Pursuit Attractions & Hospitality, Inc. quarterly report, Q2 FY2015

Business context and reporting period

The supplied filing is Viad Corp’s unaudited Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, filed August 7, 2015. This differs from the requested company name, Pursuit Attractions & Hospitality, Inc.; verify that this is the intended filing. Viad operated Marketing & Events U.S., Marketing & Events International, and Travel & Recreation businesses.

Financial results and liquidity

MetricQ2 2015Q2 2014Six months 2015Six months 2014
Revenue$317.0 million$256.4 million$581.4 million$542.0 million
Operating income$34.3 million$12.1 million$30.4 million$23.5 million
Income from continuing operations$22.2 million$7.8 million$20.2 million$17.0 million
Net income attributable to Viad$22.4 million$6.7 million$20.3 million$28.6 million
Diluted EPS from continuing operations$1.11$0.39$1.02$0.85
Operating cash flowNot presented separatelyNot presented separately$38.0 million$28.2 million

Q2 revenue grew 23.7% year over year; operating income was 10.8% of revenue versus 4.7% a year earlier. Six-month revenue rose 7.3%, while net income attributable to Viad fell 29.0%, mainly because the prior-year period included a large gain from discontinued operations. Six-month continuing-operations income increased 18.8%. The filing reports no separate gross-margin percentage.

At June 30, cash was $64.9 million, total debt and capital leases were $133.3 million, and shareholders’ equity was $351.6 million. Cash less total debt was negative $68.4 million. The company reported $162.4 million of remaining credit-facility capacity and compliance with its covenants. Current assets were $258.4 million versus current liabilities of $211.7 million. Six-month capital expenditures were $13.2 million; cash dividends paid were $4.0 million.

Material changes and management commentary

  • Marketing & Events Group Q2 revenue was $286.6 million versus $226.6 million; segment operating income rose to $30.1 million from $9.0 million. Growth reflected acquisitions, positive show rotation, new business and same-show growth, partly offset by currency effects.
  • Travel & Recreation Q2 revenue was $30.5 million versus $29.8 million; segment operating income increased to $6.2 million from $5.1 million. Organic revenue grew 9.8%, while reported results were pressured by foreign exchange.
  • For the first six months, foreign exchange reduced revenue by $20.8 million and segment operating income by $2.0 million. Q2 effects were reductions of $13.2 million and $2.2 million, respectively.
  • Q2 net income included a $1.3 million gain from exiting a U.K. venue-services agreement within International segment operating results. The first half included a $1.6 million non-cash tax benefit, or about $0.08 per share, associated with certain foreign intangible deferred taxes.
  • The 2014 comparison included a $14.3 million after-tax discontinued-operations gain from the expiration of a Glacier National Park concession contract. 2015 discontinued operations were small liability-reserve and legal-cost adjustments.

Outlook, risks and contingencies

  • Management expected full-year 2015 Marketing & Events revenue to be comparable to 2014, with underlying growth and acquisitions offset by about $70 million of negative show rotation and unfavorable currency translation. It expected U.S. base same-show revenue growth at a mid-single-digit rate.
  • Management expected the 2014 acquisitions of Blitz, onPeak and N200 to contribute $61–$66 million of 2015 revenue and $16.5–$17.5 million of adjusted segment EBITDA, excluding about $1.5 million of integration costs.
  • Travel & Recreation revenue was expected to be comparable to 2014. Management estimated currency would reduce full-year revenue and segment operating income by about $13 million and $4 million, respectively; it did not expect then-current Glacier National Park forest-fire activity to have a material 2015 impact.
  • Management said existing liquidity would fund operations and capital commitments for at least 12 months. $45.9 million of cash was held outside the U.S.; estimated incremental tax on repatriation of certain Canadian earnings was about $0.6 million.
  • Risks include show timing and rotation, economic and discretionary tourism demand, foreign-exchange movements, labor negotiations and potential work stoppages, and exposure to underfunded multi-employer pension plans. The company also cited litigation and environmental matters; it recorded $4.6 million of environmental remediation liabilities related to previously sold operations. Additional multi-employer pension funding, if any, was not ascertainable.
  • Other exposures included $3.6 million of maximum potential payments under subsidiary lease guarantees and self-insured claims. Management stated that pending litigation and environmental matters were not expected to have a material effect, after considering recorded amounts and insurance. Disclosure controls were reported effective.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Confirm whether Viad Corp’s filing is the intended filing for Pursuit Attractions & Hospitality, Inc.; the registrant named in the supplied 10-Q is Viad Corp.
  • Review the basis and sustainability of acquisition-driven growth, show rotation, same-show trends and the disclosed adjusted EBITDA outlook, which is a non-GAAP measure.
  • Assess the sensitivity of reported results and equity to currency movements; Viad said it did not hedge translation or net-earnings exposure.
  • Monitor debt covenant thresholds, facility availability, seasonal working-capital needs and the cash held outside the U.S.
  • Track the N200 earnout, acquisition purchase-price allocations, labor negotiations, multi-employer pension exposure, and environmental and insurance liabilities.