PAREXEL International Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Results

BOSTON, Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PAREXEL International Corporation (NASDAQ: PRXL) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2012.

For the three months ended June 30, 2012 consolidated service revenue increased by approximately 26.4% to $392.6 million compared with $310.5 million in the prior year period. Excluding the negative impact from foreign exchange movements in the current quarter of $6.4 million, and approximately $0.5 million of revenue in the fourth quarter of the prior year related to subsequently divested Phase I units, revenue increased 28.7%. Operating income as reported under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) totaled $25.5 million, or 6.5% of consolidated service revenue, in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2012, as compared with $1.6 million, or 0.5% of consolidated service revenue, in the comparable quarter of the prior year. GAAP net income for the quarter totaled $17.8 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared with a GAAP net loss of $1.6 million, or a loss of $0.03 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

The financial results of the June quarter in the current and prior periods each included special items, as detailed in the financial charts within this press release. Excluding the impact of special items, adjusted operating income in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2012 was $26.7 million, or 6.8% of consolidated service revenue. Excluding the special items in the prior year period, adjusted operating income was $10.5 million, or 3.4% of consolidated service revenue, in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2011. Adjusted net income in the current and prior periods (which excludes the special items referenced above) was $20.7 million, or $0.34 per diluted share in the quarter ended June 30, 2012, and was $6.1 million, or $0.10 per diluted share in the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

Consolidated service revenue for the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2012 was $292.1 million in Clinical Research Services (CRS), $49.7 million in PAREXEL Consulting and Medical Communications Services (PCMS), and $50.8 million in Perceptive Informatics, Inc. (Perceptive).

On a GAAP basis for the full fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, consolidated service revenue was $1,396.5 million versus $1,212.1 million in the prior year, a year-over-year increase of 15.2%. Excluding the negative impact of foreign exchange of approximately $3.2 million in Fiscal Year 2012, and approximately $4.4 million of revenue in the prior year related to subsequently divested Phase I units, revenue increased 15.9% from the prior year. For Fiscal Year 2012, GAAP operating income was $88.8 million, or 6.4% of consolidated service revenue, compared with GAAP Fiscal Year 2011 operating income of $81.6 million, or 6.7% of consolidated service revenue. GAAP operating income increased 8.8% year-over-year. Net income on a GAAP basis for Fiscal Year 2012 was $63.2 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $48.8 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, in Fiscal Year 2011. On a GAAP basis, net income in the current year increased by 29.5%, and earnings per diluted share increased by 29.6%.

Excluding the impact of special items, as detailed in the attached financial tables in both periods, adjusted operating income was $95.6 million, or 6.8% of consolidated service revenue in Fiscal Year 2012, compared with adjusted operating income of $90.1 million, or 7.4% of consolidated service revenue, in Fiscal Year 2011. On this adjusted basis, operating income in Fiscal Year 2012 increased 6.1% year-over-year. Excluding the special items noted in the attached financial charts in both periods, adjusted net income for the twelve months ended June 30, 2012 was $66.2 million, or $1.10 per diluted share, compared with adjusted net income of $56.9 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, in the comparable prior year twelve-month period. Using adjusted numbers in both periods, adjusted net income in the current fiscal year increased by 16.3% and adjusted earnings per diluted share increased by 15.8%.

Consolidated service revenue for Fiscal Year 2012 was $1,038.7 million in CRS, $167.1 million in PCMS, and $190.7 million in Perceptive.

The Company reported a Fiscal Year 2012 ending backlog of $4.394 billion, an increase of 27.6% over the ending backlog reported for Fiscal Year 2011. The reported backlog included gross new business wins in the quarter of $822.4 million, cancellations of $220.5 million, and a negative impact from foreign exchange rates of $39.0 million. The net book-to-bill ratio was 1.53 for the quarter, and was 1.76 for Fiscal Year 2012.

Mr. Josef H. von Rickenbach, PAREXEL's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer stated, "Fiscal Year 2012 was a watershed year for our industry, and a defining year for PAREXEL. We further solidified our leadership position in the marketplace as evidenced by an increase in backlog which grew 27.6% year-over-year, double digit revenue and earnings per share growth, and record high cash flow. Our differentiated product offerings have clearly resonated with clients, and we are a winner in a profoundly changed competitive landscape."

Mr. von Rickenbach continued, "After achieving a very healthy level of new business wins in 2011 and 2012, and accelerating revenue growth this past fiscal year, we will continue to be highly focused on client satisfaction and margin improvement going forward. We expect hiring needs to moderate over the course of the fiscal year, and to generate increasing productivity and efficiency from the more than 2,000 additional new employees who joined us during Fiscal Year 2012. Furthermore, we have a number of well-defined margin improvement initiatives underway which we believe will enable us to profitably convert our backlog and help us to deliver long-term sustainable growth in revenue and margins."

In separate press releases issued today, the Company also announced plans to initiate a $200 million stock buyback program, subject to the consent of the Company's existing lenders. In addition, the Company announced plans for the transition of PAREXEL's financial leadership.

The Company issued forward-looking guidance for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2013 (ending September 30, 2012), and for Fiscal Year 2013. The Company expects to report consolidated service revenue for the first quarter (ending September 30, 2012) in the range of $395 to $400 million and GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $0.28 to $0.30. For Fiscal Year 2013,consolidated service revenue is expected to be in the range of $1.630 to $1.660 billion and GAAP earnings per diluted share in the range of $1.33 to $1.45. (Previously issued guidance for Fiscal Year 2013 was for service revenue of $1.625 to $1.655 billion and GAAP earnings per diluted share of $1.31 to $1.47). The guidance does not include any impact from the Company's recently announced stock repurchase program.

In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the Company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that presenting the non-GAAP financial measures contained in this press release assists investors and others in gaining a better understanding of its core operating results and future prospects, especially when comparing such results to previous periods or forecasted guidance, because such measures exclude items that are outside of the Company's normal operations and/or, in certain cases, are difficult to forecast accurately for future periods. Management uses non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to the measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, as the basis for measuring the Company's core operating performance and comparing such performance to that of prior periods and to the performance of its competitors for the same reasons stated above. Such measures are also used by management in its financial and operating decision-making. Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for the Company's results of operations prepared in accordance with GAAP.

A conference call to discuss PAREXEL's fourth quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 earnings, business, and financial outlook will begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 9, 2012 and will be broadcast live over the internet via webcast. The webcast may be accessed in the "Upcoming Events" portion of the main page of the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.PAREXEL.com. Users should follow the instructions provided to assure that the necessary audio applications are downloaded and installed. A replay of this webcast will be archived on the website approximately two hours after the call and will continue to be accessible for approximately one year following the live event. To participate via telephone, dial +1 (408) 940-3886 and ask to join the PAREXEL International Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 earnings conference call.

Certain trended financial information may be found in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website under the "Additional Financials" section.

About PAREXEL International

PAREXEL International Corporation is a leading global bio/pharmaceutical services organization, providing a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, consulting, and medical communications services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Committed to providing solutions that expedite time-to-market and peak-market penetration, PAREXEL has developed significant expertise across the development and commercialization continuum, from drug development and regulatory consulting to clinical pharmacology, clinical trials management, medical education and reimbursement. Perceptive Informatics, Inc., a subsidiary of PAREXEL, provides advanced technology solutions, including medical imaging, to facilitate the clinical development process. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, PAREXEL operates in 70 locations throughout 51 countries around the world, and has approximately 12,695 employees. For more information about PAREXEL International visit www.PAREXEL.com.

PAREXEL is a registered trademark of PAREXEL International Corporation, and Perceptive Informatics is a trademark of Perceptive Informatics, Inc. All other names or marks may be registered trademarks or trademarks of PAREXEL International Corporation, Perceptive Informatics, Inc. or their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.

The financial audit for FY 2012 has not yet been completed. Consequently, the results of operations reported in this release are subject to possible change.

This release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding future results and events, including, without limitation, statements regarding expected financial results, future growth and customer demand. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "appears," "estimates," "projects," "will," "would," "could," "should," "targets," and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual future results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Important factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: actual operating performance; actual expense savings and other operating improvements resulting from recent and anticipated restructurings; the loss, modification, or delay of contracts which would, among other things, adversely impact the Company's recognition of revenue included in backlog; the Company's dependence on certain industries and clients; the Company's ability to win new business, manage growth and costs, and attract and retain employees; the Company's ability to complete additional acquisitions and to integrate newly acquired businesses or enter into new lines of business; the impact on the Company's business of government regulation of the drug, medical device and biotechnology industry; consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry and competition within the biopharmaceutical services industry; the potential for significant liability to clients and third parties; the potential adverse impact of health care reform; and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and other international economic, political, and other risks. Such factors and others are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 as filed with the SEC on May 10, 2012, which "Risk Factors" discussion is incorporated by reference in this press release. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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