Luna Innovations Incorporated Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results

Adjusted EBITDA of $0.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 versus $(0.2) million for the fourth quarter of 2014
Net income of $7.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 versus net loss of $(0.9) million for the fourth quarter of 2014

 Adjusted EBITDA of $1.0 million for the full year 2015 versus $(2.5) million for 2014
Net income of $2.3 million for the full year 2015 versus $6.0 million for 2014 

(ROANOKE, VA, March 22, 2016) - Luna Innovations Incorporated (NASDAQ: LUNA) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2015.

Following the company's merger with Advanced Photonix, Inc. ("API") in May 2015, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("adjusted EBITDA") improved to $0.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $(0.2) million for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.  Adjusted EBITDA is reconciled to net income or loss for the respective period within the tables included in this release.  Revenues increased to $15.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared to $6.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  After the realization of an $8.3 million gain associated with the receipt in December 2015 of the final payments earned with respect to the company's sale of its medical shape sensing technology in 2014, the company recognized net income attributable to common stockholders of $7.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $(0.9) million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.

“The combination of our overall growth from merging with API earlier this year plus a significantly stronger balance sheet resulting from the $9.0 million payment from Intuitive Surgical in December leaves us well-positioned for executing our growth strategy as we head into 2016,” said My Chung, president and chief executive officer.  “Our recently announced order for avalanche photodiodes demonstrates our ability to participate in the growing fiber to the premise market, which was a significant factor in our decision to merge with API last year.  We have been successful in capturing many of the operating synergies we expected to achieve following the merger, and we believe the combination of those synergies with the expected growth in our fiber optic products should lead to continued improving financial results in 2016."

Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

Total revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2015 were $15.5 million, compared to $6.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  Total revenues of $15.5 million included $8.8 million of revenue from the operations of API for the fourth quarter of 2015.  Product and licensing revenue grew to $11.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to $2.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  On a pro forma basis, this represented a 34% growth in product and licensing revenue compared to the combined revenues of Luna and API for the three months ended December 31, 2014. Technology development revenues increased to $3.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared to $3.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.

With the inclusion of API operating results in the fourth quarter of 2015, gross profit increased to $5.0 million, or 33% of total revenue, for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to gross profit of $2.2 million, or 36% of total revenue, for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  The decline in gross margin resulted from product mix in the fourth quarter of 2015, principally due to a larger volume of sales of integrated coherent receivers, which typically carry a lower gross margin than do sales of Luna's historical instruments.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $4.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to $2.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  Selling, general and administrative expenses included $0.5 million of amortization expense associated with the step-up in bases of the API assets acquired in the merger.  In addition to this amortization expense, the selling, general and administrative expenses associated with the operations of API were $1.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2015. Research, development and engineering expenses increased to $1.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared to $0.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014, reflecting $1.1 million of research and development expense associated with the operations of API for the fourth quarter of 2015.

After tax, Luna recognized a loss from continuing operations of $(0.4) million for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared to a loss from continuing operations of $(1.2) million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.

Income from discontinued operations was $8.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to income from discontinued operations of $0.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  Discontinued operations for the 2015 period represents the payment received in December 2015 to settle all remaining obligations associated with future technical milestone achievement and royalties related to the sale of Luna's medical shape sensing business sold to Intuitive Surgical in January 2014.

With the income from discontinued operations, Luna recognized net income attributable to common stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2015 of $7.9 million, compared to net loss attributable to common stockholders of $(0.9) million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.  Adjusted EBITDA improved $0.6 million, to $0.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $(0.2) million for the three months ended December 31, 2014.

Cash and cash equivalents improved to $17.5 million as of December 31, 2015, compared to $7.1 million as of September 30, 2015, and $14.1 million at December 31, 2014.  The increase in cash resulted from the $9.0 million payment from Intuitive Surgical, $1.0 million additional proceeds under Luna's debt agreement with SVB to fund future capital expenditures, and $0.4 million positive cash flow associated with Luna's ongoing business activities in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Full Year 2015 Financial Highlights

Total revenues were $44.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $21.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Revenues for 2015 included $20.6 million of revenue associated with the operations of API for the period from the closing of the merger on May 8, 2015 through December 31, 2015.  Products and licensing revenues increased to $30.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $9.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Technology development revenues increased to $13.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to $12.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Gross profit for 2015 increased to $16.5 million, or 37% of total revenue, compared to gross profit of $7.8 million, or 37% of total revenue, for 2014.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $18.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $10.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses includes an increase of $3.5 million in transaction related expenses incurred in 2015 versus 2014, $1.1 million in amortization expense associated with the step-up in bases of the assets acquired in the merger with API, and $3.1 million in other selling, general and administrative expenses associated with the operations of API for the period from the closing of the merger on May 8, 2015 through December 31, 2015.

Research, development and engineering expenses increased to $4.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $2.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Research, development and engineering expenses in 2015 include $2.5 million associated with the operations of API for the period from the closing of the merger with API on May 8, 2015 through December 31, 2015.

The $3.5 million increase in transaction related expenses in 2015 compared to 2014 in addition to the $1.1 million amortization of intangible assets associated with the step-up in bases of the API assets acquired in the merger contributed to a $1.7 million increase in Luna's operating loss for 2015 compared to 2014.  For the year ended December 31, 2015, Luna's operating loss was $6.2 million, compared to an operating loss of $4.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Income from discontinued operations was $8.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to $9.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Income from discontinued operations in each of these years related primarily to the after-tax gain recognized in the respective year for the sale of Luna's medical shape sensing business to Intuitive Surgical in January 2014.  Proceeds from this sale included $12.0 million paid to Luna in 2014 and an additional $9.0 million paid to us in December 2015.

Net income attributable to common stockholders was $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to net income attributable to common stockholders of $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Adjusted EBITDA improved $3.5 million, to $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $(2.5) million for the year ended December 31, 2014. 

Non-GAAP Measures

In evaluating the operating performance of its business, Luna’s management considers Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes certain charges and credits that are required by generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to both management and investors by excluding the effect of certain non-cash expenses and items that the company believes may not be indicative of its operating performance, because either they are unusual and the company does not expect them to recur in the ordinary course of its business or they are unrelated to the ongoing operation of the business in the ordinary course. Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results. Adjusted EBITDA has been reconciled to the nearest GAAP measure in the table following the financial statements attached to this press release.

Conference Call Information

As previously announced, Luna will conduct an investor conference call at 5:00 p.m. (EDT) today to discuss its financial results and business developments for the fourth quarter of 2015 and the full year. The call can be accessed by dialing 855.236.2056 domestically or 267.753.2162 internationally prior to the start of the call. The participant access code is 73296021. Investors are advised to dial in at least five minutes prior to the call to register. The conference call will also be webcast live over the Internet. The webcast can be accessed by logging on to the “Investor Relations” section of the Luna website, www.lunainc.com, prior to the event. The webcast will be archived under the “Webcasts and Presentations” section of the Luna website for at least 30 days following the conference call.

About Luna:

Luna Innovations Incorporated (www.lunainc.com) develops high speed optics and high performance fiber optic test products that provide unique capabilities for the aerospace, automotive, energy, defense, and telecommunications industries. Luna develops, manufactures and markets high definition fiber optic sensing (HD-FOS) products and fiber optic test and measurement instrumentation, and packages optoelectronic semiconductors into high-speed optical receivers (HSOR products), custom optoelectronic subsystems (Optoelectronics products) and Terahertz (THz) instrumentation.  Luna is organized into two business segments, which work closely together to turn ideas into products: a Technology Development segment and a Products and Licensing segment. Luna's business model is designed to accelerate the process of bringing new and innovative technologies to market.

Forward-Looking Statements:

The statements in this release that are not historical facts constitute “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include the company's expectations regarding the company’s future financial performance, the value of operating synergies following the merger with API, and the potential demand for the company's products. Management cautions the reader that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to a number of both known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and actual results, performance, and/or achievements of the company may differ materially from the future results, performance, and/or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors. These factors include, without limitation, failure of demand for the company’s products and services to meet expectations, integration or other operational issues related to the merger, technological challenges and those risks and uncertainties set forth in the company’s periodic reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Such filings are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on the company’s website at www.lunainc.com. The statements made in this release are based on information available to the company as of the date of this release and Luna undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Luna Innovations Incorporated
Consolidated Statements of Operations

Luna Innovations Incorporated
Consolidated Balance Sheets

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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Luna Innovations Incorporated
Reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

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Investor Contact:
Dale Messick, CFO
Luna Innovations Incorporated
Phone: 1.540.769.8400
Email: [email protected]