Research
The Hackett Group Announces Fourth Quarter 2019 Results
- Q4 2019 net revenue of $63.7 million, at the high-end of guidance, and pro forma EPS of $0.24, at mid-point of guidance
- Q4 2019 GAAP EPS of $0.07 as compared to GAAP EPS of $0.00 in the same period in the prior year
- Company announces annual dividend increase of 6% from $0.36 to $0.38 per share
- Board of Directors approves $5.0 million increase in the Company’s share repurchase program
MIAMI, FL – February 18, 2020 – The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HCKT), a global intellectual property-based strategic consultancy and leading enterprise benchmarking and best practices digital transformation firm, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter, which ended on December 27, 2019.
Q4 2019 net revenue (gross revenue less reimbursable expenses) from continuing operations was $63.7 million, up 3%, as compared to the same period in the prior year. Q4 2019 gross revenue from continuing operations was $69.1 million, up 4%, from the same period in the prior year.
Q4 2019 pro forma diluted earnings per share were $0.24, down 8% when compared to $0.26 for the same period in the prior year. Fiscal 2019 pro forma diluted earnings per share were $1.00, down 6% when compared to $1.06 for the prior year. Pro forma information is provided to enhance the understanding of the Company’s financial performance and is reconciled to the Company’s GAAP information in the accompanying tables.
GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.07 for the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to earnings per share of $0.00 in the fourth quarter of 2018. GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.72 for fiscal year 2019 and $0.74 for fiscal year 2018. During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company recorded a restructuring charge and the write-off of its investment in The Hackett Institute’s Enterprise Analytics program, both of which negatively impacted GAAP earnings per share by $0.12. The fourth quarter of 2018 included the impact for the discontinued operations of the Working Capital group and the write-off of the investment for the HPE software offering which amounted to $0.23 per share.
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company’s cash balances were $26.0 million. During the quarter, the Company repurchased 145 thousand shares under its share repurchase program. As of the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company’s remaining share repurchase program authorization was $1.7 million. In its recent meeting, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a $5.0 million increase in the Company’s share repurchase program and authorized a 6% increase of its annual dividend from $0.36 to $0.38 per share, to be paid semi-annually.
‘We continue to see solid U.S. performance driven by digital transformation and implementation of cloud software initiatives tempered by weak European results,’ stated Ted A. Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of The Hackett Group. ‘During the quarter we took the necessary actions to mitigate the impact of the volatility in Europe. More importantly, as we start the year with improving revenue growth in the U.S. and the geopolitical headwinds impacting Europe stabilizing, we are excited about our 2020 prospects.’
Based on the current economic outlook, the Company estimates total net revenue for the first quarter of 2020 to be in the range of $65.0 million and $66.5 million or gross revenue (inclusive of reimbursable expenses) to be in the range of $70.5 million and $72.0 million. The Company estimates pro forma diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2020 to be in the range of $0.23 and $0.25.
Other Highlights
World-Class IT Research – The Hackett Group issued world-class IT research which found that smart automation technologies such as robotic process automation, conversational interfaces, and cognitive automation can enable typical IT organizations to improve productivity by up to 23% while helping them reduce costs, improve effectiveness, and enhance customer experience. The research also found that smart automation serves as a valuable milestone for IT organizations as these organizations continue their digital transformations, enabling them to achieve staffing levels below those seen by world-class IT organizations as they continue to drive towards the broader benefits that come with total technology optimization.
OneStream Platinum Partnership – The Hackett Group announced that it has been named a Platinum level implementation partner by OneStream Software. As a Platinum partner, OneStream recognizes The Hackett Group’s commitment to align with OneStream’s strategic vision and commitment to bring value to shared clients.
On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 senior management will discuss fourth quarter results in a conference call at 5:00 P.M. ET. (800) 593-0486, [Passcode: Fourth Quarter]. For International callers, please dial (517) 308-9371.
Please dial in at least 5-10 minutes prior to start time. If you are unable to participate on the conference call, a rebroadcast will be available beginning at 8:00 P.M. ET on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 and will run through 5:00 P.M. ET on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. To access the rebroadcast, please dial (800) 925-1779. For International callers, please dial (402) 220-3079.
In addition, The Hackett Group will also be webcasting this conference call live through the StreetEvents.com service. To participate, simply visit https://www.thehackettgroup.com approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call and click on the conference call link provided. An online replay of the call will be available after 8:00 P.M. ET on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 and will run through 5:00 P.M. ET on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. To access the replay, visit www.thehackettgroup.com or https://www.streetevents.com.
Earnings Call Documents
- Consolidated Statements of Operations – Q4 2019
- Supplemental Data discussed during earnings call – Q4 2019
SEC XBRL Filings – Q4 2019
- XBRL Calculation – Q4 2019
- XBRL Definition – Q4 2019
- XBRL Label – Q4 2019
- XBRL Presentation – Q4 2019
- XBRL Instance – Q4 2019
- XBRL Schema – Q4 2019
About The Hackett Group, Inc.
The Hackett Group (NASDAQ: HCKT) is an intellectual property-based strategic consultancy and leading enterprise benchmarking and best practices digital transformation firm to global companies, with offerings that include robotic process automation and enterprise cloud application implementation. Services include business transformation, enterprise analytics and global business services. The Hackett Group also provides dedicated expertise in business strategy, operations, finance, human capital management, strategic sourcing, procurement and information technology, including its award-winning Oracle and SAP practices.
The Hackett Group has completed more than 17,850 benchmarking studies with major corporations and government agencies, including 93% of the Dow Jones Industrials, 90% of the Fortune 100, 80% of the DAX 30 and 57% of the FTSE 100. These studies drive Hackett’s Digital Transformation Platform which includes the firm’s benchmarking metrics, best practices repository and best practice configuration guides and process flows, which enable The Hackett Group’s clients and partners to achieve world-class performance.
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause The Hackett Group’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that impact such forward-looking statements include, among others, the ability of our products, services, or offerings mentioned in this release to deliver the desired effect, our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions into our operations, our ability to retain existing business, our ability to attract additional business, our ability to effectively market and sell our product offerings and other services, including those referenced above, the timing of projects and the potential for contract cancellations by our customers, changes in expectations regarding the business consulting and information technology industries, our ability to attract and retain skilled employees, possible changes in collections of accounts receivable due to the bankruptcy or financial difficulties of our customers, risks of competition, price and margin trends, foreign currency fluctuations, the impact of Brexit on our business, changes in general economic conditions and interest rates, our ability to mitigate the impact of the recent decline in our European operations, our ability to obtain debt financing through additional borrowings under an amendment to our existing credit facility as well as other risks detailed in our Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contact:
Robert A. Ramirez, CFO, 305-375-8005 or rramirez@thehackettgroup.com
