Paya Holdings Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Results

Rhea-AI Summary

Paya Holdings (NASDAQ: PAYA) reported strong financial results for Q4 and the full year 2020, despite the pandemic's impact. Q4 payment volume reached $9.2 billion, up 15.7% year-over-year, with total revenue of $54.0 million, a 5.5% increase. The Integrated Solutions segment showed notable growth, achieving $32.4 million in revenue. Adjusted EBITDA rose 17.6% to $14.7 million. For 2021, Paya expects revenue between $234M - $242M and an adjusted EBITDA of $64M - $68M, reflecting a positive outlook as it leverages growth initiatives initiated in 2020.

Positive

• Q4 2020 payment volume increased by 15.7% to $9.2 billion.
• Total revenue for Q4 2020 was $54.0 million, a 5.5% year-over-year growth.
• Integrated Solutions segment revenue rose by 6.6% to $32.4 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 increased 17.6% to $14.7 million.
• Full year 2020 total revenue was $206.0 million, a 1.3% increase.
• 2021 revenue guidance set at $234M - $242M.

Negative

• Net loss for Q4 2020 was $(2.1) million, though improved from $(5.1) million in Q4 2019.
• Full year net loss was $(0.5) million compared to $(9.0) million in 2019.

ATLANTA, March 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paya Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYA) (“Paya Holdings”, “Paya” or the “Company”), a leading provider of integrated payment and commerce solutions, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2020.

“We are pleased to close out the year with strong financial performance across the business, particularly given that we are not immune to the effects of the global pandemic. Accelerating volume trends in the fourth quarter combined with favorable revenue and EBITDA performance, demonstrates execution against our growth initiatives,” said Jeff Hack, CEO of Paya. “Specifically, record new boardings on our Paya Connect platform, continued strength in our B2B vertical, key partner wins and robust growth within our proprietary ACH solutions position us well as we look to deliver on our 2021 priorities. Our performance continues to highlight Paya’s differentiated value proposition, focused on integrated payments within attractive vertical end markets.”  

Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

• Payment volume was $9.2 billion, an increase of 15.7% from $7.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Total revenue was $54.0 million, an increase of 5.5% from $51.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
  • Integrated Solutions segment revenue was $32.4 million, an increase of 6.6% from $30.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
  • Payment Services segment revenue was $21.6 million, an increase of 3.8% from $20.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Gross profit was $27.2 million, resulting in a gross profit margin of 50.4%, as compared to $25.7 million with a gross profit margin of 50.2% for the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Net loss was $(2.1) million, compared to a net loss of $(5.1) million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $14.7 million, an increase of 17.6% from $12.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. 
• Adjusted Net Income was $10.4 million, an increase of 67.7% from $6.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.

Full Year 2020 Financial Highlights

• Payment volume was $33.3 billion, an increase of 5.9% from $31.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Total revenue was $206.0 million, an increase of 1.3% from $203.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
  • Integrated Solutions segment revenue was $122.3 million, an increase of 2.1% from $119.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
  • Payment Services segment revenue was $83.7 million, an increase of 0.1% from $83.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Gross profit was $103.9 million, resulting in a gross profit margin of 50.4%, as compared to $101.8 million with a gross profit margin of 50.0% for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Net loss was $(0.5) million, compared to a net loss of $(9.0) million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $53.0 million, an increase of 5.4% from $50.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Adjusted Net Income was $32.3 million, an increase of 11.0% from $29.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.
• Ended December 31, 2020 with $23.6 million of cash and $228.7 million of gross debt.

2021 Outlook

Paya provides the following revenue, gross margin, and adjusted EBITDA guidance for the full year 2021. This outlook assumes no further unanticipated impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021
Total Revenue	$234M - $242M
Gross Margin	50.5% - 52.0%
Adjusted EBITDA	$64M - $68M

Basis of Presentation

The financial information for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2020 and the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 included in this press release reflects, and is based upon, information of Paya prior to giving effect to the business combination with FinTech Acquisition Corp. III Parent Corp. completed on October 16, 2020 (as further discussed below).

Business Combination

On October 16, 2020, Paya and FinTech Acquisition Corp. III (“FinTech”), a special purpose acquisition company, announced that they completed the previously announced business combination under which all of the equity interest of GTCR Ultra-Holdings II, LLC was contributed to the Company and a subsidiary of the Company merged with and into FinTech, with each outstanding share of FinTech common stock converting into one share of Paya common stock. Upon completion of the business combination, the Company changed its name from FinTech Acquisition Corp. III Parent Corp. to Paya Holdings Inc., and its common stock and warrants began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbols “PAYA” and “PAYAW,” respectively, on October 19, 2020.

Conference Call

The Company has scheduled a conference call for March 8, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the fourth quarter and full year 2020 results.

The conference call will be available by live webcast through the Investors section of Paya’s website at www.Paya.com or by dialing in as follows:

Domestic:	1-833-665-0668
International:	1-914-987-7320
Conference ID:	6448878

Please register for the webcast or dial into the conference call approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

A replay of the conference call will be available for approximately 30 days and can be accessed through the Investors section of Paya’s website or by dialing 1-855-859-2056 (for Domestic callers), or 1-404-537-3406 (for International callers), with passcode 6448878.

About Paya

Paya (NASDAQ: PAYA) is a leading provider of integrated payment and frictionless commerce solutions that help customers accept and make payments, expedite receipt of money, and increase operating efficiencies. The company processes over $33 billion of annual payment volume across credit/debit card, ACH, and check, making it a top 20 provider of payment processing in the US and #6 overall in e-Commerce. Paya serves more than 100,000 customers through over 2,000 key distribution partners focused on targeted, high growth verticals such as healthcare, education, non-profit, government, utilities, and other B2B goods and services. The business has built its foundation on offering robust integrations into front-end CRM and back-end accounting systems to enhance customer experience and workflow. Paya is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with offices in Reston, VA, Fort Walton Beach, FL, Dayton, OH, Mt. Vernon, OH and Dallas, TX.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this press release are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “approximately,” “shall” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside our control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release may include, for example, statements about the benefits of the Business Combination and the future financial performance.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. You should not place undue reliance on such statements as we cannot assure you that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: exposure to economic conditions and political risk affecting the consumer loan market and consumer and commercial spending; the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the actions taken to control or mitigate its spread (which impacts are highly uncertain and cannot be reasonably estimated or predicted at this time); the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Transactions, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, and the ability of the combined business to grow and manage growth profitably; changes in applicable laws or regulations; changes in the payment processing market in which Paya competes, including with respect to its competitive landscape, technology evolution or regulatory changes; changes in the vertical markets that Paya targets; risks relating to Paya’s relationships within the payment ecosystem; risk that Paya may not be able to execute its growth strategies, including identifying and executing acquisitions; risks relating to data security; changes in accounting policies applicable to Paya; the risk that Paya may not be able to develop and maintain effective internal controls and other risks and uncertainties.

We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

(1)     Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains historical non-GAAP financial measures including Payment volume, Adjusted EBITDA, Reconciliation of Net income, (loss) to Adjusted Net Income, Segment gross profit (revenue less cost of services excluding depreciation and amortization) and Segment gross profit margin. Reconciliations of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are contained herein. To the extent required, statements disclosing the definitions, utility and purposes of these measures are also set forth herein.

We have included Payment volume, Adjusted EBITDA, Reconciliation of Net income, (loss) to Adjusted Net Income, Segment gross profit (revenue less cost of services excluding depreciation and amortization) and Segment gross profit margin, which are measurements not calculated in accordance with US GAAP, in the discussion of our financial results because they are key metrics used by management to assess financial performance.

Definitions:

Payment volume is defined as the total dollar amount of all payments processed by our customers through our services.

Gross profit represents revenue less cost of services excluding depreciation and amortization.

Segment gross profit represents segment revenue less cost of services excluding depreciation and amortization.

Segment gross profit margin represents segment gross profit as a percentage of total segment revenue.

Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest and other expense, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA and further adjustments to EBITDA to exclude certain non-cash items and other non-recurring items that management believes are not indicative of ongoing operations to come to Adjusted EBITDA.

Adjusted Net Income represents net income (loss) adjusted to exclude amortization and certain non-cash items and other non-recurring items that management believes are not indicative of ongoing operations to come to Adjusted Net Income.

Utility and Purposes:

The Company discloses EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income because these non-GAAP measures are key measures used by its management to evaluate our business, measure its operating performance and make strategic decisions. We believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income are useful for investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operations results in the same manner as its management. However, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income are not financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for net income, income before income taxes, or any other operating performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. Using these non-GAAP financial measures to analyze our business would have material limitations because the calculations are based on the subjective determination of management regarding the nature and classification of events and circumstances that investors may find significant. In addition, although other companies in our industry may report measures titled EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income or similar measures, such non-GAAP financial measures may be calculated differently from how we calculate non-GAAP financial measures, which reduces their overall usefulness as comparative measures. Because of these limitations, you should consider EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income alongside other financial performance measures, including net income and our other financial results presented in accordance with GAAP.

Investor Contact:

Matt Humphries, CFA
Head of Investor Relations
matt.humphries@paya.com

Media Contact:

Kerry Close
212-784-5717
kclose@groupgordon.com

Exhibit 1

Paya Holdings Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income and Other Comprehensive Income
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

	Three Months Ended December 31,								Change
	2020				2019				Amount				%
Revenue	$	54.0			$	51.2			$	2.8			5.5	%
Cost of services exclusive of depreciation and amortization	(26.8		)		(25.5		)		(1.3		)		5.1	%
Selling, general & administrative expenses	(19.4		)		(19.5		)		0.1				-0.5	%
Depreciation and amortization	(6.6		)		(5.8		)		(0.8		)		13.8	%
Income from operations	1.2				0.4				0.8				200.0	%
Other income (expense)
Interest expense	(4.2		)		(4.7		)		0.5				-10.6	%
Other income (expense)	1.2				(1.4		)		2.6				-185.7	%
Total other expense	(3.0		)		(6.1		)		3.1				-50.8	%
Loss before income taxes	(1.8		)		(5.7		)		3.9				-68.4	%
Income tax benefit (expense)	(0.3		)		0.6				(0.9		)		-150.0	%
Net loss	$	(2.1	)		$	(5.1	)		$	3.0			-58.8	%

	Year Ended December 31,								Change
	2020				2019				Amount				%
Revenue	$	206.0			$	203.4			$	2.6			1.3	%
Cost of services exclusive of depreciation and amortization	(102.1		)		(101.6		)		(0.5		)		-0.5	%
Selling, general & administrative expenses	(63.0		)		(69.9		)		6.9				9.9	%
Depreciation and amortization	(24.6		)		(22.4		)		(2.2		)		-9.8	%
Income from operations	16.3				9.5				6.8				71.6	%
Other income (expense)
Interest expense	(17.6		)		(20.1		)		2.5				12.4	%
Other income (expense)	1.2				(0.8		)		2.0				250.0	%
Total other expense	(16.4		)		(20.9		)		4.5				21.5	%
Loss before income taxes	(0.1		)		(11.4		)		11.3				99.1	%
Income tax benefit (expense)	(0.4		)		2.4				(2.8		)		116.7	%
Net loss	$	(0.5	)		$	(9.0	)		$	8.5			94.4	%

Exhibit 2

Paya Holdings Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

	December 31,					December 31,
	2020					2019
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	23.6				$	26.0
Trade receivables, net	17.5					15.4
Receivable from affiliate	—					24.3
Other current assets	3.2					3.2
Funds held for clients	78.5					73.6
Total current assets	$	122.8				$	142.5
Noncurrent assets:
Property and equipment, net and Other long-term assets	13.6					10.9
Goodwill and Intangibles, net	338.9					330.3
Total Assets	$	475.3				$	483.7
Liabilities and member's equity
Current liabilities:
Trade payables	4.0					2.7
Accrued and Other current liabilities	13.5					15.4
Accrued revenue share	7.5					7.6
Client funds obligations	78.7					73.7
Total current liabilities	$	103.7				$	99.4
Noncurrent liabilities:
Deferred tax liability, net and Other long-term liabilities	35.4					25.7
Long-term debt	220.2					224.2
Total liabilities	$	359.3				$	349.3
Stockholders' Equity:
Additional Paid-in-Capital	129.4					147.3
Accumulated deficit	(13.4		)			(12.9		)
Total stockholders' equity	116.0					134.4
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	475.3				$	483.7

Exhibit 3

Paya Holdings Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Data
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

	Year Ended December 31,					Year Ended December 31,
	2020					2019
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	$	26.0				$	14.2
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income, (loss)	(0.5		)			(9.0		)
Adjustments
Depreciation & amortization expense	24.6					22.4
Deferred tax benefit	(1.8		)			(5.1		)
Other non-cash items	3.5					3.4
Changes in operating assets and liabilities	(4.5		)			12.2
NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES	21.3					23.9
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of property and equipment and purchases of customer lists	(13.2		)			(8.1		)
Acquisition of business, net of cash received	(19.9		)			—
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(33.1		)			(8.1		)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Other financing activities	9.4					(4.0		)
NET CASH USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES	9.4					(4.0		)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents	(2.4		)			11.8
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$	23.6				$	26.0

Exhibit 4

Paya Holdings Inc.
Segment revenue, gross profit (revenue less cost of services excluding depreciation and amortization), gross profit margin
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

	Three Months Ended December 31,								Change
	2020				2019				Amount			%
Integrated Solutions
Segment revenue	$	32.4			$	30.4			$	2.0		6.6	%
Segment gross profit	$	17.3			$	15.9			$	1.4		8.8	%
Segment gross profit margin		53.4	%			52.3	%
Payment Services
Segment revenue	$	21.6			$	20.8			$	0.8		3.8	%
Segment gross profit	$	10.0			$	9.8			$	0.2		2.0	%
Segment gross profit margin		46.3	%			47.1	%

	Year Ended December 31,								Change
	2020				2019				Amount			%
Integrated Solutions
Segment revenue	$	122.3			$	119.8			$	2.5		2.1	%
Segment gross profit	$	65.3			$	62.7			$	2.6		4.1	%
Segment gross profit margin		53.4	%			52.3	%
Payment Services
Segment revenue	$	83.7			$	83.6			$	0.1		0.1	%
Segment gross profit	$	38.7			$	39.1			$	(0.4	)	-1.0	%
Segment gross profit margin		46.2	%			46.8	%

Exhibit 5

Paya Holdings Inc.
Reconciliation of Net income (loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

		Three Months Ended December 31,
		2020				2019
Net loss		$	(2.1	)		$	(5.1	)
Depreciation & amortization		6.6				5.8
Income tax benefit (expense)		0.3				(0.6		)
Interest and other expense		3.0				6.1
EBITDA		$	7.8			$	6.2
Transaction-related expenses	(a)	3.7				2.8
Stock based compensation	(b)	0.8				1.2
Restructuring costs	(c)	0.7				1.0
Discontinued service costs	(d)	0.3				0.3
Management fees and expenses	(e)	—				0.3
Sage carve-out expenses	(f)	—				0.1
Business combination costs	(g)	0.9				—
Other costs	(h)	0.5				0.6
Total adjustments		6.9				6.3
Adjusted EBITDA		$	14.7			$	12.5
Adjusted EBITDA Margin			27.2	%			24.4	%

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020				2019
Net loss		$	(0.5	)		$	(9.0	)
Depreciation & amortization		24.6				22.4
Income tax benefit (expense)		0.4				(2.4		)
Interest and other expense		16.4				20.9
EBITDA		40.9				31.9
Transaction-related expenses	(a)	4.6				6.9
Stock based compensation	(b)	1.9				2.3
Restructuring costs	(c)	2.0				4.0
Discontinued service costs	(d)	0.3				2.3
Management fees and expenses	(e)	0.9				1.1
Sage carve-out expenses	(f)	—				1.0
Business combination costs	(g)	0.9				—
Other costs	(h)	1.5				0.8
Total adjustments		12.1				18.4
Adjusted EBITDA		$	53.0			$	50.3
Adjusted EBITDA Margin			25.7	%			24.7	%

Paya Holdings Inc.
Reconciliation of Net income (loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Definitions

(a)	Represents professional service fees related to mergers and acquisitions such as legal fees, consulting fees, accounting advisory fees, and other costs.
(b)	Represents non-cash charges associated with stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
(c)	Represents costs associated with restructuring plans designed to streamline operations and reduce costs including costs associated with the relocation of headquarters from Reston, VA to Atlanta, GA and certain staff restructuring charges, including severance.
(d)	Represents costs incurred to retire certain tools, applications and services that are no longer in use.
(e)	Represents advisory fees that we will not be required to pay going forward.
(f)	Expenses related to carving out the entity from former Corporate owner Sage PLC including rebranding, technology implementation, consulting and transitional service agreement expenses.
(g)	Represents business combination costs.
(h)	Represents non-operational gains or losses, non-standard project expense, non-operational legal expense and other.

Exhibit 6

Paya Holdings Inc.
Reconciliation of Net income (loss) to Adjusted Net Income
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

		Three Months Ended December 31,
		2020					2019
Net loss		$	(2.1	)			$	(5.1	)
Amortization add back	(a)	5.6					5.0
Transaction-related expenses	(b)	3.7					2.8
Stock based compensation	(c)	0.8					1.2
Restructuring costs	(d)	0.7					1.0
Discontinued service costs	(e)	0.3					0.3
Management fees and expenses	(f)	—					0.3
Sage carve-out expenses	(g)	—					0.1
Business combination costs	(h)	0.9					—
Other costs	(i)	0.5					0.6
Total adjustments		12.5					11.3
Adjusted Net Income		$	10.4				$	6.2

		Year Ended December 31,
		2020					2019
Net loss		$	(0.5	)			$	(9.0	)
Amortization add back	(a)	20.7					19.7
Transaction-related expenses	(b)	4.6					6.9
Stock based compensation	(c)	1.9					2.3
Restructuring costs	(d)	2.0					4.0
Discontinued service costs	(e)	0.3					2.3
Management fees and expenses	(f)	0.9					1.1
Sage carve-out expenses	(g)	—					1.0
Business combination costs	(h)	0.9					—
Other costs	(i)	1.5					0.8
Total adjustments		32.8					38.1
Adjusted Net Income		$	32.3				$	29.1

Paya Holdings Inc.
Reconciliation of Net income (loss) to Adjusted Net Income Definitions

(a)	Represents acquisition related amortization expense.
(b)	Represents professional service fees related to mergers and acquisitions such as legal fees, consulting fees, accounting advisory fees, and other costs.
(c)	Represents non-cash charges associated with stock-based compensation expense, which has been, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of our compensation strategy.
(d)	Represents costs associated with restructuring plans designed to streamline operations and reduce costs including costs associated with the relocation of headquarters from Reston, VA to Atlanta, GA and certain staff restructuring charges, including severance.
(e)	Represents costs incurred to retire certain tools, applications and services that are no longer in use.
(f)	Represents advisory fees that we will not be required to pay going forward.
(g)	Expenses related to carving out the entity from former Corporate owner Sage PLC including rebranding, technology implementation, consulting and transitional service agreement expenses.
(h)	Represents business combination costs.
(i)	Represents non-operational gains or losses, non-standard project expense, non-operational legal expense and other.

Exhibit 7

Paya Holdings Inc.
Payment Volume
($ in millions)
(unaudited)

	Three Months Ended December 31,						Change
	2020			2019			Amount		%
Payment volume	$	9,180.4		$	7,934.2		1,246.2		15.7	%

	Year Ended December 31,						Change
	2020			2019			Amount		%
Payment volume	$	33,272.4		$	31,408.0		1,864.4		5.9	%

FAQ

What were Paya's Q4 2020 revenue figures?

Paya reported a total revenue of $54.0 million for Q4 2020.

How did Paya Holdings perform financially in 2020?

Paya achieved total revenue of $206.0 million for the full year 2020, a 1.3% increase from 2019.

What was Paya's payment volume in Q4 2020?

Paya's payment volume in Q4 2020 was $9.2 billion, marking a year-over-year increase of 15.7%.

What is the 2021 outlook for Paya Holdings?

Paya expects 2021 total revenue to be between $234M and $242M.

What was the adjusted EBITDA for Paya in Q4 2020?

The adjusted EBITDA for Q4 2020 was $14.7 million, an increase of 17.6% from Q4 2019.