BlackBerry Reports Fiscal 2016 Second Quarter Results

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Sept. 25, 2015) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today reported financial results for the three months ended August 29, 2015 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

Q2 Highlights

• Non-GAAP software and services revenue of $74 million, a 19% increase over Q2 FY15 driven by 33% growth in software licensing revenue
• Positive free cash flow of $100 million in the quarter
• Cash and investments balance of $3.35 billion at the end of the fiscal quarter, an increase of $37 million over Q1 FY16 after using $47 million on share repurchases
• Non-GAAP loss of ($0.13) per share, basic GAAP earnings of $0.10 per share
• Non-GAAP operating loss of ($84) million, with GAAP operating income of $33 million
• Non-GAAP gross margin of 40.9% and GAAP gross margin of 37.8%
• Adjusted EBITDA of $68 million
• After the close of the quarter, BlackBerry closed the acquisition of AtHoc and announced an agreement to acquire Good Technology
• Today, the company also confirmed plans to launch a flagship handheld device that will run on the Android operating system with BlackBerry security

Q2 Results

Non-GAAP revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 was $491 million with GAAP revenue of $490 million. GAAP revenue reflects a purchase accounting write down of deferred revenue associated with the acquisition of WatchDox. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 15% for software and services, 41% for hardware, and 43% for service access fees (SAF). BlackBerry had 2,400 enterprise customer wins in the quarter. Approximately 60% of the licenses associated with these deals are cross-platform. During the second quarter, the Company recognized hardware revenue on over 800,000 BlackBerry smartphones with an ASP of approximately $240.

Non-GAAP loss for the second quarter was ($66) million, or ($0.13) per share. GAAP basic net income for the quarter was $51 million, or $0.10 per basic share. Basic GAAP net income includes the aforementioned purchase accounting impact on GAAP revenue, a non-cash credit associated with the change in the fair value of the debentures of $228 million (the "Q2 Fiscal 2016 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment"), pre-tax charges of $85 million related to restructuring, stock compensation of $14 million, and amortization of acquired intangibles of $11 million. The impact of these adjustments on GAAP net income and earnings per share is summarized in a table below.

Total cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.35 billion as of August 29, 2015. The cash balance increased $37 million in the second quarter. The company repurchased 6 million shares during the quarter for a total of $47 million. Excluding $1.25 billion in the face value of our debt, the net cash balance at the end of the quarter was $2.1 billion. Purchase orders with contract manufacturers totaled approximately $248 million at the end of the second quarter, compared to $238 million at the end of the first quarter and down from $344 million in the year ago quarter. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates, operating cash flow was $110 million with free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capital expenditures) of $100 million.

"I am confident in our strategy and continued progress, highlighted by our fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year double digit growth in software licensing revenue and sixth consecutive quarter of positive free cash flow," said Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Chen. "In order to expand our leadership in cross-platform software and services, we are investing strategically - organically through new products and services based on the BES platform, and through acquisitions like AtHoc and Good."

"At the same time, we are focused on making faster progress to achieve profitability in our handset business. Today, I am confirming our plans to launch Priv, an Android device named after BlackBerry's heritage and core mission of protecting our customers' privacy. Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform," continued Mr. Chen.

"From these initiatives, we anticipate modest sequential revenue growth in each of the remaining quarters of fiscal 2016."

Expanding Leadership in Mobile Cross-Platform Software and Services

Acquisitions of Good Technology and AtHoc

On September 4, BlackBerry announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Good Technology for $425 million in cash. The acquisition is aligned with BlackBerry's strategy to offer customers the most complete, end-to-end solution that secures the entire mobile enterprise, across all platforms. The acquisition will further build on BlackBerry's strong leadership in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) value-added services. Good will bring complementary capabilities and technologies to BlackBerry, including secure application management and containerization that protects end user privacy - with the majority of its activations from iOS devices. This experience combined with BlackBerry's strength in BlackBerry 10 and Android management will provide customers with increased choice for securely deploying any leading operating system in their organization.

The transaction is expected to close toward the end of the company's 2016 fiscal third quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

On September 22, BlackBerry closed its acquisition of AtHoc, a leading provider of secure, networked crisis communications for $250 million in cash. AtHoc's platform alerts any device - including iOS, Android, PC and Mac desktops, digital displays, radios, IP phones, and endpoints such as sirens, fire panels and speakers - helping organizations and people to connect and share information in times of crisis. The acquisition is well aligned with BlackBerry's strength in government and public sector, and AtHoc will become a key component of the company's Internet of Things (IoT) platform. The leading provider to the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security, AtHoc also supports public and private enterprises across the world, including healthcare providers and industrial facilities. The AtHoc platform will integrate with BBM and BlackBerry's enterprise portfolio and trusted global network to offer customers new capabilities for safety, security and mission-critical business communication.

Handheld Device Roadmap

Today, BlackBerry is announcing two new additions to its handheld device roadmap.

First, the company will launch a flagship slider device, Priv, which will run on the Android operating system, bringing together the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform. In combination with BlackBerry's efforts to support Android for Work on the BES12 platform, the new device will offer best in class security for enterprise customers. BlackBerry expects the device to be available late in the calendar year in major markets in-store and online, and will release further details in the coming weeks. While the new device will provide a choice in OS to new and existing customers, the company remains committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which enables industry-leading security and productivity benefits.

Second, the company will continue to develop and enhance the BlackBerry 10 operating system and is confirming plans to release platform updates focused on security and privacy enhancements, with version 10.3.3 scheduled to be available in March 2016.

Outlook

The company anticipates modest sequential growth in total revenue in each of the remaining quarters of fiscal 2016.

The company continues to anticipate positive free cash flow. The company targets sustainable non-GAAP profitability in the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter.

Reconciliation of GAAP gross margin, gross margin percentage, income before income taxes, net income and earnings per share to Non-GAAP gross margin, gross margin percentage, loss before income taxes, net loss and loss per share:

(United States dollars, in millions except per share data)

Note: Non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP gross margin percentage, non-GAAP loss before income taxes, non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP loss per share do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess the Company's operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP measures in the context of the Company's GAAP results.

1. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company reported GAAP gross margin of $185 million or 37.8% of revenue. Excluding the impact of the resource alignment program (RAP) charges and stock compensation expense included in cost of sales, along with software deferred revenue acquired included in revenue, the non-GAAP gross margin was $201 million, or 40.9% of revenue.
2. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company recorded the Q2 Fiscal 2016 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment of $228 million. The adjustment was presented on a separate line in the Consolidated Statements of Operations
3. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company incurred charges related to the RAP of $79 million pre-tax and after tax, of which $14 million were included in cost of sales, $14 million were included in research and development and $51 million were included in selling, marketing, and administration expenses.
4. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company incurred charges related to the CORE program of $6 million, which were included in selling, marketing, and administration expenses.
5. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company recorded software deferred revenue acquired but not recognized due to business combination accounting rules of $1 million, which were included in revenue.
6. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company recorded stock compensation expense of $14 million, of which $1 million were included in cost of sales, $4 million were included in research and development, and $9 million were included in selling, marketing, and administration expenses.
7. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company recorded amortization of intangible assets acquired through business combinations of $11 million, which were included in amortization expense.

Supplementary Geographic Revenue Breakdown

BlackBerry Limited
(United States dollars, in millions)
Revenue by Region

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, which can be accessed by dialing 1-888-428-9507 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 10 am ET by dialing 1-647-436-0148 and entering pass code 3790672# or by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until 10 am ET October 11th, 2015.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is securing a connected world, delivering innovative solutions across the entire mobile ecosystem and beyond. We secure the world's most sensitive data across all end points - from cars to smartphones - making the mobile-first enterprise vision a reality. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. 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.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding: BlackBerry's ability to reach sustainable non-GAAP profitability by the end of fiscal 2016 and expectations regarding its cash flow and revenue trend; BlackBerry's plans, strategies and objectives, including the anticipated benefits of its strategic initiatives; BlackBerry's expectations regarding the release of its Android device; anticipated demand for, and the timing of, new product and service offerings, and BlackBerry's plans and expectations relating to its existing and new product and service offerings, including BES10, BES12, BlackBerry 10 smartphones, services related to BBM and the BlackBerry IoT Platform; BlackBerry's expectations regarding revenue to be generated by its recent acquisitions; BlackBerry's expectations regarding the generation of revenue from its software, services and other technologies; BlackBerry's expectations regarding hardware revenue for the next quarter; BlackBerry's expectations regarding its overall revenue for the remainder of fiscal 2016; BlackBerry's expected benefits from its plans to reallocate resources through its resource alignment program; BlackBerry's anticipated levels of decline in service revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2016; BlackBerry's expectations for gross margin for the next quarter; BlackBerry's expectations for earnings per share; BlackBerry's expectations regarding its common share repurchase program; BlackBerry's expectations with respect to the sufficiency of its financial resources and maintaining its strong cash position; and BlackBerry's estimates of purchase obligations and other contractual commitments.

The terms and phrases "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "believe", "target", "plan" and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BlackBerry in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are relevant. Many factors could cause BlackBerry's actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including the following risks: BlackBerry's ability to attract new enterprise customers and maintain its existing relationships with its enterprise customers or transition them to the BES12 platform and deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones; BlackBerry's ability to develop, market and distribute an integrated software and services offering, or otherwise monetize its technologies, to grow revenue, achieve sustained profitability or mitigate the impact of the decline in BlackBerry's service access fees; BlackBerry's ability to successfully launch a device on the Android platform that is positively differentiated from competing products, and to receive broad market acceptance for the device without eroding BlackBerry's brand identity or impairing the economic viability of the BlackBerry 10 platform; risks related to the recent acquisitions made by BlackBerry, including its ability to integrate and manage the acquired businesses, personnel, and products with those of BlackBerry and the challenges in achieving strategic objectives, revenue generation, cost savings and other benefits from those acquisitions; BlackBerry's ability to enhance its current products and services, or develop new products and services in a timely manner or at competitive prices, or to meet customer requirements, including risks related to new product introductions; risks related to BlackBerry's products and services being dependent upon the interoperability with rapidly changing systems provided by third parties; intense competition, rapid change and significant strategic alliances within BlackBerry's industry; risks related to sales to customers in highly regulated industries and governmental entities; BlackBerry's ability to maintain its existing relationships with its carrier partners and distributors; security risks; risks relating to network disruptions and other business interruptions, including costs, potential liabilities, lost revenues and reputational damage associated with service interruptions; dependence on BlackBerry's ability to attract new personnel and retain key personnel; BlackBerry's increasing reliance on third-party manufacturers for certain products and its ability to manage its production and repair process, and risks related to BlackBerry changing manufacturers or reducing the number of manufacturers or suppliers it uses;
BlackBerry's reliance on its suppliers for functional components and risks relating to its supply chain; BlackBerry's ability to obtain rights to use software or components supplied by third parties; BlackBerry's ability to maintain or increase its liquidity and service its debt and sustaining recent cost reductions; BlackBerry's ability to address inventory and asset risk and the potential for additional charges related to its inventory and long-lived assets; risks related to BlackBerry's significant indebtedness; risks related to acquisitions, divestitures, investments and other business initiatives; risks related to foreign operations, including fluctuations in foreign currencies, and collecting accounts receivables in jurisdictions with foreign currency controls; risks related to intellectual property rights; risks related to litigation, including litigation claims arising from BlackBerry's disclosure practices; BlackBerry's ability to supplement and manage its BlackBerry World applications catalogue; reliance on strategic alliances and relationships with third-party network infrastructure developers; potential defects and vulnerabilities in BlackBerry's products; risks as a result of actions of activist shareholders; risks related to the collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user and personal information; risks related to the failure of BlackBerry's suppliers and other parties it does business with to use acceptable ethical business practices; risks related to government regulations, including regulations relating to encryption technology; costs and other burdens associated with recently adopted regulations regarding conflict minerals; risks related to BlackBerry possibly losing its foreign private issuer status under U.S. federal securities laws; risks related to tax liabilities; risks related to economic and geopolitical conditions; and difficulties in forecasting BlackBerry's financial results given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry. These risk factors and others relating to BlackBerry are discussed in greater detail in BlackBerry's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F and the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" section of BlackBerry's MD&A (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). Readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The BlackBerry family of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of BlackBerry Limited. BlackBerry, BBM, QNX and related trademarks are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

BlackBerry Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions except share and per share amounts) (unaudited)

Consolidated Statements of Operations

BlackBerry Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions except per share data) (unaudited)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

BlackBerry Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions except per share data) (unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows