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Q3 FY2018 Financial Results
Feb 13, 2019 | Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.
Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. ("Recruit Holdings") announces financial results for the nine months ended December 31, 2018 (unaudited).
1.9 Months FY2018 Consolidated Financial Highlights
Consolidated revenue +7.0%, EBITDA +11.3%, Adjusted EPS +23.1%
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Revenue and EBITDA increased in all three segments: HR Technology, Media & Solutions, and Staffing
Strong YoY revenue growth continued in HR Technology
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Revenue increased +57.2% in US dollar terms, assuming accounting policy change was applied in FY2017*¹
(In billions of yen, unless otherwise stated)
FY2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Q3 | YoY | 9M | YoY | |
Revenue | 587.0 | +6.0% | 1,730.4 | +7.0% |
EBITDA | 84.8 | +11.1% | 240.1 | +11.3% |
EBITDA margin | 14.5% | +0.7pt | 13.9% | +0.5pt |
Operating income | 65.6 | +12.6% | 192.1 | +15.3% |
Profit attributable to owners of the parent | 53.3 | +14.7% | 146.0 | +13.6% |
Adjusted profit | 53.1 | +26.3% | 151.0 | +23.1% |
Adjusted EPS (yen) | 31.79 | +26.3% | 90.43 | +23.1% |
2.Q3 FY2018 Segment Highlights
(Q3 refers to the three-month period from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018)
HR Technology Segment:
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Quarterly revenue increased by 48.4% year on year and by 53.7% in US dollar terms, assuming application of an accounting policy change to the previous year's quarter on a pro forma basis*¹; the increase was mainly due to increased sponsored job advertising revenue from new and existing clients at Indeed and the inclusion of Glassdoor, which was acquired during Q1.
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Quarterly EBITDA increased by 84.9%.
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Indeed attracts approximately 250 million monthly unique visitors*² and job seeker traffic continued to grow double digits year on year during the quarter. Indeed had approximately 8,000 employees located in 29 cities in 14 countries as of December 31, 2018.
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Glassdoor attracts approximately 64 million monthly unique visitors*² and traffic grew double digits year on year during the quarter. Glassdoor had approximately 800 employees as of December 31, 2018.
Media & Solutions Segment:
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Quarterly revenue increased by 6.9%, primarily driven by increased revenue in the Housing and Real Estate and Beauty subsegments in Marketing Solutions and in the Recruiting in Japan subsegment in HR Solutions.
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Quarterly EBITDA increased by 5.5%.
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Housing and Real Estate revenue grew, primarily driven by improved usability of its online platform, various marketing efforts to attract more users, and sales initiatives to offer solutions to clients.
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Beauty revenue continued to grow double digits mainly by extending its reach to clients in non-urban areas and the outskirts of metropolitan areas.
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Recruiting in Japan revenue continued to grow at high single digits, mainly due to the increase in placement revenue, reflecting the extremely tight labor market in Japan.
Staffing Segment:
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Quarterly revenue decreased by 1.5%. Revenue for Japan operations increased by 7.8% as demand for agency workers continued to be strong. Revenue for Overseas operations decreased by 7.4% mainly due to an uncertain outlook for the European economy, the negative impact of foreign exchange rate movements and the adoption of IFRS 15. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rate movements and the adoption of IFRS 15, quarterly revenue for Overseas decreased by 2.5%.
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Quarterly EBITDA increased by 13.4%.
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Japan operations recorded an increase in placement revenue, which has higher profitability than staffing revenue, as a result of revisions to Japanese laws.
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Overseas operations continued to focus on profitability improvement and simplifying the operational governance model in Europe.
Revenue
(In billions of yen)
FY2017 | FY2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q3 | Q3 | YoY | 9M | YoY | |
Consolidated results | 553.8 | 587.0 | +6.0% | 1,730.4 | +7.0% |
HR Technology | 57.4 | 85.1 | +48.4% | 236.9 | +51.3% |
Reference: (In millions of US dollars) Revenue in US dollars with accounting policy change applied*¹ |
490 | 754 | +53.7% | 2,128 | +57.2% |
Media & Solutions | 166.7 | 178.2 | +6.9% | 527.6 | +5.8% |
Marketing Solutions | 93.4 | 100.7 | +7.9% | 295.2 | +4.7% |
Housing and Real Estate | 23.5 | 26.5 | +12.8% | 76.0 | +3.6 % |
Bridal | 14.4 | 14.1 | -2.2% | 41.9 | -0.9% |
Travel | 14.0 | 15.0 | +6.7% | 46.7 | +4.6% |
Dining | 9.9 | 10.2 | +3.4% | 28.7 | +4.2% |
Beauty | 16.2 | 18.3 | +13.1% | 53.3 | +13.5% |
Others | 15.1 | 16.3 | +8.3% | 48.3 | +2.8% |
HR Solutions | 71.3 | 76.7 | +7.5% | 230.2 | +8.9% |
Recruiting in Japan | 65.1 | 69.0 | +5.9% | 205.7 | +6.2% |
Others | 6.1 | 7.7 | +24.7% | 24.4 | +38.8% |
Eliminations and Adjustments | 1.9 | 0.7 | -62.1% | 2.2 | -58.1% |
Staffing | 336.2 | 331.1 | -1.5% | 986.1 | +0.7% |
Japan | 130.6 | 140.8 | +7.8% | 409.0 | +7.6% |
Overseas | 205.6 | 190.3 | -7.4% | 577.0 | -3.6% |
Eliminations and Adjustments | (6.6) | (7.4) | - | (20.2) | - |
EBITDA
(In billions of yen)
FY2017 | FY2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q3 | Q3 | YoY | 9M | YoY | |
Consolidated results | 76.4 | 84.8 | +11.1% | 240.1 | +11.3% |
HR Technology | 7.0 | 13.1 | +84.9% | 36.8 | +58.4% |
Media & Solutions*³ | 46.1 | 48.6 | +5.5% | 140.1 | +9.2% |
Marketing Solutions*³ | 29.7 | 33.1 | +11.6% | 90.9 | +14.1% |
HR Solutions*³ | 19.8 | 19.7 | -0.2% | 61.3 | +5.6% |
Eliminations and Adjustments | (3.3) | (4.2) | - | (12.1) | - |
Staffing*³ | 22.1 | 25.1 | +13.4% | 69.2 | +10.1% |
Japan*³ | 10.6 | 13.4 | +26.6% | 36.3 | +17.0% |
Overseas | 11.5 | 11.6 | +1.2% | 32.8 | +3.4% |
Eliminations and Adjustments | 1.0 | (2.0) | - | (6.1) | - |
EBITDA margin |
|||||
Consolidated results | 13.8% | 14.5% | +0.7pt | 13.9% | +0.5pt |
HR Technology | 12.3% | 15.4% | +3.0pt | 15.6% | +0.7pt |
Media & Solutions | 27.7% | 27.3% | -0.4pt | 26.6% | +0.8pt |
Marketing Solutions | 31.8% | 32.9% | +1.1pt | 30.8% | +2.5pt |
HR Solutions | 27.8% | 25.8% | -2.0pt | 26.6% | -0.8pt |
Staffing | 6.6% | 7.6% | +1.0pt | 7.0% | +0.6pt |
Japan | 8.1% | 9.5% | +1.4pt | 8.9% | +0.7pt |
Overseas | 5.6% | 6.1% | +0.5pt | 5.7% | +0.4pt |
*1 The Group adopted IFRS 15 in Q1 FY2018, and changed its accounting
policy. Revenues from certain customers which were previously presented
on a gross basis with agent commissions classified in cost of sales are
now presented on a net basis. FY2017 numbers assume the same accounting
policy change was applied on a pro forma basis.
*2 Internal data
based on Google Analytics, Monthly Unique Visitors, October 2018
*3
The treatment of cost allocations in intra-group transactions was
changed at the beginning of Q1 FY2018, resulting in a positive impact to
segment EBITDA for Q3 and the nine-month period of FY2018. Please refer
to "Financial Results Summary" of Q3 FY2018 for the details.
*4 For
adjusted items for EBITDA and Adjusted Profit, please refer to
"Financial Results Summary" of Q3 FY2018.
*Figures in US Dollars are the financial results of operating companies in HR Technology segment, which differ from the consolidated financial results of Recruit Holdings.
3.FY2018 Full Year Consolidated Financial Forecast
There is no revision to the financial forecasts for FY2018 due to the possibility of variances to forecasts in Q4 FY2018. In view of the recent performance, the financial results for FY2018 are expected to exceed the original forecasts previously announced on May 15, 2018.
(In billions of yen, unless otherwise stated)
FY2017 | FY2018 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Full-year | Full-year | YoY | |
Revenue | 2,173.3 | 2,302.0 | +5.9% |
EBITDA | 258.4 | 285.0 | +10.3% |
Operating income | 191.7 | 210.0 | +9.5% |
Profit attributable to owners of the parent | 151.6 | 153.0 | +0.9% |
Adjusted profit | 144.9 | 170.0 | +17.3% |
Adjusted EPS (yen) | 86.74 | 101.76 | +17.3% |
Profit available for dividends | 131.8 | 153.0 | +16.1% |
Dividend per share (yen) | 23.00 | 27.00 | - |
4.FAQ's for Q3 FY2018
Financial Results for Q3 FY2018
* We refer to the financial results for Q3 FY2018, unless otherwise stated.
Consolidated Results
Q1:
Why was the year-on-year growth rate of profit before tax
(23.7%) higher than that of operating income (12.6%) in Q3
FY2018?
A1:
This is primarily due to an increase in share of profit of
associates and joint ventures of Recruit Holdings in Q3 FY2018, mainly
resulting from an increase in net income of 51job, Inc., an
equity-method affiliate of Recruit Holdings. 51job, Inc. recognized a
non-cash gain associated with a change in fair value of its convertible
senior notes mainly resulting from changes in its stock price.
Q2:
Why was the year-on-year growth rate of adjusted profit
(26.3%) higher than that of profit attributable to owners of the parent
(14.7%) in Q3 FY2018?
A2:
This is mainly due to the lower tax exemption amount in Q3
FY2018. The tax exemption amount was higher in Q3 FY2017 mainly
resulting from tax reforms in the US and European countries. This led to
higher growth rate in adjusted profit in Q3 FY2018 due to tax
reconciliation compared to profit attributable to owners of the
parent.
Please refer to the following definition of adjusted
profit and adjustment items:
Adjusted profit = profit
attributable to owners of the parent ± adjustment items* (excluding
non-controlling interests) ± tax reconciliation related to certain
adjustment items
*Adjustment items = amortization of intangible
assets arising due to business combinations ± non-recurring
income/losses
Q3:
How did the acquisition of Glassdoor impact the consolidated
balance sheet at the end of Q3 FY2018?
A3:
The completion of the acquisition of Glassdoor during Q1
FY2018 resulted in an increase in goodwill of 132.3 billion yen in the
consolidated financial statement as of the end of Q1 FY2018. Recruit
Holdings further evaluated the fair value based on the additional
information it obtained during Q3 FY2018 and the amount of goodwill was
changed to 99.6 billion yen tentatively at the end of Q3 FY2018. Recruit
Holdings plans to complete the allocation of consideration paid for the
acquisition (including the classification of goodwill) based on the fair
value by the end of FY2018.
Q4:
How did foreign exchange rate movements impact consolidated
revenue in Q3 FY2018?
A4:
The negative impact of foreign exchange rate movements on the
consolidated revenue for Q3 FY2018 was 6.3 billion yen. Foreign exchange
rate movements negatively impacted consolidated revenue by 5.6 billion
yen for FY2018 nine-month period.
HR Technology
Q5:
Why did quarterly revenue on a US dollar basis continue to
grow strongly in Q3 FY2018?
A5:
The strong revenue growth continued mainly due to increased
sponsored job advertising revenue from new and existing customers at
Indeed, against the backdrop of a favorable economic environment and
strong labor market. In addition, revenue from Glassdoor, which was
acquired during Q1 FY2018, positively impacted the revenue growth rate
this quarter. As a result, revenue for Q3 FY2018 on a US dollar basis
increased 48.2% year on year. Assuming the reassessed identification of
a customer due to the IFRS 15 definition* was applied in the previous
fiscal year on a pro forma basis, revenue increased 53.7% year on year
on a US dollar basis.
* Please refer to FAQ No.5 for Q2 FY2018 for details:
Q6:
Why did quarterly EBITDA increase 84.9% year on year? Why did
EBITDA margin increase 300 basis points to 15.4% year on year?
A6:
EBITDA growth was primarily a result of the strong revenue
growth. In Q3 FY2018, Indeed gained scale in its sales, marketing and
customer support functions, while continuing to invest aggressively in
product and engineering to build enhanced functionality for job seekers and
employers. As a result, EBITDA margin increased by 300 basis points year on
year. The reassessed identification of a customer due to the IFRS 15
definition did not impact EBITDA, while negatively impacting revenue. While
the EBITDA margin of the HR Technology segment is expected to fluctuate
throughout the year depending on the timing of investments, it is expected
to remain within the target range of 10% to 20% on an annualized
basis.
Q7:
What was the difference in revenue growth rate between the US and
Non-US business of the HR Technology segment?
A7:
The HR Technology segment continued to achieve strong revenue
growth in the US, but, due to the earlier stages of market penetration, the
revenue growth rate outside the US in aggregate continued to outpace that of
the US, driven by key markets such as Japan, UK, Canada and Germany. We do
not disclose revenue by regions.
Q8:
How many unique visitors did Indeed reach? Please also provide an
update on the number of resumes, employees and locations.
A8:
Indeed attracted approximately 250 million monthly unique
visitors and job seeker traffic grew double digits year on year in Q3
FY2018. Indeed's resume database grew year on year, with over 150 million
resumes uploaded to its site as of the end of December 2018. As of the end
of Q3 FY2018, Indeed had approximately 8,000 employees located in 29 cities
in 14 countries.
Q9:
How many unique visitors did Glassdoor reach? Please also provide
an update on the number of employees.
A9:
Glassdoor attracted approximately 64 million monthly unique
visitors and traffic grew double digits year on year in Q3 FY2018. As of the
end of Q3 FY 2018, Glassdoor had approximately 800 employees.
Media & Solutions
Q10:
Why did quarterly revenue and EBITDA in Marketing Solutions
increase 7.9% and 11.6% year on year, respectively?
A10:
Revenue growth was primarily driven by increased revenue in the
Housing and Real Estate and Beauty subsegments. EBITDA growth was largely
driven by increased revenue. In addition, there was a positive impact on
quarterly EBITDA because the treatment of intra-group transactions such as
management service fees and general administrative fees was changed at the
beginning in Q1 FY2018 due to the group reorganization implemented from last
year. Excluding the impact of the change in the treatment of intra-group
transactions, EBITDA increased 8.5% year on year.
Q11:
Why did quarterly revenue in the Housing and Real Estate
subsegment increase 12.8% year on year?
A11:
There was no impact from the sale of a subsidiary in the Housing
and Real Estate subsegment in Q3 FY2017. Revenue growth in the independent
housing division and leasing division was primarily a result of continued
improvements to the user experience on its online platform, marketing
efforts to attract more users to the platform, and sales initiatives to
offer solutions to clients.
Q12:
Why did quarterly revenue and EBITDA in HR Solutions increase
7.5% and decrease 0.2% year on year, respectively?
A12:
Revenue increased in the Recruiting in Japan subsegment as a
result of solid performance in the professional recruiting business. EBITDA
growth rate was lower than revenue growth rate for Q3 FY2018, mainly due to
the increased investments in advertising and in the sales force to
strengthen competitiveness.
Excluding the impact of the change in
intra-group transactions described in FAQ No.10, quarterly EBITDA decreased
2.1% year on year.
Q13:
Revenue in the Recruiting in Japan increased 5.9% year on year,
but what is the revenue growth rate excluding the impact of special
factors?
A13:
The transfer of the placement business for the medical industry
to the Recruiting in Japan subsegment from Eliminations and Adjustments in
the Media & Solutions segment contributed to the revenue increase in the
Recruiting in Japan subsegment. Meanwhile, there were two factors that
negatively impacted year on year revenue growth in Q3 FY2018: 1) the
transfer of the recruiting assessment business from the Recruiting in Japan
subsegment to the Others subsegment in HR Solutions from Q1 FY2018 and 2)
the sale of a subsidiary in August 2018.
Excluding the impact of all
the factors above, revenue increased 8.2% year on year.
Staffing
Q14:
Why did quarterly revenue and EBITDA in Japan operations
increase 7.8% and 26.6% year on year, respectively?
A14:
In the Japanese labor market, the number of active agency
workers remained at a high level and the demand for agency workers continued
to be strong. In this environment, Japan operations focused on increasing
the number of its registered agency workers and new staffing contracts. As a
result, quarterly revenue increased year on year.
EBITDA grew as a
result of revenue growth in the staffing business and an increase in
placement fee revenue, which has higher profitability than staffing revenue,
as a result of revisions to Japanese laws which encouraged corporate clients
to hire agency workers directly. In addition, Japan operations were affected
by the change in the treatment of intra-group transactions, which also
impacted the Media & Solutions segment. Excluding the impact of the change
in the intra-group transactions, EBITDA increased 19.8% year on year.
Q15:
Why did quarterly revenue and EBITDA in overseas operations
decrease 7.4% and increase 1.2% year on year, respectively?
A15:
Revenue decreased primarily due to an uncertain outlook for the
European economy, the negative impact of foreign exchange rate movements and
the adoption of IFRS 15 of 6.1 billion yen and 4.0 billion yen,
respectively. Excluding the impacts of foreign exchange rate movements and
the adoption of IFRS 15, the quarterly revenue decreased 2.5% year on
year.
EBITDA grew as a result of the continued focus on decreasing
costs and increasing productivity.
Consolidated Financial Forecast for FY2018
Q16:
Please describe the current expectation for the full-year
financial forecasts for FY2018, based on favorable Q3 results.
A16:
There is no revision to the financial forecasts for FY2018 due
to the possibility of variances to forecasts in Q4 FY2018. In view of the
recent performance, the financial results for FY2018 are expected to exceed
the original forecasts previously announced on May 15, 2018.
5. Results Materials
Latest Investors' Kit for Q3 FY2018(1.5 MB)(ZIP)
Earnings Release for Q3 FY2018 (717 KB)
Financial Results Summary for Q3 FY2018 (259 KB)
Supplemental Financial Data for Q3 FY2018(230 KB)(Excel)
In preparing these materials, Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. relies upon and assumes the accuracy and completeness of all available information. However, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness and accuracy. This presentation also contains forward-looking statements. Actual results, performance and achievements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, actual results may differ significantly from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.