ADBE Adobe Inc

Achieves Record Creative Cloud, Adobe Document Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud Revenue in Fiscal 2017

Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2017 ended Dec. 1, 2017.

In its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017, Adobe achieved quarterly revenue of $2.01 billion, which represents 25 percent year-over-year growth. In fiscal year 2017, Adobe achieved annual revenue of $7.30 billion, which also represents 25 percent year-over-year growth.

"Adobe delivered record revenue of $2 billion in Q4," said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO, Adobe. "Our strong business momentum is driven by the market-leading solutions we provide to empower people to create and businesses to digitally transform.”

“Adobe achieved record annual and quarterly revenue, and the leverage in our business model once again drove record profit and earnings," said Mark Garrett, executive vice president and CFO, Adobe. “We are raising our fiscal 2018 revenue target and remain bullish about delivering strong top line and bottom line growth.”

Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Highlights

• Adobe achieved record quarterly revenue of $2.01 billion in its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017, which represents 25 percent year-over-year growth.
• Diluted earnings per share was $1.00 on a GAAP-basis, and $1.26 on a non-GAAP basis.
• Digital Media segment revenue was $1.39 billion, with Creative and Document Cloud achieving record quarterly revenue of $1.16 billion and $235 million, respectively.
• Digital Media Annualized Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) grew to $5.23 billion exiting the quarter, a quarter-over-quarter increase of $359 million.
• Adobe Experience Cloud achieved record revenue of $550 million, which represents 18 percent year-over-year growth.
• Operating income grew 37 percent and net income grew 26 percent year-over-year on a GAAP-basis; operating income grew 37 percent and net income grew 39 percent year-over-year on a non-GAAP basis.
• Cash flow from operations was a record $833 million and deferred revenue grew to an all-time high of $2.49 billion.
• The company repurchased approximately 1.9 million shares during the quarter, returning $297 million of cash to stockholders.

Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Highlights

• Adobe achieved record annual revenue of $7.30 billion in fiscal year 2017, representing 25 percent year-over-year growth.
• The company reported annual GAAP diluted earnings per share of $3.38 and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $4.31.
• Digital Media segment revenue was $5.01 billion, with Creative and Document Cloud achieving record annual revenue of $4.17 billion and $837 million, respectively. Digital Media ARR grew by $1.24 billion during the year.
• Adobe Experience Cloud achieved record annual revenue of $2.03 billion, representing 24 percent year-over-year growth.
• Operating income grew 45 percent and net income grew 45 percent year-over-year on a GAAP-basis; operating income grew 40 percent and net income grew 42 percent year-over-year on a non-GAAP basis.
• Adobe generated a record $2.91 billion in operating cash flow during the year.
• The company repurchased 8.2 million shares during the year, returning $1.10 billion of cash to stockholders.

A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP results is provided at the end of this press release and on Adobe’s website.

Adobe to Webcast Earnings Conference Call

Adobe will webcast its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2017 earnings conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time from its investor relations website: www.adobe.com/ADBE. Earnings documents, including Adobe management’s prepared conference call remarks with slides, financial targets and an investor datasheet are posted to Adobe’s investor relations website in advance of the conference call for reference. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP earnings results and financial targets is also provided on the website.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those related to business momentum, product adoption, revenue, annualized recurring revenue, subscription bookings, non-operating other expense, tax rate on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, earnings per share on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, and share count, all of which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: failure to develop, acquire, market and offer products and services that meet customer requirements, introduction of new technology, complex sales cycles, fluctuations in subscription renewal rates, our ability to predict such renewals and risks related to the timing of revenue recognition from our subscription offerings, potential interruptions or delays in hosted services provided by us or third parties, risks associated with cyber-attacks, information security and privacy, failure to realize the anticipated benefits of past or future acquisitions, changes in accounting principles and tax regulations, and uncertainty in the financial markets and economic conditions in the countries we operate as a multinational corporation. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer to Adobe’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year 2016 ended Dec. 2, 2016, and Adobe's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q issued in fiscal year 2017.

The financial information set forth in this press release reflects estimates based on information available at this time. These amounts could differ from actual reported amounts stated in Adobe’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for our year ended Dec. 1, 2017, which Adobe expects to file in Jan. 2018.

Adobe assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update these forward-looking statements.

About Adobe

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

© 2017 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, Adobe Document Cloud, Adobe Experience Cloud, Creative Cloud, and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

         

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(In thousands, except per share data; unaudited)

  Three Months Ended Year Ended December 1,2017*    

December 2, 2016

December 1,

2017*

    December 2, 2016 Revenue: Subscription $ 1,695,987 $ 1,262,273 $ 6,133,869 $ 4,584,833 Product 192,876 221,926 706,767 800,498 Services and support 117,732   124,220   460,869   469,099   Total revenue 2,006,595   1,608,419   7,301,505   5,854,430     Cost of revenue: Subscription 170,218 122,196 623,048 461,860 Product 15,552 17,427 57,082 68,917 Services and support 85,102   76,933   330,361   289,131  

Total cost of revenue

270,872   216,556   1,010,491   819,908     Gross profit 1,735,723 1,391,863 6,291,014 5,034,522   Operating expenses: Research and development 324,026 257,849 1,224,059 975,987 Sales and marketing 574,104 495,042 2,197,592 1,910,197 General and administrative 169,567 148,192 624,706 576,202 Amortization of purchased intangibles 18,686   18,500   76,562   78,534   Total operating expenses 1,086,383

 

919,583   4,122,919   3,540,920     Operating income 649,340 472,280 2,168,095 1,493,602   Non-operating income (expense): Interest and other income (expense), net 10,496 553 36,395 13,548 Interest expense (19,116 ) (17,518 ) (74,402 ) (70,442 ) Investment gains (losses), net 2,292   1,385   7,553   (1,570 ) Total non-operating income (expense), net (6,328 ) (15,580 ) (30,454 ) (58,464 ) Income before income taxes 643,012 456,700 2,137,641 1,435,138 Provision for income taxes 141,463   57,087   443,687   266,356   Net income $ 501,549   $ 399,613   $ 1,693,954   $ 1,168,782   Basic net income per share $ 1.02   $ 0.81   $ 3.43   $ 2.35   Shares used to compute basic net income per share 492,108   495,641   493,632   498,345   Diluted net income per share $ 1.00   $ 0.80   $ 3.38   $ 2.32   Shares used to compute diluted net income per share 500,060   501,176   501,123   504,299    

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*       We early adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, during the first quarter of fiscal 2017. As required by the standard, excess tax benefits recognized on stock-based compensation expense were reflected in our provision for income taxes rather than paid-in capital on a prospective basis. We recorded excess tax benefits within our provision for income taxes, rather than paid-in capital, starting the first quarter of fiscal 2017.             Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except par value; unaudited)

  December 1, 2017 December 2, 2016 ASSETS   Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,306,072 $ 1,011,315 Short-term investments 3,513,702 3,749,985 Trade receivables, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $9,151 and $6,214, respectively 1,217,968 833,033 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 210,071   245,441   Total current assets 7,247,813 5,839,774   Property and equipment, net 936,976 816,264 Goodwill 5,821,561 5,406,474 Purchased and other intangibles, net 385,658 414,405 Investment in lease receivable — 80,439 Other assets 143,548   139,890   Total assets $ 14,535,556   $ 12,697,246     LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   Current liabilities: Trade payables $ 113,538 $ 88,024 Accrued expenses 993,773 739,630 Income taxes payable 14,196 38,362 Deferred revenue 2,405,950   1,945,619   Total current liabilities 3,527,457 2,811,635   Long-term liabilities: Debt 1,881,421 1,892,200 Deferred revenue 88,592 69,131 Income taxes payable 173,088 184,381 Deferred income taxes 279,941 217,660 Other liabilities 125,188   97,404   Total liabilities 6,075,687 5,272,411   Stockholders’ equity: Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 2,000 shares authorized — — Common stock, $0.0001 par value 61 61 Additional paid-in-capital 5,082,195 4,616,331 Retained earnings 9,573,870 8,114,517 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (111,821 ) (173,602 ) Treasury stock, at cost (109,572 and 106,580 shares, respectively), net of reissuances (6,084,436 ) (5,132,472 ) Total stockholders’ equity 8,459,869   7,424,835   Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 14,535,556   $ 12,697,246             Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands; unaudited)

  Three Months Ended December 1,2017*   December 2, 2016 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 501,549 $ 399,613 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation, amortization and accretion 81,234 81,860 Stock-based compensation expense 120,050 87,530 Unrealized investment (gains) losses, net (2,251 ) (771 ) Changes in deferred revenue 289,952 216,765 Changes in other operating assets and liabilities (157,314 ) (89,396 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 833,220   695,601     Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases, sales and maturities of short-term investments, net 62,199 (97,891 ) Purchases of property and equipment (37,684 ) (48,633 ) Purchases and sales of long-term investments, intangibles and other assets, net (4,149 ) 3,426  

Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities

20,366   (143,098 )   Cash flows from financing activities: Purchases of treasury stock (300,000 ) (300,000 ) Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards, net of proceeds from treasury stock reissuances (18,877 ) (6,283 ) Repayment of capital lease obligations (632 ) (22 ) Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation —   5,836   Net cash used for financing activities (319,509 ) (300,469 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (2,555 ) (8,391 ) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 531,522 243,643 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 1,774,550   767,672   Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 2,306,072   $ 1,011,315    

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*       We early adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, during the first quarter of fiscal 2017. As required by the standard, excess tax benefits recognized on stock-based compensation expense were reflected in our provision for income taxes rather than paid-in capital on a prospective basis. We also elected to prospectively apply the change in presentation of excess tax benefits wherein excess tax benefits recognized on stock-based compensation expense were classified as operating activities in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows starting the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Prior period classification of cash flows related to excess tax benefits was not adjusted.             Non-GAAP Results

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

The following tables show Adobe's GAAP results reconciled to non-GAAP results included in this release.

  Three Months Ended   Year Ended December 1, 2017     December 2, 2016     September 1, 2017 December 1, 2017     December 2, 2016 Operating income:     GAAP operating income $ 649,340 $ 472,280 $ 545,674 $ 2,168,095 $ 1,493,602 Stock-based and deferred compensation expense 122,180 86,584 117,968 462,317 351,553 Restructuring and other charges (359 ) (285 ) — (456 ) (1,508 ) Amortization of purchased intangibles 34,817   31,143   36,655   143,492     136,056   Non-GAAP operating income $ 805,978   $ 589,722   $ 700,297   $ 2,773,448     $ 1,979,703     Net income:   GAAP net income* $ 501,549 $ 399,613 $ 419,569 $ 1,693,954 $ 1,168,782 Stock-based and deferred compensation expense 122,180 86,584 117,968 462,317 351,553 Restructuring and other charges (359 ) (285 ) — (456 ) (1,508 ) Amortization of purchased intangibles 34,817 31,143 36,655 143,492 136,056 Investment (gains) losses, net (2,292 ) (1,385 ) (975 ) (7,553 ) 1,570 Income tax adjustments (25,982 ) (63,118 ) (24,146 ) (130,756 )   (137,350 ) Non-GAAP net income $ 629,913   $ 452,552   $ 549,071   $ 2,160,998     $ 1,519,103     Diluted net income per share:   GAAP diluted net income per share* $ 1.00 $ 0.80 $ 0.84 $ 3.38 $ 2.32 Stock-based and deferred compensation expense 0.24 0.17 0.24 0.92 0.70 Amortization of purchased intangibles 0.07 0.06 0.07 0.29 0.27 Investment (gains) losses, net — — — (0.02 ) — Income tax adjustments (0.05 ) (0.13 ) (0.05 ) (0.26 )   (0.28 ) Non-GAAP diluted net income per share $ 1.26   $ 0.90   $ 1.10   $ 4.31     $ 3.01     Shares used in computing diluted net income per share 500,060 501,176 500,398 501,123 504,299         Three Months Ended December 1, 2017 Effective income tax rate:   GAAP effective income tax rate* 22.0 % Stock-based and deferred compensation expense 0.2 Income tax adjustments (1.2 ) Non-GAAP effective income tax rate** 21.0 %  

_________________________________________

*       We early adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, during the first quarter of fiscal 2017. As required by the standard, excess tax benefits recognized on stock-based compensation expense were reflected in our provision for income taxes rather than paid-in capital on a prospective basis. We recorded excess tax benefits within our provision for income taxes, rather than paid-in capital, starting the first quarter of fiscal 2017.   ** Our non-GAAP effective income tax rate of 21% is an annualized rate based on estimates for the entire fiscal year, whereas the GAAP effective income tax rate of 22% is the rate for the quarter based on tax events within the quarter. Income tax adjustments, which are included in both GAAP and non-GAAP earnings, will fluctuate from quarter-to-quarter but will normalize over the fiscal year due to the timing of tax events including the timing of recognition of excess tax benefits within each quarter.  

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Adobe continues to provide all information required in accordance with GAAP, but believes evaluating its ongoing operating results may not be as useful if an investor is limited to reviewing only GAAP financial measures. Adobe uses non-GAAP financial information to evaluate its ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. Adobe's management does not itself, nor does it suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Adobe presents such non-GAAP financial measures in reporting its financial results to provide investors with an additional tool to evaluate Adobe's operating results. Adobe believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful because they allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. This allows institutional investors, the analyst community and others to better understand and evaluate our operating results and future prospects in the same manner as management.

Adobe's management believes it is useful for itself and investors to review, as applicable, both GAAP information as well as non-GAAP measures, which may exclude items such as stock-based and deferred compensation expenses, restructuring and other charges, amortization of purchased intangibles and certain activity in connection with technology license arrangements, investment gains and losses, the related tax impact of all of these items, income tax adjustments, and the income tax effect of the non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments from the provision for income taxes. Adobe uses these non-GAAP measures in order to assess the performance of Adobe's business and for planning and forecasting in subsequent periods. Whenever such a non-GAAP measure is used, Adobe provides a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the most closely applicable GAAP financial measure. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measure as detailed above.

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Investor RelationsAdobeMike Saviage, 408-536-4416ir@adobe.comorPublic RelationsAdobeDan Berthiaume, 408-536-2584dberthia@adobe.com