August 22, 2009 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – iWeb (TSX-V : IWB), a global provider of Internet hosting services and IT infrastructure, today released its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2009.
Third quarter highlights:
• 75 % revenue growth, totaling 7,2 M$ in the third quarter of 2009, from 4.1 M$ for the same period in 2008
• Operating income 11 times greater than same quarter in 2008; 231,000 $ compared to 21,000 $ 1 year earlier
• EBITDA (adjusted EBITDA) remains steady at 1,9 M$ for 2009; 26,4 % of revenues
• Net profit of 1,023,000 $, mostly attributable to the additional unrealized theoretical exchange gained on long-term debt in U.S. dollars
"Growth remains our priority, especially in the current economic climate" says Eric Chouinard, iWeb President and Chairman. He adds "having said that, our shareholders will be happy to see signs of profitability on both EBITDA and operating income"
"Clients are adopting new technologies at the same rate as they were twelve months ago" says Martin Leclair, President, Products and Technologies. "However, we are noticing a much more controlled approach to expense management from our clients, who are discontinuing certain services which they were not using extensively. Experimental projects are a little smaller, which is normal in the current economic context. We are working closely with our clients to optimize their infrastructure so that they can continue innovating."
"Two important points to highlight are that revenues continue to grow and EBITDA is kept above 25% of revenue" adds Philip Tousignant, Chief Financial Officer. "Granted, this is the first time that iWeb’s net profit has passed the 1 M$ mark, but that figure is theoretical, just like the losses reported in the past two quarters were. Foreign exchange fluctuations affect the accounting value of a large portion of our long-term debt. Operating income, however, remains positive at over 230,000 $, providing a much better idea of the company's performance, regardless of market conditions"
Third quarter Financial Review:
Revenues for the third quarter ended June 30, 2009 increased by $3.1 million or 75%, compared to the same period of 2008, to reach almost $7.2 million.
Revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 originated from iWeb's three main service offerings as follows: Dedicated servers accounted for 85%, followed by 9% for co-location services and 6% for the shared web hosting. 78% of iWeb revenues for the quarter were generated in U.S. dollars, a significant advantage for the Company during the last quarter and since the beginning of the year. Compared with the same period 12 months ago, currency fluctuations between the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar have had a positive impact of $950 000 on revenues. Without taking into account this impact, revenues still would have increased by 52% compared to the quarter ended on June 30, 2008.
Gross profit was 47% of revenues for the third quarter of 2009, compared to 49% for the same period of the previous year. During the past quarter, the favourable impact of the variation of Canada/U.S. exchange rates on the gross profit margin was more than compensated by higher payroll expenses in order to support the sustained and rapid growth of the Company’s operations.
Operating expenses for the quarter went from 48.6% of revenues in 2008 to 43.3% in 2009. This improvement is explained by lower costs for selling and administrative expenses compared to the revenues they generate, though compensated by a rise in interest expenses. Selling expenses decreased, from 16.5% in Q3 2008 to 15.5% of revenues for Q3 2009. Administrative expenses decreased from 24.2% to 17.7% of revenues for the quarter. Interest expenses increased significantly, from 7.1% to 9.6% of revenues for the third quarter. This is caused by the increase in long-term debt in order to support the important increase in the Company’s infrastructures, the greater part of which carry interests in U.S. currency.
iWeb’s operating income for the third quarter was $231,000, compared to $21,000 for the third quarter of 2008.
The other financial expenses represent elements which are the consequence of external market conditions. These expenses exceeded $1M for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. The most important element of these expenses is the unrealized exchange loss on the long-term debt of $10 million US. At the end of quarter ended June 30, 2009, the Canada/U.S. exchange rate was 1.16, compared to 1.26 for the beginning of quarter, which explains the unrealized gain of $977,000.
Taking into account the impact of the other financial expenses, the Company recorded a net profit of $1,023,000 for the third quarter of 2009, compared to a net income of $13,000 twelve months earlier, for the quarter ended June 30, 2008.
About iWeb Group Inc.
iWeb is a worldwide provider of Internet hosting services and IT Infrastructure, with three secure data centers in Montreal. Since 2004, the company's compounded annual growth rate has been above 75%, making it one of Canada's 100 fastest growing companies according to PROFIT Magazine.
Founded in 1996 in Montreal, iWeb now generates more than 60% of its revenues from abroad; and employs over 170 full-time employees providing Dedicated Server Hosting, Co-location and Web Hosting services to more than 21,000 customers in 150 countries. iWeb's shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V : IWB); for more information please consult the Company's website: http://about.iweb.com
