Amdocs Reports Fiscal Q4

Diluted GAAP EPS of $0.64 for the fourth fiscal quarter, below the $0.66-$0.74 guidance range due to higher acquisition-related costs in connection with the acquisitions of Pontis, Vindicia and Brite:Bill announced on September 14, 2016

Fourth fiscal quarter diluted non-GAAP EPS of $0.89, slightly above the mid-point of the $0.85-$0.91 guidance range (non-GAAP EPS excludes amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs, and equity-based compensation expense, net of related tax effects)

Fourth fiscal quarter GAAP operating income of $118 million; non-GAAP operating income of $161 million; non-GAAP operating margin of 17.1%

Free cash flow of $125 million for the fourth fiscal quarter Repurchased $90 million of ordinary shares during the fourth fiscal quarter

Twelve-month backlog of $3.17 billion at the end of the fourth fiscal quarter, up $60 million from the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016

The board of directors approved a $0.195 per share quarterly cash dividend to be paid on January 13, 2017, and, subject to shareholders’ approval at the January 2017 annual general meeting of shareholders, an increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $0.22 per share, anticipated to be paid in April 2017

First quarter fiscal 2017 guidance: Expected revenue of approximately $935-$975 million. Expected diluted GAAP EPS of approximately $0.59-$0.67. Expected diluted non-GAAP EPS of approximately $0.87-$0.93 (which excludes amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs and approximately $0.09-$0.10 per share of equity-based compensation expense, net of related tax effects)

Full year fiscal 2017 guidance: Expected revenue growth of 2.0-6.0% on a constant currency basis and reported basis. Expected non-GAAP diluted earnings per share growth of roughly 4.5-8.5%, incorporating the impact of anticipated share repurchase activity over the course of the fiscal year

“Our fourth quarter performance was solid and culminated in a stronger second half along the lines we predicted a year ago. North America showed further signs of stabilization, while Europe and Rest of World delivered strong double-digit growth for the full year notwithstanding normal fluctuations in customer activity in Q4. Late in the quarter, we expanded our digital capabilities with the combined acquisitions of Pontis, Brite:Bill and Vindicia for roughly $260 million in cash. We also delivered on our plan to return 100% of free cash flow to shareholders in the second half of the fiscal year, consistent with our ongoing commitment to the disciplined and proactive allocation of cash,” said Eli Gelman, president and chief executive officer of Amdocs Management Limited.

Gelman continued, “During the fourth quarter we expanded our activities with several important customers. In Latin America, Telefónica selected the Amdocs Data Hub as the next logical step in the quad-play transformation project we are supporting at its Vivo operations in Brazil. The Amdocs solution extracts and analyzes large volumes of customer data from a wide range of operational platforms and will give Telefónica Brazil the business insights needed to react quickly to changing market dynamics. In the Philippines, Globe Telecom selected Amdocs Revenue Guard for automated, analytics-driven revenue assurance, a service that builds on the market-leading technology we secured through our acquisition of cVidya in January 2016.”

Gelman concluded, “We enter fiscal 2017 focused on building the engines to support our customers in strategic areas such as digital modernization, the enterprise segment, Pay TV and network function virtualization. With the visibility provided by our record 12-month backlog we are targeting full year non-GAAP earnings per share growth of 4.5% to 8.5% while monitoring various macro and industry specific risks, including the impact of consolidation activity in North America. Finally, we are pleased to announce a planned increase in the quarterly cash dividend of nearly 13% to 22 cents per share, payable in April 2017 if approved by shareholders at the annual meeting in January 2017. This marks the fourth consecutive year that our Board has approved an increase in the dividend and further demonstrates our confidence in the future success of Amdocs.”

Financial Discussion of Fourth Fiscal Quarter Results
Free cash flow was $125 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, comprised of cash flow from operations of $153 million, less $28 million in net capital expenditures and other.

Twelve-month backlog, which includes anticipated revenue related to contracts, estimated revenue from managed services contracts, letters of intent, maintenance and estimated on-going support activities, was $3.17 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, up $60 million from the end of the prior quarter, with approximately half of the increase due to acquisitions.

Fiscal Year 2016 Results
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016, revenue increased by 2.0% to $3.7 billion. The Company's GAAP net income in fiscal 2016 was $409.3 million, or $2.71 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $446.2 million, or $2.85 per diluted share, in fiscal 2015. Fiscal 2016 net income on a non-GAAP basis was $540.1 million, or $3.57 per diluted share (excluding amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs and equity-based compensation expenses of $130.8 million, net of related tax effects), compared to non-GAAP net income of $529.7 million, or $3.38 per diluted share, in fiscal 2015 (excluding amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs, nonrecurring restructuring charges associated with the acquisition of the Comverse BSS assets, changes in fair value of certain acquisition-related liabilities and equity-based compensation expenses of $83.5 million, net of related tax effects).

Financial Outlook
Amdocs expects that revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 will be approximately $935-$975 million. Embedded within this guidance is an immaterial sequential impact from foreign currency fluctuations as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. This outlook takes into consideration the company’s expectations regarding macro and industry specific risks and various uncertainties and certain assumptions that we will discuss on our earnings conference call. However, Amdocs notes that it cannot predict all possible outcomes, including those resulting from AT&T’s proposed merger with Time Warner or from other current and potential customer consolidation activity in North America. Amdocs estimates GAAP diluted earnings per share for the first fiscal quarter of 2017 will be $0.59-$0.67. Diluted earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 is expected to be $0.87-$0.93, excluding amortization of purchased intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs and approximately $0.09-$0.10 per share of equity-based compensation expense, net of related tax effects.

Amdocs Ltd. (NYSE: DOX)