Acxiom Adjusts Road Map Earnings Target to Reflect Anticipated Impact of Proxy Contest, Dutch Auction, New Credit Facilities, Other Items.LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Acxiom(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) today quantified the expected cumulative financial impact of the successful completion of the proxy contest Proxy contest A battle for the control of a firm in which a dissident group seeks, from the firm's other shareholders, the right to vote those shareholders' shares in favor of the dissident group's slate of directors. Also called proxy fights. with ValueAct Capital, the anticipated completion of the Dutch Auction Dutch Auction An auction where the price on an item is lowered until it gets its first bid, and then the item is sold at that price. Notes: The U.S. Treasury (and other countries) uses a Dutch auction when it sells securities. Self Tender, an $800 million credit facility, and other items reported on the first-quarter earnings conference call held July 26, 2006. The net impact of these items will reduce the midpoint mid·point n. 1. Mathematics The point of a line segment or curvilinear arc that divides it into two parts of the same length. 2. A position midway between two extremes. of the original fiscal year 2007 Financial Road Map earnings target by approximately six to seven cents per fully diluted share. The six- to seven-cent reduction reflects the anticipated impact for fiscal 2007 of the following five items:
1. The fiscal 2007 Road Map targets, communicated during the fiscal
2006 year-end conference call on May 17, 2006, were based on 90
million weighted average shares outstanding. Subsequently, the
company reported a net 2 million share increase related to
greater-than-expected exercises of 2.5 million stock options,
partially offset by share repurchases of 0.5 million shares. The
net increase of approximately 2 million shares will increase the
fiscal 2007 weighted average share count to approximately 91
million, a weighted average increase of approximately 1 million
shares that is expected to result in a reduction of approximately
one cent in fiscal 2007 EPS.
2. The company incurred proxy contest expenses related to financial
and non-financial advisory fees of approximately $1.2 million in
addition to expenses previously reported. These fees were not
anticipated in the earlier fiscal 2007 Road Map targets and are
expected to reduce fiscal 2007 EPS by approximately one cent.
3. The company expects to repurchase up to $300 million of its shares
through the Dutch Auction Self Tender (DAST) scheduled to close on
September 12, 2006. The impact on the weighted average fully
diluted shares outstanding for fiscal 2007 is expected to be a
reduction of approximately 6.0 to 6.5 million shares or an
increase to fiscal 2007 EPS of approximately seven to eight cents.
4. The company expects to incur incremental interest expense of
approximately $14.3 million related to the incremental borrowings
under the new credit facilities scheduled to close on September
15, 2006. These borrowings are to fund the DAST, restructure
existing debt and be available for general corporate purposes.
These costs are anticipated to result in an approximate 10-cent
reduction in fiscal 2007 EPS.
5. During the first-quarter earnings conference call, the company
reported that its effective tax rate for fiscal year 2007 was
expected to be 39 percent. Previously announced targets
anticipated an effective tax rate of 38 percent. The one
percentage point increase is expected to result in an approximate
two-cent reduction in fiscal 2007 EPS.
"Since the fiscal 2006 year-end conference call, we have publicly provided a significant amount of information to investors, and management today is clarifying that information so that shareholders have a more complete view of Acxiom's full-year earnings expectation for fiscal year 2007. While the amounts for the DAST DAST Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland) DAST Drug Abuse Screening Test DAST Distributed Applications Support Team (NLANR) DAST Dyslexia Adult Screening Test DAST Draw-a-Scientist Test and the credit facilities credit facilities npl → facilidades fpl de crédito credit facilities npl → facilités fpl de paiement credit facilities continue to be estimates, we do not expect the final amounts to differ materially from our current expectations," said Frank Cotroneo, Acxiom's Chief Financial Officer. About Acxiom Acxiom Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) integrates data, services and technology to create and deliver customer and information management solutions for many of the largest, most respected companies in the world. The core components of Acxiom's innovative solutions are Customer Data Integration (CDI CDI compact disc interactive: a system for storing a mix of software, data, audio, and compressed video for interactive use under processor control ) technology, data, database services, IT outsourcing, consulting and analytics, and privacy leadership. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock, Arkansas required military intervention to desegregate schools (1957–1958). [Am. Hist.: Van Doren, 556–557] See : Bigotry , with locations throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Europe, and in Australia and China. For more information, visit www.acxiom.com. This release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such statements may include but are not necessarily limited to the following: that the estimates and ranges in this release and the Financial Road Map with respect to the projected revenue, operating margin Operating Margin A ratio used to measure a company's pricing strategy and operating efficiency. Calculated by: , return on assets Return on assets (ROA) Indicator of profitability. Determined by dividing net income for the past 12 months by total average assets. Result is shown as a percentage. ROA can be decomposed into return on sales (net income/sales) multiplied by asset utilization (sales/assets). and return on invested capital, operating cash flow Operating cash flow Earnings before depreciation minus taxes. Measures the cash generated from operations, not counting capital spending or working capital requirements. and free cash flow, borrowings, dividends, tax rates and other metrics metrics Managed care A popular term for standards by which the quality of a product, service, or outcome of a particular form of Pt management is evaluated. See TQM. will be within the estimated ranges; that the company has identified categories of opportunity that provide upside Upside The potential dollar amount by which the market or a stock could rise. Notes: This is basically an educated guess on how high a stock could go in the near future. See also: Bull, Downside to the ranges of the Financial Road Map, that the estimations of revenue, earnings, cash flow, growth rates Growth Rates The compounded annualized rate of growth of a company's revenues, earnings, dividends, or other figures. Notes: Remember, historically high growth rates don't always mean a high rate of growth looking into the future. , restructuring charges restructuring charge The expense of reorganizing a company's operations. A restructuring charge is an infrequent expense that generally results from asset writedowns or facility closings. and expense reductions will be within the estimated ranges; and that the business pipeline and our anticipated cost structure will allow us to continue to meet or exceed revenue, cash flow and other projections. The following are important factors, among others, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements: The possibility that we may incur expenses related to unsolicited proposals or other efforts by others to acquire or control the Company; certain contracts may not be closed, or may not be closed within the anticipated time frames; the possibility that in the event that a change of control was sought that certain of the clients of the Company would invoke certain provisions in their contracts resulting in a decline in the revenue and profit of the company; the possibility that certain contracts may not generate the anticipated revenue or profitability; the possibility that negative changes in economic or other conditions might lead to a reduction in demand for our products and services; the possibility of an economic slowdown or that economic conditions in general will not be as expected; the possibility that the historical seasonality of our business may change; the possibility that significant customers may experience extreme, severe economic difficulty; the possibility that the integration of acquired businesses may not be as successful as planned; the possibility that the fair value of certain of our assets may not be equal to the carrying value Carrying Value Also know as "book value," it is a company's total assets minus intangible assets and liabilities, such as debt. Notes: This is different than market value, as it can be higher or lower depending on the circumstances. of those assets now or in future time periods; the possibility that sales cycles may lengthen length·en tr. & intr.v. length·ened, length·en·ing, length·ens To make or become longer. length en·er n. ; the possibility
that we may not be able to attract and retain qualified technical and
leadership associates, or that we may lose key associates to other
organizations; the possibility that we won't be able to properly
motivate our sales force or other associates; the possibility that we
won't be able to achieve cost reductions and avoid unanticipated
costs; the possibility that we won't be able to continue to receive
credit upon satisfactory terms and conditions; the possibility that
competent, competitive products, technologies or services will be
introduced into the marketplace by other companies; the possibility that
we may be subjected to pricing pressure due to market conditions and/or
competitive products and services; the possibility that there will be
changes in consumer or business information industries and markets that
negatively impact the Company; the possibility that changes in
accounting pronouncements may occur and may impact these projections;
the possibility that we won't be able to protect proprietary
information and technology or to obtain necessary licenses on
commercially reasonable terms; the possibility that we may encounter
difficulties when entering new markets or industries; the possibility
that there will be changes in the legislative, accounting, regulatory
and consumer environments affecting our business, including but not
limited to litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute.When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. , legislation, regulations and customs relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc our ability to collect, manage, aggregate and use data; the possibility that data suppliers might withdraw data from us, leading to our inability to provide certain products and services; the possibility that we may enter into short-term contracts which would affect the predictability of our revenues; the possibility that the amount of ad hoc For this purpose. Meaning "to this" in Latin, it refers to dealing with special situations as they occur rather than functions that are repeated on a regular basis. See ad hoc query and ad hoc mode. , volume-based and project work will not be as expected; the possibility that we may experience a loss of data center capacity or interruption of telecommunication links or power sources; the possibility that we may experience failures or breaches of our network and data security systems, leading to potential adverse publicity, negative customer reaction, or liability to third parties; the possibility that postal rates may increase, thereby leading to reduced volumes of business; the possibility that our clients may cancel or modify their agreements with us; the possibility that we will not successfully complete customer contract requirements on time or meet the service levels specified in the contracts, which may result in contract penalties or lost revenue; the possibility that we experience processing errors which result in credits to customers, re-performance of services or payment of damages to customers; the possibility that the services of the United States Postal Service postal service, arrangements made by a government for the transmission of letters, packages, and periodicals, and for related services. Early courier systems for government use were organized in the Persian Empire under Cyrus, in the Roman Empire, and in medieval , their global counterparts and other delivery systems may be disrupted; the possibility that our increased financial leverage could render us more vulnerable during an economic downturn; and the possibility that we may be affected by other competitive factors. With respect to the Financial Road Map, all of the above factors apply, along with the following which were assumptions made in creating the Financial Road Map: that the U.S. and global economies will continue to improve at a moderate pace; that global growth will continue to be strong and that globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation trends will continue to grow at an increasing pace; that Acxiom's computer and communications related expenses will continue to fall as a percentage of revenue; that the Customer Information Infrastructure (CII CII Confederation of Indian Industry CII Chartered Insurance Institute (UK) CII Construction Industry Institute (University of Texas) CII Council of Institutional Investors ) grid-based environment Acxiom will continue to be implemented successfully over the next 3-4 years and that the new CII infrastructure will continue to provide increasing operational efficiencies; that the acquisitions of companies operating primarily outside of the United States will be successfully integrated and that significant efficiencies will be realized from this integration; relating to operating cash flow and free cash flow, that sufficient operating and capital lease arrangements will continue to be available to the Company to provide for the financing of most of its computer equipment and that software suppliers will continue to provide financing arrangements for most of the software purchases; relating to revolving credit Revolving Credit A line of credit where the customer pays a commitment fee and is then allowed to use the funds when they are needed. It is usually used for operating purposes, fluctuating each month depending on the customers current cash flow needs. line balance, that free cash flow will meet expectations and that the Company will use free cash flow to pay down bank debt, buy back stock and fund dividends; relating to annual dividends, that the Board of Directors will continue to approve quarterly dividends and will vote to increase dividends over time; relating to diluted shares, that the Company will meet its cash flow expectations and that potential dilution potential dilution The decrease in the proportional equity position of a share of stock that will occur eventually if additional authorized shares are actually issued. created through the issuance of stock options and warrants may be mitigated by continued stock repurchases Stock repurchase A firm's repurchase of outstanding shares of its common stock. . With respect to the provision of products or services outside our primary base of operations Noun 1. base of operations - installation from which a military force initiates operations; "the attack wiped out our forward bases" base air base, air station - a base for military aircraft army base - a large base of operations for an army in the United States, all of the above factors apply, along with the difficulty of doing business in numerous sovereign jurisdictions due to differences in scale, competition, culture, laws and regulations. Other factors are detailed from time to time in our periodic reports and registration statements filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. We believe that we have the product and technology offerings, facilities, associates and competitive and financial resources for continued business success, but future revenues, costs, margins and profits are all influenced by a number of factors, including those discussed above, all of which are inherently difficult to forecast. We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release, including the Financial Road Map or any other forward-looking statement. Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation. |
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