NICE Reports Accelerated Cloud Revenue Growth for The Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020

2/18/21

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2020.

Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

GAAP

Non-GAAP

Cloud revenue of $219 million, growth of 31% year-over-year

Cloud revenue of $223 million, growth of 33% year-over-year

Total revenue of $435 million, growth of 1% year-over-year

Total revenue of $438 million, growth of 2% year-over-year

Cloud gross margin of 58.3% compared to 54.2% last year

Cloud gross margin of 67.6% compared to 63.8% last year

Operating income of $65 million compared to $78 million last year

Operating income of $132 million compared to $130 million last year

Operating margin of 15.0% compared to 18.0% last year

Operating margin of 30.1% compared to 30.2% last year

Diluted EPS of $0.83 compared to $0.95 last year

Diluted EPS of $1.61 compared to $1.58 last year

Operating cash flow of $167 million compared to $91 million last year

Full Year 2020 Financial Highlights

GAAP

Non-GAAP

Cloud revenue of $777 million, growth of 30% year-over-year

Cloud revenue of $786 million, growth of 31% year-over-year

Total revenue of $1,648 million, growth of 5% year-over-year

Total revenue of $1,657 million, growth of 5% year-over-year

Cloud gross margin of 56.3% compared to 51.3% last year

Cloud gross margin of 65.6% compared to 61.8% last year

Operating income of $242 million compared to $239 million last year

Operating income of $470 million compared to $434 million last year

Operating margin of 14.7% compared to 15.2% last year

Operating margin of 28.4% compared to 27.5% last year

Diluted EPS of $2.98 versus $2.88 last year, 3% growth year-over-year

Diluted EPS of $5.73 versus $5.31 last year, 8% growth year-over-year

Record cash flow from operations of $480 million compared to $374 million last year

“We are pleased to report another exceptional year at NICE highlighted by groundbreaking innovation and speed of execution in cloud, digital and artificial intelligence. We witnessed accelerated cloud growth, cloud exceeded more than 50% of our total revenue for the second half of the year, and we exited 2020 with more than $900 million in an annualized cloud revenue run rate propelled by the tremendous success of our CXone cloud platform. We saw a 100% year-over-year increase in our customers’ digital interactions volume and 50% of our new deals were driven by digital initiatives. Our market leading AI solution, Enlighten, experienced strong demand with many new deals and a fast growing pipeline,” said Barak Eilam, CEO of NICE.

Mr. Eilam continued, “2021 is shaping up to be a year of a changed reality, in which the events of 2020 have created a new normal, and at the same time provided new opportunities in cloud and digital. Enterprises are seeking to rapidly accelerate their innovation cycles and leap forward much faster than before while continuously adapting to changes. We are well-positioned to capitalize on this transition with our leading digital cloud platforms together with a large and fast growing total addressable market.”

GAAP Financial Highlights for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year Ended December 31:

Revenues: Fourth quarter 2020 total revenues increased 1.0% to $434.6 million compared to $430.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 total revenues increased 4.7% to $1,648.0 million compared to $1,573.9 million for the full year 2019.

Gross Profit: Fourth quarter 2020 gross profit was $288.5 million compared to $292.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 gross margin was 66.4% compared to 68.1% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 gross profit increased to $1,086.1 million compared to $1,042.1 million for the full year 2019. Full year 2020 gross margin was 65.9% compared to 66.2% for the full year 2019.

Operating Income: Fourth quarter 2020 operating income was $65.1 million compared to $77.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 operating margin was 15.0% compared to 18.0% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 operating income increased to $242.0 million compared to $238.7 million for the full year 2019. Full year 2020 operating margin was 14.7% compared to 15.2% for the full year 2019.

Net Income: Fourth quarter 2020 net income was $55.0 million compared to $61.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 net income margin was 12.6% compared to 14.4% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 net income and net income margin increased to $196.3 million and 11.9%, respectively, compared to $185.9 million and 11.8%, respectively, for the full year 2019.

Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share: Fully diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $0.83 compared to $0.95 in the fourth quarter of 2019. Fully diluted earnings per share for the full year 2020 increased to $2.98 compared to $2.88 for the full year 2019.

Operating Cash Flow and Cash Balance: Fourth quarter 2020 operating cash flow was $166.9 million and full year operating cash flow reached $480.3 million. In the fourth quarter, $20.7 million was used for share repurchases and $48.3 million was used for share repurchases for the full year of 2020. As of December 31, 2020, total cash and cash equivalents, short and long term investments were $1,463.9 million, and total debt was $681.2 million.

Non-GAAP Financial Highlights for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year Ended December 31:

Revenues: Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP total revenues increased to $438.4 million, up 1.7% from $431.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Non-GAAP total revenues for the full year 2020 increased 5.0% to $1,657.1 million compared to $1,577.5 million for the full year 2019.

Gross Profit: Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP gross profit increased to $316.7 million compared to $313.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP gross margin was 72.2% compared to 72.8% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 Non-GAAP gross profit increased to $1,181.6 million compared to $1,125.3 million and full year 2020 Non-GAAP gross margin was 71.3%, the same as Non-GAAP gross margin for full year 2019.

Operating Income: Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP operating income increased to $131.7 million compared to $130.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP operating margin was 30.1% compared to 30.2% for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 Non-GAAP operating income and Non-GAAP operating margin increased to $470.4 million and 28.4%, respectively, from $434.3 million and 27.5%, respectively, for the full year 2019.

Net Income: Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP net income margin increased to $106.9 million and 24.4%, respectively, from $102.6 million and 23.8%, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP net income margin increased to $378.2 million and 22.8%, respectively, from $343.4 million and 21.8%, respectively, for the full year 2019.

Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share: Fourth quarter 2020 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share increased 1.9% to $1.61, compared to $1.58 for the fourth quarter of 2019. Full year 2020 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share increased 7.9% to $5.73 compared to $5.31 for the full year 2019.

First Quarter and Full Year 2021 Guidance:

First Quarter 2021: First quarter 2021 Non-GAAP total revenues are expected to be in a range of $445 million to $455 million. First quarter 2021 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share are expected to be in a range of $1.42 to $1.52.

Full Year 2021: Full year 2021 Non-GAAP total revenues are expected to be in a range of $1,790 million to $1,810 million. Full year 2021 Non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share are expected to be in a range of $6.12 to $6.32.

About NICE NICE (Nasdaq: NICE) is the worldwide leading provider of both cloud and on-premises enterprise software solutions that empower organizations to make smarter decisions based on advanced analytics of structured and unstructured data. NICE helps organizations of all sizes deliver better customer service, ensure compliance, combat fraud and safeguard citizens. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, are using NICE solutions. www.nice.com.

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