Web.com Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results

• Fourth quarter revenue and profitability exceeded high end of guidance
  
  
• Strong cash flow with $152.7 million of operating cash flow for the year, up 30% year over year, and $40.2 million in the fourth quarter, up 10% year over year
  
  
• Repurchased 2,469,000 shares for $50.6 million and reduced debt by $95.3 million for the year
  
  
• Repurchased 426,000 shares for $9.7 million and reduced debt by $27.8 million in the fourth quarter
  
  
• 3.4 million subscribers with 22,000 net additions in the fourth quarter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Feb. 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WEB), a leading provider of Internet services and online marketing solutions for small businesses, today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015.

“Web.com reported a strong finish to 2015, with fourth quarter financial results that exceeded expectations for both revenue and profitability. Today’s announcement of the acquisition of Yodle is a great complement and natural extension of the success we had in 2015 towards our increased focus on value added digital marketing solutions,” said David L. Brown, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Web.com.

Brown continued, “Our strategic focus on delivering value added, high touch solutions is a key contributor to our performance this quarter.  We are pleased with the progress we have made towards our growth and margin objectives, and we are confident that our differentiated set of solutions for small businesses positions us well to deliver improved growth and performance going forward.”

Summary of Fourth Quarter 2015 Financial Results

• Total revenue, calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), was $138.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $134.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2014. Non-GAAP revenue was $141.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $140.4 million in the year ago quarter, and above the high end of the company's guidance range of $138.5 to $140.0 million.
  
  
• GAAP operating income was $18.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $8.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2014. Non-GAAP operating income was $36.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, representing a 26% non-GAAP operating margin, compared to $33.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, representing a 24% non-GAAP operating margin.
  
  
• GAAP net income was $77.0 million, or $1.48 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2015. GAAP net loss was $8.7 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2014. Non-GAAP net income was $34.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, or $0.66 per diluted share, which exceeded the high end of the company's guidance of $0.62 to $0.64 per diluted share. The company had non-GAAP net income of $30.3 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2014.  GAAP net income in the fourth quarter of 2015 was favorably impacted by the release of certain valuation allowances on the company's deferred tax assets resulting in the recognition of a large tax benefit in the quarter. Without the release of the valuation allowances, the fourth quarter tax provision would have been $6.1 million of expense. The release resulted in a benefit of $68.8 million, bringing the net tax benefit to $62.7 million, in the fourth quarter of 2015.
  
  
• Adjusted EBITDA was $42.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, representing a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin, compared to $37.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, representing a 27% adjusted EBITDA margin.
  
  
• The company generated cash from operations of $40.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared to $36.4 million of cash from operations for the fourth quarter of 2014. 
  

Fourth Quarter and Recent Business Highlights

• Web.com's total net subscribers were approximately 3,353,000 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, up approximately 22,000 from the end of the third quarter of 2015.
  
  
• Web.com's average revenue per user (ARPU) was $13.92 for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to $14.07 for the fourth quarter of 2014.  ARPU was up sequentially during the fourth quarter of 2015 from $13.90 for the third quarter of 2015.
  
  
• Web.com's trailing twelve month customer retention rate was 87.5% for the fourth quarter of 2015, consistent with recent levels of high customer retention.
  
  
• Web.com used $27.8 million in cash to reduce debt during the fourth quarter of 2015.
  
  
• Web.com repurchased 426,000 shares for $9.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.
  

Summary of Full Year 2015 Financial Results

• Total revenue, calculated in accordance with GAAP, was $543.5 million for 2015, compared to $543.9 million for 2014. Non-GAAP revenue was $559.4 million for 2015, compared to $570.1 million in 2014.
  
  
• GAAP operating income was $61.7 million for 2015 compared to $37.7 million for 2014. Non-GAAP operating income was $138.8 million for 2015, representing a 25% non-GAAP operating margin, compared to $147.8 million for 2014, representing a 26% non-GAAP operating margin.
  
  
• GAAP net income was $90.0 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, for 2015. GAAP net loss was $12.5 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in 2014. Non-GAAP net income was $127.6 million, or $2.43 per diluted share, for 2015 compared to $130.8 million, or $2.41 per diluted share, for 2014. GAAP net income for 2015 was favorably impacted by the release of certain valuation allowances on the company's deferred tax assets resulting in the recognition of a large tax benefit in the fourth quarter. Without the release of the valuation allowances, the full year 2015 tax provision would have been $20.5 million of expense. The release resulted in a benefit of $68.8 million, bringing the net tax benefit to $48.3 million for the full year 2015.
  
  
• Adjusted EBITDA was $155.8 million for 2015, compared to $161.9 million for 2014, representing a 28% adjusted EBITDA margin during each of the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
  
  
• Cash from operations was $152.7 million for 2015 compared to $117.2 million for 2014.
  

Conference Call Information
Management will host a conference call today, February 11, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. ET, to discuss Web.com's fourth quarter financial results and current business outlook. There will be an accompanying slide presentation which will be available on the Investor Relations page of Web.com's website  (http://ir.web.com), along with a live webcast and replay of the call. To access the call, dial 877-407-0789 (domestic) or 201-689-8562 (international). A replay of this conference call will be available until February 18, 2016 at 877-870-5176 (domestic) or 858-384-5517 (international). The replay conference ID is 13628646.

About Web.com
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WEB) provides a full range of Internet services to small businesses to help them compete and succeed online. Web.com meets the needs of small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle with affordable, subscription-based solutions including domains, hosting, website design and management, search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, local sales leads, social media, mobile products, eCommerce solutions and call center services. For more information, please visit www.web.com; follow the company on Twitter @webdotcom or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/web.com.

Note to Editors: Web.com is a registered trademark of Web.com Group, Inc.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Some of the measures in this press release are non-GAAP financial measures within the meaning of the SEC Regulation G. Web.com believes presenting non-GAAP measures is useful to investors, because it describes the operating performance of the company, in ways that management views or uses to assess the performance of the Company. Web.com's management uses these non-GAAP measures as important indicators of the Company's past performance and in planning and forecasting performance in future periods. The non-GAAP financial information Web.com presents may not be comparable to similarly-titled financial measures used by other companies, and investors should not consider non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or in substitution for, financial information presented in compliance with GAAP.

You are encouraged to review the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures included elsewhere in this press release.

Relative to each of the non-GAAP measures Web.com presents, management further sets forth its rationale as follows:

• Non-GAAP Revenue. Web.com excludes from non-GAAP revenue the impact of the fair value adjustment to amortized deferred revenue because management believes that excluding such measures helps management and investors better understand Web.com's revenue trends.
  
  
• Non-GAAP Operating Income and Non-GAAP Operating Margin. Web.com excludes from non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin, amortization of intangibles, asset impairment, fair value adjustment to deferred revenue and deferred expense, restructuring expenses, corporate development expenses, and stock-based compensation charges. Management believes that excluding these items assists management and investors in evaluating period-over-period changes in Web.com's operating income without the impact of items that are not a result of the Company's day-to-day business and operations.
  
  
• Non-GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income Per Basic and Diluted Share. Web.com excludes from non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per basic and diluted share amortization of intangibles, asset impairment, income tax provision, fair value adjustment to deferred revenue and deferred expense, restructuring expenses, corporate development expenses, amortization of debt discounts and fees, loss on debt extinguishment, and stock-based compensation, and includes estimated cash income tax payments, because management believes that adjusting for such measures helps management and investors better understand the Company's operating activities.
  
  
• Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin. Web.com excludes from adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin depreciation expense, amortization of intangibles, asset impairment, stock-based compensation, fair value adjustments to deferred revenue and deferred expense, corporate development expenses and restructuring expenses, because management believes that excluding such items helps investors better understand the Company's operating activities.
  
  
• Non-GAAP Gross Profit and Non-GAAP Gross Margin. Web.com excludes from non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin, fair value adjustment to deferred revenue and deferred expense, and stock based compensation charges. Management believes that excluding these items assists management and investors in evaluating period-over-period changes in Web.com's gross profit and gross margin without the impact of items that are not a result of the Company's day-to-day business operations.
  
  
• Free Cash Flow. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that Web.com uses and defines as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. The Company considers free cash flow to be a liquidity measure which provides useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the business after the acquisition of property and equipment, which can then be used for investment opportunities.
  
  

In respect of the foregoing, Web.com provides the following supplemental information to provide additional context for the use and consideration of the non-GAAP financial measures used elsewhere in this press release:

• Stock-based compensation. These expenses consist of expenses for employee stock options and employee awards under Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 718-10. While stock-based compensation expense calculated in accordance with ASC 718-10 constitutes an ongoing and recurring expense, such expense is excluded from non-GAAP results because such expense is not used by management to assess the core profitability of the Company's business operations. Web.com further believes these measures are useful to investors in that they allow for greater transparency to certain line items in our financial statements. In addition, when management performs internal comparisons to Web.com's historical operating results and compares the Company's operating results to the Company's competitors, management excludes this item from various non-GAAP measures.
  
  
• Amortization of intangibles. Web.com incurs amortization of acquired intangibles under ASC 805-10-65. Acquired intangibles primarily consist of customer relationships, customer lists, non-compete agreements, trade names, and developed technology. Web.com expects to amortize for accounting purposes the fair value of the acquired intangibles based on the pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible assets will be consumed as revenue is generated. Although the intangible assets generate revenue, the Company believes the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's operational performance. In addition, when management performs internal comparisons to Web.com's historical operating results and compares the Company's operating results to the Company's competitors, management excludes this item from various non-GAAP measures.
  
  
• Depreciation expense. Web.com records depreciation expense associated with its fixed assets. Although its fixed assets generate revenue for Web.com, the item is excluded because management believes certain non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's operational performance. In addition, when management performs internal comparisons to Web.com's historical operating results and compares the Company's operating results to the Company's competitors, management excludes this item from various non-GAAP measures.
  
  
• Amortization of debt discounts and fees. Web.com incurs amortization expense related to debt discounts and deferred financing fees. The difference between the effective interest expense and the coupon interest expense (i.e. debt discount), as well as, amortized deferred financing fees are excluded because Web.com believes the non-GAAP measures excluding these items provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's operational performance. In addition, when management performs internal comparisons to Web.com's historical operating results and compares the Company's operating results to the Company's competitors, management excludes this item from various non-GAAP measures.
  
  
• Restructuring expense. Web.com has recorded restructuring expenses and excludes the impact of these expenses from its non-GAAP measures, because such expense is not used by management to assess the core profitability of the Company's business operations.
  
  
• Income tax expense. Due to the magnitude of Web.com's historical net operating losses and related deferred tax asset, the Company excludes income tax from its non-GAAP measures primarily because it is not indicative of the actual tax to be paid by the Company and therefore is not reflective of ongoing operating results. The Company believes that excluding this item provides meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's operational performance and facilitates management's internal comparisons to the Company's historical operating results and comparisons to the Company's competitors' operating results. The Company includes the estimated tax that the Company expects to pay for operations during the periods presented.
  
  
• Fair value adjustment to deferred revenue and deferred expense. Web.com has recorded a fair value adjustment to acquired deferred revenue and deferred expense in accordance with ASC 805-10-65. Web.com excludes the impact of these adjustments from its non-GAAP measures, because doing so results in non-GAAP revenue and non-GAAP net income which are reflective of ongoing operating results and more comparable to historical operating results, since the majority of the Company's revenue is recurring subscription revenue. Excluding the fair value adjustment to deferred revenue and deferred expense therefore facilitates management's internal comparisons to Web.com's historical operating results.
  
  
• Corporate development expenses. Web.com incurred expenses relating to acquisitions and the successful integration of acquisitions. Web.com excludes the impact of these expenses from its non-GAAP measures, because such expense is not used by management to assess the core profitability of the Company's business operations.
  
  
• Gains or losses from asset sales or impairment and certain other transactions. Web.com excludes the impact of asset sales or impairment and certain other transactions including debt extinguishments and the sale of equity method investment from its non-GAAP measures because the impact of these items is not considered part of the Company's ongoing operations.
  

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" including, without limitation, the statement that Web.com is confident that its differentiated set of solutions positions it well to deliver improved growth and performance going forward, that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. As a result of the ultimate outcome of such risks and uncertainties, Web.com's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on Web.com's current beliefs or expectations, and there are a number of important factors that could cause the actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to the successful offering of the products and services of Web.com; the risk that the acquisition of Yodle may not close if the closing conditions to the acquisition are not met, and other risks that may impact Web.com's business are set forth under the caption, "Risk Factors," in Web.com's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is  available on a website maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Web.com expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.