Category: High Tech

Qualys Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Financial Results

2014 Revenue Growth of 24% to $133.6 Million; 2014 GAAP EPS: Fourth Quarter $0.69, Full Year 2014 $0.81; Includes One-Time Tax Benefit; 2014 Non-GAAP EPS: Fourth Quarter $0.15, Full Year $0.46; 2014 Cash Flow From Operations Increased 65% to $41.4 Million; 2014 Free Cash Flow Increased 138% to $27.4 Million

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 9, 2015) - Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), a pioneer and leading provider of cloud security and compliance solutions, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2014. For the quarter, the Company reported record revenues of $36.6 million, GAAP net income of $25.9 million, non-GAAP net income of $5.6 million, adjusted EBITDA of $10.7 million, GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.69 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.15. For the full year ended December 31, 2014, the Company reported revenues of $133.6 million, GAAP net income of $30.2 million, non-GAAP net income of $17.1 million, adjusted EBITDA of $31.7 million, GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.81 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.46.

The benefit from income taxes recorded in the fourth quarter and full year 2014 includes $23.7 million due to the recognition of U.S. Federal and certain state deferred tax assets. This amount represents approximately $0.63 per diluted share in the fourth quarter and $0.64 per diluted share for the full year. This one-time benefit has been excluded from the calculation of non-GAAP net income and earnings per diluted share amounts for the fourth quarter and full year 2014.

Philippe Courtot, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qualys, said, "We ended 2014 on a high note, outperforming our expectations across all of our reported metrics and delivering 24 percent revenue growth. We added over 1,000 new customers throughout 2014, finishing the year with 7,700 active customers, while also significantly increasing revenues from our existing customers. In today's increasingly challenging threat environment, companies are recognizing the advantages of a cloud delivery model that provides continuous integrated security solutions at a lower cost of ownership. These results clearly underscore the unique capabilities of our cloud security and compliance platform, the scalability of our go-to-market model and our accelerated growth fueled by the continued adoption of our existing solutions and the new offerings we are launching in 2015."

Fourth Quarter 2014 Financial Highlights

Revenues: Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased by 26% to $36.6 million compared to $29.0 million for the same quarter in 2013. Revenue growth was driven by the accelerated adoption of Qualys' new services, namely Web Application Scanning, Policy Compliance, Continuous Monitoring and Private Cloud Platform, as well as continued growth of Qualys' market-leading Vulnerability Management solution.

Deferred Revenues: Current deferred revenues increased by 20% to $81.1 million at December 31, 2014 compared to $67.5 million at December 31, 2013. Total deferred revenues increased by 19% to $91.2 million at December 31, 2014 compared to $76.4 million at December 31, 2013.

Gross Profit: GAAP gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased by 29% to $29.1 million compared to $22.5 million for the same quarter in 2013. GAAP gross margin was 79% for the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to 78% in the prior year's fourth quarter. Non-GAAP gross profit increased by 30% to $29.3 million compared to $22.6 million in the same quarter in 2013. Non-GAAP gross margin was 80% for the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to 78% in the same quarter in 2013.

Operating Income: GAAP operating income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $4.2 million compared to $0.2 million in the same quarter in 2013. Non-GAAP operating income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $7.7 million compared to $1.9 million in the same quarter in 2013.

Net Income: GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $25.9 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, compared to net income of $45,000, or $0.00 per diluted share, for the same quarter in 2013. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $5.6 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $1.7 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the same quarter in 2013.

Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased by 139% to $10.7 million compared to $4.5 million for the same quarter in 2013. As a percentage of revenues, adjusted EBITDA increased to 29% for the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to 15% for the same quarter in 2013.

Full Year 2014 Financial Highlights

Revenues: Revenues for 2014 increased by 24% to $133.6 million compared to $108.0 million for 2013. Revenue growth was driven by the accelerated adoption of Qualys' new services, namely Web Application Scanning, Policy Compliance, Continuous Monitoring and Private Cloud Platform, as well as continued growth of Qualys' market-leading Vulnerability Management solution.

Gross Profit: Gross profit for 2014 increased by 26% to $104.6 million compared to $83.3 million for 2013. GAAP gross margin was 78% for 2014 compared to 77% for 2013. Non-GAAP gross profit for 2014 increased by 26% to $105.4 million compared to $83.7 million for 2013. Non-GAAP gross margin was 79% for 2014 compared to 78% for 2013.

Operating Income: GAAP operating income for 2014 increased by 300% to $9.2 million compared to $2.3 million for 2013. Non-GAAP operating income for 2014 increased by 153% to $19.8 million compared to $7.8 million for 2013.

Net Income: GAAP net income for 2014 was $30.2 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, compared to $1.6 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for 2013. Non-GAAP net income for 2014 was $17.1 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, compared to $7.1 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for 2013.

Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) in 2014 increased by 82% to $31.7 million, compared to $17.4 million for 2013. As a percentage of revenues, adjusted EBITDA increased to 24% for 2014 compared to 16% for 2013.

Cash Flows: The Company generated $41.4 million in net cash from operations in 2014 compared to $25.1 million in 2013. The Company generated $27.4 million in free cash flow (a non-GAAP financial measure) in 2014 compared to $11.5 million in 2013. Qualys defines free cash flows as cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs.

Fourth Quarter 2014 Business Highlights

Customers:

New Products and Functionalities:

Industry Recognition:

Strategic Alliances and Partnerships:

Financial Performance Outlook

First Quarter 2015 Guidance: Management expects revenues to be in the range of $37.6 million to $38.1 million. At the midpoint, this represents 25% growth over first quarter 2014 revenues. GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.04 to $0.06 and non-GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.10 to $0.12. First quarter 2015 EPS estimates are based on approximately 38.0 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter and assume an effective income tax rate of 35%.

Full Year 2015 Guidance: Management expects revenues to be in the range of $167.3 million to $169.3 million. At the midpoint, this represents 26% growth over 2014 revenues. GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.22 to $0.27 and non-GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.50 to $0.55. Full year 2015 EPS estimates are based on approximately 38.6 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the full year and assume an effective income tax rate of 35%.

Investor Conference Call

Qualys will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2014 financial results today at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). To access the conference call, dial (877) 881-2609 in the U.S. or +1 (970) 315-0463 for international participants with conference ID #61582428. The live webcast of Qualys' earnings conference call can also be accessed at investor.qualys.com. A replay of the conference call will be available through the same webcast link following the end of the call.

About Qualys, Inc.

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a pioneer and leading provider of cloud security and compliance solutions with over 7,700 customers in more than 100 countries, including a majority of each of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100. The Qualys Cloud Platform and integrated suite of solutions help organizations simplify security operations and lower the cost of compliance by delivering critical security intelligence on demand and automating the full spectrum of auditing, compliance and protection for IT systems and web applications. Founded in 1999, Qualys has established strategic partnerships with leading managed service providers and consulting organizations including Accenture, Accuvant, BT, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Dell SecureWorks, Fujitsu, HCL Comnet, Infosys, NTT, Tata Communications, Verizon and Wipro. The company is also a founding member of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and the Council on CyberSecurity. For more information, please visit www.qualys.com.

Qualys and the Qualys logo are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements related to: the accelerated growth of our business, including renewals, adoption of our existing solutions and our new offerings, the threat environment in which we operate, perceptions related to the cloud delivery model, the capabilities of our platform, our strategy, the scalability of our strategy, and ability to execute such strategy, our guidance for revenues, GAAP EPS and non-GAAP EPS for the first quarter and full year 2015, our expectations for the number of weighted average diluted shares outstanding and effective income tax rate for the first quarter and full year 2015 and our intention to reevaluate our effective tax rate on a non-GAAP basis. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include our ability to continue to develop platform capabilities and solutions; the ability of our platform and solutions to perform as intended; customer acceptance and purchase of our existing solutions and new solutions; our ability to retain existing customers and generate new customers; the market for cloud solutions for IT security and compliance not increasing at the rate we expect; competition from other products and services; fluctuations in currency exchange rates, unexpected fluctuations in our effective tax rate on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, our ability to effectively manage our rapid growth, our ability to anticipate future market needs and opportunities; any unanticipated accounting charges; and general market, political, economic and business conditions in the United States as well as globally. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2014. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Qualys as of the date hereof, and Qualys disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Qualys monitors non-GAAP measures of non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow.

Qualys also monitors operating measures including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA to evaluate its ongoing operational performance and enhance an overall understanding of its past financial performance. Qualys believes that these non-GAAP operating metrics help illustrate underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the income or expenses, as well as the related tax effects, that are excluded in non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA. Furthermore, Qualys uses these operating measures to establish budgets and operational goals for managing its business and evaluating its performance. Qualys monitors free cash flow as a liquidity measure to provide useful information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated by the Company that, after the acquisition of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs, can be used for strategic opportunities, including investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions and strengthening the balance sheet. Qualys also believes that non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow provide additional tools for investors to use in comparing its recurring core business operating results over multiple periods with other companies in its industry.

Beginning in 2015, due to the recognition of deferred tax assets in 2014 and in order to provide a more complete picture of recurring core operating business results, the Company's non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share will include tax adjustments, if any, required to achieve the effective tax rate on a non-GAAP basis, which could differ from the GAAP effective tax rate. The Company believes the non-GAAP effective tax rate, which has been set to be 35% in 2015, is a reasonable estimate under its global operating structure. The Company intends to re-evaluate the non-GAAP effective tax rate on an annual basis, however, it may adjust this rate during the year to take into account events or trends that it believes materially impact the estimated annual rate. The non-GAAP effective tax rate could be subject to change for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, significant changes resulting from tax legislation, material changes in geographic mix of revenues and expenses and other significant events.

The presentation of this non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included with the financial statements contained in this press release. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP information in evaluating and operating its business internally and as such has determined that it is important to provide this information to investors.

 
 
Qualys, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share data)
 
    Three Months Ended     Year Ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013     2014     2013  
Revenues   $ 36,573     $ 29,039     $ 133,579     $ 107,962  
Cost of revenues (1)     7,521       6,526       28,963       24,660  
  Gross profit     29,052       22,513       104,616       83,302  
Operating expenses:                                
  Research and development (1)     7,015       5,939       26,320       21,678  
  Sales and marketing (1)     11,938       11,784       48,049       42,523  
  General and administrative (1)     5,888       4,566       21,000       16,792  
    Total operating expenses     24,841       22,289       95,369       80,993  
Income from operations     4,211       224       9,247       2,309  
Other income (expense), net:                                
  Interest expense     -       (6 )     (9 )     (43 )
  Interest income     87       102       452       375  
  Other income (expense), net     (655 )     (147 )     (1,077 )     (517 )
    Total other income (expense), net     (568 )     (51 )     (634 )     (185 )
Income before income taxes     3,643       173       8,613       2,124  
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes     (22,270 )     128       (21,631 )     500  
Net income   $ 25,913     $ 45     $ 30,244     $ 1,624  
Net income per share:                                
  Basic   $ 0.77     $ 0.00     $ 0.92     $ 0.05  
  Diluted   $ 0.69     $ 0.00     $ 0.81     $ 0.05  
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share:                                
  Basic     33,449       32,287       32,979       31,914  
  Diluted     37,630       36,678       37,170       35,973  
                                 
                                 
(1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:                                
                                 
  Cost of revenues   $ 275     $ 125     $ 757     $ 432  
  Research and development     919       350       2,470       1,047  
  Sales and marketing     555       440       2,407       1,244  
  General and administrative     1,700       783       4,915       2,783  
    Total stock-based compensation   $ 3,449     $ 1,698     $ 10,549     $ 5,506  
                                     
                                     
   
   
Qualys, Inc.  
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME  
(Unaudited)  
(in thousands)  
   
    Three Months Ended     Year Ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2014     2013     2014     2013  
Net income   $ 25,913     $ 45     $ 30,244     $ 1,624  
  Available-for-sale investments:                                
    Change in net unrealized gain (loss) on investments, net of zero tax     (7 )     7       -       38  
    Less: reclassification adjustment for net realized gain included in net income     18       (5 )     (28 )     (8 )
    Net change, net of zero tax     11       2       (28 )     30  
      Other comprehensive income (loss), net     11       2       (28 )     30  
Comprehensive income   $ 25,924     $ 47     $ 30,216     $ 1,654  
                                 
                                 
   
   
Qualys, Inc.  
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS  
(Unaudited)  
(in thousands)  
   
    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Assets                
Current assets:                
  Cash and cash equivalents   $ 76,504     $ 42,369  
  Short-term investments     50,714       54,827  
  Accounts receivable, net     32,993       28,581  
  Deferred tax assets, current     8,520       114  
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets     6,528       4,565  
    Total current assets     175,259       130,456  
Long-term investments     39,448       35,608  
Property and equipment, net     26,618       23,075  
Deferred tax assets, net     14,119       72  
Intangible assets, net     2,001       2,394  
Goodwill     317       317  
Other noncurrent assets     2,262       681  
    Total assets   $ 260,024     $ 192,603  
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity                
Current liabilities:                
  Accounts payable   $ 5,661     $ 1,930  
  Accrued liabilities     10,353       9,037  
  Deferred revenues, current     81,147       67,505  
  Capital lease obligations, current     -       805  
    Total current liabilities     97,161       79,277  
Deferred revenues, noncurrent     10,064       8,889  
Other noncurrent liabilities     972       1,320  
    Total liabilities     108,197       89,486  
Stockholders' equity:                
  Common stock     34       32  
  Additional paid-in capital     195,133       176,641  
  Accumulated other comprehensive income     10       38  
  Accumulated deficit     (43,350 )     (73,594 )
    Total stockholders' equity     151,827       103,117  
    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 260,024     $ 192,603  
                     
                     
   
   
Qualys, Inc.  
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS  
(Unaudited)  
(in thousands)  
   
    Year Ended  
    December 31,  
    2014     2013  
Cash flows from operating activities:                
  Net income   $ 30,244     $ 1,624  
  Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:                
    Depreciation and amortization expense     11,897       9,612  
    Bad debt expense     470       307  
    Loss on disposal of property and equipment     324       12  
    Stock-based compensation     10,549       5,506  
    Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts on investments     565       282  
    Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation     (259 )     (150 )
    Deferred income taxes     (22,599 )     -  
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
      Accounts receivable     (4,882 )     (4,343 )
      Prepaid expenses and other assets     (3,456 )     510  
      Accounts payable     2,332       (112 )
      Accrued liabilities     1,570       453  
      Deferred revenues     14,817       11,281  
      Other noncurrent liabilities     (201 )     164  
        Net cash provided by operating activities     41,371       25,146  
Cash flows from investing activities:                
  Purchases of investments     (157,660 )     (145,263 )
  Sales and maturities of investments     157,339       138,124  
  Purchases of property and equipment     (13,914 )     (13,663 )
  Release of restricted cash     -       114  
  Capitalized software development costs     (98 )     -  
        Net cash used in investing activities     (14,333 )     (20,688 )
Cash flows from financing activities:                
  Proceeds from exercise of stock options     7,691       4,073  
  Proceeds from early exercise of stock options     -       40  
  Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation     259       150  
  Principal payments under capital lease obligations     (805 )     (1,186 )
        Net cash provided by financing activities     7,145       3,077  
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents     (48 )     (51 )
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents     34,135       7,484  
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period     42,369       34,885  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period   $ 76,504     $ 42,369  
Non-cash investing and financing activities:                
  Vesting of early exercised common stock options   $ 47     $ 262  
  Purchases of property and equipment included in accrued liabilities and accounts payable   $ 1,399     $ 487  
                 
                 
 
 
Qualys, Inc.
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES
EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA
(Unaudited)
(in thousands)
 
    Three Months Ended   Year Ended
    December 31,   December 31,
    2014     2013   2014     2013
Net income   $ 25,913     $ 45   $ 30,244     $ 1,624
  Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment     2,972       2,464     11,504       9,195
  Amortization of intangible assets     99       98     393       417
  Interest expense     -       6     9       43
  (Benefit from) provision for income taxes     (22,270 )     128     (21,631 )     500
EBITDA     6,714       2,741     20,519       11,779
  Stock-based compensation     3,449       1,698     10,549       5,506
  Other (income) expense, net     568       45     625       142
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 10,731     $ 4,484   $ 31,693     $ 17,427
                             
                             
 
 
Qualys, Inc.
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES
(Unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share data)
 
    Three Months Ended   Year Ended
    December 31,   December 31,
    2014     2013   2014     2013
GAAP gross profit   $ 29,052     $ 22,513   $ 104,616     $ 83,302
  Plus: Stock-based compensation     275       125     757       432
Non-GAAP gross profit   $ 29,327     $ 22,638   $ 105,373     $ 83,734
                             
GAAP income from operations   $ 4,211     $ 224   $ 9,247     $ 2,309
  Plus: Stock-based compensation     3,449       1,698     10,549       5,506
Non-GAAP income from operations   $ 7,660     $ 1,922   $ 19,796     $ 7,815
                             
GAAP net income   $ 25,913     $ 45   $ 30,244     $ 1,624
  Plus: Stock-based compensation     3,449       1,698     10,549       5,506
  Less: Tax benefit from recognition of deferred tax assets     (23,741 )     -     (23,741 )     -
Non-GAAP net income   $ 5,621     $ 1,743   $ 17,052     $ 7,130
Non-GAAP net income per share:                            
  Basic   $ 0.17     $ 0.05   $ 0.52     $ 0.22
  Diluted   $ 0.15     $ 0.05   $ 0.46     $ 0.20
Weighted average shares used in computing non-GAAP net income per share:                            
  Basic     33,449       32,287     32,979       31,914
  Diluted     37,630       36,678     37,170       35,973
                             
                             
   
   
Qualys, Inc.  
RECONCILIATON OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES  
FREE CASH FLOWS  
(Unaudited)  
(in thousands)  
   
  Year Ended  
  December 31,  
  2014   2013  
GAAP cash flows provided by operating activities $ 41,371   $ 25,146  
Less:            
Purchases of property and equipment   (13,914 )   (13,663 )
Capitalized software development costs   (98 )   -  
Non-GAAP free cash flows $ 27,359   $ 11,483  
             
             
Contact:

Investors:
Don McCauley
Chief Financial Officer
Qualys, Inc.
+1 (650) 801-6181
Email Contact

Media:
John Christiansen/David Isaacs
Sard Verbinnen & Co
+1 (415) 618-8750
Email Contact / Email Contact