2U Reports Results for Third Quarter 2022

Completes Strategic Realignment

Expects to Reduce Annual Operating Expense by $70 Million

Increases 2022 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance

LANHAM, Md., Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), a leading online education platform company, today reported financial and operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2022.

Results for Third Quarter 2022 compared to Third Quarter 2021

• Revenue of $232.2 million was flat
• Degree Program Segment revenue decreased 7% to $137.2 million
• Alternative Credential Segment revenue increased 12% to $95.0 million
• Net loss was $121.7 million, or $1.57 per share and includes non-cash impairment charges of $79.5 million

Non-GAAP Results for Third Quarter 2022 compared to Third Quarter 2021

• Adjusted EBITDA increased $17.8 million to $32.5 million; adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 14% from 6%
• Adjusted net loss improved $13.9 million to $3.5 million, or $0.05 per share

"We completed our strategic realignment and accelerated 2U's transition to a platform company under the edX platform during the quarter," said 2U Co-Founder and CEO Christopher "Chip" Paucek. "We realigned our organization around a single platform, streamlined our cost structure and implemented a new, more efficient marketing framework. We believe these structural changes will not only strengthen our bottom line, but also supercharge our ability to match millions of learners with accessible, best-in-class learning experiences from top institutions that help them advance their careers and transform their lives."

Paul Lalljie, 2U's Chief Financial Officer, added, "Our third quarter results demonstrate early returns from our platform strategy and execution of our Strategic Realignment Plan.  We delivered record adjusted EBITDA of $32.5 million, a 121% increase versus the prior year driven by improvements from both segments.  As a result, we are increasing our adjusted EBITDA outlook for 2022 and remain committed to delivering further profitability improvements and positive free cash flow in 2023."

Discussion of Third Quarter 2022 Results

Revenue for the third quarter totaled $232.2 million, which was flat when compared with $232.4 million in the third quarter of 2021. Total revenue includes $9.3 million from legacy edX offerings. Revenue from the Degree Program Segment decreased $10.6 million, or 7.1%, due to a 5.9% decrease in average revenue per full course equivalent (FCE) enrollment and a decrease in FCE enrollments of 1.3%. Revenue from the Alternative Credential Segment increased $10.4 million, or 12.3%, primarily due to legacy edX offerings and an increase in FCE enrollments of 14.6%, partially offset by an 8.2% decrease in average revenue per FCE enrollment.

Costs and expenses for the third quarter totaled $336.5 million, a 22.0% increase from $275.9 million in the third quarter of 2021. This increase includes $79.5 million of non-cash impairment charges in our Alternative Credential Segment.   The company determined that the recent decline in its market capitalization triggered an interim goodwill impairment review, which led to a non-cash write down of certain goodwill assets and indefinite-lived intangible assets. Of note, third quarter expense includes $17.0 million of operating expense related to edX, which was acquired in the fourth quarter of 2021, and a $6.2 million increase in restructuring costs.  These increases were partially offset by a $26.5 million decrease in paid marketing costs in connection with the platform strategy and a $10.7 million decrease in personnel and personnel-related expenses primarily relating to the Strategic Realignment Plan. 

As of September 30, 2022, the company's cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash totaled $185.2 million, a decrease of $64.8 million from $249.9 million as of December 31, 2021. Cash used in operations was $1.4 million, cash used in investing activities was $54.0 million and cash used in financing activities was $4.7 million. Unlevered free cash flow was a use of $1.3 million for the twelve months ended September 30, 2022 and compares with unlevered free cash flow of $11.5 million for the twelve months ended June 30, 2022.

Business Outlook for Fiscal Year 2022

The Company affirmed its revenue guidance provided on July 28, 2022 and updated its guidance for net loss and adjusted EBITDA as follows: 

• Revenue to exceed $960 million, representing growth of 2%
• Net loss to range from $320 million to $310 million
• Adjusted EBITDA to range from $115 million to $117 million, representing growth of 74% at the midpoint

Update on 2022 Strategic Realignment Plan

In connection with our previously announced Strategic Realignment Plan, during the quarter the company i) implemented a portfolio-based marketing framework to drive traffic to the edX marketplace and decreased paid marketing costs by $18.7 million when compared with the second quarter, ii) consolidated its real estate footprint and iii) reduced employee headcount. The company expects to generate approximately $70 million in operating expense savings on a 12-month basis from this plan.

Business Highlights

• The London School of Economics and Political Science launched two new MicroBachelors® programs, its first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the edX platform and two new bachelor's programs.
• The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill expanded its partnership with the company to offer a new, online master's degree in applied data science.
• The company introduced a new partnership model for degree programs which offers greater flexibility to university partners. New degree programs added under this model include
• a master's of business analytics with the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• a new doctorate of public health at The George Washington University
• The George Washington University agreed to launch its first MicroMasters® in Public Health. Credits earned will count towards a 2U-powered master's degree in public health.
• The company rebranded its boot camps under the edX brand, incorporating more than 200 boot camp offerings into the edX platform, creating additional cross-sell opportunities.
• Thomas Edison State University (TESU) expanded its partnership with edX to offer its first MicroBachelors program in information literacy, in which students can earn credit towards a TESU undergraduate degree.
• edX launched over 115 courses from 46 unique institutions and added new partners including Google Cloud, Stellenbosch University, Qatar University, The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of California, Riverside and the Web3 Foundation.

Non-GAAP Measures

To provide investors and others with additional information regarding 2U's results, the company has disclosed the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted EBITDA (loss), adjusted EBITDA margin, unlevered free cash flow, adjusted net income (loss), and adjusted net income (loss) per share. The company has provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this earnings release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The company defines adjusted EBITDA (loss) as net income or net loss, as applicable, before net interest income (expense), other income (expense), net, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, deferred revenue fair value adjustments, transaction costs, integration costs, restructuring-related costs, stockholder activism costs, certain litigation-related costs, consisting of fees for certain non-ordinary course litigation and other proceedings, impairment charges, losses on debt extinguishment, and stock-based compensation expense. The company defines adjusted EBITDA margin as adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue. The company defines unlevered free cash flow as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less capital expenditures, payments to university clients, certain non-ordinary cash payments, and cash interest payments on debt. The company defines adjusted net income (loss) as net income or net loss, as applicable, before other income (expense), net, acquisition-related gains or losses, deferred revenue fair value adjustments, transaction costs, integration costs, restructuring-related costs, stockholder activism costs, certain litigation-related costs, consisting of fees for certain non-ordinary course litigation and other proceedings, impairment charges, losses on debt extinguishment, and stock-based compensation expense. Adjusted net income (loss) per share is calculated as adjusted net income (loss) divided by diluted weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding for periods that result in adjusted net income, and basic weighted-average shares outstanding for periods that result in an adjusted net loss. Some of the adjustments described in the definitions of adjusted EBITDA (loss), unlevered free cash flow, and adjusted net income (loss) may not be applicable in any given reporting period and they may vary from period to period.

The company's management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, to understand cash that is generated by or available for operational expenses and investment in the business after capital expenditures, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short- and long-term operating plans, and to evaluate the company's financial performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures reflect the company's ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in the company's business as they exclude expenses that are not reflective of ongoing operating results. Management also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the company's operating results and prospects in the same manner as management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies.

The use of adjusted EBITDA (loss), unlevered free cash flow, adjusted net income (loss), and adjusted net income (loss) per share measures has certain limitations, as they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect the company's operations. The company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Further, these non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Management encourages investors and others to review the company's financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

Conference Call Information

About 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU)

For more than a decade, 2U, Inc. has been the digital transformation partner of choice to great non-profit colleges and universities delivering high-quality online education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading global online learning platform, 2U provides over 46 million learners with access to world-class education in partnership with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporations. Our people and technology are powering more than 4,000 digital education offerings — from free courses to full degrees — and helping unlock human potential. To learn more: visit 2U.com.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding 2U, Inc.'s future business expectations, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding future results of operations and financial position of 2U, including financial targets, business strategy, and plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. 2U has based these forward-looking statements largely on its estimates of its financial results and its current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs as of the date of this press release. The company undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results predicted, including, but not limited to:

• trends in the higher education market and the market for online education, and expectations for growth in those markets;
• the acceptance, adoption and growth of online learning by colleges and universities, faculty, students, employers, accreditors and state and federal licensing bodies;
• the impact of competition on the company's industry and innovations by competitors;
• the company's ability to comply with evolving regulations and legal obligations related to data privacy, data protection and information security;
• the company's expectations about the potential benefits of its cloud-based software-as-a-service technology and technology-enabled services to university clients and students;
• the company's dependence on third parties to provide certain technological services or components used in its platform;
• the company's expectations about the predictability, visibility and recurring nature of its business model;
• the company's ability to meet the anticipated launch dates of its degree programs, executive education offerings and boot camps;
• the company's ability to acquire new university clients and expand its degree programs, executive education offerings and boot camps with existing university clients;
• the company's ability to successfully integrate the operations of its acquisitions, including the edX acquisition, to achieve the expected benefits of its acquisitions and manage, expand and grow the combined company;
• the company's ability to refinance its indebtedness on attractive terms, if at all, to better align with its focus on profitability;
• the company's ability to service its substantial indebtedness and comply with the covenants and conversion obligations contained in the indenture governing its convertible senior notes and the term loan agreement governing its term loan facility;
• the company's ability to generate sufficient future operating cash flows from recent acquisitions to ensure related goodwill is not impaired;
• the company's ability to execute its growth strategy in the international, undergraduate and non-degree alternative markets;
• the company's ability to continue to recruit prospective students for its offerings;
• the company's ability to maintain or increase student retention rates in its degree programs;
• the company's ability to attract, hire and retain qualified employees;
• the company's expectations about the scalability of its cloud-based platform;
• potential changes in regulations applicable to the company or its university clients;
• the company's expectations regarding the amount of time its cash balances and other available financial resources will be sufficient to fund its operations;
• the impact and cost of stockholder activism;
• the impact of the significant decline in the market price of our common stock, including the impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets;
• the timing, structure and expected impact of our realignment plan and the estimated savings and amounts expected to be incurred in connection therewith;
• the impact of any natural disasters or public health emergencies, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") pandemic;
• the company's expectations regarding the effect of the capped call transactions and regarding actions of the option counterparties and/or their respective affiliates; and
• other factors beyond the company's control.

These and other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and other SEC filings. Moreover, 2U operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for 2U management to predict all risks, nor can 2U assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements 2U may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.

Investor Relations Contact: [email protected]

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SOURCE 2U, Inc.