ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq:PAYX) today announced total revenue of $932.2 million for the three months ended August 31, 2020, a decrease of 6% compared to the prior year period. Net income decreased 20% to $211.6 million and diluted earnings per share decreased 19% to $0.59 per share for the first quarter. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share, both non-GAAP measures, each decreased 11% to $228.0 million and $0.63 per share, respectively, for the first quarter. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share include adjustments for one-time costs of $31.2 million related to the acceleration of cost-saving initiatives, including the long-term strategy to reduce our geographic footprint and headcount optimization, and net tax windfall benefits related to employee stock-based compensation payments.

Martin Mucci, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Financial results for the first quarter showed marked improvement as most of our key business metrics recovered at a faster rate than anticipated. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact our results causing unfavorable year-over-year comparisons, however, client retention has remained strong and sales performance is accelerating with year-over-year growth in the number of clients sold. We continue to provide excellent customer service and invest in our business while remaining cost-conscious. Cost-saving initiatives are underway and proceeding as expected.”

Mucci added, “We have released several new innovative Paychex Flex® features and functions to our clients to address the ongoing business challenges and shifting workplace dynamics resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company’s most recent round of product releases includes solutions designed to help organizations stay connected with remote workers and assist clients as workers return to the office. Our mobile technology delivers solutions for ongoing health attestations, time clocks with iris scanning capabilities and paperless reporting and tracking of COVID-19 exposure and return to work testing, including automated Occupational Safety and Health Administration reporting requirements. We believe our current and past investments in our platforms have prepared us well for the demands of this environment, allowing us to adapt while maintaining high levels of service delivery resulting in strong client satisfaction and retention.”

Results of operations for the first quarter were adversely impacted as businesses continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Management Solutions revenue was $687.4 million for the first quarter, a 5% decrease compared to the prior year period. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in check volumes, partially offset by increased penetration of retirement services. The decline in check volumes was due to a reduction in the number of clients processing payrolls as well as the number of employees paid. Professional employer organization (“PEO”) and Insurance Solutions revenue was $229.9 million for the first quarter, a 7% decrease compared to the prior year period. The decrease was primarily driven by a decline in the number of our clients’ worksite employees. Insurance Solutions revenue declined as a result of lower workers’ compensation premiums driven by reduced wages and related premium rates.

Interest on funds held for clients decreased 28% to $14.9 million for the first quarter, compared to the prior year period. The decrease resulted from lower average investment balances, average interest rates, and realized gains. Funds held for clients average investment balances were impacted by lower client fund collections and changes in client base mix, offset by wage inflation and timing of collections and remittances.

Total expenses increased approximately 1% to $648.2 million for the first quarter compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by one-time costs of $31.2 million related to the acceleration of cost-saving initiatives. Total expenses, excluding these one-time costs, decreased approximately 4% for the first quarter compared to the prior year period. This decrease in total expenses, excluding one-time costs, was driven by lower discretionary spending and a decrease in PEO direct insurance costs, partially offset by an increase in compensation-related expenses.

Operating income decreased 19% to $284.0 million for the first quarter compared to the prior year period. Operating margin (operating income as a percentage of total revenue) was 30.5% for the first quarter, compared to 35.2% for the prior year period. Adjusted operating income(1), which excludes the impact of one-time costs, decreased 10% to $315.2 million for the first quarter compared to the prior year period. Adjusted operating margin(1) was 33.8% for the first quarter, compared to 35.2% for the prior year period.

(1) Adjusted operating income and adjusted operating margin are not U.S. GAAP measures. Adjusted operating margin is calculated as operating margin, adjusted for one-time non-recurring items, as a percentage of total revenue. Please refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section on page 4 of this press release for a discussion of these non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure of operating income.

Other expense, net of $7.9 million for the first quarter primarily includes interest expense related to our long-term borrowings.

Our effective income tax rate was 23.4% for the first quarter compared to 23.3% for the prior year period. The effective income tax rates in both periods were impacted by the recognition of net discrete tax benefits related to employee stock-based compensation payments.

Financial Position and Liquidity

Our financial position as of August 31, 2020 remained strong with cash, restricted cash, and total corporate investments of $952.1 million. Total short-term and long-term borrowings, net of debt issuance costs, were $803.0 million as of August 31, 2020. Our positive cash flows have historically allowed us to support our business and to pay substantial dividends to our stockholders. We currently anticipate that cash, restricted cash, and total corporate investments as of August 31, 2020, along with projected operating cash flows and available short-term financing, will support our business operations, capital purchases, share repurchases, and dividend payments for the foreseeable future. Our strong balance sheet and operational flexibility have allowed us to successfully manage through the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 to date while protecting our cash flow and liquidity. We continue to evaluate the nature and extent of changes to market and economic conditions related to COVID-19 and assess the potential impact to our business and financial position.

Cash flows from operations were $215.0 million for the first quarter, a decrease of 27% from the prior year period. The decrease in our operating cash flows was driven by lower net income and changes in our operating assets and liabilities. The changes in our operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by the timing of income tax payments, offset by changes in accrued compensation items.

During the first quarter, we paid dividends of $223.2 million and repurchased 0.4 million shares of our common stock for a total of $28.8 million. In the first quarter of the prior year, we paid dividends of $222.0 million and repurchased 2.0 million shares of our common stock for a total of $171.9 million.

n addition to reporting operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share, which are U.S. GAAP measures, we present adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP measures. We believe these additional measures are indicators of our core business operations performance period over period. Adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA, are not calculated through the application of U.S. GAAP and are not required forms of disclosure by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). As such, they should not be considered as a substitute for the U.S. GAAP measures of operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share, and, therefore, should not be used in isolation, but in conjunction with the U.S. GAAP measures. The use of any non-GAAP measure may produce results that vary from the U.S. GAAP measure and may not be comparable to a similarly defined non-GAAP measure used by other companies.

Outlook

Our outlook for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2021 (“fiscal 2021”) incorporates anticipated impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic based on current assumptions and market conditions. As this situation continues, future developments could alter our guidance. During the first quarter, we recognized one-time costs of $31.2 million related to the acceleration of cost-saving initiatives, including the long-term strategy to reduce our geographic footprint and headcount optimization. Our guidance for adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA margin, and adjusted diluted earnings per share excludes these one-time costs. Our outlook is currently as follows:

• Management Solutions revenue is anticipated to decline in the range of 1% to 3%;
• PEO and Insurance Solutions revenue is anticipated to decline in the range of 2% to 5%;
• Interest on funds held for clients is anticipated to be in the range of $55 million to $65 million;
• Total revenue is anticipated to decline in the range of 2% to 4%;
• Adjusted operating margin(1) is anticipated to be approximately 35%;
• Adjusted EBITDA margin(1) is anticipated to be approximately 40%;
• Other expense, net is anticipated to be in the range of $30 million to $35 million;
• The effective income tax rate for fiscal 2021 is anticipated to be in the range of 24.0% to 25.0%; and
• Adjusted diluted earnings per share(2) is anticipated to decline in the range of 6% to 8%.

(1) Adjusted operating margin and adjusted EBITDA margin are not U.S. GAAP measures. Adjusted operating margin is calculated as operating margin, adjusted for one-time non-recurring items, as a percentage of total revenue. Adjusted EBITDA margin is calculated as net income, adjusted for interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and one-time non-recurring items, as a percentage of total revenue. We believe that the exclusion of certain one-time non-recurring items when calculating these measures provides a better indicator of our core business operations performance period over period.

(2) Adjusted diluted earnings per share is not a U.S. GAAP measure. Please refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section on page 4 of this press release for a discussion of this non-GAAP measure and a reconciliation to the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure of diluted earnings per share.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

We anticipate filing our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Form 10-Q”) for the first quarter within the next few days, and it will be available at our Investor Relations Page. This press release should be read in conjunction with the Form 10-Q and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in that Form 10-Q.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq:PAYX) is a leading provider of integrated human capital management solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services. By combining its innovative software-as-a-service technology and mobility platform with dedicated, personal service, Paychex empowers small- and medium-sized business owners to focus on the growth and management of their business. Backed by more than 45 years of industry expertise, Paychex serves more than 680,000 payroll clients as of May 31, 2020 across more than 100 locations in the U.S. and Europe, and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. Learn more about Paychex by visiting paychex.com and stay connected on Twitter and LinkedIn.