News

NEW YORK, Oct. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO), the advertising platform for the open Internet, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

• Revenue decreased 1% year-over-year to $523 million, and growth was flat at constant currency¹.
• Revenue excluding Traffic Acquisition Costs, or Revenue ex-TAC², decreased 1% year-over-year and Revenue ex-TAC growth was flat at constant currency, to $221 million (or $223 million at the Q3 guidance exchange rates), representing 42% of revenue.
• Net income increased 15% year-over-year to $21 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA² was $64 million, or 29% of Revenue ex-TAC.
• Cash flow from operating activities was $43 million and Free Cash Flow² reached $19 million.
• Our cash position was $409 million as of September 30, 2019.
• Earnings per diluted share increased 12% to $0.28.
• We update our 2019 outlook for Revenue ex-TAC growth and maintain our Adjusted EBITDA margin outlook.
• The Company appoints Megan Clarken as new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 25, 2019.

"We have reached key milestones in our transformative journey," said JB Rudelle, CEO. "With a clear direction and augmented leadership, I am confident Criteo will succeed as the leading tech platform for the open Internet."

"Our solid Q3 results show continued progress on our transformation," said Benoit Fouilland, CFO. "We are committed to making our revenue more resilient and sustainable, and to drive efficiency across the company."

Operating Highlights

• Revenue ex-TAC from new solutions, which include all solutions outside of retargeting, represented 11% of total, growing 57% year-over-year.
• Among new solutions, Retail Media grew 25% on a Revenue ex-TAC basis.
• Web Consideration, our new product for driving traffic on our clients' websites launched in Q3 and priced on a Cost-Per-Impression (or CPM) basis, was already live with 400 clients.
• We added 238 net new clients in Q3, and maintained client retention at close to 90% for all products.
• Same-client revenue³ decreased slightly less than 3% year-over-year at constant currency and same-client Revenue ex-TAC³ decreased 4% year-over-year at constant currency.
• Criteo Direct Bidder, our header-bidding technology now connects to over 4,000 web publishers and over 200 app developers providing direct access to quality inventory.

Revenue and Revenue ex-TAC

Revenue declined 1% year-over-year to $523 million (Q3 2018: $529 million), and growth was flat at constant currency. Revenue ex-TAC decreased 1% year-over-year to $221 million (Q3 2018: $223 million), and growth was flat at constant currency. The performance at constant currency was primarily driven by our business with new clients, in particular in the midmarket, offsetting a slight decline in our business with existing clients, despite continued adoption of our new solutions across our client base. Revenue ex-TAC as a percentage of revenue, or Revenue ex-TAC margin, was 42% (Q3 2018: 42%).

• In the Americas, Revenue grew 1% year-over-year, or 1% at constant currency, to $214 million and represented 41% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC growth was flat year-over-year, or flat at constant currency, to $85 million and represented 38% of total Revenue ex-TAC.
• In EMEA, Revenue declined 5% year-over-year, or 1% at constant currency, to $186 million and represented 35% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC declined 3% year-over-year, or grew 1% at constant currency, to $82 million and represented 37% of total Revenue ex-TAC.
• In Asia-Pacific, Revenue increased 1% year-over-year, or declined 1% at constant currency, to $123 million and represented 24% of total Revenue. Revenue ex-TAC declined 1% year-over-year, or 2% at constant currency, to $54 million and represented 25% of total Revenue ex-TAC.

Net Income and Adjusted Net Income

Net income increased 15% year-over-year to $21 million (Q3 2018: $18 million). Net income margin as a percentage of revenue was 4% (Q3 2018: 3%), a 50-basis point increase year-over-year. Net income available to shareholders of Criteo S.A. increased 10% year-over-year to $19 million, or $0.28 per share on a diluted basis (Q3 2018: $17 million, or $0.25 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 costs and the tax impact of these adjustments, decreased 2% year-over-year to $35 million, or $0.54 per share on a diluted basis (Q3 2018: $36 million, or $0.53 per share on a diluted basis).

Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Expenses

Adjusted EBITDA declined 8% year-over-year, or 3% at constant currency, to $64 million (Q3 2018: $70 million), primarily driven by the Revenue ex-TAC performance over the period. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Revenue ex-TAC, which we refer to as Adjusted EBITDA margin, was 29% (Q3 2018: 31%), a 80-basis point decrease year-over-year at constant currency.

Operating expenses declined 3% to $160 million (Q3 2018: $165 million). Operating expenses, excluding the impact of equity awards compensation expense, pension costs, restructuring costs, depreciation and amortization and acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration, which we refer to as Non-GAAP Operating Expenses, were flat at $138 million (Q3 2018: $138 million), demonstrating our disciplined expense management.

Cash Flow and Cash Position

Cash flow from operating activities decreased 14% year-over-year to $43 million (Q3 2018: $50 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, decreased 6% year-over-year to $19 million (Q3 2018: $21 million), representing 30% of Adjusted EBITDA (Q3 2018: 30%) and 44% for the first nine months 2019.

Cash and cash equivalents increased $45 million in the first nine months of 2019 to $409 million.

Criteo Appoints Megan Clarken as Chief Executive Officer

The Company announced today the appointment of Megan Clarken as Chief Executive Officer, effective November 25, 2019.

Megan Clarken spent fifteen years in various positions at Nielsen Holdings plc, and was recently Chief Commercial Officer of Nielsen Global Media. Born in New Zealand and living in New York, Megan Clarken brings to Criteo extensive global leadership experience and very strong industry expertise. Her deep know-how in product and partnerships, combined with a proven track record of driving complex company transformations, will be very valuable to the company.

Criteo's founder JB Rudelle remains committed as Chairman of the Board of directors. He will ensure a smooth transition until Criteo reports its fiscal year 2019 results.

Business Outlook

The following forward-looking statements reflect Criteo's expectations as of October 30, 2019.

We are taking a more moderate approach to our business outlook in the fourth quarter to reflect the softer trend in our business with large customers, in particular in the mobile app area, and the uncertainty around the impact this trend may have on the Holiday Season this year.

Fourth quarter 2019 guidance:

• We expect Revenue ex-TAC to be between $255 million and $261 million, implying constant-currency growth of approximately -5% to -3%.
• We expect Adjusted EBITDA to be between $99 million and $105 million.

Fiscal year 2019 guidance:

• With a more moderate outlook for Q4, we now expect to achieve the low end of our Revenue ex-TAC guidance for fiscal year 2019 as communicated on July 30, 2019. As a result, we now expect approximately flat Revenue ex-TAC growth at constant currency in fiscal year 2019.
• We maintain our outlook and expect Adjusted EBITDA margin for fiscal year 2019 of approximately 30% of Revenue ex-TAC.

The above guidance for the quarter and the fiscal year ending December 30, 2019, assumes the following exchange rates for the main currencies impacting our business: a U.S. dollar-euro rate of 0.895, a U.S. dollar-Japanese Yen rate of 109, a U.S. dollar-British pound rate of 0.792 and a U.S. dollar-Brazilian real rate of 3.938.

The above guidance assumes no acquisitions are completed during the fourth quarter and the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.

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 (the "SEC"): Revenue ex-TAC, Revenue ex-TAC by Region, Revenue ex-TAC margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted Net Income per diluted share, 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 costs, acquisition-related costs and deferred price consideration. 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 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 costs and the tax impact of these adjustments. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per diluted share 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 costs and the tax impact of these adjustments, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per diluted share can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per diluted share 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 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, Revenue ex-TAC for Retail Media, 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 and the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, 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 respond to changes in technology, 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, 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 1, 2019, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as well as future filings and reports by the Company.

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 earnings conference call will take place today, October 30, 2019, at 8:00 AM ET, 1:00 PM CET. The conference call will be webcast live on the Company's website http://ir.criteo.com and will be available for replay.

Conference call details:

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

About Criteo

Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) is the advertising platform for the open Internet, an ecosystem that favors neutrality, transparency and inclusiveness. 2,800 Criteo team members partner with 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, VP, Head of IR, e.lassalle@criteo.com
Friederike Edelmann, IR Director, f.edelmann@criteo.com

Criteo Public Relations
Isabelle Leung-Tack, VP, Global Communications, i.leungtack@criteo.com

Financial information to follow