Omaha, NE – March 11, 2019 – Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE American: BTN) (the “Company”), a holding company with diverse business activities focused on serving the cinema, retail, financial, advertising and government markets, today announced financial results for the period ended December 31, 2018. The Company conducts its operations through three operating segments: Strong Cinema, Convergent and Strong Outdoor.
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Highlights
- Total revenue increased 15.7% to $18.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 due to quarterly revenue growth
from Convergent and incremental revenue from the start-up of Strong Outdoor. For the year, revenue decreased 11.0% to $64.7 million as reductions at Convergent and Strong Cinema, where we eliminated several product lines earlier in the year, were partially offset by the start-up of Strong Outdoor. - Gross profit increased 15.6% to $4.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 due to increased quarterly revenues at Convergent and Strong Outdoor combined with cost reduction initiatives at Convergent. For the year, gross profit decreased 35.7% to $12.2 million largely due to the startup costs of Strong Outdoor, and lower annual revenue at Convergent.
- Operating income amounted to $0.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to a loss of $1.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 due to the combination of higher quarterly revenue and cost reduction initiatives implemented at Convergent. For the year, operating loss was $10.3 million compared to a loss of $2.8 million in the prior year, largely due to the startup costs of Strong Outdoor and the operating losses incurred in the first three quarters in connection with the repositioning of Convergent.
- Net loss was $0.6 million ($0.04 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2018 as compared to a loss of $1.0 million ($0.07 per share) in the fourth quarter of the prior year. For the year, net loss was $12.3 million ($0.86 per share) as compared to a loss of $3.6 million ($0.25 per share) in the prior year, largely due to the startup costs of Strong Outdoor and impairment charges incurred in connection with the repositioning of Convergent.
- Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, improved to positive $1.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2018 from negative $0.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 due to quarterly revenue growth combined with improved operating expenses. For the year, adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $3.7 million in 2018 compared to positive $0.5 million in 2017, largely due to the start-up costs of Strong Outdoor and operating losses in the first nine months for Convergent.
“Earlier in 2018, we took a number of steps to right-size and restructure our Convergent business, significantly reducing our operating costs while also accelerating higher margin recurring revenue. We also invested in the startup of Strong Outdoor, which is now beginning to generate meaningful revenue and is expected to continue to grow in 2019. Our Strong Cinema business continues to generate strong margins and reliable cash flow. The investments in the startup of Strong Outdoor and the restructuring of Convergent adversely impacted our reported operating results for the year. We started seeing the benefit of those initiatives in the fourth quarter and look forward to building on that foundation in 2019.”
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call on Monday March 11, 2019 at 8:30 am Eastern Time, which can be accessed by calling: U.S.: 1-877-407-3982 International: 1-201-493-6780 A replay will be available until Thursday April 11, 2019, 11:59 PM by dialing 1-844-512-2921 in the U.S. and Canada and 1-412-317-6671 internationally and entering the pin number: 13688563.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
Ballantyne Strong, Inc. prepares its consolidated financial statements in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP, the Company discloses information regarding Adjusted EBITDA, which differs from the term EBITDA as it is commonly used. In addition to adjusting net income (loss) to exclude taxes, interest, and depreciation and amortization, Adjusted EBITDA also excludes share-based compensation, impairment charges, equity method income, fair value adjustments, severance and transactional expenses and other non-cash charges.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of performance defined in accordance with GAAP. However, Adjusted EBITDA is used internally in planning and evaluating the Company’s operating performance. Accordingly, management believes that disclosure of these metrics offers investors, bankers and other stakeholders an additional view of the Company’s operations that, when coupled with the GAAP results, provides a more complete understanding of the Company’s financial results.
Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net loss or to net cash used in operating activities as a measure of operating results or liquidity. It may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies, and it excludes financial information that some may consider important in evaluating the Company’s performance. A reconciliation of GAAP net loss to Adjusted EBITDA is included in the accompanying financial schedules.
For further information, please refer to Ballantyne Strong, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K to be filed with the SEC on or about March 12, 2019, available online at www.sec.gov.
About Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (www.ballantynestrong.com)
Ballantyne Strong and its subsidiaries engage in diverse business activities including the design, integration and installation of technology solutions for a broad range of applications; development and delivery of out-of-home messaging, advertising and communications; manufacturing of projection screens; and providing managed services including monitoring of networked equipment. The Company focuses on serving the cinema, retail, financial, advertising and government markets.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information in this press release, it includes forward-looking statements which involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those discussed in the “Risk Factors” section contained in Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and the following risks and uncertainties: the Company’s ability to expand its revenue streams, potential interruptions of supplier relationships or higher prices charged by suppliers, the Company’s ability to successfully compete and introduce enhancements and new features that achieve market acceptance and that keep pace with technological developments, the Company’s ability to successfully execute its capital allocation strategy, the Company’s ability to retain or replace its significant customers, the impact of a challenging global economic environment or a downturn in the markets, economic and political risks of selling products in foreign countries, risks of non-compliance with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, cybersecurity risks and risks of damage and interruptions of information technology systems, the Company’s ability to retain key members of management and successfully integrate new executives, the Company’s ability to complete acquisitions, strategic investments, entry into new lines of business, divestitures, mergers or other transactions on acceptable terms or at all, the Company’s ability to assert its intellectual property rights, the impact of natural disasters and other catastrophic events, the adequacy of insurance and the impact of having a controlling stockholder. Given the risks and uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should recognize that the statements are predictions of future results which may not occur as anticipated. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and from historical results, due to the risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as others not now anticipated. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Except where required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in factors or assumptions affecting such forward-looking statements.
CONTACT
Ballantyne Strong, Inc.
Mark Roberson
Chief Financial Officer
Mark.Roberson@btn-inc.com
704-994-8295
