Ascendant Solutions, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2015 Earnings

DALLAS, March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascendant Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: ASDS) ("Ascendant" or the "Company") today announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2015.   The Company reported fourth quarter Consolidated Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA") of $299,000 compared to consolidated EBITDA of $238,000 in 2014.  For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company reported consolidated EBITDA of $763,000 compared to consolidated EBITDA of $887,000 in 2014.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015, the Company reported a consolidated net loss of $90,000, or less than $0.01 per share, compared to net income of $105,000, or less than $0.01 per share, for the same period of 2015.  Consolidated net loss for the year ended December 31, 2015 was $396,000 compared to net income of $452,000 for the year ended 2014. The decline in net income for the fourth quarter and year ended 2015 compared to 2014 is due mainly to increases in interest, depreciation and amortization related to acquisitions.

Common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were 22,096,756 and 21,817,596, respectively.  The increase in shares outstanding for the 2015 period is the result of Ascendant's 1 percent stock dividend to shareholders on December 10, 2015.

Healthcare

The Company's subsidiary, Dougherty's Holding, Inc. ("DHI"), which owns and operates multiple Dougherty's Pharmacies, reported EBITDA of $432,000 for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to $428,000 in 2014, and EBITDA of $1,370,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $1,546,000 in 2014.

Dougherty's initial stores reported sales growth of 1 percent for the year ended 2015 when compared to 2014.   Year end gross margin percentages declined by 100 basis points to 29 percent, and SG&A increased by 1.8 percent.

Acquisition stores contributed $12,221,000 in additional revenues in 2015 at 24.7 percent margins.  Margins should continue to increase as acquired inventory is sold through, and these stores benefit from higher volume discounts on Dougherty's purchasing contract.  Total Healthcare gross margins should continue to be impacted positively as acquisition store gross margins increase.

Acquisition store EBITDA for the fourth quarter 2015 was $134,000 and $359,000 for the year ended 2015.  Year-to-date EBITDA was impacted by non-recurring acquisition expenses of $223,000. These non-recurring acquisition expenses include legal fees, transaction costs, system infrastructure upgrades and retail store design updates. Management is focused on integrating these stores into Dougherty's systems in order to achieve the EBITDA underwritten at the time of the acquisition.  In 2016, management expects continued improvement in EBITDA from these stores with the elimination of the nonrecurring acquisition expense, the improvement of gross margins with our purchasing power, and the integration of SG&A costs with our systems.

Overhead was impacted by non-recurring SG&A expenses of approximately $34,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015. Additions to recurring SG&A to handle the expected growth from acquisitions were approximately $22,000 for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $214,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015.  After analyzing the impact of these additions on EBITDA, changes were enacted to reduce recurring SG&A from an average of $64,000 for the first three quarters of 2015 to $22,000 for the fourth quarter of 2015.

Other

The Company's remaining two investments in real estate reported EBITDA of $32,000 for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to $18,000 in 2014 and EBITDA of $88,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $65,000 in 2014.  The Company's corporate overhead division reported negative EBITDA of ($165,000) for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to ($208,000) in 2014 and negative EBITDA of ($695,000) for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to ($724,000) in 2014. 

Management Comments

Jim Leslie, Chairman of Ascendant, commented, "At our 2014 Annual Shareholders' Meeting, we stated that our goal was to acquire independent pharmacies going forward and eliminate all other investments.  Since that time, we have acquired five pharmacies.  The annual revenue of these five acquisitions approximates $22 million, which pushes our estimated revenue for our Healthcare segment to $48 million on an annualized basis.  Our job now is to be sure the EBITDA from these stores is properly managed and recognized.  We intend to continue to build our healthcare division through the acquisition of well-run community pharmacies, which will enhance our EBITDA and net income over time."

Mark Heil, President and CFO, added, "We are pleased to report a 44 percent improvement in revenues over 2014 results and expect our enhanced revenue stream to ultimately bolster bottom line results, as well, as we continue to integrate new pharmacy locations into the Dougherty's system.  We are convinced our growth strategy will produce solid shareholder returns over time and anticipate improved EBITDA for 2016. We continue to pursue additional strategic pharmacy acquisitions and could potentially acquire one to two additional pharmacies in 2016."  

EBITDA is calculated as net income (loss) before deducting interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.  Although EBITDA is not a measure of actual cash flow because it does not consider changes in assets and liabilities that may impact cash balances, the Company's management reviews these non-GAAP financial measures internally to evaluate the Company's performance and manage the operations.  Additionally, the Company believes it is a useful metric to evaluate operating performance and has therefore included such measures in the reporting of operating results.

About Ascendant Solutions, Inc.

Ascendant Solutions, Inc. is a value-oriented investment firm focused on successfully acquiring, managing and growing community-based pharmacies in the Southwest Region. Ascendant currently has approximately $43 million in net operating loss carryforwards which can be used to shelter future income, thus enhancing free cash flow or debt service capabilities. Interested investors can access financials and stock trading information for Ascendant at OTCMarkets.com or at www.ascendantsolutions.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations, projections, estimates and assumptions. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates" and similar expressions.  Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances.

SOURCE Ascendant Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ascendantsolutions.com