Ameresco Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Financial Results

Fourth Quarter 2012 Financial Highlights:

• Revenue of $156.6 million
• Net income of $5.1 million
• Net income per diluted share of $0.11

Full Year 2012 Financial Highlights:

• Revenue of $631.2 million
• Net income of $18.4 million
• Net income per diluted share of $0.40

FRAMINGHAM, MA – March 18, 2013 – Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced financial results for the fiscal quarter and year ended December 31, 2012. The Company has also furnished prepared remarks in conjunction with this press release in a Current Report on Form 8-K. The prepared remarks contain supplemental information, including non-GAAP financial metrics, and have been posted to the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website at www.ameresco.com.

Certain prior period results in this press release have been restated due to resolution of the Company’s previously reported non-operating, non-cash change in hedge accounting treatment. The restatement does not affect revenue, gross profit, operating expenses or operating income. See the section titled Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements immediately following the Webcast Reminder below.

“2012 financial results were below our expectations,” stated George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameresco. “We were very disappointed by the unprecedented and sustained market disruption in awarded project conversion timing caused by fiscal uncertainty. However, we remain encouraged by the progress we have made toward influencing longer-term trends. For example, we experienced continued double-digit growth in revenue from our all other offerings; awarded projects at year-end increased 50%; and we reached a new record level of total construction backlog of awarded projects and fully-contracted backlog at approximately $1.5 billion.”

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $156.6 million, compared to $188.5 million for the same period in 2011, a decrease of 16.9% year-over-year. Operating income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $6.3 million, compared to $12.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2011, a decrease of 50.3% year-over-year. Fourth quarter 2012 adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $13.0 million, compared to $17.9 million for the same period in 2011, a decrease of 27.4% year-over-year. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $5.1 million, compared to $8.4 million for the same period of 2011, a decrease of 39.7% year-over-year. Fourth quarter 2012 net income per diluted share was $0.11, compared to $0.19 per diluted share for the same period of 2011.

For the full year ended December 31, 2012, Ameresco reported total revenue of $631.2 million, compared to $728.2 million in 2011, a decrease of 13.3% year-over-year. Full year 2012 operating income was $28.7 million, compared to $50.7 million for 2011, a decrease of 43.5% year-over-year. Full year 2012 adjusted EBITDA was $52.4 million, compared to $67.6 million for 2011, a decrease of 22.5% year-over-year. Net income for the full year 2012 was $18.4 million, compared to $33.4 million for 2011, a decrease of 45.1% year-over-year. Net income per diluted share was $0.40 for the full year 2012, compared to $0.75 for 2011.

“As we now believe that a lengthening of awarded project conversion times will persist for the foreseeable future, we expect to adapt accordingly. We remain confident about the long-term fundamentals of our business. We believe that the need for budget neutral solutions that address aging infrastructure will continue to drive demand for our comprehensive solutions,” continued Sakellaris.

Additional Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2012 Operating Highlights:

• Revenue generated from backlog was $457.1 million for the full year 2012, a decrease of 24% year-over-year.
• All other revenue was $174.0 million for the full year 2012, an increase of 34% year-over-year.
• Operating cash flows were $45.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2012. Full year 2012 operating cash flows were $87.5 million.
• Total construction backlog was $1.48 billion as of December 31, 2012 and consisted of:
  • $367.4 million of fully-contracted backlog of signed customer contracts for installation or construction of projects, which we expect to convert into revenue over the next 12-24 months, on average; and
  • $1.11 billion of awarded projects, representing projects in development for which we do not have signed contracts. Historically, awarded projects have converted to signed contracts over 6-12 months on average. However, we have been experiencing an unusually sustained lengthening of conversion times of awarded projects to signed contracts, a trend we expect to continue.

FY 2013 Guidance
Ameresco expects to earn total revenue in the range of $620 million to $670 million. The Company also expects net income for 2013 to be in the range of $18 million to $22 million. While we had been optimistic last fall that 2013 would see a return to the awarded project conversion timing experienced historically, our 2013 guidance reflects that we are now assuming that the current market disruption will continue for the foreseeable future.

Webcast Reminder
Ameresco will hold its earnings conference call today, March 18th at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time with President and Chief Executive Officer, George Sakellaris, and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Spence, to discuss details regarding the Company’s fourth quarter and full year 2012 results, business outlook and strategy. Participants may access it by dialing domestically 888.713.4205 or internationally 617.213.4862. The passcode is 72602912. Participants are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes prior to the call to register. A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call will also be available over the Internet. Individuals wishing to listen can access the call through the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website at www.ameresco.com. If you are unable to listen to the live call, the webcast will be archived on the Company’s website shortly after the call and be available for one year.

Pre-Registration for the call is also available at:
https://www.theconferencingservice.com/prereg/key.process?key=PYUQQD7UE. Pre-registrants will be issued a pin number to use when dialing into the live call which will provide faster access to the conference by bypassing the operator upon connection.

Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements
As previously reported, Ameresco determined that it had incorrectly designated an interest rate swap as a hedge at its inception in March 2010. As explained in note 2 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, as well as the Prepared Remarks posted to the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website, the Company is restating its historical financial statements for the years 2011 and 2010 and unaudited quarterly information for the quarterly periods in 2012, 2011 and 2010. The restatement affects non-cash, non-operating items and does not affect revenue, gross profit, operating expenses or operating income. All prior period amounts affected by the restatement and presented in this press release have been revised from amounts previously reported to reflect the restatement.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release and the accompanying tables include references to adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. For a description of this non-GAAP financial measure, including the reasons management uses this measure, please see the section following the accompanying tables titled “Exhibit A: Non-GAAP Financial Measures”. For a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to operating income, the most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP, please see Other Non-GAAP Disclosure in the accompanying tables.

About Ameresco, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading independent provider of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America. Ameresco’s services include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy plants.  Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers.  With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco provides local expertise through its 65 offices in 34 states and five Canadian provinces. Ameresco has more than 900 employees. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Ameresco, Inc., including statements about market conditions, pipeline and backlog, as well as estimated future revenues and net income, and other statements containing the words “projects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the timing of, and ability to, enter into contracts for awarded projects on the terms proposed; the timing of work we do on projects where we recognize revenue on a percentage of completion basis, including the ability to perform under recently signed contracts without unusual delay; demand for our energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions; our ability to arrange financing for our projects; changes in federal, state and local government policies and programs related to energy efficiency and renewable energy; the ability of customers to cancel or defer contracts included in our backlog; the effects of our recent acquisitions; seasonality in construction and in demand for our products and services; a customer’s decision to delay our work on, or other risks involved with, a particular project; availability and costs of labor and equipment; the addition of new customers or the loss of existing customers; and other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 18, 2013. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.