DALLAS,– MoneyGram International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGI) today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2019.
Fourth Quarter Business Update
Commenting on the progress made in 2019, Alex Holmes, Chairman and CEO noted, “This was a pivotal year for us as we continued to execute our digital transformation and deliver a differentiated experience to our customers. Throughout the year we launched innovative product solutions, invested in new technology, renewed key partner relationships, led the industry in consumer protection and re-established our competitive position in the market. The combination of our efforts is resonating with consumers around the world. Our direct-to-consumer digital business achieved strong growth rates and international markets continued to outperform, which enabled us to return to transaction growth in the month of December. Importantly, we also delivered record online digital transaction growth during the 2019 holiday season and reported Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter that exceeded our expectations.”
Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results
Full Year 2019 Financial Results
Balance Sheet Highlights and Capital Structure Highlights
Cash and cash equivalents on hand at December 31, 2019 totaled $146.8 million compared to $145.5 million at the end of 2018. Fourth quarter and full year interest expense was $24.3 million and $77.0 million, respectively. Capital expenditures in 2019 were $54.5 million.
First Quarter 2020 Outlook
For the first quarter 2020, the Company anticipates total revenue of approximately $300 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $50 million, both on a constant currency basis.
“We have invested proactively during the past several years to re-position MoneyGram as a modern, mobile, API-driven organization that is leading the evolution of digital P2P payments. While we begin 2020 with challenges in our US-outbound and US domestic walk-in businesses, we have a significant pipeline of agent renewals and new signings along with innovative digital products and growth opportunities that have the potential to offset these challenges and improve our financial performance,” said Holmes. “We will continue to focus on growing our customer base, while implementing market-specific strategies that set us uniquely apart from the competition. We are excited about the underlying strength in our business and the momentum created by the transformation of our business.”
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements which are protected as forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect MoneyGram’s current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursuant,” “target,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The statements in this communication that are not historical statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Specific forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the company’s projected results of operations, specific factors expected to impact the company’s results of operations, and the expected restructuring and reorganization program results. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond MoneyGram’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to compete effectively; our ability to maintain key agent or biller relationships, or a reduction in business or transaction volume from these relationships, including our largest agent, Walmart, whether through the introduction by Walmart of additional competing “white label” branded money transfer products or otherwise; our ability to manage fraud risks from consumers or agents; the ability of us and our agents to comply with U.S. and international laws and regulations; litigation or investigations involving us or our agents; uncertainties relating to compliance with the DPA entered into with the U.S. federal government and the effect of the DPA on our reputation and business; regulations addressing consumer privacy, data use and security; our ability to successfully develop and timely introduce new and enhanced products and services and our investments in new products, services or infrastructure changes; our ability to manage risks associated with our international sales and operations; our offering of money transfer services through agents in regions that are politically volatile; changes in tax laws or an unfavorable outcome with respect to the audit of our tax returns or tax positions, or a failure by us to establish adequate reserves for tax events; our substantial debt service obligations, significant debt covenant requirements and credit ratings; major bank failure or sustained financial market illiquidity, or illiquidity at our clearing, cash management and custodial financial institutions; the ability of us and our agents to maintain adequate banking relationships; a security or privacy breach in systems, networks or databases on which we rely; disruptions to our computer network systems and data centers; weakness in economic conditions, in both the U.S. and global markets; a significant change, material slow down or complete disruption of international migration patterns; the financial health of certain European countries or the secession of a country from the European Union; our ability to manage credit risks from our agents and official check financial institution customers; our ability to adequately protect our brand and intellectual property rights and to avoid infringing on the rights of others; our ability to attract and retain key employees; our ability to manage risks related to the operation of retail locations and the acquisition or start-up of businesses; any restructuring actions and cost reduction initiatives that we undertake may not deliver the expected results and these actions may adversely affect our business; our ability to maintain effective internal controls; our capital structure; and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of MoneyGram’s public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including MoneyGram’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and MoneyGram’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in MoneyGram’s SEC filings. MoneyGram’s SEC filings may be obtained by contacting MoneyGram, through MoneyGram’s web site at ir.moneygram.com or through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) at http://www.sec.gov. MoneyGram undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.
Non-GAAP Measures
In addition to results presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), this news release and related tables include certain non-GAAP financial measures, including a presentation of EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, including agent signing bonus amortization), Adjusted EBITDA (EBITDA adjusted for certain significant items), Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Free Cash Flow (Adjusted EBITDA less cash interest, cash taxes and cash payments for capital expenditures and agent signing bonuses), constant currency measures (which assume that amounts denominated in non-U.S. dollars are translated to the U.S. dollar at rates consistent with those in the prior year), adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted net income. In addition, we present adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin for our two reporting segments. The following tables include a full reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the related GAAP financial measures. The equivalent GAAP financial measures for projected results are not provided, and projected results do not reflect the potential impact of certain non-GAAP adjustments, which include (but in future periods, may not be limited to) stock-based, contingent and incentive compensation costs, compliance enhancement program costs, direct monitor costs, legal and contingent matter costs, restructuring and reorganization costs, currency changes and the tax effect of such items. We cannot reliably predict or estimate if and when these types of costs, adjustments or changes may occur or their impact to our financial statements. Accordingly, a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the equivalent GAAP financial measures for projected results is not available.
We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors because they are an indicator of the strength and performance of ongoing business operations. These calculations are commonly used as a basis for investors, analysts and other interested parties to evaluate and compare the operating performance and value of companies within our industry. Finally, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Free Cash Flow, constant currency, adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted net income figures are financial and performance measures used by management in reviewing results of operations, forecasting, allocating resources or establishing employee incentive programs. Although MoneyGram believes the above non-GAAP financial measures enhance investors’ understanding of its business and performance, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for the accompanying GAAP financial measures.