Lionbridge Reports Strong Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2001 Financial Results

Company Exceeds Expectations with Positive Fourth Quarter EBITDA; Attains 41% Gross Margin

WALTHAM, Mass. - January 29, 2002 - Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIOX), today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2001. The Company reported revenue of $25.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2001, compared to revenue of $27.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2000. Lionbridge reported positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $119,000 for the quarter, marking the first positive EBITDA quarter since third quarter 2000.

Lionbridge reported a net loss of $3.6 million, or $0.12 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2001 based on 31.2 million weighted average common shares outstanding. This compares to a net loss of $5.1 million or $0.19 per share for the fourth quarter of 2000.

On a "cash EPS" basis (which excludes amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and merger and restructuring charges), the manner in which Lionbridge is carried by First Call, the Company reported a loss of $0.05 per share for the fourth quarter of 2001. This compares to a cash EPS loss of $0.13 for the fourth quarter of 2000.

At the end of the fourth quarter of 2001, the Company's cash position was $11.7 million, compared to $10.1 million for third quarter 2001.

"The fourth quarter marked a significant milestone for the Company. Not only did we exceed expectations with our first quarter of positive EBITDA this year, but we also returned gross margins to the 40% level," said Rory Cowan, CEO, Lionbridge.

For the year ended December 31, 2001, the Company reported total revenue of $101.2 million, compared to revenues of $115.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2000. The Company reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $24.5 million, or $0.83 per share, compared to $23.8 million or $0.96 per share, for the year ended December 31, 2000.

"2001 was a year of challenge and uncertainty with major decline throughout the technology markets. However, due to a strong team and early focus on cost, Lionbridge weathered the downturn better than most, while continuing to execute on our path to profitability," said Cowan. "We expect 2002 to be a year of focus and execution, with estimated year-on-year revenue growth in the 20 - 25 percent range. Our pipeline appears strong and we have built a stable management team."

For the localization business, the Company was negatively impacted early in the year by the downturn in its telecommunications customer base. The Company was able to offset some of that downturn by expanding into new industry sectors with new customers in the pharmaceutical, financial services, manufacturing and defense industries, marking a steady evolution of the globalized Internet into new industries.

The VeriTest business unit of Lionbridge is seeing increased demand for certification as enterprise applications become more complex. VeriTest certification is seeing demand not only for Microsoft platforms but also in other sectors such as wireless, storage computing and financial services. As a result, VeriTest expects 2002 to be a year of focused growth.

"The Lionbridge value proposition is strengthening as global companies outside of the IT sector begin leveraging the Internet as a mechanism for global cost-efficiency. As the need for global, reliable infrastructure grows, both localization and testing are seeing significant opportunities for continued expansion," continued Cowan.

Highlights for the year included:

  • Operational management: Despite the challenging economy, a decline in revenue from customers in the telecommunications sector, and costs associated with the DDI integration, Lionbridge was able to return gross margins to the 40% level in the fourth quarter, a quarterly level not seen in more than a year.
  • Customer growth and satisfaction: Lionbridge's pipeline has been enhanced and strengthened during the year. While expanding into new sectors, Lionbridge was also able to attain the highest customer satisfaction ratings in its history and to maintain long-term customer relationships, as evidenced by approximately 70% of Lionbridge revenue coming from customers of more than eight consecutive quarters.
  • Expansion of the VeriTest business: The Company strengthened VeriTest's position as one of the most comprehensive software certification and outsourced software test organizations in the industry with the acquisition of Data Dimensions, Inc. With integration of these businesses largely complete, Lionbridge believes VeriTest is poised for growth as enterprise customers benefit from the Company's advanced global testing and certification infrastructure.
  • Strong technology leading to strong partnerships: The Lionbridge Globalization Platform is rapidly being accepted by leading content management companies as a cost-effective solution for customers to manage multilingual content within existing systems. During the year, Lionbridge secured or expanded relationships with Documentum, Vignette and Stellent, and is actively selling joint solutions to enterprise customers worldwide.

The Company will host a conference call today at 5:00 pm EST regarding the content of this release as well as the Company's overall outlook going forward. The conference call will be carried live on the Internet. Instructions for listening to the call over the Internet are available on the Investor's page of the Lionbridge web site at www.lionbridge.com/webcast/Jan29/. A replay will be available at this location for one week.

About Lionbridge
Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. provides solutions for worldwide deployment of technology and content to global 2000 companies in the technology, life sciences and financial services industries. Lionbridge testing and compatibility services, globalization solutions, and multilingual content management technologies help clients reduce cost, speed time to market, and ensure the integrity of global brands. Based in Waltham, Mass., Lionbridge maintains facilities in England, Ireland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, and the United States. To learn more, visit www.lionbridge.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include management's plans and objectives for future operations, expected profitability and expected revenue growth as well as statements regarding the expected growth and expansion at VeriTest and in the Company's localization business. Lionbridge's actual experience may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include the termination of customer contracts prior to the end of their term; Lionbridge's dependence on clients' product releases to generate revenues; customer delays or postponements of services; political, economic and business fluctuations in international markets; as well as risks of continued downturns in economic conditions generally, and in the information technology and software industries specifically, resulting from September 11 or otherwise; the loss of a major client; the size, timing and recognition of revenue from major clients; risks associated with management of growth; market acceptance of new service offerings; the failure to keep pace with the rapidly changing requirements of its clients; Lionbridge's ability to attract and retain key personnel; Lionbridge being held liable for defects or errors in its solutions and risks associated with competition and competitive pricing pressures; the difficulties Lionbridge may encounter as it continues to integrate the operations of Data Dimensions, Inc. ("DDI") as well as its ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its acquisition of DDI. For a more detailed description of the risk factors associated with Lionbridge, please refer to Lionbridge's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 2, 2001, Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 9, 2001; and the amendment thereto filed on May 10, 2001; and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14, 2001.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOLLOW

LIONBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)



 

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

Year Ended December 31,

 

 

2001

2000 

 

2001

2000

 

 

(unaudited)

 (unaudited)
           
Revenue   $ 25,307 $ 27,720   $101,204 $115,149
Cost of revenue   15,043 17,540   63,123 72,746
Gross profit   10,264 10,180   38,081 42,403
           
Operating expenses:          
Sales and marketing   2,568 3,023   11,342 11,384
General and administrative   7,731 8,886   34,382 33,143
Research and development   479 615   2,297 2,518
Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets   1,835 1,681   6,651 6,503
Merger, restructuring and other charges   300 ---   2,853 4,266
Stock-based compensation   124 168   565 799
Total operating expenses   13,037 14,373   58,090 58,613
           
Loss from operations   (2,773) (4,193)   (20,009) (16,210)
Interest expense, net   930 647   3,165 2,735
Other (income) expense, net   (72) 170   838 714
Loss before income taxes   (3,631) (5,010)   (24,012) (19,659)
Provision for income taxes   12 136   439 616
Net loss   (3,643) (5,146)   (24,451) (20,275)
Accrued dividends on preferred stock   --- ---   --- 3,574
Net loss attributable to common stockholders   $(3,643) $(5,146)   $(24,451) $(23,849)
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders   $ (0.12) $ (0.19)   $ (0.83) $ (0.96)
Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders   31,153 27,414   29,528 24,871





LIONBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands)


 

 

December 31,

December 31,

 

 

2001

2000

   (unaudited)  
ASSETS      
Current assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents  

$ 11,711

 $ 16,741
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $932 and $699 at December 31, 2001 and December 31, 2000, respectively  16,791 16,355
Work in process   4,286  6,710
Other current assets   1,336  1,795
Total current assets   34,124  41,601
Property and equipment, net   4,463  4,932
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net   14,969  14,865
Other assets   1,191  648
Total assets   $ 54,747  $ 62,046
       
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY      
Current liabilities:      
Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt   $ 18,169  $ 11,337
Current portion of capital lease obligations   67  255
Accounts payable   7,121  6,669
Accrued expenses   13,204  15,303
Deferred revenue   3,053  3,578
Deferred income taxes   ---  224
Total current liabilities   41,614  37,366
       
Long-term debt, net of discount and current portion   8,767  13,265
Capital lease obligations, net of current portion   77  114
Other long-term liabilities   841  117
       
Total stockholders' equity   3,448  11,184
       
       
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 54,747 $ 62,046