Alight Inc (ALIT)

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Alight Reports Third Quarter 2021 Results
November 09 2021 - 07:00AM


– Achieved $690M of revenue driven by 5% growth in Employer Solutions –

– Delivered strong BPaaS revenue growth of 20% –

– BPaaS bookings growth through nine months already exceeds original full-year plan –

– Significant new customer wins and expanded relationships underscore emerging demand –

– Strategic use of technology driving margin expansion –

– Again raising full-year outlook –

Alight (NYSE: ALIT), a leading cloud-based provider of integrated digital human capital and business solutions, today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

“We delivered strong quarterly results, including new customer wins and the expansion of existing customer relationships, as powerful secular forces continue to move in Alight’s favor,” said Chief Executive Officer Stephan Scholl. “Accelerated by the pandemic, companies are facing tightening labor markets, while also undertaking complex return to workplace strategies and facing ongoing workforce disruptions, all of which have shined a bright light on the need to place the wellbeing of their employees front and center to effectively navigate these challenges. Through its BPaaS solutions, which leverage the Alight Worklife platform, we believe Alight is uniquely positioned to deliver a comprehensive view of health, wealth, wellbeing and pay, giving companies the ability to leverage data, AI and analytics to rethink their employee experience. With our continued momentum, we are pleased to raise our full-year outlook for the second time.”

Third Quarter 2021 and Subsequent Highlights (all comparisons relative to third quarter 2020)

On July 2, 2021, Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. (FTAC) completed the Business Combination with Alight Holding Company, LLC
5.0% increase in Employer Solutions revenue, driving total revenue growth of 3.3% to $690 million
Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) revenue growth of 19.8% to $97 million, representing 14.1% of total revenue, up from 12.1%
BPaaS bookings on total contract value basis increased 42.1% to $179 million with year-to-date BPaaS bookings of $459 million ahead of original January full-year forecast
With strong year-to-date bookings, ended the quarter with more than 95% of projected 2021 revenue and more than 65% of projected 2022 revenue under contract
New wins and expanded relationships with companies including Genworth, Shell, Aptar, Randstad, Arconic and Camping World
Gross profit growth of 4.8% to $238 million, with employer solutions gross profit margin improving 140 basis points to 36.6%, and operating income of $25 million
Net loss of $120 million, mainly due to non-cash expenses related to the FTAC merger, including seller earnouts, warrants, and tax receivable agreement revaluations
Adjusted EBITDA increased by 15.9% to $153 million
Subsequent to quarter end completed acquisitions of Aon’s Retiree Health Exchange business and ConsumerMedical
Raising full-year outlook for a second time based on strong results and acquisitions to revenue growth of 5% to 6%, up from 3% to 5%, and Adjusted EBITDA of $615 million to $625 million, up from $610 million to $620 million.

Third Quarter 2021 Results

Consolidated Results

Total revenue increased 3.3% to $690 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 from $668 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The increase was driven by a 5.0% increase in Employer Solutions revenue while Professional Services revenue was flat.

Gross profit, inclusive of depreciation and amortization, increased 4.8% to $238 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, or 34.5% of revenue, from $227 million, or 34.0% of revenue, for the Predecessor prior year period. The increase in gross profit was primarily driven by revenue growth as noted above, partially offset by increases in costs associated with the growth in current and future revenues.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $7 million, or 5.5% for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to the Predecessor prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by non-recurring professional expenses in relation to the merger with FTAC completed in the third quarter of 2021, partially offset by lower expenses related to productivity initiatives, including the impact of lower restructuring and integration related costs.

Interest expense decreased to $28 million for the for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to $61 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease was primarily a result of a total debt reduction of $1.2 billion in conjunction with the Business Combination completed during the third quarter of 2021.

Loss before income tax benefit was $120 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 compared to $22 million for the Predecessor prior year period.

Segment Results

Employer Solutions

Employer Solutions are driven by Alight’s digital, software and AI-led capabilities and spans total employee wellbeing and engagement, including integrated benefits administration, healthcare navigation, financial health, employee wellness and payroll.

Employer Solutions total revenues were $587 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to $559 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The overall increase of $28 million was due to an increase of recurring revenues of $24 million, or 5%, from $498 million to $522 million as a result of Net Commercial Activity and transitions from our Hosted Business to cloud-based services, and an increase in project revenues of $4 million, or 7%, from $61 million to $65 million.

Employer Solutions gross profit was $215 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $197 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The increase of $18 million, or 9%, was primarily due to revenue growth as discussed above and increases in costs associated with growth of current and future revenues, partially offset by lower expenses related to productivity initiatives, including the impact of lower restructuring and integration related costs.

Employer Solutions Adjusted EBITDA was $151 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $120 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The increase of $31 million was primarily due to revenue growth as discussed above.

Professional Services

Professional Services total revenues were $93 million for both the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 and the Predecessor prior year period, which was due to an increase of recurring revenues of $4 million, or 14%, from $28 million to $32 million as a result of increases in Net Commercial Activity, offset by a decrease in project revenues of $4 million, or 6%, from $65 million to $61 million.

Professional Services gross profit was $24 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $30 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease of $6 million, or 20%, was primarily due to increases in costs associated with growth of future revenues, including investments in key resources.

Professional Services Adjusted EBITDA was $4 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $12 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease of $8 million was primarily due to increases in costs associated with growth of future revenues, including investments in our commercial functions.

Hosted Business

Hosted Business revenues were $10 million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to $16 million for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease of $6 million was due to transitions from our Hosted Business to cloud-based services.

Hosted Business Gross Profit (Loss) was ($1) million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to immaterial million for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease of $1 million was primarily due to transitions from our Hosted Business to cloud-based services.

Hosted Business Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of ($2) million for the Successor three months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to immaterial for the Predecessor prior year period. The decrease of $2 million was driven by a decrease in revenue during the period from the continued transition from our Hosted Business to cloud-based services, which outpaced a decrease in costs during the period.

Balance Sheet Highlights and Subsequent Events

As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance was $769 million, total debt was $2,882 million and total debt net of cash and cash equivalents was $2,113 million. In connection with the closing of the Business Combination, the Company repaid $1,786 million of debt, consisting of $556 million of term loan debt and $1,230 million of unsecured notes. During the quarter, the Company added a new $525 million 7-year term to be used for both acquisitions and general corporate purposes, taking advantage of the lower interest rate environment.

In October, the Company completed the acquisition of ConsumerMedical, a leading clinical advocacy and expert medical opinion company. ConsumerMedical will enhance Alight’s ability to help employers around the world build a healthier workforce through its data-driven, personalized solutions. ConsumerMedical has a 25-year history of helping employers simplify and improve the way employees make medical decisions.

In October, the Company completed the acquisition of Aon’s Retiree Health Exchange business which will provide additional scale, expertise and capabilities in Medicare enrollment to further expand the Company’s ability to serve employees from hiring to retirement.

Business Outlook

Given the strong momentum over the last three quarters and recent acquisitions, the Company is raising its full-year 2021 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA outlook as follows:

Revenue growth to a range of 5% to 6% as recent acquisitions and positive momentum with existing businesses lead to more opportunities. This compares to the Company’s previous full-year 2021 revenue growth outlook of 3% to 5% and original guidance of 1% growth.

Adjusted EBITDA growth to a range of $615 million to $625 million. This compares to the previous range of $610 million to $620 million and original guidance of $600 million.

Earnings Conference Call and Webcast Information

A conference call to discuss the Company’s third-quarter 2021 financial results is scheduled for today, November 9, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (8:30 a.m. Eastern Time). Interested parties can listen to the conference call by dialing 1-877-407-0792 or 1-201-689-8263, or by accessing the live webcast and accompanying presentation materials by logging on to the Investor Relations section on the Company’s website at http://investor.alight.com. A replay of the conference call and the accompanying presentation materials will be available on the investor relations website for approximately 90 days.