Monster Worldwide Reports Fourth Quarter 2013Results

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2013.

“We are pleased with our fourth quarter financial results as we delivered sequential revenue growth in North America and Europe reflecting increased demand for Monster’s products. We were encouraged that the momentum we saw in the second and third quarters of 2013 in North America and parts of Europe accelerated in the fourth quarter, and we believe these positive sales trends will continue into 2014,” said Sal Iannuzzi, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Monster Worldwide. “We continue to execute on several important initiatives that we believe will significantly improve our market share and increase profitability. We look forward to discussing these initiatives at our Investor Meeting on May 14th. Finally, consistent with our objective to enhance shareholder value, we repurchased $46 million worth of our shares in the quarter and continue to believe that repurchasing shares represents an extremely attractive investment.”

Fourth Quarter 2013 Results

Revenue of $199 million increased sequentially from $197 million in the third quarter of 2013. Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2012 was $211 million. Revenue from the Company’s North American and European operations increased on a sequential basis. Internet Advertising & Fees revenue for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $18 million compared to $19 million in last year’s comparable quarter. Historical quarterly revenue data is available in the Company’s supplemental financial information.

Consolidated GAAP operating expenses of $189 million decreased 11% compared to $212 million in the fourth quarter 2012. Consolidated net loss for the fourth quarter of 2013 was $20 million, or ($0.21) per share, which included $26 million of non-cash tax expense primarily associated with the completion of the previously announced sale of the Company’s minority interest in its South Korean business. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company reported a net loss of $73 million, or ($0.66) per share, which included a loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, of $68 million.

Non-GAAP net income was $10 million or $0.11 per share, compared to $13 million, or $0.12 per share in the fourth quarter of 2012. Non-GAAP operating expenses of $181 million decreased 5% year over year. EBITDA margin of 16% was led by Careers-North America with a 24% margin. Pro-forma items are described in the "Notes Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and are reconciled to the GAAP measure in the accompanying tables.

Net cash provided by operating activities in the quarter was $25 million and free cash flow was $17 million. Deferred revenue grew sequentially to $342 million or 8% compared to $316 million as of September 30, 2013. Deferred revenue as of December 31, 2012 grew 6% on a sequential basis. The Company ended the quarter with total available liquidity of approximately $270 million, which includes $86.5 million of net proceeds associated with the South Korea transaction which closed in December 2013.

Share Repurchase

During the fourth quarter 2013, Monster repurchased 8.2 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $5.63 per share, for a total of $46 million. At December 31, 2013, there was approximately $93 million remaining under the Company’s previously announced $200 million share repurchase program. Year to date, the Company has repurchased 20.6 million shares, or approximately 20% of its total shares outstanding.

Full Year Results

Monster Worldwide reported total revenue of $808 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2013 compared to $890 million in the same period last year, a 9% decrease. Monster Careers revenue decreased 10% to $735 million compared with $814 million in the 2012 period. Internet Advertising & Fees reported revenue of $73 million compared to $76 million in the prior year period. The Company reported net loss of $0.5 million, compared to a net loss of $259 million, or ($2.27) per share, in the prior period.

Company Provides Q1 EPS Guidance

First quarter 2014 Non-GAAP EPS from continuing operations is expected to be in the range of $0.06 to $0.10, which excludes approximately $9 million of stock-based compensation.

Historical data on Non-GAAP EPS excluding stock-based compensation expense is available in the Company’s supplemental financial information.

Conference Call and Webcast

Fourth quarter 2013 results will be discussed on Monster Worldwide’s quarterly conference call on February 6, 2014 at 8:30 AM ET. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed online through the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://ir.monster.com. To join the conference call by telephone, please dial (888) 696-1396 or (706) 758-9636 and reference conference ID# 36864089. A presentation of financial slides will be referenced during the conference call and will be viewable through the live webcast. A PDF of the financial presentation can also be accessed directly through the Company’s Investor Relations website at http://ir.monster.com.

The Company has also made available certain supplemental financial information which can be accessed directly through the Company’s Investor Relations website at http://ir.monster.com.

For a replay of the conference call, please dial (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and reference ID# 36864089. This number is valid until midnight on February 20, 2014.

About Monster Worldwide

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW), is the global leader in successfully connecting job opportunities and people. Monster uses the world´s most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social and mobile solutions including monster.com®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network. Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities globally. For more information visit about.monster.com

Special Note: The statements in this release that are not strictly historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company´s strategic direction, prospects and future results, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties and, therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed or implied herein and no assurance can be given that the Company will achieve, among other things, its outlook with respect to earnings per share for the first quarter 2014. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, economic and other conditions in the markets in which we operate, risks associated with acquisitions or dispositions, competition, and the other risks discussed in our Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which discussions are incorporated into this release by reference. Many of the factors that will determine the Company’s future results are beyond the ability of management to control or predict. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release as they reflect management’s views only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this release or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Notes Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company has provided certain non-GAAP financial information as additional information for its operating results. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for, generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and may be different from non-GAAP measures reported by other companies. The Company believes that its presentation of non-GAAP measures provides useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to its financial condition and results of operations.

Non-GAAP revenue, operating expenses, operating income from continuing operations, operating margin, income from continuing operations, (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax, and diluted earnings (loss) per share all exclude certain pro-forma adjustments including: costs incurred for the 2012 restructurings; recovery of restitution award from former executive; non-cash stock-based compensation expense, costs incurred related to the Company’s review of strategic alternatives; income tax benefits associated with the reversal of income tax reserves on uncertain tax positions and a tax benefit related to certain losses arising from the Company’s restructuring programs; and the results of the businesses in Careers – China, Latin America and Turkey as they have been classified as discontinued operations. The Company uses these non-GAAP measures for reviewing the ongoing results of the Company’s core business operations and in certain instances, for measuring performance under certain of the Company’s incentive compensation plans. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) is defined as net income or loss before interest income or expense, income tax expense or benefit, net gain or loss in equity interests, depreciation and amortization, non-cash compensation expense and non-cash restructuring costs. The Company considers EBITDA to be an important indicator of its operational strength which the Company believes is useful to management and investors in evaluating its operating performance. EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Free cash flow is defined as cash flow from operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow is considered a liquidity measure and provides useful information about the Company´s ability to generate cash after investments in property and equipment. Free cash flow reflected herein is a non-GAAP measure and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Free cash flow does not reflect the total change in the Company´s cash position for the period and should not be considered a substitute for such a measure.

Net cash and securities are defined as cash and cash equivalents plus short-term marketable securities, less total debt. Total available liquidity is defined as cash and cash equivalents, plus short-term marketable securities plus unused borrowings under our credit facilities. The Company considers net cash and securities and total available liquidity to be important measures of liquidity and indicators of its ability to meet its ongoing obligations. The Company also uses net cash and securities and total available liquidity, among other measures, in evaluating its choices for capital deployment. Net cash and securities and total available liquidity are presented herein as non-GAAP measures and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.