Verisign Reports 13 Percent Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth in 2012

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the .com and .net registry, announced today financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012 and year ended Dec. 31, 2012. Verisign reported 13 percent year-over-year revenue growth in 2012.

There is no mention on the report that although the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the renewal of Verisign’s agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to serve as the authoritative registry operator for the .com registry from December 1st, 2012 to November 30th, 2018, Verisign lost the right to raise the wholesale price of .com for the next 6 years.

Verisign Registry Services added 1.25 million net new names and ended the fourth quarter with 121.1 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, representing a 6.4 percent increase year over year.

On Dec. 19, 2012, Verisign announced that as of July 1, 2013, the registry fee for .net domain names will increase from $5.11 to $5.62.

Here is the complete announcement:

RESTON, VA – Jan. 24, 2013 – VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world, announced financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012 and year ended Dec. 31, 2012.

Fourth Quarter GAAP Financial Results
VeriSign, Inc. and subsidiaries (“Verisign”) reported revenue of $230 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, up 13 percent from the same quarter in 2011. Verisign reported net income of $106 million and diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.65 for the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to net income of $54 million and diluted EPS of $0.34 for the same quarter in 2011. The operating margin was 58.8 percent for the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to 45.6 percent for the same quarter in 2011. Results for the fourth quarter of 2012 included non-recurring pre-tax benefits of $13.6 million, split $5.8 million and $7.8 million between continuing operations and discontinued operations, respectively, primarily related to reimbursements of previously incurred litigation and defense costs, received upon settlement with the selling shareholders of a previously acquired business. Additionally, results for the fourth quarter of 2012 include pre-tax benefits of $5.5 million related to a change in the estimated bonus payout. Together these items increased the operating margin by 4.9 percent and diluted EPS by $0.07. Results for the fourth quarter of 2011 included a pre-tax, $4 million non-operating accrued expense, which was non-recurring in nature and which reduced diluted EPS by $0.02.

Fourth Quarter Non-GAAP Financial Results
Verisign reported, on a non-GAAP basis, net income of $96 million and diluted EPS of $0.59 for the fourth quarter of 2012, compared to net income of $64 million and diluted EPS of $0.40 for the same quarter in 2011. The non-GAAP operating margin was 62.0 percent for the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to 50.9 percent for the same quarter in 2011. Non-GAAP results for the fourth quarter of 2012 included non-recurring pre-tax benefits of $5.8 million recorded in continuing operations, primarily related to reimbursements of previously incurred litigation and defense costs, received upon settlement with the selling shareholders of a previously acquired business. Additionally, the non-GAAP results for the fourth quarter of 2012 include pre-tax benefits of $5.5 million related to a change in the estimated bonus payout. Together these items increased the operating margin by 4.9 percent and diluted EPS by $0.05. Results for the fourth quarter of 2011 included a pre-tax, $4 million non-operating accrued expense, which was non-recurring in nature and which reduced diluted EPS by $0.02. A table reconciling the GAAP to the non-GAAP results (which excludes items described below) is appended to this release.
“In 2012, Verisign marked 15 years of uninterrupted availability for .com and .net and we renewed the .com Registry Agreement for an additional six years. Our performance continues to demonstrate discipline and operational focus. In 2013, we will continue to seek quality growth, while protecting and managing our business,” said Jim Bidzos, chairman and chief executive officer of Verisign.

2012 GAAP Financial Results
For the year ended Dec. 31, 2012, Verisign reported revenue of $874 million, up 13 percent from $772 million in 2011. Verisign reported net income of $320 million and diluted EPS of $1.95 in 2012, compared to net income of $143 million and diluted EPS of $0.86 in 2011. The operating margin for 2012 was 52.4 percent compared to 42.7 percent in 2011.

2012 Non-GAAP Financial Results
Verisign reported, on a non-GAAP basis, net income of $322 million and diluted EPS of $1.97 for 2012, compared to net income of $249 million and diluted EPS of $1.49 in 2011. The non-GAAP operating margin for 2012 was 56.2 percent compared to 49.7 percent in 2011. A table reconciling the GAAP to the non-GAAP results (which excludes items described below) is appended to this release.

Financial Highlights

•  Verisign ended the fourth quarter of 2012 with Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities and Restricted Cash of $1.56 billion, an increase of $211 million from year-end 2011.
• Cash flow from operations was $171 million for the fourth quarter of 2012 and $538 million for the full year 2012, compared with $124 million for the same quarter in 2011 and $336 million for the full year 2011.
• Deferred revenues ended the fourth quarter of 2012 totaling $813 million, an increase of $84 million from year-end 2011.
• Capital expenditures were $13 million in the fourth quarter and $53 million for the full year.
• During the fourth quarter, Verisign repurchased approximately 2.3 million shares of its common stock for a cost of $94 million. During the full year 2012, Verisign repurchased approximately 7.7 million shares of its common stock for a cost of $315 million. On Dec. 5, 2012, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to approximately $458.8 million of our common stock, in addition to the approximately $541.2 million of our common stock remaining available for repurchase under the previous 2010 Share Buyback Program, for a total repurchase of up to $1.0 billion of Verisign common stock. At Dec. 31, 2012, approximately $976 million remained available and authorized for share repurchases.
• For purposes of calculating diluted EPS, the fourth quarter diluted share count included 6.4 million shares related to the convertible debentures. These represent dilutive shares and not shares that have been issued. There was no dilution from the convertible debentures in the same quarter of 2011.
• Due to the stock price not exceeding the convertible debentures trigger during the fourth quarter of 2012, the debentures are no longer convertible starting Jan. 1, 2013. Consequently, the debt component of the convertible debentures, the related embedded derivative, and deferred tax liability were reclassified from current liabilities to long-term liabilities, while the associated unamortized debt issuance costs were reclassified from current assets to long-term assets, as of Dec. 31, 2012.

Business and Corporate Highlights

• Verisign Registry Services added 1.25 million net new names and ended the fourth quarter with 121.1 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, representing a 6.4 percent increase year over year.
• Verisign processed 8.0 million and 33.1 million new domain name registrations for .com and .net, representing 0.9 percent and 3.0 percent increase year over year, in the fourth quarter and full year 2012 periods, respectively.
• On Nov. 30, 2012, Verisign announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the renewal of Verisign’s revised agreement, on the terms described in that announcement, with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to serve as the authoritative registry operator for the .com registry for the term commencing on Dec. 1, 2012 through Nov. 30, 2018.
• On Dec. 19, 2012, Verisign announced that as of July 1, 2013, the registry fee for .net domain names will increase from $5.11 to $5.62.

Non-GAAP Items
Non-GAAP financial results exclude the following items that are included under GAAP: Discontinued operations, stock-based compensation, amortization of other intangible assets, impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets, restructuring charges, contingent interest payments to holders of our Convertible Debentures, unrealized gain/loss on contingent interest derivative on Convertible Debentures, and non-cash interest expense. Non-GAAP financial information is also adjusted for a 28 percent tax rate starting from the third quarter of 2012, and 30 percent for the other periods presented herein, both of which differ from the GAAP tax rate. A table reconciling the GAAP to non-GAAP operating income and net income is appended to this release.

Today’s Conference Call
Verisign will host a live conference call today at 4:30 p.m. (EST) to review the fourth quarter and full year 2012 results. The call will be accessible by direct dial at (888) 676-VRSN (U.S.) or (913) 312-0637 (international). A listen-only live web cast and accompanying slide presentation of the fourth quarter and full year 2012 earnings conference call will also be available at http://investor.verisign.com. A replay of this call will be available at (888) 203-1112 or (719) 457-0820 (passcode: 1285042) beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Jan. 24, 2012, and will run through Feb. 1, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. (EST). An audio archive of the call will be available at https://investor.verisign.com/events.cfm. This news release and the financial information discussed on today’s conference call are available at http://investor.verisign.com.

About Verisign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, Verisign helps companies and consumers all over the world connect between the dots. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisigninc.com.