Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. Reports 2018 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Full Year 2018 Highlights:

• Tour revenues increased 16% to $309.7 million
• Net income available to common stockholders increased $20.0 million to $11.4 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 26% to $54.8 million
• Lindblad segment Net Yield increased 6% to $1,044 and Occupancy increased to 91% 
• Bookings from the Lindblad segment in 2018 for future travel increased 20% over bookings in 2017
• Expanded capacity with the launch of the National Geographic Venture in December 2018
• Expanded strategic partnership with National Geographic to include all of the Americas
• Following year end, the Company signed an agreement to build an additional polar ice class vessel

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LIND; the "Company" or "Lindblad"), a global provider of expedition cruises and adventure travel experiences, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2018.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Lindblad's strong financial growth and operating momentum during 2018 demonstrates the unique opportunity we have to build long-term value as we capitalize on the growing demand for expedition travel. We have significantly increased our overall capacity with the launch of our two new coastal vessels, the National Geographic Quest and the National Geographic Venture, and at the same time have been able to expand our Occupancy and Net Yields despite the additional inventory. Lindblad's unparalleled track record of delivering high quality and authentic experiences, along with our strategic partnership with National Geographic, continues to generate high levels of repeat guests and is attracting more and more new travelers who want to immerse themselves in the world's most remarkable geographies. With additional capacity and a strong booking environment, 2019 is poised to grow significantly. At the same time, we continue to build the next drivers of growth with the National Geographic Endurance scheduled to launch in early 2020 and today we announced that that we have contracted for another new, state of the art, polar vessel for delivery late in 2021. Overall, we have committed to expanding our available guest nights by over 60% from pre-expansion levels as we broaden our ability to build additional shareholder value in the years ahead."

FULL YEAR RESULTS

Tour Revenues

Full year tour revenues of $309.7 million increased $43.2 million, or 16%, as compared to 2017. The increase was driven by growth of $29.5 million at the Lindblad segment and a $13.7 million increase at Natural Habitat.

Lindblad segment tour revenues of $246.3 million increased $29.5 million, or 14% compared to 2017 primarily driven by 8% growth in Available Guest Nights, most notably due to the launch of the National Geographic Quest in July 2017 and the National Geographic Venture in December 2018, as well as from the impact of voyage cancellations in the first quarter of 2017 for repairs on the National Geographic Orion and National Geographic Sea Lion. The year on year growth also reflects an increase in Occupancy in 2018 to 91% from 87% in 2017 due to higher overall demand across the fleet, as well as 6% growth in Net Yield to $1,044 from increased prices and changes in itineraries.

Natural Habitat revenues of $63.4 million increased $13.7 million, or 28%, compared to a year ago due primarily to higher ticket revenue from additional departures and increased pricing.

Net Income

Net income available to common stockholders of $11.4 million for 2018, $0.24 per diluted share, increased $20.0 million as compared with a net loss available to common stockholders of $8.7 million, $0.19 per diluted share, in 2017. The increase versus a year ago primarily reflects the higher operating results, $6.2 million of lower stock-based compensation expense and a $9.4 million decrease in tax expense due to a $12.7 million impact in the fourth quarter of 2017 from the enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The current year also includes a $3.4 million increase in depreciation and amortization due to the addition of new vessels to the fleet, $2.2 million in foreign currency losses and a $1.1 million increase in interest expense primarily related to refinancing the Company's credit facility during the first quarter of 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA

Full year 2018 Adjusted EBITDA of $54.8 million increased $11.4 million, or 26%, compared to 2017. The increase was driven by growth of $9.2 million at the Lindblad segment and a $2.2 million increase at Natural Habitat.

Lindblad segment Adjusted EBITDA of $47.8 million increased $9.2 million, or 24%, as compared to 2017 as the increased tour revenue were partially offset by higher operating costs primarily from a full year of operating the National Geographic Quest and costs associated with the December 2018 launch of the National Geographic Venture. 2018 also included higher commission expense associated with the revenue growth, as well as increased fuel and personnel costs.

Natural Habitat Adjusted EBITDA of $7.0 million increased $2.2 million, or 46%, as compared to 2017 as the revenue growth was partially offset by higher operating costs related to the additional departures and increased marketing and personnel costs to drive long-term growth initiatives.

FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS

Tour Revenues

Fourth quarter tour revenues of $70.6 million increased $7.4 million, or 12%, as compared to the same period in 2017. The increase was driven by growth of $4.5 million at Natural Habitat and a $2.9 million increase at the Lindblad segment.

Lindblad segment tour revenues of $51.8 million increased $2.9 million, or 6%, compared to the fourth quarter a year ago primarily driven by a 16% increase in Net Yield to $1,071 and an increase in Occupancy to 91% from 86% in 2017. Net Yield growth was driven by higher pricing and changes in itineraries, while Occupancy growth was driven by higher demand across the fleet, most notably on the National Geographic Orion due to a lower occupancy trans-Atlantic voyage in the fourth quarter of 2017. Available Guest Nights declined 9% primarily due to the trans-Atlantic voyage a year ago, partially offset by the launch of the National Geographic Venture in December 2018.

Natural Habitat revenues of $18.8 million increased $4.5 million, or 31%, compared to a year ago due primarily to higher ticket revenue from additional departures and increased pricing.

Net Income

Net loss available to common stockholders for the fourth quarter was $4.6 million, $0.10 per diluted share, as compared with a loss of $16.0 million, $0.36 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2017. The $11.4 million improvement versus a year ago primarily reflects a $13.1 million decrease in tax expense mainly due to a $12.7 million impact from the enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the fourth quarter of 2017, partially offset by lower operating results and $0.8 million in foreign currency losses.

Adjusted EBITDA

Fourth quarter Adjusted EBITDA of $4.1 million decreased $0.7 million, or 15%, as compared to the same period in 2017 as growth of $0.9 million at Natural Habitat was more than offset by a $1.6 million decrease at the Lindblad segment.

Lindblad segment Adjusted EBITDA of $0.3 million decreased $1.6 million compared to the fourth quarter a year ago as the increased tour revenues were offset primarily by higher operating costs from the launch of the National Geographic Venture in December 2018, as well as from increased commission expense related to the revenue growth and higher personnel costs.

Natural Habitat Adjusted EBITDA of $3.8 million increased $0.9 million, or 30%, versus the fourth quarter a year ago as the revenue growth was partially offset by higher operating costs related to the additional departures and increased marketing and personnel costs to drive long-term growth initiatives.

Liquidity

The Company's cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $122.2 million as of December 31, 2018, as compared with $103.5 million as of December 31, 2017. The $18.7 million increase primarily reflects $56.4 million in net cash provided by operating activities due to the strong operating performance and $16.5 million in net cash provided by financing activities, primarily due to the increase in long-term debt associated with refinancing our credit facility. These increases were partially offset by $54.3 million in net cash used in investing activities, primarily related to the construction of two new vessels.

Free cash flow was $2.0 million for the full year 2018 as compared with a free cash flow use of $27.6 million in 2017. The $29.6 million improvement primarily reflects the strong operating performance in the current year and lower capital expenditures for new vessels. Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment.

On January 8, 2018, the Company entered into a senior secured credit agreement to make available, at the Company's option, a loan in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $107.7 million for the purpose of providing financing for up to 80% of the purchase price of the Company's new polar ice-class vessel. At the Company's election, the loan will bear interest either at a fixed interest rate effectively equal to 5.78% or a floating interest rate equal to three-month LIBOR plus a margin of 3.00% per annum.

On March 28, 2018, the Company refinanced its existing senior secured term loan and revolving credit facility.  The new $200 million, seven-year, senior secured term loan facility bears interest at LIBOR plus 3.50%, with a potential step down to LIBOR plus 3.25% depending on the Company's credit rating.  The new $45 million, five-year, revolving credit facility bears interest at LIBOR plus 3.00%.  The pricing of the new term loan and revolving credit facility reflected a one percentage point rate reduction compared to the prior $175 million term loan facility and $45 million revolving credit facility.  Additionally, the covenants in the new facility were modified to provide the Company with additional strategic and operational flexibility. The proceeds from the new term loan were utilized to pay down the Company's existing term loan with the remaining additional proceeds available for general corporate purposes. 

LINDBLAD FLEET ACTIVITIES

The Company expanded its travel offerings in July 2017 with the launch of the National Geographic Quest, which sailed in Alaska and British Columbia during the summer before voyaging to Costa Rica and Panama for the winter season. The Company's second new-build coastal vessel, the National Geographic Venture, launched in the December 2018 and is operating in Baja during the winter season before heading to Alaska for the summer months.

The Company is currently building a polar ice class vessel, the National Geographic Endurance, for delivery in January 2020.  This state-of-the art vessel will join the National Geographic Explorer and the National Geographic Orion as the third polar ice class vessels in the Lindblad National Geographic fleet, with the ability to voyage anywhere around the globe and specializing in polar travel.  This new vessel will be capable of exploring deep into the Antarctic and Arctic waters and will be built with the Ulstein X-BOW® design, allowing for greater comfort and speed through rough waters.

Following year-end, the Company signed a second contract with Ulstein Verft to build a sister ship to the National Geographic Endurance for delivery in September 2021. This fourth polar ice class vessel will enable us to further capitalize on the growth in high quality adventure travel and broaden the immersive and authentic itineraries we offer to our guests.

STOCK AND WARRANT REPURCHASE PLAN

The Company currently has a $35.0 million stock and warrant repurchase plan in place which authorizes the Company to purchase from time to time the Company's outstanding stock and warrants through open market repurchases and/or in privately negotiated transactions based on market and business conditions, applicable legal requirements and other factors. During 2018, the Company repurchased 568,446 warrants and 9,030 shares of common stock under the plan for a total of $0.9 million. As of February 26, 2019 the Company had repurchased 6.0 million warrants and 866,701 shares of common stock under the plan and had $12.1 million remaining under the plan. As of February 22, 2019, there were 45.7 million shares of common stock and 10.1 million warrants outstanding.

FINANCIAL OUTLOOK

The Company's current expectations for the full year 2019 are as follows:

• Tour revenues of $350 - $358 million (13 – 16% growth)
• Adjusted EBITDA of $67 - $70 million (22 – 28% growth)

As of February 26, 2019, Lindblad segment bookings for travel during 2019 have increased 10% as compared with bookings for 2018 as of the same date a year ago. Additionally, the Lindblad segment had 87% of full year 2019 projected guest ticket revenues on the books versus 89% of full year 2018 guest ticket revenue at the same time last year. 

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

The Company uses a variety of operational and financial metrics, including non-GAAP financial measures such as Adjusted EBITDA, Occupancy, Net Yields and Net Cruise Costs, to enable it to analyze its performance and financial condition. The Company utilizes these financial measures to manage its business on a day-to-day basis and believes that they are the most relevant measures of performance. Some of these measures are commonly used in the cruise and tourism industry to evaluate performance. The Company believes these non-GAAP measures provide expanded insight to assess revenue and cost performance, in addition to the standard GAAP-based financial measures. There are no specific rules or regulations for determining non-GAAP measures, and as such, they may not be comparable to measures used by other companies within the industry.

The presentation of non-GAAP financial information should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The definitions of non-GAAP financial measures along with a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial information to GAAP are included in the supplemental financial schedules beginning on page 9.

Conference Call Information

The Company has scheduled a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on February 28, 2018 to discuss the earnings of the Company. The conference call can be accessed by dialing (844) 378-6487 (United States), (855) 669-9657 (Canada) or (412) 542-4182 (outside the U.S.). A replay of the call will be available at the Company's investor relations website, http://investors.expeditions.com.

About Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc.

Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. is an expedition travel company that focuses on ship-based voyages through its Lindblad Expeditions brand and on land-based travel through its subsidiary, Natural Habitat Adventures, an adventure travel and ecotourism company with a focus on responsible nature travel.

Lindblad Expeditions works in partnership with National Geographic to inspire people to explore and care about the planet. The organizations work in tandem to produce innovative marine expedition programs and to promote conservation and sustainable tourism around the world. The partnership's educationally oriented voyages allow guests to interact with and learn from leading scientists, naturalists and researchers while discovering stunning natural environments, above and below the sea, through state-of-the-art exploration tools.

Natural Habitat partners with the World Wildlife Fund to offer and promote conservation and sustainable travel that directly protects nature. Natural Habitat's adventures include polar bear tours in Churchill, Canada, Alaskan grizzly bear adventures and African safaris.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include the Company's financial projections and may also generally be identified as such because the context of such statements will include words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "will," "would" or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe the Company's financial guidance or future plans, objectives or goals are also forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those expected, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) changes adversely affecting the business in which the Company is engaged; (ii) management of the Company's growth and its ability to execute on its planned growth; (iii) general economic conditions; (iv) the Company's business strategy and plans; (v) unscheduled disruptions in our business due to weather events, mechanical failures, or other events; (vi) compliance with laws and regulations; (vii) compliance with the financial and/or operating covenants in the Company's credit agreements; (viii) adverse publicity regarding the cruise industry in general; (ix) loss of business due to competition; (x) the result of future financing efforts; (xi) the inability to meet revenue and Adjusted EBITDA projections; (xii) delays and costs overruns with respect to the construction and delivery of newly constructed vessels; and (xiii) those risks described in the Company's filings with the SEC. Stockholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More detailed information about factors that may affect the Company's performance may be found in its filings with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov or at http://www.expeditions.com in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website