STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), a global technology company that provides commerce solutions in the areas of ecommerce, shipping, mailing and financial services, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2020.

"The fourth quarter was a remarkable ending to an extraordinary year,” said Marc B. Lautenbach, President and CEO, Pitney Bowes. “Revenue growth was the highest modern day, organic growth rate on-record for us.

“We have been on a journey to transform the business,” Lautenbach continued. “Even with the tremendous uncertainty in our economy and how the pandemic will play out, we are now poised to enter this next chapter of our transformation, profitable revenue growth. While I am proud of what the team has accomplished, we all recognize there is more work to do and we are ready.”

Fourth Quarter 2020

• Revenue of $1.0 billion, growth of 24 percent on a reported basis and 23 percent excluding the impact of currency
• GAAP EPS of $0.11; Adjusted EPS of $0.13
• EPS reflects $0.03 in tax benefits primarily related to deferred tax balances in certain international tax jurisdictions.
• GAAP cash from operations of $111 million; free cash flow of $97 million
• The Company reduced debt by $31 million.
• Shipping-related revenues represented 54 percent of total revenue.
• Global Ecommerce revenue exceeded $500 million for the first time, representing growth of 60 percent over prior year.
• Global Ecommerce EBIT dollars and margin improved from prior quarter and over prior year, with positive EBITDA in the quarter.
• Presort Services revenue improved from prior quarter and was flat to prior year.
• SendTech grew revenue, EBIT and EBITDA dollars from prior quarter and over prior year.
• SendTech shipping revenue was $35 million and grew at a double-digit rate.

Full Year 2020

• Revenue of $3.6 billion, growth of 11 percent
• GAAP EPS loss of $1.06; Adjusted EPS of $0.30
• GAAP cash from operations of $298 million; free cash flow of $279 million
• The Company ended the year with $940 million in cash and short term investments.
• The Company reduced debt by $175 million.
• Shipping-related revenues represented 50 percent of total revenue.
• Global Ecommerce revenue of $1.6 billion, representing growth of 41 percent.
• Presort Services processed a total of 16.7 billion pieces.
• SendTech shipped 20,000 units of the SendPro Mailstation since launching in April.

Earnings per share results are summarized in the table below:

The Commerce Services group includes the Global Ecommerce and Presort Services segments. Global Ecommerce facilitates domestic retail and ecommerce shipping solutions, including fulfillment and returns, and global cross-border ecommerce transactions. Presort Services provides sortation services to qualify large volumes of First Class Mail, Marketing Mail, Marketing Mail Flats and Bound Printed Matter for postal workshare discounts.

The Sending Technology Solutions segment offers physical and digital mailing and shipping technology solutions, financing, services, supplies and other applications for small and medium businesses to help simplify and save on the sending, tracking and receiving of letters, parcels and flats.

The sum of the segment results may not equal the totals due to rounding.

Commerce Services

Presort Services

Revenue was flat to prior year driven by flat First Class revenue, a decline in Marketing Mail and growth in Marketing Mail Flats and Bound Printed Matter. EBIT and EBITDA margins were relatively in line with prior quarters. Compared to prior year, EBIT and EBITDA declined largely due to higher medical claims and increased labor costs as well as Covid-related direct costs.

SendTech Solutions

Revenue growth over prior year driven by equipment sales and business services, partly offset by declines in support services, supplies and financing revenues. EBIT and EBITDA margins improved from prior year driven largely by lower expenses.

2021 Expectations

The Company expects annual revenue to grow over prior year in the low-to-mid single digit range, making 2021 the fifth consecutive year of constant currency growth. The Company expects adjusted EPS to grow over prior year. The Company also expects lower free cash flow primarily due to the changes in certain working capital items that benefitted 2020 and are not expected to continue at the same level in 2021.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes (NYSE:PBI) is a global technology company providing commerce solutions that power billions of transactions. Clients around the world, including 90 percent of the Fortune 500, rely on the accuracy and precision delivered by Pitney Bowes solutions, analytics, and APIs in the areas of ecommerce fulfillment, shipping and returns; cross-border ecommerce; office mailing and shipping; presort services; and financing. For 100 years, Pitney Bowes has been innovating and delivering technologies that remove the complexity of getting commerce transactions precisely right. For additional information visit Pitney Bowes, the Craftsmen of Commerce, at www.pitneybowes.com.