Startek Reports Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Startek, Inc. (NYSE:SRT), a global provider of customer experience management solutions, is reporting financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Management Commentary

"As we navigated COVID-19 related headwinds across our geographies, we emerged from the second quarter as a stronger, more efficient organization,” said Aparup Sengupta, Executive Chairman and Global CEO of Startek. "Our global command center has enabled us to maintain the quality and continuity of our operations around the world, and across our business, we have driven consistent month-over-month improvements on both the top and bottom-line since the lows of the pandemic in April.

"We have been closely monitoring the fluctuating status of lockdowns and reopenings across our operating regions. With the priority of keeping our entire global team safe and healthy, we moved swiftly to get 40,000+ team members to either work from home—through our new ‘StarCloud’ remote work capabilities—or in one of our delivery campuses, which adhere to strict social distancing and recommended health guidelines. Approximately 80% of our workforce is active today compared to just 60% in mid-April, and I am incredibly proud of our team’s flexibility and effectiveness in completing this pivot.

"An emerging trend from clients and prospects in response to the pandemic has been the adoption of digital services, particularly across high-growth verticals that are experiencing tailwinds from the COVID-19 environment. We are seeing positive momentum with clients in industries such as healthcare, e-commerce, and even cable/media in the wake of elevated consumer demand. Targeting these verticals has been a consistent part of our strategy, even predating the pandemic, so we have been well-equipped for this opportunity. As our clients’ businesses evolve, we are committed to helping their digital capabilities evolve with them.

"Although we have limited visibility on the effects of the pandemic going forward, we are well-positioned to continue our recovery and maintain a high level of active workforce. If some of our geographies go back into lockdown, we are now much better equipped for remote work through our StarCloud technology. We plan to maintain prudent cost controls, as reflected by our fourth consecutive quarter of SG&A reductions, and we remain comfortable with our liquidity position as we navigate through this dynamic environment.”

Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results

Net revenue for the quarter was $142.2 million compared to $160.6 million in the second quarter of 2019. Net revenue in the second quarter was impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns and lower active workforce in most geographies.

Gross profit in the second quarter was $15.8 million compared to $27.6 million in the year ago quarter. Gross margin was 11.1% compared to 17.2% in the year ago quarter. The lower gross margin was primarily driven by higher costs relative to revenues as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns in geographies such as India, Philippines and Honduras.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased to $14.6 million compared to $24.9 million in the year-ago quarter. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A improved 520 basis points to 10.3% compared to 15.5% in the year-ago quarter as the company has implemented a series of cost reductions over the last 12 months and in response to COVID-19. This marks the 4th consecutive quarter of SG&A reductions.

Net loss attributable to StarTek shareholders for the quarter was $5.2 million or $(0.14) per share, compared to a net loss of $3.6 million or $(0.10) per share in the year-ago quarter. The decline was driven by the aforementioned impacts from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Adjusted net loss* in the second quarter of 2020 was $2.6 million, or $(0.07) per share, compared to an adjusted net loss* of $0.1 million or $(0.00) per share in the second quarter of 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter was $8.8 million compared to $11.0 million in the year-ago quarter.

On June 30, 2020, cash and restricted cash increased to $56.4 million compared to $39.7 million at March 31, 2020. The increase is primarily the result of tight control over costs and accounts payable that resulted in working capital improvements, deferred principal debt payments and a $7.5 million equity raise completed in June 2020. Total debt at the end of the quarter reduced to $149.9 million compared to $175.2 million at March 31, 2020, primarily due to the closure of its ABL facility and repayment of loans from the proceeds of non-recourse factoring. As a result, net debt at June 30, 2020 reduced to $93.5 million compared to $135.5 million at March 31, 2020.

Senior Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility Amendment

Subsequent to the quarter, Startek entered into an amendment agreement for its senior term loan and revolving credit facility. The agreement continues to provide for a $140 million term loan facility along with a $20 million revolving credit facility. However, the amendments now provide Startek with a deferment of principal payments until February 2021, and the revolving credit facility has been increased from $20 million to $27.5 million. The majority of financial covenants have also been waived for the remainder of the year.

*A non-GAAP measure defined below.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

Startek management will hold a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss its financial results. The conference call will be followed by a question and answer period.

Date: Monday, August 10, 2020
Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time
Toll-free dial-in number: 1-800-954-1052
International dial-in number: 1-212-231-2925
Conference ID: 21967515

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Investor Relations at (949) 574-3860.

The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here, as well as in the investor relations section of the company’s website at www.startek.com.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will also be available after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through August 17, 2020.

Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Replay ID: 21967515

About Startek

Startek is a leading global provider of technology-enabled business process outsourcing solutions. The company provides omni-channel customer experience management, back office and technology services to corporations around the world across a range of industries. The company has more than 40,000 outsourcing experts across 49 delivery campuses worldwide that are committed to delivering transformative customer experience for clients. Services include omni-channel customer care, customer acquisition, order processing, technical support, receivables management and analytics through automation, voice, chat, email, social media and IVR, resulting in superior business results for its clients. To learn more about Startek’s global solutions, please visit www.startek.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The matters regarding the future discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are intended to be identified in this document by the words "anticipate,” "believe,” "estimate,” "expect,” "intend,” "may,” "objective,” "outlook,” "plan,” "project,” "possible,” "potential,” "should” and similar expressions. As described below, such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause Startek's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any such forward-looking statements. Readers are encouraged to review risk factors and all other disclosures appearing in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on March 12, 2020, as well as other filings with the SEC, for further information on risks and uncertainties that could affect Startek's business, financial condition and results of operation. Copies of these filings are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company’s website or the Company’s investor relations department. Startek assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date herein.

STARTEK, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP MEASURE
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

This press release contains references to the non-GAAP financial measure of Adjusted EBITDA. Reconciliation of this non-GAAP measure to its comparable GAAP measure is included below. This non-GAAP information should not be construed as an alternative to the reported results determined in accordance with GAAP. It is provided solely to assist in an investor’s understanding of these items on the comparability of the Company’s operations.

Adjusted EBITDA:

The Company defines non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA as Net loss plus Income tax expense, Interest and other expense, net, Depreciation and amortization expense, Restructuring and other acquisition related cost, Share-based compensation expense and Warrant contra revenue (if applicable). Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure to analyze the performance of our business. Management believes that excluding these non-cash and other non-recurring items permits a more meaningful comparison and understanding of our strength and performance of our ongoing operations for our investors and analysts.

Adjusted EPS:

Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP financial measure presenting the earnings generated by our ongoing operations that we believe is useful to investors in making meaningful comparisons to other companies, although our measure of Adjusted EPS may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies, and period-over-period comparisons. Adjusted EPS is defined as our diluted earnings per common share attributable to StarTek shareholders adjusted to exclude the effects of the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, investments that investors may want to evaluate separately (such as based on fair value) and the impact of certain events, gains, losses or other charges that affect period-over-period comparisons. Acquisition-related intangible assets are recognized as a result of the application of Accounting Standards Codification Topic ("ASC”) 805, Business Combinations (such as customer relationships and Brand), and their amortization is significantly affected by the size and timing of our acquisitions.

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