ExactEarth : Announces Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

• Increased Subscription Services revenue by 28% in Fiscal 2020
• Generated positive Adjusted EBITDA for both Q4 2020 and Fiscal 2020
• Grew Order Bookings backlog 29%
• Company to host conference call today at 8:30 a.m. EST

CAMBRIDGE, ON, Dec. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - exactEarth Ltd. ("the Company"), a leading provider of Satellite-AIS data services, announces its financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended October 31, 2020. All financial figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

Q4 and Fiscal 2020 Financial Highlights:

• Revenue was $5.8 million, up 55% compared to $3.8 million in Q4 Fiscal 2019; Fiscal 2020 revenue was $19.1 million, up 26% compared to $15.2 million in Fiscal 2019
• Subscription Services¹ revenue was $4.7 million, up 37% compared to $3.5 million in Q4 Fiscal 2019; Fiscal 2020 Subscription Services revenue was $16.9 million, up 28% compared to $13.2 million in Fiscal 2019
• New Order Bookings were $3.8 million compared to $1.5 million in Q4 Fiscal 2019; Fiscal 2020 new Order Bookings were $24.5 million compared to $13.5 million in Fiscal 2019
• Order Bookings backlog at the end of Fiscal 2020 was $28.8 million compared to $22.4 million at the end of Fiscal 2019
• Adjusted EBITDA² was $811 thousand compared to ($1.9) million in Q4 Fiscal 2019; Fiscal 2020 Adjusted EBITDA was $382 thousand compared to ($6.1) million in Fiscal 2019
• Cash from operations was $865 thousand compared to ($4.8) million in Q4 Fiscal 2019; Fiscal 2020 cash used in operations was ($2.2) million compared to ($6.3) million in Fiscal 2019
• Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $7.5 million at the end of Fiscal 2020 compared to $6.8 million at the end of Q3 Fiscal 2020 and $10.2 million at the end of Fiscal 2019

Q4 and Fiscal 2020 Operational Highlights

• Announced updated terms to satellite AIS business agreement with L3Harris Technologies
• Expanded its alliance agreement with an existing channel partner that will generate incremental revenue of $2.0 million per year above the prior agreement level
• Signed new satellite-AIS data service contracts with the Government of Canada, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the Indian Navy, among others
• Completed the strategic divestiture of select first-generation satellite assets to Myriota PTY Ltd.
• Announced the launch of the ESAIL microsatellite which joins exactEarth's global constellation of more than 60 high-performance AIS satellites
• Joined the Mayflower Autonomous Ship mission, which is an international effort to build an unmanned, fully autonomous transatlantic research vessel

"Fiscal 2020 was a very successful year both operationally and financially, which we believe reflects the essential nature of our service and the resilience of our team," said Peter Mabson, President and CEO of exactEarth. "exactView RT, with its real-time service capabilities, continues to establish itself as the leading Satellite-AIS data service on the market, and this led to multiple new customer wins and channel partner relationships during the year. We also updated our key strategic alliance with L3Harris and sold certain non-core assets, which helped to reduce our cost base and strengthen our financial foundation. Collectively, these achievements drove strong revenue growth, margin expansion, improvements in cash flows and a higher order backlog at year-end, despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Subscription Services revenue in Q4 was $4.7 million, which provides a solid foundation from which to continue our momentum and expand our top-line. Looking forward into 2021, while it is uncertain what the impact of COVID-19 will be on the business and broader economy, at this point we expect to generate Subscription Services annual revenue growth of 15-20%, which is in-line with our prior three-year revenue CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) of approximately 17%; revenue growth in 2021 is expected to result in positive Adjusted EBITDA for the year."

Q4 and Fiscal 2020 Financial Review
Total revenue in the three-month period ended October 31, 2020 ("Q4 2020") was $5.8 million, up 55% compared to $3.8 million in the three-month period ended October 31, 2019 ("Q4 2019"). Total revenue in the twelve-month period ended October 31, 2020 ("Fiscal 2020") was $19.1 million, up 26% compared to $15.2 million in the twelve-month period ended October 31, 2019 ("Fiscal 2019").

Revenue rose primarily due to the increase in Subscription Services revenue, which was $4.7 million (81% of total revenue) in Q4 2020, up 37% from $3.5 million (92% of total revenue) in Q4 2019. Subscription Services revenue in the Fiscal 2020 period was $16.9 million (88% of total revenue), up 28% compared to $13.2 million (87% of total revenue) in the Fiscal 2019 period.

Total revenue and Subscription Services revenue growth for Q4 2020 and Fiscal 2020 was driven primarily by customer growth in the commercial market segment. Revenue from commercial customers for Q4 2020 and Fiscal 2020 was $4.6 million and $15.2 million, respectively, which was up 55% and 32% from the respective comparison periods in 2019. The increases reflect growing market interest in the Company's real-time Satellite-AIS service, exactView RT, and expansion of the Company's channel partner strategy. Revenue from government customers for Q4 2020 and Fiscal 2020 was $1.2 million and $3.9 million, respectively, which was up 52% and 6% from the respective comparison periods in 2019.

Data Products revenue and Other Products & Services revenue combined in Q4 2020 was $1.1 million compared to $301 thousand in Q4 2019. For Fiscal 2020, Data Products revenue and Other Products & Services revenue combined was $2.2 million compared to $2.0 million in Fiscal 2019. Data Products revenue and Other Products & Services revenue is typically generated from on-demand customer requests and/or projects, including the sale of historical datasets, which results in variability in quarter-to-quarter revenue levels from these segments.

Order Bookings for Q4 2020 were $3.8 million, compared to $1.5 million in Q4 2019. Order bookings for Fiscal 2020 period were $24.5 million, compared to $13.5 million in Fiscal 2019. Order Bookings will fluctuate on a quarter-to-quarter basis reflecting the timing to complete new customer agreements. The quarterly and annual increases reflect strong new and renewal order activity with customers in both the commercial and government markets. Order Bookings backlog at October 31, 2020 was $28.8 million compared to $22.4 million at the end of Fiscal 2019. Revenue of $15.7 million from the current revenue backlog is forecasted to be earned in Fiscal 2021.

Gross margin for Q4 2020 was 51% compared to zero gross margin in Q4 2019. Gross margin for Fiscal 2020 was 43% compared to 14% in Fiscal 2020. Gross margin improved in both periods year-over-year due to revenue growth and a lower cost of revenue. Cost of revenue decreased in Fiscal 2020 due primarily to the absence of revenue-share payments to L3Harris resulting from the amended satellite-AIS agreement and $648 thousand in one-time adjustments related to the completion of the amended L3Harris agreement, which was incurred in Q1 2020, partially offset by increased data processing costs and short-term incentive.

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expense for Q4 2020 was $2.6 million compared to $1.8 million in Q4 2019. SG&A for Fiscal 2020 was $8.6 million compared to $7.7 million in Fiscal 2020. SG&A rose in 2020 due primarily to increases in payroll, sales commissions, short- and long-term incentive expenses and bad debt, offset in part by lower legal fees and travel expenses.   

Product development and research and development ("R&D") expense for Q4 2020 was $267 thousand compared to $40 thousand in Q4 2019. R&D for Fiscal 2020 was $895 thousand compared to $840 thousand in Fiscal 2019. The Company's product development and R&D activities remain focused on the development of web-based functionality and new analytics-based product offerings.

Adjusted EBITDA¹ for Q4 2020 was $811 thousand compared to ($1.9) million in Q4 2019. Adjusted EBITDA for Fiscal 2020 was $382 thousand compared to ($6.1) million in Fiscal 2020. Adjusted EBITDA improved year-over-year due primarily to higher revenue and lower cost of revenue. 

Net loss for Q4 2020 was ($679) thousand, or ($0.03) per basic and diluted share, compared to ($2.2) million, or ($0.10) per basic and diluted share, in Q4 2019. Net loss for Fiscal 2020 was ($5.1) million, or ($0.23) per basic and diluted share, compared to ($8.5) million, or ($0.39) per basic and diluted share in Fiscal 2019. Net loss for Fiscal 2020 improved primarily due to an increase in revenue and decreases in cost of revenue, product development and R&D expense, offset in part by higher SG&A and interest expense.

Cash generated from operations for Q4 2020 was $865 thousand, compared to ($4.8) million in Q4 2019. Cash used in operations for Fiscal 2020 was ($2.2) million, compared to ($6.3) million in Fiscal 2019. exactEarth's cash, cash-equivalents and short-term investments at October 31, 2020 were $7.5 million compared to $6.8 million at July 31, 2020 and $10.2 million at October 31, 2019.

As at December 22, 2020, the Company had 22,048,640 shares outstanding on a non-diluted basis. 

Q4 and Fiscal 2020 Conference Call
exactEarth will hold a conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern Standard Time to discuss its Q4 and Fiscal 2020 financial results. The call will be hosted by Mr. Peter Mabson, President and Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Sean Maybee, Chief Financial Officer.

CONFERENCE ID: 7377204
DATE: Wednesday, December 23, 2020
TIME: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
DIAL-IN NUMBER: 1-888-231-8191 or 647-427-7450
WEBCAST LINK: https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1410978&tp_key=430456b502 
TAPED REPLAY: 1-855-859-2056 or 416-849-0833
REPLAY CODE: 7377204

The taped replay will be available for seven days and the archived webcast will be available for 90 days.

A link to the live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available on the events page of the investors section of exactEarth website at www.exactearth.com. Please connect at least 15 minutes prior to the conference call to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be required to hear the webcast.

^1,2Non-IFRS Measures
We measure Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), plus unrealized foreign exchange losses, share-based compensation costs, impairment losses, share of equity investment loss and COVID-19 related allowances for doubtful accounts, less interest income and unrealized foreign exchange gains. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful supplemental information as it provides an indication of the income generated by our main business activities before taking into consideration how they are financed or taxed and exclude the impact of items that are considered by management to be outside of the Company's ongoing operating results. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an alternative to net income (loss) determined in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of our performance or to cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities as a measure of liquidity and cash flows.

We define Subscription Revenue as the dollar sum of fully executed contracts for our products and/or services to our customers that are subscription-based, typically sold with a one-year period of service and recognized in our "Subscription Services" segmented revenue.

About exactEarth Ltd.
exactEarth is a leading provider of global maritime vessel data for ship tracking and maritime situational awareness solutions. Since its formation in 2009, exactEarth has pioneered a powerful new method of maritime surveillance called Satellite AIS and has delivered to its clients a view of maritime behaviours across all regions of the world's oceans unrestricted by terrestrial limitations. exactEarth's second-generation constellation, exactView RT, securely relays satellite-detected AIS vessel signals from any location on the earth's surface to the ground in seconds – thus enabling global real-time vessel tracking. This unique capability consists of 58 advanced satellite payloads designed and built by L3Harris Technologies, Inc. under agreement with exactEarth and that are hosted onboard the Iridium NEXT constellation of satellites. www.exactearth.com   

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include financial and other projections, as well as statements regarding exactEarth's future plans, our ability to continue as a going concern, objectives or economic performance, or the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing, including statements regarding, among other things, expectations of our exactView RT offering relative to competitors, financial impact of the Myriota transaction, expectations of the exactView RT capabilities driving growth, growth opportunities for the Company in the maritime information services market and the cost and revenue share in connection with the L3Harris Agreement. exactEarth uses words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by exactEarth in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors exactEarth believes are appropriate under the relevant circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform to exactEarth's expectations and predictions is subject to any number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many factors could cause exactEarth's actual results, historical financial statements, or future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors include, without limitation: uncertainty in the global economic environment; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; delays in the purchasing decisions of exactEarth's customers; the competition exactEarth faces in its industry and/or marketplace; the further delayed launch of satellites, the anticipated benefits of the A&R SABA; the financial impact of the Myriota transaction; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customers and the market generally, the reduced scope of significant existing contracts; and the possibility of technical, logistical or planning issues in connection with the deployment of exactEarth's products or services.

SOURCE exactEarth Ltd.

© Canada Newswire, source Canada Newswire English