Salesforce.com Announces Fiscal First Quarter Results

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the enterprise cloud computing company, today announced results for its fiscal first quarter ended April 30, 2011.

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"Salesforce.com has become the first enterprise cloud computing company to reach a $2.0 billion annual revenue run rate," said Marc Benioff, Chairman and CEO. "We are delighted to see our revenue growth rate continue to accelerate."

Salesforce.com delivered the following results for its fiscal first quarter:

Revenue: Total Q1 revenue was $504 million, an increase of 34% on a year-over-year basis.  Subscription and support revenues were $474 million, an increase of 35% on a year-over-year basis.  Professional services and other revenues were $31 million, an increase of 18% on a year-over-year basis.  

Earnings per Share:  Q1 GAAP diluted earnings per share were breakeven, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share decreased 7% year-over-year to $0.28. The company's non-GAAP results exclude the effects of approximately $48 million in stock-based compensation expense, approximately $10 million in amortization of purchased intangibles, and approximately $3 million in non-cash interest expense related to the company's convertible senior notes.  All EPS calculations are based on 141 million diluted shares outstanding during the quarter. The company's Q1 diluted shares outstanding include approximately 3 million shares associated with the convertible senior notes and warrants.

Customers: Net paying customers rose approximately 5,400 during the quarter to finish at approximately 97,700.  Since April 30, 2010, the company added 20,400 net paying customers, an increase of 26% on a year-over-year basis.

Cash: Cash generated from operations for the fiscal first quarter was $140 million, a decrease of 3% on a year-over-year basis. Total cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities finished the year at approximately $1.5 billion, a decrease of approximately $379 million from the prior year.

Deferred Revenue: Deferred revenue on the balance sheet as of April 30, 2011 was $915 million, an increase of 38% on a year-over-year basis.

As of May 19, 2011, salesforce.com is initiating guidance for its second quarter of fiscal year 2012. In addition, the company is raising its prior full fiscal year 2012 revenue and non-GAAP EPS guidance provided on March 30, 2011, and updating its projected full fiscal year 2012 GAAP EPS guidance previously provided on February 24, 2011.

Q2 FY12 Guidance:  Revenue for the company's second fiscal quarter is projected to be in the range of approximately $526 million to approximately $528 million.

For the second fiscal quarter, the company expects to report a GAAP net loss per share of approximately ($0.01) to breakeven, while diluted non-GAAP EPS is expected to be approximately $0.29 to $0.30. All EPS estimates include a one-time tax benefit of $0.02, associated with the acquisition of Radian6. The non-GAAP estimate excludes the effects of stock-based compensation expense, expected to be approximately $54 million, amortization of purchased intangibles related to acquisitions, expected to be approximately $17 million, and non-cash interest expense related to the company's convertible senior notes, expected to be approximately $3 million. EPS estimates assume a GAAP tax rate of 113%, and a non-GAAP tax rate of 30%. For the purpose of the EPS calculation, assume an average basic share count of approximately 136 million shares, and an average diluted share count of approximately 144 million shares. Salesforce.com completed its previously announced acquisition of Radian6 on May 2, 2011, and these estimates include the forecasted operating results for Radian6 from that date forward. Radian6 estimates incorporate a preliminary purchase price allocation, and are therefore subject to change.

Full Year FY12 Guidance:  Revenue for the company's full fiscal year 2012 is projected to be in the range of approximately $2.15 billion to approximately $2.17 billion.

For the full fiscal year 2012, the company expects to report a GAAP net loss per share of approximately ($0.03) to ($0.01), while diluted non-GAAP EPS is expected to be approximately $1.30 to $1.32. All EPS estimates include a one-time tax benefit of $0.04, associated with the acquisition of Radian6. The non-GAAP estimate excludes the effects of stock-based compensation expense, expected to be approximately $238 million, amortization of purchased intangibles related to acquisitions, expected to be approximately $60 million, and non-cash interest expense related to the convertible senior notes, expected to be approximately $11 million. EPS estimates assume a GAAP tax rate of 113%, and a non-GAAP tax rate of 33%. For the purpose of the EPS calculation, assume an average basic share count of approximately 136 million shares, and an average diluted share count of approximately 145 million shares. Salesforce.com completed its previously announced acquisition of Radian6 on May 2, 2011, and these estimates include the forecasted operating results for Radian6 from that date forward. Radian6 estimates incorporate a preliminary purchase price allocation, and are therefore subject to change.

The following is a per share reconciliation of GAAP diluted EPS to non-GAAP diluted EPS Guidance for the second quarter and full fiscal year:

Quarterly Conference Call

Salesforce.com will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter fiscal year 2012 results at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today. A live audio webcast of the conference call, together with detailed financial information, can be accessed through the company's Investor Relations Web site at http://www.salesforce.com/investor.  In addition, an archive of the webcast can be accessed through the same link.  Participants who choose to call in to the conference call can do so by dialing domestically 866-901-SFDC or 866-901-7332 and internationally at +1 706-902-1764, passcode salesforce.com or 64853124.  A replay will be available at 800-642-1687 or +1 706-645-9291, passcode 64853124, until midnight (Eastern Time) June 16, 2011.

About Salesforce.com

Salesforce.com is the enterprise cloud computing company that has transformed the way companies collaborate and communicate. Salesforce.com is leading the effort to bring Cloud 2, the next paradigm for computing, to the enterprise by offering its customers the social collaboration, mobility and openness that are the hallmark of this new world. The company's platform and application services include:

• Salesforce Chatter, a private social network for your enterprise
• The Sales Cloud, for sales force automation and contact management
• The Service Cloud, for customer service and support solutions
• Radian6, for social media monitoring and engagement
• The Jigsaw Data Cloud, for ensuring data integrity and quality
• The Force.com platform, for custom application development
• Heroku, for building social and mobile apps in Ruby
• The AppExchange, the world's leading marketplace for enterprise cloud computing applications

Salesforce.com offers the fastest path to customer success with cloud computing. As of April 30, 2011, salesforce.com manages customer information for approximately 97,700 customers including Allianz Commercial, Dell, Japan Post, Kaiser Permanente, KONE, and SunTrust Banks.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:  This press release includes information about non-GAAP EPS and non-GAAP tax rates (collectively the "non-GAAP financial measures").  Non-GAAP EPS estimates exclude the impact of the following non-cash items:  stock-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, and the amortization of debt discount on the company's convertible senior notes, as well as the tax consequences associated with these items.  The purpose of the non-GAAP tax rate is to quantify the excluded tax consequences of the excluded expense items.  These non-GAAP estimates are not measurements of financial performance prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.  The method used to produce non-GAAP financial measures is not computed according to GAAP and may differ from the methods used by other companies.  Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures and should be read only in conjunction with the company's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.

The primary purpose of these non-GAAP measures is to provide supplemental information that may prove useful to investors who wish to consider the impact of certain non-cash items on the company's operating performance.  Non-cash stock-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, and the amortization of debt discount on the company's convertible senior notes are being excluded from the company's FY12 financial results because the decisions which gave rise to these expenses were not made to increase revenue in a particular period, but were made for the company's long-term benefit over multiple periods.  While strategic decisions, such as those to issue stock-based compensation, acquire a company, or issue convertible senior notes, are made to further the company's long-term strategic objectives and impact the company's income statement under GAAP measures, these items affect multiple periods and management is not able to change or affect these items in any particular period.  As such, supplementing GAAP disclosure with non-GAAP disclosure using the non-GAAP measures provides management with an additional view of operational performance by excluding expenses that are not directly related to performance in any particular period, and management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP measures when planning, monitoring, and evaluating the company's performance.

In addition, the majority of the company's industry peers report non-GAAP operating results that exclude certain non-cash or non-recurring items.  Management believes that the provision of supplemental non-GAAP information will enable a more complete comparison of the company's relative performance.  

Specifically, management is excluding the following items from its non-GAAP EPS for Q1 and its non-GAAP estimates for Q2 and FY12:

• Stock-Based Expenses:  The company's compensation strategy is to use stock-based compensation to attract and retain key employees and executives.  It is principally aimed at aligning their interests with those of our stockholders and at long-term employee retention, rather than to motivate or reward operational performance for any particular period.  Thus, stock-based compensation expense varies for reasons that are generally unrelated to operational decisions and performance in any particular period.  
• Amortization of Purchased Intangibles:  The company views amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, such as the amortization of an acquired company's research and development efforts, customer lists and customer relationships, as items arising from pre-acquisition activities.  These are costs that are determined at the time of an acquisition.  While it is continually viewed for impairment, amortization of the cost is a static expense, one that is not typically affected by operations during any particular period.
• Amortization of Debt Discount:  Under GAAP, certain convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash (or other assets) on conversion are required to be separately accounted for as liability (debt) and equity (conversion option) components of the instrument in a manner that reflects the issuer's non-convertible debt borrowing rate.  Accordingly, for GAAP purposes we are required to recognize imputed interest expense on the company's $575 million of convertible subordinated notes that were issued in a private placement in January 2010.  The imputed interest rate is approximately 5.9%, while the coupon interest rate is 0.75%.  The difference between the imputed interest expense and the coupon interest expense, net of the interest amount capitalized, is excluded from management's assessment of the company's operating performance because management believes that this non-cash expense is not indicative of ongoing operating performance.  Management believes that the exclusion of the non-cash interest expense provides investors an enhanced view of the company's operational performance.
• Income Tax Effects:  The company's estimated non-GAAP effective tax rate is lower than the estimated GAAP effective tax rate due to the exclusion of the expense items described above.  

"Safe harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:  This press release contains forward-looking statements about expected GAAP revenue and GAAP and non-GAAP EPS for the second fiscal quarter of 2012 and the full fiscal year, the company's expected tax rates, stock-based compensation expenses, amortization expenses, and shares outstanding.  The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company's results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make.

The risks and uncertainties referred to above include - but are not limited to - risks associated with possible fluctuations in the company's financial and operating results; rate of growth and anticipated revenue run rate; errors, interruptions or delays in the company's service or the company's Web hosting; breaches of the company's security measures; the financial impact of any previous and future acquisitions; the nature of the company's business model; the company's ability to continue to release, and gain customer acceptance of, new and improved versions of the company's service; successful customer deployment and utilization of the company's existing and future services; changes in the company's sales cycle; competition; various financial aspects of the company's subscription model; unexpected increases in attrition or decreases in new business; the emerging markets in which we operate; unique aspects of entering or expanding in international markets, the company's ability to hire, retain and motivate  employees and manage the company's growth; changes in the company's customer base; technological developments; regulatory developments; litigation related to intellectual property and other matters, and any related claims, negotiations and settlements; unanticipated changes in the company's effective tax rate; fluctuations in the number of shares we have outstanding and the price of such shares; foreign currency exchange rates; interest rates; the company's plans to build our new global headquarters in San Francisco, California and the associated costs; and general developments in the economy, financial markets, and credit markets.

Further information on these and other factors that could affect the company's financial results is included in the reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the company's Form 10-Q that will be filed for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2011, and our Form 10-K filed for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2011.  These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Information section of the company's website at www.salesforce.com/investor.

Salesforce.com, inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Copyright (c) 2011 salesforce.com, inc.  All rights reserved.  Salesforce and the "no software" logo are registered trademarks of salesforce.com, inc., and salesforce.com owns other registered and unregistered trademarks.  Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.