EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

 

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 3, 2005

 

CONTACT: Colleen McCann-Lillie

(509) 534 - 6200

 

Ambassadors Group Reports Earnings per Share of $1.50 for 2004

 

Spokane, WA – February 3, 2005

 

Ambassadors Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EPAX), a leading provider of educational travel experiences, announced net income of $15.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2004, resulting in $1.50 earnings per share. The comparable 2003 net income was $10.2 million and 2003 earnings per share was $1.00.

 

Year Ended December 31, 2004

 

The year over year net income increase was driven by gross program receipt growth and expense management. Gross program receipts increased $38.5 million, 36 percent, to $147.1 million in 2004 from $108.6 million in 2003. This increase resulted from traveling approximately 35 percent more delegates in 2004 over 2003. Net revenue increased $14.2 million, 38 percent, to $51.8 million in 2004 from $37.7 million in 2003, and the gross margin percentage was consistent between 2004 and 2003 at 35 percent.

 

Operating expenses incurred during the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 grew at a lesser rate than gross program receipts and net revenue. Operating expenses were $29.2 million and $23.1 million, for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. This $6.1 million, or 26 percent, increase resulted from increased personnel costs to support additional delegates, marketing efforts for 2005 travel, and professional fees associated with Sarbanes Oxley compliance. Operating income was $22.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $14.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Quarter Ended December 31, 2004

 

The fourth quarter 2004 net loss was $4.1 million, resulting in $0.41 loss per share. The comparable fourth quarter 2003 net loss was $3.3 million or $0.33 loss per share.

 

Fourth quarter 2004 gross program receipts were $9.1 million compared to $5.5 million for the comparable period of 2003. Net revenue was $3.3 million and $2.2 million for the quarters ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. The 50 percent, or $1.1 million, increase resulted from traveling approximately 70 percent more delegates than the same quarter a year ago at slightly less gross margins. Gross margins during the quarter ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, were 36 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

 

For the quarters ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, operating expenses incurred were $9.9 million and $7.4 million, respectively. The 34 percent increase resulted from increased personnel costs to support efforts for 2004 and 2005 travel and increased professional fees associated with Sarbanes Oxley compliance. Operating loss was $6.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2004, compared to $5.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2003.

 

1


The Company’s cash, cash equivalent and available-for-sale securities balances on December 31, 2004 and 2003, were $87.6 million and $67.5 million, of which $38.6 million and $28.2 million represented participant deposits, respectively. Deployable cash (see definition on final page of press release) at December 31, 2004 and 2003 was $43.2 million and $32.9 million, respectively.

 

“We are pleased to announce our 2004 financial results. The year over year gains reflect a more favorable global environment, as well as continued progress in developing the core competencies of the organization,” Jeff Thomas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ambassadors Group, Inc., said. “We are fortunate to have a team in place that has been working to improve its performance while demonstrating flexibility in responding to an unusually high number of changes in the marketplace. We expect that there will continue to be challenges in the months ahead, and we plan to continue to enhance our flexibility and learning capabilities.”

 

“Clearly, one of our challenges in 2004 was to effectively and efficiently scale the service capabilities of the organization to meet the needs of 35 percent more delegates in 2004 than in 2003,” Thomas continued. “We anticipate continued scaling as we grow and evolve to manage an increasingly sophisticated audience. We look forward to continued focus on the fundamentals of our business and want to thank our shareowners for their continued support.”

 

Ambassadors Group Inc. will host a conference call to discuss the 2004 results of operations on Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 at 8:30 a.m. PST. Interested parties may join the call by dialing 888-396-2369, then entering the pass code: 65174992. The conference call may also be joined via the Internet at www.AmbassadorsGroup.com/EPAX. For post-view access, parties may dial 888-286-8010 with the pass code of 61266722 and follow the prompts, or visit the www.AmbassadorsGroup.com/EPAX website. Post-view dial-in access will be available beginning Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. until Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m. Post-view Webcast access will be available following the conference call through April 4, 2005.

 

Ambassadors Group, Inc. is a leading educational travel company that organizes and promotes international and domestic programs for students, athletes and professionals. These programs provide opportunities for grade school, and junior and senior high school students to visit foreign and domestic destinations to learn about the history, government, economy and culture of such areas, as well as for junior and senior high school athletes to participate in international sports challenges. The Company’s professional programs emphasize meetings and seminars between participants and persons in similar professions abroad.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Company’s actual and expected financial performance and the reasons for variances between quarter-to-quarter results. Forward-looking statements, which are included per the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results and performance in future periods to be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this release. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and may not reflect risks related to the conflict in the Middle East and international unrest, outbreak of disease, conditions in the travel industry, direct marketing environment, changes in economic conditions and changes in the competitive environment. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to provide public updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements found herein to reflect any changes in Company expectations or any change in events. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements

 

2


are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. For a more complete discussion of these and other factors, please refer to Ambassadors Group, Inc. 10K filed March 12, 2004, 10Q filed Nov. 9, 2004, and proxy filed April 14, 2004.

 

The following summarizes the Company’s statements of operations for the years and quarters ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands, except per share amounts). Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform with current year financial presentation. Such reclassification had no impact on previously reported net income or stockholders’ equity.

 

Years ended December 31,


   2004

    2003

 

Gross program receipts

   $ 147,130     $ 108,582  

Net revenue

   $ 51,824     $ 37,665  

Operating expenses:

                

Selling and tour promotion

     22,616       18,534  

General and administration

     6,537       4,566  
    


 


Total operating expenses

     29,153       23,100  
    


 


Operating income

     22,671       14,565  

Other income, net

     1,035       820  
    


 


Income before tax

     23,706       15,385  

Income tax provision

     (8,059 )     (5,231 )
    


 


Net income

   $ 15,647     $ 10,154  
    


 


Weighted average shares outstanding – basic

     10,045       9,923  

Earnings per share – basic

   $ 1.56     $ 1.02  

Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted

     10,449       10,170  

Earnings per share – diluted

   $ 1.50     $ 1.00  

 

3


     UNAUDITED

 

Three months ended December 31,


   2004

    2003

 

Gross program receipts

   $ 9,097     $ 5,465  

Net revenue

   $ 3,319     $ 2,213  

Operating expenses:

                

Selling and tour promotion

     6,874       5,522  

General and administration

     3,013       1,830  
    


 


Total operating expenses

     9,887       7,352  
    


 


Operating loss

     (6,568 )     (5,139 )

Other income, net

     280       154  
    


 


Loss before tax

     (6,288 )     (4,985 )

Income tax benefit

     2,139       1,695  
    


 


Net loss

   $ (4,149 )   $ (3,290 )
    


 


Weighted average shares outstanding – basic and diluted

     10,065       9,978  

Loss per share – basic and diluted

   $ (0.41 )   $ (0.33 )

 

The Company has a single operating segment consisting of the educational travel and sports programs for students, athletes and professionals. These programs have similar economic characteristics, offer comparable products to participants, and utilize similar processes for program marketing.

 

4


The following summarizes the Company’s balance sheets as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands):

 

     2004

   2003

Assets

             

Cash and cash equivalents (includes $12 of restricted cash)

   $ 34,737    $ 33,653

Available-for-sale securities

     52,820      33,872

Foreign currency exchange contracts

     2,609      5,209

Prepaid program cost and expenses

     2,461      1,608

Accounts receivable

     123      233
    

  

Total current assets

     92,750      74,575

Property and equipment, net

     3,911      2,966

Deferred income tax

     735      1,664

Other assets

     120      116
    

  

Total assets

   $ 97,516    $ 79,321
    

  

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

             

Accounts payable and accruals

   $ 4,277    $ 4,435

Participants’ deposits

     38,608      28,220

Deferred tax liability

     723      1,690

Other current liabilities

     3,953      3,575
    

  

Total current liabilities

     47,561      37,920

Capital lease, long term

     454      592
    

  

Total Liabilities

     48,015      38,512
    

  

Stockholders’ equity

     49,501      40,809
    

  

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 97,516    $ 79,321
    

  

 

Deployable cash is a non-GAAP liquidity measure. The following summarizes the Company’s deployable cash as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 (in thousands):

 

     2004

    2003

 

Cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities

   $ 87,557     $ 67,525  

Prepaid program cost and expenses

     2,461       1,608  

Less: Participants’ deposits

     (38,608 )     (28,220 )

Less: Accounts payable, accruals and other liabilities

     (8,230 )     (8,010 )
    


 


Total deployable cash

   $ 43,180     $ 32,903  
    


 


 

Management believes this non-GAAP measure is useful to investors in understanding the cash available to deploy for future business opportunities.

 

5