Atento Reports Fiscal 2018 First-Quarter Results Highlighted by Solid Topline Growth

NEW YORK, May 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO), the largest provider of customer-relationship management and business-process outsourcing services in Latin America, and among the top five providers globally, today announced its first-quarter 2018 operating and financial results. All comparisons in this announcement are year-over-year and in constant-currency (CCY), unless noted otherwise, and may differ from 6K due to certain intra-group eliminations.

Summary

Alejandro Reynal, Atento´s Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We continued delivering solid top line growth and revenue diversification in the first quarter of 2018, driven by 8% increase in revenues from Multisector clients supported by broad-based country gains. During the quarter we leveraged our Company expanded capabilities in digital customer experience and back office to provide even greater value to our clients and to continue extending our market leadership into the digital age."

Mauricio Montilha, Atento´s Chief Financial Officer, said, "The first quarter results were aligned with the Company's expectations, as mentioned in the short term trends provided within the guidance for the year. EBITDA Margins totaled 10.1% in the quarter with Americas posting margin improvement and Brazil in line with short term guidance. We are encouraged by improving trends in Q1 2018 versus Q4 2017 in Brazil and expect margins to recover throughout the year."

Mr. Reynal concluded, "We are reaffirming our financial guidance for the year and remain confident that in 2018 we will continue to make great progress for Atento. The macro environment continues to evolve favorably and support revenue growth. As we accelerate the execution of our growth strategy, we remain the reference partner for the CRM BPO needs of clients and help them to unveil the full potential of the digital transformation throughout the customer lifecycle."

First Quarter Consolidated Operating Results

All comparisons in this announcement, unless otherwise noted, are year-over-year and in constant-currency (CCY).

Consolidated revenues grew by 4.5% in the first quarter of 2018, driven by the strong growth from Americas and Brazil, as well as Multisector clients. On a reported basis, total revenue increased 4.8% in the quarter.

Revenues from Multisector increased 7.9% in Q1, representing 61.4% of total revenues, up 1.5 p.p. year-on-year. Revenues from Telefónica continued to present stability, down 0.6% in Q1, and our revenues from higher value-added solutions totaled 25.0% in the quarter, down 1.3 p.p. on changes in client mix.

EBITDA in the quarter totaled $49.8 million, down 1.0% year-on-year, while EBITDA margins totaled 10.1%, down 0.6 p.p. versus the same period of 2017. The drop in EBITDA margin is mostly explained by lower margins in Brazil, partially offset by improved margins in Americas. Margins in EMEA were stable.

In the quarter, recurring net income attributable to owners of the parent company reached $7.8 million, implying Recurring EPS of $0.10 vs $0.17 in the previous year. The lower recurring EPS can be traced to the drop in Adjusted EBITDA combined with higher taxes. Effective Tax Rate affecting Recurring Net Income was 51.3% vs 36.6% in Q1 2017 and is expected to normalize throughout the year.

Free cash flow before interest and acquisitions was negative $34.9 million, mostly driven by higher one-off working capital, that is expected to be normalized throughout the year. Capex payment as percentage of revenues was 2.7%, compared to 2.2% in Q1 2017.

At the end of the first quarter, Atento's gross debt totaled $494.6 million, down 6.5% YoY, while net debt stood at $394.4 million versus $368.9 million in Q1 2017. The net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio was 1.8x compared to 1.6x both in Q4 2017 and Q1 2017, reflecting lower cash position.

Adjusted earnings, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures and are reconciled to their most directly comparable GAAP measures in the accompanying financial tables.

Segment Reporting

Brazil Region

In the quarter, revenues in Brazil grew 3.6% year-on-year, driven mostly by 4.6% growth in revenues from Multisector clients, as a reflection of higher value added solutions growth. Revenue mix from Multisector increased 0.6 p.p. to 69.0%, as new wins from commercial activity remains solid, while revenues from Telefónica grew 1.4%, reflecting higher volumes in the region.

Adjusted EBITDA totaled $26.4 million in Q1, while margin decreased 3.3 p.p. points to 11.1%, following Q4 2017 trends. While the continued weakness in volumes still lag economic recovery, we expect that the operational plans being executed should drive margins recovery in the second half of the year.

Americas Region

Revenue growth was once again strong in Americas in the quarter, up 9.7% over the last year. Multisector continued to increase significantly, up 13.9% year-on-year, driven by volume increases specially in Argentina, Chile and Colombia. The strong performance pushed Multisector up 3.1 p.p. versus Q1 2017 to 59.6% of revenues. Revenues from Telefónica increased by 1.7%, reflecting continued positive results in Argentina, Mexico and Chile.

In the quarter, Adjusted EBITDA totaled $21.0 million, with margins up 1.0 p.p. to 11.0%, reflecting normalized profitability levels in contracts implemented during 2017.

EMEA Region

EMEA revenues decreased 2.4% in the quarter, as a result of a 8.0% decrease in Telefónica revenues, driven by lower volumes, partially offset by the strong 7.8% growth in Multisector, reflecting higher volumes from non-TEF Telcos. In the quarter, revenue mix from Multisector was up 3.7 p.p. to 38.9% of revenues.

Adjusted EBITDA in the quarter totaled $5.0 million, with margins of 7.8% stable year-on-year, as a result of higher volumes from Multisector combined with operational efficiency initiatives implemented in the period.

Cash Flow and Capital Structure

In the quarter, operating cash flow totaled negative $17.0 million, while free cash flow before interest and acquisitions was negative $34.9 million, reflected by higher one-off working capital, that we expect to be normalized throughout the year. Capex payments totaled at 2.7% of revenues, versus 2.2% in Q1 2017.

At the end of Q1 2018, Atento held Cash and Cash equivalents of $100 million and revolving credit facilities of $104 million, out of which $90 million were undrawn, implying total liquidity of $190 million. Total net debt with third parties was $394.4 million and the Adjusted LTM EBITDA to net debt ratio was 1.8x, up from the 1.6x in both Q4 2017 and Q1 2017.

Fiscal 2018 Guidance

We expect a favorable macro environment combined with stable regulatory frameworks which should support growth in 2018 and should compensate for potential political uncertainties arising from Presidential Elections in Colombia (May), Mexico (July) and Brazil (October).

For Fiscal 2018, we are targeting:

Short Term trends

We expect Q1 and Q2 2018 revenues to be at the bottom range of the guidance. In terms of profitability, we expect seasonally lower Adjusted EBITDA Margins below guidance in Q1 and Q2.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Tuesday, May 08, 2018 at 11:00 am ET to discuss its financial results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing: +1 (877) 407-0784 toll free domestic, UK: (+44) 0 800 756 3429 toll free, Brazil: (+55) 0 800 891 6221 toll free, or Spain: (+34) 900 834 236 toll free. All other international callers can access the conference call by dialing: +1 (201) 689-8560 toll free. No passcode is required. Individuals who dial in will be asked to identify themselves and their affiliations. The live webcast of the conference call will be available on Atento's Investor Relations website at investors.atento.com. A web-based archive of the conference call will also be available at the above website.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM BPO) solutions in Latin America, and among the top five providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atento´s shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2016, Atento was named one of the World´s 25 Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work® for a fourth consecutive year. For more information visit www.atento.com

Investor Relations
Shay Chor 
+ 55 11 3293-5926
shay.chor@atento.com

Felipe Joaquim Martins de Souza 
+ 55 11 3779-8053
felipe.souza@atento.com

Media Relations
Maite Cordero 
+ 34 91 740 74 47
media@atento.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intends," "continue" or similar terminology. These statements reflect only Atento's current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, competition in Atento's highly competitive industries; increases in the cost of voice and data services or significant interruptions in these services; Atento's ability to keep pace with its clients' needs for rapid technological change and systems availability; the continued deployment and adoption of emerging technologies; the loss, financial difficulties or bankruptcy of any key clients; the effects of global economic trends on the businesses of Atento's clients; the non-exclusive nature of Atento's client contracts and the absence of revenue commitments; security and privacy breaches of the systems Atento uses to protect personal data; the cost of pending and future litigation; the cost of defending Atento against intellectual property infringement claims; extensive regulation affecting many of Atento's businesses; Atento's ability to protect its proprietary information or technology; service interruptions to Atento's data and operation centers; Atento's ability to retain key personnel and attract a sufficient number of qualified employees; increases in labor costs and turnover rates; the political, economic and other conditions in the countries where Atento operates; changes in foreign exchange rates; Atento's ability to complete future acquisitions and integrate or achieve the objectives of its recent and future acquisitions; future impairments of our substantial goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets; and Atento's ability to recover consumer receivables on behalf of its clients. In addition, Atento is subject to risks related to its level of indebtedness. Such risks include Atento's ability to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and fund its other liquidity needs; Atento's ability to comply with covenants contained in its debt instruments; the ability to obtain additional financing; the incurrence of significant additional indebtedness by Atento and its subsidiaries; and the ability of Atento's lenders to fulfill their lending commitments. Atento is also subject to other risk factors described in documents filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. 

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. Atento undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected financial information should be read in conjunction with the interim consolidated financial statements and the section entitled "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" presented elsewhere in the Form 6-K.

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SOURCE Atento S.A.