Charter Reports Preliminary Financial and Operating Results for Fourth-Quarter 2006.Fourth-Quarter Results Reflect Double Digit Noun 1. double digit - a two-digit integer; from 10 to 99 integer, whole number - any of the natural numbers (positive or negative) or zero; "an integer is a number that is not a fraction" Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) A metric used to show a company's profitability, but not its cash flow. EBITDA became popular in the 1980s to show the potential profitability of leveraged buyouts, but has become Growth on a Pro Forma As a matter of form or for the sake of form. Used to describe accounting, financial, and other statements or conclusions based upon assumed or anticipated facts. The phrase pro forma Basis ST. LOUIS -- Charter Communications Charter Communications NASDAQ: CHTR is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 5.7 million customers in 29 states. It is the third-largest publicly traded cable operator in the U.S. , Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CHTR CHTR Charter CHTR Canadian High Temperature Research ) (along with its subsidiaries, the "Company" or "Charter") today announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2006. The Company released these preliminary, unaudited results based upon information available to date because Charter expects to be providing this information to certain potential investors in proposed new credit facilities credit facilities npl → facilidades fpl de crédito credit facilities npl → facilités fpl de paiement credit facilities in conjunction with the refinancing Refinancing An extension and/or increase in amount of existing debt. and expansion of its existing credit facilities announced earlier today. Certain financial comparisons are made on a pro forma basis, adjusted for the acquisition of cable systems in January 2006 and the sales of certain cable systems in July 2005 and the third quarter of 2006 as if they occurred on January 1, 2005. However, all transactions completed in January 2006 and the third quarter of 2006 have been reflected in the operating statistic statistic, n a value or number that describes a series of quantitative observations or measures; a value calculated from a sample. statistic a numerical value calculated from a number of observations in order to summarize them. comparisons. Charter currently expects revenues for the fourth quarter of 2006 of $1.413 billion, which represents an increase of approximately 11.7% compared to the same period in 2005 on a pro forma basis, and an increase of approximately 9.8% on an actual basis. Charter currently expects adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2006 to be approximately $503 million, an increase of approximately 10.3% compared to the same period in 2005 on a pro forma basis, and an increase of approximately 7.9% compared to 2005 on an actual basis. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP term; see the "Use of Non-GAAP Financial 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. " section below for a definition of this term and additional information. Operating expenses Operating expenses The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted. increased by approximately $89 million, or 10.8%, in the fourth quarter of 2006 compared to the fourth quarter of 2005 on an actual basis, due in large part to increased programming expense from annual rate increases and higher volumes of advanced services purchases, as well as expenditures to support higher rates of customer growth and retention related to Charter's accelerated telephone roll out. Charter currently expects annual revenues will increase 10.0% compared to pro forma 2005, and pro forma adjusted EBITDA will increase 5.3% compared to pro forma 2005. The Company expects actual annual revenues to be approximately $5.504 billion, an increase of 9.4% compared to 2005, and adjusted EBITDA to be approximately $1.941 billion, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2005. "These preliminary results reflect continued momentum in growing revenues and adjusted EBITDA," said Neil Smit, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We're pleased with customer acceptance as we've deployed telephone service more broadly and marketed it in attractive bundled offers with our video and high-speed Internet See broadband. services. Pro forma revenues and adjusted EBITDA growth improved during each quarter of 2006 as we made progress in establishing more long-term customer relationships." Charter added 162,400 revenue generating units (RGUs) during the fourth quarter of 2006, up from 138,200 in the fourth quarter of 2005. Charter added 277,000, or 64%, more RGUs during 2006 than 2005. Nearly 40% of Charter's customers subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; a bundle, an increase of 18% from fourth quarter 2005. Approximately 94% of Charter's telephone customers subscribe to a bundle, with 73% of them in a three product bundle, as of December 31, 2006. Charter's bundled marketing of services contributed to a 13% increase in pro forma average monthly revenue per analog video The original video recording method that stores continuous waves of red, green and blue intensities. In analog video, the number of rows is fixed. There are no real columns, and the maximum detail is determined by the frequency response of the analog system. customer compared to fourth quarter 2005. Fourth quarter expected RGU RGU The Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen, Scotland) RGU Responsible Governmental Unit RGU Revenue-Generating Unit additions consisted of the following: * Fourth quarter 2006 net losses of analog video customers were approximately 43,300 compared to a pro forma net loss of approximately 16,700 in the fourth quarter of 2005; * Fourth quarter 2006 net gains of digital video customers were approximately 40,500 compared to a pro forma net gain of approximately 49,800 in the fourth quarter of 2005; * Fourth quarter 2006 net gains of high-speed Internet customers were approximately 59,000 compared to a pro forma net gain of approximately 73,800 in the fourth quarter of 2005; and * Fourth quarter 2006 net gains of telephone customers were approximately 106,200, reflecting over a 30% increase in telephone customers during the quarter, compared to a pro forma net gain of approximately 31,300 in the fourth quarter of 2005. Telephone homes passed were approximately 6.8 million as of December 31, 2006. Capital expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2006 are currently expected to be approximately $308 million, which would be higher than capital expenditures of $273 million during the same quarter in the prior year. Capital expenditures for the full year 2006 are expected to be approximately $1.103 billion, compared to $1.088 billion in 2005. Approximately 75% of Charter's 2006 capital expenditures were success-based, up from 68% in 2005. During 2007, Charter expects capital expenditures to be approximately $1.2 billion. As of December 31, 2006, Charter had $19.062 billion in long-term debt Long-Term Debt Loans and financial obligations lasting over one year. Notes: For example debts obligations such as bonds and notes which have maturities greater than one year would be considered long-term debt. , including $5.395 billion in credit facilities at Charter Communications Operating, LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control . Charter earlier today announced the initiation of a syndication to refinance Refinance 1. When a business or person revises their payment schedule for repaying debt. 2. Replacing an older loan with a new loan offering better terms. Notes: When a business refinances they typically extend the maturity date. and expand its senior credit facilities. Upon completion of the syndication process and the closing of this transaction, the Company expects to have adequate liquidity to fund its operations and service its debt through 2008. Because the fourth quarter has only recently ended, the information in this release is, by necessity, preliminary in nature and based only upon preliminary, unaudited information available to Charter as of the date of this release. Investors should be aware that the information in this release is subject to change upon the release of Charter's audited results and therefore should exercise caution in relying on the information in this release. Information regarding certain financial performance measures not discussed in this release is not provided because the fourth quarter has only recently ended and final estimates of certain items used in the calculations of such measures are not yet available. Investors should not draw any inferences from this information regarding financial or operating data that is not discussed in this release. Charter will announce complete financial and operating results on Wednesday, February 28, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) and will host a conference call to discuss these results at 9:00 a.m. ET that same day. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Metrics Charter uses certain measures that are not defined by GAAP GAAP See: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP See generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles The standard accounting rules, regulations, and procedures used by companies in maintaining their financial records. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) provide companies and accountants with a consistent set of guidelines that cover both broad accounting ) to evaluate various aspects of its business. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, net cash flows from operating activities reported in accordance Accordance is Bible Study Software for Macintosh developed by OakTree Software, Inc.[] As well as a standalone program, it is the base software packaged by Zondervan in their Bible Study suites for Macintosh. with GAAP. These terms as defined by Charter may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income from operations before special charges, non-cash depreciation and amortization, gain/loss on sale or retirement of assets, asset impairment Impairment 1. A reduction in a company's stated capital. 2. The total capital that is less than the par value of the company's capital stock. Notes: 1. This is usually reduced because of poorly estimated losses or gains. 2. charges and option compensation expense. As such, it eliminates the significant non-cash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of Charter's businesses and intangible assets Intangible Asset An asset that is not physical in nature. Notes: Examples are things like copyrights, patents, intellectual property, and goodwill. These are the opposite of tangible assets. recognized in business combinations as well as other non-cash or non-recurring items, and is unaffected by Charter's capital structure or investment activities. Adjusted EBITDA is a liquidity measure used by Charter's management and the Board of Directors to measure Charter's ability to fund operations and its financing obligations. For this reason, it is a significant component of Charter's annual incentive compensation program. However, this measure is limited in that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenues and the cash cost of financing. Charter's management evaluates these costs through other financial measures. Charter believes that adjusted EBITDA provides information useful to investors in assessing Charter's ability to service its debt, fund operations, and make additional investments with internally generated funds. In addition, adjusted EBITDA generally correlates to the leverage ratio calculation under its credit facilities or outstanding notes to determine compliance with the covenants contained in the facilities and notes (all such documents have been previously filed with 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. Securities and Exchange Commission). Adjusted EBITDA and pro forma adjusted EBITDA, as presented, are reduced for management fees in the amounts of $33 million and $31 million for the three months ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively, which amounts are added back for the purposes of calculating compliance with leverage covenants. About Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc. is a leading broadband communications company Communications Company is a communications unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are part of Combat Logistics Regiment 37 , 3rd Marine Logistics Group (3MLG) and III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF). The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. and the third-largest publicly traded cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced broadband services See broadband and broadband service provider. , including advanced Charter Digital[R] video entertainment programming, Charter High-Speed[TM] Internet access See how to access the Internet. service, and Charter Telephone[TM] services. Charter Business[TM] similarly provides scalable, tailored and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data networking, video and music entertainment services and business telephone. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media[R] brand. More information about Charter can be found at www.charter.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding 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. : This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), regarding, among other things, our plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial. Charter will not undertake to revise forward-looking projections to reflect events after this date. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this release may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "planned," "will," "may," "intend," "estimated," "aim," "on track," "target," "opportunity" and "potential," among others. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this release are set forth in reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, and include, but are not limited to: * the availability, in general, of funds to meet interest payment obligations under our debt and to fund our operations and necessary capital expenditures, either through cash flows from operating activities, further borrowings or other sources and, in particular, our ability to be able to provide under the applicable debt instruments such funds (by dividend, investment or otherwise) to the applicable obligor The individual who owes another person a certain debt or duty. The term obligor is often used interchangeably with debtor. obligor (ah-bluh-gore) n. of such debt; * our ability to comply with all covenants in our indentures and credit facilities, any violation of which could trigger a default of our other obligations under cross-default provisions; * our ability to pay or refinance debt prior to or when it becomes due and/or to take advantage of market opportunities and market windows to refinance that debt through new issuances, exchange offers or otherwise, including restructuring restructuring - The transformation from one representation form to another at the same relative abstraction level, while preserving the subject system's external behaviour (functionality and semantics). our balance sheet and leverage position; * competition from other video programming distributors, including incumbent telephone companies, direct broadcast satellite operators, Wi-Fi broadband providers and DSL DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary providers; * unforeseen difficulties we may encounter in our continued introduction of our telephone services such as our ability to meet heightened customer expectations for the reliability of voice services compared to other services we provide and our ability to meet heightened demand for installations and customer service; * our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flows from operating activities by offering video, high-speed Internet, telephone and other services and to maintain and grow a stable customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition from other service providers; * our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to pass programming cost increases on to our customers; * general business conditions, economic uncertainty or slowdown; and * the effects of governmental regulation, including but not limited to local franchise authorities, on our business. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We are under no duty or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release. [TABLE OMITTED] [TABLE OMITTED] |
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