Sonic Foundry Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2016

New Post Public Reply Private Reply Replies (0) Message Board
News Desk 2018
Sonic Foundry Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2016 Financial Results

MADISON, WS --(Marketwired - December 22, 2016) - Sonic Foundry, Inc. ( NASDAQ : SOFO ), the trusted leader for video creation and management solutions, today announced consolidated financial results for its fiscal 2016 fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.

Fiscal 2016 Fourth Quarter Highlights

  • Total revenues of $9.5 million, represent an increase of 4% compared to $9.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2015; growth was driven by a 32% increase in cloud hosting revenues in the quarter.
  • Gross margin increased to $7.1 million, or 75% of sales compared to $6.5 million, or 71% of sales for the fourth quarter of 2015.
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $4,000 represented a positive swing of $216,000 compared to a loss of $(212,000) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.
  • Net loss declined to $847,000 or $(0.19) per share compared to a net loss of $1,222,000 or $(0.28) per share in the fourth quarter of 2015.
  • Billings totaled $9.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, a decline of 16% compared to last year's same period; the company billed $2.6 million to two Middle East customers in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 which were not repeated in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.
  • Unearned revenue from services and products increased $1.4 million, or 11% and stood at $14.1 million as of September 30, 2016, compared to $12.7 million at the beginning of the year.

Fiscal 2016 Fourth Quarter Review

Total revenues of $9.5 million represented a 4% year-over-year increase, primarily due to a 32% increase in cloud hosting contracts revenue. The company had $14.1 million in unearned revenue at September 30, 2016, an increase of $1.4 million or 11% from September 30, 2015. Billings associated with the Company's cloud hosting business at $1.5 million this quarter were 38% higher than the fourth quarter last year and billings for annual, recurring software licenses increased 53% to almost $700,000. The Company expects to recognize $4.5 million of this unearned revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, and additionally expects to record revenue from a large international transaction that was billed in September 2015.

Consolidated gross margin of 75% was four percentage points higher than the same period last year, and was the result of greater efficiencies in our events business and by recognizing a high volume, lower margin international transaction last year. The company reported a net loss of $847,000 for the quarter and Adjusted EBITDA income of $4,000, both of which reflect the company's continued efforts to control its operating costs.

International product and service billings accounted for 41 percent of Sonic Foundry's consolidated billings in the fourth quarter 2016, compared to 53 percent in the fourth quarter 2015. Q4 2016 revenue did not include billings of $625 thousand to our Chinese distributor. The criteria for recognizing revenue are very complex and requires significant judgement in determining when transactions are recognized. In support of our distributor's investment in establishing a company to address demand for our solution in China, we agreed to extended payment terms. While we have collected nearly $1 million from our distributor to date for their orders, we determined that revenue for the Q4 2016 order should be deferred. We believe our extended terms will approach more typical distributor terms by the end of fiscal 2017.

Fiscal 2016 billings were $39.5 million which were consistent with fiscal 2015 billings of $39.4 million. Fiscal 2015 included three very large transactions in the Middle East of $3.5 million as well as one large domestic transaction of $490 thousand. While additional large transactions were planned in fiscal 2016, and continue to be in our pipeline, customer construction and other delays caused no such large individual transactions to be recorded in fiscal 2016. Our base business, absent large deals, increased $4.1 million, from $35.4 million to $39.5 million, or 12%. The Company recorded cash generated from operations of $1.7 million in fiscal 2016 compared to a use of cash in operations of $3.1 million in fiscal 2015. Recurring revenue in fiscal 2016 totaled over $23 million or 61% of total revenue.

"Our 2016 performance shows continued improvement in the fundamentals of our business, with healthy gains in revenues and gross margins, which are now at the higher end of our historical range, and narrowing losses at the bottom line. Billings were flat in comparison to 2015 when we benefitted from four large transactions with approximately $4 million in aggregate billings. While we had no similar large transactions in 2016, we still achieved base-business growth of 12%, and the large portion of our revenues which are recurring has us approaching profitability," said Gary Weis, CEO of Sonic Foundry.

"We expect to continue to drive top-line growth in 2017, both in our base business and the pipeline of large transactions, and look forward to closing a number of these large deals during the fiscal year. The progress of our China distributor is very encouraging and we believe they have laid the groundwork for both federal and local funding of education initiatives in China for 2017.

Outlook The Company is providing metrics for fiscal 2017 including the following:

  • Billings growth from individual transactions of less than $450 thousand is expected to range between five and seven percent from $39.5 million in fiscal 2016.
  • Billings from remaining, larger transactions are inherently more complex in many ways -- often requiring construction of new buildings or campuses -- and may require modification to meet certain technical requirements. Our pipeline of expected large transactions is at approximately $5 million and believe we will be successful in several of those during fiscal 2017. Due to the inherent uncertainty, we cannot predict when or if we complete these transactions. Therefore we are providing guidance of between zero and $2 million in fiscal 2017
  • Continued gross margin improvement from 74% in fiscal 2016 to 75% or better

Non-GAAP Financial Information To supplement and enhance the reader's understanding of our operating performance and our ability to satisfy lender requirements, we disclose adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (adjusted EBITDA), a non-GAAP measure of operating performance. Our adjusted EBITDA measure additionally adds back stock compensation expense from the SEC definition of EBITDA. As such, our adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies, and should not be viewed as an alternative to net income as a measurement of our operating performance. Our credit agreement contains a minimum EBITDA calculation based, in part, on adjusted EBITDA since this measure is representative of adjusted income available for debt and interest payments. A reconciliation of net loss to adjusted EBITDA for the quarters ended and years ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are included in the release. The company is unable to provide a reconciliation of projected EBITDA to projected net income due to the unknown effect, timing and potential significance of certain income statement items.

Webcast Based on investor feedback, Sonic Foundry is seeking new ways to maximize the attendee experience for this live earnings call, therefore investors will see a slight format shift.

Attendees will view the presentation via the webcasting platform, Mediasite; and will then transition to a conference call for the question and answer portion of the presentation. Attendees will only hear the Q&A if they dial in.

We will continue to use investor input to evaluate the best format for future investor communications.

To access the webcast, go to http://www.sonicfoundry.com/earnings on or before December 22, 2016; the dial-in number will be provided during that webcast to participate in the question and answer portion. An archive of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc. Sonic Foundry, Inc. ( NASDAQ : SOFO ) (the "Company") is the trusted global leader for video capture, management and webcasting solutions in education, business and government. Mediasite transforms communications, training, education and events for more than 4,300 customers in over 65 countries. Sonic Foundry is a leader in Aragon Research's Globe™ for Video Content Management, winner of Frost & Sullivan's Global Market Share Leadership Award in Lecture Capture Solutions for seven consecutive years, a leader in Forrester's Enterprise Video Platforms and Webcasting Wave™ and a challenger in Gartner's Magic Quadrant™ for enterprise video content management.

© 2016 Sonic Foundry, Inc. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements about the products and services of Sonic Foundry within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward looking statements include statements about our products and services, our customer base, strategic investments, new partnerships, our future operating results and any statements we make about the company's future. These types of statements address matters that are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking guidance we provide. Any forward-looking statements should be considered in context of the risk factors disclosed in our periodic forms 10Q, 10K and other filings with the SEC. These filings can be accessed on-line at www.sec.gov and other websites or can be obtained from the company's investor relations department. All of the information and disclosures we make in this news release regarding our business, including any forward looking guidance, are as of the date given and we assume no obligation to update or change this information, regardless of subsequent events.

 
Sonic Foundry, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
       
    September 30,  
    2016     2015  
Assets            
Current assets:            
  Cash and cash equivalents   $ 1,794     $ 1,976  
  Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $225 and $150     11,646       12,659  
  Inventories     1,904       2,385  
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets     1,404       927  
    Total current assets     16,748       17,947  
Property and equipment:                
  Leasehold improvements     879       904  
  Computer equipment     5,837       5,852  
  Furniture and fixtures     825       837  
    Total property and equipment     7,541       7,593  
    Less accumulated depreciation and amortization     5,510       4,785  
      Property and equipment, net     2,031       2,808  
Other assets:                
  Goodwill     11,310       10,853  
  Customer relationships, net of amortization of $723 and $457     1,882       1,872  
  Software development costs, net of amortization of $533 and $429     -       104  
  Product rights, net of amortization of $287 and $164     385       508  
  Other intangibles, net of amortization of $236 and $190     76       112  
  Other long-term assets     726       599  
Total assets   $ 33,158     $ 34,803  
Liabilities and stockholders' equity                
Current liabilities:                
  Revolving line of credit   $ 1,772     $ 1,818  
  Accounts payable     961       2,026  
  Accrued liabilities     1,883       1,666  
  Unearned revenue     12,834       11,359  
  Current portion of capital lease and financing arrangements     283       211  
  Current portion of notes payable and warrant debt, net of discounts     1,567       1,299  
  Current portion of subordinated note payable     93       186  
    Total current liabilities     19,393       18,565  
Long-term portion of unearned revenue     1,257       1,325  
Long-term portion of capital lease and financing arrangements     231       196  
Long-term portion of notes payable and warrant debt, net of discounts     871       2,080  
Long-term portion of subordinated note payable     -       92  
Derivative liability, at fair value     67       109  
Other liabilities     259       311  
Deferred tax liability     4,564       4,322  
    Total liabilities     26,642       27,000  
Commitments and contingencies                
Stockholders' equity:                
  Preferred stock, $.01 par value, authorized 500,000 shares; none issued     -       -  
  5% Preferred stock, Series B, voting, cumulative, convertible, $.01 par value (liquidation preference at par), authorized 1,000,000 shares, none issued     -       -  
  Common stock, $.01 par value, authorized 10,000,000 shares; 4,424,275 and 4,376,456 shares issued and 4,411,559 and 4,363,740 shares outstanding     44       44  
  Additional paid-in capital     197,064       195,973  
  Accumulated deficit     (190,214 )     (186,897 )
  Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (183 )     (1,122 )
  Receivable for common stock issued     (26 )     (26 )
  Treasury stock, at cost, 12,716 shares     (169 )     (169 )
    Total stockholders' equity     6,516       7,803  
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 33,158     $ 34,803  
                 
 
Sonic Foundry, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
             
    Quarters Ended September 30,     Years Ended September 30,  
    2016     2015     2016     2015  
Revenue:                                
Product   $ 3,983     $ 3,854     $ 15,823     $ 15,884  
Services     5,377       5,154       21,734       20,160  
Other     95       48       418       415  
Total revenue     9,455       9,056       37,975       36,459  
Cost of revenue:                                
Product     1,636       2,110       6,459       7,406  
Services     717       496       3,526       3,229  
Total cost of revenue     2,353       2,606       9,985       10,635  
Gross margin     7,102       6,450       27,990       25,824  
Operating expenses:                                
Selling and marketing     4,347       4,513       17,801       18,016  
General and administrative     1,410       1,302       5,628       5,635  
Product development     1,838       1,543       6,837       6,265  
Total operating expenses     7,595       7,358       30,266       29,916  
Income (loss) from operations     (493 )     (908 )     (2,276 )     (4,092 )
Non-operating income (expenses):                                
Interest expense, net     (142 )     (143 )     (594 )     (372 )
Other income (expense), net     (213 )     (97 )     (178 )     46  
Total non-operating income (expenses)     (355 )     (240 )     (772 )     (326 )
Loss before income taxes     (848 )     (1,148 )     (3,048 )     (4,418 )
Benefit (provision) for income taxes     1       (74 )     (269 )     (107 )
Net loss   $ (847 )   $ (1,222 )   $ (3,317 )   $ (4,525 )
Loss per common share:                                
Basic net loss per common share   $ (0.19 )   $ (0.28 )   $ (0.76 )   $ (1.04 )
Diluted net loss per common share   $ (0.19 )   $ (0.28 )   $ (0.76 )   $ (1.04 )
Weighted average common shares - Basic     4,411,559       4,335,453       4,389,421       4,332,576  
      - Diluted     4,411,559       4,335,453       4,389,421       4,332,576  
                                       
 
Sonic Foundry, Inc.
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation
(in thousands)
             
    Quarters Ended September 30,     Years Ended September 30,  
    2016     2015     2016     2015  
                                 
Net loss   $ (847 )   $ (1,222 )   $ (3,317 )   $ (4,525 )
Add:                                
  Depreciation and amortization     498       576       2,117       2,260  
  Income tax expense     (1 )     74       269       107  
  Interest expense     164       143       594       372  
  Stock-based compensation expense     190       217       861       963  
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 4     $ (212 )   $ 524     $ (823 )
                                 
 
Sonic Foundry, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
       
    Years Ended September 30,  
    2016     2015  
Operating activities                
Net loss   $ (3,317 )   $ (4,525 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
  Amortization of other intangibles     652       669  
  Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment     1,553       1,599  
  Loss on sale of fixed assets     72       -  
  Provision for doubtful accounts     75       57  
  Deferred taxes     341       53  
  Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options and warrants     861       963  
  Remeasurement gain on subordinated debt     (3 )     (202 )
  Remeasurement gain on derivative liability     (58 )     (11 )
  Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
    Accounts receivable     1,341       (4,379 )
    Inventories     514       (344 )
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets     (532 )     169  
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     (966 )     111  
    Other long-term liabilities     (60 )     (86 )
    Unearned revenue     1,243       2,800  
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities     1,716       (3,126 )
Investing activities                
Purchases of property and equipment     (339 )     (722 )
Net cash used in investing activities     (339 )     (722 )
Financing activities                
Proceeds from notes payable     500       2,336  
Proceeds from line of credit     17,845       8,535  
Payments on notes payable     (1,693 )     (2,894 )
Payments on line of credit     (17,958 )     (6,727 )
Payment of debt issuance costs     (36 )     (122 )
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants     66       710  
Proceeds from exercise of common stock options     -       41  
Payments on capital lease and financing arrangements     (278 )     (252 )
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities     (1,554 )     1,627  
Changes in cash and cash equivalents due to changes in foreign currency     (5 )     (147 )
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents     (182 )     (2,368 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period     1,976       4,344  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period   $ 1,794     $ 1,976  
                 

Contacts: Media: Tammy Jackson Director of Communications Sonic Foundry 608.770.9052 tammy@sonicfoundry.com Investor: Peter Seltzberg, Managing Director Darrow Associates, Inc. 1951 Lowell Lane Merrick, NY 11566 516-419-9915 pseltzberg@darrowir.com www.darrowir.com

Scroll down for more posts ▼

Top 10 Most Recent News Articles

7-Eleven Rolls Out Korean Flavors in Bold Menu Shift

Updated Category News Views 175

7-Eleven's New Global Menu Twist October 2026 sees 7-Eleven, Inc. whip out an intriguing move, venturing east with its new Flavors of Korea menu. They're not just changing the game in convenience store aisles; they're dancing to the beat of global flavors—a shake-up fit for the world's largest convenience retailer. Think about bodega basics getting a spicy Korean...

Continue Reading
Air Force Enlisted Village: Trailblazing Senior Care

Updated Category News Views 31

Changing the Senior Living Game for Military Families Out of all the fancy talk shows and slick productions, "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia" managed to hit a real nerve on the quiet, critical shifts happening in the senior living sector. They dug into how Air Force Enlisted Village in Shalimar is taking care of our military families' unsung heroes—the surviving...

Continue Reading
JELD-WEN Kicks Off 2027 Senior Notes Exchange

Updated Category News Views 164

A Fresh Play: Swapping Old for New With a fresh brew in hand and the latest company maneuvers on the table, JELD-WEN's move to exchange its 4.875% Senior Notes due 2027 for new secured notes maturing in 2031 comes into focus. This ain't just some routine shuffling of papers. They're calling up eligible folks holding onto those old notes, saying, 'Why stick with the old...

Continue Reading
Max Stock Gears Up for Q3 Earnings Report Nov. 17

Updated Category News Views 83

Max Stock's Q3 Earnings Anticipation Ah, it’s that time again—when we wait with bated breath for another round of quarterly earnings. Max Stock Ltd. (TASE: MAXO) is prepping to spill the beans on their third quarter 2026 performance, with a conference call scheduled for November 17. Big day? You bet. Who's Leading the Call? The brains behind the operation, CFO Paz Oz...

Continue Reading
Aker BP's Q3 2026: Strong Earnings Fuel Optimism

Updated Category News Views 126

Third Quarter Overview: Riding the Wave Aker BP's third quarter report is a raucous symphony of successes that have the market nodding in admiration. Marking significant strides with their offshore projects, the company seems to be in a cavalier mood as it boasts higher sales volumes and promising financials. Net production came in at 374 mboepd, dampened slightly by...

Continue Reading
Pencil Reinvention Aims to Reduce Classroom Waste

Updated Category News Views 20

Sharpen Those Ideas: Reinventing the Humble Pencil Every classroom has 'em: pencils chewed up faster than a kid chomping through bubblegum. This ain't new. But dig this—a Chicago teacher's coming in hot with a tweak to extend pencil life. How? By addressing the ol' crumbly eraser issue. You know, the kind that vanishes into thin air right when you need it most. So,...

Continue Reading
Life Time's Q3 2026 Results Highlight Solid Growth

Updated Category News Views 49

Life Time Rolls On With Strong Q3 Performance Sometimes the market hands you pure gold, and that's what Life Time (NYSE: LTH) has right now. They didn't just have a decent quarter; they outright nailed it with a $893.5 million total revenue haul—a hefty 14.2% rise from the prior year. What's driving this ship? Solid growth in membership dues and dynamic personal...

Continue Reading
Bitcoin Mortgages: APX Ushers in New Canadian Era

Updated Category News Views 23

Bitcoin Meets Canadian Mortgages: A Game Changer? Here's a scenario you didn't see coming: Bitcoin, the digital darling of the new millennium, now backing Canadian mortgages. If that doesn't get your financial senses tingling, maybe you haven't been paying attention. APX Lending, a pioneer in digital-asset-backed lending, is kicking open the doors to a fresh financial...

Continue Reading
Cohere's CAD $7 Billion Raise Signals AI Power Shift

Updated Category News Views 64

Changing the Game: Cohere's Massive Series E Raise There's a seismic shift happening up north, and it’s not the aurora borealis. Cohere just announced the initial close of a staggering CAD $7 billion Series E funding round, eyeing a CAD $35.7 billion valuation. If it pans out, it’d be the kind of cash grab that's never been seen in Canadian tech history. Why This...

Continue Reading
CallRail's New Insight Tool: Navigating the Competitive Landscape

Updated Category News Views 28

How CallRail's New Feature Changes the Game Ever sit in a boardroom meeting and wonder what your lead numbers really mean? CallRail just dropped a new feature that could change that. This AI-powered platform is now decking its 225,000 businesses with market insights to not just know their numbers but to understand how they stack up against their competition in the same...

Continue Reading

Top 5 Most Recently Viewed Articles

Analyzing Apple's Position in the Competitive Tech Landscape

Updated Category News Views 226

Understanding Apple's Market Dynamics in Tech In today's fast-paced business environment, assessing company performances is crucial for investors and tech enthusiasts. This article delves into a detailed examination of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) within the Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals sector, evaluating its financial health, market competitiveness, and growth...

Continue Reading
ECGI Holdings Expands into FinTech with RezyFi Acquisition Deal

Updated Category News Views 158

ECGI Holdings Marks Its Entry into FinTech with a $30 Million LOI Acquisition signals a bold step for ECGI into the financial technology sector, establishing a foundation for future innovations focused on AI and blockchain in mortgage operations. Details of the Acquisition Agreement Today, ECGI Holdings, Inc. (OTC: ECGI) revealed that it has signed a binding Letter of...

Continue Reading
Discover DAISE: A Fresh Fragrance Revolution for Young Generations

Updated Category News Views 418

Introducing DAISE: A Unique Fragrance Experience DAISE is an innovative line of mood-matching fragrance and body care products crafted to resonate with the lively spirit of younger consumers. This fresh brand, birthed from the creativity of the co-founder of MONDAY Haircare, has officially launched its offerings, both in-store and online at Target. The focus of DAISE is...

Continue Reading
Transforming Media Planning: The Liftlab and Stellair Alliance

Updated Category News Views 187

Transforming Media Planning: The Liftlab and Stellair Alliance In a rapidly evolving media landscape, Liftlab is partnering with Stellair to reshape how brands approach media planning and execution. This collaboration aims to address significant challenges associated with effectively utilizing data for marketing initiatives. As companies navigate the complexities of...

Continue Reading
Northland Power's Q1 2025 Achievements and Future Growth Plans

Updated Category News Views 658

Overview of Northland Power's Q1 2025 Results In an exciting update from Northland Power Inc. (TSX: NPI), the company announced that it achieved significant milestones in the first quarter of 2025. With ongoing efforts in expanding renewable energy sources, Northland's performance showcases its commitment to a sustainable future. Oneida's energy storage project commenced...

Continue Reading