On February 13, 2020 AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE: AMN), the leader and innovator in healthcare total talent solutions, reported its fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results (Press release, AMN Healthcare Services, FEB 13, 2020, View Source [SID1234554320]). Financial highlights are as follows:
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Dollars in millions, except per share amounts.
* See "Non-GAAP Measures" below for a discussion of our use of non-GAAP items and the table entitled "Non-GAAP Reconciliation Tables" for a reconciliation of non-GAAP items.
2019 & Recent Highlights
Fourth quarter results exceeded expectations, with the Nurse and Allied Solutions segment delivering higher revenue from the support of labor disruption events and rapid response staffing
Nurse and Allied segment recorded 6% year-over-year organic growth in the fourth quarter
Full year operating cash flow was $225 million, reflecting strong performance and a nine-day reduction in days’ sales outstanding
Acquired b4health, an innovative float pool management technology solution and vendor management system, in December
The previously announced acquisition of Stratus Video, the leading provider of healthcare video remote language interpretation services, is expected to close on February 14, 2020
The Stratus acquisition is expected to be immediately margin-accretive and strengthens AMN’s position as healthcare’s leading total talent solutions partner
"Throughout the last year and decade, AMN Healthcare achieved many important milestones and dramatically enhanced our ability to positively impact patient care and our communities," said Susan R. Salka, Chief Executive Officer of AMN. "During 2019, our business reached new highs in revenue and earnings, while also making critical investments in our people, processes and solutions for our healthcare professionals and clients. AMN furthered our ability to serve our clients’ total talent needs with the acquisition of Advanced Medical, Silversheet and b4health, along with the imminent acquisition of Stratus Video.
"As we enter 2020, demand for our services remains strong, and we are excited about the partnerships we are building with clients to address their workforce challenges and ensure they deliver high-quality patient care. Equally critical to our purpose at AMN, we will continue to take an active leadership role in governance and social issues such as diversity, equality and inclusion," Ms. Salka added.
Fourth Quarter 2019 Results
Consolidated revenue for the quarter was $587 million, an 11% increase over prior year and 3% higher than prior quarter. Revenue for the Nurse and Allied Solutions segment was $389 million, up 18% year over year (6% organic) and 7% sequentially. Travel Nurse revenue increased 9% year over year (2% organic). Allied division revenue increased 45% year over year with 7% organic growth.
The Locum Tenens Solutions segment reported revenue of $78 million, down by 5% year over year due to slightly lower volume and a mix shift to specialties with lower bill rates. Volume metrics were on par with prior year in December, which we believe reflects stability and future growth opportunity as we enter the new year. Other Workforce Solutions segment revenue was $120 million reflecting an increase of 2% year over year, driven primarily by growth in our physician permanent placement, interim leadership and VMS businesses, offset partly by a decline in our revenue cycle solutions division.
Gross margin was 33.6%, higher by 100 basis points year over year and higher by 10 basis points sequentially. The year-over-year variance stemmed from an increase in higher-margin labor disruption activities in our Nurse and Allied segment and a favorable mix shift in our Other Workforce Solutions segment.
SG&A expenses were $133 million or 22.7% of revenue, compared with $111 million, or 21.0% of revenue, in the same quarter last year. SG&A was $133 million, or 23.5% of revenue, in the previous quarter. Higher SG&A expenses from our acquired businesses coupled with higher acquisition and integration-related costs caused the year-over-year increase in expense margin.
Income from operations was $47 million, or 8.0% of revenue, compared with $50 million, or 9.5% of revenue, in the same quarter last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $75 million, with a year-over-year increase of 14%. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 12.9%, higher by 30 basis points year over year and an increase of 70 basis points sequentially. The higher-than-expected adjusted EBITDA margin was driven primarily by the higher labor disruption revenue.
Net income was $27 million, or $0.58 per diluted share, compared with $36 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, in the same quarter last year. Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.85.
Full Year 2019 Results
Full year 2019 consolidated revenue was $2,222 million, a 4% increase from prior year. Nurse and Allied Solutions segment revenue was $1,420 million, a year-over-year increase of 9%. The Locum Tenens Solutions segment recorded revenue of $325 million, down by 17% compared with the prior year. Other Workforce Solutions segment revenue was $477 million, 9% higher year over year.
Full year gross margin was 33.5% compared with 32.6% for the prior year. The gross margin for the year was positively impacted by higher-than-average gross margins in our Nurse and Allied Solutions segment and a favorable segment mix shift. These positive factors were partially offset by a lower margin in our Locum Tenens Solutions segment.
Full year SG&A expenses were $508 million, representing 22.9% of revenue as compared to $452 million, representing 21.2% of revenue, for the prior year. The year-over-year increase in SG&A expenses was primarily due to additional expenses from the acquired businesses, a $22 million increase related to acquisition, integration, changes in the fair value of earn-out liabilities from acquisitions and extraordinary legal expenses, and a $5 million increase in share-based compensation expense. The increase was partially offset by a $12 million increase in legal reserves in 2018.
Full year income from operations was $177 million, or 8.0% of revenue, compared with $203 million, or 9.5% of revenue, in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA was $277 million, a year-over-year increase of 3%. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 12.5%, representing a decrease of 20 basis points year over year.
Full year net income was $114 million, or $2.40 per diluted share, compared with $142 million, or $2.91 per diluted share, in the prior year. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.18.
At December 31, 2019 cash and cash equivalents totaled $83 million. Cash flow from operations was $79 million for the quarter and $225 million for the full year. Capital expenditures were $10 million in the quarter and $35 million for the year. The Company ended the year with total debt outstanding of $625 million with a leverage ratio of 2.0 to 1 as calculated in accordance with the Company’s credit agreement.
Stratus Video Acquisition
In January 2020, AMN signed a definitive agreement to acquire Stratus Video, the largest healthcare remote video language interpretation company. Qualified healthcare interpretation, which is mandated by federal and many state regulations, is a service that many healthcare organizations do not have the resources to provide for themselves. AMN received regulatory approval for the acquisition, which is expected to close tomorrow. The purchase price for the transaction is $475 million and will be funded with borrowings under our credit facility and cash on hand.
"Stratus Video is a compelling addition to the AMN total talent solutions strategy and a wonderful opportunity to strengthen and diversify our leadership and broader talent team," said Ms. Salka. "Stratus is the clear leader in the fastest-growing segment of the language interpretation market for healthcare. They bring a highly regarded service to a growing and important patient population, and Stratus also brings an attractive financial profile."
First Quarter 2020 Outlook
*Note: Guidance percentage metrics are approximate. For a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA margin, see the table entitled "Reconciliation of Guidance Operating Margin to Guidance Adjusted EBITDA Margin" below.
Projected year-over-year revenue growth in the first quarter of 2020 is 12-14%. On an organic basis, revenue is projected to increase 2-3%. Nurse and Allied segment revenue is expected to be up by 14-16% compared with prior year, with organic growth of 2-4%. Locum Tenens revenue in the first quarter is expected to be flat to up 1% compared with prior year. Stratus Video revenue is expected to be approximately $15 million reflecting anticipated results from the date of acquisition. Guidance assumes no labor disruption revenue in the quarter.
Conference Call on February 13, 2020
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE: AMN), healthcare’s leader and innovator in total talent solutions, will host a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial results and first quarter 2020 outlook on Thursday, February 13, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the call can be accessed through AMN Healthcare’s website at View Source Please log in at least 10 minutes prior to the conference call in order to download the applicable audio software. Interested parties may participate live via telephone by dialing (844) 721-7241 in the U.S. or (409) 207-6955 internationally. Following the conclusion of the call, a replay of the webcast will be available at the Company’s website. Alternatively, a telephonic replay of the call will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time on February 13, 2020, and can be accessed until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on February 27, 2020, by calling (866) 207-1041 in the U.S. or (402) 970-0847 internationally, with access code 2857669.