BBSI Reports Record Third Quarter Earnings; Raises Full-Year Outlook
- Third Quarter Net Income up 31% to $25 Million, or $3.24 per Diluted Share –
- Raises Full-Year Earnings Outlook 12% to $6.05 per Diluted Share -
VANCOUVER, Wash., Nov. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrett Business Services, Inc. (“BBSI” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BBSI), a leading provider of business management solutions, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.
Third Quarter 2019 Financial Summary vs. Year-Ago Quarter
- Net revenues increased to $248.0 million versus $247.3 million.
- Gross billings up 7% to $1.55 billion.
- Net income up 31% to $25.0 million.
- Diluted earnings per share up 30% to $3.24.
“We reported strong results in the quarter, driven by the addition of 386 clients,” said BBSI President and CEO Mike Elich. “We continue to see the results from various structural moves we have been working on over the past several years, which gives us confidence in a strong long-term financial outlook.”
Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results
Net revenues in the third quarter of 2019 increased to $248.0 million compared to $247.3 million in the third quarter of 2018.
Total gross billings in the third quarter increased 7% to $1.55 billion compared to $1.45 billion in the same year-ago quarter (see “Key Performance Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below). The increase was primarily due to the continued build in the Company’s PEO client count and same-customer sales growth, which was partially offset by a decrease in staffing revenue.
Non-GAAP gross workers’ compensation expense as a percent of gross billings was 3.6% in the third quarter and benefited from lower frictional costs and a favorable one-time adjustment of prior accident year liability of $5.6 million. This compares to 4.5% in the third quarter of 2018.
Net income for the third quarter of 2019 increased 31% to a record $25.0 million, or $3.24 per diluted share, compared to net income of $19.1 million, or $2.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Net income in the third quarter of 2019 reflected an effective tax rate of 22%.
Outlook
For the full year 2019, BBSI is raising the estimate for expected diluted earnings per share by 12% to $6.05 (from $5.40) compared to $4.98 per diluted share in 2018. This continues to assume an effective tax rate of approximately 22%.
BBSI expects the range for workers’ compensation expense as a percentage of gross billings to be 4.3% to 4.5% in the fourth quarter of 2019. This range can also be applied as an approximation for 2020.
BBSI also continues to expect gross billings to increase approximately 8% for the next rolling 12-month period.
Conference Call
BBSI will conduct a conference call on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (9:00 a.m. Pacific time) to discuss its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.
BBSI’s President and CEO Michael Elich and CFO Gary Kramer will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.
Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Time: 12:00 p.m. Eastern time (9:00 a.m. Pacific time)
Toll-free dial-in number: 1-877-407-4018
International dial-in number: 1-201-689-8471
Conference ID: 13695729
Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Investor Relations at 1-949-574-3860.
The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here and via the investor relations section of the BBSI website at www.mybbsi.com.
A replay of the conference call will be available after 3:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through December 6, 2019.
Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Replay ID: 13695729
Key Performance Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We report PEO revenues net of direct payroll costs because we are not the primary obligor for wage payments to our clients’ employees. However, management believes that gross billing amounts and wages are useful in understanding the volume of our business activity and serve as an important performance metric in managing our operations, including the preparation of internal operating forecasts and establishing executive compensation performance goals. We therefore present for purposes of analysis gross billing and wage information for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Gross billings | $ | 1,552,882 | $ | 1,447,852 | $ | 4,377,089 | $ | 4,147,179 | ||||||||
| PEO and staffing wages | $ | 1,322,469 | $ | 1,222,617 | $ | 3,725,416 | $ | 3,503,184 | ||||||||
Because safety incentives represent consideration payable to PEO customers, safety incentive costs are netted against PEO revenue in our consolidated statements of operations. Management considers safety incentives to be an integral part of our workers’ compensation program because they encourage client companies to maintain safe work practices and minimize workplace injuries. We therefore present below for purposes of analysis non-GAAP gross workers’ compensation expense, which represents workers’ compensation costs including safety incentive costs. We believe this non-GAAP measure is useful in evaluating the total costs of our workers’ compensation program.
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Workers' compensation | $ | 46,887 | $ | 56,412 | $ | 154,290 | $ | 172,388 | ||||||||
| Safety incentive costs | 8,265 | 8,790 | 22,801 | 24,394 | ||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP gross workers' compensation | $ | 55,152 | $ | 65,202 | $ | 177,091 | $ | 196,782 | ||||||||
In monitoring and evaluating the performance of our operations, management also reviews the following ratios, which represent selected amounts as a percentage of gross billings. Management believes these ratios are useful in understanding the efficiency and profitability of our service offerings.
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||
| Percentage of Gross Billings | Percentage of Gross Billings | |||||||||||
| Three Months Ended September 30, | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |||||||||||
| 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||
| PEO and staffing wages | 85.2% | 84.4% | 85.1% | 84.5% | ||||||||
| Payroll taxes and benefits | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.3% | 7.8% | ||||||||
| Non-GAAP gross workers' compensation | 3.6% | 4.5% | 4.0% | 4.7% | ||||||||
About BBSI
BBSI (NASDAQ: BBSI) is a leading provider of business management solutions, combining human resource outsourcing and professional management consulting to create a unique operational platform that differentiates it from competitors. The Company’s integrated platform is built upon expertise in payroll processing, employee benefits, workers’ compensation coverage, risk management and workplace safety programs, and human resource administration. BBSI’s partnerships help businesses of all sizes improve the efficiency of their operations. The Company works with more than 6,400 clients across all lines of business in 23 states. For more information, please visit www.mybbsi.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this release about future events or performance, including expectations regarding gross billings growth, future effective tax rates, earnings per share, and workers’ compensation expense as a percentage of gross billings, are forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect future results include economic conditions in the Company's service areas, the effect of changes in the Company's mix of services on gross margin, the Company's ability to retain current clients and attract new clients, the availability of financing or other sources of capital, the Company's relationship with its primary bank lender, the potential for material deviations from expected future workers' compensation claims experience, the workers’ compensation regulatory environment in the Company’s primary markets, litigation costs, the effect of governmental investigations, security breaches or failures in the Company's information technology systems, the collectability of accounts receivable, changes in executive management, the carrying value of deferred income tax assets and goodwill, and the effect of conditions in the global capital markets on the Company’s investment portfolio, among others. Other important factors that may affect the Company’s prospects are described in the Company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Although forward-looking statements help to provide complete information about the Company, readers should keep in mind that forward-looking statements are less reliable than historical information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements in this release to reflect events or changes in circumstances that occur after the date of this release.
| Barrett Business Services, Inc. | ||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||
| September 30, | December 31, | |||||
| (in thousands) | 2019 | 2018 | ||||
| Assets | ||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 35,452 | $ | 35,371 | ||
| Investments | 101,748 | 416 | ||||
| Trade accounts receivable, net | 187,467 | 151,597 | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other | 15,974 | 13,880 | ||||
| Restricted cash and investments | 107,702 | 120,409 | ||||
| Total current assets | 448,343 | 321,673 | ||||
| Investments | — | 1,687 | ||||
| Property, equipment and software, net | 29,575 | 24,812 | ||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets | 23,784 | — | ||||
| Restricted cash and investments | 311,882 | 348,165 | ||||
| Goodwill | 47,820 | 47,820 | ||||
| Other assets | 3,253 | 3,474 | ||||
| Deferred income taxes | 5,523 | 8,458 | ||||
| $ | 870,180 | $ | 756,089 | |||
| Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | ||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | $ | 221 | $ | 221 | ||
| Accounts payable | 5,432 | 4,336 | ||||
| Accrued payroll, payroll taxes and related benefits | 197,686 | 158,683 | ||||
| Income taxes payable | 3,408 | 4,403 | ||||
| Current operating lease liabilities | 6,448 | — | ||||
| Other accrued liabilities | 13,244 | 20,566 | ||||
| Workers' compensation claims liabilities | 113,623 | 109,319 | ||||
| Safety incentives liability | 27,727 | 29,210 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 367,789 | 326,738 | ||||
| Long-term workers' compensation claims liabilities | 316,423 | 304,078 | ||||
| Long-term debt | 3,785 | 3,951 | ||||
| Long-term operating lease liabilities | 17,906 | — | ||||
| Customer deposits and other long-term liabilities | 4,106 | 2,285 | ||||
| Stockholders' equity | 160,171 | 119,037 | ||||
| $ | 870,180 | $ | 756,089 | |||
Barrett Business Services, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | |||||||||||
| (in thousands, except per share amounts) | Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||
| September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||
| 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | |||||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||||||
| Professional employer service fees | $ | 214,156 | $ | 206,320 | $ | 607,840 | $ | 592,559 | ||||
| Staffing services | 33,806 | 40,967 | 89,319 | 110,307 | ||||||||
| Total revenues | 247,962 | 247,287 | 697,159 | 702,866 | ||||||||
| Cost of revenues: | ||||||||||||
| Direct payroll costs | 25,464 | 30,842 | 67,298 | 83,265 | ||||||||
| Payroll taxes and benefits | 104,847 | 100,348 | 321,341 | 322,784 | ||||||||
| Workers' compensation | 46,887 | 56,412 | 154,290 | 172,388 | ||||||||
| Total cost of revenues | 177,198 | 187,602 | 542,929 | 578,437 | ||||||||
| Gross margin | 70,764 | 59,685 | 154,230 | 124,429 | ||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 41,352 | 36,670 | 113,517 | 101,713 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 970 | 949 | 2,909 | 3,228 | ||||||||
| Income from operations | 28,442 | 22,066 | 37,804 | 19,488 | ||||||||
| Other income, net | 2,488 | 1,780 | 7,946 | 5,896 | ||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 30,930 | 23,846 | 45,750 | 25,384 | ||||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 5,959 | 4,759 | 9,172 | 4,178 | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 24,971 | $ | 19,087 | $ | 36,578 | $ | 21,206 | ||||
| Basic income per common share | $ | 3.34 | $ | 2.59 | $ | 4.92 | $ | 2.89 | ||||
| Weighted average basic common shares outstanding | 7,483 | 7,369 | 7,433 | 7,327 | ||||||||
| Diluted income per common share | $ | 3.24 | $ | 2.50 | $ | 4.76 | $ | 2.77 | ||||
| Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding | 7,711 | 7,643 | 7,686 | 7,652 | ||||||||
Investor Relations:
Gateway Investor Relations
Cody Slach
Tel 1-949-574-3860
BBSI@gatewayir.com
Released November 5, 2019