BlackBerry announces Year-End and Q4 fiscal 2017 results

BlackBerry Reports Q4 Fiscal 2017 Results Above Analyst Consensus Revenue and EPS Estimates

Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $0.04 vs. ($0.03) loss a year ago; GAAP EPS loss of ($0.09) vs. ($0.45) loss a year ago

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 31, 2017) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global software leader in securing, connecting and mobilizing enterprises, today reported financial results for the three months and fiscal year ended February 28, 2017 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

Q4 Highlights

• Q4 non-GAAP total revenue of $297 million; GAAP total revenue of $286 million
• Q4 non-GAAP Company total software and services revenues of $193 million; GAAP Company total software and services revenues of $182 million
• Q4 non-GAAP gross margin of 65%; GAAP gross margin of 60%
• Q4 adjusted EBITDA of $42 million; positive for thirteenth consecutive quarter
• Q4 cash flow from operations of $19 million; free cash flow of $16 million
• Total cash balance increased by $89 million to $1.7 billion at the end of the fiscal fourth quarter
• Entered into a long-term, software licensing agreement with Optiemus Infracom Ltd to design, manufacture, sell and support BlackBerry-branded mobile devices in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh
• At International CES 2017, announced the most advanced and secure embedded software platform for autonomous drive and connected cars
• At Mobile World Congress, TCL launched the BlackBerry KEYone, the most secure Android phone in the world featuring a smart QWERTY keyboard; the KEYone is the first device launched under the Company's licensing agreement with TCL
• Entered the Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) market with the launch of the BBM Enterprise SDK that will enable developers to integrate secure messaging, voice and video capabilities into applications and services
• After the quarter close, BB Merah Putih launched the BlackBerry Aurora, the first device launched under the Company's licensing agreement with BB Merah Putih
• After the quarter close, BlackBerry's AtHoc services achieved U.S. government FedRAMP and Agency/Component Authority to Operate (ATO) certifications

Q4 Results

Non-GAAP revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 was $297 million with GAAP revenue of $286 million. Approximately 80% of the fourth quarter Software & Services segment revenue (excluding IP licensing and professional services) was recurring. BlackBerry had over 3,500 enterprise customer orders in the quarter.

Non-GAAP operating income was $13 million, and non-GAAP earnings per share was $0.04. GAAP net loss for the quarter was $47 million, or ($0.09) per basic share. GAAP operating loss was $57 million, which includes $28 million in amortization of acquired intangibles, $25 million in restructuring charges, a benefit of $16 million of fair value adjustment related to the debentures and other amounts as summarized in a table below.

Total cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments increased by $89 million to approximately $1.7 billion as of February 28, 2017. This reflects free cash flow of $16 million, which includes cash flow from operations of $19 million. Excluding $605 million in the face value of the Company's debt, the net cash balance at the end of the quarter was approximately $1.1 billion. There were no purchase orders with contract manufacturers at the end of the fourth quarter, compared to $35 million at the end of the third quarter and down from $162 million a year ago.

"I am pleased to report that our Q4 results came in at or above expectations in all major metrics," said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. "In the quarter, we continued to grow our mix of software and services revenue across the company. In turn, this allowed us to expand our operating margin and report positive free cash flow. In addition, our balance sheet continues to strengthen and benefit from reduced capital requirements with our focus on software and licensing."

"In our areas of strategic focus, we are executing well and gaining traction," continued Chen. "In our enterprise business, we had one of our best-ever software billings quarters, driven by strength across regulated and non-regulated industries. Enhancing our position in public sector, we recently achieved FedRAMP certification for the U.S. government. In IOT appliances, we won new business and secured six new customer trials for Radar. We demonstrated our autonomous driving technology platform at CES 2017. In mobile software licensing, we signed our third major agreement, and we now have global coverage. We are entering the next phase in sub-licensing our secure software to a variety of new mobile endpoints. We also entered the CPaaS market with the launch of our BBM Enterprise Software Development Kit, which will expand our addressable opportunity in a high growth segment."

"Looking ahead to fiscal 2018, we expect to grow at or above the overall market in our software business. We also expect to be profitable on a non-GAAP basis and to generate positive free cash flow for the full year."

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 a.m. ET, which can be accessed by dialing 1-844-309-0607 or by logging on at http://ca.blackberry.com/company/investors/events.html. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 11 a.m. ET by dialing 1-855-859-2056 or 1-404-537-3406 and entering Conference ID #66409061 or by clicking the link above.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is a mobile-native security software and services company dedicated to securing people, devices, processes and systems for today's enterprise. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company was founded in 1984 and operates in North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Africa. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.