BBSI Reports Strong Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Announces New $75 Million Stock Repurchase Program

In this article:
Barrett Business Services IncBarrett Business Services Inc
Barrett Business Services Inc

- Q2 2023 Net Income of $17.0 Million, or $2.47 per Diluted Share -

VANCOUVER, Wash., Aug. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrett Business Services, Inc. (“BBSI” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: BBSI), a leading provider of business management solutions, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Summary vs. Year-Ago Quarter

  • Revenues up 1% to $264.6 million.

  • Gross billings up 5% to $1.91 billion.

  • Average worksite employees (“WSEs”) up 2%.

  • Net income of $17.0 million, or $2.47 per diluted share, compared to $18.0 million, or $2.48 per diluted share.

“In the second quarter, we continued to exceed expectations by adding net new clients and expanding benefits sales,” said BBSI President and CEO, Gary Kramer. “These positive results in our controllable growth have helped offset slower client hiring in the quarter as small businesses remained cautious. We are pleased with the ongoing ramp of our BBSI Benefits offering as we have continued to broaden our client base, and our profitability metrics continue to exceed our internal expectations. I am also pleased that our board has authorized a new $75 million stock repurchase program, which speaks to the strength of our operations, the durability of our cash flows and our long-term optimism.”

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Revenues in the second quarter of 2023 increased 1% to $264.6 million compared to $262.2 million in the second quarter of 2022.

Total gross billings in the second quarter of 2023 increased 5% to $1.91 billion compared to $1.83 billion in the same year-ago quarter (see “Key Performance Metrics” below). The increase was driven by WSEs from net client additions and higher average billings per WSE, offset in part by net client hiring.

Workers’ compensation expense as a percent of gross billings was 2.6% in the second quarter of 2023 and benefited from favorable prior year liability and premium adjustments of $6.3 million. This compares to 2.5% in the second quarter of 2022, which included favorable prior year liability and premium adjustments of $8.5 million.

Net income for the second quarter of 2023 was $17.0 million, or $2.47 per diluted share, compared to $18.0 million, or $2.48 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease is primarily attributable to lower favorable adjustments to workers’ compensation expense in the second quarter of 2023.

Liquidity

As of June 30, 2023, unrestricted cash and investments were $133.0 million compared to $159.7 million at the end of 2022. BBSI was debt free at quarter end.

Capital Allocation

BBSI’s board of directors has confirmed its regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share. The cash dividend will be paid on September 1, 2023, to all stockholders of record as of August 18, 2023.

Continuing under the Company’s stock repurchase program established in February 2022, BBSI repurchased 123,361 shares at an average price of $82.23 per share in the second quarter. At June 30, 2023, approximately $9.7 million remained available under the repurchase program.

On July 31, 2023, BBSI’s board of directors approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the Company to purchase up to $75 million of its stock over a two-year period. This new program replaces any remaining authority under the February 2022 program.

Outlook

BBSI now expects the following for 2023:

  • Gross billings growth of 4% to 6%

  • Growth in the average number of WSEs of 2% to 4%

  • Gross margin as a percent of gross billings of 3.1% to 3.15%

  • Effective annual tax rate of 27% to 28%

Conference Call

BBSI will conduct a conference call on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.

BBSI’s CEO Gary Kramer and CFO Anthony Harris will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.

Date: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time)
Toll-free dial-in number: 1-877-407-4018
International dial-in number: 1-201-689-8471
Conference ID: 13739669

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Investor Relations at 1-949-574-3860.

The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here and via the Investors section of the BBSI website at ir.bbsi.com.

A replay of the conference call will be available after 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through September 2, 2023.

Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Replay ID: 13739669

Key Performance Metrics

We report PEO revenues net of direct payroll costs because we are not the primary obligor for wage payments to our clients’ employees. However, management believes that gross billings and wages are useful in understanding the volume of our business activity and serve as an important performance metric in managing our operations, including the preparation of internal operating forecasts and establishing executive compensation performance goals. We therefore present for purposes of analysis gross billings and wage information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022.

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

(in thousands)

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

Gross billings

 

$

1,911,550

 

 

$

1,829,225

 

 

$

3,700,768

 

 

$

3,536,400

 

PEO and staffing wages

 

$

1,661,668

 

 

$

1,588,990

 

 

$

3,213,021

 

 

$

3,071,196

 


In monitoring and evaluating the performance of our operations, management also reviews the following ratios, which represent selected amounts as a percentage of gross billings. Management believes these ratios are useful in understanding the efficiency and profitability of our service offerings.

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

Percentage of Gross Billings

 

Percentage of Gross Billings

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

PEO and staffing wages

 

86.9

%

 

86.9

%

 

86.9

%

 

86.9

%

Payroll taxes and benefits

 

7.0

%

 

6.9

%

 

7.5

%

 

7.4

%

Workers' compensation

 

2.6

%

 

2.5

%

 

2.7

%

 

2.7

%

Gross margin

 

3.5

%

 

3.7

%

 

2.9

%

 

3.0

%


We refer to employees of our PEO clients as WSEs. Management reviews average and ending WSE growth to monitor and evaluate the performance of our operations. Average WSEs are calculated by dividing the number of unique individuals paid in each month by the number of months in the period. Ending WSEs represents the number of unique individuals paid in the last month of the period.

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

 

2023

 

 

% Change

 

2022

 

 

% Change

Average WSEs

 

 

124,186

 

 

1.6

%

 

 

122,234

 

 

8.8

%

Ending WSEs

 

 

127,336

 

 

2.8

%

 

 

123,853

 

 

8.4

%

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

% Change

 

2022

 

 

% Change

 

Average WSEs

 

 

121,749

 

 

2.1

%

 

 

119,216

 

 

9.1

%

 

Ending WSEs

 

 

127,336

 

 

2.8

%

 

 

123,853

 

 

8.4

%


About BBSI

BBSI (NASDAQ: BBSI) is a leading provider of business management solutions, combining human resource outsourcing and professional management consulting to create a unique operational platform that differentiates it from competitors. The Company’s integrated platform is built upon expertise in payroll processing, employee benefits, workers’ compensation coverage, risk management and workplace safety programs, and human resource administration. BBSI’s partnerships help businesses of all sizes improve the efficiency of their operations. For more information, please visit www.bbsi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release about future events and financial outlook are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect future results include: economic conditions in the Company’s service areas; the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; inflation; the availability of certain fully insured medical and other health and welfare benefits to qualifying worksite employees; the effect of changes in the Company’s mix of services on gross margin; the Company’s ability to attract and retain clients and to achieve revenue growth; the availability of financing or other sources of capital; the Company’s relationship with its primary bank lender; the potential for material deviations from expected future workers’ compensation claims experience; changes in the workers’ compensation regulatory environment in the Company’s primary markets; litigation costs; security breaches or failures in the Company’s information technology systems; the collectability of accounts receivable; changes in executive management; the carrying value of deferred income tax assets and goodwill; the effects of conditions in the global capital markets on the Company’s investment portfolio; and the potential for and effect of acquisitions, among others. Other important factors that may affect the Company’s prospects are described in the Company’s 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Although forward-looking statements help to provide complete information about the Company, readers should keep in mind that forward-looking statements are less reliable than historical information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements in this release to reflect events or changes in circumstances that occur after the date of this release.


Barrett Business Services, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)

 

 

June 30,

 

 

December 31,

 

(in thousands)

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

48,347

 

 

$

91,423

 

Investments

 

 

84,658

 

 

 

68,325

 

Trade accounts receivable, net

 

 

198,055

 

 

 

163,838

 

Prepaid expenses and other

 

 

17,625

 

 

 

19,787

 

Restricted cash and investments

 

 

68,970

 

 

 

110,989

 

Total current assets

 

 

417,655

 

 

 

454,362

 

Property, equipment and software, net

 

 

48,354

 

 

 

45,954

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

19,818

 

 

 

19,804

 

Restricted cash and investments

 

 

123,443

 

 

 

104,277

 

Goodwill

 

 

47,820

 

 

 

47,820

 

Other assets

 

 

3,995

 

 

 

3,281

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

10,819

 

 

 

11,440

 

Total assets

 

$

671,904

 

 

$

686,938

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

5,701

 

 

$

8,264

 

Accrued payroll, payroll taxes and related benefits

 

 

238,388

 

 

 

222,331

 

Income taxes payable

 

 

4,491

 

 

 

610

 

Current operating lease liabilities

 

 

6,882

 

 

 

6,957

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

22,785

 

 

 

31,603

 

Workers' compensation claims liabilities

 

 

55,941

 

 

 

62,917

 

Safety incentives liability

 

 

1,630

 

 

 

2,049

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

335,818

 

 

 

334,731

 

Long-term workers' compensation claims liabilities

 

 

135,881

 

 

 

153,070

 

Long-term operating lease liabilities

 

 

14,236

 

 

 

14,225

 

Customer deposits and other long-term liabilities

 

 

8,000

 

 

 

7,070

 

Stockholders' equity

 

 

177,969

 

 

 

177,842

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

671,904

 

 

$

686,938

 


Barrett Business Services, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

June 30,

 

 

June 30,

 

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

 

2023

 

 

2022

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional employer services

 

$

244,256

 

 

$

232,174

 

 

$

476,563

 

 

$

449,607

 

Staffing services

 

 

20,374

 

 

 

30,005

 

 

 

42,734

 

 

 

58,947

 

Total revenues

 

 

264,630

 

 

 

262,179

 

 

 

519,297

 

 

 

508,554

 

Cost of revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct payroll costs

 

 

15,110

 

 

 

22,458

 

 

 

31,981

 

 

 

44,379

 

Payroll taxes and benefits

 

 

134,109

 

 

 

126,353

 

 

 

278,691

 

 

 

262,218

 

Workers' compensation

 

 

48,365

 

 

 

46,483

 

 

 

100,035

 

 

 

94,719

 

Total cost of revenues

 

 

197,584

 

 

 

195,294

 

 

 

410,707

 

 

 

401,316

 

Gross margin

 

 

67,046

 

 

 

66,885

 

 

 

108,590

 

 

 

107,238

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

43,808

 

 

 

42,272

 

 

 

85,034

 

 

 

82,437

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1,729

 

 

 

1,523

 

 

 

3,406

 

 

 

3,031

 

Income from operations

 

 

21,509

 

 

 

23,090

 

 

 

20,150

 

 

 

21,770

 

Other income, net

 

 

2,148

 

 

 

1,554

 

 

 

4,461

 

 

 

3,190

 

Income before income taxes

 

 

23,657

 

 

 

24,644

 

 

 

24,611

 

 

 

24,960

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

6,641

 

 

 

6,630

 

 

 

6,776

 

 

 

6,658

 

Net income

 

$

17,016

 

 

$

18,014

 

 

$

17,835

 

 

$

18,302

 

Basic income per common share

 

$

2.52

 

 

$

2.52

 

 

$

2.62

 

 

$

2.51

 

Weighted average basic common shares outstanding

 

 

6,751

 

 

 

7,162

 

 

 

6,809

 

 

 

7,284

 

Diluted income per common share

 

$

2.47

 

 

$

2.48

 

 

$

2.57

 

 

$

2.48

 

Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding

 

 

6,875

 

 

 

7,257

 

 

 

6,931

 

 

 

7,365

 


Investor Relations:
Gateway Group, Inc.
Cody Slach
Tel 1-949-574-3860
BBSI@gateway-grp.com



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