IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advantage Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: ADV) (“Advantage,” “Advantage Solutions,” the “Company,” “we” or “our”), a leading provider of outsourced sales and marketing services to consumer goods manufacturers and retailers, today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2023. The results continue to reflect a trendline of improving revenue and Adjusted EBITDA performance for the Company. Revenues for the quarter grew 5.7% year-over-year, an increase of 6.1% excluding foreign exchange, to reach $1.0 billion, and Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached $104.2 million, down 3.8% year-over year with a margin decline of approximately 100 basis points. The decline in Adjusted EBITDA reflects an improvement in dollar and margin trajectory relative to prior quarter (which, in the first quarter of 2023, had decreased 4.8% in dollars and approximately 150 basis points in margin, in each case, on a year-over-year basis) and includes the impact of the completed divestiture.

“We’re proud to deliver another consecutive quarter of strong company performance while advancing our transformation journey to position Advantage for long-term, profitable growth,” said Advantage Solutions CEO Dave Peacock. “We‘re taking a strategic approach to strengthen our culture, simplify our operations, improve our financial discipline and enhance our processes as a unified company. These efforts are designed to deliver more value to our stakeholders and better position our business in the marketplace. Our reach, relationships, insights and expertise are unmatched, and I remain confident in our capabilities delivering critical, need-to-have solutions for the world’s largest CPG and retail companies.”

Peacock continued, “Despite an unprecedently tight labor supply, our year-over-year topline growth of approximately 6% in the second quarter was primarily driven by continued volume growth as well as success in pricing realization. Our capital allocation philosophy has maintained a focus on maximizing returns for our equity holders, including deleveraging our balance sheet, as reinforced by our continued voluntary repurchases of our term loan, and investing behind our core business offerings. Over the quarter, we continued to bolster our roster of world-class talent, and our executive leadership team is working hard to implement best-in-class practices across the enterprise. We plan to continue growing value for our stakeholders.”

Second Quarter 2023 Highlights

Revenues

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by Segment

• Revenues for the second quarter were $1,037.1 million, up $56.0 million, or 5.7%, from second quarter 2022 revenues of $981.1 million. Excluding the impact of unfavorable foreign exchange rates and acquisitions / divestitures, revenues increased 7.7%.
• Operating income in the quarter was $22.3 million, compared with operating income of $28.3 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Adjusted EBITDA in the quarter was $104.2 million compared with Adjusted EBITDA of $108.3 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Net loss in the quarter was $7.8 million compared with net income of $3.7 million in the second quarter of 2022.

The year-over-year increase in revenues was driven by $60.3 million of growth in the marketing segment (an increase of 16% year-over-year) with a sales segment decline of $4.3 million, or 1% year over year. Second quarter growth in the marketing segment was driven primarily by the continued recovery of our in-store sampling and demonstration services, with digital services starting to show signs of stabilization. The second quarter decline in the sales segment was driven by the completed divestiture and intentional and previously anticipated client exit, partially offset by an increase in retail merchandising services, pricing realization and growth in our European joint venture.

The $6.0 million decline to $22.3 million of operating income was primarily due to inflationary cost pressures, the completed divestiture and ongoing mix shift dynamics across the enterprise.

The year-over-year decline in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the decline in operating income.

The year-over-year decrease in net income was driven by the decline in operating income and an increase in interest expense due to the rising interest rate environment, partially offset by lower debt balances.

Balance Sheet Highlights

As of June 30, 2023, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $164.7 million, total debt was $2,019.8 million and Net Debt was $1,855.1 million. The debt capitalization consists primarily of the $1,237.5 million First Lien Term Loan and $775.0 million of senior secured notes as of June 30, 2023.

During the quarter, Advantage voluntarily repurchased approximately $52.4 million of its First Lien Term Loan at an attractive discount, resulting in a net leverage ratio of approximately 4.3x LTM Adjusted EBITDA as of June 30, 2023. Approximately 85% of the Company’s debt is hedged or at a fixed interest rate.

Fiscal Year 2023 Outlook

The Company is reiterating its guidance for fiscal 2023 with Adjusted EBITDA anticipated to range from $400 million to $420 million, including the impact of completed divestitures. Our guidance contemplates the continued realization of pricing, growth in in-store sampling and demonstration events and further investments behind technology and talent.

Conference Call Details

Advantage will host a conference call at 8:30 am ET on August 4, 2023 to discuss its second quarter 2023 financial performance and business outlook. To participate, please dial 877-407-4018 within the United States or +1-201-689-8471 outside the United States approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled start of the call. The conference ID for the call is 13739354. The conference call will also be accessible live via audio broadcast on the Investor Relations section of the Advantage website at ir.advantagesolutions.net.

A replay of the conference call will be available online on the investor section of the Advantage website. In addition, an audio replay of the call will be available for one week following the call and can be accessed by dialing 844-512-2921 within the United States or +1-412-317-6671 outside the United States. The replay ID is 13739354.

About Advantage Solutions

Advantage Solutions (NASDAQ: ADV) is a leading provider of outsourced sales and marketing solutions that is uniquely positioned at the intersection of brands and retailers. Our data- and technology-driven services — which include headquarter sales, retail merchandising, in-store and online sampling, digital commerce, omnichannel marketing, retail media and others — help brands and retailers of all sizes get products into the hands of consumers, wherever they shop. As a trusted partner and problem solver, we help our clients sell more while spending less. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Advantage has offices throughout North America and strategic investments in select markets throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe through which the Company serves the global needs of multinational, regional and local manufacturers. For more information, please visit advantagesolutions.net.

Included with this press release are the Company’s consolidated and condensed financial statements as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the information contained in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2023.

Forward-Looking Statements  

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the expected future performance of Advantage's business and projected financial results. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Advantage’s future financial or operating performance. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “may”, “should”, “expect”, “intend”, “will”, “would”, “could”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “predict”, “confident”, “potential” or “continue”, or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Advantage and its management at the time of such statements, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, market-driven wage changes or changes to labor laws or wage or job classification regulations, including minimum wage; the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken in response thereto; the availability, acceptance, administration and effectiveness of any COVID-19 vaccine; Advantage’s ability to continue to generate significant operating cash flow; client procurement strategies and consolidation of Advantage’s clients’ industries creating pressure on the nature and pricing of its services; consumer goods manufacturers and retailers reviewing and changing their sales, retail, marketing and technology programs and relationships; Advantage’s ability to successfully develop and maintain relevant omni-channel services for our clients in an evolving industry and to otherwise adapt to significant technological change; Advantage’s ability to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting in the future; potential and actual harms to Advantage’s business arising from the Take 5 Matter; Advantage’s substantial indebtedness and our ability to refinance at favorable rates; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 1, 2023, and in its other filings made from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Advantage assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Related Information

This press release includes certain financial measures not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), including Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt. These are not measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP and may exclude items that are significant in understanding and assessing Advantage’s financial results. Therefore, the measures are in addition to, and not a substitute for or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income, cash flows from operations or other measures of profitability, liquidity or performance under GAAP. You should be aware that Advantage’s presentation of these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Reconciliations of historical non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP counterparts are included below.

Advantage believes these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to Advantage’s financial condition and results of operations. Advantage believes that the use of Adjusted EBITDA and Net Debt provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing Advantage’s financial measures with other similar companies, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors. Non-GAAP financial measures are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgments by management about which expense and income are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. Additionally, other companies may calculate non-GAAP measures differently, or may use other measures to calculate their financial performance, and therefore Advantage’s non-GAAP measures may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA means net (loss) income before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) provision for (benefit from) income taxes, (iii) depreciation, (iv) amortization of intangible assets, (v) equity-based compensation of Karman Topco L.P., (vi) changes in fair value of warrant liability, (vii) stock based compensation expense, (viii) fair value adjustments of contingent consideration related to acquisitions, (ix) acquisition-related expenses, (x) loss on disposal of assets, (xi) costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received, (xii) EBITDA for economic interests in investments, (xiii) reorganization and restructuring expenses, (xiv) litigation expenses, (xv) recovery from Take 5, (xvi) costs associated with the Take 5 Matter and (xvii) other adjustments that management believes are helpful in evaluating our operating performance.

Net Debt represents the sum of current portion of long-term debt and long-term debt, less cash and cash equivalents and debt issuance costs. With respect to Net Debt, cash and cash equivalents are subtracted from the GAAP measure, total debt, because they could be used to reduce the debt obligations. We present Net Debt because we believe this non-GAAP measure provides useful information to management and investors regarding certain financial and business trends relating to the Company’s financial condition and to evaluate changes to the Company's capital structure and credit quality assessment.

Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this document may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures.

This press release also includes certain estimates and projections of Adjusted EBITDA, including with respect to expected fiscal 2023 results. Due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate estimates and projections of some of the information excluded from Adjusted EBITDA, together with some of the excluded information not being ascertainable or accessible, Advantage is unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures without unreasonable effort. Consequently, no disclosure of estimated or projected comparable GAAP measures is included and no reconciliation of such forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures is included.

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Contacts: 
Sean Choksi
sean.choksi@advantagesolutions.net