Circa Reports Improved Operating Results for the Third Quarter Ended September 30, 2012 and Declares a Special Cash Dividend

CALGARY, Nov. 2, 2012 /CNW/ - Circa Enterprises Inc. (CTO-TSXV) (the "Company" or "Circa"), a manufacturer of equipment for the telecommunication, electrical utility, and construction industries, reports results of operations for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 and the declaration of a special cash dividend.

THIRD QUARTER RESULTS

Summary of third quarter operating results:

• Consolidated sales of $5.87 million, representing a 0.1% increase compared to Q3 2011 sales of $5.86 million
• Profit for the period from continuing operations for the third quarter of 2012 of $84,000 compared to a loss from continuing operations of $77,000 for Q3 2011
• EBITDA of $210,000 for Q3 2012 compared to EBITDA of $(23,000) for Q3 2011 (see below for explanation and calculation of EBITDA)
• Adjusted EBITDA of $218,000 for Q3 2012 compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $6,000 for Q3 2011 (see below for explanation and calculation of Adjusted EBITDA)

Summary of year-to date operating results:

• Consolidated sales of $17.21 million, representing a 0.3% increase compared to sales of $17.16 million for the same nine month period in 2011
• Profit from continuing operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 of $379,000 compared to a loss of $23,000 for the same period in 2011
• EBITDA of $803,000 for the nine month period ended September 30, 2012 compared to EBITDA of $268,000 for the same period in 2011
• Adjusted EBITDA of $856,000 for the nine month period ended September 30, 2012 compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $415,000 for the same period in 2011
• Cash flow from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 of $1.1 million, which has enabled the Company to eliminate its debt in 2012

EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.  Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and is adjusted for other non-recurring items and non-cash items. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are a non-IFRS financial measures and do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards and, therefore, may not to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.  Management believes that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful supplemental measures, which provides an indication of the results generated by Circa's primary business activities prior to consideration of how those activities are financed, amortized or taxed.  Readers are cautioned, however, that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an alternative to comprehensive income (loss) determined in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of the Company's financial performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated by the Company as follows:

Consolidated sales for the third quarter of 2012 were consistent at $5.9 million compared to the same period in 2011. Sales in both divisions were consistent, despite month to month volatility in sales. Telecom segment sales were $2.5 million and Circa Metals' sales were $3.3 million in each of Q3 2012 and Q3 2011.

The Company's earnings increased significantly in the quarter when compared to the prior year due to operational efficiencies.  The Company was able to improve productivity and efficiencies and, in turn, reduce its direct labour costs which resulted in higher gross margins and operating margins.  The Company posted after tax profit of $84,000 for the quarter compared to after tax loss of $77,000 reported in 2011.

The Company was able to generate positive EBITDA of $210,000 for the quarter and $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2012.  This cash flow allowed the Company to eliminate its operating line of credit during the 2012 fiscal year.

Ivan Smith, Circa's President and Chief Executive officer, stated:

"The third quarter 2012 financial results are an improvement over the results achieved over the third quarter of 2011.  The Company is continuing to achieve stronger margins as a result of efficiency and productivity improvements in its operations.  This has reduced costs and improved profitability compared to the prior year.

The Company's balance sheet is strong and the business is stable.  We are continuing to pursue new opportunities to grow top line revenue.  In the coming year, we will continue to concentrate our efforts towards revenue growth, efficient operations and improving on our financial results for our shareholders."

DECLARATION OF SPECIAL DIVIDEND

The Company announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a special cash dividend of $0.05 per share on its common shares payable December 12, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business November 28, 2012.  The Dividend is deemed to be an eligible dividend for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

Circa Enterprises Inc. is a public company with operations in Alberta, Ontario and Florida. The outstanding common shares of Circa Enterprises Inc. are listed and trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol CTO. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The Company's quarterly financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis have been filed with certain securities regulatory authorities in Canada and may be accessed electronically through the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: Circa Enterprises Inc.