News Details

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2016-- WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX), a leading provider of corporate payment solutions, today reported financial results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased slightly year-over-year at $212.6 million as compared with $211.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2014. Net earnings attributable to common shareholders on a GAAP basis were $20.9 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, compared with $47.9 million, or $1.23 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2014.

On a non-GAAP basis, the Company's adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 increased 1% to $44.7 million, or $1.15 per diluted share, from $44.3 million, or $1.14 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. See Exhibit 1 for a full reconciliation of adjusted net income to GAAP net income.

For the full year 2015, revenue increased 5% to $854.6 million from $817.6 million in 2014. Adjusting for constant currency, fuel prices, and fuel spread, revenue for the full year increased approximately 22%. Net earnings attributable to common shareholders on a GAAP basis were $2.62 per diluted share in 2015 compared to $5.18 per diluted share in 2014. On a non-GAAP basis, adjusted net income decreased 7% to $4.87 per diluted share from $5.25 per diluted share in 2014.

"Overall, I'm pleased with the progress we made this year in positioning WEX for the future as we took significant steps to strengthen our business and enhance our position across our core verticals,” said Melissa Smith, WEX's president and chief executive officer. "We generated solid organic growth in spite of continued pressure from macroeconomic headwinds and made notable progress with our targeted investment strategy.”

Smith continued, "We exit 2015 with solid fundamentals, a strong underlying growth engine and a portfolio of high-performing products that are both diverse and global. Though we anticipate that the headwinds of 2015 will continue, we are confident in our ability to achieve organic growth in the coming year. We believe the combination of this growth, coupled with our strategic investments, including recently announced acquisitions, position us well in the marketplace."

Beginning with the fourth quarter 2015, the Company is reporting three business segments: Fleet Solutions, which remains on the same basis that we have been reporting; Travel and Corporate Solutions, which includes the Travel business, as well as other verticals; and Health and Employee Benefit Solutions, which includes the Healthcare and Employee related businesses. This change will enhance the Company's transparency and align our reporting with how we now operate our business. The Company will begin reporting on the basis of this realignment effective with the 2015 Form 10-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fourth Quarter 2015 Performance Metrics

Where applicable, the performance metrics listed below include WEX Europe Services, which WEX acquired in December of 2014:

• Average number of vehicles serviced was approximately 9.5 million, an increase of 12% from the fourth quarter of 2014;
• Total fuel transactions processed increased 4% from the fourth quarter of 2014 to 99.6 million. Payment processing transactions increased 7% to 84.8 million;
• U.S. retail fuel price decreased 28% to $2.29 per gallon from $3.17 per gallon in the fourth quarter of 2014;
• Average expenditure per payment processing transaction decreased 23% from the fourth quarter of 2014 to $59.00; and
• Travel and Corporate Solutions purchase volume grew 13% to $4.6 billion, from $4.0 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014.

Financial Guidance and Assumptions

• For the first quarter of 2016, WEX expects revenue in the range of $190 million to $200 million and adjusted net income in the range of $31 million to $34 million, or $0.80 to $0.88 per diluted share.
• For the full year 2016, the Company expects revenue in the range of $860 million to $890 million and adjusted net income to be in the range of $148 million to $160 million, or $3.80 to $4.10 per diluted share.

First quarter and full year 2016 guidance is based on an assumed average U.S. retail fuel price of $1.97 per gallon. Assuming constant currency, fuel price, fuel spread margins, and no impact from our hedge, the midpoint of our guidance range for adjusted net income would increase approximately 20%. The fuel prices referenced above are based on the applicable NYMEX futures price.

The Company's guidance also assumes that fleet credit loss for first quarter will be in the range of 9 and 14 basis points. For the full year 2016 fleet credit loss will range between 10 and 15 basis points. The Company's full year 2016 guidance excludes the impact and closing expenses of the Electronic Funds Source ("EFS") acquisition, due to the uncertain timing of the regulatory review process.

The Company's guidance is based on approximately 39 million shares outstanding, and excludes the impact of non-cash, mark-to-market adjustments on the Company's fuel-price-related derivative instruments, foreign currency remeasurement gains and losses and related hedges, the amortization of purchased intangibles, stock-based compensation, restructuring charges, gain on divestitures, expenses and adjustments related to acquisitions, non-cash adjustments related to the tax receivable agreement, regulatory reserves, as well as the related tax and non-controlling interest impacts of the forgoing adjustments.

Additional Information

Exhibit 1 reconciles adjusted net income, which has not been determined in accordance with GAAP, to net income as determined in accordance with GAAP for the three months and years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

Management uses the non-GAAP measures presented within this news release to evaluate the Company's performance on a comparable basis, to lessen the volatility associated with its derivative instruments and foreign exchange rates on financial results. Management believes that investors may find these measures useful for the same purposes, but cautions that they should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, disclosure in accordance with GAAP.

WEX has fuel-price derivative instruments in place to mitigate a portion of the financial risks associated with the variability in fuel prices in North America. For the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company's GAAP financial results include an unrealized pre-tax, non-cash, mark-to-market loss of $8.4 million on these instruments.

To provide investors with additional insight into its operational performance, WEX has included in this news release a table of selected non-financial metrics for the five quarters ended December 31, 2015. This table is presented as Exhibit 2. The Company is also providing selected segment revenue information for the three months and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 in Exhibit 3.

Conference Call Details

In conjunction with this announcement, WEX will host a conference call today, February 8, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (ET). As previously announced, the conference call will be webcast live on the Internet, and can be accessed at the Investor Relations section of the WEX website, http://www.wexinc.com. The live conference call also can be accessed by dialing (866) 334-7066 or (973) 935-8463. The Conference ID number is 17972898. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website.

About WEX Inc.

WEX Inc. (NYSE: WEX) is a leading provider of corporate payment solutions. From its roots in fleet card payments beginning in 1983, WEX has expanded the scope of its business into a multi-channel provider of corporate payment solutions representing more than 9.5 million vehicles and offering exceptional payment security and control across a wide spectrum of business sectors. WEX serves a global set of customers and partners through its operations around the world, with offices in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, and Singapore. WEX and its subsidiaries employ more than 2,000 associates. The Company has been publicly traded since 2005, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “WEX.” For more information, visit and follow WEX on Twitter at @WEXIncNews.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding: financial guidance; assumptions underlying the Company's financial guidance; management’s expectations for future growth opportunities, acquisitions and market expansion; and confidence in future performance. Any statements that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may," "could," "anticipate," "plan," "continue," "project," "intend," "estimate," "believe," "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such words. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including: the effects of general economic conditions on fueling patterns as well as payments and transaction processing activity; the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on the Company’s operations, revenue and income; changes in interest rates; the impact of fluctuations in fuel prices; the effects of the Company’s business expansion and acquisition efforts; the Company’s failure to successfully integrate the businesses it has acquired or plans to acquire; the Company's failure to successfully operate and expand ExxonMobil's European commercial fuel card program, or Esso Card; the failure of corporate investments to result in anticipated strategic value; the impact and size of credit losses; the impact of changes to the Company's credit standards; breaches of the Company’s technology systems and any resulting negative impact on our reputation, liabilities, or loss of relationships with customers or merchants; the Company’s failure to maintain or renew key agreements; failure to expand the Company’s technological capabilities and service offerings as rapidly as the Company’s competitors; the actions of regulatory bodies, including banking and securities regulators, or possible changes in banking or financial regulations impacting the Company’s industrial bank and the Company as the corporate parent or other subsidiaries or affiliates; the impact of the Company’s outstanding notes on its operations; financial loss if the Company determines it necessary to unwind its derivative instrument position prior to the expiration of a contract; the incurrence of impairment charges if our assessment of the fair value of certain of our reporting units changes; the uncertainties of litigation; as well as other risks and uncertainties identified in Item 1A of our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2015 and our subsequent filings on Form 10-Q. The Company's forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential future impact of any alliance, merger, acquisition, disposition or stock repurchases. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this earnings release and undue reliance should not be placed on these statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 also excludes a partial release of the reserve due to the final settlement of the regulatory penalty arising from the Company’s partnership with Higher One.

Although adjusted net income is not calculated in accordance with GAAP, this measure is integral to the Company's reporting and planning processes. The Company considers this measure integral because it eliminates the non-cash volatility associated with the fuel price related derivative instruments, and excludes other specified items that the Company's management excludes in evaluating the Company's performance. Specifically, in addition to evaluating the Company's performance on a GAAP basis, management evaluates the Company's performance on a basis that excludes the above items because:

• Exclusion of the non-cash, mark-to-market adjustments on fuel-price related derivative instruments helps management identify and assess trends in the Company's underlying business that might otherwise be obscured due to quarterly non-cash earnings fluctuations associated with fuel-price-related derivative contracts.
• The non-cash, mark-to-market adjustments on derivative instruments are difficult to forecast accurately, making comparisons across historical and future quarters difficult to evaluate.
• Net foreign currency gains and losses primarily result from the remeasurement to functional currency of foreign currency cash, receivable and payable balances, certain intercompany notes and any gain or loss on foreign currency hedges relating to these items. The exclusion of these items helps management compare changes in operating results between periods that might otherwise be obscured due to currency fluctuations.
• The amortization of acquired intangibles, acquisition related expenses, non-cash adjustments related to the Company's tax receivable agreement, and adjustments attributable to non-controlling interests, including adjustments to the redemption value of a non-controlling interest, have no significant impact on the ongoing operations of the business.
• Stock-based compensation is different from other forms of compensation, as it is a non-cash expense. For example, a cash salary generally has a fixed and unvarying cash cost. In contrast, the expense associated with an equity-based award is generally unrelated to the amount of cash ultimately received by the employee, and the cost to us is based on a stock-based compensation valuation methodology and underlying assumptions that may vary over time.
• Restructuring charges are related to employee termination benefits from certain identified initiatives to further streamline the business, improve the Company's efficiency, and to globalize the Company's operations, all with an objective to improve scale and increase profitability going forward. We exclude these items when evaluating our continuing business performance as such items are not consistently occurring and do not reflect expected future operating expense, nor provide meaningful insight into the fundamentals of current or past operations of our business.
• The gain or loss from a divestiture is not indicative of the performance of the ongoing operations of the business.
• The regulatory reserve reflects charges related to the impact of a regulatory action which resulted in a penalty being paid by WEX Bank. We have excluded this item when evaluating our continuing business performance as it is not recurring.
• The Company considers certain acquisition-related costs, investment banking fees, financing fees and warranty and indemnity insurance, to be unpredictable, dependent on factors that may be outside of our control and unrelated to the continuing operations of the acquired business or the Company. In addition, the size and complexity of an acquisition, which often drives the magnitude of acquisition-related costs, may not be indicative of such future costs. The Company believes that excluding acquisition-related costs facilitates the comparison of our financial results to the Company's historical operating results and to other companies in our industry.

For the same reasons, WEX believes that adjusted net income may also be useful to investors as one means of evaluating the Company's performance. However, because adjusted net income is a non-GAAP measure, it should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, net income, operating income or cash flows from operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, adjusted net income as used by WEX may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.

The tax impact of the foregoing adjustments is the difference between the Company’s U.S. GAAP tax provision and a pro forma tax provision based upon the Company’s adjusted net income before taxes. The methodology utilized for calculating the Company’s adjusted net income tax provision is the same methodology utilized in calculating the Company’s U.S. GAAP tax provision. The Company is unable to reconcile our adjusted net income guidance to the comparable GAAP measure because of the difficulty in predicting the amounts to be adjusted.

⁽¹⁾As of December 1, 2014, includes metrics for the WEX Europe Services where applicable.

Definitions and explanations:

Payment processing transactions represents the total number of purchases made by fleets that have a payment processing relationship with WEX.

Payment processing gallons of fuel represents the total number of gallons of fuel purchased by fleets that have a payment processing relationship with WEX.

Payment processing dollars of fuel represents the total dollar value of the fuel purchased by fleets that have a payment processing relationship with WEX.

Net payment processing rate represents the percentage of the dollar value of each payment processing transaction that WEX records as revenue from merchants less any discounts given to fleets or strategic relationships.

Travel and Corporate Solutions purchase volume represents the total dollar value of all transactions that use corporate card products including single use account products.

Net interchange rate represents the percentage of the dollar value of each transaction that WEX records as revenue less any discounts given to customers.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160208005386/en/

Source: WEX Inc.

News media contact:
WEX Inc.
Jessica Roy, 207-523-6763
Jessica.Roy@wexinc.com
or
Investors:
WEX Inc.
Michael E. Thomas, 207-523-6743
Michael.Thomas@wexinc.com