Lindblad Expeditions Holdings Inc (LIND)

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Earnings Press Release, 10/29/2020 for Q3 Earnings Report -

Full press release with Summary and Highlights:
https://investors.expeditions.com/press-releases/news-details/2020/Lindblad-Expeditions-Holdings-Inc.-Reports-2020-Third-Quarter-Financial-Results/default.aspx

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. Reports 2020 Third Quarter Financial Results
Company Release - 10/29/2020
NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Third Quarter 2020 Highlights:

- Raised $85 million through private placement issuance of convertible preferred equity to prominent ("long-term") investors

- Amended term loan and revolving credit facilities to waive leverage covenants through Q2 2021

- Implemented significant cost reduction measures to further increase liquidity profile and ended the quarter with $129.6 million in unrestricted cash and $16.5 million in restricted cash

- Cash usage is approximately $10-15 million monthly excluding the impact of guest payments and refunds

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIND; the "Company" or "Lindblad"), a global provider of expedition cruises and adventure travel experiences, today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, President and Chief Executive Officer, said "Since the COVID-19 pandemic began our focus has been on enhancing our existing rigorous protocols so we can return safely to the world's most remarkable destinations, while ensuring we have enough liquidity to withstand the uncertain time out of service and emerge in a position of strength. The response from local authorities and our loyal guests to the extensive protocols we have developed has been overwhelmingly positive and we continue to move closer to resuming operations in geographies that we have been visiting for over forty years. This past quarter we continued to reduce our cost structure while further enhancing our financial position by raising additional capital from a diversified group of long-term investors. This investment will provide significant runway as we prepare to return to exploring, while also providing us financial flexibility to pursue additional opportunities for growth as we emerge from the pandemic."

("long-term" - i.e. not immediately dilutive, not selling shares into the market)

COVID-19 BUSINESS UPDATE

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the effects of travel restrictions around the world, the Company has suspended or rescheduled the majority of its expeditions departing March 16, 2020 through December 31, 2020 and has rescheduled its 2020-2021 Antarctica season. The Company has been working with guests to amend travel plans and refund payments, as applicable. The Company's ships are currently being maintained with minimally required crew on-board to ensure they comply with all necessary regulations and can be fully put back into service quickly as needed. In accordance with local regulations, the Company closed its offices and most employees are working remotely to maintain general business operations, to provide assistance to existing and potential guests and to maintain information technology systems.

The Company moved quickly to implement a comprehensive plan to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and preserve and enhance its liquidity position. The Company is employing a variety of cost reduction and cash preservation measures, while accessing available capital under its existing debt facilities and through the issuance of preferred equity, while exploring additional sources of capital and liquidity. These measures include the following operating expense and capital expenditure reductions:

Significantly reduced ship and land-based expedition costs including crew payroll, land costs, fuel and food. All ships have been safely laid up.
Lowered expected annual maintenance capital expenditures by over $10 million, savings of more than 50% from originally planned levels.
Meaningfully reduced general and administrative expenses through employee furloughs, payroll reductions and the elimination of all non-essential travel, office expenses and discretionary spending.
Suspended the majority of planned advertising and marketing spend.
Suspended all repurchases of common stock under the stock repurchase plan.
Bookings Trends

The Company was off to a strong start to the year with Lindblad segment bookings at the end of February up 25% for the full year 2020 as compared to the same point a year ago for 2019, and had sold 86% of its originally projected guest ticket revenues for the year. Since that point, the Company has experienced a substantial impact from the COVID-19 virus including elevated cancellations and softness in near-term demand. As of October 26, 2020, Lindblad segment bookings for travel in 2020 are now 74% below the same point a year ago for 2019 due primarily to the cancelled and rescheduled voyages. The Company has substantial advanced bookings for travel in 2021 and despite increased cancellations for travel in the first quarter of 2021, total bookings for 2021 are 4% ahead of bookings for 2019 as of the same date in 2018 and only 12% below the same date a year ago for 2020. For the last nine months of 2021 bookings are 12% ahead of the bookings for the same period in 2020 as of the same date a year ago. The Company continues to see new bookings for future travel including over $44.0 million since March 1, 2020, and it is receiving deposits and final payments for future travel.

For 2020 voyages that have been cancelled or rescheduled, the Company is providing future travel credits with incremental value or full refunds, as applicable, to its fully paid guests. As of October 26, 2020, the majority of guests have opted for future travel credits.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

As of September 30, 2020, the Company had $129.6 million in unrestricted cash and $16.5 million in restricted cash primarily related to deposits on future travel originating from U.S. ports. During the first quarter of 2020 the Company drew down $45.0 million under its revolving credit facility as a precautionary measure for working capital and general corporate purposes given the uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic and borrowed $107.7 million under its first export credit agreement in conjunction with final payment on delivery of the National Geographic Endurance in March 2020.

During April 2020, the Company drew down $30.6 million under its second export credit agreement in conjunction with its third installment payment on the National Geographic Resolution scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2021.

During May 2020, the Company amended its $2.5 million promissory note, changing the maturity date of the principal payments to be due in three equal installments, with the first payment due on December 22, 2020, the second due on December 22, 2021 and the final payment due on December 22, 2022.

During June 2020, the Company amended its export credit agreements to defer approximately $9.0 million in aggregate scheduled amortization payments from June 2020 through March 2021 and to suspend the total net leverage ratio covenant from June 2020 through June 2021.

During August 2020, the Company amended its term loan and revolving credit facilities to waive the application of the total net leverage ratio covenant through June 2021. In connection with the amendment, the interest rate of the term loan has been increased by 125bps, to be paid-in-kind at maturity, a LIBOR floor of 75bps has been added to each facility and certain covenants have been amended to be more restrictive.

During August 2020, the Company raised $85.0 million in gross proceeds through the private placement issuance of Redeemable Convertible Series A Preferred Stock that carries a 6% annual dividend, which is payable in kind for two years and thereafter in cash or in-kind at the Company's option. The preferred stock is convertible into shares of Lindblad common stock at a conversion price of $9.50 per share, representing a premium of 23% to Lindblad's 30-trading volume weighted average price on the date of issuance.

As of September 30, 2020, the Company had a total debt position of $412.2 million and was in compliance with all of its debt covenants in effect. The Company has no material debt maturities until 2023.

The Company estimates its monthly cash usage while its vessels are not in operations to be approximately $10-15 million including ship and office operating expenses, necessary capital expenditures and interest and principal payments. This excludes guest payments for future travel and cash refunds requested on previously made guest payments. The Company continues to evaluate additional strategies to enhance its liquidity position which may include, but are not limited to, further reductions in operating expenses, capital expenditures and administrative costs as well as additional financings.

The Company has not previously experienced a complete cessation of its operations and, as a consequence, its ability to predict the impact of such cessation on its costs and future prospects is limited. Given the dynamic nature of this situation, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the impacts of the COVID-19 virus on its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, plans and growth for the foreseeable future. It is unknown when travel restrictions and various border closures will be lifted and what the demand for expedition travel will be once these restrictions are no longer in place. The estimates for monthly cash usage reflect the Company's current forecast for operating costs, capital expenditures and expected debt and interest payments. Based on current liquidity, the actions taken to date and its current forecast, which assumes rescheduled operations during 2020 with a ramp up in operations throughout 2021, the Company believes that its liquidity should be adequate to meet its obligations for the next 12 months.

Return to Operations

The Company already has a robust set of operating protocols and, in preparation for the resumption of operations, has been proactively working in close cooperation with various medical policy experts and public health authorities to further augment its procedures and protocols for health and safety onboard its vessels to mitigate the potential impacts of the COVID-19 virus. These protocols encompass, but are not limited to, medical care, screening, testing, social distancing, personal protective equipment, and sanitization during all aspects of the expedition.

While it is uncertain when the Company will return to operations, it believes there are a variety of strategic advantages that should enable it to deploy its ships safely and quickly once travel restrictions have been lifted. The most notable is the size of its owned and operated vessels which range from 48 to 148 passengers, allowing for a highly controlled environment that includes stringent cleaning protocols. The small nature of the Company's ships should also allow it to efficiently and effectively test its guests and crew prior to boarding. On average, the Company estimates it will only take a few thousand tests a month to ensure all guests and crew across its entire fleet have been tested. Additionally, the majority of its expeditions take place in remote locations where human interactions are limited, so there is less opportunity for external influence. The Company also has the ability to be flexible with regards to existing itineraries and is actively investigating additional itinerary opportunities both internationally and domestically. Lastly, the Company's guests are explorers by nature, eager to travel and have historically been very resilient following periods of uncertainty.

THIRD QUARTER RESULTS... (see full PR, link provided at top of post)