Cornerstone OnDemand Announces Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

AUGUST 6, 2021

Cornerstone OnDemand Announces Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – August 5, 2021 – Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSOD) today announced results(1) for its second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Additionally, in a separate release, Cornerstone announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with certain of its affiliates, “Clearlake”). Under the terms of the agreement, Clearlake will acquire the outstanding shares of Cornerstone common stock for $57.50 per share in cash. The transaction has an enterprise value of approximately $5.2 billion.

Second Quarter 2021 Results(2):

  • Revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $214.3 million. This represents a 16.3% increase compared to the same period of the prior year.
  • Subscription revenue for the second quarter of 2021 was $206.8 million. This represents a 16.7% increase compared to the same period of the prior year.
  • Income (loss) from operations for the second quarter of 2021 was $20.9 million, yielding a margin of 9.8%, compared to income (loss) from operations of $(22.4) million and a margin of (12.1)% in the same period of the prior year.
  • Non-GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2021 was $68.6 million, yielding a non-GAAP operating margin of 32.0%, compared to non-GAAP operating income of $39.9 million and a non-GAAP operating margin of 21.6% in the same period of the prior year.
  • Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $(0.4) million, or $(0.01) diluted net loss per share, compared to net loss of $(12.0) million, or $(0.19) diluted net loss per share, in the same period of the prior year.
  • Non-GAAP net income for the second quarter of 2021 was $51.9 million, or $0.73 non-GAAP diluted net income per share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $27.2 million, or $0.40 non-GAAP diluted net income per share, in the same period of the prior year.
  • Net cash provided by operating activities for the second quarter of 2021 was $45.3 million, yielding a margin of 21.1%, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $22.8 million and a margin of 12.4% in the same period of the prior year.
  • Unlevered free cash flow for the second quarter of 2021 was $44.3 million, yielding a margin of 20.7%, compared to unlevered free cash flow of $15.4 million and a margin of 8.4% in the same period of the prior year. Unlevered free cash flow for the second quarter of 2021 includes approximately $4.2 million of restructuring and acquisition-related cash outflows.

Recent Highlights:

  • IDC MarketScape named Cornerstone as a leader in its Worldwide Integrated Talent Management Vendor Assessment reports for learning management, talent management, performance management, and compensation management.
  • Cornerstone hosted the Learning Content Summit: Reunite, Rebuild, Recharge, a free, virtual opportunity for organizations and their people to get valuable, timely insights and information to help drive much-needed skill development and agility at work.
  • Cornerstone was selected as one of the 2021 Top 20 Online Learning Library Companies by Training Industry. Selection of this year’s list was based on breadth and quality of courses and content; quality of features and capabilities; industry visibility, innovation, and impact; strength of clients and geographic reach; and company size and growth potential.

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(1) Non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating income margin, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted net income per share, unlevered free cash flow, and unlevered free cash flow margin are non-GAAP financial measures. See the discussion in the section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Key Metrics” and the reconciliations at the end of this press release. (2) On April 22, 2020, Cornerstone acquired Saba Software, Inc. (“Saba”); the discussion herein includes Saba’s results for the post-acquisition period.

Quarterly Conference Call

In light of the announced transaction with Clearlake, Cornerstone will not hold its earnings conference call previously scheduled for today, August 5, 2021 at 5 p.m. ET.

About Cornerstone

Cornerstone powers the future-ready workforce, with HR software and solutions designed to unite people, teams, technology and business, and inspire a work environment of growth, agility and success for all. With an AI-powered and skills-forward system designed for the contemporary workforce, we help organizations modernize the learning and development experience, deliver the most relevant content from anywhere, accelerate talent and career mobility, and establish skills as the universal language of growth and success across the business. Cornerstone serves over 6,000 customers and 75M users and is available in 180 countries and 50 languages. Learn more at https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/

Note: Cornerstone® and Cornerstone OnDemand® are registered trademarks of Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Key Metrics

To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, the Company has provided in this press release and the quarterly conference call held on the date hereof certain non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics. These non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics include:

(i) non-GAAP cost of revenue, which is defined as cost of revenue less stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets;

(ii) annual recurring revenue, which is defined as the annualized recurring value of all active contracts at the end of a reporting period;

(iii) net annual dollar retention rate, which is defined as the percentage of annual recurring revenue from all customers on the first day of a fiscal year that is retained from those same customers on the last day of that same fiscal year. This percentage excludes all annual recurring revenue from new customers added during the fiscal year. Incremental sales during the fiscal year to customers are included in the calculation solely for customers that existed as of the first day of the fiscal year. Therefore, it is possible for our net annual dollar retention rate to exceed 100% in a given fiscal year if incremental sales to existing customers exceed the churn in annual recurring revenue from those same customers during that year.

Prior to 2020, incremental sales were only included to the extent those sales offset any decrease in annual recurring revenue from the original amount on the first day of the fiscal year and therefore, the historical net annual dollar retention rate could never exceed 100%. Beginning in 2020, this ratio includes all customers. Previously, Cornerstone for Salesforce, Cornerstone PiiQ, Grovo, and Workpop customers were excluded from the calculation. We believe that our net annual dollar retention rate is an important metric to measure the long-term value of customer agreements and our ability to retain and incrementally sell to our customers;

(iv) unlevered free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures and capitalized software costs plus cash paid for interest;

(v) unlevered free cash flow margin, a non-GAAP financial measure, which is defined as unlevered free cash flow divided by revenue;

(vi) non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP diluted net income per share, which exclude, for the periods in which they are presented, stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related and integration expenses, restructuring expenses, accretion of debt discount and amortization of debt issuance costs, discrete tax items, fair value adjustments on strategic investments, and excludes the impacts of unamortized stock-based compensation expense in applying the treasury method for determining the non-GAAP weighted average number of dilutive shares outstanding;

(vii) non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin, which exclude stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets reflected in cost of revenue;

(viii) non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating income margin, which are defined as income or loss from operations excluding stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related and integration expenses, and restructuring expenses;

(ix) non-GAAP operating expenses, which exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition-related and integration expenses, and restructuring expenses; and

(x) non-GAAP sales and marketing expense, non-GAAP research and development expense, and non-GAAP general and administrative expense, each of which excludes stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible assets attributable to the corresponding GAAP financial measures.

The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures and other key metrics internally in analyzing its financial results and believes they are useful to investors, as a supplement to the corresponding GAAP measures, in evaluating the Company’s ongoing operational performance and trends and in comparing its financial measures with other companies in the same industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures and key metrics to help investors understand the operational performance of their businesses. In addition, the Company believes that the following non-GAAP adjustments are useful to management and investors for the following reasons:

  • Stock-based compensation. The Company excludes stock-based compensation expense because it is non-cash in nature, and management believes that its exclusion provides additional insight into the Company’s operational performance and also provides a useful comparison of the Company’s operating results to prior periods and its peer companies. Additionally, determining the fair value of certain stock-based awards involves a high degree of judgment and estimation. The expense recorded may bear little resemblance to the actual value realized upon the vesting or future exercise of such awards.
  • Amortization of intangible assets. The Company excludes amortization of acquired intangible assets because the expense is a non-cash item and management believes that its exclusion provides meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company’s operational performance and allows for a useful comparison of its operating results to prior periods and its peer companies.
  • Acquisition-related and integration. The Company excludes expenses related to acquisitions and integration because the expenses are discrete to specific acquisitions and are not necessarily indicative of its continuing operations. The Company believes that the exclusion of these expenses provides investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operational performance.
  • Restructuring. The Company excludes expenses related to restructuring because the expense is not indicative of its continuing operations. The Company believes that the exclusion of these expenses provides investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operational performance.
  • Accretion of debt discount and amortization of debt issuance costs. The Company recognizes effective interest expense on its debt. The difference between the effective interest expense and the contractual interest expense, which is composed of accretion of debt discount and amortization of debt issuance costs, is excluded from management’s assessment of the Company’s operating performance because management believes that these non-cash expenses are not indicative of ongoing operating performance. In addition, the exclusion of these items provides a useful comparison of the Company’s operating results to prior periods and its peer companies.
  • Discrete tax items. The Company excludes discrete income tax charges or benefits that are not expected to recur because the items are not indicative of continuing operations. The Company believes that the exclusion of these items provides investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operational performance.
  • Fair value adjustments on strategic investments. The Company views the increase or decrease in the fair value of its strategic investments as not indicative of operational performance during any particular period and believes that the exclusion of these gains or losses provides investors with a supplemental view of the Company’s operational performance.

Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP and are not necessarily comparable to similarly-titled measures presented by other companies. For the periods presented, reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures have been provided in the tables included as part of this press release.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed transaction, the Company will be filing documents with the SEC, including preliminary and definitive proxy statements relating to the proposed transaction. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to Company stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PRELIMINARY AND DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENTS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE PROXY STATEMENT WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents (when they are available) and other related documents filed with the SEC atthe SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov, on the Company’s website at www.cornerstoneondemand.com or by contacting Company Investor Relations at (310) 526-2531.

Participants in the Solicitation

This communication does not constitute a solicitation of proxy, an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. Cornerstone and Clearlake and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Cornerstone stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about Cornerstone’s directors and executive officers in the proposed transaction will be included in the proxy statement described above. Additional information regarding these individuals is set forth in Cornerstone’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2020, the definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A for Cornerstone’s most recent Annual Meeting of Stockholders held in June 2021, and Cornerstone’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021.To the extent Cornerstone’s directors and executive officers or their holdings of Cornerstone securities have changed from the amounts disclosed in those filings, to Cornerstone’s knowledge, such changes have been or will be reflected on initial statements of beneficial ownership on Form 3 or statements of change in ownership on Form 4 on file with the SEC. These documents are (or, when filed, will be) available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or at Cornerstone’s website at www.cornerstoneondemand.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expected timing, completion and effects of the proposed merger. These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Cornerstone’s expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements as a result of uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties related to: the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed merger, satisfaction of closing conditions precedent to the consummation of the proposed merger, potential delays in consummating the merger, the ability of Cornerstone to timely and successfully achieve the anticipated benefits of the merger and the impact of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on the parties’ respective businesses and the actions the parties may take in response thereto. Additional risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in Cornerstone’s most recent filings with the SEC, including Cornerstone’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 and any subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K filed with the SEC from time to time and available at www.sec.gov.

The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date hereof. Cornerstone assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

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About Cornerstone

Cornerstone powers the future-ready workforce, with HR software and solutions designed to unite people, teams, technology and business, and inspire a work environment of growth, agility and success for all. With an AI-powered and skills-forward system designed for the contemporary workforce, we help organizations modernize the learning and development experience, deliver the most relevant content from anywhere, accelerate talent and career mobility, and establish skills as the universal language of growth and success across the business. Cornerstone serves over 6,000 customers and 75M users and is available in 180 countries and 50 languages. https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/

Investor Relations Contact

Jason Gold

jgold@csod.com

+1 (310) 526-2531

Media Contact

Deaira Irons

dirons@csod.com

+1 (310) 752-0164