Research Solutions Reports Fiscal Third Quarter 2023 Results

Reports 18% Revenue Increase and 24% Increase in ARR to $9.1 Million

HENDERSON, Nev., May 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS), a pioneer in providing cloud-based workflow solutions for R&D driven organizations, reported financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31, 2023.

Fiscal Third Quarter 2023 Summary

• Total revenue of $10.3 million, an 18.1% increase from prior-year quarter and the Company's first reported quarter of over $10 million in revenue
• Platform revenue up 26% to $2.2 million. Annual Recurring Revenue ("ARR") up 24% to $9.1 million.
• Gross profit up 24% from prior-year quarter. Total gross margin improved 190 basis points to 38.9%.
• Earnings of $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $0.01 per share in the prior-year quarter. Fiscal year to date net income of $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $0.05 in the same fiscal year to date period in the prior-year.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $559,000 compared to $94,000 in the prior-year quarter
• Positive cash flow from operations of $0.8 million for the quarter and $1.9 million fiscal year to date, compared to negative cash flow from operations of $0.4 million in the same fiscal year to date period in the prior-year

"Our third quarter results reflect the continued adoption of our platform by new customers and a 16% revenue increase in our transactions business, due to both organic growth and the successful transition of customer contracts from FIZ Karlsruhe, which took effect on January 1, 2023," said Roy W. Olivier, President and CEO of Research Solutions. "Platform growth remained challenging in the quarter as our customers continue to extend sales cycles and operate under tightened budgets. Our profitability, however, has allowed us to continue to invest in marketing and product development, with some important product features being successfully released in the quarter. We feel well positioned to execute as the economic environment improves and believe our products will be even more relevant to our research customers."

Fiscal Third Quarter 2023 Results

Total revenue was $10.3 million, an 18.1% increase from $8.8 million in the year-ago quarter as both platform and transaction revenue increased from the prior period.

Platform subscription revenue increased 26% to $2.2 million compared to $1.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the total number of paid Platform deployments, including 25 net deployments added in the quarter, as well as upsells to existing customers. The quarter ended with annual recurring revenue of $9.1 million, up 24% year-over-year (see the company's definition of annual recurring revenue below).

Transaction revenue was $8.1 million, compared to $7.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2022. The increase was primarily due to organic growth and higher transaction volumes related to contracts transferred from FIZ Karlsruhe effective on January 1, 2023. The transaction customer count for the quarter was 1,417, compared to 1,193 customers in the prior-year quarter (see the company's definition of active customer accounts and transactions below).

Total gross margin improved 190 basis points from the prior-year quarter to 38.9%. The increase was primarily driven by a continued revenue mix shift to the higher-margin Platforms business as well as increased margins in the transactions business.

Total operating expenses were $3.9 million, compared to $3.6 million in the third quarter of 2022. The increase was primarily due to higher sales and marketing and general and administrative costs, the latter related to recruiting fees expensed in the period.

Net income in the third quarter was $237,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($341,000), or ($0.01) per share, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was $559,000, compared to $94,000 in the year-ago quarter (see definition and further discussion about the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP term, below).

Conference Call

Research Solutions President and CEO Roy W. Olivier and CFO Bill Nurthen will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.

Date: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
Dial-in number: 1-412-317-5180
Conference ID: 10178138

The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay until June 11, 2023 by dialing  1-412-317-6671 and using the replay ID 10178138, and via the investor relations section of the company's website at https://researchsolutions.investorroom.com/.

Active Customer Accounts, Transactions and Annual Recurring Revenue

The company defines active customer accounts as the sum of the total quantity of customers per month for each month in the period divided by the respective number of months in the period. The quantity of customers per month is defined as customers with at least one transaction during the month.

A transaction is an order for a unit of copyrighted content fulfilled or managed in the Platform.

The company defines annual recurring revenue ("ARR") as the value of contracted Platform subscription recurring revenue normalized to a one-year period.

Use of Non-GAAP Measure – Adjusted EBITDA

Research Solutions' management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various financial metrics. In addition to the company's GAAP results, management also considers the non-GAAP measure of Adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure provides useful information about the company's operating results.

The tables below provide a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), plus interest expense, other income (expense), foreign currency transaction loss, provision for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, gain on sale of discontinued operations, and other potential adjustments that may arise. Set forth below is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss):

About Research Solutions

Research Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSSS) provides cloud-based technologies to streamline the process of obtaining, managing, and creating intellectual property. Founded in 2006 as Reprints Desk, the company was a pioneer in developing solutions to serve researchers. Today, more than 70 percent of the top pharmaceutical companies, prestigious universities, and emerging businesses rely on Article Galaxy, the company's SaaS research platform, to streamline access to the latest scientific research and data with 24/7 customer support. For more information and details, please visitwww.researchsolutions.com and www.reprintsdesk.com

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may contain "forward-looking statements" regarding future events and our future results. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the markets in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "targets," "goals," "projects", "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "endeavors," "strives," "may," or variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict, estimate or verify. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include those factors described in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as such may be amended or supplemented by subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, or other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding additional customers, potential acquisitions and the Company's prospects for growth. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements. For more information, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

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SOURCE Research Solutions, Inc.