Criteo Reports Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO), the global technology company powering the world's marketers with trusted and impactful advertising, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020 that exceeded the top end of its most recent quarterly guidance, despite the continued impact of the pandemic.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights:

Our financial results reflect the continued impact of the pandemic on our business. The following table summarizes our consolidated financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2020:

Megan Clarken, Chief Executive Officer of Criteo, said, "We are pleased to deliver better performance than expected on both the top and bottom lines, demonstrating the continued resilience of our business during the pandemic, relentless focus on improving execution and the talent, strength and dedication of our great people."

Clarken continued: "As we look forward, we are transforming our company to a Commerce Media Platform over the next few years to maximize the value of our unique Reach and Commerce assets, enabling our strong customer base, including global brands and retailers, to optimize their sales and digital advertising returns. We believe we have a path to growth over time with a clear product roadmap, a dedicated leadership team and the financial strength to support growth investments."

Operating Highlights

• Criteo and The Trade Desk collaborate on industry wide Unified ID 2.0, an upgraded alternative to third-party cookies.
• Total clients grew 3% year-over-year to close to 20,600 after adding over 200 net new clients, the highest number since Q4 2019.
• Same-client revenue² declined 6% year-over-year (vs. 13% decline in Q2 2020) and same-client Revenue ex-TAC² decreased 11% year-over-year (vs. 14% decline in Q2 2020) at constant currency³, including approximately 17 points directly attributable to the COVID-19 disruption on both.
• New solutions grew 43% year-over-year to 19% of total Revenue ex-TAC.
• Retail Media grew close to 60% year-over-year, and same-client Revenue ex-TAC³ for Retail Media increased 70% year-over-year.
• Our direct header-bidding technology now connects to close to 5,000 direct publishers.

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Financial Summary

Revenue for the quarter was $470 million and Revenue ex-TAC was $186 million. Adjusted EBITDA was over $49 million, resulting in an adjusted diluted EPS of $0.40. These all reflect year-over-year declines, largely due to the anticipated negative COVID impact. Excluding the impact of the pandemic, we estimate that Revenue ex-TAC declined about 2% in Q3 2020. Free cash flow was $38 million in Q3 2020, growing 98% year-over-year, and $98 million for the nine months 2020. We have $627M cash on the balance sheet, which includes $158M from the Revolving Credit Facility.

Sarah Glickman, Chief Financial Officer, said, "During Q3 we continued to make progress against all four of our strategic pillars and I am pleased that we were able to control costs and grow free cash flow. Our goal now is to return to growth and ensure smart investment allocation while reducing fixed costs."

Revenue and Revenue ex-TAC

Revenue declined 10% year-over-year, or 11% at constant currency, to $470 million (Q3 2019: $523 million), after an estimated $80 million net negative business impact from the COVID-19 disruption, or approximately 15 points of the year-over-over decline at constant currency. Revenue ex-TAC decreased 16% year-over-year, or 16% at constant currency, to $186 million (Q3 2019: $221 million), after an approximately $33 million net negative business impact from the COVID-19 disruption, or approximately 15 points of the year-over-over decline at constant currency. Growth in our midmarket business and increased adoption of new solutions were offset by the decline in our core business with large clients, primarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic impact, in particular on our Travel and Classifieds clients. Revenue ex-TAC as a percentage of revenue, or Revenue ex-TAC margin, was 40% (Q3 2019: 42%).

• In the Americas, Revenue declined 4% year-over-year, or 3% at constant currency, to $205 million and represented 43% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC declined 13% year-over-year, or 11% at constant currency, to $74 million and represented 40% of total Revenue ex-TAC.
• In EMEA, Revenue declined 10% year-over-year, or 13% at constant currency, to $168 million and represented 36% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC declined 14% year-over-year, or 17% at constant currency, to $71 million and represented 38% of total Revenue ex-TAC.
• In Asia-Pacific, Revenue declined 20% year-over-year, or 21% at constant currency, to $98 million and represented 21% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC declined 23% year-over-year, or 24% at constant currency, to $42 million and represented 22% of total Revenue ex-TAC.

Net Income and Adjusted Net Income

Net income decreased 74% year-over-year to $5 million (Q3 2019: $21 million). Net income margin as a percentage of revenue was 1% (Q3 2019: 4%). In the course of the third quarter 2020, we incurred $12 million in restructuring related and transformation costs. Net income available to shareholders of Criteo S.A. decreased 72% year-over-year to $5 million, or $0.09 per share on a diluted basis (Q3 2019: $19 million, or $0.28 per share on a diluted basis).

Adjusted Net Income, or net income adjusted to eliminate the impact of equity awards compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, restructuring related and transformation costs and the tax impact of these adjustments, decreased 31% year-over-year to $24 million, or $0.40 per share on a diluted basis (Q3 2019: $35 million, or $0.54 per share on a diluted basis).

Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Expenses

Adjusted EBITDA decreased 23% year-over-year, or 27% at constant currency, to $49 million (Q3 2019: $64 million), driven by the Revenue ex-TAC performance over the period, including the still meaningful impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partly offset by effective expense management measures. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Revenue ex-TAC, or Adjusted EBITDA margin, was 27% (Q3 2019: 29%).

Operating expenses decreased 11% or $17 million, to $143 million (Q3 2019: $160 million), mostly driven by lower headcount-related expense and disciplined expense management across the Company. Operating expenses, excluding the impact of equity awards compensation expense, pension costs, restructuring related and transformation costs, depreciation and amortization and acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, which we refer to as Non-GAAP Operating Expenses, decreased 15% or $21 million, to $117 million (Q3 2019: $138 million), largely driven by lower headcount and robust expense management across the Company.

The Company intends to manage its expense base in a disciplined way, while also investing in growth and innovation.

Cash Flow, Cash and Financial Liquidity Position

Cash flow from operating activities increased 18% year-over-year to $51 million (Q3 2019: $43 million).

Free Cash Flow, defined as cash flow from operating activities less acquisition of intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and change in accounts payable related to intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, increased 98% to $38 million (Q3 2019: $19 million), representing 77% of Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter (Q3 2019: 30%) and 66% for the first nine months 2020 (9 months 2019: 44%).

Cash and cash equivalents increased $208 million compared to December 31, 2019 to $627 million, after spending $44 million on share repurchases in the first nine months 2020, and preemptively drawing $158 million of the Company's €350 million Revolving Credit Facility (RCF) in the second quarter.

The Company had financial liquidity in excess of $870 million, including its cash position and RCF as of September 30, 2020.

Business Outlook

The following forward-looking statements reflect Criteo's expectations as of October 28, 2020.

As of now, we continue to see a significant impact to our business related to the pandemic, continued economic uncertainty, customer demand and supply chain logistics of our clients.

Fourth quarter 2020 guidance:

• We expect Revenue ex-TAC to be between $223 million and $230 million, implying constant-currency decline of approximately 15% at the midpoint.
• Assumes less concentrated peak Holiday Season compared to prior years
• Assumes continued slow rebound in our Travel and Classifieds verticals
• Assumes $17M negative impact from Privacy headwinds in the fourth quarter
• We expect Adjusted EBITDA to be between $81 million and $88 million.

The above guidance for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2020, assumes the following exchange rates for the main currencies impacting our business: a U.S. dollar-euro rate of 0.882, a U.S. dollar-Japanese Yen rate of 107, a U.S. dollar-British pound rate of 0.79, a U.S. dollar-Korean Won rate of 1,196 and a U.S. dollar-Brazilian real rate of 5.23.

The above guidance assumes no acquisitions are completed during the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2020.

Reconciliation of Revenue ex-TAC and Adjusted EBITDA guidance to the closest corresponding U.S. GAAP 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-GAAP measures; in particular, the measures and effects of equity awards compensation expense specific to equity compensation awards that are directly impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in our share price. The variability of the above charges could potentially have a significant impact on our future U.S. GAAP financial results.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and its attachments include the following financial measures defined as non-GAAP 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 diluted EPS, Free Cash Flow and Non-GAAP Operating Expenses. These measures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

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 geographies. Revenue ex-TAC, Revenue ex-TAC by Region and Revenue ex-TAC margin 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 business and across our geographies.

Accordingly, we believe that Revenue ex-TAC, Revenue ex-TAC by Region and Revenue ex-TAC margin 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 consolidated earnings before financial income (expense), income taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted to eliminate the impact of equity awards compensation expense, pension service costs, restructuring related and transformation costs, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration.

During the period, we have broadened the definition of Adjusted EBITDA to exclude costs related to restructuring and transformation costs, in addition to restructuring charges previously excluded. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are key measures 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 equity awards compensation expense, pension service costs, restructuring related and transformation costs, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin provide 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 equity awards compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, restructuring related and transformation costs and the tax impact of these adjustments. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS are key measures 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 equity awards compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, restructuring related and transformation costs and the tax impact of these adjustments, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS provide 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.

Free Cash Flow is defined as cash flow from operating activities less acquisition of intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and change in accounts payable related to intangible assets, property, plant and equipment. Free Cash Flow is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to evaluate the Company's ability to generate cash. Accordingly, we believe that Free Cash Flow permits a more complete and comprehensive analysis of our available cash flows.

Non-GAAP Operating Expenses are our consolidated operating expenses adjusted to eliminate the impact of depreciation and amortization, equity awards compensation expense, pension service costs, restructuring related and transformation costs, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration. The Company uses Non-GAAP Operating Expenses to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short-term and long-term operational plans, and to assess and measure our financial performance and the ability of our operations to generate cash. We believe Non-GAAP Operating Expenses reflects our ongoing operating expenses in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in our business. As a result, we believe that Non-GAAP Operating Expenses provides useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating our core operating performance and trends in the same manner as our management and in comparing financial results across periods. In addition, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses is a key component in calculating Adjusted EBITDA, which is one of the key measures the Company uses to provide its quarterly and annual business outlook to the investment community.

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, Free Cash Flow to cash flow from operating activities, and Non-GAAP Operating Expenses to operating expenses, in each case, the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Our use of non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider such non-GAAP measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under U.S. GAAP. 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, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses 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 U.S. GAAP financial results, including revenue and net income.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including projected financial results for the quarter ending December 31, 2020, 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: failure related to our technology and our ability to innovate and respond to changes in technology, uncertainty regarding the scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our employees, operations, revenue and cash flows, uncertainty regarding our ability to access a consistent supply of internet display advertising inventory and expand access to such inventory, investments in new business opportunities and the timing of these investments, whether the projected benefits of acquisitions materialize as expected, uncertainty regarding international growth and expansion, the impact of competition, uncertainty regarding legislative, regulatory or self-regulatory developments regarding data privacy matters and the impact of efforts by other participants in our industry to comply therewith, the impact of consumer resistance to the collection and sharing of data, our ability to access data through third parties, failure to enhance our brand cost-effectively, recent growth rates not being indicative of future growth, our ability to manage growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, our ability to grow our base of clients, 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 10-K filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as well as future filings and reports by the Company. Importantly, at this time, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on Criteo's business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations. There are significant uncertainties about the duration and the extent of the impact of the virus.

Except as required by law, 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's senior management team will discuss the Company's earnings and provide a strategic update on a call that will take place today, October 28, 2020, at 8:00 AM EDT, 1:00 PM CEST. The conference call will be webcast live on the Company's website http://ir.criteo.com and will be available for replay.

• U.S. callers:  +1 855 209 8212
• International callers:  +1 412 317 0788 or +33 1 76 74 05 02

Please ask to be joined into the "Criteo S.A." call.

About Criteo

Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) is the global technology company powering the world's marketers with trusted and impactful advertising. 2,600 Criteo team members partner with over 20,000 customers and thousands of publishers around the globe to deliver effective advertising across all channels, by applying advanced machine learning to unparalleled data sets. Criteo empowers companies of all sizes with the technology they need to better know and serve their customers. For more information, please visit www.criteo.com.

Contacts

Criteo Investor Relations
Edouard Lassalle, SVP, Market Relations & Capital Markets, e.lassalle@criteo.com
Clemence Vermersch, Associate, Investor Relations, c.vermersch@criteo.com

Criteo Public Relations
Jessica Meyers, Director, Public Relations, Americas, j.meyers@criteo.com

Financial information to follow

SOURCE Criteo S.A.