EX-99.1 2 g07041exv99w1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1 EXHIBIT 99.1
 

         
Exhibit 99.1
(CTC LOGO)
CT COMMUNICATIONS PRESS RELEASE    
    For Immediate Release
May 1, 2007
Concord, NC
Contact:
    Jim Hausman
704.722.2410
Ron Marino
704.722.2212
CT Communications Announces First Quarter 2007 Results
First Quarter 2007 Highlights
    Operating revenue increased 5% to $45.4 million vs. year ago quarter
 
    Operating income increased 21% to $6.1 million vs. year ago quarter
 
    Commercial trial launch of video services
 
    28% increase in broadband customers from first quarter last year
First Quarter 2007 Results
CT Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTCI) announces operating revenue of $45.4 million for the first quarter of 2007, an increase of 5.4% when compared to the first quarter of 2006. The increase in operating revenue was driven by a $1.2 million increase in customer recurring revenue due to strong customer growth in several of the Company’s businesses. Broadband customers increased 28%, Wireless subscribers increased 6% and Greenfield access lines increased 10% compared to the end of the first quarter of 2006. In addition to the growth in customer recurring revenue, revenue associated with telephone system sales increased $0.4 million, while universal service and access and interconnection revenue each increased $0.3 million compared to the prior year quarter.
Operating income increased 20.7%, or $1.0 million, to $6.1 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the first quarter of 2006. Operating expense in the first quarter of 2007 increased 3.3% to $39.3 million compared to the same period last year. The $1.3 million increase in operating expense was primarily attributable to a $0.6 million increase in stock based compensation expense and a $0.5 million increase in Wireless switching expense. Wireless switching expense in the first quarter of 2006 included a $0.4

 


 

million expense reduction related to an annual true-up of fiscal year 2005 Wireless switching rates by Cingular. The 2006 true-up has not yet been finalized.
Other income in the first quarter of 2006 included the Company’s income from the operations of Palmetto MobileNet (“PMN”) and gain from the sale of PMN’s interests in ten wireless partnerships that totaled $89.8 million. In addition, the Company recorded investment impairment charges of $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2006. Excluding the effect of these items, other income increased approximately $0.9 million from the first quarter of 2006 due to an increase in investment income and a decrease in interest expense.
Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2007 was $4.6 million, or $0.23 per diluted share compared to $57.4 million, or $2.99 per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Included in net income in the prior year quarter was $54.4 million, or $2.84 per diluted share related to the PMN sale and $0.7 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, in asset and investment impairment charges. Excluding the PMN sale and the impairment charges, earnings per share increased 21.1% to $0.23 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2007.
Results by Business Unit
The following presentation has been modified to reflect the Company’s change in its business unit reporting for the quarter ending March 31, 2007. The Company made these changes to report operating results based on the complete product and service relationship with customers in each business unit. As a result, the former Internet and Data Services business unit historical and first quarter 2007 results have been included in the ILEC, CLEC and Greenfield business unit results.
    ILEC – (“Concord Telephone”)
Concord Telephone’s operating revenue increased $1.2 million to $27.1 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same quarter in 2006. The increase in operating revenue was mainly due to a $0.5 million increase in broadband revenue driven by broadband customer growth, a $0.4 million increase in telephone system sales and a $0.3 million increase in universal service revenue. Operating expense increased $1.4 million to $20.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same quarter in 2006. The increase in operating expense was primarily due to a $0.8 million increase in personnel expense largely associated with an increase in stock based compensation expense, a $0.3 million increase in selling expenses and a $0.2 million increase in cost of materials sold associated with the higher level of telephone system sales. Operating

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income decreased 2.5% to $6.4 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year. Operating margin for the first quarter of 2007 was 23.6% compared to 25.3% for the first quarter of 2006.
ILEC average monthly customer churn during the first quarter of 2007 was 1.3%, flat with the fourth quarter of 2006 and up from the 1.0% rate in the same quarter last year. Broadband accounts increased to 24,117, an increase of 26% from the first quarter of 2006. Concord Telephone ended the first quarter of 2007 with 104,990 access lines in service, a 4.4% decrease from the end of the first quarter of 2006.
The Company launched a video trial to select customers in the ILEC service territory at the end of the first quarter of 2007. The video service offered to customers participating in this trial includes a fully competitive channel line-up, as well as high definition programming and digital video recording (“DVR”) capabilities. The trial participants have video, data and voice services delivered through fiber optic facilities, which are part of the Company’s fiber initiative that passed over 11,000 ILEC homes at the end of the first quarter of 2007. Initial broadband service download speeds for customers in this trial are up to 15 Mbps, but future product capabilities will likely move well beyond this rate.
    Wireless
Wireless operating revenue increased 6.6% to $9.8 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006. Customer recurring revenue increased $0.7 million, driven by a 6% growth in subscribers, but was partially offset by a decrease in handset and accessory revenue. Operating expense increased $0.5 million, or 5.7%, from the same period last year primarily due to the $0.4 million switching rate true-up reduction recorded in the first quarter of 2006. The 2006 true-up has not been finalized. Operating income in the first quarter of 2007 was $0.7 million compared to $0.6 million in the same period last year. Wireless ended the first quarter of 2007 with 49,806 subscribers, an increase of 6% compared to the end of the first quarter of 2006.
    CLEC
CLEC operating revenue increased 2.8% to $5.4 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same quarter last year. The increase in operating revenue was due to a $0.2 million increase in access and interconnection revenue related to growth in access lines. Operating expense decreased 3.6% to $5.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year.

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The decrease in operating expense was largely due to a $0.3 million decrease in cost of service, which was mainly attributable to network efficiency initiatives. Operating loss for the first quarter of 2007 improved to $0.3 million compared to $0.6 million for the first quarter of 2006. CLEC ended the first quarter of 2007 with 36,099 access lines, an increase of 8% compared to 33,390 access lines at the end of the first quarter last year. In addition, the CLEC ended the first quarter with 772 broadband customers, an increase of 20% from the 644 at the end of the first quarter of 2006.
    Greenfield
Greenfield’s operating revenue increased 13.2% to $3.2 million in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year. The increase in operating revenue was primarily due to a $0.3 million increase in customer recurring revenue. The increase in customer revenue was driven by a 42% increase in Greenfield broadband customers and a 10% increase in access lines. Operating expense decreased slightly to $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2007. Operating loss for the first quarter of 2007 improved to $0.3 million from a $0.7 million operating loss for the first quarter of 2006. Greenfield ended the first quarter of 2007 with 16,797 access lines and 3,776 broadband customers, which represent increases of 10% and 42%, respectively, from the end of the first quarter of 2006. The Company continues to focus on Greenfield opportunities that leverage Company-owned network infrastructure to minimize the cost to serve additional customers. As of March 31, 2007, the Company had 130 Greenfield projects, which in total represent approximately 58,000 marketable access lines at the completion of the projects.
Future Period Guidance
We currently expect operating results to approximate the following during these future periods:
    2nd Quarter 2007
  o   Revenue of $44.3 to $45.3 million
 
  o   Operating income of $5.8 to $6.2 million
 
  o   Depreciation expense of $7.8 to $7.9 million
 
  o   Diluted earnings per share of $0.23 to $0.25
 
  o   Capital expenditures of $8.0 to $10.0 million
    Full Year 2007
  o   Revenue of $177.0 to $181.0 million
 
  o   Operating income of $22.0 to $25.0 million

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  o   Depreciation expense of $31.0 to $32.0 million
 
  o   Diluted earnings per share of $0.81 to $0.85
 
  o   Capital expenditures of $32 to $35 million
This guidance does not include the impact of Cingular requiring us to replace certain cell site equipment. This project, which has been previously discussed, is now underway with an expected cash outlay of approximately $5 million.
CT Communications will host a conference call to discuss the results of the first quarter 2007 on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 10:00 AM local time. You are invited to listen live to the conference call over the Internet at www.ctc.net. If you are unable to listen during the live webcast, the call will be archived on the Web site at www.ctc.net until May 31, 2007. Additionally, a replay of the call will be available until 5:00 PM local time on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 at 800-633-8284. Enter access number 21336891.
CT Communications, Inc., headquartered in Concord, N.C., is a growing provider of integrated telecommunications and related services to residential and business customers located primarily in North Carolina. CT Communications, Inc. offers a comprehensive package of telecommunications services, including broadband high-speed Internet services, local and long distance telephone services, and digital wireless voice and data services.
Certain statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of federal securities laws. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions made by management about us, including, among other things, changes in industry conditions created by the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and related state and federal legislation and regulations, the impact of economic conditions related to financial performance of customers, business partners, competitors and peers within the telecommunications industry, the recovery of the substantial costs incurred over the past few years in connection with our expansion into new businesses, retention of our existing customer base and our ability to attract new customers, our ability to control pricing and product offerings in a highly competitive industry, our ability to attract and retain key personnel, the performance of our investments, rapid changes in technology, our ability to manage capital expenditures related to changes in technology, actions of our competitors, the impact of economic and political events on our business, operating regions and customers, including terrorist attacks. In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be

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identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “intend” or “potential” or the negative of those words or other comparable words. These forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual events or results because they involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties and should be viewed with caution. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are also directed to consider the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those matters summarized under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006.

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CT Communications, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income
(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)
                         
    Three Months Ended March 31,     %  
    2007     2006     Change  
Operating Revenue
                       
ILEC Services
  $ 27,122     $ 25,923       4.6 %
Wireless Services
    9,761       9,157       6.6 %
CLEC Services
    5,365       5,219       2.8 %
Greenfield Services
    3,164       2,796       13.2 %
 
                   
Total Operating Revenue
    45,412       43,095       5.4 %
 
                   
 
                       
Operating Expense
                       
ILEC Services
    20,724       19,363       7.0 %
Wireless Services
    9,095       8,606       5.7 %
CLEC Services
    5,650       5,861       (3.6 %)
Greenfield Services
    3,477       3,506       (0.8 %)
Other
    343       684       (49.9 %)
 
                   
Total Operating Expense
    39,289       38,020       3.3 %
 
                   
 
                       
Operating Income
    6,123       5,075       20.7 %
 
                       
Other Income (Expense)
                       
Investment, Equity Method
    11       89,840          
Gains, Interest, Dividends
    1,351       813          
Impairment on Investments
          (876 )        
Other Expenses, Principally Interest
    (653 )     (1,034 )        
 
                   
Total Other Income (Expense)
    709       88,743          
 
                   
 
                       
Pre-Tax Income
    6,832       93,818          
 
                       
Income Tax Expense
    2,206       36,452          
 
                       
 
                   
Net Income
  $ 4,626     $ 57,366          
 
                   
 
                       
Diluted Weighted Average Shares
    20,137       19,187          
 
                       
Diluted Earnings Per Share
  $ 0.23     $ 2.99          

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CT Communications, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited, in thousands)
                 
    March 31,     December 31,  
    2007     2006  
ASSETS
               
 
               
Cash and Cash Equivalents
  $ 13,662     $ 14,063  
Short-Term Investments
    82,467       86,741  
Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Revenue, Net
    15,644       16,419  
Other Assets
    14,927       11,775  
 
           
Current Assets
    126,700       128,998  
 
           
 
               
Investments
    7,589       10,960  
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
    212,483       209,908  
Other Assets
    37,928       37,492  
 
           
TOTAL ASSETS
  $ 384,700     $ 387,358  
 
           
 
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
Current Portion of Long-Term Debt
  $ 5,000     $ 5,000  
Accounts Payable
    9,083       12,553  
Customer Deposits and Advance Billings
    4,884       4,618  
Other Accrued Liabilities
    10,524       12,714  
 
           
Current Liabilities
    29,491       34,885  
 
           
 
               
Long-Term Debt
    33,750       35,000  
Deferred Credits and Other Liabilities
    38,966       38,095  
Stockholders’ Equity
    282,493       279,378  
 
           
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
  $ 384,700     $ 387,358  
 
           

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CT Communications, Inc.
Customer Information
                         
    March 31,   March 31,   %
    2007   2006   Change
Wired Access Lines
                       
ILEC Access Lines
    104,990       109,871       (4.4 %)
CLEC Access Lines
    36,099       33,390       8.1 %
Greenfield Access Lines
    16,797       15,324       9.6 %
 
                       
Total Wired Access Lines
    157,886       158,585       (0.4 %)
 
                       
 
                       
 
                       
Broadband Customers *
    28,665       22,426       27.8 %
 
                       
 
                       
 
                       
Wireless Subscribers
    49,806       47,145       5.6 %
 
                       
 
                       
Revenue Generating Units ILEC
                       
Residential Access Lines
    76,684       81,630       (6.1 %)
Business Access Lines
    28,306       28,241       0.2 %
Broadband Customers
    24,117       19,114       26.2 %
 
                       
Total ILEC
    129,107       128,985       0.1 %
 
                       
 
                       
CLEC
                       
Business Access Lines
    36,099       33,390       8.1 %
Broadband Customers
    772       644       19.9 %
 
                       
Total CLEC
    36,871       34,034       8.3 %
 
                       
 
                       
Greenfield
                       
Residential Access Lines
    11,035       10,328       6.8 %
Business Access Lines
    5,762       4,996       15.3 %
Broadband Customers
    3,776       2,668       41.5 %
 
                       
Total Greenfield
    20,573       17,992       14.3 %
 
                       
 
                       
Wireless Subscribers
    49,806       47,145       5.6 %
 
                       
 
                       
Total Revenue Generating Units
    236,357       228,156       3.6 %
 
                       
 
*   - Broadband customers include DSL and High Speed customers previously reported separately.

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CT Communications, Inc.
Other Selected Financial Data
(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)
 
 
Capital Expenditures
                 
    Three Months Ended March 31,  
    2007     2006  
ILEC
  $ 7,552     $ 3,742  
Wireless
    264       196  
CLEC
    345       1,280  
Greenfield
    1,135       1,620  
Other
    1,207       149  
 
           
Total
  $ 10,503     $ 6,987  
 
           
Depreciation
                 
    Three Months Ended March 31,  
    2007     2006  
ILEC
  $ 5,155     $ 5,478  
Wireless
    693       635  
CLEC
    721       715  
Greenfield
    1,114       1,014  
Other
    225       278  
 
           
Total
  $ 7,908     $ 8,120  
 
           
Reconciliation of Prior Period Reported Results to Normalized Results
For the quarter ended March 31, 2006
                                         
                            Investment        
            Palmetto     Fixed Asset     Securities        
    GAAP     MobileNet *     Impairment     Impairment     Normalized  
     
Operating Revenue
  $ 43,095     $     $     $     $ 43,095  
Operating Expense
    38,020             (190 )           37,830  
     
Operating Income
    5,075             190             5,265  
Other Income (Expense)
    88,743       (88,939 )           876       680  
     
Pre-Tax Income
    93,818       (88,939 )     190       876       5,945  
Income Tax Expense
    36,452       (34,508 )     74       340       2,358  
     
Net Income
  $ 57,366     $ (54,431 )   $ 116     $ 536     $ 3,587  
     
Diluted EPS
  $ 2.99     $ (2.84 )   $ 0.01     $ 0.03     $ 0.19  
     
 
*   Equity income related to the March 2006 sale of PMN’s ownership interests in ten wireless partnerships.

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