FIS Reports Strong Earnings Growth

FIS Reports Strong Earnings Growth | PIN Payments News Blog

Adjusted EPS of $0.31, up 19.2%/Adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.7%, up 100 basis points

Free cash flow increases to $119 million

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 1st, 2009 PIN Payments News Blog -- Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS), a leading global provider of technology services to financial institutions, today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

Consolidated revenue of $797.8 million declined 3.9% in U.S. dollars and increased 0.3% in constant currency compared to $830.3 million in the first quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP adjusted net earnings increased 19.2% to $0.31 per share in U.S. dollars, compared to $0.26 in the prior year, and increased 23.1% in constant currency. The increase is attributable to improved operating performance, lower interest expense and a lower share count, partially offset by a slightly higher tax rate. GAAP net earnings from continuing operations attributable to common stockholders totaled $34.3 million, or $0.18 per share compared to $0.06 per share in the prior period. Free cash flow (cash from operations less capital expenditures) was $119.2 million compared with $4.9 million in the prior year quarter.

"FIS's strong first quarter performance in the midst of ongoing economic uncertainty reflects the continued solid execution of our business plan and the strength of our operating model," stated William P. Foley, II, executive chairman of FIS.

"We are very pleased with the strong growth in earnings, profit margins and free cash flow," stated Lee A. Kennedy, president and chief executive officer. "Despite very difficult market conditions, our disciplined focus on improving efficiency and managing costs drove a 100 basis point improvement in our EBITDA margin, and contributed to the 19.2% increase in earnings per share. Although we expect challenging market conditions to persist throughout 2009, we remain confident in our ability to achieve solid earnings growth and strong free cash flow."

Supplemental Information

Consolidated revenue in the first quarter of 2009 was $797.8 million, compared with $830.3 in the prior year quarter, a decrease of 3.9% in U.S. dollars. Excluding a $34.9 million unfavorable impact of foreign currency resulting from a strengthening of the U.S. dollar, consolidated revenue increased 0.3% driven by strong growth in International.

• Financial Solutions revenue declined 3.2% to $271.3 million compared to $280.4 million in the prior period, as increased demand for risk management and commercial outsourcing services was offset by lower software license and professional services revenue;
• Payment Solutions revenue declined 2.3% to $364.7 million compared to $373.3 million in the 2008 quarter, due primarily to a $9.7 million decline in the company's retail check guarantee business. Excluding Check Services' revenue from both periods, Payment Solutions revenue increased 0.4%;
• International revenue declined 8.3% to $162.3 million in U.S. dollars, compared to $176.9 million in the prior year quarter.
• International revenue increased 11.5% in constant currency, driven by 16.3% growth in payments and 4.5% growth in financial solutions.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 0.7% to $181.2 million in the first quarter of 2009 compared to $180.0 million in the 2008 quarter. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved 100 basis points to 22.7% compared to 21.7% in the prior-year quarter, driven by increased operating leverage and ongoing expense management.
• Financial Solutions EBITDA declined 2.9% to $102.0 million, due primarily to a decline in high margin software sales. The 37.6% margin was comparable to the prior period;
• Payment Solutions EBITDA increased 11.5% to $95.2 million, and the margin increased 320 basis points to 26.1%. The improvement is attributable to increased operating efficiency;
• International EBITDA decreased 8.6% to $23.4 million due to a $5.2 million unfavorable currency impact. The International margin of 14.4% was comparable to prior year.

The effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2009 was 34.5% compared to 33.1% in the first quarter of 2008.

Balance Sheet

FIS had $272.0 million in cash and cash equivalents at March 31, 2009. The company repaid $54.0 million of debt during the first quarter, reducing total debt outstanding to $2.46 billion, of which $2.1 billion has been swapped to fixed interest rates. The effective interest rate was 5.2% as of March 31, 2009.

Continuing an intensive focus on capital spending, capital expenditures totaled $45.3 million in the quarter, which is a 42% reduction from the $78.3 million spent in the prior year.

Acquisition Update

On April 1, 2009, FIS announced plans to acquire Metavante Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: MV). The transaction is subject to approval by FIS and Metavante shareholders, receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Subject to receiving the required approvals, FIS expects to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2009.

2009 Outlook

FIS reaffirmed its full year outlook for adjusted net earnings of $1.60 to $1.66 per share. This guidance does not reflect the proposed acquisition of Metavante. FIS will update its fiscal 2009 guidance to include Metavante's results following the completion of the transaction.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is the term used to refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting. GAAP includes the standards, conventions, and rules accountants follow in recording and summarizing transactions, and in the preparation of financial statements. In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, the company has provided non-GAAP financial measures which it believes are useful to help investors better understand its financial performance, competitive position and prospects for the future. These non-GAAP measures include earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITDA), adjusted net earnings, and free cash flow. Adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of merger and acquisition and integration expenses, LPS spin-off related costs, certain stock compensation charges and certain other costs. Adjusted net earnings exclude the after-tax impact of merger and acquisition and integration expenses, LPS spin-off related costs, certain stock compensation charges, acquisition related amortization and certain other costs. Any non-GAAP measures should be considered in context with the GAAP financial presentation and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP net earnings. Further, FIS's non-GAAP measures may be calculated differently from similarly-titled measures of other companies. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to related GAAP measures is included in the press release attachments.

Conference Call and Webcast

FIS will host a call with investors and analysts to discuss first quarter 2009 results on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern daylight time. To register for the live event and to access a supplemental slide presentation, go to the Investor Relations section at www.fidelityinfoservices.com and click on "Events and Multimedia." A webcast replay will be available on FIS' Investor Relations website, and a telephone replay will be available through May 13, 2009, by dialing 800-475-6701 (USA) or 320-365-3844 (International). The access code will be 996633. To access a PDF version of this release and accompanying financial tables, go to http://www.investor.fidelityinfoservices.com.

About Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS), a member of the S&P 500 Index, is a leading provider of core processing for financial institutions; card issuer and transaction processing services; and outsourcing services to financial institutions and retailers. FIS has processing and technology relationships with 40 of the top 50 global banks, including nine of the top 10 and was ranked the number one banking technology provider in the world by American Banker and the research firm Financial Insights in the 2008 FinTech 100 rankings. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., FIS maintains a strong global presence, serving more than 14,000 financial institutions in more than 90 countries worldwide. For more information on Fidelity National Information Services, please visit www.fidelityinfoservices.com.

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