ESINQ ITT Educational Services Inc (CE)

CARMEL, Ind., July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ITT Educational Services, Inc. (NYSE:  ESI), a leading provider of technology-oriented postsecondary degree programs, today reported that diluted earnings per share in the first six months of 2016 was $0.35, compared to $0.47 in the first six months of 2015.  New student enrollment in the second quarter of 2016 decreased 21.6% to 9,910 compared to 12,638 in the same period in 2015. Total student enrollment decreased 16.4% to 40,015 as of June 30, 2016 compared to 47,874 as of June 30, 2015.

The company provided the following information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015:

The company also announced that earlier this month, it implemented certain modifications to its marketing and recruitment strategy that it expects will result in a significant decrease in its advertising expenditures for the six months ending December 31, 2016 compared to the same period in the prior year.  The modifications also included a significant reduction in the number of recruiting representatives employed at local campus locations in favor of greater utilization of the company's centralized recruitment center. 

As a result of the changes to its marketing and recruitment practices, the company now believes that new student enrollment in the second half of 2016 may decline by approximately 45% to 60% compared to the same period in 2015, which would result in a decline in full year 2016 new student enrollment of between approximately 30% and 40% compared to 2015.  However, as a result of these operational changes, and assuming that new student enrollment for the second half of 2016 is in the range of the current expectations and that there are no material changes to student retention rates in the last six months of 2016 compared to the first six months of 2016, the company updated its internal goals for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for the year ending December 31, 2016 from the previous range of $55 million to $75 million to a revised range of $110 million to $125 million, which reflects projected net income in the range of $42 million to $48 million. 

The company believes that these modifications to its marketing and recruitment strategy for the ITT Technical Institutes are appropriate and prudent given the current operating environment and the company's payment obligations under U.S. Department of Education (the "ED") surety requirements, its financing agreement, its private loan program guarantees and other obligations.  The company believes that these changes will lead to a smaller but more efficient postsecondary institution and, importantly, will enhance the company's focus on its students.

The company also reported that on July 20, 2016, it provided $14.6 million to be held in escrow by the ED, which was the first of three installment amounts that it is required to provide to the ED as additional surety, as previously disclosed. 

The projected new student enrollment, EBITDA and EBITDA component amounts, including net income, are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and do not guarantee actual results for the period indicated.  Factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected include those discussed in the documents that the company files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of the projections, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

EBITDA is not a measurement under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP") and may not be similar to EBITDA measures of other companies. Non-GAAP financial information should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, information prepared in accordance with GAAP.  The company believes that EBITDA provides useful information to management and investors as an indicator of the company's operating performance. A reconciliation of projected 2016 EBITDA to projected 2016 net income is included on Schedule A attached to this release.

Based on various assumptions, including the historical and projected performance and collection of the student loans held by the PEAKS Trust and the CUSO, the company reported that its current estimate of the payments it may have to make under the PEAKS guarantee and the CUSO risk sharing agreement (the "CUSO RSA"), in the aggregate, are approximately:

• $26.5 million in 2016 (of which $17.8 million was paid in the six months ended June 30, 2016);
• $12.2 million in 2017;
• $13.0 million in 2018; and
• $109.5 million in 2019 and later, which amount includes an approximately $10.8 million payment in 2020 under the PEAKS guarantee.

These estimated payment amounts are net of estimated aggregate recoveries of approximately $3.9 million under the CUSO RSA, which the company has offset or expects to offset against amounts due by it under the CUSO RSA over these periods.  The company urges readers to review the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016, which the company plans to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on or before August 1, 2016, and which will contain additional information regarding these estimated payment amounts, including the assumptions used, the estimates of the type of payments, regular, discharge or deferred, and estimated recoveries, under the CUSO RSA.         

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed herein are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Forward-looking statements are made based on the current expectations and beliefs of the company's management concerning future developments and their potential effect on the company. The company cannot assure you that future developments affecting the company will be those anticipated by its management. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the failure of the company to show cause to ACICS' satisfaction that the Company's institutions' grants of accreditation should not be withdrawn or conditioned; the impact of adverse actions by the ED; the inability of the Company to fund additional amounts require by the ED; the impact if the ED does not renew its recognition of ACICS; the action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against the company; issues or negative determinations related to the restatement of the company's financial statements; the company's failure to submit its 2013 audited financial statements and 2013 compliance audits with the ED by the due date; the impact of the consolidation of variable interest entities on the company and the regulations, requirements and obligations that it is subject to; the inability to obtain any required amendments or waivers of noncompliance with covenants under the company's financing agreement; the company's inability to remediate material weaknesses, or the discovery of additional material weaknesses, in the company's internal control over financial reporting; the company's exposure under its guarantees related to private student loan programs; the outcome of litigation, investigations and claims against the company; the failure of potential settlements to be approved and finalized on the terms proposed or initially agreed to; the effects of the cross-default provisions in the company's financing agreement; changes in federal and state governmental laws and regulations with respect to education and accreditation standards, or the interpretation or enforcement of those laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the level of government funding for, and the company's eligibility to participate in, student financial aid programs utilized by the company's students; business conditions in the postsecondary education industry and in the general economy; the company's failure to comply with the extensive education laws and regulations and accreditation standards that it is subject to; effects of any change in ownership of the company resulting in a change in control of the company, including, but not limited to, the consequences of such changes on the accreditation and federal and state regulation of its campuses; the company's ability to implement its growth strategies; the company's ability to retain or attract qualified employees to execute its business and growth strategies; the company's failure to maintain or renew required federal or state authorizations or accreditations of its campuses or programs of study; receptivity of students and employers to the company's existing program offerings and new curricula; the company's ability to repay moneys it has borrowed; the company's ability to collect internally funded financing from its students; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Schedule A

EBITDA is not a measurement under GAAP and may not be similar to EBITDA measures of other companies. Non-GAAP financial information should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, information prepared in accordance with GAAP.  The company believes that EBITDA provides useful information to management and investors as an indicator of the company's operating performance. 

Projected EBITDA is only an estimate and contains forward-looking information.  The company has made a number of assumptions in preparing the projection, including assumptions as to the components of the projected EBITDA.  These assumptions may or may not prove to be correct.  In order to provide projections with respect to EBITDA, the company must estimate amounts for the GAAP measures that are components of the reconciliation of projected EBITDA.  By providing these estimates, the company is in no way indicating that it is providing projections on those GAAP components of the reconciliation.

Projected EBITDA can be reconciled to the company's projected net income for the period indicated, as follows:

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SOURCE ITT Educational Services, Inc.