Softchoice Announces Second Quarter 2023 Results

Double-digit constant currency growth in Software & Cloud gross profit led to strong cash flow generation

Softchoice Corporation (“Softchoice” or the “Company”) (TSX: SFTC) today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 (“Q2 2023”). Softchoice will hold a conference call/webcast to discuss its results today, August 11, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. ET. Unless otherwise noted, all dollar ($) amounts are in U.S. dollars.

Q2 2023 Summary ¹

• Strong 10.4% growth in gross profit in Constant Currency in our Software & Cloud strategic focus area, offset by temporary industry-wide declines of hardware purchases, resulted in a 1.5% or $1.3 million increase in gross profit compared with Q2 2022, or a marginal decline of 0.5% or $0.4 million on a reported basis.
  • Balanced and healthy double-digit growth in Software & Cloud across all channels in Constant Currency.
  • Continued resilient Commercial and SMB demand, with the Enterprise channel being disproportionately impacted by Hardware solutions which declined at 19.9% in Constant Currency.
• Adjusted EBITDA, benefiting from disciplined expense management offsetting selling capacity increases, decreased by 0.4% to $24.9 million, from $25.0 million in Q2 2022, with foreign exchange fluctuations having an immaterial impact.
• Income from operations grew by 3.0% over Q2 2022 to $19.0 million.
• Net income per share on a diluted basis increased to $0.23 from $0.12 in Q2 2022 largely due to foreign exchange gains partially offset by higher income taxes, while Adjusted EPS on a diluted basis decreased to $0.23 from $0.27 in Q2 2022 largely due to higher interest and income tax expenses.
• Strong cash flow generation led to consolidated net debt of $88.6M at June 30, 2023 compared with $95.7M a year prior, resulting in a consolidated net debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio of 1.0x versus the prior year’s 1.3x.

Andrew Caprara, Softchoice’s Chief Executive Officer, said: ²

“We continued to deliver strong growth in Software & Cloud, driven by solid customer growth and our ability to provide mission critical and recurring revenue-generating software and cloud solutions. Along with our disciplined approach to managing the business, this enabled us to offset the impacts of the industry-wide decline in hardware sales. Continued strong growth in public cloud is driven by increases in our sales capacity, market demand and our deep technical capabilities. With demand remaining strong in our strategic focus areas and our key technology partners introducing transformative technology including generative AI, we are accelerating investments in our technical and sales capabilities, which we believe will further drive growth for our business and success for our customers.”

Jonathan Roiter, Softchoice’s Chief Financial Officer, said: ²

"The second quarter was highlighted by healthy profit margins driven by prudent expense management and strong cash flow generation, which was used to return capital to shareholders through our quarterly dividend and share buybacks, and to reduce debt. We ended the quarter in a robust financial position with significant available liquidity and flexibility to continue enhancing shareholder value. Despite the anticipated continuation of macroeconomic pressure impacting hardware sales in the near term, we continue to target healthy organic EBITDA growth due to continued demand for our core IT solutions and prudent management of our administrative and variable costs.”

Dividends and NCIB Update ²

• On August 10, 2023, the Board declared a quarterly dividend of Cdn. $0.11 per Common Share for the period from July 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, to be paid on October 13, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 29, 2023, representing an approximate 22% increase over Q3 2022. The dividend to which this notice relates is an eligible dividend for tax purposes.
• During Q2 2023, the Company repurchased and cancelled 151,667 Common Shares at an average price of Cdn. $17.92 per Common Share, under its normal course issuer bid (“NCIB”) program.

Supplementary Measures for the LTM period ended June 30, 2023¹

• Revenue Retention Rate was 102%, with strong SMB and Commercial revenue retention consistent with the prior LTM ended June 30, 2022, partially offset by a decline in Enterprise customers revenue retention resulting from the previously discussed Hardware declines.
• Gross profit increased by 5.9% to $319.1 million from $301.4 million in the prior LTM ended June 30, 2022, due to an increase in:
  • Customers to 4,830 as at June 30, 2023, an increase of 163, or 3.5%, over June 30, 2022.
  • Gross Profit per Customer to $67,000 from $65,000 in the prior LTM period.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased by 18.6% to $86.2 million from $72.7 million in the prior LTM period.
• Adjusted Free Cash Flow increased by 19.8% to $76.6 million, or 89% of Adjusted EBITDA, from $63.9 million, or 88% of Adjusted EBITDA, in the prior LTM period.
  • Adjusted Free Cash Flow was used as follows: (i) approximately 22% was used to pay dividends to shareholders, (ii) 40% was used for share buybacks under the NCIB, and (iii) the remainder was used primarily for cash taxes and interest payments and other costs.

Quarterly Conference Call

Softchoice’s management team will hold a conference call to discuss our Q2 2023 results today at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

DATE: Friday, August 11, 2023

TIME: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time

WEBCAST: https://app.webinar.net/eoxMyMW82Eq

A link to the webcast will also be available on the Events page of the Investors section of Softchoice’s website at http://investors.softchoice.com. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to join the webcast. An archived replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

DIAL-IN: To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at https://emportal.ink/43hKUcO to receive an instant automated call back. You can also dial direct to be entered to the call by an Operator: 416-764-8659 or 1-888-664-6392.

TAPED REPLAY: 416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541, Replay Code 353068 # (Available until August 18, 2023)

Capitalized Terms

Capitalized terms used in this release and terms we use to describe our IT solution types, including Software & Cloud, Services, and Hardware and sales channels including SMB, Commercial, and Enterprise, as well as other measures such as Customer, Gross Profit per Customer, Revenue Retention Rate, and Constant Currency, are described in the Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations the three and six-months ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022 (the “Q2 2023 MD&A”), and/or our annual information form dated March 29, 2023 (the “AIF”) filed on SEDAR (as defined below) and available on the Company’s investor relations website http://investors.softchoice.com.

¹ Non-IFRS Measures

This news release makes reference to certain non-IFRS measures and other measures. These measures are not recognized measures under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement those IFRS measures by providing further understanding of our results of operations from management’s perspective. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of our financial information reported under IFRS. We use non-IFRS measures, including “Adjusted EBITDA”, “Adjusted EBITDA as a Percentage of Gross Profit”, “Adjusted Cash Operating Expenses”, “Adjusted Net Income (Loss)”, “Adjusted EPS”, “Adjusted Free Cash Flow”, “Adjusted Free Cash Flow Conversion”, and “Gross Sales”. These non-IFRS measures and other measures are used to provide investors with supplemental measures of our operating performance and thus highlight trends in our core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS measures. Our management uses these non-IFRS measures and other measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, to prepare annual operating budgets and forecasts and to determine components of management compensation. We also believe that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use certain of these non-IFRS measures and other measures in the evaluation of issuers. As required by Canadian securities laws, we reconcile the non-IFRS measures to the most comparable IFRS measures. For more information on non-IFRS measures and other measures, see the Q2 2023 MD&A filed on SEDAR and available on the Company’s investor relations website http://investors.softchoice.com.

Notes (Refer to the Q2 2023 MD&A for description of the sections with parentheses within these Notes)

1. These expenses represent costs recognized in connection with the Company’s legacy option plan and omnibus long-term equity incentive plan, pursuant to which options granted are fair valued at the time of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and adjusted for any plan modifications, and expenses related to restricted share units (“RSUs”) and Deferred share units (“DSUs”) (as defined below).
2. These expenses include compensation costs relating to severance and other costs comprised of professional, legal, consulting, accounting and management fees that are non-recurring and are sporadic in nature.
3. All non-recurring costs relating to the business transformation initiative were segregated for tracking purposes and are monitored on a regular basis. The costs relate to system enhancements post-business transformation. As at June 30, 2023, $51 million has been invested to date in operating and capital expenditures in the business transformation initiative and related system enhancements.
4. The Company has settled certain legal claims, without admission of liability or wrongdoing, in respect of U.S. wage and hour disputes and has incurred $2.0 million in expenses for such settlements, of which $0.3 million was incurred in Fiscal 2022, which are non-recurring in nature. These legal claims were settled in Q2 2022. In Q1 2023, the Company received $0.1 million related to this matter.
5. Adjusted EBITDA as a Percentage of Gross Profit is calculated as Adjusted EBITDA divided by gross profit. See “Non-IFRS Measures and Other Measures – Non-IFRS Measures – Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a Percentage of Gross Profit”.
6. The gain on lease modification recognized in Q1 2022 as a result of the derecognition of the lease liabilities related to rental parking as the associated office space has been subleased.
7. Foreign exchange (gain) loss includes both realized and unrealized amounts.
8. Other non-recurring expense represents costs the Company incurred in connection with the tax reorganization that occurred at the time of the IPO.
9. This relates to the tax effects of the adjusting items, which was calculated by applying the statutory tax rate of 26.5% and adjusting for any permanent differences and capital losses.
10. Basic Adjusted EPS is calculated using the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Diluted Adjusted EPS includes the dilutive impact of the stock options in addition to the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. See “Non-IFRS Measures and Other Measures – Non-IFRS Measures – Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EPS”.
11. Share-based compensation represents costs recognized in connection with RSUs and DSUs (as defined below). Included $7.7 million relating to Cash-Out Agreements in conjunction with the Follow-On Offering that occurred in Q4 2021. As a result of the IPO, a $0.6 million of related payroll taxes in Q4 2022 were triggered on an existing equity-based arrangement which was dissolved and paid thereafter. See “Share Information Prior to the Completion of the Offering”.
12. In connection with the IPO, the Company incurred expenses related to professional fees, legal, consulting, accounting and compensation that would otherwise not have been incurred and therefore are non-recurring. These costs have been separately identified and adjusted for clarity.
13. In connection with the Follow-On Offering that occurred in Q4 2021, the Company incurred expenses related to professional fees, legal, and accounting fees that would otherwise not have been incurred and therefore are non-recurring. These costs have been separately identified and adjusted above.
14. Finance and other expense refers to interest income on cash, the cash portion of the gain on lease modification as referenced in note (6) above and other non-recurring expenses.

² Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada.

Forward-looking information may relate to our future business, financial outlook and anticipated events or results and may include information regarding our financial position, business strategy, growth strategies, addressable markets, market share, budgets, operations, financial results, taxes, dividend policy, NCIB, operating environment, business plans and objectives. Particularly, information regarding our expectations of future results, performance, growth, achievements, prospects or opportunities or the markets in which we operate is forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “targets”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “an opportunity exists”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “outlook”, “financial outlook”, “forecasts”, “projection”, “prospects”, “strategy”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “does not anticipate”, “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”, “will”, “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding possible future events or circumstances.

Forward-looking information may include, among other things: (i) the Company’s expectations regarding its financial performance and future market share growth, including among others, organic growth; (ii) the Company’s expectations regarding industry and market trends, growth rates and growth strategies; (iii) the Company’s business plans and strategies; (iv) the Company’s ability to retain customers and increase margin per customer; (v) the Company’s relationship and status with technology partners; (vi) the Company’s growth strategies, future organic growth, and competitive position in the IT industry; (vii) the Company’s dividend program and dividend rates; (viii) the Company’s NCIB program and the purchase of Common Shares in connection with such program; and (ix) the impact of macroeconomic conditions and remote and hybrid work on our business, financial position, results of operations and/or cashflows.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, estimates and assumptions that we considered appropriate and reasonable as at the date such statements are made, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to the risk factors described in our Q2 2023 MD&A and under “Risk Factors” in the AIF. A copy of the AIF can be accessed under our profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) at www.sedar.com and on our website at investors.softchoice.com. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as at the date made. Softchoice does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable securities laws.

About Softchoice

Softchoice (TSX: SFTC) is a software-focused IT solutions provider that equips organizations to be agile and innovative, and for their people to be engaged, connected and creative at work. That means moving them to the cloud, helping them build the workplace of tomorrow, and enabling them to make smarter decisions about their technology portfolio. For more information, please visit www.softchoice.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230811791170/en/