BURLINGTON, Mass., Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerence Inc. (NASDAQ: CRNC), AI for a world in motion, today reported its third fiscal quarter 2020 results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Sanjay Dhawan, Chief Executive Officer of Cerence, stated, “While the impact of COVID-19 has weighed on the global economy, our fiscal year to-date revenues are up 8% compared to the same period in the prior year. During a period of a dramatic drop-off in auto production our revenue declined less than 4% in the quarter versus a year ago. This was primarily due to the SaaS revenue contribution of our connected services and continued strength in our professional services business.”

Dhawan added, “We recorded the second highest bookings quarter in the company’s history supported by several strategic wins in all major geographic markets. While the business environment in the near term remains challenging, we are maintaining the 2024 growth targets in large part due to the strong bookings we have seen this year and the initial positive reactions by customers to our new product initiatives. These new products such as CarLife and Cerence Pay will play a key role in generating a new line of SaaS or transaction-based revenue as we move toward the 2024 target model.”

Dhawan continued, “A key accomplishment in the quarter was the refinancing of our debt. Refinancing will allow us to save over $10M per year in cash interest expense and will be accretive to our earnings. The adjustments we made to our business early in the quarter contributed over $6M in expense savings in the third quarter. While we will continue to prioritize the long-term growth of the company, we will continue to look for ways to minimize any short-term impact of COVID-19 on our operations.”

Statement on Guidance
While the business environment remains challenging to predict, with a quarter’s experience of operating in the current conditions, management is providing guidance for fiscal Q4. For the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2020, GAAP revenue is expected to be in the range of $76M to $80M. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of $23M to $26M. The adjusted EBITDA guidance excludes acquisition-related costs, amortization of purchased intangible assets, stock-based compensation, and restructuring and other costs. Additional details regarding guidance will be provided on the earnings call.

Key performance indicators
We believe that providing key performance indicators (“KPIs”), allows investors to gain insight into the way management views the performance of the business. We further believe that providing KPIs allows investors to better understand information used by management to evaluate and measure such performance. KPIs should not be considered superior to, or a substitute for, operating results prepared in accordance with GAAP. In assessing the performance of the business during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, our management has reviewed the following KPIs, each of which is described below:

• Percent of worldwide auto production with Cerence Technology: The number of Cerence enabled cars shipped as compared to IHS Market car sales data.
• Average contract duration: The weighted average period over which we expect to recognize the estimated revenues from new license and connected contracts signed during the quarter, calculated on a trailing twelve months (“TTM”) basis.
• Repeatable software contribution: The percentage of repeatable revenues as compared to total GAAP revenue in the quarter. Repeatable revenues are defined as the sum of License and Connected Services revenues.
• Change in number of Cerence connected cars shipped: The year over year change in the number of cars shipped with Cerence connected solutions. Amounts calculated on a TTM basis.
• Growth in billings per car YTD vs. prior year: The rate of growth calculated from the average billings per car on a year to date basis as compared to the prior fiscal year excluding legacy contract.

See the tables at the end of this press release for non-GAAP reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

About Cerence Inc.
Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. As an innovation partner to the world’s leading automakers, it is helping transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and more than 325 million cars on the road today. Whether it’s connected cars, autonomous driving or e-vehicles, Cerence is mapping the road ahead. For more information, visit www.cerence.com.