Form 8-K

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): October 26, 2011

 

 

ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   000-26489   48-1090909

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

3111 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 1300,

San Diego, California

  92108
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

(877) 445-4581

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 


Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On October 26, 2011, Encore Capital Group, Inc. issued a press release announcing its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated by reference herein.

The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the information contained in Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Item 2.02, and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by a specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

99.1    Press release dated October 26, 2011.


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

    ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.
Date: October 26, 2011  

/s/ Paul Grinberg

  Paul Grinberg
 

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial

Officer and Treasurer


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

99.1    Press release dated October 26, 2011.
Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

LOGO

For Immediate Release

Encore Capital Group Announces Third Quarter 2011 Financial Results

Quarterly Net Income Increases 25% to $15.4 Million, or $0.60 per Fully Diluted Share;

Quarterly Gross Collections Increase 20% to $189.1 Million

SAN DIEGO, October 26, 2011 Encore Capital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECPG), a leader in consumer debt buying and recovery, today reported consolidated financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2011.

“In the third quarter, Encore Capital’s disciplined approach to portfolio underwriting and management generated strong results in terms of net income, gross collections, and cash flow,” said Brandon Black, Encore’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We also continued to invest in areas that will provide the Company with long-term strategic advantages. These areas include the growth of our internal legal channel, and preparing the foundation for a near-shore call center in Costa Rica in order to service our growing number of Spanish-speaking consumers.”

For the third quarter of 2011:

 

   

Gross collections were $189.1 million, a 20% increase over the $157.4 million in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Investment in receivable portfolios was $65.7 million, to purchase $2.0 billion in face value of debt, compared to $77.9 million, to purchase $2.6 billion in face value of debt in the same period of the prior year. Available capacity under the Company’s revolving credit facility, subject to borrowing base and applicable debt covenants, was $149.5 million as of September 30, 2011. Total debt, consisting of the revolving credit facility, senior secured notes and capital lease obligations, was $344.2 million as of September 30, 2011, a decrease of 11% from $385.3 million as of December 31, 2010.

 

   

Revenue from receivable portfolios, net was $115.8 million, a 24% increase over the $93.8 million in the same period of the prior year. Revenue recognized on receivable portfolios, as a percentage of portfolio collections, excluding the effects of net portfolio allowances, was 62%, compared to 64% in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Revenue from bankruptcy servicing was $4.7 million, a 14% increase over the $4.1 million in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Total operating expenses were $89.8 million, a 21% increase over the $74.3 million in the same period of the prior year. Adjusted operating expense (operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense and bankruptcy servicing expenses) per dollar collected decreased to 43.8% compared to 43.9% in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Adjusted EBITDA, defined as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and portfolio amortization, was $107.2 million, a 20% increase over the $89.7 million in the same period of the prior year.


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 2 of 8

 

   

Total interest expense was $5.2 million, compared to $4.9 million in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Net income was $15.4 million or $0.60 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $12.3 million or $0.49 per fully diluted share in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

Tangible book value per share, computed by dividing total stockholders’ equity less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets by the number of diluted shares outstanding, was $13.18 as of September 30, 2011, a 16% increase over $11.35 as of December 31, 2010.

Additional Financial Information:

As outlined below, certain events affected the comparability of 2011 versus 2010 quarterly results. For a more detailed comparison of 2011 versus 2010 results, refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

 

   

In the third quarter of 2011, the Company recorded net portfolio allowances of $1.6 million, compared to $6.1 million in the same period of the prior year.

 

   

In the third quarter of 2011, the Company recorded expenses relating to our internal legal channel and near-shore initiatives of $1.1 million.

 

   

In the third quarter of 2011, the Company incurred $3.7 million of expenses associated with governmental investigations and inquiries, litigation and settlements. In the third quarter of 2010, the Company incurred $1.7 million related to such expenses.

 

   

In the third quarter of 2011, the Company recorded a tax provision of $9.9 million, compared to $6.6 million in the same period of the prior year. The third quarter’s effective tax rate was 39.1%, compared to 35.0% in the same period of the prior year. The prior year’s rate was lower largely due to state and federal tax refunds, true-ups of state and federal tax accounts, and the availability of the tax holiday in India, which expired on March 31, 2011.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will hold a conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss third quarter results.

Members of the public are invited to listen to the event via a listen-only telephone conference call line or the Internet. To access the live telephone conference call line, please dial (877) 312-8796. To access the webcast via the Internet, please visit the Upcoming Events section of the Investor Relations area of the Company’s website at www.encorecapital.com.

For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a telephone replay will be available for seven days by dialing (404) 537-3406 and using conference ID 22126765. A replay of the conference


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 3 of 8

 

call will also be available shortly after the call on the Company’s website in the Past Events section of the Investor Relations area of the Company’s website at www.encorecapital.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company has included information concerning Adjusted EBITDA because management utilizes this information, which is materially similar to a financial measure contained in covenants used in the Company’s credit agreement, in the evaluation of its operations and believes that this measure is a useful indicator of the Company’s ability to generate cash collections in excess of operating expenses through the liquidation of its receivable portfolios. The Company has included information concerning adjusted operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense and bankruptcy servicing expenses in order to facilitate a comparison of approximate cash costs to cash collections for the debt purchasing business in the periods presented. The Company has included information concerning tangible book value per share because management believes that this metric is a meaningful measure of the equity deployed in the business. Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense and bankruptcy servicing expenses, and tangible book value per share have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as alternatives to, or more meaningful than, net income and total operating expenses as indicators of Encore Capital Group’s operating performance and total stockholders’ equity as an indicator of Encore Capital Group’s financial condition. Further, these non-GAAP financial measures, as presented by Encore Capital Group, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. The Company has included a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to reported earnings under GAAP, a reconciliation of adjusted operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense and bankruptcy servicing expenses to the GAAP measure total operating expenses, and a reconciliation of tangible book value per share to the GAAP measure total stockholders’ equity in the attached financial tables.

About Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Encore Capital Group is a leader in consumer debt buying and recovery. We purchase portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables from major banks, credit unions, and utility providers and partner with individuals as they repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery. Our success and future growth are driven by our sophisticated and widespread use of analytics, our broad investments in data and behavioral science, the significant cost advantages provided by both our operations in India and our enterprise-wide, account-level cost database, and our demonstrated commitment to conduct business ethically and in ways that support our consumers’ financial recovery.

Headquartered in San Diego, we are a publicly traded NASDAQ Global Select company (ticker symbol: ECPG) and a component stock of the Russell 2000, the S&P SmallCap 600, and the Wilshire 4500. More information about the Company can be found at www.encorecapital.com.


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 4 of 8

 

Forward Looking Statements

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts, including, most importantly, those statements preceded by, or that include, the words “may,” “believe,” “projects,” “expects,” “anticipates” or the negation thereof, or similar expressions, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”). These statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our litigation, future operating results, performance, business plans or prospects. For all “forward-looking statements,” the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company and its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are discussed in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, each as it may be amended from time to time. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Paul Grinberg (858) 309-6904

paul.grinberg@encorecapital.com

Adam Sragovicz (858) 309-9509

adam.sragovicz@encorecapital.com

FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 5 of 8

 

ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition

(In Thousands, Except Par Value Amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     September 30,
2011
    December 31,
2010
 

Assets

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 10,672      $ 10,905   

Accounts receivable, net

     3,703        3,331   

Investment in receivable portfolios, net

     649,682        644,753   

Deferred court costs, net

     36,126        32,158   

Property and equipment, net

     16,412        13,658   

Prepaid income tax

     3,090        1,629   

Other assets

     11,236        13,301   

Goodwill

     15,985        15,985   

Identifiable intangible assets, net

     534        748   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 747,440      $ 736,468   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

    

Liabilities:

    

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

   $ 27,924      $ 26,539   

Deferred tax liabilities, net

     16,154        17,626   

Debt

     344,196        385,264   

Other liabilities

     5,245        4,342   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     393,519        433,771   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

    

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Convertible preferred stock, $.01 par value, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding

     —          —     

Common stock, $.01 par value, 50,000 shares authorized, 24,472 shares and 24,011 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively

     245        240   

Additional paid-in capital

     122,082        113,412   

Accumulated earnings

     232,718        188,894   

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

     (1,124     151   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     353,921        302,697   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 747,440      $ 736,468   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 6 of 8

 

ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2011     2010     2011     2010  

Revenue

        

Revenue from receivable portfolios, net

   $ 115,843      $ 93,822      $ 332,262      $ 268,574   

Servicing fees and other related revenue

     4,720        4,145        14,434        12,962   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

     120,563        97,967        346,696        281,536   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses

        

Salaries and employee benefits (excluding stock-based compensation expense)

     20,730        16,166        59,982        48,135   

Stock-based compensation expense

     2,405        1,549        5,980        4,756   

Cost of legal collections

     40,169        33,851        117,364        91,519   

Other operating expenses

     10,870        9,512        30,157        27,653   

Collection agency commissions

     3,264        5,389        10,774        17,098   

General and administrative expenses

     11,172        6,982        30,964        21,286   

Depreciation and amortization

     1,194        816        3,352        2,241   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     89,804        74,265        258,573        212,688   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from operations

     30,759        23,702        88,123        68,848   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other (expense) income

        

Interest expense

     (5,175     (4,928     (16,137     (14,346

Other (expense) income

     (346     148        (207     250   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other expense

     (5,521     (4,780     (16,344     (14,096
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     25,238        18,922        71,779        54,752   

Provision for income taxes

     (9,868     (6,632     (27,955     (19,871
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 15,370      $ 12,290      $ 43,824      $ 34,881   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding:

        

Basic

     24,638        23,947        24,493        23,793   

Diluted

     25,604        25,154        25,636        25,012   

Earnings per share:

        

Basic

   $ 0.62      $ 0.51      $ 1.79      $ 1.47   

Diluted

   $ 0.60      $ 0.49      $ 1.71      $ 1.39   

 


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 7 of 8

 

ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited, In Thousands)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2011     2010  

Operating activities:

    

Net income

   $ 43,824      $ 34,881   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     3,352        2,241   

Amortization of loan costs and debt discount

     1,367        3,270   

Stock-based compensation expense

     5,980        4,756   

Deferred income tax benefit

     (1,472     (208

Excess tax benefit from stock-based payment arrangements

     (4,904     (2,667

Provision for allowances on receivable portfolios, net

     8,109        16,777   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

    

Other assets

     1,508        (763

Deferred court costs

     (3,968     (573

Prepaid income tax and income taxes payable

     3,423        (2,815

Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other liabilities

     1,012        (2,397
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     58,231        52,502   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investing activities:

    

Purchases of receivable portfolios

     (250,107     (242,857

Collections applied to investment in receivable portfolios, net

     234,726        169,896   

Proceeds from put-backs of receivable portfolios

     2,343        2,907   

Purchases of property and equipment

     (3,458     (1,723
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (16,496     (71,777
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing activities:

    

Payment of loan costs

     (835     (6,248

Proceeds from senior secured notes

     25,000        50,000   

Proceeds from revolving credit facility

     61,000        111,644   

Repayment of revolving credit facility

     (127,000     (92,144

Repayment of convertible notes

     —          (42,920

Proceeds from net settlement of certain call options

     —          524   

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     1,287        1,773   

Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

     (3,476     (1,756

Excess tax benefit from stock-based payment arrangements

     4,904        2,667   

Repayment of capital lease obligations

     (2,848     (1,122
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (41,968     22,418   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

     (233     3,143   

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     10,905        8,388   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 10,672      $ 11,531   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

    

Cash paid for interest

   $ 14,591      $ 7,369   

Cash paid for income taxes

   $ 24,860      $ 22,895   

Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:

    

Fixed assets acquired through capital lease

   $ 2,434      $ 2,398   


Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Page 8 of 8

 

ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.

Supplemental Financial Information

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to GAAP Net Income, Adjusted Operating Expenses Excluding Stock-based

Compensation Expense and Bankruptcy Servicing Expenses to GAAP Total Operating Expenses, and Tangible Book

Value Per Share to GAAP Total Stockholders’ Equity

(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2011      2010  

GAAP net income, as reported

   $ 15,370       $ 12,290   

Interest expense

     5,175         4,928   

Provision for income taxes

     9,868         6,632   

Depreciation and amortization

     1,194         816   

Amount applied to principal on receivable portfolios

     73,187         63,507   

Stock-based compensation expense

     2,405         1,549   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 107,199       $ 89,722   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2011     2010  

GAAP total operating expenses, as reported

   $ 89,804      $ 74,265   

Stock-based compensation expense

     (2,405     (1,549

Bankruptcy servicing expenses

     (4,622     (3,662
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense and bankruptcy servicing expenses

   $ 82,777      $ 69,054   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

     As of
September 30, 2011
    As of
December 31, 2010
 

GAAP total stockholders’ equity, as reported

   $ 353,921      $ 302,697   

Goodwill

     (15,985     (15,985

Identifiable intangible assets, net

     (534     (748
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible book value

   $ 337,402      $ 285,964   

Diluted shares outstanding

     25,604        25,206   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Tangible book value per share

   $ 13.18      $ 11.35