XO Group Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017 Financial Results

NEW YORK, March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- XO Group Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: XOXO, xogroupinc.com), today reported financial results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2017.

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $42.3 million, up 3% compared to the same period in the prior year. GAAP net income for the quarter was $0.4 million or $0.02 per diluted share compared to $0.13 in the prior year quarter. The Company's Q4 2017 earnings include tax expense of approximately $3.0 million, related to the impact of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Excluding this expense, non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $3.5 million or $0.14 per diluted share compared to $0.13 in the prior year quarter. The Company's balance sheet at December 31, 2017 reflects cash and cash equivalents of $106.1 million compared to $105.7 million at December 31, 2016.

"We continue to develop innovative products that help our couples navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments while delivering distinct value to our business partners. In 2017, we delivered strong revenue growth in our transactions and local online businesses alongside record vendor count and retention rates for our local marketplace," said Mike Steib, Chief Executive Officer.

Long-Term Financial Targets

The Company is reiterating its long-term financial targets of double digit revenue growth rates, gross margins of approximately 90-95%, and adjusted EBITDA margins of 20%.


                                                                                                 XO GROUP INC.
                                                                                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                                                                               (amounts in thousands, except for per share data)
                                                                                                  (unaudited)


                                                                       Three months ended December 31,                Twelve months ended December 31,
                                                                                                                      --------------------------------

                                                                            2017                    2016                      2017                    2016
                                                                            ----                    ----                      ----                    ----

    Net revenue:

    Local online advertising                                                        $20,802                                          $18,368                $78,358  $70,239

    National online advertising                                            9,913                              11,789                               37,429     38,945
                                                                           -----                              ------                               ------     ------

    Total online advertising                                              30,715                              30,157                              115,787    109,184

    Transactions                                                           6,004                               5,079                               27,106     22,819

    Publishing and other                                                   5,614                               5,772                               17,663     20,113
                                                                           -----                               -----                               ------     ------

    Total net revenue                                                     42,333                              41,008                              160,556    152,116

    Cost of revenue:

    Online advertising                                                     1,507                               1,563                                4,564      3,665

    Publishing and other                                                   2,008                               1,921                                5,960      6,089
                                                                           -----                               -----                                -----      -----

    Total cost of revenue                                                  3,515                               3,484                               10,524      9,754

    Gross profit                                                          38,818                              37,524                              150,032    142,362

    Operating expenses:

    Product and content development                                       11,044                              11,094                               45,180     43,874

    Sales and marketing                                                   13,361                              13,945                               53,093     49,738

    General and administrative                                             7,056                               5,836                               30,797     24,494

    Depreciation and amortization                                          1,538                               1,563                                6,772      6,390
                                                                           -----                               -----                                -----      -----

    Total operating expenses                                              32,999                              32,438                              135,842    124,496

    Income from operations                                                 5,819                               5,086                               14,190     17,866

    Loss in equity interests                                                (39)                              (118)                             (1,243)     (328)

    Interest and other income, net                                           253                                 117                                  612        146
                                                                             ---                                 ---                                  ---        ---

    Income before income taxes                                             6,033                               5,085                               13,559     17,684

    Income tax expense                                                     5,593                               1,663                                8,025      5,564

    Net income                                                                         $440                                           $3,422                 $5,534  $12,120
                                                                                       ====                                           ======                 ======  =======

    Net income per share:

    Basic                                                                             $0.02                                            $0.14                  $0.22    $0.48
                                                                                      =====                                            =====                  =====    =====

    Diluted                                                                           $0.02                                            $0.13                  $0.22    $0.47
                                                                                      =====                                            =====                  =====    =====

    Weighted average number of shares used in calculating net earnings
     per share:

    Basic                                                                 24,986                              25,316                               25,018     25,314
                                                                                                                                                           ------

    Diluted                                                               25,306                              25,698                               25,322     25,640
                                                                          ======                              ======                               ======     ======


                                                                                                                                     XO GROUP INC.
                                                                                                                              CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                                                                                                   (amounts in thousands, except for per share data)
                                                                                                                                      (unaudited)


                                                                                                                                                                                    December 31,

                                                                                                                                                                            2017                 2016
                                                                                                                                                                            ----                 ----

                                                                                                                                    ASSETS

    Current assets:

    Cash and cash equivalents                                                                                                                                                    $106,092                      $105,703

    Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $2,354 and $1,386 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively                                                   16,399                        20,182

    Prepaid expenses and other current assets                                                                                                                              5,102                         5,247

    Total current assets                                                                                                                                                 127,593                       131,132

    Long-term restricted cash                                                                                                                                              1,181                         1,181

    Property and equipment, net                                                                                                                                           11,829                        12,130

    Intangible assets, net                                                                                                                                                 4,019                         4,154

    Goodwill                                                                                                                                                              51,438                        48,678

    Deferred tax assets, net                                                                                                                                               6,500                         9,918

    Investments                                                                                                                                                            1,442                         2,685

    Other assets                                                                                                                                                             118                           308
                                                                                                                                                                             ---                           ---

    Total assets                                                                                                                                                                 $204,120                      $210,186
                                                                                                                                                                                 ========                      ========

                                                                                                                     LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

    Current liabilities:

    Accrued compensation and employee benefits                                                                                                                                     $6,100                        $6,164

    Accounts payable and accrued expenses                                                                                                                                  5,661                         7,515

    Deferred revenue                                                                                                                                                      14,113                        16,752
                                                                                                                                                                          ------                        ------

    Total current liabilities                                                                                                                                             25,874                        30,431

    Deferred rent                                                                                                                                                          3,365                         3,720

    Other liabilities                                                                                                                                                      1,792                         1,485
                                                                                                                                                                           -----                         -----

    Total liabilities                                                                                                                                                     31,031                        35,636

    Commitments and contingencies (Note 11)

    Stockholders' equity:

    Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized and 0 shares issued and                                                                                     -                            -
    outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively

    Common stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized and 25,696,796 and 26,304,925 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively     258                           264

    Additional paid-in-capital                                                                                                                                           180,695                       178,959

    Accumulated deficit                                                                                                                                                  (7,864)                      (4,673)
                                                                                                                                                                          ------                        ------

    Total stockholders' equity                                                                                                                                           173,089                       174,550

    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity                                                                                                                                   $204,120                      $210,186
                                                                                                                                                                                 ========                      ========


                                                                                                                                  XO GROUP INC.
                                                                                                                                 NON-GAAP TABLE
                                                                                                                 For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
                                                                                                                (amounts in thousands, except for per share data)
                                                                                                                                   (unaudited)


                                                                                                                                           Years Ended December 31,

                                                                                                       2017                                                                         2016

                                                   GAAP             Adjustments       Non GAAP Results               GAAP                 Adjustments               Non GAAP Results
                                                  Actual                                                            Actual
                                                  ------                                                            ------

    Adjusted Net Income and EPS Reconciliation

    Revenue                                                $160,556                                    $                   -                                                 $160,556                 $152,116                 -    $152,116

    Cost of revenues                                10,524                           -                                  10,524                                  9,754                      -                        9,754

    Operating expenses

    Product and content development                 45,180                           -                                  45,180                                 43,874                      -                       43,874

    Sales and marketing                             53,093                           -                                  53,093                                 49,738                      -                       49,738

    General and administrative                      30,797                       (200)                     a            30,597                                 24,494                      -                       24,494

    Depreciation and amortization                    6,772                           -                                   6,772                                  6,390                      -                        6,390
                                                     -----                         ---                                   -----                                  -----                                               -----

    Total operating expenses                       135,842                       (200)                                 135,642                                124,496                      -                      124,496


    Income from operations                          14,190                         200                                   14,390                                 17,866                      -                       17,866


    Interest and other income, net                     612                           -                                     612                                    146                      -                          146

    (Loss)/gain in equity interest                 (1,243)                      1,032                      a             (211)                                 (328)                     -                        (328)

    Income tax expense/(benefit)                     8,025                     (3,030)                     b             4,995                                  5,564                                       5,564

    Net income                                               $5,534                                         $4,262                                             $9,796                         $12,120                        $    -     $12,120

    Amounts per share - diluted                       0.22                        0.17                                     0.39                                   0.47                      -                         0.47


    Weighted average number of shares outstanding
     -diluted                                       25,322                                                  25,322                                 25,640                                      25,640
                                                    ======                                                  ======                                 ======                                      ======


    Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation


    Operating income                                        $14,190                                           $200                                            $14,390                         $17,866                        $    -     $17,866

    Depreciation and amortization                    6,772                           -                                   6,772                                  6,390                      -                        6,390

    Stock-based compensation                         7,843                           -                                   7,843                                  8,359                      -                        8,359
    expense

    Adjusted EBITDA                                         $28,805                                           $200                                            $29,005                         $32,615                        $    -     $32,615
                                                            =======                                           ====                                            =======                         =======                      ===  ===     =======


    a.                  Adjusted loss in equity interests
                        excludes the other-than-
                        temporary impairment that reduced
                        the carrying value of our equity
                        investment in Jetaport, Inc. to
                        zero. In addition, general and
                        administrative operating expenses
                        excludes bad debt expense
                        associated with a loan previously
                        made to Jetaport, Inc.

    b.                  In 2017, income tax expense
                        includes approximately $3.0
                        million related primarily to the
                        revaluation of certain deferred
                        tax assets in conjunction with the
                        U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs act of
                        2017.


                                                                                                                               XO GROUP INC.
                                                                                                                               NON-GAAP TABLE
                                                                                                             For the Quarters Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
                                                                                                             (amounts in thousands, except for per share data)
                                                                                                                                (unaudited)


                                                                                            Quarters Ended December 31,

                                                                                              2017                                                                                2016

                                                   GAAP            Adjustments         Non GAAP Results                            GAAP                 Adjustments            Non GAAP Results
                                                  Actual                                                                          Actual
                                                  ------                                                                          ------

    Adjusted Net Income and
    EPS Reconciliation

    Revenue                                                $42,333                                     $                     -                                        $42,333                         $41,008                           -  $41,008

    Cost of revenues                                 3,515                           -                                               3,515                               3,484                               -            3,484

    Operating expenses                                                     -                                              -                                                                       -

    Product and content development                 11,044                           -                                              11,044                              11,094                               -           11,094

    Sales and marketing                             13,361                           -                                              13,361                              13,945                               -           13,945

    General and administrative                       7,056                           -                                               7,056                               5,836                               -            5,836

    Depreciation and amortization                    1,538                           -                                               1,538                               1,563                               -            1,563
                                                     -----                         ---                                               -----                               -----                                            -----

    Total operating expenses                        32,999                           -                                              32,999                              32,438                               -           32,438

                                                                                                    -                                                                                           -

    Income from operations                           5,819                           -                                               5,819                               5,086                                            5,086

                                                                                                    -                                                                                           -

    Interest and other income, net                     253                           -                                                 253                                 117                                              117

    Loss in equity interest                           (39)                          -                                                (39)                              (118)                              -            (118)

    Income tax expense/(benefit)                     5,593                     (3,030)                     a                         2,563                               1,663                                   1,663

    Net income                                                $440                                                      $3,030                                          $3,470                          $3,422                      $    -   $3,422

    Amounts per share - diluted                       0.02                        0.12                                                 0.14                                0.13                               -             0.13


    Weighted average number of shares outstanding
     -diluted                                       25,306                                                              25,306                                 25,698                               -           25,698
                                                    ======                                                              ======                                 ======                                           ======


    Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation


    Operating income                                        $5,819                                     $                     -                                         $5,819                          $5,086                      $    -   $5,086

    Depreciation and amortization                    1,538                           -                                               1,538                               1,563                               -            1,563

    Stock-based compensation expense                 1,806                           -                                               1,806                               2,558                               -            2,558

    Adjusted EBITDA                                         $9,163                                     $                     -                                         $9,163                          $9,207                      $    -   $9,207
                                                            ======                                   ===                   ===                                         ======                          ======                    ===  ===   ======


    a.                  In 2017, income tax expense
                        includes approximately $3.0
                        million related primarily to the
                        revaluation of certain deferred
                        tax assets in conjunction with the
                        U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs act of
                        2017.


                                                                   XO GROUP INC.
                                                       SUPPLEMENTAL DATA TABLES (UNAUDITED)
                                                    (amounts in thousands, except for metrics)
                                                                    (unaudited)


                                   Three months ended December 31,                      Twelve months ended December 31,
                                   -------------------------------                      --------------------------------

                                         2017                   2016                      2017                   2016
                                         ----                   ----                      ----                   ----

    Net cash provided by operating               $7,242                                          $7,302                    $24,483 $27,390
    activities

    Less: capital expenditures        (2,006)                           (1,250)                            (5,569)       (4,297)


    Free cash flow                               $5,236                                          $6,052                    $18,914 $23,093
                                                 ======                                          ======                    ======= =======

Stock-based Compensation
The Company included total stock-based compensation expense related to all its stock awards in various operating expense categories for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, as follows:


                                    Three months ended December 31,        Twelve months ended December 31,
                                    -------------------------------        --------------------------------

                                              2017                    2016                       2017         2016
                                              ----                    ----                       ----         ----

    Product and content development           $689                    $654                     $2,509       $2,324

    Sales and marketing                        241                     831                      1,528        2,057

    General and administrative                 876                   1,073                      3,806        3,978

    Total stock-based compensation          $1,806                  $2,558                     $7,843       $8,359
                                            ======                  ======                     ======       ======


    TheKnot.com Local Online Advertising Metrics

                                                 Q4 2017        Q4 2016

    Vendor Count at quarter end                          27,252         22,058

    TTM Vendor Count(a)                                  24,748         22,447

    Retention Rate(a)                                     80.2%         63.4%

    Avg. Revenue/Vendor(a)                               $2,995         $2,955


    (a)              Calculated on an averaged
                     trailing twelve-month
                     basis.

Conference Call and Replay Information

XO Group Inc. will host a conference call with investors at 8:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 1, 2018, to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results. Participants should dial (833) 236-5763 and use Conference ID# 6377287 at least 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. Participants can also access the live broadcast over the internet on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website, accessible at http://ir.xogroupinc.com. To access the webcast, participants should visit XO Group's website at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call in order to download or install any necessary audio software.

A replay of the webcast will also be archived on the Company's website approximately two hours after the conference call ends.

About XO Group Inc.

XO Group Inc.'s (NYSE: XOXO; xogroupinc.com) mission is to help people navigate and enjoy life's biggest moments together. Our family of multi-platform brands guide people through transformative lifestages, from getting married with The Knot, to having a baby with The Bump, and helping bring important celebrations to life with entertainment vendors from GigMasters. The Company is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: XOXO) and is headquartered in New York City.

Forward Looking Statements

This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or our future financial performance or estimates regarding third parties. These statements are only estimates or predictions and reflect our current beliefs and expectations. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in the estimates, projections or forward-looking statements. It is routine for internal projections and expectations to change as the quarter progresses, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change prior to the end of the quarter. Although these expectations may change, we will not necessarily inform you if they do. Our policy is to provide expectations not more than once per quarter, and not to update that information until the next quarter. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, (i) our operating results may fluctuate, are difficult to predict and could fall below expectations, (ii) our ability to accurately measure and monetize the level of offline store level traffic attributable to an online digital campaign conducted on our sites, (iii) our business depends on strong brands, and failing to maintain and enhance our brands would hurt our business, (iv) our ongoing investment in new businesses and new products, services, and technologies is inherently risky, and could disrupt our ongoing business and/or fail to generate the results we are expecting, (v) if we are unable to continue to develop solutions that generate revenue from advertising and other services delivered to mobile devices, our business could be harmed, (vi) our businesses could be negatively affected by changes in Internet search engine and app store search algorithms and email marketing policies, (vii) we face intense competition in our markets. If we do not continue to innovate and provide products and services that are useful to users, we may not remain competitive, and our revenue and results of operations could be adversely affected, (viii) our transactions business is dependent on third-party participants, whose lack of performance could adversely affect our results of operations, (ix) fraudulent or unlawful activities on our marketplace could harm our business and consumer confidence in our marketplace, (x) we may be subject to legal liability associated with providing online services or content, (xi) we may be unable to continue to use the domain names that we use in our business, or prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that infringe on, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of our brand or our trademarks or service marks, and (xii) other factors detailed in documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes information about certain financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP" or "U.S. GAAP"), including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income, adjusted net income per diluted share and free cash flow. These non-GAAP measures have important limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for an analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Our use of these terms may vary from the use of similarly-titled measures by others in our industry due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation and differences due to items subject to interpretation.

Management defines its non-GAAP financial measures as follows:

    --  Adjusted EBITDA represents GAAP income from operations adjusted for
        items that impact comparability, which may include: (1) depreciation and
        amortization, (2) stock-based compensation expense, (3) asset impairment
        charges, and (4) other items affecting comparability during the period.
    --  Adjusted net income represents GAAP net income, adjusted for items that
        impact comparability, which may include: (1) asset impairment charges,
        (2) executive separation and other severance charges, (3) impact of U.S.
        tax reform and non-recurring foreign taxes, interest and penalties, (4)
        costs related to exit activities, and (5) other items affecting
        comparability during the period.
    --  Adjusted net income per diluted share represents adjusted net income (as
        defined above), divided by the diluted weighted-average number of shares
        outstanding for the period.
    --  Adjusted EBITDA margin represents adjusted EBITDA (as defined above),
        divided by total GAAP revenue.
    --  Free cash flow represents GAAP net cash provided by operations, less
        capital expenditures.
    --  National online advertising programs include display advertisements.
        Revenue from display advertisements is largely generated by sold
        impressions (the number of views or displays of a customer's
        advertisement, banner, link or other form of content on our online
        properties for which we earn revenue). Display advertising revenue per
        one thousand sold impressions derives our effective CPM ("eCPM").
    --  Through our transactions business, we earn fixed fees, a percentage of
        sales, per-unit activity fees, or some combination thereof with respect
        to these transactions, which we refer to collectively as our "take
        rate."

Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures, when viewed with our results under U.S. GAAP and the accompanying reconciliations, provide useful information about our period-over-period growth and provide additional information that is useful for evaluating our operating performance. However, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted net income (loss), Adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share, and Free cash flow are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP and, accordingly, should not be considered substitutes for or superior to net income (loss), net income (loss) per diluted share and net cash provided by operating activities as indicators of operating performance.

A reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP financial measures is included in this press release.

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SOURCE XO Group Inc.