ION reports fourth quarter and year end 2019 results

HOUSTON, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ION Geophysical Corporation (NYSE: IO) today reported revenues of $42.7 million in the fourth quarter 2019 compared to fourth quarter revenues of $74.6 million one year ago.  ION's net loss for the fourth quarter 2019 was $14.5 million, or a loss of $1.02 per share, compared to a net loss of $19.3 million, or a loss of $1.38 per share in the fourth quarter 2018.  Excluding special items in both periods, the Company reported an Adjusted net loss of $5.7 million, or a loss of $0.40 per share, compared to an Adjusted net income of $15.3 million, or $1.07 per diluted share in the fourth quarter 2018.  A reconciliation of special items to the reported financial results can be found in the tables of this press release.

For the full year 2019, the Company reported revenues of $174.7 million, a 3% decrease compared to revenues of $180.0 million one year ago.  ION's full year 2019 net loss was $48.2 million, or a loss of $3.41 per share, compared to a net loss of $71.2 million, or a loss of $5.20 per share in 2018.  Excluding special items in both periods, the Company reported an Adjusted net loss of $33.9 million, or a loss of $2.40 per share, compared to an Adjusted net loss of $32.5 million, or a loss of $2.37 per share in 2018.

Chris Usher, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our fourth quarter financial results were quite disappointing, primarily because we were not able to launch multiple new acquisition multi-client programs and close several data library deals in our pipeline.  As a result, our full year results were down slightly, rather than the upward trajectory we had been building towards for 2019, with timing of fourth quarter multi-client deals countering the annual improvements in all our other businesses.  Tighter E&P budgetary controls and lower oil prices subdued year-end spending such that several material deals, on the order of tens of millions of dollars, were not completed prior to year-end. 

"We are focused on fundamentals and working areas we directly control.  We reorganized the business in two ways to improve our execution and accountability; we restructured our E&P Technology & Services segment to reflect our shift in multi-client strategy to include new 3D acquisition, and implemented a significant cost reduction program to lower our operating expenses.  We reorganized our new ventures sales organization to accelerate our entry into the 3D new acquisition multi-client market, bringing our projects closer to the reservoir, where capital investment tends to be more consistent and programs have larger scale revenue and earnings potential.  ION has rapidly grown our 3D library from almost nothing to 350,000 sq km of seamlessly integrated reimaged data over the last few years, which has given us credibility and experience in the space and led to a pipeline of opportunities for new 3D towed streamer or seabed programs we have not seen before.  On the cost side of the equation, we recognize the need to reduce our corporate cost structure.  In January 2020, we executed a program that will improve focus and execution on strategic initiatives while delivering annualized savings of over $20 million.

"With that work behind us, I am still as excited about ION and our business as when I took the CEO role.  We are aligned around select initiatives that can uniquely position ION in the new industry landscape, which should lead to better financial results.  Offshore is picking up and we see material activity among our client base to rebalance portfolios and maximize value, which drives related data sales opportunities to fill customer knowledge gaps.  Our E&P Technology & Services team has new focus on 3D new acquisition program opportunities, aligned with our leading imaging capabilities.  Our Operations Optimization business is growing steadily and we just secured another Marlin™ SmartPort customer after ramping up our port business development capacity."

The Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $9.2 million for the fourth quarter 2019, a decrease from the Adjusted EBITDA of $36.5 million one year ago.  Adjusted EBITDA was $31.9 million in 2019, compared to $41.7 million in 2018.  A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the closest comparable GAAP numbers can be found in the tables of this press release.

Net cash flows from operations were $14.8 million during the fourth quarter 2019, compared to $14.4 million in the fourth quarter 2018.  Total net cash flows, including investing and financing activities, were $4.9 million, compared to $3.4 million one year ago.

Net cash flows from operations were $34.2 million during 2019, compared to $7.1 million in 2018.  Total net cash flows, including investing and financing activities, were $(0.7) million in 2019, compared to $(18.6) million in 2018.

At December 31, 2019, the Company had total liquidity of $72.4 million, consisting of $33.1 million of cash on hand, and $39.3 million of available borrowing capacity under its maximum $50.0 million revolving credit facility.  There were no outstanding amounts under the credit facility at year-end.

FOURTH QUARTER 2019

The Company's segment revenues for the fourth quarter were as follows (in thousands):

Within the E&P Technology & Services segment, multi-client revenues were $23.6 million, a decrease of 57%.  The decline in multi-client revenues was the result of reduced new venture revenues and reduced year-end data library spending compared to one year ago.  Imaging Services revenues were $6.1 million, a 14% increase.  Our Imaging Services' business remains healthy entering 2020 with backlog more than double that of one year ago.

Within the Operations Optimization segment, Optimization Software & Services revenues were $5.5 million, a 9% decline from the fourth quarter 2018, Devices revenues were $7.5 million, an 8% decline.  Both groups were modestly down during the quarter due to the normal lumpiness of those businesses.

Consolidated gross margin for the quarter was 12%, compared to 51% in the fourth quarter 2018.   Excluding special items impacting only the fourth quarter 2019, consolidated gross margin was 34%, as adjusted.  Gross margin in the E&P Technology & Services was (1)%, or 29%, as adjusted, compared to 53% one year ago.  The decrease in E&P Technology & Service gross margin, as adjusted, was the result of the decline in multi-client revenues.  Operations Optimization gross margin was 43%, compared to 52% one year ago, also the result of a decline in revenues.

Consolidated operating expenses were $15.1 million, compared to $54.5 million in the fourth quarter 2018.  Excluding special items, consolidated operating expenses, as adjusted, were $14.9 million, compared to $19.8 million in the fourth quarter 2018, and operating margin, as adjusted, was (1)%, compared to 24% in the fourth quarter 2018.  The decline in operating margin, as adjusted, was due to the decrease in revenues, partially offset by the decrease in operating expenses, as adjusted, primarily related to reduced sales and bonus-related compensation expenses.

FULL YEAR 2019

The Company's segment revenues for the full year were as follows (in thousands):

Within the E&P Technology & Services segment, multi-client revenues were $103.0 million, a decrease of 12%.  Full year 2019 data library revenues increased primarily due to sales of South American data, an increase which was more than offset by a decline in new venture revenues.  Imaging Services revenues were $22.5 million, an increase of 14%, associated with increased revenues in the second half of 2019.  The increase in Imaging Services revenue is attributed to modest market improvement and the successful execution of the Company's strategy to focus on key clients, applications and basins that benefit from and enables ION to continue enhancing its advanced technologies.

Within the Operations Optimization segment, Optimization Software & Services revenues were $23.1 million, an increase of 10% from 2018.  The increase in Optimization Software & Services revenues for the full year was the result of increased deployments and associated engineering services related to ION's Marlin offshore operations optimization software.  Devices revenues were $26.0 million, a 16% increase from 2018, driven by an increase in marine equipment replacement and repairs.

Consolidated gross margin was 34%, compared to 33% in 2018.  Excluding special items impacting only 2019, consolidated gross margin was 40%, as adjusted.  Gross margin in the E&P Technology & Services was 28%, or 36%, as adjusted, compared to 32% in 2018.  While full year E&P Technology & Service's revenues declined in 2019, the improvement in gross margin, as adjusted, was the result of the mix of multi-client revenues and increase in Imaging Services revenues.  Operations Optimization gross margin was 50%, compared to 51% in 2018.

Consolidated operating expenses were $84.5 million, compared to $113.9 million in 2018.  Excluding special items, consolidated operating expenses, as adjusted, were $78.8 million, compared to $75.2 million in 2018, and operating margin, as adjusted, was (6)%, compared to (9)% in 2018.  The improvement in operating margin, as adjusted, was due to the mix of revenues, partially offset by the increase in operating expenses, as adjusted, primarily related to compensation expenses.

CONFERENCE CALL

The Company has scheduled a conference call for Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time that will include a slide presentation to be posted in the Investor Relations section of the ION website by 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.  To participate in the conference call, dial (877) 407-0672 at least 10 minutes before the call begins and ask for the ION conference call.  A replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the live broadcast ends and will be accessible until February 20, 2020.  To access the replay, dial (877) 660-6853 and use pass code 13698465#.

Investors, analysts and the general public will also have the opportunity to listen to the conference call live over the Internet by visiting iongeo.com.  An archive of the webcast will be available shortly after the call on the Company's website.

About ION

ION develops and leverages innovative technologies, creating value through data capture, analysis and optimization to enhance critical decision-making, enabling superior returns.  For more information, visit iongeo.com.

Contact
Mike Morrison
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Interim)
+1.281.552.3011

The information herein contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements may include information and other statements that are not of historical fact. Actual results may vary materially from those described in these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the risks associated with the timing and development of ION Geophysical Corporation's products and services; pricing pressure; decreased demand; changes in oil prices; and political, execution, regulatory, and currency risks. These risks and uncertainties also include risks associated with the WesternGeco litigation and other related proceedings. We cannot predict the outcome of this litigation or the related proceedings. For additional information regarding these various risks and uncertainties, including the WesternGeco litigation, see our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed on February 7, 2019. Additional risk factors, which could affect actual results, are disclosed by the Company in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including its Form 10-K, Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks filed during the year. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements.

Tables to follow

The following table is a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (in thousands):

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss
(Non-GAAP Measure)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

The term EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) represents net loss before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization and other non-recurring charges such as impairment of long-lived assets and severance expenses.  The term Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) but also excludes the impact of fair value adjustments related to the Company's outstanding stock appreciation awards.  EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles and should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for net income (loss) or cash flow measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or as a measure of profitability or liquidity.  Additionally, EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. The Company has included EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) and Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental disclosure because its management believes that EBITDA (excluding non-recurring items) and Adjusted EBITDA provides investors a helpful measure for comparing its operating performance with the performance of other companies that have different financing and capital structures or tax rates.

ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Description of Special Items and Reconciliation of GAAP (As Reported) to Non-GAAP (As Adjusted) Measures
(Non-GAAP Measure)
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)

The financial results are reported in accordance with GAAP. However, management believes that certain non-GAAP performance measures may provide users of this financial information, additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results in prior operating periods. One such non-GAAP financial measure is income (loss) from operations or net income (loss) excluding certain charges or amounts. This adjusted income (loss) amount is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP. Accordingly, it should not be considered as a substitute for income (loss) from operations, net income (loss) or other income data prepared in accordance with GAAP.  See the table below for supplemental financial data and the corresponding reconciliation to GAAP financials for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

SOURCE ION Geophysical Corporation