Cerner Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results


KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 16, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq:CERN) today announced results for the 2015 fourth quarter and full year that ended January 2, 2016.

Bookings in the fourth quarter of 2015 were $1.35 billion, an increase of 16 percent compared to $1.16 billion in fourth quarter 2014.  Full-year 2015 bookings were a record $5.43 billion, up 28 percent compared to 2014 bookings of $4.25 billion. 

Fourth quarter revenue was $1.175 billion, an increase of 27 percent compared to $926 million in the year-ago period.  Full-year 2015 revenue was $4.43 billion, up 30 percent compared to 2014 revenue of $3.4 billion.

On a U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) basis, fourth quarter 2015 net earnings were $166.1 million and diluted earnings per share were $0.48. Fourth quarter 2014 GAAP net earnings were $147.9 million and diluted earnings per share were $0.42. For the full year, 2015 GAAP net earnings were $539.4 million and diluted earnings per share were $1.54.  Full year 2014 GAAP net earnings were $525.4 million and diluted earnings per share were $1.50.

Adjusted (non-GAAP) Net Earnings

Adjusted net earnings for fourth quarter 2015 were $212.3 million, compared to $163.1 million of adjusted net earnings in the fourth quarter of 2014. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.61 in the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 30 percent compared to $0.47 of adjusted diluted earnings per share in the year-ago quarter.  Analysts’ consensus estimate for fourth quarter 2015 adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.57.  For the full year 2015, adjusted net earnings were $741.1 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $2.11, compared to full year 2014 adjusted net earnings of $576.4 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.65.

Adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share are not recognized terms under GAAP.  These non-GAAP financial measures should not be substituted for GAAP net earnings or GAAP diluted earnings per share, respectively, as measures of Cerner’s performance, but instead should be utilized as supplemental measures of financial performance in evaluating our business.  Following is a description of adjustments made to net earnings and the resulting adjustment to diluted earnings per share. For more detail, please see the accompanying schedule, titled “Reconciliation of GAAP Results to Non-GAAP Results.”

Fourth quarter 2015 adjusted net earnings exclude share-based compensation expense, which had a net impact on GAAP earnings of $13.0 million, or $0.04 per diluted share; and expenses related to a voluntary separation plan, which had a net impact on GAAP earnings of $861 thousand, or less than $0.01 per diluted share.  Adjusted net earnings also reflect adjustments related to Cerner’s acquisition of the Health Services business, including: Health Services acquisition-related amortization, which reduced GAAP net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $15.4 million and $0.04, respectively; other acquisition-related adjustments, which reduced GAAP net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $4.0 million and $0.01, respectively; and an acquisition-related deferred revenue adjustment, which is not included in GAAP net earnings, but increases adjusted net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $13.0 million and $0.04, respectively. Full-year 2015 share-based compensation expense had a net impact on GAAP earnings of $51.5 million, or $0.15 per diluted share; and expenses related to a voluntary separation plan had a net impact on full-year GAAP earnings of $31.4 million, or $0.09 per diluted share. Health Services acquisition-related amortization reduced full-year GAAP net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $54.5 million and $0.15, respectively; other acquisition-related adjustments reduced full-year GAAP net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $31.0 million and $0.09, respectively; and acquisition-related deferred revenue adjustments, which are not included in GAAP net earnings, increased adjusted net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $33.3 million and $0.09, respectively.

Other 2015 Fourth Quarter Highlights:

  • Fourth quarter operating cash flow of $353.1 million and full-year was $947.5 million.
  • Fourth quarter free cash flow of $186.4 million. For the full year, free cash flow was $320.7 million.  Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as GAAP cash flows from operating activities less capital purchases and capitalized software development costs. For more detail, please see the accompanying schedule, titled “Reconciliation of GAAP Results to Non-GAAP Results.”
  • Fourth quarter days sales outstanding of 80 days.
  • Total backlog of $14.2 billion, up 34% over the year-ago quarter.

“Our fourth quarter results reflect a solid finish to a record year,” said Zane Burke, Cerner president. “In 2015, we added more than double the number of new EHR clients than any year in our history, including both large health systems and small hospitals. We also continued to advance our cloud-based HealtheIntent™ platform and had a very strong year of selling our population health solutions both inside and outside our EHR installed base.”

Future Period Guidance

Cerner currently expects:

  • First quarter 2016 revenue between $1.15 billion and $1.2 billion.
  • Full year 2016 revenue between $4.9 billion and $5.1 billion.
  • First quarter 2016 adjusted diluted earnings per share before share based compensation expense and acquisition related adjustments between $0.52 and $0.54. 
  • Full year 2016 adjusted diluted earnings per share before share based compensation expense and acquisition related adjustments between $2.30 and $2.40.
  • First quarter 2016 new business bookings between $1.15 billion and $1.25 billion.
  • Share based compensation expense to reduce diluted earnings per share by approximately $0.04 in the first quarter of 2016 and between $0.16 and $0.17 for the year.

Earnings Conference Call

Cerner will host an earnings conference call to provide additional detail on the Company’s results and outlook at 3:30 p.m. CT on February 16. On the call, Cerner will discuss its fourth quarter and full-year 2015 results and answer questions from the investment community. The call may also include discussion of Cerner developments, and forward-looking and other material information about business and financial matters. The dial-in number for the conference call is (678)-509-7542; the passcode is Cerner. Cerner recommends joining the call 15 minutes early for registration. The re-broadcast of the call will be available from 6:30 p.m. CT, February 16 through 11:59 p.m. CT, February 19. The dial-in number for the re-broadcast is (855)-859-2056; the passcode is 22300264.

An audio webcast will be available live and archived on Cerner’s website at www.cerner.com under the About Cerner section (click Investor Relations, then Presentations and Webcasts).

About Cerner

Cerner's health information technologies connect people, information, and systems, at more than 20,000 facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients’ clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. On February 2, 2015, Cerner Corporation acquired substantially all of the assets, and assumed certain liabilities, of the Siemens Health Services business from Siemens AG.  Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, visit www.cerner.com, read our blog at www.cerner.com/blog, connect with us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cerner and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cerner.  Our website, blog, twitter account and Facebook page contain a significant amount of information about Cerner, including financial and other information for investors.

Certain trademarks, service marks and logos set forth herein are property of Cerner Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. All other non-Cerner marks are the property of their respective owners.

All statements in this press release that do not directly and exclusively relate to historical facts constitute forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Cerner's management with respect to future events and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties.  It is important to note that Cerner's performance, and actual results, financial condition or business could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The words “expects”, “guidance”, “position”, “believe”, “estimate”, “projected”, “opportunity” or the negative of these words, variations thereof or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the possibility of product-related liabilities; potential claims for system errors and warranties; the possibility of interruption at our data centers or client support facilities; the possibility of increased expenses, exposure to claims and regulatory actions and reputational harm associated with a cyberattack or other breach in our IT security; our proprietary technology may be subject to claims for infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights of others, or may be infringed or misappropriated by others; material adverse resolution of legal proceedings; risks associated with our global operations; risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the potential for tax legislation initiatives that could adversely affect our tax position and/or challenges to our tax positions in the United States and non-U.S. countries; risks associated with our recruitment and retention of key personnel; risks related to our dependence on third party suppliers; difficulties and operational and financial risks associated with successfully completing the integration of the Cerner Health Services (formerly Siemens Health Services) business into our business or the failure to realize the synergies and other benefits expected from the acquisition; risks inherent with business acquisitions and combinations and the integration thereof; the potential for losses resulting from asset impairment charges; risks associated with volatility and disruption resulting from global economic or market conditions; managing growth in the new markets in which we offer solutions, health care devices or services; continuing to incur significant expenses relating to the integration of the Cerner Health Services (formerly Siemens Health Services) business into Cerner; risks inherent in contracting with government clients; risks associated with our outstanding and future indebtedness, such as compliance with restrictive covenants, which may limit our flexibility to operate our business; changing political, economic, regulatory and judicial influences, which could impact the purchasing practices and operations of our clients and increase costs to deliver compliant solutions and services; government regulation; significant competition and our ability to respond to market changes and changing technologies; variations in our quarterly operating results; potential inconsistencies in our sales forecasts compared to actual sales; volatility in the trading price of our common stock and the timing and volume of market activity; and our directors’ authority to issue preferred stock and the anti-takeover provisions in our corporate governance documents. Additional discussion of these and other risks, uncertainties and factors affecting Cerner's business is contained in Cerner's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, since the statements speak only as of the date that they are made.  Except as required by law, Cerner undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in our business, results of operations or financial condition over time.



CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES      
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS      
For the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016 and January 3, 2015      
(unaudited)      
       
(In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended Years Ended
  2015 (1)2014 (1) 2015 (1)2014 (1)
Revenues      
System sales $382,128 $280,263  $1,281,890 $945,858 
Support, maintenance and services  775,500  628,295   3,070,575  2,366,959 
Reimbursed travel  17,666  17,473   72,802  89,886 
Total revenues  1,175,294  926,031   4,425,267  3,402,703 
       
Margin      
System sales  261,554  178,113   851,555  631,769 
Support, maintenance and services  714,524  575,074   2,822,931  2,166,557 
Total margin  976,078  753,187   3,674,486  2,798,326 
       
Operating expenses      
Sales and client service  489,102  375,016   1,838,600  1,395,568 
Software development  141,263  106,908   539,799  392,805 
General and administrative  94,363  62,559   423,424  233,393 
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles  24,216  3,410   91,527  13,476 
Total operating expenses  748,944  547,893   2,893,350  2,035,242 
       
Operating earnings  227,134  205,294   781,136  763,084 
       
Other income, net  798  3,182   244  11,090 
       
Earnings before income taxes  227,932  208,476   781,380  774,174 
Income taxes  (61,824) (60,604)  (242,018) (248,741)
Net earnings $166,108 $147,872  $539,362 $525,433 
       
Basic earnings per share $0.49 $0.43  $1.57 $1.54 
       
Basic weighted average shares outstanding  340,852  341,862   343,178  342,150 
       
Diluted earnings per share $0.48 $0.42  $1.54 $1.50 
       
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding  347,892  350,197   350,908  350,386 
       
Note 1: Operating expenses for the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016 and January 3, 2015 include share-based compensation expense. The impact of this expense on net earnings and diluted earnings per share is presented below:
 
(In thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended Years Ended
  2015
2014
 2015
2014
       
Sales and client service $8,316 $8,724  $36,150 $31,343 
Software development  3,752  3,695   16,254  13,791 
General and administrative  5,777  4,575   22,522  17,831 
Total share-based compensation  17,845  16,994   74,926  62,965 
Amount of related income tax benefit  (4,840) (5,965)  (23,435) (22,101)
Net impact on net earnings $13,005 $11,029  $51,491 $40,864 
       
Decrease to diluted earnings per share $0.04 $0.03  $0.15 $0.12 
       

 

CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES      
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP RESULTS TO NON-GAAP RESULTS1      
For the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016 and January 3, 2015      
(unaudited)      
       
RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED NET EARNINGS TO GAAP NET EARNINGS1
       
(In thousands) Three Months Ended Years Ended
  20152014 20152014
Net Earnings      
Net earnings (GAAP) $166,108 $147,872  $539,362 $525,433 
Health Services acquisition-related amortization, net of tax2  15,388     54,460   
Acquisition-related deferred revenue adjustment, net of tax3  12,972     33,349   
Other acquisition-related adjustments, net of tax4  3,986  4,216   30,970  10,138 
Voluntary separation plan expense, net of tax5  861     31,438   
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax  13,005  11,029   51,491  40,864 
Adjusted net earnings (non-GAAP)6 $212,320 $163,117  $741,070 $576,435 
       
RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE TO GAAP DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE1
       
  Three Months Ended Years Ended
  20152014 20152014
Diluted Earnings Per Share      
Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) $0.48 $0.42  $1.54 $1.50 
Health Services acquisition-related amortization, net of tax2  0.04     0.15   
Acquisition-related deferred revenue adjustment, net of tax3  0.04     0.09   
Other acquisition-related adjustments, net of tax4  0.01  0.02   0.09  0.03 
Voluntary separation plan expense, net of tax5       0.09   
Share-based compensation expense, net of tax  0.04  0.03   0.15  0.12 
Adjusted diluted earnings per share (non-GAAP)6 $0.61 $0.47  $2.11 $1.65 
       
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FREE CASH FLOW TO GAAP OPERATING CASH FLOW1
       
(In thousands) Three Months Ended Years Ended
  20152014 20152014
Cash flows from operating activities (GAAP) $353,095 $223,448  $947,526 $847,027 
Capital purchases  (106,757) (76,212)  (362,132) (276,584)
Capitalized software development costs  (59,948) (47,039)  (264,656) (177,800)
Free cash flow (non-GAAP)7 $186,390 $100,197  $320,738 $392,643 
       
       
Note 1: The presentation of adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted net earnings and free cash flow, non-GAAP financial measures, are not meant to be considered in isolation, nor as a substitute for, or superior to, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) results and investors should be aware that non-GAAP measures have inherent limitations and should be read only in conjunction with Cerner's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.  Adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted net earnings and free cash flow may also be different from similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies and may not be comparable to similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculations. We believe that adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted net earnings and free cash flow are important to enable investors to better understand and evaluate our ongoing operating results and allows for greater transparency in the review and understanding of our overall financial, operational and economic performance.
       
Cerner's future period guidance in this release includes adjustments for items not indicative of our core operations, which may include, without limitation share-based compensation expense, voluntary separation plan expense and acquisition-related expenses, such as integration expenses, and may be affected by changes in ongoing assumptions and judgments relating to the Company's acquired businesses, and may also be affected by nonrecurring, unusual or unanticipated charges, expenses or gains, all of which are excluded in the calculation of non-GAAP adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share as described in this press release.  The exact amount of these adjustments are not currently determinable, but may be significant.  It is therefore not practicable to reconcile this non-GAAP guidance to the most comparable GAAP measures.
       
Note 2: The Health Services acquisition-related amortization is presented net of income tax benefits of $5.7 million and $24.5 million, respectively for the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016.
       
Note 3: The Health Services acquisition-related deferred revenue adjustment is presented net of income tax benefits of $4.8 million and $14.7 million, respectively, for the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016.
       
Note 4: Other acquisition-related adjustments (includes acquisition and employee separation costs) are presented net of income tax benefits of $1.4 million and $14.8 million, respectively, for the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016; and $2.2 million and $5.7 million, respectively, for the three and twelve months ended January 3, 2015.
       
Note 5: The voluntary separation plan expense is presented net of income tax benefits of $0.3 million and $15.0 million, respectively, for the three and twelve months ended January 2, 2016.
       
Note 6: Cerner provides earnings with and without share-based compensation expense, voluntary separation plan expense and acquisition-related adjustments because earnings excluding these items are used by management along with GAAP results to analyze Cerner's business, make strategic decisions, assess long-term trends on a comparable basis, and for management compensation purposes.
       
Note 7: Cerner provides free cash flow because it takes into account the capital expenditures necessary to operate our business. Free cash flow is used by management along with GAAP results to analyze our earnings quality and overall cash generation of the business.
       

 

CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES    
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS    
As of  January 2, 2016 (unaudited) and January 3, 2015    
     
(In thousands)2015 2014 
     
Assets    
Current assets:    
Cash and cash equivalents$402,122  $635,203  
Short-term investments 111,059   785,663  
Receivables, net 1,034,084   672,778  
Inventory 15,788   23,789  
Prepaid expenses and other 264,780   209,278  
Deferred income taxes, net    22,075  
Total current assets 1,827,833   2,348,786  
     
Property and equipment, net 1,309,214   924,260  
Software development costs, net 562,559   420,199  
Goodwill 799,182   320,538  
Intangible assets, net 688,058   126,636  
Long-term investments 173,073   231,147  
Other assets 202,065   158,999  
Total assets$5,561,984  $4,530,565  
     
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity    
Current liabilities:    
Accounts payable$215,510  $160,285  
Current installments of long-term debt and capital lease obligations 41,797   67,460  
Deferred revenue 278,443   209,655  
Accrued payroll and tax withholdings 184,225   140,230  
Other accrued expenses 57,891   56,685  
Total current liabilities 777,866   634,315  
     
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations 563,353   62,868  
Deferred income taxes and other liabilities 324,516   256,601  
Deferred revenue 25,865   10,813  
Total liabilities 1,691,600   964,597  
     
Shareholders’ Equity:    
Common stock 3,503   3,470  
Additional paid-in capital 1,075,782   933,446  
Retained earnings 3,457,843   2,918,481  
Treasury stock (590,390)  (245,333) 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net (76,354)  (44,096) 
Total shareholders’ equity 3,870,384   3,565,968  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$5,561,984  $4,530,565  
     

            

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