LivePerson Announces Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Results
LivePerson (LPSN) reported Q4 2021 revenue of $123.8 million, a 21% increase year-over-year. Business operations revenue also rose 21% to $114.1 million, while consumer operations revenue matched this growth at $9.8 million. The company signed 107 contracts, including seven for seven figures, contributing to a record trailing-twelve-month average revenue per enterprise customer of $610,000. Despite strong revenue growth, net loss widened to $49.9 million or $0.70 per share from $13.3 million in Q4 2020.
- Total revenue increased by 21% year-over-year to $123.8 million.
- Business operations revenue grew by 21% to $114.1 million.
- Signed 107 new contracts, including seven seven-figure deals.
- Average revenue per enterprise customer increased 31% to $610,000.
- Net loss widened to $49.9 million from $13.3 million year-over-year.
- Adjusted EBITDA loss was $(4.4) million compared to $18.2 million in Q4 2020.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPSN) ("LivePerson" or the "Company"), a global leader in conversational AI, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021.
Fourth Quarter Highlights
Total revenue was
LivePerson signed seven seven-figure deals and 107 deals in total in the fourth quarter, comprising 27 new and 80 existing customer contracts. Trailing-twelve-months average revenue per enterprise and mid-market customer increased
"LivePerson delivered a record 2021 with revenue up
"While we are pleased with our performance in 2021, we see a more leveraged and scalable opportunity to accelerate profitable growth that focuses on platform innovations and strategic partners. With rapid expansion of new verticals and use-cases, longstanding, top-tier brands driving year-over-year usage growth, and the integration of new platform capabilities such as voice, we have a solid foundation to sustainably reach our long term goals for growth and profit," added CFO John Collins.
Customer Expansion
During the fourth quarter, the Company signed contracts with the following new customers:
- A leading provider of loyalty marketing services
- One of the three largest water companies in the U.K.
- One of the ten largest healthcare companies in the world
- A top 15 credit card issuer in the U.S.
- A British telecommunications service provider
The Company also expanded business with:
- One of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world
- A top financial services organization in the U.K.
- A leading online travel agency
- One of the top three leading retail corporations in the world
- A Fortune 500 paint manufacturer and retailer
Net Loss and Adjusted Operating (Loss) Income
Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2021 was
Adjusted EBITDA (Loss)
Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial metric, for the fourth quarter of 2021 was
A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures has been provided in the financial tables included in this press release. An explanation of the non-GAAP financial measures and how they are calculated is included below under the heading "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company's cash balance was
Financial Expectations
The following forward-looking measures and the underlying assumptions involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and actual results may vary materially from these forward-looking measures. The Company does not present a quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures (or otherwise present such forward-looking GAAP measures) because it is impractical to forecast certain items without unreasonable efforts due to the uncertainty and inherent difficulty of predicting, within a reasonable range, the occurrence and financial impact of and the periods in which such items may be recognized. In particular, these non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain items, including amortization of purchased intangibles, stock-based compensation, depreciation, other litigation and consulting costs, restructuring costs, contingent earn-out adjustments, provision for (benefit from) income taxes, interest income (expense), and other expense (income), which depend on future events that the Company is unable to predict. Depending on the size of these items, they could have a significant impact on the Company's GAAP financial results.
In light of the evolving macroeconomic environment, including shifts in consumer shopping behavior in our Gainshare business and government policy on COVID-19 testing, the Company is issuing a 2022 revenue guidance range of
The Company is also issuing a 2022 adjusted EBITDA guidance range of
The Company's detailed financial expectations are as follows:
First Quarter 2022
Guidance | |
Revenue (in millions) | |
Revenue growth (year-over-year) | |
Adjusted EBITDA (in millions) | |
Adjusted EBITDA margin (%) | (20.9)% - (17.2)% |
Full Year 2022
Guidance | |
Revenue (in millions) | |
Revenue growth (year-over-year) | |
Adjusted EBITDA (in millions) | |
Adjusted EBITDA margin (%) | (3.7)% - |
The Company is guiding to non-GAAP gross margin of
Supplemental Fourth Quarter 2021 Presentation
LivePerson will post a presentation providing supplemental information for the fourth quarter 2021 on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at www.ir.liveperson.com.
Earnings Teleconference Information
The Company will discuss its fourth quarter 2021 financial results during a teleconference today, February 24, 2022. To participate via telephone, callers should dial in five to ten minutes prior to the 5:00 p.m. Eastern start time; domestic callers (U.S. and Canada) should dial 1-877-407-0784, while international callers should dial 1-201-689-8560, and both should reference the conference ID "13725247."
The conference call will also be simulcast live on the Internet and can be accessed by logging onto the investor relations section of the Company's web site at www.ir.liveperson.com.
If you are unable to participate in the live call, the teleconference will be available for replay approximately two hours after the call. To access the replay, please call 1-844-512-2921 (U.S. and Canada) or 1-412-317-6671 (international). Please reference the conference ID "13725247." A replay will also be available on the investor relations section of the Company's web site at www.ir.liveperson.com.
About LivePerson
LivePerson makes life easier for people and brands everywhere through trusted conversational AI. Our 18,000 customers, including leading brands like HSBC, Orange and GM Financial, use our conversational solutions to orchestrate humans and AI at scale and create a convenient, deeply personal relationship - a conversational relationship - with their millions of consumers. LivePerson was named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list for its leadership in artificial intelligence. For more information about LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN), please visit www.liveperson.com.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Investors are cautioned that the following financial measures used in this press release are "non-GAAP financial measures": (i) adjusted EBITDA, or earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, interest income (expense), other expense (income), depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other costs; (ii) adjusted EBITDA margin, or earnings/(loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes, interest income (expense), other expense (income), depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs and other costs divided by revenue; (iii) adjusted operating (loss) income, or operating income (loss) excluding amortization, stock-based compensation, restructuring costs, acquisition costs, deferred tax asset valuation allowance, and other costs; and (iv) free cash flow, or net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment, including capitalized software.
Non-GAAP financial information should not be construed as an alternative to any other measures of performance determined in accordance with GAAP, or as an indicator of our operating performance, liquidity or cash flows generated by operating, investing and financing activities as there may be significant factors or trends that it fails to address. We present non-GAAP financial information because we believe that it is helpful to some investors as one measure of our operations.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release and on our earnings call regarding LivePerson that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. Any such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to financial guidance, are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is routine for our internal projections and expectations to change as the quarter and year progress, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations may change. Although these expectations may change, we are under no obligation to inform you if they do. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation: major public health issues, and specifically the pandemic caused by the spread of COVID-19, and their effects on the U.S. and global markets; our ability to retain key personnel, attract new personnel and to manage staff attrition; strain on our personnel resources and infrastructure from supporting our existing and growing customer base; the ability to successfully integrate past or potential future acquisitions; our ability to secure additional financing to execute our business strategy; delays in our implementation cycles; payment-related risks; potential fluctuations in our quarterly revenue and operating results; limitations on the effectiveness of our controls; non-payment or late payment of amounts due to us from a significant number of customers; volatility in the capital markets; recognition of revenue from subscriptions; customer retention and engagement; the migration of existing customers to our new platform; our ability to attract new customers and new consumer users of our consumer services; our ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with social media and other third-party consumer messaging platforms and endpoints; the highly competitive markets in which we operate; general economic conditions; privacy concerns relating to the Internet that could result in new legislation or negative public perception; new regulatory or other legal requirements that could materially impact our business; governmental export controls and economic sanctions; industry-specific regulation and unfavorable industry-specific laws, regulations or interpretive positions; future regulation of the Internet or mobile devices; greater than anticipated income, non-income and transactional tax liabilities; failures or security breaches in our services, those of our third party providers, or in the websites of our customers; regulation or possible misappropriation of personal information belonging to our customers' Internet users; technology systems beyond our control and technology-related defects that could disrupt the LivePerson services; our dependence on the continued viability of the Internet; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights or potential infringement of the intellectual property rights of third parties; the use of AI in our product offerings; the presence of, and difficulty in correcting, errors, failures or "bugs" in our products; our ability to license necessary third party software for use in our products and services, and our ability to successfully integrate third party software; potential adverse impact due to foreign currency and cryptocurrency exchange rate fluctuations; additional regulatory requirements, tax liabilities, currency exchange rate fluctuations and other risks as we expand internationally, as we expand into new offerings including AI-assisted healthcare and/or as we expand into direct-to-consumer services; risks related to our operations in Israel and Ukraine, and the civil and political unrest and potential for armed conflict in those regions; potential failure to meeting service level commitments to certain customers; legal liability and/or negative publicity for the services provided to consumers via our technology platforms; technological or other defects that could disrupt or negatively impact our services; our ability to maintain our reputation; our lengthy sales cycles; changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; natural catastrophic events and interruption to our business by man-made problems; potential limitations on our ability to use net operating losses to offset future taxable income; and risks related to our common stock being traded on more than one securities exchange. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Readers are referred to the Company's reports and documents filed from time to time by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of these and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in forward-looking statements.
LivePerson, Inc. | |||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
Revenue | $ 123,801 | $ 102,125 | $ 469,624 | $ 366,620 | |||
Costs and expenses: | |||||||
Cost of revenue | 44,503 | 28,049 | 156,880 | 106,268 | |||
Sales and marketing | 48,994 | 39,700 | 165,421 | 149,773 | |||
General and administrative | 28,973 | 12,844 | 76,757 | 60,557 | |||
Product development | 45,675 | 27,995 | 158,390 | 108,414 | |||
Restructuring costs | 128 | (212) | 3,397 | 29,420 | |||
Amortization of purchased intangibles | 808 | 419 | 2,045 | 1,639 | |||
Total costs and expenses | 169,081 | 108,795 | 562,890 | 456,071 | |||
Loss from operations | (45,280) | (6,670) | (93,266) | (89,451) | |||
Other expense, net: | |||||||
Interest expense, net | (9,554) | (5,173) | (37,406) | (14,334) | |||
Other income (expense), net | 292 | 1,141 | 3,294 | (1,343) | |||
Total other expense, net | (9,262) | (4,032) | (34,112) | (15,677) | |||
Loss before (benefit from) provision for income | (54,542) | (10,702) | (127,378) | (105,128) | |||
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (4,689) | 2,553 | (2,404) | 2,466 | |||
Net loss | $ (49,853) | $ (13,255) | $ (124,974) | $ (107,594) | |||
Net loss per share of common stock: | |||||||
Basic | $ (0.70) | $ (0.20) | $ (1.80) | $ (1.63) | |||
Diluted | $ (0.70) | $ (0.20) | $ (1.80) | $ (1.63) | |||
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss | |||||||
Basic | 71,601,478 | 67,027,572 | 69,606,105 | 65,888,450 | |||
Diluted | 71,601,478 | 67,027,572 | 69,606,105 | 65,888,450 | |||
LivePerson, Inc. | |||
Year Ended | |||
December 31, | |||
2021 | 2020 | ||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES: | |||
Net loss | $ (124,974) | $ (107,594) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||
Stock-based compensation expense | 69,656 | 65,946 | |
Depreciation | 27,423 | 22,826 | |
Loss on disposal | — | 5,147 | |
Amortization of purchased intangibles | 5,609 | 2,780 | |
Amortization of finance leases | 3,718 | 772 | |
Amortization of debt issuance costs | 2,499 | 1,340 | |
Accretion of debt discount on convertible senior notes | 33,309 | 11,564 | |
Changes in fair value of contingent consideration | — | (263) | |
Allowance for credit losses | 4,879 | 3,211 | |
Gain on settlement of leases | (3,483) | — | |
Deferred income taxes | (6,239) | 579 | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable | (17,309) | 6,371 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | (3,178) | 23 | |
Contract acquisition costs noncurrent | (1,876) | (6,463) | |
Other assets | 547 | (37) | |
Accounts payable | 801 | (733) | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 8,626 | 22,931 | |
Deferred revenue | 7,774 | (3,118) | |
Operating lease liabilities | (4,590) | 8,276 | |
Other liabilities | 55 | 47 | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | 3,247 | 33,605 | |
INVESTING ACTIVITIES: | |||
Purchases of property and equipment, including capitalized software | (45,703) | (41,641) | |
Payments for acquisition, net of cash acquired | (70,759) | — | |
Repayment of debt acquired in acquisition | (21,177) | — | |
Purchases of intangible assets | (2,610) | (1,835) | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (140,249) | (43,476) | |
FINANCING ACTIVITIES: | |||
Principal payments for financing leases | (3,554) | (1,154) | |
Repurchase of common stock | (709) | — | |
Proceeds from issuance of common stock in connection with the exercise of options and ESPP | 16,110 | 25,355 | |
Payments on conversion of convertible senior notes | (4) | 517,500 | |
Payment of issuance costs in connection with convertible senior notes | — | (11,800) | |
Purchase of capped call option | — | (46,058) | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | 11,843 | 483,843 | |
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (5,461) | 3,657 | |
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash | (130,620) | 477,629 | |
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - beginning of year | 654,152 | 176,523 | |
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - end of year | $ 523,532 | $ 654,152 | |
LivePerson, Inc. | |||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA: | |||||||
GAAP net loss | $ (49,853) | $ (13,255) | $ (124,974) | $ (107,594) | |||
Add/(less): | |||||||
Amortization of purchased intangibles and finance leases | 4,388 | 1,479 | 9,327 | 3,552 | |||
Stock-based compensation | 21,689 | 19,775 | 69,656 | 65,946 | |||
Contingent earn-out adjustments | — | — | 132 | 263 | |||
Restructuring costs (1) | 128 | (215) | 3,397 | 29,420 | |||
Depreciation | 6,952 | 5,603 | 27,423 | 22,826 | |||
Other litigation and consulting costs (2) | 1,881 | (1,733) | 6,665 | 5,375 | |||
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes | (4,689) | 2,553 | (2,404) | 2,466 | |||
Acquisition costs | 5,808 | — | 5,808 | — | |||
Interest expense, net | 9,554 | 5,173 | 37,406 | 14,334 | |||
Other (income) expense, net (3) | (292) | (1,141) | (3,294) | 1,343 | |||
Adjusted EBITDA (loss) | $ (4,434) | $ 18,239 | $ 29,142 | $ 37,931 | |||
Reconciliation of Adjusted Operating (Loss) Income: | |||||||
Loss before provision for income taxes: | $ (54,542) | $ (10,702) | $ (127,378) | $ (105,128) | |||
Add/(less): | |||||||
Amortization of purchased intangibles and finance leases | 4,388 | 1,479 | 9,327 | 3,552 | |||
Stock-based compensation | 21,689 | 19,775 | 69,656 | 65,946 | |||
Restructuring costs (1) | 128 | (215) | 3,397 | 29,420 | |||
Other litigation and consulting costs (2) | 1,881 | (1,733) | 6,665 | 5,375 | |||
Contingent earn-out adjustments | — | — | 132 | 263 | |||
Acquisition costs | 5,808 | — | 5,808 | — | |||
Interest expense, net | 9,554 | 5,173 | 37,406 | 14,334 | |||
Other (income) expense, net (3) | (292) | (1,141) | (3,294) | 1,343 | |||
Adjusted operating (loss) income | $ (11,386) | $ 12,636 | $ 1,719 | $ 15,105 | |||
—————————————— | |
(1) | Includes lease restructuring costs of |
(2) | Includes consulting costs of |
(3) | Includes |
LivePerson, Inc. | |||||||
Three Months Ended | Year Ended | ||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
Calculation of Free Cash Flow: | |||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ (32,395) | $ 21,299 | $ 3,247 | $ 33,605 | |||
Purchases of property and equipment, including capitalized software | (11,882) | (18,030) | (45,703) | (41,641) | |||
Total free cash flow | $ (44,277) | $ 3,269 | $ (42,456) | $ (8,036) | |||
LivePerson, Inc. | |||
December 31, | December 31, | ||
ASSETS | |||
CURRENT ASSETS: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 521,846 | $ 654,152 | |
Accounts receivable, net | 93,804 | 80,423 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 20,626 | 14,236 | |
Total current assets | 636,276 | 748,811 | |
Operating lease right of use asset | 1,977 | 614 | |
Property and equipment, net | 124,726 | 106,055 | |
Contract acquisition cost | 40,675 | 41,021 | |
Intangibles, net | 85,554 | 10,927 | |
Goodwill | 291,215 | 95,192 | |
Deferred tax assets | 5,034 | 2,032 | |
Other assets | 1,199 | 1,780 | |
Total assets | $ 1,186,656 | $ 1,006,432 | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | |||
CURRENT LIABILITIES: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 16,942 | $ 14,115 | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 104,297 | 99,870 | |
Deferred revenue | 98,808 | 88,848 | |
Operating lease liability | 3,380 | 5,718 | |
Total current liabilities | 223,427 | 208,551 | |
Deferred revenue, net of current portion | 54 | 409 | |
Convertible senior notes, net | 574,238 | 538,432 | |
Operating lease liability, net of current portion | 2,733 | 7,180 | |
Deferred tax liability | 2,049 | 1,622 | |
Other liabilities | 34,718 | 6,304 | |
Total liabilities | 837,219 | 762,498 | |
Commitments and contingencies | |||
Total stockholders' equity | 349,437 | 243,934 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 1,186,656 | $ 1,006,432 | |
Investor Relations contact
Richard Gu
ir-lp@liveperson.com
212-609-4214
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SOURCE LivePerson, Inc.
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