MGM Resorts International Reports Second Quarter Results

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) today reported its second quarter 2012 results. Net loss per share attributable to the Company was $0.30 compared to diluted net income per share of $6.22 in the prior year second quarter. The prior year quarter included a gain of $6.30 per share recognized on the consolidation of MGM China Holdings, Limited ("MGM China"). Comparability of the current and prior quarter consolidated results was also affected by certain impairment charges and tax provision items discussed below. Key results for the second quarter of 2012 include the following:

• Net revenue for the Company's wholly owned domestic resorts was $1.5 billion in both the current and prior year second quarters. Casino revenue decreased 1% at the Company's wholly owned domestic resorts, while rooms revenue increased 3% with a 5% increase in REVPAR⁽¹⁾ at the Company's Las Vegas Strip resorts;
• The Company's wholly owned domestic resorts earned Adjusted Property EBITDA⁽²⁾ of $345 million, a 4% increase compared to the prior year quarter, which was impacted by the temporary closure of Gold Strike Tunica in May 2011;
• MGM China reported record Adjusted Property EBITDA of $187 million, which included $12 million of branding fee expense; excluding these fees, Adjusted Property EBITDA increased 14% over MGM Macau's prior year quarter; and
• CityCenter reported record Adjusted Property EBITDA for resort operations, increasing 11% from the prior year quarter to $71 million.

"Our wholly owned domestic resorts Adjusted Property EBITDA grew 4% year over year and we achieved record quarters for both MGM China and CityCenter," said Jim Murren, MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO. "We continue to focus on maximizing profitability by managing costs, improving our customer relationships via M life and social media outlets such as myVEGAS, as well as exploring growth opportunities in key strategic regions across the U.S. and internationally."

Certain Items Affecting Second Quarter Results

The following table lists items that affect the comparability of the current and prior year quarterly results (approximate diluted per share impact on net income (loss) attributable to MGM Resorts International, net of tax; negative amounts represent charges to income):

Current quarter results were affected by certain tax provision items discussed below and a non-cash impairment charge of $85 million related to the Company's joint venture investment in Grand Victoria. The prior year quarter included a $3.5 billion gain recognized on consolidation of MGM China in June 2011 and a $26 million non-cash impairment charge related to the Company's share of a residential impairment charge at CityCenter.

The current quarter income tax provision was affected by a valuation allowance for a portion of U.S. deferred tax assets and by a net tax benefit resulting from entering into an annual fee arrangement with the Macau government with respect to the complementary tax on dividend distributions of MGM Macau covering the years 2007 through 2011, including the dividend distributed in the first quarter of this year.  All taxes previously accrued on MGM Macau dividends distributed in prior quarters were reversed and the cumulative agreed upon annual fee was recorded during the quarter.

Wholly Owned Domestic Resorts

Casino revenue related to wholly owned domestic resorts decreased 1% compared to the prior year quarter. The overall table games hold percentage in the second quarter of 2012 was 17.7% compared to 18.2% for the prior year second quarter. Slots revenue was flat compared to the prior year quarter.

Rooms revenue increased 3% with Las Vegas Strip REVPAR up 5%.  The following table shows key hotel statistics for the Company's Las Vegas Strip resorts:

Operating income for the Company's wholly owned domestic resorts for the second quarter of 2012 was $214 million, an increase of 10% compared to the prior year quarter, partially due to lower depreciation and amortization expense.  Adjusted Property EBITDA for wholly owned domestic resorts increased 4% to $345 million for the second quarter of 2012.  Operating income and Adjusted Property EBITDA were negatively affected by approximately $12 million in the prior year quarter as a result of the temporary closure of Gold Strike Tunica in May 2011.

MGM China

The following are the key second quarter results for MGM China:

• MGM China earned net revenue of $709 million, a 6% increase over the prior year quarter driven by increases in volume for main floor table games and slots of 7% and 39%, respectively. VIP table games turnover decreased 6% from the prior year quarter, while hold percentage was 3.3% in the current year quarter compared to 3.1% in the prior year quarter; and
• MGM China's operating income was $90 million and Adjusted Property EBITDA was $187 million, which included $12 million of branding fee expense. Excluding branding fees, Adjusted Property EBITDA increased 14% over MGM Macau's prior year second quarter results.

MGM China completed its initial public offering of shares on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on June 3, 2011 and the Company acquired an additional 1% interest in MGM China, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino. This acquisition increased the Company's ownership interest to 51% and, as a result, the Company began consolidating MGM China as of June 3, 2011. Prior to June 3, 2011, the results of MGM Macau were accounted for under the equity method of accounting.

Income (Loss) from Unconsolidated Affiliates

The following table summarizes the Company's income (loss) from unconsolidated affiliates:

Results for CityCenter Holdings, LLC for the second quarter of 2012 include the following (see schedules accompanying this release for further detail on CityCenter's second quarter results):

• Net revenue from resort operations increased 3% to $282 million;
• Adjusted Property EBITDA from resort operations was $71 million compared to $64 million in the prior year quarter;
• Aria's table games hold percentage for the second quarter of 2012 was 24.0% compared to 29.2% for the prior year quarter.  The estimated effect of the decrease in hold percentage compared to the prior year quarter for net revenue and Adjusted Property EBITDA was $16 million and $13 million, respectively; and
• Aria's occupancy percentage was 93% and its ADR was $201, resulting in REVPAR of $187, a 3% increase compared to the prior year second quarter.

Financial Position

The Company's cash balance at June 30, 2012 was $1.7 billion, which included approximately $658 million of cash and cash equivalents related to MGM China.  At June 30, 2012, the Company had approximately $13.4 billion of indebtedness, including $1.3 billion of borrowings outstanding under its senior credit facility and $553 million related to the MGM China credit facility.

At June 30, 2012, the Company's senior credit facility consisted of approximately $820 million in term loans and a $1.3 billion revolver (approximately $360 million of which has not been extended and matures in February 2014) and had approximately $855 million of available borrowing capacity. The interest rate on extending loans was 5% at June 30, 2012.  Interest on non-extending revolving loans remains at 7%.

"We remain focused on improving our free cash flow and deleveraging our balance sheet.  One way we expect to be able to do this is by lowering our cost of capital.  We envision an environment in the near future where we will have the opportunity to refinance some of our long-term capital at progressively lower rates," said Dan D'Arrigo, MGM Resorts International Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer.  "A good example of this is our recently launched five year $1.5 billion refinancing in Macau.  The reception from our lenders has been very strong and we expect to finalize this transaction at attractive rates in the near future."

Conference Call Details

MGM Resorts International will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time today which will include a brief discussion of these results followed by a question and answer period. The call will be accessible via the Internet through www.mgmresorts.com under the investors section or by calling 1-877-355-2280 for domestic callers and 1-706-634-6528 for international callers.  The conference call access code is 99179146.  A replay of the call will be available through Tuesday, August 14, 2012. The replay may be accessed by dialing 1-855-859-2056 or 1-404-537-3406. The replay access code is 99179146. The call will also be archived at www.mgmresorts.com.

1   REVPAR is hotel Revenue per Available Room.

2   "Adjusted EBITDA" is earnings before interest and other non-operating income (expense), taxes, depreciation and amortization, preopening and start-up expenses, property transactions, net and the gain on the MGM China transaction.  "Adjusted Property EBITDA" is Adjusted EBITDA before corporate expense and stock compensation expense related to the MGM Resorts stock option plan, which is not allocated to each property. MGM China recognizes stock compensation expense related to its stock compensation plan which is included in the calculation of Adjusted Property EBITDA for MGM China.  Adjusted EBITDA information is presented solely as a supplemental disclosure to reported GAAP measures because management believes these measures are 1) widely used measures of operating performance in the gaming industry, and 2) a principal basis for valuation of gaming companies. 

Management believes that while items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Property EBITDA may be recurring in nature and should not be disregarded in evaluation of the Company's earnings performance, it is useful to exclude such items when analyzing current results and trends compared to other periods because these items can vary significantly depending on specific underlying transactions or events that may not be comparable between the periods being presented. Also, management believes excluded items may not relate specifically to current operating trends or be indicative of future results. For example, pre-opening and start-up expenses will be significantly different in periods when the Company is developing and constructing a major expansion project and will depend on where the current period lies within the development cycle, as well as the size and scope of the project(s). Property transactions, net includes normal recurring disposals, gains and losses on sales of assets related to specific assets within the Company's resorts, but also includes gains or losses on sales of an entire operating resort or a group of resorts and impairment charges on entire asset groups or investments in unconsolidated affiliates, which may not be comparable period over period.

In addition, capital allocation, tax planning, financing and stock compensation awards are all managed at the corporate level. Therefore, management uses Adjusted Property EBITDA as the primary measure of the Company's operating resorts' performance.

Reconciliations of GAAP net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA and GAAP operating income (Loss) to Adjusted Property EBITDA are included in the financial schedules in this release.

About MGM Resorts International

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a peerless portfolio of destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage.  In addition to its 51% interest in MGM China Holdings, Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino, the Company has significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in three other properties in Nevada and Illinois. One of those investments is CityCenter, an unprecedented urban resort destination on the Las Vegas Strip featuring its centerpiece ARIA Resort & Casino. Leveraging MGM Resorts' unmatched amenities, the M life loyalty program delivers one-of-a-kind experiences, insider privileges and personalized rewards for guests at the Company's renowned properties nationwide. Through its hospitality management subsidiary, the Company holds a growing number of development and management agreements for casino and non-casino resort projects around the world. MGM Resorts International supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its gaming properties. The Company has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative, its community philanthropy programs and the Company's commitment to sustainable development and operations. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements involving risks and/or uncertainties, including those described in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  We have based forward-looking statements on management's current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future operating results and our ability to refinance indebtedness including the finalization of the new credit facility in Macau at attractive rates. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements include effects of economic conditions and market conditions in the markets in which we operate and competition with other destination travel locations throughout the United States and the world, the design, timing and costs of expansion projects, risks relating to international operations, permits, licenses, financings, approvals and other contingencies in connection with growth in new or existing jurisdictions and additional risks and uncertainties described in our Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K reports (including all amendments to those reports).  In providing forward-looking statements, the Company is not undertaking any duty or obligation to update these statements publicly as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.