Ashford Reports Fourth Quarter And Year End 2017 Results

DALLAS, March 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford Inc. (NYSE American: AINC) (the "Company") today reported the following results and performance measures for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017.  Unless otherwise stated, all reported results compare the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017, with the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2016 (see discussion below).  The reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures is included in the financial tables accompanying this press release. 

STRATEGIC OVERVIEW

• High-growth, fee-based business model
• Diversified platform of multiple fee generators
• Seeks to grow in three primary areas:
• Expanding the existing platforms accretively and accelerating performance to earn incentive fees
• Starting new platforms for additional base and incentive fees
• Investing in or incubating strategic businesses that can achieve accelerated growth through doing business with our existing platforms and by leveraging our deep knowledge and extensive relationships within the hospitality sector
• Highly-aligned management team with superior long-term track record
• Leader in asset and investment management for the real estate & hospitality sectors

FINANCIAL AND OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

• Net loss attributable to the Company for the fourth quarter of 2017 totaled $7.4 million, or $3.58 per share, compared with a net income of $0.7 million, or $0.36 per share, in the prior year quarter. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter was $4.9 million, or $1.90 per diluted share, compared with $3.8 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter, reflecting a growth rate of 28% and 12%, respectively.
• Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $29.7 million, reflecting a growth rate of 52% over the prior year quarter. Total revenue for the full year 2017 was $81.6 million, reflecting a growth rate of 21% over the prior year.
• Debt placement fee revenue of $913,000 in the fourth quarter
• Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $4.8 million, reflecting a growth rate of 19% over the prior year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2017 was $17.4 million, reflecting a growth rate of 27% over the prior year.
• At the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company had approximately $6.3 billion of assets under management
• As of December 31, 2017, the Company had corporate cash of $35.4 million

INVESTMENT IN RED HOSPITALITY & LEISURE
Subsequent to quarter end, the Company acquired an approximate 80% controlling interest in RED Hospitality & Leisure for approximately $1 million in cash.  RED Hospitality & Leisure is a leading provider of watersports activities and other travel & transportation services in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

INVESTMENT IN J&S AUDIO VISUAL
On November 1, 2017, the Company acquired an 85% controlling interest in a privately held company that conducts the business of J&S Audio Visual in the United States, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic ("J&S") for approximately $9.2 million in cash, $4.3 million of Ashford common stock, and $9.5 million in assumed debt (excluding transaction costs, working capital adjustments, and contingent consideration). 

J&S provides an integrated suite of audio visual services, including show & event services, hospitality services, creative services, and design & integration, making J&S a leading single-source solution for their clients' meeting and event needs. J&S currently has multi-year contracts in place with approximately 64 hotels and convention centers in addition to regular business representing over 2,500 annual events and productions, 500 venue locations, and 650 clients.  J&S currently has contracts in place with only nine hotels owned by Ashford's advised REIT platforms.

Since the Company's investment in November through the end of the year, revenues have increased 22% and Adjusted EBITDA has increased by approximately $690,000 over the prior year period.

PURE ROOMS UPDATE
The Company currently owns a 70% controlling interest in Pure Rooms.  Pure Rooms is a leading provider of hypo-allergenic hotel rooms in the United States.  Pure Rooms utilizes state-of-the-art purification technology to create allergy-friendly guestrooms. Pure Rooms' hypo-allergenic rooms are designed to provide a better night's sleep for all guests, especially allergy sufferers.  Pure Rooms' patented 7-step purification process treats a room's surfaces, including the air, and removes up to 99% of pollutants.  Pure Rooms currently has contracts in place with 177 hotels (approximately 2,700 rooms) throughout the United States, including 52 hotels owned by Ashford's advised REIT platforms.  Revenues for the company increased 31% for the full year 2017 versus the prior year period.

OPENKEY UPDATE
Ashford currently owns a 44% interest in OpenKey.  OpenKey is the universal, industry-standard smartphone App for keyless entry in hotel guestrooms.  There have been several recent developments regarding OpenKey's growth.  First, deployments of their technology are quickly ramping up and are expected to reach an estimated 20,000 rooms deployed and an estimated 35,000 rooms under contract over the next 12-18 months. Next, the platform has gained further traction internationally with the creation of OpenKey China, a JV agreement with startup accelerator Plug and Play. OpenKey China is headquartered in Shanghai and the Company expects significant expansion and rapid growth from that venture. Also, the office in Guadalajara, Mexico has been instrumental for growth in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia. Additionally, independent resellers currently serve the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and Canada along with the recent additions of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Brazil. Finally, OpenKey achieved four consecutive quarters of revenue growth in 2017 with the fourth quarter up 153% relative to the prior quarter and 1,054% over the prior year quarter. For the full year, OpenKey achieved 647% revenue growth.

FINANCIAL RESULTS
Net loss attributable to the Company for the fourth quarter of 2017 totaled $7.4 million, or $3.58 per share, compared with a net income of $0.7 million, or $0.36 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2016.  Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $4.9 million, or $1.90 per diluted share, compared with $3.8 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter, reflecting a growth rate of 28% and 12%, respectively.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2017, base advisory fee revenue was $10.9 million, including $8.7 million from Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. (NYSE: AHT) ("Ashford Trust" or "Trust") and $2.2 million from Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. (NYSE: AHP) ("Ashford Prime" or "Prime").

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $4.8 million, compared with $4.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, reflecting a growth rate of 19%.

CAPITAL STRUCTURE
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company had approximately $6.3 billion of assets under management from its managed companies, corporate cash of $35.4 million, no corporate level debt, no preferred equity, and 2.6 million fully diluted shares.  The Company has a current fully diluted equity market capitalization of approximately $240 million.

QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS FOR ADVISED PLATFORMS

ASHFORD TRUST HIGHLIGHTS

• Trust completed an underwritten public offering of 5,400,000 shares of 7.50% Series I Cumulative Preferred Stock at $25.00 per share.
• Trust completed the partial redemption of 5,514,960 shares of its 8.45% Series D Cumulative Preferred Stock.
• Trust refinanced a mortgage loan, secured by the Hilton Boston Back Bay, with an existing outstanding balance totaling approximately $95 million, with a new loan totaling $97 million. The new loan is expected to result in annual principal payments and interest expense savings of approximately $2.8 million.
• Trust refinanced a mortgage loan, secured by 17 hotels, with an existing outstanding balance totaling approximately $413 million, with a new loan totaling $427 million. The new loan is expected to result in annual interest savings of approximately $9.8 million.
• Subsequent to quarter end, Trust refinanced a mortgage loan on 8 hotels with an existing outstanding balance of $377 million. The new loan totals $395 million and is expected to result in annual interest savings of approximately $6.8 million.

ASHFORD PRIME HIGHLIGHTS

• Prime received $4.1 million in business interruption insurance recoveries for its hurricane-impacted properties.
• Prime announced plans to convert its Courtyard San Francisco Downtown hotel to an Autograph Collection property.
• Prime completed the sale of its Marriott Plano Legacy hotel in Plano, Texas and is marketing for sale its Renaissance Tampa hotel in Tampa, FL.
• Prime entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the 266-room Ritz-Carlton Sarasota in Sarasota, FL for $171 million.

"We are pleased with our operating results for 2017, which reflected significant growth over our prior year results, and continue to be excited about the growth prospects for our service businesses, OpenKey, Pure Rooms, J&S and RED Hospitality & Leisure," commented Monty J. Bennett, Ashford's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Looking ahead, we believe that Ashford and our advised platforms are well positioned for growth in the coming year.  We remain committed to maximizing value for our shareholders by pursuing our strategy to opportunistically grow our business by accretively expanding our existing REIT platforms, adding additional investment platforms and investing in other hospitality-related businesses through which we can accelerate meaningful, profitable growth."

INVESTOR CONFERENCE CALL AND SIMULCAST
The Company will conduct a conference call on Friday, March 2, 2018, at 12:00 p.m. ET.  The number for this interactive teleconference is (719) 325-2454.  A replay of the conference call will be available through Friday, March 9, 2018, by dialing (719) 457-0820 and entering the confirmation number, 8382398.

The Company will also provide an online simulcast and rebroadcast of its fourth quarter 2017 earnings release conference call.  The live broadcast of the Company's quarterly conference call will be available online at the Company's web site, www.ashfordinc.com on Friday, March 2, 2018, beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.  The online replay will follow shortly after the call and continue for approximately one year.

Included in this press release are certain supplemental measures of performance which are not measures of operating performance under GAAP, to assist investors in evaluating the Company's historical or future financial performance. These supplemental measures include adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") and Adjusted Net Income. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income provide investors and management with a meaningful indicator of operating performance. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income, among other measures, to evaluate profitability and our board of directors includes these measures in reviews to determine quarterly distributions to stockholders. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA by subtracting or adding to net income (loss): interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, net income (loss) to noncontrolling interests, transaction costs, and other expenses. We calculate Adjusted Net Income by subtracting or adding to net income (loss): net income (loss) to noncontrolling interests, transaction costs, and other expenses. Our methodology for calculating Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income may differ from the methodologies used by other comparable companies, when calculating the same or similar supplemental financial measures and may not be comparable with these companies. Neither Adjusted EBITDA nor Adjusted Net Income represents cash generated from operating activities as determined by GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to a) GAAP net income (loss) as an indication of our financial performance or b) GAAP cash flows from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity nor are such measures indicative of funds available to satisfy our cash needs. The Company urges investors to carefully review the U.S. GAAP financial information as shown in our periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K, as amended.

Ashford provides global asset management, investment management and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors.

Follow Chairman and CEO Monty Bennett on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBennettAshford or @MBennettAshford.

Ashford has created an Ashford App for the hospitality REIT investor community.  The Ashford App is available for free download at Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store by searching "Ashford."

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements and assumptions in this press release contain or are based upon "forward-looking" information and are being made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. When we use the words "will likely result," "may," "can," "anticipate," "estimate," "should," "expect," "believe," "intend," or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside Ashford's control.

These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation:  general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of our common stock; changes in our business or investment strategy; availability, terms and deployment of capital; availability of qualified personnel; changes in our industry and the market in which we operate, interest rates or the general economy; the degree and nature of our competition; risks associated with business combination transactions, such as the risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully, that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected or that the expected benefits of the acquisition will not be realized. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed in Ashford's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, changes in expectations or otherwise.