Acxiom Announces First Quarter Results

For more information, contact:
Katharine Boyce
Acxiom Investor Relations
501-342-1321
investor.relations@acxiom.com
EACXM

Q1FY 2013 Financials
Q1FY 2013 Conference Slides
Q1FY 2013 Earnings Conference Call

Diluted earnings per share up 31 percent; Income from operations up 23 percent

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – July 30, 2012 — Acxiom® Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM), a recognized leader in marketing services and technology, today announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 ended June 30, 2012.

Revenue from continuing operations was $272 million, down 2 percent compared to $276 million for the first quarter last year. Income from continuing operations increased 23 percent to $25 million in the current quarter, compared to $21 million in the prior year. Earnings per diluted share attributable to Acxiom stockholders were up approximately 31 percent in the current quarter to $0.17, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.13 in the same period.

Operating cash flow increased 7 percent to $195 million for the trailing twelve months, compared with $182 million for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2011. Free cash flow to equity increased 154 percent to $175 million for the trailing twelve months, compared with $69 million for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2011. Free cash flow to equity for the trailing twelve months includes $73 million in proceeds from the sale of the Company’s background screening business. Free cash flow available to equity is a non-GAAP financial measure. A reconciliation to the comparable GAAP measure, operating cash flow, is attached.

“We are making progress – but we still have much to do,” said Acxiom CEO Scott Howe. “While our margins have improved and we’ve strengthened our managerial capability and focus, this year will continue to be a period of investment and transition. Our objective is straightforward – get better every day we come to work.”

First Quarter Highlights:

• 0perating margin increased to 9.4 percent, up approximately 2 percentage points year over year.
• Acxiom repurchased 2.4 million shares for $33 million during the quarter. Since August 2011, the company has repurchased 8.1 million shares, or approximately 10 percent of the outstanding common stock, for $100 million. 
• In the quarter, Acxiom expanded its global partner program. The company was selected by Mindshare, a leading global media network, as the consumer insights provider for CORE, Mindshare’s new data-driven marketing intelligence platform. Through CORE, Acxiom delivers its unique breadth and accuracy of consumer insights to data-driven marketers. In Australia, the company and Yahoo!7 announced a new partnership to leverage Acxiom’s extensive offline data to deliver more highly effective online advertising. 
• Tim Cadogan, CEO of OpenX Technologies and former SVP of Global Advertising Marketplaces for Yahoo!, has been named to the Acxiom Board of Directors. 
• John Battelle, founder and executive chairman of Federated Media Publishing, has been nominated as a candidate for election to the Board at the company’s August 16, 2012, annual stockholders meeting. 

Segment Results:

• Marketing and Data Services: Revenue for the first quarter was $186 million, roughly flat compared to $185 million for the same period a year ago. U.S. revenue of $160 million was up 2 percent, but was offset by declines internationally. Income from operations for the first quarter was $18 million, compared to $17 million in the prior period. Operating margin was 10 percent, compared to 9 percent in the previous year. 
• IT Infrastructure Management: Revenue for the first quarter decreased 4 percent to $70 million, compared with $73 million for the same period a year ago. Income from operations for the quarter was $9 million, compared to $4 million in the prior period. Operating margin was approximately 13 percent compared to 6 percent a year ago.
• Other Services: Revenue for the first quarter was $16 million, down from $18 million in the prior year. Losses from operations were approximately $2 million, compared to $1 million in the prior period.

Financial Guidance

The following projections are forward looking and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially as detailed in the Forward Looking Statements section of this press release. Acxiom’s estimates for fiscal 2013 are as follows:

• Revenue from continuing operations is expected to be flat to slightly down.
• Earnings per diluted share attributable to Acxiom shareholders are expected to be in the range of $0.60 to $0.65.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2013, revenue from continuing operations is expected to be down roughly 5 percent principally as a result of expected declines in the Company’s IT Infrastructure Management and Other Services segments.

Conference Call

Acxiom will hold a conference call at 4:00 p.m. CDT today to further discuss this information. Interested parties are invited to listen to the call, which will be broadcast via the Internet at www.acxiom.com. A slide presentation will be referenced during the call and can be accessed here.

Web Link to Financials

You may link to http://www.acxiom.com/FY13_Q1_Financials for the detailed financial information we typically attach to our earnings releases.

About Acxiom

Acxiom is a recognized leader in marketing services and technology that enable marketers to successfully manage audiences, personalize consumer experiences and create profitable customer relationships. Our superior industry-focused, consultative approach combines consumer data and analytics, databases, data integration and consulting solutions for personalized, multichannel marketing strategies. Acxiom leverages over 40 years of experience in data management to deliver high-performance, highly secure, reliable information management services. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, and serves clients around the world from locations in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and South America. For more information about Acxiom, visit Acxiom.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release and today’s conference call may contain forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding expected levels of revenue from continuing operations and earnings per share as well as statements regarding building momentum, and our plans to invest in and transition our business. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. The following are factors, among others, that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements: the possibility that certain contracts may not generate the anticipated revenue or profitability or may not be closed within the anticipated time frames; the possibility that significant customers may experience extreme, severe economic difficulty or otherwise reduce the amount of business they do 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 data suppliers might withdraw data from us, leading to our inability to provide certain products and services to our clients, which could lead to decreases in our operating results; the possibility that we may not be able to attract, retain or motivate qualified technical, sales and leadership associates, or that we may lose key associates; the possibility that we may not be able to adequately adapt to rapidly changing computing environments, technologies and marketing practices; the possibility that we may be unable to quickly and seamlessly integrate our new executive officers; the possibility that we will not be able to continue to receive credit upon satisfactory terms and conditions; the possibility that negative changes in economic conditions in general or other conditions might lead to a reduction in demand for our 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 the historical seasonality of our business may change; the possibility that we will not be able to achieve cost reductions and avoid unanticipated costs; the possibility that the fair value of certain of our assets may not be equal to the carrying value of those assets now or in future time periods; the possibility that changes in accounting pronouncements may occur and may impact these forward-looking statements; the possibility that we may encounter difficulties when entering new markets or industries; the possibility that we could experience loss of data center capacity or interruption of telecommunication links; and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K, particularly the discussion under the caption “Item 1A, RISK FACTORS” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2012, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2012.

With respect to the provision of products or services outside our primary base of operations 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.

We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statement.

Acxiom is a registered trademark of Acxiom Corporation.