ICON Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results

• Net business wins in the quarter of $2,581 million; a net book to bill of 1.26 or 1.22 on a trailing twelve month basis and an increase of 10% on quarter three 2022.
• Closing backlog of $22.2 billion, an increase of 2.6% on quarter two 2023 and an increase of 10.0% on quarter three 2022.
• Quarter three revenue of $2,055.1 million representing an increase of 5.8% on prior year revenue.  YTD revenue of $6,053.9 million representing a year on year increase of 4.8%.
• Quarter three adjusted EBITDA of $432.5 million or 21.0% of revenue, an increase of 13.9% on quarter three 2022. YTD adjusted EBITDA of $1,245.9 million or 20.6% of revenue, representing a year on year increase of 16.0%.
• GAAP net income attributable to the Group for the quarter of $163.7 million or $1.97 per diluted share. YTD GAAP net income of $395.9 million or $4.79 per diluted share.
• Quarter three adjusted net income attributable to the Group was $273.9 million or $3.30 per diluted share, an increase of 10.0% on quarter three 2022 adjusted earnings per share. Year to date adjusted net income attributable to the Group of $770.7 million or $9.31 per diluted share, an increase of 8.0% on the prior year adjusted earnings per share.
• Days sales outstanding decreased from 52 days at June 30, 2023 to 49 days at September 30, 2023.
• $300.0 million repayment made on Term Loan B debt.  Net debt balance of $3.7 billion with net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.3x.
• In October 2023, ICON acquired Philips Pharma Solutions, a leading provider of medical imaging and cardiac safety monitoring services.
• In October 2023, S&P Global Ratings upgraded ICON to an investment grade credit rating.
• Re-affirming full-year 2023 financial guidance of revenue of $8,070 - $8,210 million, representing a year over year increase of 4.3 to 6.1%, and adjusted earnings per share* in the range of $12.63 - $12.91, representing a year over year increase of 7.5 to 9.9%.  Adjusted earnings per share to exclude amortization, stock compensation, restructuring, foreign exchange and transaction-related / integrated-related adjustments.

Dublin, Ireland, October 25, 2023 – ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR), a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation, today reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023.

CEO, Dr. Steve Cutler commented, “ICON delivered impressive results in the third quarter, with revenue growth of 6% year over year, as well as double digit adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per share growth of 14% and 10%, respectively, over quarter three 2022.  Our net book to bill improved to 1.26x in the quarter, reflective of the healthy demand for our market-leading offering  across the customer segments we serve. We remain well positioned as a critical partner with new and existing customers to play a long-term role in accelerating their development portfolios.”

Read the consolidated income statements and summary balance sheet data.

Third Quarter 2023 Results

Gross business wins in the third quarter were $3,055 million and cancellations were $474 million. This resulted in net business wins of $2,581 million and a book to bill of 1.26.

Revenue for the third quarter was $2,055.1 million. This represents an increase of 5.8% on prior year revenue or 4.8% on a constant currency organic basis.

GAAP net income attributable to the Group was $163.7 million resulting in $1.97 diluted earnings per share in quarter three 2023 compared to $1.94 diluted earnings per share in quarter three 2022. Adjusted net income attributable to the Group for the quarter was $273.9 million resulting in an adjusted diluted earnings per share of $3.30 compared to $3.00 per share for the third quarter 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter was $432.5 million or 21.0% of revenue, a year-on-year increase of 13.9%.

The effective tax rate on adjusted net income in quarter three was 15.2%.

Cash generated from operating activities for the quarter was $341.5 million. During the quarter $29.1 million was spent on capital expenditure. At September 30, 2023, the Group had cash and cash equivalents of $313.1 million, compared to cash and cash equivalents of $270.2 million at June 30, 2023 and $609.2 million at September 30, 2022. $75 million of the revolving credit facility was drawn down in the quarter and $50 million was repaid. Additionally, $300.0 million of Term Loan B payments were made during the quarter resulting in a net indebtedness of $3.7 billion at September 30, 2023.

Year to date 2023 Results

Gross business wins year to date were $8,773 million and cancellations were $1,358 million. This resulted in net business wins of $7,415 million and a book to bill of 1.22.

Year to date revenue was $6,053.9 million. This represents a year on year increase of 4.8% on a reported and on a constant currency basis.

GAAP net income attributable to the Group year to date was $395.9 million resulting in $4.79 diluted earnings per share. Adjusted net income attributable to the Group was $770.7 million resulting in an adjusted diluted earnings per share of $9.31 compared to $8.62 per share for the equivalent prior year period.

Adjusted EBITDA year to date was $1,245.9 million or 20.6% of revenue, a year on year increase of 16.0%.

Other Information

In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income attributable to the Group and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to the Group. Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude amortization, stock compensation, foreign exchange gains and losses, restructuring and transaction-related / integration-related adjustments. While non-GAAP financial measures are not superior to or a substitute for the comparable GAAP measures, ICON believes certain non-GAAP information is useful to investors for historical comparison purposes.

ICON will hold a conference call on October 26, 2023 at 08:00 EDT [13:00 Ireland & UK]. This call and linked slide presentation can be accessed live from our website at http://investor.iconplc.com. A recording will also be available on the website for 90 days following the call.  In addition, a calendar of company events, including upcoming conference presentations, is available on our website, under “Investors”. This calendar will be updated regularly.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about our financial guidance. These statements are based on management's current expectations and information currently available, including current economic and industry conditions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actual results, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those stated in this press release. The forward-looking statements are subject to future events, risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the statements, including, but not limited to, the ability to enter into new contracts, maintain client relationships, manage the opening of new offices and offering of new services, the integration of new business mergers and acquisitions, the impact of COVID-19 on our business, as well as other economic and global market conditions and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in SEC reports filed by ICON, all of which are difficult to predict and some of which are beyond our control. For these reasons, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements when making investment decisions. The word "expected" and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are only as of the date they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement, either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More information about the risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements may be found in SEC reports filed by ICON, including its Form 20-F, F-1, F-4, S-8, F-3 and certain other reports, which are available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.

* Our full-year 2023 guidance adjusted earnings per share measures are provided on a non-GAAP basis because the Company is unable to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty certain items contained in the GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, the Company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information.

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation. From molecule to medicine, we advance clinical research providing outsourced services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and government and public health organisations. We develop new innovations, drive emerging therapies forward and improve patient lives. With headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ICON employed approximately 41,150 employees in 106 locations in 53 countries as at September 30, 2023. For further information about ICON, visit: www.iconplc.com.

Source: ICON plc

Contact: Investor Relations +1 888 381 7923 or 
Brendan Brennan Chief Financial Officer +353 1 291 2000 
Kate Haven Vice President Investor Relations +1 888 381 7923

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