February 2, 2011
MENLO PARK, Calif., February 2, 2011 - Exponent, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPO) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.
For the fourth quarter of 2010, total revenues increased 20% to $62,602,000, as compared to $51,979,000 in the same period one year ago. Revenues before reimbursements increased 15% to $54,625,000, as compared to $47,688,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2010 was up 37% to $6,182,000, or $0.41 per diluted share, as compared to $4,511,000, or $0.30 per diluted share, reported in the fourth quarter of 2009. EBITDA1 in the fourth quarter of 2010 increased 35% to $11,749,000, as compared to $8,722,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009.
For fiscal year of 2010, total revenues increased 9% to $248,753,000, as compared to $227,882,000, in fiscal year of 2009. Revenues before reimbursements increased 8% to $221,860,000, as compared to $205,714,000 in the same period of last year. Net income was up 24% to $27,521,000, or $1.83 per diluted share, as compared to $22,127,000, or $1.47 per diluted share, reported in the prior year period. EBITDA1 increased 25% to $50,833,000, as compared to $40,759,000 in 2009.
During 2010, Exponent generated $36.1 million in cash flow from operations, repurchased $6.9 million of its common stock, and closed the year with $106.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.
“We are very pleased with our performance in the fourth quarter which concluded a strong year of revenue growth and profitability,” commented Dr. Paul Johnston, President and CEO. “We had notable performances in the fourth quarter and 2010 in our defense technology development, mechanics and materials, and human factors practices, as well as our environmental and health groups. We entered the year with a focus on managing headcount toward the goal of improving utilization one percentage point, but with the addition of some large assignments we realized a significant improvement from 66% to 70% utilization for the full year.
“During the year we were engaged by our clients on some major investigations. We leveraged our unique engineering and scientific consulting expertise to address the key technical issues, as well as the potential health and environmental impacts. In 2010, we were also successful in expanding our client base in defense technology development to include three European countries. Throughout the year we had a big push forward in regulatory compliance services as we helped clients complete the necessary scientific studies to meet the first major milestone in complying with the REACH regulation in the European Union.
“As we look at 2011, we expect growth in revenue before reimbursements for the first half of the year to be in the high single to low double digits and the full year growth to be in the mid single digits. This takes into consideration the high hurdle created by the strong performance we had in the back half of 2010 as the result of some exceptionally large projects. As we move to the next phase of these projects and continue to expand our capabilities we expect utilization for 2011 to be in the high sixties and as a result we expect a slight decrease in the EBITDA1 margin. We believe that Exponent continues to differentiate itself as a multidisciplinary engineering and scientific consulting firm with unparalleled technical expertise and experience. We are excited about the opportunities to expand our business and continue to improve our operating model over the long term,” concluded Dr. Johnston.
Today's Conference Call Information
Exponent will discuss its financial results in more detail on a conference call today, February 2, 2011, starting at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time/1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The audio on the conference call is available by dialing 877-941-2069 or 480-629-9713. A live webcast of the call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's web site at www.exponent.com/investors. For those unable to listen to the live webcast, a replay of the call will also be available on the Exponent web site, or by dialing 800-406-7325 or 303-590-3030, and entering reservation 4401721#.
About Exponent
Exponent is an engineering and scientific consulting firm providing solutions to complex problems. Exponent's multidisciplinary organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and business consultants brings together more than 90 technical disciplines to address complicated issues facing industry and government today. The firm has been best known for analyzing accidents and failures to determine their causes, but in recent years it has become more active in assisting clients with human health, environmental and engineering issues associated with new products to help prevent problems in the future.
Exponent may be reached at (888) 656-EXPO, info@exponent.com, or www.exponent.com.
This news release contains, and incorporates by reference, certain "forward-looking" statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and the rules promulgated pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended thereto under) that are based on the beliefs of the Company's management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company's management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this document and in the documents incorporated herein by reference, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company or its management with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such material differences include the possibility that the demand for our services may decline as a result of changes in general and industry specific economic conditions, the timing of engagements for our services, the effects of competitive services and pricing, the absence of backlog related to our business, our ability to attract and retain key employees, the effect of tort reform and government regulation on our business, and liabilities resulting from claims made against us. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the report. The inclusion of such forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the future events, plans, or expectations contemplated by the Company will be achieved. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements.
1 EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure defined by the Company as net income before income taxes, interest income, depreciation and amortization. EBITDAS is a non-GAAP financial measure defined by the Company as EBITDA before stock-based compensation. The Company regards EBITDA and EBITDAS as useful measures of operating performance and cash flow to complement operating income, net income and other GAAP financial performance measures. Additionally, management believes that EBITDA and EBITDAS provide meaningful comparisons of past, present and future operating results. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position or cash flow that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. These measures, however, should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute or superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the measures to GAAP is set forth below.
Financial Tables for Quarter Ended January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010