Criteo Reports Record Results For The Third Quarter 2015 And Reiterates Its Full-Year 2015 Outlook Despite Negative Foreign Exchange Impacts

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO), the performance marketing technology company, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015.

• Revenue in the third quarter 2015 increased 54% (or 46% at constant currency¹) to €299 million, compared with €194 million in the third quarter 2014.
• Revenue excluding Traffic Acquisition Costs, or Revenue ex-TAC, in the third quarter 2015 grew 55% (or 47% at constant currency) to €120 million, compared with €78 million in the third quarter 2014.
• Net income in the third quarter 2015 was €5 million, compared with €11 million in the third quarter 2014.
• Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter 2015 was €31 million, an increase of 58% (or 55% at constant currency), compared with €20 million in the third quarter 2014.

"We're happy that 90% of our clients use our multi-screen solution," said JB Rudelle, co-founder & CEO, "and are excited about the rapid adoption of our "Universal Match" cross-device solution."

"Our investments and our strong execution are paying off, and we're confident we will deliver strong results for the full year," said Benoit Fouilland, Chief Financial Officer.

Operating Highlights

• For the first time in Criteo's history, our Revenue crossed the €1 billion landmark on a last 12-month basis to reach €1.1 billion.
• We added over 720 net clients in Q3 2015, while maintaining our client retention rate at over 90%.
• In September 2015, 90% of our clients were using our multi-screen solution.
• Clients that were live in both Q3 2014 and Q3 2015 spent more with us, resulting in over 21% more Revenue ex-TAC at constant currency from these clients compared with the prior-year period.
• Our "Universal Match" cross-device solution is gaining scale. As of September, over 2/3 of our clients were sharing anonymized CRM data with us.
• Over 1,500 of our advertisers were live on Facebook mobile via our integration with dynamic product ads as of September 30.
• In September, we generated close to 40% of our Revenue ex-TAC from clients using our enhanced Dynamic Creative Optimization platform.

¹ Growth at constant currency excludes the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and is computed by applying the 2014 average exchange rates for the relevant period to 2015 figures.

Revenue ex-TAC

Revenue ex-TAC grew 55% in the third quarter 2015, or 47% at constant currency, to €120 million, compared with €78 million in the third quarter 2014. This year-over-year performance was primarily driven by the continued roll-out of our technology improvements across all devices, the addition of a significant number of new clients and the further development of our direct relationships with publishers.

• In the Americas, Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015 grew by 88% year-over-year, or 67% at constant currency, to €43 million. The Americas represented over 36% of global Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015.
• In EMEA, Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015 increased by 34% year-over-year, or 33% at constant currency, to €52 million. EMEA represented 43% of global Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015.
• In Asia-Pacific, Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015 increased by 59% year-over-year, or 53% at constant currency, to €25 million. Asia-Pacific represented approximately 21% of global Revenue ex-TAC in the third quarter 2015.

Revenue ex-TAC margin in the third quarter 2015 was 40.2%, in line with prior quarters.

Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Expenses

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter 2015 was €31 million, an increase of 58%, or 55% at constant currency, compared with €20 million in the third quarter 2014. This year-over-year increase in Adjusted EBITDA is primarily the result of the strong Revenue ex-TAC performance in the quarter as well as lower than anticipated spending on certain items.

Adjusted EBITDA margin as a percentage of revenue in the third quarter was 10.5%, representing a 0.3 percentage point improvement compared with 10.2% in the third quarter 2014.

Operating expenses in the third quarter 2015 increased by 50% to €88 million compared with the third quarter 2014. Operating expenses in the third quarter 2015, excluding the impact of share-based compensation expense, pension costs, depreciation and amortization and acquisition-related deferred price consideration, which we refer to as Non-IFRS Operating Expenses, were €81 million, an increase of 54% compared with the third quarter 2014. This increase is primarily related to headcount growth in Research & Development (56% year-over year) and Sales & Operations (44% year-over-year), as we continued to scale the organization. We intend to continue to invest into Research & Development and Sales & Operations in the fourth quarter of 2015 to support our current and anticipated future growth.

Net Income and Adjusted Net Income

Net income in the third quarter 2015 was €5 million compared with €11 million in the third quarter 2014, primarily as a result of a negative financial income and an exceptionally high effective tax rate in the third quarter 2015. Our financial income was negatively impacted by an exceptionally strong fall in the value of the Brazilian Real against the euro in the third quarter, translating into a non-cash foreign exchange loss on our intragroup position with our Brazilian subsidiary. Net income available to shareholders of Criteo S.A. in the third quarter 2015 was €5 million, or €0.07 per share on a diluted basis, compared with €11 million, or €0.18 per share on a diluted basis, in the third quarter 2014.

Adjusted Net Income, or net income adjusted to eliminate the impact of share-based compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related deferred price consideration and the tax impact of these adjustments, in the third quarter 2015 was €11 million, or €0.16 per share on a diluted basis, compared with €17 million, or €0.26 per share on a diluted basis, in the third quarter 2014.

Cash Flow and Cash Position

• Cash flow from operating activities in the third quarter 2015 was €16 million, compared with €25 million in the third quarter 2014. This was primarily driven by an unfavorable change in working capital, particularly impacted by an increase in other receivables. Separately, our income taxes paid increased significantly compared with the prior-year period. For the first nine months of 2015, cash flow from operating activities grew 32% to €63 million.
• Total cash and cash equivalents were €281 million as of September 30, 2015. This represented a decrease of €9 million compared with December 31, 2014, primarily resulting from €14 million in Free Cash Flow generation and €5 million positive cash flow from financing activities over the period, which was more than offset by the cash consideration paid for the acquisition of DataPop, Inc., a €6 million outflow relating to changes in other non-current financial assets as well as a €4 million negative impact of changes in foreign exchange rates on our cash position over the period.

Business Outlook

The following forward-looking statements reflect Criteo's expectations as of November 4, 2015.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Guidance:

• We expect Revenue ex-TAC for the fourth quarter 2015 to be between €134 million and €139 million.
• We expect Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter 2015 to be between €39 million and €46 million.

Fiscal Year 2015 Guidance:

• In spite of a €4 million negative impact from foreign exchange rates as compared to assumptions made as of August 4, 2015, we reiterate our Revenue ex-TAC outlook for the fiscal year 2015, which we expect to be between €470 million and €475 million.
• In spite of a €2 million negative impact from foreign exchange rates as compared to assumptions made as of August 4, 2015, we reiterate our Adjusted EBITDA outlook for the fiscal year 2015, which we expect to be between €120 million and €127 million. 

The above guidance assumes no additional acquisitions are completed during the fourth quarter 2015.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

This press release and its attachments include the following financial measures defined as non-IFRS financial measures by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Revenue ex-TAC, Revenue ex-TAC by Region, Revenue ex-TAC margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per diluted share, Free Cash Flow, and Non-IFRS Operating Expenses. These measures are not calculated in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IFRS).

Revenue ex-TAC is our revenue excluding Traffic Acquisition Costs (TAC) generated over the applicable measurement period and Revenue ex-TAC by Region reflects our Revenue ex-TAC by our core geographies. Revenue ex-TAC and Revenue ex-TAC by Region are key measures used by our management and board of directors to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that the elimination of TAC from revenue can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business and across our core geographies. Accordingly, we believe that Revenue ex-TAC and Revenue ex-TAC by Region provide useful information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Adjusted EBITDA is our income (loss) from operations before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted to eliminate the impact of share-based compensation expense, pension service costs and acquisition-related deferred price consideration. Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short‑ and long-term operational plans. In particular, we believe that by eliminating non-cash compensation expense, pension costs and acquisition-related deferred price consideration, Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Adjusted Net Income is our net income adjusted to eliminate the impact of share-based compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related deferred price consideration, and the tax impact of these adjustments. Adjusted Net Income is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to evaluate operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that by eliminating share-based compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and acquisition-related deferred price consideration and the tax impact of these adjustments, Adjusted Net Income can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted Net Income provides useful information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Please refer to the supplemental financial tables provided in the appendix of this press release for a reconciliation of Revenue ex-TAC to Revenue, Revenue ex-TAC by Region to Revenue by region, Adjusted EBITDA to net income, Adjusted Net Income to net income and Free Cash Flow to cash flow from operating activities, in each case, the most comparable IFRS measurement. Our use of non-IFRS financial measures has limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under IFRS. Some of these limitations are: (1) other companies, including companies in our industry which have similar business arrangements, may address the impact of TAC differently; and (2) other companies may report Revenue ex-TAC, Revenue ex-TAC by Region, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, Free Cash Flow or similarly titled measures but calculate them differently or over different regions, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider these measures alongside our other IFRS-based financial performance measures, such as revenue, net income and our other financial results.

With respect to our expectations under "Business Outlook" above, reconciliation of Revenue ex-TAC and Adjusted EBITDA guidance to the closest corresponding IFRS measure is not available without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis due to the high variability, complexity and low visibility with respect to the charges excluded from these non-IFRS measures; in particular, the measures and effects of stock-based compensation expense specific to equity compensation awards that are directly impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in our stock price. We expect the variability of the above charges to have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future IFRS financial results.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including projected financial results for the quarter ending December 31, 2015 and the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015, our expectations regarding our market opportunity and future growth prospects and other statements that are not historical facts, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: recent growth rates not being indicative of future growth, uncertainty regarding legislative, regulatory or self-regulatory developments regarding data privacy matters, uncertainty regarding our ability to access a consistent supply of internet display advertising inventory and expand access to such inventory, the investments in new business opportunities and the timing of these investments, the impact of competition, our ability to manage growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, our ability to grow our base of clients, uncertainty regarding international growth and expansion, and the financial impact of maximizing Revenue ex-TAC, as well as risks related to future opportunities and plans, including the uncertainty of expected future financial performance and results and those risks detailed from time-to-time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's SEC filings and reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 27, 2015, as well as future filings and reports by the Company. The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise.

Conference Call Information

Criteo will hold a conference call today, November 4, 2015, at 8:00am ET, 2:00pm CET, to discuss third quarter 2015 operating and financial results, as well as other forward-looking information.

Conference call details are:

• U.S. callers: +1 877 870 4263
• International callers: +33 1 76 74 05 02

Please ask to be joined into the "Criteo S.A." call.
The conference call will also be webcast simultaneously at ir.criteo.com.

About Criteo

Criteo delivers personalized performance marketing at an extensive scale. Measuring return on post-click sales, Criteo makes ROI transparent and easy to measure. Criteo has over 1,700 employees in 27 offices across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific, serving over 9,250 advertisers worldwide and with direct relationships with over 11,000 publishers.

For more information, please visit www.criteo.com.