Use of Non-GAAP Measures
The Company's financial results are reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP); however, in our disclosures we use certain non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, Adjusted EPS, revenue growth on a constant currency basis, free cash flow and Segment EBIT.
The Company reports measures such as adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and Adjusted EPS and adjusted net income to exclude the impact of special items like restructuring charges, tax adjustments, goodwill and asset write-downs, and costs related to dispositions and acquisitions. While these are actual Company expenses, they can mask underlying trends associated with its business. Such items are often inconsistent in amount and frequency and as such, the adjustments allow an investor greater insight into the current underlying operating trends of the business.
In addition, revenue growth is presented on a constant currency basis to exclude the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates since the prior period under comparison. Constant currency measures are intended to help investors better understand the underlying operational performance of the business excluding the impacts of shifts in currency exchange rates over the period. Constant currency is calculated by converting our current quarter reported results using the prior year’s exchange rate for the comparable quarter. This comparison allows an investor insight into the underlying revenue performance of the business and true operational performance from a comparable basis to prior period. A reconciliation of reported revenue to constant currency revenue can be found in the Company’s attached financial schedules.
The Company reports free cash flow in order to provide investors insight into the amount of cash that management could have available for other discretionary uses. Free cash flow adjusts GAAP cash from operations for capital expenditures, restructuring payments, unusual tax settlements, contributions to the Company’s pension fund and cash used for other special items. A reconciliation of GAAP cash from operations to free cash flow can be found in the Company’s attached financial schedules.
In addition, Management uses segment EBIT to measure profitability and performance at the segment level. Segment EBIT is determined by deducting from revenue the related costs and expenses attributable to the segment. Segment EBIT excludes interest, taxes, general corporate expenses not allocated to a particular business segment, restructuring charges and goodwill and asset impairments, which are recognized on a consolidated basis. A reconciliation of Segment EBIT to the Company’s total Net Income can be found in the Company’s attached financial schedules.
Pitney Bowes has provided a quantitative reconciliation to GAAP in supplemental schedules. This information may also be found at the Company's web site www.pb.com/investorrelations
This document contains “forward-looking statements” about the Company’s expected or potential future business and financial performance. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about its future revenue and earnings guidance and other statements about future events or conditions, including statements about the potential outcome of the Board’s exploration of strategic alternatives and the impact of Tax Legislation. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: declining physical mail volumes; competitive factors, including pricing pressures, technological developments, the introduction of new products and services by competitors, and fuel prices; our success in developing new products and services, including digital-based products and services, obtaining regulatory approvals, if needed, of new products, and the market’s acceptance of these new products and services; our ability to fully utilize the enterprise business platform in North America, and successfully deploy it in major international markets without significant disruptions to existing operations; a breach of security, including a cyberattack or other comparable event; the continued availability and security of key information technology systems and the cost to comply with information security requirements and privacy laws; changes in postal or banking regulations; changes in, or loss of, our contractual relationships with the United States Postal Service; the risk of losing large clients in the Global Ecommerce segment; macroeconomic factors, including global and regional business conditions that adversely impact customer demand, foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and labor conditions; capital market disruptions or credit rating downgrades that adversely impact our ability to access capital markets at reasonable costs; management of outsourcing arrangements; integrating newly acquired businesses, including operations and product and service offerings; management of customer credit risk; any potential impact from the announcement that the Board is conducting a review of strategic alternatives and other factors beyond its control as more fully outlined in the Company's 2016 Form 10-K Annual Report and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pitney Bowes assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, events or developments.
Note: Consolidated statements of income; revenue and EBIT by business
segment; and reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures for the three
months and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, and
consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2017 and December 31,
2016 are attached.