Please update your browser.

Our site no longer supports this browser. Using another one will help provide a better experience.

Menu

News Releases

Lumen Technologies reports second quarter 2022 results
August 3, 2022
Categories:

Second Quarter 2022 Highlights

  • Reported Net Income of $344 million for the second quarter 2022, compared to reported Net Income of $506 million for the second quarter 2021
  • Diluted EPS of $0.34 for the second quarter 2022, compared to $0.46 per share for the second quarter 2021. Excluding Special Items, Diluted EPS of $0.35 per share for the second quarter 2022, compared to $0.48 per share for the second quarter 2021
  • Generated Adjusted EBITDA of $1.811 billion for the second quarter 2022, compared to $2.109 billion1 for the second quarter 2021, excluding Special Items of $47 million and $20 million, respectively
  • Reported Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of $1.396 billion for the second quarter 2022
  • Generated Free Cash Flow of $668 million for the second quarter 2022, compared to $1.044 billion for the second quarter 2021, excluding cash paid for Special Items of $33 million and $51 million, respectively
  • Reiterated full-year 2022 financial outlook measures
  • Completed the $2.7 billion divestiture of its Latin American business to Stonepeak on August 1

DENVER, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: LUMN) reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.

"We improved our revenue trajectory and accelerated the number of Quantum Fiber locations enabled in the second quarter. In addition, we closed the divestiture of our Latin America business on August 1 and expect to close the divestiture of our 20-state ILEC business early in the fourth quarter of this year," said Jeff Storey, president and CEO of Lumen. "We announced our new Business segment product categories, which further sharpens our focus as we position Lumen to generate profitable revenue growth."

Total Revenue was $4.612 billion for the second quarter 2022, compared to $4.924 billion1 for the second quarter 2021.

1

Second quarter 2021 Total Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, Excluding Special Items each included $122 million of payments from the Federal Communication Commission's Connect America Fund ("CAF") Phase II program, which lapsed on December 31, 2021.

Financial Results

Metric

Second
Quarter

Second
Quarter

($ in millions, except per share data)

2022

2021

International and Global Accounts

$    996

1,011

Large Enterprise

884

945

Mid-Market Enterprise

626

661

Wholesale

910

905

Business Segment Revenue

3,416

3,522

Mass Markets Segment Revenue(1)

1,196

1,402

Total Revenue(1)

$  4,612

4,924

Cost of Services and Products

2,058

2,115

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

815

762

Stock-based Compensation Expense

25

42

Adjusted EBITDA(1)(2)

1,764

2,089

Adjusted EBITDA, Excluding Special Items(1)(2)(3)

1,811

2,109

Adjusted EBITDA Margin(2)

38.2 %

42.4 %

Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Excluding Special Items(2)(3)

39.3 %

42.8 %

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

1,396

1,639

Capital Expenditures

761

646

Unlevered Cash Flow(2)

947

1,350

Unlevered Cash Flow, Excluding Cash Special Items(2)(4)

980

1,401

Free Cash Flow(2)

635

993

Free Cash Flow, Excluding Cash Special Items(2)(4)

668

1,044

Net Income(5)

344

506

Net Income, Excluding Special Items(2)(5)(6)

357

521

Net Income per Common Share - Diluted

0.34

0.46

Net Income per Common Share - Diluted, Excluding Special Items(2)(5)(6)

0.35

0.48

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (in millions) - Diluted

1,016.6

1,093.4

 

(1) Second quarter 2021 Total Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, Excluding Special Items each included $122 million of payments from the Federal Communication Commission's Connect America Fund ("CAF") Phase II program, which lapsed on December 31, 2021.

(2)  See the attached schedules for definitions of non-GAAP metrics and reconciliations to GAAP figures.

(3)  Excludes Special Items in the amounts of (i) $47 million for the second quarter of 2022 and (ii) $20 million for the second quarter of 2021.

(4)  Excludes cash paid for Special Items of (i) $33 million for the second quarter of 2022 and (ii) $51 million for the second quarter of 2021.

(5) Since designating our Latin American business and our 20-state ILEC business as held for sale on July 25, 2021 and August 3, 2021, respectively, we have ceased recording depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortization of finite-lived intangible assets and right-of-use assets with respect to these assets. We estimate that we would have recorded an additional $163 million of depreciation, intangible amortization, and amortization of right-of use assets for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 if our Latin American and 20-state ILEC businesses had not been designated as held for sale.

(6)  Excludes Special Items (net of the income tax effect thereof) in the amounts of (i) $13 million for the second quarter of 2022 and (ii) $15 million for the second quarter of 2021.

 

Revenue

Second
Quarter

First
Quarter

QoQ
Percent

Second
Quarter

YoY
Percent

($ in millions)

2022

2022

Change

2021

Change

By Business Sales Channel






International and Global Accounts

$       996

999

— %

1,011

(1) %

Large Enterprise

884

877

1 %

945

(6) %

Mid-Market Enterprise

626

636

(2) %

661

(5) %

Enterprise Channels

2,506

2,512

— %

2,617

(4) %

Wholesale

910

889

2 %

905

1 %

Business Segment Revenue

3,416

3,401

— %

3,522

(3) %

Mass Markets Segment Revenue

1,196

1,275

(6) %

1,402

(15) %

Total Revenue

$    4,612

4,676

(1) %

4,924

(6) %

 

Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow, excluding Special Items, was $668 million in the second quarter 2022, compared to $1.044 billion in the second quarter 2021.

As of June 30, 2022, Lumen had cash and cash equivalents of $360 million. On August 1, 2022, we received approximately $2.7 billion of cash upon selling our Latin American business and on August 3, 2022 repaid approximately $700 million on our consolidated term loan indebtedness.

2022 Financial Outlook

The company reiterated its full-year 2022 financial outlook measures detailed below:

Metric (1)(2)

Outlook(3)

Adjusted EBITDA

$6.9 to $7.1 billion

Free Cash Flow(4)

$2.0 to $2.2 billion

Net Cash Interest

$1.3 to $1.4 billion

GAAP Interest Expense

$1.350 billion

Dividends(5)

$1.00 per share

Capital Expenditures

$3.2 to $3.4 billion

Depreciation and Amortization

$3.2 to $3.4 billion

Stock-based Compensation Expense

~$150 million

Cash Income Taxes

~$100 million

Full Year Effective Income Tax Rate

~26%

 

(1)  For definitions of non-GAAP metrics and reconciliations to GAAP figures, see the attached schedules and our Investor Relations website.

(2)  Outlook measures in this chart and the accompanying schedules (i) exclude the effects of Special Items, future changes in our operating or capital allocation plans, unforeseen changes in regulation, laws or litigation, and other unforeseen events or circumstances impacting our financial performance and (ii) speak only as of August 3, 2022. See "Forward-Looking Statements."

(3)  Outlook measures include accounting impacts of assets and liabilities held for sale and assume the pending sale of Lumen's 20-state ILEC business would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022, resulting in 2022 financial contributions of three quarters for that business.

(4)  Assumes no discretionary pension plan contributions during 2022 and excludes any contributions related to the 20-state ILEC business transaction.

(5)  This implies cash dividends of approximately $1.040 billion, based on common stock outstanding as of Dec. 31. 2021 and projected accrued dividends.

 

Investor Call

Lumen's management team will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET today, August 3, 2022. The conference call will be streamed live over the Lumen website at ir.lumen.com. Additional information regarding second quarter 2022 results, including the presentation materials management will review during the conference call, will be available on the Investor Relations website prior to the call. If you are unable to join the call via the web, the call can be accessed live at +1 877-283-5145 (U.S. Domestic) or +1 312-281-1201 (International).

A telephone replay of the call will be available beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on August 3, 2022, and ending November 1, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. ET. The replay can be accessed by dialing +1 800-633-8284 (U.S. Domestic) or +1 402-977-9140 (International), reservation code 22019603. A webcast replay of the call will also be available on our website beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on August 3, 2022, and ending November 1, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. ET.

About Lumen Technologies and the People of Lumen:

Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LUMN) is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences.

Learn more about the Lumen network, edge cloud, security, communication and collaboration solutions and our purpose to further human progress through technology at news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies. Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies LLC is a wholly-owned affiliate of Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and other of our oral or written statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," "will," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements as defined by the federal securities laws, and are subject to the "safe harbor" protections thereunder. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the effects of competition from a wide variety of competitive providers, including decreased demand for our more mature service offerings and increased pricing pressures; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make our products less desirable or obsolete; our ability to successfully and timely attain our key operating imperatives, including simplifying and consolidating our network, simplifying and automating our service support systems, attaining our Quantum Fiber buildout plans, strengthening our relationships with customers and attaining projected cost savings; our ability to safeguard our network, and to avoid the adverse impact of possible cyber-attacks, security breaches, service outages, system failures, or similar events impacting our network or the availability and quality of our services; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry, including the outcome of legislative, regulatory or judicial proceedings relating to content liability standards, intercarrier compensation, universal service, service standards, broadband deployment, data protection, privacy and net neutrality; our ability to effectively retain and hire key personnel and to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements on reasonable terms without work stoppages; changes in customer demand for our products and services, including increased demand for high-speed data transmission services; our ability to successfully maintain the quality and profitability of our existing product and service offerings and to introduce profitable new offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis; our ability to generate cash flows sufficient to fund our financial commitments and objectives, including our capital expenditures, operating costs, debt repayments, dividends, pension contributions and other benefits payments; our ability to successfully and timely implement our corporate strategies, including our deleveraging strategy; our ability to successfully and timely consummate the pending divestiture of a portion of our incumbent local exchange business on the terms proposed, to realize the anticipated benefits therefrom, and to operate our retained business successfully thereafter; changes in our operating plans, corporate strategies, dividend payment plans or other capital allocation plans, whether based upon changes in our cash flows, cash requirements, financial performance, financial position, market or regulatory conditions, or otherwise; the impact of any future material acquisitions or divestitures that we may transact; the negative impact of increases in the costs of our pension, health, post-employment or other benefits, including those caused by changes in markets, interest rates, mortality rates, demographics or regulations; the potential negative impact of customer complaints, government investigations, security breaches or service outages impacting us or our industry; adverse changes in our access to credit markets on favorable terms, whether caused by changes in our financial position, lower credit ratings, unstable markets or otherwise; our ability to meet the terms and conditions of our debt obligations and covenants, including our ability to make transfers of cash in compliance therewith; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our securityholders, key business partners, suppliers, vendors, landlords and financial institutions; our ability to meet evolving environmental, social and governance ("ESG") expectations and benchmarks, and effectively communicate and implement our ESG strategies; our ability to collect our receivables from, or continue to do business with, financially-troubled customers; our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards in the amounts projected; our ability to continue to use or renew intellectual property used to conduct our operations; any adverse developments in legal or regulatory proceedings involving us; changes in tax, pension, healthcare or other laws or regulations, in governmental support programs, or in general government funding levels, including those arising from recently-enacted federal legislation promoting broadband spending; the effects of changes in accounting policies, practices or assumptions, including changes that could potentially require additional future impairment charges; continuing uncertainties regarding the impact that COVID-19 disruptions could have on our business, operations, cash flows and corporate initiatives; the effects of adverse weather, terrorism, epidemics, pandemics, rioting, societal unrest, or other natural or man-made disasters or disturbances; the potential adverse effects if our internal controls over financial reporting have weaknesses or deficiencies, or otherwise fail to operate as intended; the effects of changes in interest rates and inflation; the effects of more general factors such as changes in exchange rates, in operating costs, in public policy, in the views of financial analysts, or in general market, labor, economic or geo-political conditions; and other risks referenced from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to unduly rely upon our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic and market conditions, and our related assumptions, as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans without notice at any time and for any reason.

Reconciliation to GAAP

This release includes certain historical and forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, including but not limited to Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Unlevered Cash Flow, and adjustments to GAAP and non-GAAP measures to exclude the effect of Special Items. In addition to providing key metrics for management to evaluate the company's performance, we believe these measurements assist investors in their understanding of period-to-period operating performance and in identifying historical and prospective trends.

Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached financial schedules. Reconciliation of additional non-GAAP historical financial measures that may be discussed during the call described above, along with further descriptions of non-GAAP financial measures, will be available in the Investor Relations portion of the company's website at http://ir.lumen.com. Non-GAAP measures are not presented to be replacements or alternatives to the GAAP measures, and investors are urged to consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, and not in substitution for, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Lumen may present or calculate its non-GAAP measures differently from other companies.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2022 AND 2021

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions, except per share amounts; shares in thousands)



Three months ended
June 30,


(Decrease) /
Increase


Six months ended
June 30,


(Decrease) /
Increase



2022


2021



2022


2021


OPERATING REVENUE


$        4,612


4,924


(6) %


9,288


9,953


(7) %

OPERATING EXPENSES













Cost of services and products (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)


2,058


2,115


(3) %


4,043


4,251


(5) %

Selling, general and administrative


815


762


7 %


1,615


1,518


6 %

Depreciation and amortization


827


1,041


(21) %


1,635


2,191


(25) %

Total operating expenses


3,700


3,918


(6) %


7,293


7,960


(8) %

OPERATING INCOME


912


1,006


(9) %


1,995


1,993


— %

OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME













Interest expense


(337)


(384)


(12) %


(689)


(773)


(11) %

Other (expense) income, net


(122)


52


nm


(52)


86


nm

Income tax expense


(109)


(168)


(35) %


(311)


(325)


(4) %

NET INCOME


$           344


506


(32) %


$            943


981


(4) %








BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE


$          0.34


0.47


(28) %


0.93


0.90


3 %

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE


$          0.34


0.46


(26) %


0.93


0.90


3 %








WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING













Basic


1,012,943


1,086,453


(7) %


1,010,686


1,084,464


(7) %

Diluted


1,016,620


1,093,402


(7) %


1,015,917


1,092,494


(7) %

DIVIDENDS PER COMMON SHARE


$          0.25


0.25


— %


0.50


0.50


— %








Exclude: Special Items(1)


$             13


15


(13) %


50


15


233 %

NET INCOME EXCLUDING SPECIAL ITEMS


$           357


521


(31) %


993


996


— %

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE EXCLUDING SPECIAL ITEMS


$          0.35


0.48


(27) %


0.98


0.91


8 %








(1) Excludes the Special Items described in the accompanying Non-GAAP Special Items table, net of the income tax effect thereof.

nm - Percentages greater than 200% and comparisons between positive and negative values are considered not meaningful.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF JUNE 30, 2022 AND DECEMBER 31, 2021

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)


June 30, 2022


December 31, 2021

ASSETS




CURRENT ASSETS




Cash and cash equivalents

$                       360


354

Accounts receivable, less allowance of $103 and $114

1,460


1,544

Assets held for sale

9,089


8,809

Other

881


829

   Total current assets

11,790


11,536

Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $20,020 and $19,271

20,720


20,895

GOODWILL AND OTHER ASSETS




Goodwill

15,947


15,986

Other intangible assets, net

6,628


6,970

Other, net

2,590


2,606

    Total goodwill and other assets

25,165


25,562

TOTAL ASSETS

$                   57,675


57,993

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY




CURRENT LIABILITIES




Current maturities of long-term debt

$                       156


1,554

Accounts payable

1,053


758

Accrued expenses and other liabilities




Salaries and benefits

705


860

Income and other taxes

233


228

Current operating lease liabilities

400


385

Interest

253


278

Other

107


232

Liabilities held for sale

2,249


2,257

Current portion of deferred revenue

625


617

    Total current liabilities

5,781


7,169

LONG-TERM DEBT

27,965


27,428

DEFERRED CREDITS AND OTHER LIABILITIES




Deferred income taxes, net

4,254


4,049

Benefit plan obligations, net

3,553


3,710

Other

3,903


3,797

Total deferred credits and other liabilities

11,710


11,556

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY




Common stock

1,032


1,024

Additional paid-in capital

18,459


18,972

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(2,217)


(2,158)

Accumulated deficit

(5,055)


(5,998)

Total stockholders' equity

12,219


11,840

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

$                   57,675


57,993

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2022 AND 2021

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)






Six months ended


June 30, 2022


June 30, 2021

OPERATING ACTIVITIES




Net Income

$                               943


981

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:




Depreciation and amortization

1,635


2,191

Deferred income taxes

249


279

Provision for uncollectible accounts

56


53

Net gain on early retirement of debt


(8)

Stock-based compensation

48


62

Changes in current assets and liabilities, net

(306)


(414)

Retirement benefits

(86)


(131)

Changes in other noncurrent assets and liabilities, net

136


120

Other, net

96


31

Net cash provided by operating activities

2,771


3,164

INVESTING ACTIVITIES




Capital expenditures

(1,338)


(1,362)

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and other assets

65


66

Other, net

3


1

Net cash used in investing activities

(1,270)


(1,295)

FINANCING ACTIVITIES




Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt


1,881

Payments of long-term debt

(1,532)


(2,464)

Net proceeds from (payments on) revolving line of credit

600


(150)

Dividends paid

(525)


(568)

Other, net

(32)


(49)

Net cash used in financing activities

(1,489)


(1,350)

Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

12


519

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period

409


427

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

$                               421


946





Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash:




Cash and cash equivalents

$                               360


935

Cash and cash equivalents included in assets held for sale

48


Restricted cash

13


11

Total

$                               421


946

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

OPERATING METRICS

(UNAUDITED)










June 30, 2022


March 31, 2022


June 30, 2021








Operating Metrics







Mass Markets broadband subscribers







(in thousands)







Fiber broadband subscribers


858


830


746

Other broadband subscribers(1)


3,519


3,637


3,920

Mass Markets total broadband subscribers(2)


4,377


4,467


4,666








Mass Markets broadband enabled







(in millions)







Fiber broadband enabled


3.1


2.9


2.6

Other broadband enabled


26.1


26.0


25.9

Mass Markets total broadband enabled


29.2


28.9


28.5

 











(1) Other broadband subscribers are customers that primarily subscribe to lower speed copper-based broadband services marketed under the CenturyLink brand.

(2) Mass Markets broadband subscribers are customers that purchase broadband connection service through their existing telephone lines, stand-alone telephone lines, or fiber-optic cables. Our methodology for counting our Mass Markets broadband subscribers includes only those lines that we use to provide services to external customers and excludes lines used solely by us and our affiliates. It also excludes unbundled loops and includes stand-alone Mass Markets broadband subscribers. We count lines when we install the service. Other companies may use different methodologies.

 

Description of Non-GAAP Metrics

Pursuant to Regulation G, the company is hereby providing definitions of non-GAAP financial metrics and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

The following describes and reconciles those financial measures as reported under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) with those financial measures as adjusted by the items detailed below and presented in the accompanying news release. These calculations are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as alternatives to GAAP. In keeping with its historical financial reporting practices, the company believes that the supplemental presentation of these calculations provides meaningful non-GAAP financial measures to help investors understand and compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis.

We use the term Special Items as a non-GAAP measure to describe items that impacted a period's statement of operations for which investors may want to give special consideration due to their magnitude, nature or both. We do not call these items non-recurring because, while some are infrequent, others may recur in future periods.

Adjusted EBITDA ($) is defined as net income (loss) from the Statements of Operations before income tax (expense) benefit, total other income (expense), depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense and impairments.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%) is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by total revenue.

Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are relevant and useful metrics to provide to investors, as they are an important part of our internal reporting and are key measures used by management to evaluate profitability and operating performance of Lumen and to make resource allocation decisions. Management believes such measures are especially important in a capital-intensive industry such as telecommunications. Management also uses Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (and similarly uses these terms excluding Special Items) to compare our performance to that of our competitors and to eliminate certain non-cash and non-operating items in order to consistently measure from period to period our ability to fund capital expenditures, fund growth, service debt and determine bonuses. Adjusted EBITDA excludes non-cash stock compensation expense and impairments because of the non-cash nature of these items. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes interest income, interest expense and income taxes, and in our view constitutes an accrual-based measure that has the effect of excluding period-to-period changes in working capital and shows profitability without regard to the effects of capital or tax structure. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes depreciation and amortization expense because these non-cash expenses primarily reflect the impact of historical capital investments, as opposed to the cash impacts of capital expenditures made in recent periods, which may be evaluated through cash flow measures. Adjusted EBITDA further excludes the gain (or loss) on extinguishment and modification of debt and other income (expense), net, because these items are not related to the primary business operations of Lumen.

There are material limitations to using Adjusted EBITDA as a financial measure, including the difficulty associated with comparing companies that use similar performance measures whose calculations may differ from our calculations. Additionally, by excluding the above-listed items, Adjusted EBITDA may exclude items that investors believe are important components of our performance. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (either with or without Special Items) should not be considered a substitute for other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP.

Unlevered Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures, plus cash interest paid and less interest income, all as disclosed in the Statements of Cash Flows or the Statements of Operations. Management believes that Unlevered Cash Flow is a relevant metric to provide to investors, because it reflects the operational performance of Lumen and, measured over time, enables management and investors to monitor the underlying business' growth pattern and ability to generate cash. Unlevered Cash Flow excludes cash used for acquisitions and debt service and the impact of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents balances.

There are material limitations to using Unlevered Cash Flow to measure our cash performance as it excludes certain material items that investors may believe are important components of our cash flows. Comparisons of our Unlevered Cash Flow to that of some of our competitors may be of limited usefulness since Lumen does not currently pay a significant amount of income taxes due to net operating loss carryforwards, and therefore, currently generates higher cash flow than a comparable business that does pay income taxes. Additionally, this financial measure is subject to variability quarter over quarter as a result of the timing of payments related to accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and capital expenditures. Unlevered Cash Flow should not be used as a substitute for net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less capital expenditures as disclosed in the Statements of Cash Flows. Management believes that Free Cash Flow is a relevant metric to provide to investors, as it is an indicator of our ability to generate cash to service our debt. Free Cash Flow excludes cash used for acquisitions, principal repayments and the impact of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents balances.

There are material limitations to using Free Cash Flow to measure our performance as it excludes certain material items that investors may believe are important components of our cash flows. Comparisons of our Free Cash Flow to that of some of its competitors may be of limited usefulness since Lumen does not currently pay a significant amount of income taxes due to net operating loss carryforwards, and therefore, generates higher cash flow than a comparable business that does pay income taxes. Additionally, this financial measure is subject to variability quarter over quarter as a result of the timing of payments related to interest expense, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and capital expenditures. Free Cash Flow should not be used as a substitute for net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Non-GAAP Special Items

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)






Actual QTD


Actual YTD

Special Items Impacting Adjusted EBITDA

2Q22

2Q21


2Q22

2Q21

Consumer and other litigation

$         (3)

11


$         (3)

19

Severance


2

Transaction and separation costs(1)

50

9


100

9

Total Special Items impacting Adjusted EBITDA

$        47

20


$        99

28








Actual QTD


Actual YTD

Special Items Impacting Net Income

2Q22

2Q21


2Q22

2Q21

Consumer and other litigation

$         (3)

11


$         (3)

19

Gain on early retirement of debt (2)


(8)

Severance


2

Transaction and separation costs(1)

50

9


100

9

Income from transition and separation services(3)

(30)


(33)

Total Special Items impacting Net Income

17

20


66

20

Income tax effect of Special Items(4)

(4)

(5)


(16)

(5)

Total Special Items impacting Net Income, net of tax

$        13

15


$        50

15





 

(1) Transaction and separation costs associated with (i) the recently completed sale of our Latin American business to Stonepeak for $2.7 billion announced July 26, 2021, (ii) the pending sale of our ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) business in 20 states for $7.5 billion announced August 3, 2021, and (iii) our evaluation of other potential transactions.

(2) Reflects a gain as a result of $1.1 billion in early debt retirement in Q1 2021. There were no comparable gains or losses during Q2 2021, Q1 2022 or Q2 2022.

(3) Income from transition and separation services includes charges we bill for transition services and IT professional services provided to the purchasers in connection with our divestitures.

(4) Tax effect calculated using the annualized effective statutory tax rate, excluding any non-recurring discrete items, which was 24.6% for 2022 and 24.5% for 2021.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Non-GAAP Cash Flow Reconciliation

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)


Actual QTD


2Q22

2Q21

Net cash provided by operating activities

$       1,396

1,639

Capital expenditures

(761)

(646)

Free Cash Flow

635

993

Cash interest paid

313

357

Interest income

(1)

Unlevered Cash Flow

$          947

$       1,350




Free Cash Flow

$          635

$          993

Add back: Severance

7

29

Add back: Consumer and other litigation(1)

20

Add back: Transaction and separation costs(1)

48

2

Remove: Income from transition and separation services(1)

(22)

Free Cash Flow excluding cash Special Items

$          668

$       1,044




Unlevered Cash Flow

$          947

$       1,350

Add back: Severance

7

29

Add back: Consumer and other litigation(1)

20

Add back: Transaction and separation costs(1)

48

2

Remove: Income from transition and separation services(1)

(22)

Unlevered Cash Flow excluding cash Special Items

$          980

$       1,401




(1) Refer to Non-GAAP Special Items table for details of the Special Items impacting cash included above.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

Adjusted EBITDA Non-GAAP Reconciliation

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)


Actual QTD


2Q22

2Q21

Net income

$      344

506

Income tax expense

109

168

Total other expense, net

459

332

Depreciation and amortization expense

827

1,041

Stock-based compensation expense

25

42

Adjusted EBITDA

$   1,764

2,089




Add back: Other Special Items(1)

$         (3)

11

Add back: Transaction and separation costs(1)

50

9

Adjusted EBITDA excluding Special Items

$   1,811

2,109




Total revenue

$   4,612

4,924




Adjusted EBITDA margin

38.2 %

42.4 %

Adjusted EBITDA margin excluding Special Items

39.3 %

42.8 %




(1) Refer to Non-GAAP Special Items table for details of the Special Items included above.

 

Outlook

To enhance the information in our outlook with respect to non-GAAP metrics, we are providing a range for certain GAAP measures that are components of the reconciliation of the non-GAAP metrics. The provision of these ranges is in no way meant to indicate that Lumen is explicitly or implicitly providing an outlook on those GAAP components of the reconciliation. In order to reconcile the non-GAAP financial metric to GAAP, Lumen has to use ranges for the GAAP components that arithmetically add up to the non-GAAP financial metric. While Lumen believes that it has used reasonable assumptions in connection with developing the outlook for its non-GAAP financial metrics, it fully expects that the ranges used for the GAAP components will vary from actual results. We will consider our outlook of non-GAAP financial metrics to be accurate if the specific non-GAAP metric is met or exceeded, even if the GAAP components of the reconciliation are different from those provided in an earlier reconciliation.

 

Lumen Technologies, Inc.

2022 OUTLOOK (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

(UNAUDITED)

($ in millions)





Adjusted EBITDA Outlook




Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022





Range


Low


High

Net income

$                  1,385


1,875

Income tax expense

490


650

Total other expense

1,450


1,250

Depreciation and amortization expense

3,400


3,200

Stock-based compensation expense

175


125

Adjusted EBITDA

$                  6,900


$                  7,100





Free Cash Flow Outlook




Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022





Range


Low


High

Net cash provided by operating activities

$                  5,200


5,600

Capital expenditures

(3,200)


(3,400)

Free Cash Flow

$                  2,000


2,200

 

(1) For definitions of non-GAAP metrics and reconciliation to GAAP figures, see the above schedules and our Investor Relations website.

(2) Outlook measures in this chart (i) exclude the effects of Special Items, future changes in our operating or capital allocation plans, unforeseen changes in regulation, laws or litigation, and other unforeseen events or circumstances impacting our financial performance and (ii) speak only as of August 3, 2022. See "Forward-Looking Statements."

(3) Outlook measures include accounting impacts of assets and liabilities held for sale and assume the pending sale of Lumen's 20-state ILEC business would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022, resulting in 2022 financial contributions of three quarters for that business.

(4) Assumes no discretionary pension plan contributions during 2022 and excludes any contributions related to the 20-state ILEC business transaction.

(5) This implies cash dividends of approximately $1.040 billion, based on common stock outstanding as of Dec. 31. 2021 and projected accrued dividends.

 

 

SOURCE Lumen Technologies

For further information: Media Relations Contact: Esmeralda Cameron, esmeralda.cameron@lumen.com,+1 201-306-4197; Investor Relations Contact: Mike McCormack, CFA, mike.mccormack@lumen.com, +1 720-888-3514
Latest News
March 26, 2024

Black Lotus Labs reveals how TheMoon malware used end-of-life routers to power a notorious cybercrime service called Faceless, urges consumers to secure devices DENVER, March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

March 22, 2024

Moves Forward as a Stronger Company with Increased Financial Flexibility Primed to Execute on Business Transformation Plans DENVER, March 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumen Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:...

March 15, 2024

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) ("Lumen"), a global integrated network solutions provider that unleashes the world's digital potential, today announced that Chris Stansbury, Lumen's executive vice...

More news