Aris Water Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:ARIS)

MILWAUKEE, April 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARI Network Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARIS) announced today that it has signed an agreement with a leading home medical equipment (HME) wholesale distributor to offer the distributor's network of more than 8,000 independent HME providers ARI's award-winning eCommerce websites.

ARI is the exclusive provider of HME websites featuring integrated product data feeds from more than 50 of the industry's leading manufacturers and distributors. Fully optimized for search engines, ARI's provider websites allow online shoppers to easily find – and buy – home medical equipment online. The website platform also offers providers industry-specific functionality including a prescription refill module and secure online bill pay.

"We are pleased to be selected as the preferred website vendor for this global HME distributor," said Roy W. Olivier, President and CEO of ARI. "In the highly competitive HME marketplace, the distributor recognized that our product-driven, eCommerce websites will offer their providers a distinct advantage by attracting online shoppers, driving qualified leads, and ultimately in increased online and in-store sales."

First Quarter 2014 Results

• Revenues for the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 were $8.2 million, a 37.3% increase over the same period last year.
• The company reported net income of $25,000 or $0.00 per share for the quarter, compared to $113,000 or $0.01 per share last year.

Management Discussion

Roy W. Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of ARI, commented, "I am pleased that we are on target with the integration of 50 Below, and we are making investments to grow revenue. We believe that it is the right time to invest in growing revenues versus maximizing EBITDA or cash flow. During the first quarter of fiscal 2014, we invested 30.1% of revenue in sales and marketing versus 20.6% for the same period last year. Early indications are that these investments are having a positive impact, as we are seeing significant year over year growth in new sales."

Mr. Olivier continued, "In addition, the Company showed improvement in both its gross margin and recurring revenue as a percent of total revenue. We expect to continue to make investments in sales and marketing this year to the extent we achieve a reasonable rate of return on those investments, while improving EBITDA performance over last year."

William A. Nurthen, recently hired Chief Financial Officer of ARI, commented, "I am very excited to be joining the ARI team. The Company's focus on recurring revenues has resulted in another strong quarter from a revenue and gross profit perspective. Additionally, the Company was able to make investments in the first quarter of fiscal 2014 in order to support its future revenue growth."

Fourth Quarter Fisacal 2013 Results

• Revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013 were $8.5 million, a 44.0% increase from $5.87 million in the same period last year.
• The company reported a loss per share of $0.02, compared to earnings per share of $0.06 for the same quarter fiscal 2012.

Roy W. Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of ARI, commented, "Fiscal 2013 was a transformational year for ARI. We completed two acquisitions, which provided us with a first-to-market opportunity in the powersports industry and introduced ARI to several new markets -- aftermarket wheel and tire and durable medical equipment. We raised $4.5 million in a private placement transaction that was used to reduce our post-acquisition debt and are excited about our new relationship with Silicon Valley Bank, which we believe will be a critical growth partner for the Company."

Mr. Olivier continued, "Our acquisition of 50 Below in November 2012 was a game changer for ARI. We posted record revenues in fiscal 2013, exceeding $30 million for the first time in the Company's history and now host and maintain more than 5,500 websites. ARI has proven time and time again that it is highly capable of acquiring and efficiently integrating companies. The 50 Below operation, which we acquired out of bankruptcy in November 2012, recorded an operating loss of $3.4 million on revenues of $9.2 million for the trailing twelve months ended October 31, 2012. By the quarter ended April 30, 2013, we had already achieved positive cash flow and EBITDA for 50 Below, ahead of our original expectations."

Darin Janecek, Chief Financial Officer of ARI, commented, "ARI's overall profitability was affected in fiscal year 2013 as a result of the one-time acquisition-related costs and other non-cash charges. Excluding these charges, ARI generated adjusted EBITDA of $1.5 million in the fourth fiscal quarter; it's the first quarter since the acquisitions of both Ready2Ride and 50 Below of year over year EBITDA growth, an indication that we are successfully integrating the acquisitions. Further, we continued to improve on two of our most important growth metrics -- recurring revenue and churn. Recurring revenues exceeded 90% of total revenue in the fourth fiscal quarter and our overall rate of churn improved to 12.8% in fiscal year 2013 versus 13.4% last year. The private placement and Silicon Valley Bank financing transactions enabled us to improve our balance sheet substantially following the two acquisitions, leaving us poised for continued growth as we head into fiscal 2014."

Third Quarter 2013 Resutls

• Total revenue for the quarter was $8.2 million, a 44.0% increase over the third quarter of fiscal year 2012.
• Gross margin for the third quarter was 77.1%, versus 75.9% for the same period last year.
• NON-GAAP EPS for the third quarter was a loss of $0.03 vs earnings of $0.03

Roy W. Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of ARI, commented, "We are pleased with the progress we have made integrating our two fiscal 2013 acquisitions. We were able to generate a profit from the 50 Below operation in the second quarter of our ownership. For the most recent fiscal year prior to the acquisition ended July 31, 2012, the 50 Below operations lost approximately $4 million on $9 million revenue. Integration activities will continue over the next 9-12 months and we expect the 50 Below operations, as well as our combined operations, to become increasingly more profitable."

Mr. Olivier continued, "ARI is now one of the leading providers of websites in each of the markets we serve; we currently host and maintain more than 5,500 sites, and we expect this number to continue to grow. Our new AccessorySmart^TM aftermarket parts lookup solution, which is a first of its kind in the powersports industry, continues to gain traction in the marketplace after its February launch. We have also launched significant improvements to our products aimed at the automotive wheel and tire aftermarket, a market for which we have significant growth expectations."

Darin Janecek, Chief Financial Officer of ARI, commented, "While our fiscal 2013 operating results continue to be affected by the various events and one-time charges that have occurred year-to-date, including two acquisitions, a $4.8 million private placement, and a debt refinancing and transition to a new banking partner, we do expect a return to profitability in the fourth quarter and anticipate further revenue growth and increased profitability in fiscal 2014."

MILWAUKEE, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ARI Network Services (OTCBB: ARIS), a leader in creating, marketing, and supporting software, SaaS and DaaS solutions that connect consumers, dealers, distributors, and manufacturers in selected vertical markets, announced today that dealer website sales in the automotive tire and wheel vertical increased 25% in March, as compared to March 2012. The increase in sales is attributed to ARI's strong team and products, as well as dealer enthusiasm. During that same time period, ARI upgraded its automotive tire and wheel dealer websites to include a new mobile platform. In addition, the integration to American Tire Distributors was enhanced to include real-time pricing. "Dealers recognize that ARI is committed to the success of their business and the industry more broadly," said Roy W. Olivier , Chief Executive Officer and President of ARI. "We are focused on rapidly enhancing our products, developing new third party relationships, and staying ahead of online marketing trends," added Olivier. "In the coming months, we have exciting upgrades planned. Dealers are confident our team and solutions will help them Sell More Stuff!™, and they are excited to see what's coming next." "We are really happy with the numbers," said Robert Jones , Director of Retail Sales at ARI. "We are well-positioned to provide independent automotive tire and wheel dealers with great products that help them service and sell more in-store and online," added Jones. "A 25% increase in sales indicates to me that dealers are excited about their future and believe that ARI will play an important role in their future success."

First Quarter 2012 Results

• Net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012 increased 175% to $272,000 compared to $99,000 in the fiscal 2011 first quarter; earnings per share were $0.03 for the quarter versus $0.01 last year;
• Operating income for the quarter increased 11.5% to $496,000 from $445,000 in the comparable quarter of fiscal 2011;
• Recurring revenue for the quarter increased 6.4% to $4.6 million from $4.3 million in last year's first quarter;
• Total revenues for the quarter were $5.4 million compared to $5.3 million, a 1.6% increase, versus the first quarter last year;
• Cash flows from operations increased 58.7% to $835,000 compared to $526,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2011;
• Interest expense for the quarter decreased 69.2% to $62,000 compared to $201,000 in the first quarter of 2011;
• EBITDA (defined below), a non-GAAP measure, increased 12.4% to $1.2 million for the quarter compared to $1.1 in the first quarter of 2011.

Management Discussion

Roy W. Olivier, president and chief executive officer of ARI, commented, "We continue to make substantial progress toward the execution of our strategic plan aimed at acquiring new customers and nurturing existing customers through innovative new product functionality and service offerings. We are pleased with the financial results of the quarter, which reflect increased recurring revenues, operating income, and cash flows. The operating cash flow improvements we have achieved have allowed us to continue to make capital investments in the business, by enhancing our existing products, developing new products and services and improving our technology infrastructure. We expect these investments to generate significant returns in the future."

Mr. Olivier continued, "We are driving organic growth despite the current economic conditions and recurring revenues continue to increase and become a larger portion of our product mix. We are dedicated to expanding our recurring revenue stream as this is the most cost efficient manner of growing our business in the coming years through our value-added Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS") business model."

Darin R. Janecek, chief financial officer of ARI, commented, "The results of this quarter clearly reflect the benefit of tightly managing operating costs on a consistent basis. The renegotiation of our long-term debt at the end of fiscal 2011 cut our first quarter interest costs by $139,000, or 70%, compared to the same period last year. In addition to the continued investment in the business, our improved results allowed us to pay down $445,000 of debt during the quarter. We will continue to be vigilant in managing expenses across the entire ARI enterprise and will make strategic investments to further improve efficiencies going forward."

Fourth quarter 2011 highlights:

• Net income for the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter increased more than 300% to $1.7 million compared to $0.4 million in the fiscal 2010 fourth quarter;
• Earnings per share were $0.21 for the quarter versus $0.05 last year;
• Fiscal 2011 fourth quarter revenues were $5.4 million, consistent with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010;
• General and administrative expenses decreased by 23% compared to the same quarter a year ago;
• Cash flows from operations nearly tripled to $1.3 million in the fourth quarter from $0.5 million a year ago;
• EBITDA (defined below), a non-GAAP measure, was $1.1 million for the quarter; the Company generated no EBITDA in its FY10 fourth quarter.

Fiscal year 2011 highlights:

• Fiscal 2011 net income more than tripled to $2.4 million compared to $0.8 million in fiscal 2010;
• Earnings per share were $0.31 in fiscal 2011 versus $0.10 in fiscal 2010;
• Fiscal 2011 revenues were $21.3 million, compared to $21.5 million in fiscal 2010. Excluding revenues from divested non-strategic operations and non-cash acquisition-related deferred revenues, adjusted revenue for the fiscal year increased 4.0%;
• Cash flow from operations more than doubled in fiscal 2011 to $3.5 million when compared to $1.6 million generated in fiscal 2010;
• Total operating expenses decreased by 9% when compared to fiscal 2010;
• Operating income for fiscal 2011 increased by $1.2 million to $1.7 million;
• EBITDA was $5.0 million for the fiscal year, compared to $2.6 million in fiscal 2010;
• Total debt was reduced by approximately $1 million in fiscal 2011.

Management Discussion

"The financial results of the fourth quarter and the fiscal year indicate that we are gaining measurable traction in the execution of our business plan," said Roy W. Olivier, president and chief executive officer of ARI. "Our focus in the past 24 months has been to reconfigure this business for operational efficiency to drive future growth in our three core strategic product lines: electronic catalogs, lead generation and management, and eCommerce enabled websites. With a focus on providing leading edge products and services to our customers, we are now expanding the number of new users to our platforms, driving significant growth in our monthly recurring revenue, and simultaneously improving our churn rates."

Mr. Olivier continued, "The return on the strategic initiatives undertaken during this period has been substantial. Our revenues, when adjusted for certain non-recurring items, grew organically by 4%. Additionally, we more than tripled net income and nearly doubled EBITDA in fiscal 2011. These results have allowed us to continue to increase our investment back into the business, in the form of product management and development as well as our technology infrastructure. We believe ARI is much better positioned today than it was a year ago. While there is still work to do, we are very pleased with the progress to date."

Darin R. Janecek, chief financial officer of ARI, commented, "We have made significant progress streamlining our operations, which is reflected in our fiscal 2011 operating results. We reduced operating expenses by 9%, improved customer churn rates by more than 25%, and saw a 30% increase in our monthly recurring revenue on a year-over-year basis, all of which resulted in dramatically improved bottom-line results. We posted operating income of $1.7 million, more than three times fiscal 2010's $505,000. Cash flows from operations more than doubled to $3.5 million, which allowed us to pay down approximately $1 million of debt and refinance our existing term loan, reducing the effective interest rate on the note by nearly 10 percentage points. Going forward, we are dedicated to continually improving ARI's operational efficiencies in order to become the industry leading provider of value-added products and services that will enable our customers in the vertical markets we serve to effectively and efficiently drive revenues and profitability."

Mr. Olivier concluded, "Looking ahead, we operate in large markets where the rate of penetration is still relatively low. This represents a significant opportunity for ARI to gain market share with a technically superior palette of services, a highly focused sales staff, the introduction of new products, and a dedication to consistently growing this company in the most cost efficient manner possible. We are excited with the opportunities ahead."