Ameresco Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Financial Results

Fourth Quarter 2018 Financial Highlights:

• Revenues of $217.4 million, compared to $211.1 million, up 3.0%
• Net income attributable to common shareholders of $11.6 million, and $0.24 per diluted share. Excluding prior year one-time benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, net income attributable to common shareholders was up 18%, and per diluted share was up 14%
• Adjusted EBITDA of $28.2 million, compared to $21.1 million, up 34%
• Non-GAAP EPS of $0.23, compared to $0.18 that excludes prior year one-time benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, up 28%
• Project backlog of nearly $2 billion, up 11%; Contracted backlog of $727 million, up 27%

Full Year 2018 Financial Highlights:

• Revenues of $787.1 million, compared to $717.2 million, up 10%
• Net income attributable to common shareholders of $38.0 million, and $0.81 per diluted share. Excluding prior year one-time benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, net income attributable to common shareholders was up 62%, and per diluted share was up 59%
• Adjusted EBITDA of $91.0 million, compared to $63.3 million, up 44%
• Non-GAAP EPS of $0.81, compared to $0.45 excluding prior year one-time benefit from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, up 80%
• Added 139MWe of assets in development, up 128% from prior year, and placed 39MWe of assets into operations

FRAMINGHAM, MA – March 6, 2019 – 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, 2018. The Company has also furnished supplemental information in conjunction with this press release in a Current Report on Form 8-K. The supplemental information includes non-GAAP financial metrics, and has been posted to the “Investor Relations” section of the Company’s website at www.ameresco.com.

“We concluded 2018 with outstanding quarterly results, enabling us to achieve impressive results for the year and meet our objective of growing profit faster than revenue,” said George P. Sakellaris, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameresco. “We further confirmed the effectiveness of our business model, especially demonstrating the resiliency to absorb project variability.  Our visibility has never been better.  Project backlog is nearly $2 billion, and we have line-of-sight to another $2 billion of recurring energy and O&M revenue.  During the year, we expanded the diversity and geography of our project pipeline, and accelerated the buildout of our diversified energy asset portfolio with 178MWe now in development.”

Sakellaris continued, “Moving into 2019, we have never felt better about our outlook.  We have a resilient business structure underpinned by stable and high margin recurring revenues.  Our pipeline is strong, our growth opportunities are well-defined, our technical expertise is deep, and we have an outstanding team that can execute.  We look forward to another successful year of growth.”

Financial Results

(All financial result comparisons made are against the prior year period unless otherwise noted.)

Fourth Quarter 2018

Revenues were $217.4 million, compared to $211.1 million. Net income attributed to common shareholders was $11.6 million, compared to $23.8 million in 2017, which included a benefit of $14 million related to the impact of the re-measurement of the Company’s deferred income tax balances because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017. Net income included $0.9 million of income attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest in 2018 and $3.3 million of income attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest in 2017. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $28.2 million, compared to $21.1 million, up 34.0%.

Net income per diluted share was $0.24, compared to $0.52 in 2017. Non-GAAP EPS was $0.23, compared to $0.48.  Fourth quarter 2017 net income includes a benefit of $14 million or $0.30 per diluted share related to the impact of the re-measurement of the Company’s deferred income tax balances because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act  enacted in December 2017.

Full Year 2018

Revenues were $787.1 million, compared to $717.2 million. Net income attributable to common shareholders was $38.0 million, compared $37.5 million in 2017, which included a benefit of $14 million to the impact of the re-measurement of the Company’s deferred income tax balances because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017. Adjusted EBITDA was $91.0 million, compared to $63.3 million. Non-GAAP net income was $37.8 million, compared to $35.0 million.

Net income per diluted share was $0.81, compared to $0.82. Non-GAAP EPS was $0.81, compared to $0.76.  Net income for full year 2017 includes a benefit of $14 million or $0.31 per diluted share related to the impact of the re-measurement of the Company’s deferred income tax balances because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017.

Additional Full Year 2018 Operating Highlights:

• Cash flows used in operating activities, which excludes proceeds from Federal ESPC projects, were $53.2 million, compared to $135.6 million in the prior period, and adjusted cash from operations, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $105.0 million, compared to $29.4 million.
• Total project backlog was $1.97 billion and consisted of:
  • $726.6 million of fully-contracted backlog, representing signed customer contracts for installation or construction of projects, which we expect to convert into revenue over the next two to four years, on average; and
  • $1.24 billion of awarded projects, representing projects in development for which we do not have signed contracts.
• Energy Assets in development were $424.7 million or 178 MWe.

FY 2019 Guidance

Ameresco expects to generate total revenue in the range of $845 million to $885 million. The Company also expects adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $93 million to $103 million and net income per diluted share to be in the range of $0.75 to $0.85. This guidance excludes the impact of any non-controlling interest activity and any additional charges relating to our restructuring activities, as well as any related tax impact.  Also our 2019 guidance does not assume any benefit from IRC Section 179D deductions, which in 2018 provided a benefit of $5.8 million, and has since expired.

Share Repurchase Program

Through the end of 2018, the Company repurchased 2,091,040 shares of its Class A common stock for $11.6 million. The Company has approximately $3.4 million of remaining authorized funds under the share repurchase program.

Webcast Reminder

The Company will host a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss results.

The conference call will be available via the following dial in numbers:

• U.S. Participants: Dial 1-877-359-9508 (Access Code: 8187004)
• International Participants: Dial 1-224-357-2393 (Access Code: 8187004)

Participants are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes prior 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.

An archived webcast will be available on the Company’s website for one year.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and the accompanying tables include references to adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP EPS, non-GAAP net income and adjusted cash from operations, which are non-GAAP financial measures. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses these measures, please see the section following the accompanying tables titled “Exhibit A: Non-GAAP Financial Measures”. For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, please see Other Non-GAAP Disclosures and Non-GAAP Financial Guidance 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 businesses and organizations throughout North America and Europe. Ameresco’s sustainability 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 has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. 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 and restructuring activities; 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; market price of the Company’s stock prevailing from time to time; the nature of other investment opportunities presented to the Company from time to time; the Company’s cash flows from operations; and other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 7, 2018. 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.