Intelsat Announces Q4 and 2015 Results

Intelsat S.A., a provider of satellite services, has announced preliminary financial results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2015.
 
Intelsat reported preliminary total revenue of $571.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015.
 
The company expects to incur a non-cash impairment charge resulting in a substantial reduction of our $6.8 billion goodwill and other intangible assets. The charges primarily reflect a reduction to the goodwill value established as a result of the acquisition of Intelsat in 2008.
 
At present, we believe this process will be completed in the next two weeks after which we would expect to file our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015.
 
All three months ended and year ended 2015 financial information provided in this release is preliminary and presented prior to giving effect to any impairment charges we ultimately incur.
 
The company reported preliminary net income attributable to Intelsat S.A. to be $49.1 million, or $0.42 per share on a diluted basis, prior to the effect of any impairments, for the three months ended December 31, 2015. Preliminary adjusted net income per diluted common share1 is $0.55, prior to the effect of any impairments, for the three months ended December 31, 2015.
 
Intelsat S.A. reported preliminary EBITDA1, or earnings before net interest, gains on early extinguishment of debt, taxes and depreciation and amortization, of $443.5 million, prior to the effect of any impairments, and preliminary Adjusted EBITDA1, of $452.6 million, or 79 percent of revenue, prior to the effect of any impairments, for the three months ended December 31, 2015.
 
For the year ended December 31, 2015, Intelsat reported preliminary total revenue of $2,352.5 million and preliminary net income attributable to Intelsat S.A of $242.0 million, or $2.06 per share on a diluted basis, prior to the effect of any impairments. The company reported preliminary adjusted net income per diluted common share to be $2.80, prior to the effect of any impairments, for the year ended December 31, 2015. Intelsat also reported preliminary EBITDA of $1,818.4 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of $1,854.5 million, or 79 percent of revenue, prior to the effect of any impairments, for the year ended December 31, 2015.
 
Intelsat Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Spengler said, “With Intelsat 29e successfully launched and now completing in-orbit testing, a new era for Intelsat has begun. The higher performance, improved economics and simple access of Intelsat EpicNG is unlocking new sources of demand for our global network. Our top priorities include placing the Intelsat EpicNG and other satellites in our launch program into service and introducing data networking services that leverage our scale and global reach. We are also advancing further innovations in new antenna and networking hardware that will open new applications for Intelsat, such as the connected car. These three initiatives will propel us into attractive new markets and expand our leadership in large and fast-growing applications, such as mobility. Over time, these opportunities should eclipse the challenging environment we are seeing today.”
 
“With $2.35 billion in revenue and $1.85 billion in Adjusted EBITDA, prior to the effect of any impairments, in 2015 we delivered on plan for the year,” continued Mr. Spengler. “Performance by customer set was generally as expected, with network services meeting guidance, the government sector outperforming and our media business falling slightly short of our plan. While ongoing headwinds will continue to impact our business in 2016, the launches of Intelsat 29e, Intelsat 31, Intelsat 36, and Intelsat 33e during this period will position us for a return to growth.”
 
Spengler added, “Our backlog continues to provide the visibility into future revenue and cash flows that allows us to invest in our fleet and pursue our long-term business strategy. Year-end 2015 backlog of $9.4 billion was four times annual revenue.”