth is a leading provider of global maritime vessel data for ship tracking and maritime situational awareness solutions. Since its establishment in 2009, exactEarth has pioneered a powerful new method of maritime surveillance called Satellite AIS and has delivered to its clients a view of maritime behaviours across all regions of the world's oceans unrestricted by terrestrial limitations. exactEarth has deployed an operational data processing supply chain involving a constellation of satellites, receiving ground stations, patented decoding algorithms, and advanced "big data" processing and distribution facilities. This groundbreaking system provides a comprehensive picture of the location of AIS equipped maritime vessels throughout the world and allows exactEarth to deliver data and information services characterized by high performance, reliability, security and simplicity to large international markets.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS)
(in thousands of dollars)
Three months ended For the year ended
Oct. 31, Oct. 31, Oct. 31, Oct. 31,
2017 2016 2017 2016
Revenue $2,852 $3,308 $12,833 $18,918
Cost of revenue 1,998 2,607 8,618 9,772
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Gross margin 854 701 4,215 9,146
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative 1,924 1,735 7,004 7,463
Product development and R&D 364 507 1,692 1,950
Depreciation and amortization 916 926 3,791 4,649
Impairment losses 26,886 - 26,886 27,987
------- ------- ------- -------
(Loss) from operations (29,236) (2,467) (35,158) (32,903)
------- ------- ------- -------
Other expenses (income)
Other (income) - (210) (1,455) (55)
Other expense - - 197 -
Restructuring expense (recovery) (12) 1,744 (99) 1,744
Foreign exchange loss (gain) (275) 101 (43) 1,026
Interest expense (income) 9 (8) 52 304
------- ------- ------- -------
Total other expenses (income) (278) 1,627 (1,348) 3,019
Income tax expense 8 41 24 41
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Net (loss) (28,966) (4,135) (33,834) (35,963)
Other comprehensive income (loss)
Items that may be subsequently reclassified to net income
Foreign currency translation, net of income tax (expense) of nil (69) (221) (89) 341
------- ------- ------- -------
Total other comprehensive income (loss) (69) (221) (89) 341
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Comprehensive (loss) (29,035) (4,356) (33,923) (35,622)
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Loss per share
Basic and diluted (loss) per share (1.34) (0.19) (1.57) (1.90)
We seek Safe Harbor.
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