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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) March 1, 2022

 

BENEFITFOCUS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

	Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
001-36061		46-2346314
(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

100 Benefitfocus Way, Charleston, South Carolina 29492

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (843) 849-7476

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value		BNFT		Nasdaq Global Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this Chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this Chapter).

Emerging Growth Company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

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Item 2.02   Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On March 1, 2022, Benefitfocus, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing its operating results for the quarter ended December 31, 2021.  A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The information in this Item 2.02 (including Exhibit 99.1) shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

Item 7.01   Regulation FD Disclosure.

In connection with its earnings call to be held on March 1, 2022, the Company has prepared a presentation, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01 (including Exhibit 99.2) shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

Item 9.01   Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)   Exhibits

         Exhibit No.     Description                                  

          99.1                Press release dated March 1, 2022

          99.2                Earnings presentation dated March 1, 2022          

          104                 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

		BENEFITFOCUS, INC.
Date: March 1, 2022		/s/ Alpana Wegner
		Alpana Wegner
		Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial and accounting officer)

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Benefitfocus Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Financial Results 

 

Exceeded high end of the Revenue guidance range

Delivered Record Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2021

Completed Strongest Ever Open Enrollment Season with Record Customer Satisfaction Rating

Announces Investor Day on May 10, 2022

 

 

Charleston, S.C. – March 1, 2022 – Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT), an industry-leading cloud-based benefits administration technology company that simplifies benefits administration for employers, health plans and brokers, today announces its fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results:  

 

 

Financial Highlights for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021:

 

Operational Highlights for the Fourth Quarter:

 

 

“ We successfully completed the strongest open enrollment season in company history, providing another example of our ability to execute against our commitments,” said Matt Levin, president and chief executive officer. “I am confident the work underway to strengthen our core, grow with intent and increase our operational efficiency is driving results. We are encouraged by the multiple green shoots we are seeing across our delivery and go-to-market activities and are confident that the transformation we have undertaken will put us on the path to sustainable growth.”

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“We had another strong quarter generating financial results at or better than our guidance ranges for this quarter,” said Alpana Wegner, chief financial officer. “We have been able to expand our annual EBITDA margin year over year across our business, as we continue to work on improving our topline. Importantly, we generated approximately $24 million of free cash flow for the full year 2021, representing an increase of 20% year-over-year and ending the year with approximately $68 million in cash and marketable securities.”

 

 

Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Revenue

Net Income

Non-GAAP Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow

See important disclosures about non-GAAP measures, and a reconciliation of them to GAAP, below.

 

Full Year 2021 Financial Highlights

Revenue

Total revenue was $263.1 million, down 2% compared to the full year 2020.

Software services was $218.3 million, 2% higher compared to the full year 2020. Software services is comprised of subscription and platform revenue.

Subscription revenue was $178.8 million, a decrease of 1% compared to the full year 2020.

Platform revenue was $39.6 million, an increase of 13% compared to the full year 2020.

Professional services revenue was $44.8 million, down 16% compared to the full year 2020.

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Net Loss

GAAP net loss was ($32.2) million, compared to GAAP net loss of ($24.3) million in the full year 2020. GAAP net loss per share was ($1.17), based on ($38.6) million net loss available to common stockholders and 33.1 million basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding, compared to ($0.87) for the full year 2020, based on ($28.0) million net loss available to common stockholders and 32.3 million basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding.

Non-GAAP Income (Net Loss), Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow

Non-GAAP net income was $4.2 million, compared to non-GAAP net loss of ($6.8) million in the full year 2020. Non-GAAP net loss per share was ($0.07), based on ($2.2) million non-GAAP net loss available to common stockholders and 33.1 million basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding, compared to ($0.32) for the full year 2020, based on ($10.5) million net loss available to common stockholders and 32.3 million basic and diluted weighted average common shares outstanding.

Adjusted EBITDA was $49.0 million, compared to $44.0 million for the full year 2020.

Free cash flow was $23.8 million, compared to $19.9 million for the full year 2020.

See important disclosures about non-GAAP measures, and a reconciliation of them to GAAP, below.

Balance Sheet

Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities at December 31, 2021 totaled $68.1 million, compared to $94.5 million at the end of the third quarter of 2021, primarily reflecting the Tango Health acquisition, which closed within the quarter.  As of December 31, 2021, our debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio improved to 4.2x from 7.0x as of December 31, 2020, as a result of the company’s de-levering efforts.

The full $50.0 million line of credit remains available to the company.

Business Outlook

“As we progress through the current year, we anticipate a return to revenue growth near the end of 2022,” said  Alpana Wegner, chief financial officer. “We look forward to providing you with further details on our full mid and long-term financial projections during our Investor Day on May 10, 2022.”  

Benefitfocus is providing guidance for the first quarter and full year 2022 as indicated below.

First Quarter 2022

Full Year 2022

Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow guidance excludes the impact of restructuring and impairment charges.

Management has not reconciled forward-looking non-GAAP net loss, adjusted EBITDA or free cash flow to their most directly comparable GAAP measure of GAAP net loss or GAAP operating cash flows. This is because we cannot predict with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of the various necessary GAAP components of such reconciliations, including,

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for example, those related to compensation, acquisition transactions and integration, or others that may arise during the year, without unreasonable effort. These components and other factors could materially impact the amount of future directly comparable GAAP measures, which may differ significantly from their non-GAAP counterparts. See below for additional important disclosures regarding our non-GAAP financial measures.

Conference Call Details:

In conjunction with this announcement, Benefitfocus will host a conference call to discuss the company’s financial results and business outlook on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. ET. To access this call, dial (877) 407-9208 (domestic) or +1 (201) 493-6784 (international). A live webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations page of the company’s website at http://investor.benefitfocus.com/. After the conference call, a replay will be available until March 8, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921 (domestic) or +1 (412) 317-6671 (international) with passcode 13726841.

About Benefitfocus

Benefitfocus (NASDAQ: BNFT) is a cloud-based benefits administration technology company committed to helping our customers, and the people they serve, get the most out of their health care and benefit programs.  Through exceptional service and innovative SaaS solutions, we aim to be the safest set of hands for our customers helping to simplify the complexity of benefits administration while delivering an experience that engages people and unlocks the potential for better health and improved outcomes.  Our mission is simple: to improve lives with benefits. 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures in this release, including non-GAAP gross profit, operating income/loss, net loss/income, net loss/income per common share, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance or financial position that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. 

Non-GAAP gross profit, operating income/loss, net loss/income and net loss/income per common share exclude stock-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, transaction and acquisition-related costs expensed, expense related to the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets, gain or loss on extinguishment of debt, and costs not core to our business. We define adjusted EBITDA as net loss before net interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization expense, adjusted to eliminate stock-based compensation expense, expense related to the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets, transaction and acquisition-related costs expensed, restructuring costs, gain or loss on extinguishment of debt, costs not core to our business and, now, loss on settlement of lawsuits.  The revision to our definition of adjusted EBITDA had no impact on our reported adjusted EBITDA in prior periods. We define free cash flow as cash provided by or used in operating activities less capital expenditures, adjusted to eliminate cash paid for restructuring costs. Please note that other companies might define their non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do.

Management presents these non-GAAP financial measures in this release because it considers them to be important supplemental measures of performance. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures for planning purposes, including analysis of the company's performance against prior periods, the preparation of operating budgets and to determine appropriate levels of operating and capital investments. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional insight for analysts and investors in evaluating the company's financial and operational performance. Management also intends to provide these non-GAAP financial measures as part of the company’s future earnings discussions and, therefore, their inclusion should provide consistency in the company’s financial reporting.

Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures provided in this release, including in the accompanying tables.

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Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: our need to achieve consistent GAAP profitability; fluctuations in our financial results; our ability to maintain our culture and recruit, integrate and retain qualified personnel, including on our board of directors; our ability to compete effectively and implement our growth strategy; market developments and opportunities; the need to innovate and provide useful products and services; risks related to changing healthcare and other applicable regulations; the immature and volatile nature of the market for our products and services; privacy; security and other risks associated with our business; management of growth; volatility and uncertainty in the global economy and financial markets in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and tensions in Ukraine; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of the Benefitfocus website at http://investor.benefitfocus.com/sec-filings or upon request from our Investor Relations Department. Benefitfocus assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

 

Source: Benefitfocus, Inc.

 

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Q4 Earnings Presentation March 1, 2022 Exhibit 99.2

Disclaimer Safe Harbor Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this presentation are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: our need to achieve consistent GAAP profitability; fluctuations in our financial results; our ability to maintain our culture and recruit, integrate and retain qualified personnel, including on our board of directors; our ability to compete effectively and implement our growth strategy; market developments and opportunities; the need to innovate and provide useful products and services; risks related to changing healthcare and other applicable regulations; the immature and volatile nature of the market for our products and services; privacy, security and other risks associated with our business; management of growth; volatility and uncertainty in the global economy and financial markets in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and tensions in Ukraine; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of the Benefitfocus website at https://investor.benefitfocus.com/sec-filings or upon request from our Investor Relations Department. Benefitfocus assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Disclaimer Non-GAAP Financial Measures The company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures in this presentation, including non-GAAP gross profit, operating income/loss, net loss/income, net loss/income per common share, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance or financial position that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.  Non-GAAP gross profit, operating income/loss, net loss/income and net loss/income per common share exclude stock-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, transaction and acquisition-related costs expensed, expense related to the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets, gain or loss on extinguishment of debt, and costs not core to our business. We define adjusted EBITDA as net loss/income before net interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization expense, adjusted to eliminate stock-based compensation expense, expense related to the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets, transaction and acquisition-related costs expensed, restructuring costs, gain or loss on extinguishment of debt, costs not core to our business and, now, loss on settlement of lawsuits. The revision to our definition of adjusted EBITDA had no impact on our reported adjusted EBITDA in prior periods. We define free cash flow as cash provided by or used in operating activities less capital expenditures, adjusted to eliminate cash paid for restructuring costs. Please note that other companies might define their non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do.    Management presents these non-GAAP financial measures in this presentation because it considers them to be important supplemental measures of performance. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures for planning purposes, including analysis of the company's performance against prior periods, the preparation of operating budgets and to determine appropriate levels of operating and capital investments. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional insight for analysts and investors in evaluating the company's financial and operational performance. Management also intends to provide these non-GAAP financial measures as part of the company’s future earnings discussions and, therefore, their inclusion should provide consistency in the company’s financial reporting. Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures provided in this presentation, including in the accompanying tables.

Matt Levin Chief Executive Officer

Delivered a Strong 2021 While Investing in Our Future We are on track to return to long-term sustainable growth We are making great progress towards improving our service excellence We are delivering on our commitments, strengthening our business and are on track to return to growth Recent Accomplishments Delivered strongest open enrollment season in company history Completed acquisition of Tango Health Key Financial Highlights Q4 2021 revenue exceeded guidance range  GAAP Diluted EPS was $0.04 and non-GAAP Diluted EPS was $0.24 for Q4 2021 FY 2021 Adjusted EBITDA margin of 19%; up more than 200 basis points YoY Note: See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures and GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation on slides 3, 18 and 19.

A Unique Business Model in an Attractive Industry Best-in-class Management Team Unique Technology and Service Platform Core Competency in Innovation Competitive Advantages Key Players Health Plans Employers Employees Brokers Carrier Partners

Strengthening the Core to Activate Growth Flywheel

Growing with Intent to Accelerate Revenue Generation Enhancing Core Capabilities Leveraging Data Assets Moving Up Market Strategically deploying capital to expand product offering Leveraging platform and technology, deepening relationships with customers Moving into adjacent markets Delivering industry-leading tech-enabled services and insights Driving differentiated post-enrollment, engagement and utilization capabilities Gaining market traction by launching offerings leveraging data insights Targeting larger, higher-value customers Better positioned than competitors to deliver efficiently Expanding addressable market

Increasing Operational Efficiency to Create Value Revenue, Non-GAAP Gross Profit, Adj. EBITDA (US$ in millions) Accomplishments Automating processes driving stronger software gross margins Optimizing sales and marketing organization resulting in increased EBITDA Sustaining margins while executing revenue growth strategy Note: See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures and GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation on slides 3, 18 and 19.

Alpana Wegner Chief Financial Officer

Managing Near-Term Revenue while Planning for a Strong Close to 2022 252-258 Key Developments in Q4 2021 Revenue exceeded guidance Software services up 2% YoY Subscription revenue down 2% YoY, better than expected Platform revenue up 14% YoY, better than expected Net Benefit Eligible Lives were in line with our expectations. Total NBELs were 15.6 million in Q4, down sequentially 3% and down year-over-year 15% (1). As we previously shared, the decline in NBELs was driven by the expected fewer renewals from certain health plans and in the first quarter of 2021, we made a strategic decision to terminate the unprofitable relationship with SHIPT and the associated “gig” lives.

Protecting our Margins while Investing in Service Excellence Non-GAAP Gross Margins Adjusted EBITDA Margins Note: 2022E Adjusted EBITDA Margin based on the midpoint of guidance Note: See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures and GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation on slides 3, 18 and 19.

Cash Generation Allows us to Invest in our Growth Key Developments in Q4 2021 $68M of cash and investments at year end 2021 2021 free cash flow of $24M, above the mid point of guidance range Well-positioned to pursue tuck-in M&A opportunities to accelerate growth 18-24 Note: See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures and GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation on slides 3, 18 and 19. Free Cash Flow (US$ in millions)

Guidance Overview Note: Our revenue outlook for 2022 is shaped by lower-than-expected bookings during the 2021 selling season and two health plan renewals that renewed at lower levels in 2021. We continue to expect a revenue growth-inflection point to occur near the end of 2022.  Note: Management has not reconciled forward-looking adjusted EBITDA or free cash flow to their most directly comparable GAAP measure of GAAP net loss or GAAP operating cash flows. This is because we cannot predict with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of the various necessary GAAP components of such reconciliations, including, for example, those related to compensation, acquisition transactions and integration, or others that may arise during the year, without unreasonable effort. These components and other factors could materially impact the amount of future directly comparable GAAP measures, which may differ significantly from their non-GAAP counterparts. See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures on slides 3, 18 and 19.

Questions?

Appendix

Q4 and Full Year 2021 Summary Note: See important disclosures on non-GAAP financial measures and GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation on slides 3, 18 and 19.

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures (cont.)

Q4 Earnings Presentation March 1, 2022