VCA Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF), a leading animal healthcare company in the United States and Canada, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016, as follows: revenue increased 19.1% to a third quarter record of $656.9 million; gross profit increased 13.7% to $156.6 million; operating income increased 10.2% to $107.0 million; net income increased 6.2% to $58.2 million; and diluted earnings per common share increased 6.0% to $0.71. Excluding transaction expenses related to the acquisition of Companion Animal Practices, North America (“CAPNA”), and acquisition-related amortization expense, our results for this quarter are as follows: Non-GAAP operating income increased 19.8% to $117.8 million; Non-GAAP net income increased 15.7% to $64.4 million; and Non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share increased 16.2% to $0.79. Our results for the prior-year quarter included business interruption proceeds of $4.5 million, $2.8 million net of tax, or $0.03 per diluted common share.
We also reported our financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 as follows: revenue increased 17.1% to $1.9 billion; gross profit increased 16.5% to $457.3 million; operating income increased 17.4% to $309.1 million; net income increased 14.3% to $168.5 million; and diluted earnings per common share increased 15.7% to $2.06. Excluding acquisition-related amortization expense and other items detailed in the supplemental tables included in this press release, our financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2016, on a Non-GAAP basis, are as follows: gross profit increased 17.8% to $482.1 million; operating income increased 22.8% to $339.1 million; net income increased 21.7% to $188.8 million; and Non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share increased 22.9% to $2.31.
Bob Antin, Chairman and CEO, stated, “We had an outstanding quarter highlighted by 16.2% growth in our adjusted diluted earnings per common share. We continue to experience healthy organic revenue growth and increasing gross margins in both our core Animal Hospital and Laboratory businesses. Given our results relative to our expectations and our future acquisition pipeline, we remain optimistic with respect to our results for the full year ended December 31, 2016.
“Animal Hospital revenue in the third quarter increased 25.2%, to $553.4 million, driven by acquisitions made during the past 12 months and same-store revenue growth of 5.4%. Our same-store gross profit margin increased 50 basis points to 17.5%, and our total gross margin remained flat at 17.0%. Excluding acquisition-related amortization expense, our Non-GAAP same-store gross profit margin increased 40 basis points to 18.4%; and Non-GAAP Animal Hospital total gross profit margin increased 50 basis points to 18.5%. During the 2016 third quarter, we acquired 12 independent animal hospitals which had historical combined annual revenue of $38 million bringing our year to date total, excluding CAPNA, to 49 independent animal hospitals with historical combined annual revenue of $146 million.
“Our Laboratory internal revenue in the third quarter increased 5.5% to $105.1 million; laboratory gross profit margin increased 40 basis points to 51.6% and our operating margin increased 60 basis points to 42.3%. Excluding acquisition-related amortization expense, Non-GAAP Laboratory gross profit increased 20 basis points to 51.9%; and Non-GAAP Laboratory operating margin increased 60 basis points to 42.7%.”
2016 Guidance
We reaffirm our previously provided guidance as follows:
- Revenue from $2.52 billion to $2.54 billion
- Net income from $210 million to $218 million
- Diluted earnings per common share from $2.57 to $2.67; and
- Non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share from $2.87 to $2.97.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We believe investors’ understanding of our total performance is enhanced by disclosing Non-GAAP financial measures including Non-GAAP net income, Non-GAAP gross profit, Non-GAAP operating income and Non-GAAP diluted earnings per common share. We define these adjusted measures as the reported amounts, adjusted to exclude certain significant items and amortization of intangibles acquired in acquisitions.
Management believes these adjusted measures are useful to management and investors in evaluating the Company’s operational performance and their use provides an additional tool for evaluating the Company’s operating results and trends. As a result, these Non-GAAP financial measures help to provide meaningful comparisons of our overall performance from one reporting period to another and meaningful assessments of related trends.
There is a material limitation associated with the use of these Non-GAAP financial measures: our adjusted measures exclude the impact of these significant items, and as a result, our computation of adjusted diluted earnings per common share does not depict diluted earnings per common share in accordance with GAAP.
To compensate for the limitations in the Non-GAAP financial measures discussed above, our disclosures provide a complete understanding of all adjustments found in Non-GAAP financial measures, and we reconcile the Non-GAAP financial measures to the GAAP financial measures in the attached financial schedules titled “Supplemental Operating Data.”
Conference Call
We will discuss our third quarter 2016 financial results during a conference call today, October 26th, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live broadcast of the call may be accessed by visiting our website at investor.vca.com. The call may also be accessed by dialing (877) 293-5492 (domestic) or (720) 545-0007 (international) and referring to conference ID 82975258. Interested parties should call at least five minutes prior to the start of the call to register. Replay of the webcast will be available for one year by visiting the company’s website.