CARS Reports Third Quarter 2022 Results

Continued Revenue and Customer Growth; Achieved Q3 Guidance

Strong Operating Cash Flow to De-lever and Buy Back Shares

CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Cars.com Inc. (NYSE: CARS) (“CARS” or the “Company”), the leading digital automotive platform that provides a robust set of digital solutions, today released its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022.

Q3 2022 Financial and Key Metric Highlights

Revenue of $164.6 million, up $8.0 million, or 5% year-over-year
Net loss of $2.9 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to Net income of $2.4 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in the prior year
Adjusted EBITDA of $49.9 million, or 30% of revenue, up $4.1 million, or 9% year-over-year
Average Monthly Unique Visitors (“UVs”) of 27.3 million, up 12% year-over-year
Traffic (“Visits”) of 150.4 million, up 6% year-over-year
Monthly Average Revenue Per Dealer (“ARPD”) of $2,334, compared to $2,332 in the prior year period
Dealer Customers of 19,585 as of September 30, 2022, 68 higher compared to 19,517 as of June 30, 2022, and up 556, or 3%, compared to September 30, 2021

Operational Highlights

Dealer adoption of Accu-Trade continues to gain momentum, ending the quarter with 430 Accu-Trade Connected customers, a 315 increase compared to June 30, 2022 
Year-to-date net cash provided by Operating Activities was $91.3 million, with Free Cash Flow of $76.9 million
Sonia Jain reappointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer and previous interim Chief Financial Officer Jandy Tomy promoted to Executive Vice President of Finance and Treasurer

“Revenue momentum continued in the third quarter, driven by growth in traffic, dealer customers and increased adoption of Dealer Inspire and Accu-Trade solutions. Our performance is indicative of the strength of our integrated platform strategy,” said Alex Vetter, Chief Executive Officer of CARS. “We are well positioned to drive long-term sustainable growth as the auto industry increasingly shifts to in-market digital solutions to better compete for auto sales, increase transaction efficiency and optimize profitability.”

Q3 2022 Results

Revenue for the third quarter totaled $164.6 million, an increase of $8.0 million, or 5%, compared to the prior year period. Dealer revenue grew 4% year-over-year, driven by 16% growth in Dealer Inspire, the continued adoption of the Accu-Trade Connected solution and a 3% increase in Dealer Customers. Although the reduced manufacturing levels continue, declines in OEM and National revenue slowed to 2% year-over-year, but revenue increased 5% sequentially.

Net loss for the quarter was $2.9 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared to Net income of $2.4 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2021. The current year net loss was primarily due to the quarterly valuation of the earn-outs associated with the CreditIQ and Accu-Trade acquisitions, which were impacted by revised performance expectations.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter totaled $49.9 million, or 30% of revenue, compared to $45.8 million, or 29% of revenue, for the prior year period.

For the quarter, total Traffic was 6% higher compared to the third quarter of 2021 and the Company delivered 12% growth in Average Monthly Unique Visitors, compared to the prior year.

As of September 30, 2022, Dealer Customers totaled 19,585, an increase of 556, or 3%, year-over-year, driven by sustained strong retention rates and new sales. Compared to June 30, 2022, Dealer Customers increased by 68.

Third quarter ARPD was $2,334, compared to $2,332 a year ago.

Cash Flow and Balance Sheet

Net cash provided by operating activities for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2022 was $91.3 million, compared to $116.2 million in the prior year. Free Cash Flow in the first nine months totaled $76.9 million compared to $98.3 million in the prior year. This decline was primarily due to a $9.1 million income tax refund received in the first quarter of 2021 related to the carryback of NOLs, as well as the impact of unfavorable changes in working capital.

The Company made $17.5 million in debt payments during the first nine months of 2022, reducing total debt outstanding to $505.0 million as of September 30, 2022. Total net leverage at quarter end was 2.6x, compared to 2.8x as of June 30, 2022. Total liquidity was $226.9 million, including cash and cash equivalents of $31.9 million and $195.0 million revolver capacity, as of September 30, 2022.

As of September 30, 2022, the Company’s floating debt was only 21% of total outstanding debt, limiting its exposure to a rising interest rate environment.

The Company repurchased 1.4 million of its common shares for $16.7 million during the third quarter of 2022 and 3.5 million shares for $40.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

“Our business continues to drive profitable growth, even in an overall challenging economic environment that has already begun impacting many. This is a testament to the benefits of our diversified set of solutions. Revenue, Adjusted EBITDA, and Operating Cash Flow for the quarter were strong. We remain committed to a balanced capital allocation strategy that is focused on investing in the business for growth, as we continue to de-lever our balance sheet and buy back shares,” said Sonia Jain, Chief Financial Officer of CARS.

2022 Outlook

For the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company expects to deliver Revenue of approximately $165 million to $167 million, representing year-over-year and sequential growth in what remains a challenging macro environment. Guidance is balanced with expected continued growth in the Company’s digital solutions tempered by the continued impact of the economic headwinds, including the industry-wide inventory shortage, rising inflation and interest rates.

Adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter is expected to be between 28.5% and 30.0%, reflecting the Company’s expected revenue mix and modest increases in Marketing and sales and Product and technology investments to drive growth, generate attractive margins and deliver strong cash flow.

Q3 2022 Earnings Call

As previously announced, management will hold a conference call and webcast today at 8:00 a.m. CT. This webcast may be accessed at investor.cars.com. A replay of the webcast will be available at this website

About CARS

CARS is the leading automotive marketplace platform that provides a robust set of digital solutions to connect car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers and OEMs. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share.

In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com’s pure audience of in-market car shoppers, DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform, automotive fintech platform CreditIQ, and Accu-Trade, a leading provider of vehicle acquisition technology and valuation data.

The full suite of CARS properties includes Cars.com™, Dealer Inspire®, FUEL™, DealerRater®, CreditIQ™, Accu-Trade™, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com™ and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This earnings release discusses Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Free Cash Flow and Adjusted Operating Expenses. These financial measures are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). These financial measures are presented as supplemental measures of operating performance because the Company believes they provide meaningful information regarding the Company’s performance and provide a basis to compare operating results between periods. In addition, the Company uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure for determining incentive compensation targets. Adjusted EBITDA also is used as a performance measure under the Company’s credit agreement and includes adjustments such as the items defined below and other further adjustments, which are defined in the credit agreement. These non-GAAP financial measures are frequently used by the Company’s lenders, securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in the Company’s industry. For a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures presented in this earnings release to their most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP, see “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” below.

Other companies may define or calculate these measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. Because of these limitations, non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are presented in the tables below.

The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before (1) interest expense, net, (2) income tax (benefit) expense, (3) depreciation, (4) amortization of intangible assets, (5) stock-based compensation expense, (6) unrealized mark-to-market adjustments and cash transactions related to derivative instruments, and (7) certain other items, such as transaction-related items, severance, transformation and other exit costs and write-off and impairments of goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets.

Transaction-related items result from actual or potential transactions such as business combinations, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spin-offs, financing transactions, and other strategic transactions, including, without limitation, (1) transaction-related bonuses and (2) expenses for advisors and representatives such as investment bankers, consultants, attorneys and accounting firms. Transaction-related items may also include, without limitation, transition and integration costs such as retention bonuses and acquisition-related milestone payments to acquired employees, consulting, compensation and other incremental costs associated with integration projects, fair value changes to contingent considerations and amortization of deferred revenue related to the Accu-Trade acquisition.

The Company defines Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, including purchases of property and equipment and capitalization of internal-use software and website development costs.

The Company defines Adjusted Operating Expenses as total operating expenses adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation, write-off and impairments of goodwill, intangible assets, long-lived assets, severance, transformation and other exit costs and transaction-related items.

Key Metric Definitions

Traffic (“Visits”). Traffic is fundamental to the Company’s business. Traffic to the CARS network of websites and mobile apps provides value to the Company’s advertisers in terms of audience, awareness, consideration and conversion. In addition to tracking traffic volume and sources, the Company monitors activity on its properties, allowing the Company to innovate and refine its consumer-facing offerings. Traffic is defined as the number of visits to CARS desktop and mobile properties (responsive sites and mobile apps), measured using Adobe Analytics. Traffic does not include traffic to Dealer Inspire websites. Traffic provides an indication of the Company’s consumer reach. Although the Company’s consumer reach does not directly result in revenue, the Company believes its ability to reach in-market car shoppers is attractive to its dealer customers and national advertisers.

Average Monthly Unique Visitors (“UVs”). Growth in unique visitors and consumer traffic to the Company’s network of websites and mobile apps increases the number of impressions, clicks, leads and other events it can monetize to generate revenue. The Company defines UVs in a given month as the number of distinct visitors that engage with its platform during that month. Visitors are identified when a user first visits an individual CARS property on an individual device/browser combination or installs one of its mobile apps on an individual device. If a visitor accesses more than one of the Company’s web properties or apps or uses more than one device or browser, each of those unique property/browser/app/device combinations counts toward the number of UVs. UVs do not include UVs associated with Dealer Inspire hosted websites. The Company measures UVs using Adobe Analytics.

Average Revenue Per Dealer (“ARPD”). The Company believes that its ability to grow ARPD is an indicator of the value proposition of its platform. The Company defines ARPD as Dealer revenue, excluding digital advertising services, during the period divided by the monthly average number of Dealer Customers during the same period. Beginning the three months ended June 30, 2022, Accu-Trade is included in our ARPD metric, which had an immaterial impact on ARPD; however, no prior period has been recast as it would be impracticable to do so.

Dealer Customers. Dealer Customers represent dealerships using the Company’s products as of the end of each reporting period. Each physical or virtual dealership location is counted separately, whether it is a single-location proprietorship or part of a large, consolidated dealer group. Multi-franchise dealerships at a single location are counted as one dealer. Beginning June 30, 2022, this key operating metric includes Accu-Trade; however, no prior period has been recast as it would be impracticable to do so.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company’s industry, Dealer Customers, results of operations, business strategies, plans and objectives, market potential, outlook, trends, future financial performance, planned operational and product improvements, potential strategic transactions, recent acquisitions, such as CreditIQ and Accu-Trade, liquidity, including draws from the Company’s revolving credit facility, expense management and other matters and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. These statements often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “project,” “anticipate,” “outlook,” “intend,” “strategy,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “seek,” “will,” “may,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “forecasts,” “mission,” “strive,” “more,” “goal” or similar expressions.  As a result, the Company’s actual financial results, performance, achievements, strategic actions or prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations, beliefs, strategies, estimates, projections and assumptions, based on its experience in the industry as well as the Company’s perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, current developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors the Company thinks are appropriate. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company and its management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, are inherently uncertain. These statements are expressed in good faith and the Company believes these judgments are reasonable. However, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of strategic action, performance or results. The Company’s actual results and strategic actions could differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, forward-looking statements should not be relied on in making investment decisions. Comparisons of results between current and prior periods are not intended to express any future trends, or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data. Whether or not any such forward-looking statement is in fact achieved will depend on future events, some of which are beyond the Company’s control.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, that could cause its actual results and strategic actions to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. For a detailed discussion of many of these and other risks and uncertainties, see the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, its Current Reports on Form 8-K and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available on the Company’s website at investor.cars.com www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of these risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based only on information currently available to the Company and speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation, other than as may be required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated or otherwise, or changes in future operating results over time or otherwise.

The forward-looking statements in this report are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection provided by the federal securities laws.

CARS Investor Relations Contact:Robbin Moore-Randolph
[email protected]

CARS Media Contact:Marita Thomas
[email protected]312.601.5692

Cars.com Inc.

Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30,

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2021

2022

2021

Revenue:

  Dealer

$               145,395

$               139,321

$               429,798

$               409,145

14,909

15,273

44,227

49,671

  Other 

4,291

1,959

11,650

6,562

       Total revenue

164,595

156,553

485,675

465,378

Operating expenses:

  Cost of revenue and operations

28,828

28,928

86,084

84,978

  Product and technology

21,425

20,132

65,849

56,326

  Marketing and sales

53,615

51,948

156,468

  General and administrative

17,694

17,919

51,465

46,800

  Depreciation and amortization

23,134

25,552

70,688

76,530

       Total operating expenses

144,696

144,479

439,450

421,102

         Operating income

19,899

12,074

46,225

44,276

Nonoperating expense:

(8,501)

(9,522)

(26,878)

(29,362)

  Other (expense) income, net

(13,387)

19

(13,233)

18

     Total nonoperating expense, net

(21,888)

(9,503)

(40,111)

(29,344)

       (Loss) income before income taxes

(1,989)

2,571

14,932

       Income tax expense (benefit)

952

140

(830)

1,257

          Net (loss) income

$                 (2,941)

$                   2,431

$                   6,944

$                 13,675

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

Basic

67,680

69,067

68,775

68,576

Diluted

67,680

70,945

70,023

(Loss) earnings per share:

Basic

$                   (0.04)

$                     0.04

$                     0.10

$                     0.20

Diluted

(0.04)

0.03

0.10

0.19

Cars.com Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except per share data)

September 30, 2022

December 31, 2021 (1)

(unaudited)

Assets:

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$                       31,920

$                       39,069

Accounts receivable, net

106,966

98,893

Prepaid expenses

10,539

7,810

Other current assets

5,093

1,665

Total current assets

154,518

147,437

Property and equipment, net

45,403

43,005

Goodwill

102,477

26,227

Intangible assets, net 

726,247

769,424

Investments and other assets, net

21,523

21,112

Total assets

$                  1,050,168

$                  1,007,205

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity:

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$                       18,622

$                       15,420

15,727

23,612

Current portion of long-term debt, net

12,829

8,941

Other accrued liabilities

59,051

46,317

Total current liabilities

106,229

94,290

Noncurrent liabilities:

482,740

457,383

Other noncurrent liabilities

84,672

57,512

567,412

514,895

Total liabilities

673,641

609,185

Commitments and contingencies

Stockholders’ equity:

Preferred Stock at par, $0.01 par value; 5,000 shares authorized; no shares
   issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021,
   respectively

Common Stock at par, $0.01 par value; 300,000 shares authorized; 66,850 and
   69,170 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 and
   December 31, 2021, respectively

668

692

Additional paid-in capital

1,515,014

1,544,712

Accumulated deficit

(1,138,438)

(1,145,382)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(717)

(2,002)

Total stockholders’ equity

376,527

398,020

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$                  1,050,168

$                  1,007,205

(1) During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company identified a $30.8 million overstatement of the valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets that originated in 2020. The Company also recorded an immaterial income tax adjustment relating to a prior period. The Company has concluded these items are not material to the previously issued Consolidated Financial Statements and has therefore corrected these prior period amounts as presented in the current period Consolidated Financial Statements. See further discussion within the Company’s Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2022.

Cars.com Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2022

2021

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income

$                   6,944

$                 13,675

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

Depreciation

11,833

12,193

Amortization of intangible assets

58,855

64,337

Amortization of Accumulated other comprehensive loss on interest rate swap

2,362

4,252

Changes in fair value of contingent consideration

13,360

Stock-based compensation

17,103

16,156

Deferred income taxes

676

(659)

Provision for doubtful accounts

1,047

350

Amortization of debt issuance costs

2,440

2,513

Amortization of deferred revenue related to Accu-Trade Acquisition

(3,092)

Other, net

279

722

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:

Accounts receivable

(7,532)

(5,933)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

(7,279)

6,911

Accounts payable

(796)

Accrued compensation

(7,885)

(367)

Other liabilities

(702)

2,872

Net cash provided by operating activities

91,291

116,226

Cash flows from investing activities:

     Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired

(64,770)

     Purchase of property and equipment

(17,879)

Net cash used in investing activities

(79,169)

(17,879)

Cash flows from financing activities:

     Proceeds from Revolving Loan borrowings

45,000

(17,500)

(107,500)

     Payments for stock-based compensation plans, net

(6,838)

(7,050)

     Repurchases of common stock

(39,933)

     Payments of debt issuance costs and other fees

(9)

Net cash used in financing activities

(19,271)

(114,559)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(7,149)

(16,212)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

39,069

67,719

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$                 31,920

$                 51,507

Supplemental cash flow information:

Cash paid (received) for income taxes

$                      741

$                 (8,392)

Cash paid for interest and swap

19,041

22,687

Cars.com Inc.

Non-GAAP Reconciliations

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30,

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2022

2021

2022

2021

Reconciliation of Net income to Adjusted EBITDA

Net (loss) income

$                 (2,941)

$                   2,431

$                   6,944

$                 13,675

Interest expense, net

8,501

9,522

26,878

29,362

Income tax expense (benefit)

952

140

(830)

1,257

Depreciation and amortization

23,134

25,552

70,688

76,530

Stock-based compensation

5,578

5,623

17,576

Write-off of long-lived assets and other

100

809

70

888

Severance, transformation and other exit costs

1,558

1,073

3,369

2,780

Transaction-related items

13,001

622

12,514

1,134

Adjusted EBITDA

$                 49,883

$                 45,772

$               137,209

$               142,386

Reconciliation of Net cash provided by operating activities to Free cash flow

Net cash provided by operating activities

$                 49,011

$                 36,607

$                 91,291

$               116,226

Purchase of property and equipment

(5,844)

(4,784)

(14,399)

(17,879)

Free cash flow

$                 43,167

$                 76,892

$                 98,347

Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022:

As Reported

Adjustments (1)

Stock-Based
Compensation

As Adjusted

Cost of revenue and operations

$                 28,828

$                        —

$                    (240)

$                 28,588

Product and technology

21,425

(1,754)

19,671

Marketing and sales

53,615

(1,132)

52,483

17,694

(2,924)

(2,452)

12,318

Depreciation and amortization

23,134

23,134

$               144,696

$                 (2,924)

$                 (5,578)

$               136,194

Total nonoperating expense, net

$               (21,888)

$                 13,360

$                        —

$                 (8,528)

(1) Includes transaction related items, severance, transformation and other exit costs, and write-off of long-lived assets and other.

Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2021:

As Reported

Adjustments (1)

Stock-Based
Compensation

As Adjusted

Cost of revenue and operations

$                 28,928

$                        —

$                    (187)

$                 28,741

Product and technology

20,132

(1,323)

18,809

Marketing and sales

51,948

(1,374)

50,574

General and administrative

17,919

(2,458)

(2,739)

12,722

Depreciation and amortization

25,552

25,552

Total operating expenses

$               144,479

$                 (2,458)

$                 (5,623)

$               136,398

Total nonoperating expense, net

$                 (9,503)

$                        —

$                 (9,457)

Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022:

As Reported

Adjustments (1)

Stock-Based
Compensation

As Adjusted

Cost of revenue and operations

$                 86,084

$                        —

$                    (759)

$                 85,325

Product and technology

65,849

(5,086)

60,763

Marketing and sales

165,364

(3,904)

161,460

General and administrative

51,465

(6,570)

(7,827)

37,068

Depreciation and amortization

70,688

70,688

Total operating expenses

$               439,450

$                 (6,570)

$               (17,576)

$               415,304

Total nonoperating expense, net

$               (40,111)

$                 13,175

$                        —

$               (26,936)

(1) Includes transaction related items, severance, transformation and other exit costs, and write-off of long-lived assets and other.

Reconciliation of Operating expenses to Adjusted operating expenses for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021:

As Reported

Adjustments (1)

Stock-Based
Compensation

As Adjusted

Cost of revenue and operations

$                 84,978

$                        —

$                    (730)

$                 84,248

Product and technology

56,326

(4,399)

51,927

Marketing and sales

156,468

(4,135)

152,333

General and administrative

46,800

(4,677)

(7,496)

34,627

Depreciation and amortization

76,530

76,530

Total operating expenses

$                 (4,677)

$               (16,760)

$               399,665

Total nonoperating expense, net

$               (29,344)

$                      125

$                        —

$               (29,219)

(1) Includes severance, transformation and other exit costs, transaction related costs, and write-off of long-lived assets and other.

SOURCE Cars.com Inc.


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