Nielsen Reports 1st Quarter 2021 Results

NEW YORK, May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. These results reflect the March 5, 2021 sale of the Global Connect business for $2.4 billion in net proceeds, which resulted in a $542 million preliminary gain on sale, net of taxes, recognized in the quarter.  Of the net proceeds, $2.28 billion were used for debt reduction in March and April 2021.  Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, Global Connect results were reclassified to discontinued operations for all periods presented.

David Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We delivered a solid first quarter, as our teams executed incredibly well. We closed on the sale of Global Connect in March and are now singularly focused as the global essential data, measurement, and analytics provider for the entire media ecosystem.  We are investing in our future and we are well-positioned to drive new growth from new solutions across all of our end markets globally.  In particular, we are pleased with the advances we've made in Audience Measurement, Outcomes and Gracenote Content Services.  We are executing as planned and we are increasing key elements of our 2021 guidance."

First Quarter 2021 Results

Unless indicated otherwise, the results referenced in this press release relate to Nielsen's continuing operations.

• First quarter revenues increased 2.5% to $863 million on a reported basis, 1.3% on a constant currency basis, and 2.3% on an organic basis compared to the prior year.
• Audience Measurement revenues of $632 million increased 2.8% on a reported basis, 1.9% on a constant currency basis, and 2.3% on an organic basis compared to the prior year, with overall solid growth, most notably in digital measurement and with local pressures subsiding.
• Outcomes & Content revenues of $231 million increased 1.8% on a reported basis, decreased 0.4% on a constant currency basis, and grew 2.2% on an organic basis compared to the prior year, driven in part by improving trends in short-cycle revenues and solid growth in Content.
• Net income from continuing operations increased 89% to $106 million, compared to $56 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net income from continuing operations per share on a diluted basis for the first quarter was $0.29, compared to $0.16 for the first quarter of 2020. Net income from continuing operations was driven by strong revenue performance, the benefit of permanent cost actions from the 2020 optimization plan, lower depreciation and amortization expense and lower restructuring charges.
• Adjusted earnings per share on a New Nielsen basis, which assumes the Connect transaction closed on January 1, 2020, was $0.47 for the first quarter, compared to $0.36 per share in the prior year period, reflecting higher adjusted EBITDA and lower depreciation and amortization expense year over year.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $388 million, compared to $326 million in the first quarter of 2020, up 19.0% on a reported basis and 18.3% on a constant currency basis, as compared to the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin of 45.0% increased 624 basis points on a reported basis, or an increase of 646 basis points on a constant currency basis, compared to the prior year, reflecting the strong revenue performance and the benefit of permanent cost actions implemented during the second half of 2020.
• Our reported results were impacted by stronger currencies versus the dollar during the first quarter, which had a 120 basis point positive impact on reported revenue growth and a 70 basis point positive impact on adjusted EBITDA growth.
• Reported EPS of $1.59 includes EPS of $0.29 from continuing operations and EPS of $1.30 from discontinued operations. This $1.30 includes the preliminary gain on the sale of Global Connect of $1.50, net of taxes, partially offset by an $0.21 Global Connect net loss during the quarter (through the date of sale).
• On a reported basis for the first quarter of 2021 (which included Global Connect through the closing of the sale on March 5, 2021), as compared to the first quarter of 2020 (which included Global Connect for the full quarter):
• Cash flow from operations decreased to $(45) million, compared to $(5) million in the prior year. Cash flow performance was primarily driven by higher separation-related cash costs.
• Cash taxes were $38 million, compared to $52 million in the prior year, during which time some additional payments were made in anticipation of the Global Connect separation.
• Net capital expenditures were 23% lower, at $86 million, compared to $112 million in the prior year largely due to timing and Global Connect.
• Free cash flow decreased to ($131) million, compared to ($117) million in the prior year, primarily due to separation-related cash costs.
• As it relates to continuing operations for the first quarter of 2021, as compared to the first quarter of 2020:
• Cash flow from operations increased to $168 million, compared to $121 million in the prior year. Cash flow performance was primarily driven by higher adjusted EBITDA and one-time costs in the prior year.
• Cash taxes were $17 million, compared to $13 million in the prior year largely due to higher estimated tax payments and the absence of US net operating losses.
• Net capital expenditures were 12% lower, at $61 million, compared to $69 million in the prior year largely due to timing.
• New Nielsen free cash flow was $115 million compared to $22 million in the prior year. Free cash flow has been adjusted to exclude certain interest costs, as if the sale of Global Connect and resulting de-levering occurred on January 1, 2020, and to exclude separation-related costs. The prior year also includes cash costs to position Nielsen as a stand-alone company, as if the sale occurred on January 1, 2020.

Financial Position

• We used proceeds from the sale of Global Connect to de-lever in March, as follows:
• $1.039 billion partial prepayment of the senior secured term loans due 2023
• $265 million partial prepayment of the senior secured term loans due 2025, and
• $150 million redemption of 5.500% senior notes due 2021.
• In April, we redeemed $825 million of outstanding aggregate principal amount of the 5.000% senior notes due 2022.
• At March 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $1.197 billion and gross debt of $6.752 billion, resulting in net debt (gross debt less cash and cash equivalents) of $5.555 billion and a net debt leverage ratio of 3.77x.

Dividend

On April 22, 2021, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per share of Nielsen's common stock. The $21 million estimated dividend is payable on June 17, 2021 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 3, 2021.

2021 New Nielsen Full Year Guidance

The Company is updating full year 2021 guidance as highlighted below:

• Total revenue growth on a constant currency basis: 2.0% to 3.0%
• Organic revenue growth on a constant currency basis: 3.5% to 4.5%
• Adjusted EBITDA margin: 42.25% to 42.5%
• Adjusted EBITDA: $1,470 - $1,490 million (previously $1,460 - $1,480 million)
• Adjusted earnings per share: $1.47 - $1.58 (previously $1.43 - $1.54)
• Free cash flow: $595 - $645 million (previously $580 - $630 million)

These estimates reflect the New Nielsen as if the sale of Global Connect occurred on January 1, 2020. The estimates exclude $220 - $240 million of separation-related costs related to the sale.

Conference Call and Webcast

Nielsen will hold a conference call to discuss today's announcements at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (ET) on May 6, 2021. The audio and slides for the call can be accessed live by webcast at http://nielsen.com/investors or by registering for the call using the registration link below.  Once registered, participants will receive an email with dial-in information along with a unique access code and PIN used to enter the call. Participant Online Registration: https://www.incommglobalevents.com/registration/client/7438/q1-2021-nielsen-holdings-plc-earnings-conference-call/

A replay of the event will be available on Nielsen's Investor Relations website, http://nielsen.com/investors from 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, May 6, 2021 until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, May 13, 2021. The replay can be accessed Participant Conference Replay Access: https://www.incommglobalevents.com/replay/5903/q1-2021-nielsen-holdings-plc-earnings-conference-call/   Replay Access Code: 948806

Forward-looking Statements

This communication includes information that could constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include those set forth below relating to "2021 New Nielsen Full Year Guidance" as well as those that may be identified by words such as "will," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "could" and similar expressions. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and events could differ materially from what presently is expected. Factors leading thereto may include, without limitation, the risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and financial markets, the uncertainties relating to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nielsen's business, the final calculation of the gain on the sale with respect to our Global Connect business, which is currently pending finalization of various estimates, the failure of our new business strategy in accomplishing our objectives, conditions in the markets Nielsen is engaged in, behavior of customers, suppliers and competitors, technological developments, as well as legal and regulatory rules affecting Nielsen's business and other specific risk factors that are outlined in our disclosure filings and materials, which you can find on http://www.nielsen.com/investors, such as our 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports that have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Please consult these documents for a more complete understanding of these risks and uncertainties. This list of factors is not intended to be exhaustive. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this communication, and we assume no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement made by us or on our behalf as a result of new information, future events or other factors, except as required by law.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry. With offerings spanning audience measurement, audience outcomes and content, Nielsen offers its clients and partners simple solutions to complex questions and optimizes the value of their investments and growth strategies. It is the only company that can offer de-duplicated cross-media audience measurement. Audience is Everything™ to Nielsen and its clients, and Nielsen is committed to ensuring that every voice counts.

An S&P 500 company, Nielsen offers measurement and analytics service in nearly 60 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on twitter.com/Nielsen, linkedin.com/company/nielsen, facebook.com/Nielsen and instagram.com/lifeatnielsen.

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements  

The following sets forth our unaudited financial statements for the periods indicated:

• Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
• Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
• Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

These financial statements are unaudited, but in our opinion contain necessary adjustments for a fair presentation in accordance with GAAP.  Given the sale of our Connect business in the quarter, Connect amounts are presented in separate discontinued operations line items in the Statements of Operations and in the Balance Sheets.  The Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows presents combined cash flows from continuing operations with cash flows from discontinued operations within each cash flow statement category.

The gain on the sale of our Global Connect business is preliminary and is pending the final closing adjustments. Since this amount has been determined based on preliminary estimates and prior to the final closing adjustments, the final gain on the sale transaction may differ materially from the preliminary amount presented herein. Any change from the preliminary amount currently presented would be reflected as a revision in a future quarterly period.

Certain Non-GAAP Measures

We use the non-GAAP financial measures discussed below to evaluate our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and indebtedness. We believe that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures provides useful information to investors regarding financial and business trends related to our results of operations, cash flows and indebtedness and that, when this non-GAAP financial information is viewed with our GAAP financial information, investors are provided with valuable supplemental information regarding our results of operations, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of our business performance.  These non-GAAP measures are also consistent with how management evaluates the company's operating performance and liquidity. In addition, these non-GAAP measures address questions the Company routinely receives from analysts and investors, and in order to assure that all investors have access to similar data, we have determined that it is appropriate to make this data available to all investors. None of the non-GAAP measures presented should be considered as an alternative to net income or loss, operating income or loss, cash flows from operating activities, total indebtedness or any other measures of operating performance and financial condition, liquidity or indebtedness derived in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP measures have important limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for an analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Our use of these terms may vary from the use of similarly-titled measures by others in our industry due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation and differences due to items subject to interpretation.

Constant Currency Presentation

We evaluate our results of operations on both an as reported and a constant currency basis. The constant currency presentation, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We believe providing constant currency information provides valuable supplemental information regarding our results of operations, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and is consistent with how management evaluates the Company's performance. We calculate constant currency percentages by converting our prior-period local currency financial results using the current period exchange rates and comparing these adjusted amounts to our current period reported results. No adjustment has been made to foreign currency exchange transaction gains or losses in the calculation of constant currency net income.

Organic Constant Currency Presentation

We define organic constant currency revenue as constant currency revenue excluding the net effect of business acquisitions and divestitures over the past 12 months. Refer to the Constant Currency Presentation section above for the definition of constant currency. We believe that this measure is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends.

Adjusted EBITDA

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income or loss from continuing operations of our consolidated statements of operations before interest income and expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, restructuring charges, impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets, share-based compensation expense and other non-operating items from our consolidated statements of operations, as well as certain other items that arise outside the ordinary course of our continuing operations specifically described below.

Restructuring charges: We exclude restructuring expenses, which primarily include employee severance, office consolidation and contract termination charges, from our Adjusted EBITDA to allow more accurate comparisons of the financial results to historical operations and forward-looking guidance. By excluding these expenses from our non-GAAP measures, management is better able to evaluate our ability to utilize our existing assets and estimate the long-term value these assets will generate for us. Furthermore, we believe that the adjustments of these items more closely correlate with the sustainability of our operating performance.

Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets: We exclude the impact of charges related to the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets. We believe that the exclusion of these impairments, which are non-cash, allows for more meaningful comparisons of operating results to peer companies. We believe that this increases period-to-period comparability and is useful to evaluate the performance of the total company.

Share-based compensation expense: We exclude the impact of costs relating to share-based compensation. Due to the subjective assumptions and a variety of award types, we believe that the exclusion of share-based compensation expense, which is typically non-cash, allows for more meaningful comparisons of operating results to peer companies. Share-based compensation expense can vary significantly based on the timing, size and nature of awards granted.

Other non-operating expenses, net: We exclude foreign currency exchange transaction gains and losses primarily related to intercompany financing arrangements as well as other non-operating income and expense items, such as, gains and losses recorded on business combinations or dispositions, sales of investments, net income attributable to noncontrolling interests and early redemption payments made in connection with debt refinancing. We believe that the adjustments of these items more closely correlate with the sustainability of our operating performance.

Other items: To measure operating performance, we exclude certain expenses and gains that arise outside the ordinary course of our continuing operations. Such costs primarily include legal settlements, acquisition related expenses, business optimization costs and other transaction costs. We believe the exclusion of such amounts allows management and the users of the financial statements to better understand our financial results.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP, and our use of the term Adjusted EBITDA may vary from the use of similarly-titled measures by others in our industry due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation and differences due to items subject to interpretation. Adjusted EBITDA margin is Adjusted EBITDA for a particular period expressed as a percentage of revenues for that period.

We use Adjusted EBITDA to measure our performance from period to period to evaluate and fund incentive compensation programs and to compare our results to those of our competitors. In addition to Adjusted EBITDA being a significant measure of performance for management purposes, we also believe that this presentation provides useful information to investors regarding financial and business trends related to our results of operations and that when non-GAAP financial information is viewed with GAAP financial information, investors are provided with a more meaningful understanding of our ongoing operating performance.

Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income or loss, operating income, cash flows from operating activities or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP as measures of operating performance or cash flows as measures of liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA has important limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP.  In addition, our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies and may, therefore, have limitations as a comparative analytical tool.

Adjusted Earnings per Share

We define Adjusted Earnings per Share as net income attributable to Nielsen shareholders from continuing operations per share (diluted) from our consolidated statements of operations, excluding depreciation and amortization associated with acquired tangible and intangible assets, restructuring charges, impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets, share-based compensation expense, other non-operating items from our consolidated statements of operations, certain other items considered unusual or non-recurring in nature, adjusted for income taxes related to these items. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure is useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of the Company's ongoing operating performance.

Free Cash Flow

We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures, net. We believe providing free cash flow information provides valuable supplemental liquidity information regarding the cash flow that may be available for discretionary use by us in areas such as the distributions of dividends, repurchase of common stock, voluntary repayment of debt obligations or to fund our strategic initiatives, including acquisitions, if any. However, free cash flow does not represent residual cash flows entirely available for discretionary purposes; for example, the repayment of principal amounts borrowed is not deducted from free cash flow. Key limitations of the free cash flow measure include the assumptions that we will be able to refinance our existing debt when it matures and meet other cash flow obligations from financing activities, such as principal payments on debt. Free cash flow is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP. The following table presents a reconciliation from consolidated net cash provided by operating activities to New Nielsen free cash flow.  New Nielsen free cash flow is presented as if the Global Connect transaction and resulting de-levering occurred on January 1, 2020. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure is useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the free cash flow results.

We believe that providing this information provides useful information on the free cash flow performance on a more comparable basis.

SOURCE Nielsen Holdings plc

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