U.S. Cellular reports fourth quarter and full year 2019 results

Strong ARPU growth and cost management drive positive results

CHICAGO, Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 

As previously announced, U.S. Cellular will hold a teleconference on February 21, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. CST. Listen to the call live via the Events & Presentations page of investors.uscellular.com.  U.S. Cellular intends to file its Form 10-K on February 25, 2020.

United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE:USM) reported total operating revenues of $1,052 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, versus $1,051 million for the same period one year ago. Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $18 million and $0.20, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to $21 million and $0.23, respectively, in the same period one year ago.  U.S. Cellular reported Adjusted EBITDA of $222 for the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to $213 million in the same period one year ago.

U.S. Cellular reported total operating revenues of $4,022 million and $3,967 million for the years ended 2019 and 2018, respectively. Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders and related diluted earnings per share were $127 million and $1.44, respectively, for the year ended 2019 compared to $150 million and $1.72, respectively, for the year ended 2018.  U.S. Cellular reported Adjusted EBITDA of $1,015 million in 2019 compared to $963 million in 2018.

"In 2019 we made significant progress on our strategic imperatives," said Kenneth R. Meyers, U.S. Cellular President and CEO.  "We increased revenues and Adjusted EBITDA, putting us in a strong position to proceed with our multi-year network modernization plan. This work will increase speeds and capacity and ready our network for 5G and the exciting opportunities this technology will bring.  Additionally we successfully secured spectrum in two FCC auctions strategically positioning us for future 5G services.

"Customers' continued migration to higher priced service plans, growing smartphone penetration in our base and increased penetration of device protection services helped increase average revenue per user. We generated strong growth in roaming revenue, while at the same time driving down roaming expense through favorable agreements with major carriers.

"As we move into 2020, we will build upon many of the significant programs introduced last year including more compelling unlimited pricing, our new brand positioning "Bringing Fairness to Wireless", a new web platform with enhanced capabilities and significant network improvements.  Leveraging these programs and others, we expect to enhance our customer experience, identify new and emerging revenue streams, reduce costs throughout the business and invest in our Associates and our future. This year, we will launch 5G services commercially in two of our markets and continue our  VoLTE deployment. Additionally, we are excited that we recently launched commercial service in Sioux City, Iowa and Northern Wisconsin."

2020 Estimated Results

U.S. Cellular's current estimates of full-year 2020 results are shown below. Such estimates represent management's view as of February 20, 2020 and should not be assumed to be current as of any future date. U.S. Cellular undertakes no duty to update such information, whether as a result of new estimates, future events or otherwise. There can be no assurance that final results will not differ materially from estimated results.


2020 Estimated Results


 Actual Results for the Year Ended
December 31, 2019

(Dollars in millions)




Service revenues

$3,000-$3,100


$

3,035


Adjusted OIBDA1

$775-$900


$

832


Adjusted EBITDA1

$950-$1,075


$

1,015


Capital expenditures

$850-$950


$

710


The following table provides a reconciliation of Net income to Adjusted OIBDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2020 estimated results and actual results for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. In providing 2020 estimated results, U.S. Cellular has not completed the below reconciliation to Net income because it does not provide guidance for income taxes. Although potentially significant, U.S. Cellular believes that the impact of income taxes cannot be reasonably predicted; therefore, U.S. Cellular is unable to provide such guidance.


2020 Estimated
Results


Actual Results for
the Year Ended
December 31, 2019


Actual Results for
the Year Ended
December 31, 2018

(Dollars in millions)






Net income (GAAP)

N/A



$

133



$

164


Add back or deduct:






Income tax expense

N/A



52



51


Income before income taxes (GAAP)

$130-$255



$

185



$

215


Add back:






Interest expense

110



110



116


Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense

690



702



640


EBITDA (Non-GAAP)1

$930-$1,055



$

997



$

971


Add back or deduct:






(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net

20



19



10


(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net



(1)




(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net





(18)


Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP)1

$950-$1,075



$

1,015



$

963


Deduct:






Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

160



166



159


Interest and dividend income

15



17



15


Other, net





(1)


Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP)1

$775-$900



$

832



$

790




1

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are defined as net income adjusted for the items set forth in the reconciliation above. EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are not measures of financial performance under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (GAAP) and should not be considered as alternatives to Net income or Cash flows from operating activities, as indicators of cash flows or as measures of liquidity. U.S. Cellular does not intend to imply that any such items set forth in the reconciliation above are non-recurring, infrequent or unusual; such items may occur in the future. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA as measurements of profitability, and therefore reconciliations to Net income are deemed appropriate. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA are useful measures of U.S. Cellular's operating results before significant recurring non-cash charges, gains and losses, and other items as presented above as they provide additional relevant and useful information to investors and other users of U.S. Cellular's financial data in evaluating the effectiveness of its operations and underlying business trends in a manner that is consistent with management's evaluation of business performance. Adjusted EBITDA shows adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and accretion, and gains and losses, while Adjusted OIBDA reduces this measure further to exclude Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities and Interest and dividend income in order to more effectively show the performance of operating activities excluding investment activities. The table above reconciles EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA to the corresponding GAAP measure, Net income or Income before income taxes. Additional information and reconciliations related to Non-GAAP financial measures for December 31, 2019, can be found on U.S. Cellular's website at investors.uscellular.com.

Conference Call Information
U.S. Cellular will hold a conference call on February 21, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Central Time.

Before the call, certain financial and statistical information to be discussed during the call will be posted to investors.uscellular.com. The call will be archived on the Events & Presentations page of investors.uscellular.com.

About U.S. Cellular
United States Cellular Corporation provides a comprehensive range of wireless products and services, excellent customer support, and a high-quality network to customers with 4.9 million connections in 20 states. The Chicago-based company had 5,500 full- and part-time associates as of December 31, 2019. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. owned 82 percent of U.S. Cellular. For more information about U.S. Cellular, visit uscellular.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All information set forth in this news release, except historical and factual information, represents forward-looking statements. This includes all statements about the company's plans, beliefs, estimates, and expectations. These statements are based on current estimates, projections, and assumptions, which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may affect these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: intense competition; the ability to execute U.S. Cellular's business strategy; uncertainties in U.S. Cellular's future cash flows and liquidity and access to the capital markets; the ability to make payments on U.S. Cellular indebtedness or comply with the terms of debt covenants; impacts of any pending acquisitions/divestitures/exchanges of properties and/or licenses, including, but not limited to, the ability to obtain regulatory approvals, successfully complete the transactions and the financial impacts of such transactions; the ability of the company to successfully manage and grow its markets; the access to and pricing of unbundled network elements; the ability to obtain or maintain roaming arrangements with other carriers on acceptable terms; the state and federal telecommunications regulatory environment; the value of assets and investments; adverse changes in the ratings of U.S. Cellular debt securities by accredited ratings organizations; industry consolidation; advances in telecommunications technology; pending and future litigation; changes in income tax rates, laws, regulations or rulings; changes in customer growth rates, average monthly revenue per user, churn rates, roaming revenue and terms, the availability of wireless devices, or the mix of services and products offered by U.S. Cellular. Investors are encouraged to consider these and other risks and uncertainties that are discussed in the Form 8-K Current Report used by U.S. Cellular to furnish this press release to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference herein.

For more information about U.S. Cellular, visit:
U.S. Cellular: www.uscellular.com

United States Cellular Corporation

Summary Operating Data (Unaudited)


As of or for the Quarter Ended

12/31/2019


9/30/2019


6/30/2019


3/31/2019


12/31/2018

Retail Connections










Postpaid










Total at end of period

4,383,000



4,395,000



4,414,000



4,440,000



4,472,000


Gross additions

170,000



163,000



137,000



137,000



179,000


Feature phones

2,000



3,000



5,000



4,000



4,000


Smartphones

128,000



121,000



97,000



98,000



132,000


Connected devices

40,000



39,000



35,000



35,000



43,000


Net additions (losses)

(12,000)



(19,000)



(26,000)



(32,000)



6,000


Feature phones

(11,000)



(11,000)



(10,000)



(13,000)



(11,000)


Smartphones

13,000



9,000



(1,000)



(1,000)



31,000


Connected devices

(14,000)



(17,000)



(15,000)



(18,000)



(14,000)


ARPU1

$

46.57



$

46.16



$

45.90



$

45.44



$

45.58


ARPA2

$

120.99



$

119.87



$

119.46



$

118.84



$

119.60


Churn rate3

1.38

%


1.38

%


1.23

%


1.26

%


1.29

%

Handsets

1.11

%


1.09

%


0.97

%


0.99

%


1.00

%

Connected devices

3.44

%


3.44

%


3.01

%


3.08

%


3.20

%

Prepaid










Total at end of period

506,000



510,000



500,000



503,000



516,000


Gross additions

63,000



70,000



61,000



61,000



66,000


Net additions (losses)

(3,000)



9,000



(2,000)



(13,000)



(12,000)


ARPU1

$

34.11



$

34.35



$

34.43



$

33.44



$

32.80


Churn rate3

4.40

%


4.03

%


4.20

%


4.92

%


4.98

%

Total connections at end of period4

4,941,000



4,957,000



4,967,000



4,995,000



5,041,000


Market penetration at end of period










Consolidated operating population

30,740,000



31,310,000



31,310,000



31,310,000



31,469,000


Consolidated operating penetration5

16

%


16

%


16

%


16

%


16

%

Capital expenditures (millions)

$

243



$

170



$

195



$

102



$

242


Total cell sites in service

6,578



6,554



6,535



6,506



6,531


Owned towers

4,166



4,123



4,116



4,106



4,129




Due to rounding, the sum of quarterly results may not equal the total for the year.



1

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) - metric is calculated by dividing a revenue base by an average number of connections and by the number of months in the period. These revenue bases and connection populations are shown below:




• 

Postpaid ARPU consists of total postpaid service revenues and postpaid connections.




Prepaid ARPU consists of total prepaid service revenues and prepaid connections.



2

Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA) - metric is calculated by dividing total postpaid service revenues by the average number of postpaid accounts and by the number of months in the period.



3

Churn rate represents the percentage of the connections that disconnect service each month. These rates represent the average monthly churn rate for each respective period.



4

Includes reseller and other connections.



5

Market penetration is calculated by dividing the number of wireless connections at the end of the period by the total population of consolidated operating markets as estimated by Nielsen.

 

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Statement of Operations Highlights

(Unaudited)






Three Months Ended
December 31,


Year Ended
December 31,


2019


2018


2019 vs.
2018


2019


2018


2019 vs.
2018

(Dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)












Operating revenues












Service

$

763



$

754



1

%


$

3,035



$

2,978



2

%

Equipment sales

289



297



(3)

%


987



989



Total operating revenues

1,052



1,051




4,022



3,967



1

%













Operating expenses












System operations (excluding Depreciation, amortization and accretion reported below)

188



193



(2)

%


756



758



Cost of equipment sold

305



315



(3)

%


1,028



1,031



Selling, general and administrative

378



373



1

%


1,406



1,388



1

%

Depreciation, amortization and accretion

178



162



10

%


702



640



10

%

(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net

6



5



18

%


19



10



80

%

(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net





N/M



(1)





N/M


(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net





N/M





(18)



98

%

Total operating expenses

1,055



1,048



1

%


3,910



3,809



3

%













Operating income (loss)

(3)



3



N/M



112



158



(29)

%













Investment and other income (expense)












Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

38



39



(2)

%


166



159



5

%

Interest and dividend income

3



4



(38)

%


17



15



17

%

Interest expense

(23)



(29)



20

%


(110)



(116)



5

%

Other, net





(98)

%




(1)



N/M


Total investment and other income

18



14



22

%


73



57



26

%













Income before income taxes

15



17



(15)

%


185



215



(14)

%

Income tax expense (benefit)

(3)



(4)



12

%


52



51



2

%

Net income

18



21



(15)

%


133



164



(19)

%

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests, net of tax





(38)

%


6



14



(60)

%

Net income attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders

$

18



$

21



(14)

%


$

127



$

150



(15)

%













Basic weighted average shares outstanding

86



86




86



86



1

%

Basic earnings per share attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders

$

0.21



$

0.24



(14)

%


$

1.47



$

1.75



(16)

%













Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

88



88




88



87



1

%

Diluted earnings per share attributable to U.S. Cellular shareholders

$

0.20



$

0.23



(14)

%


$

1.44



$

1.72



(16)

%


N/M - Percentage change not meaningful

 

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)





Year Ended December 31,

2019


2018

(Dollars in millions)




Cash flows from operating activities




Net income

$

133



$

164


Add (deduct) adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows from operating activities




Depreciation, amortization and accretion

702



640


Bad debts expense

107



95


Stock-based compensation expense

41



37


Deferred income taxes, net

(4)



(3)


Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

(166)



(159)


Distributions from unconsolidated entities

161



152


(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net

19



10


(Gain) loss on sale of business and other exit costs, net

(1)




(Gain) loss on license sales and exchanges, net



(18)


Other operating activities

4



3


Changes in assets and liabilities from operations




Accounts receivable

(46)



(39)


Equipment installment plans receivable

(97)



(149)


Inventory

(20)



(4)


Accounts payable

(69)



3


Customer deposits and deferred revenues

(8)



7


Accrued taxes

(23)



(39)


Other assets and liabilities

(9)



9


Net cash provided by operating activities

724



709






Cash flows from investing activities




Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment

(650)



(512)


Cash paid for licenses

(266)



(8)


Cash received from investments

29



50


Cash paid for investments

(11)



(17)


Cash received from divestitures and exchanges

41



24


Other investing activities

(7)



(1)


Net cash used in investing activities

(864)



(464)






Cash flows from financing activities




Repayment of long-term debt

(116)



(19)


Common Shares reissued for benefit plans, net of tax payments

(9)



18


Repurchase of Common Shares

(21)




Distributions to noncontrolling interests

(4)



(6)


Other financing activities

(2)



(7)


Net cash used in financing activities

(152)



(14)






Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

(292)



231






Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash




Beginning of period

583



352


End of period

$

291



$

583


 

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights

(Unaudited)


ASSETS





December 31,

2019¹


2018

(Dollars in millions)




Current assets




Cash and cash equivalents

$

285



$

580


Short-term investments



17


Accounts receivable

1,010



976


Inventory, net

162



142


Prepaid expenses

50



63


Income taxes receivable

46



15


Other current assets

20



19


Total current assets

1,573



1,812






Assets held for sale



54






Licenses

2,471



2,186






Investments in unconsolidated entities

447



441






Property, plant and equipment, net

2,207



2,202






Operating lease right-of-use assets

900








Other assets and deferred charges

566



579






Total assets

$

8,164



$

7,274


 

United States Cellular Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights

(Unaudited)


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY





December 31,

2019¹


2018

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)




Current liabilities




Current portion of long-term debt

$

8



$

19


Accounts payable

304



313


Customer deposits and deferred revenues

148



157


Accrued taxes

30



30


Accrued compensation

76



78


Short-term operating lease liabilities

105




Other current liabilities

79



94


Total current liabilities

750



691






Liabilities held for sale



1






Deferred liabilities and credits




Deferred income tax liability, net

507



510


Long-term operating lease liabilities

865




Other deferred liabilities and credits

319



389






Long-term debt, net

1,502



1,605






Noncontrolling interests with redemption features

11



11






Equity




U.S. Cellular shareholders' equity




Series A Common and Common Shares, par value $1 per share

88



88


Additional paid-in capital

1,629



1,590


Treasury shares

(70)



(65)


Retained earnings

2,550



2,444


Total U.S. Cellular shareholders' equity

4,197



4,057






Noncontrolling interests

13



10






Total equity

4,210



4,067






Total liabilities and equity

$

8,164



$

7,274




1

As of January 1, 2019, U.S. Cellular adopted the new lease accounting standard, ASC 842, using a modified retrospective method. Under this method, the new accounting standard is applied only to the most recent period presented. As a result, 2019 amounts include the impacts of ASC 842, but 2018 amounts remain as previously reported.

 

United States Cellular Corporation

Financial Measures and Reconciliations

(Unaudited)


Free Cash Flow



Three Months Ended
December 31,


Year Ended
December 31,


2019


2018


2019


2018

(Dollars in millions)








Cash flows from operating activities (GAAP)

$

37



$

108



$

724



$

709


Less: Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment

210



235



650



512


Free cash flow (Non-GAAP)1

$

(173)



$

(127)



$

74



$

197




1

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure which U.S. Cellular believes may be useful to investors and other users of its financial information in evaluating liquidity, specifically, the amount of net cash generated by business operations after deducting Cash paid for additions to property, plant and equipment.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA

The following table reconciles EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted OIBDA to the corresponding GAAP measures, Net income and Income before income taxes.


Three Months Ended
December 31,


2019


2018

(Dollars in millions)




Net income (GAAP)

$

18



$

21


Add back or deduct:




Income tax benefit

(3)



(4)


Income before income taxes (GAAP)

15



17


Add back:




Interest expense

23



29


Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense

178



162


EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

216



208


Add back or deduct:




(Gain) loss on asset disposals, net

6



5


Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

222



213


Deduct:




Equity in earnings of unconsolidated entities

38



39


Interest and dividend income

3



4


Adjusted OIBDA (Non-GAAP)

$

181



$

170


 

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SOURCE United States Cellular Corporation