Korn Ferry Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year FY'23 Results of Operations

Highlights

• Korn Ferry reports Q4 FY'23 fee revenue of $730.9 million, an increase of 1% (up 3% on a constant currency basis) compared to Q4 FY'22 and full year FY'23 fee revenue of $2,835.4 million, an increase of 8% (up 12% on a constant currency basis) compared to FY'22.

• Net income attributable to Korn Ferry for the fourth quarter and full year of FY'23 was $47.5 million and $209.5 million, respectively, while diluted and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.91 and $1.01 in Q4 FY'23, and were $3.95 and $4.94 for the full year, respectively.

• Operating income and Adjusted EBITDA were $72.6 million (operating margin of 9.9%) and $97.9 million (Adjusted EBITDA margin of 13.4%), respectively, in Q4 FY'23, while full year amounts were $316.3 million (operating margin of 11.2%) and $457.3 million (Adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.1%), respectively.

• The Company repurchased 255,000 shares of stock during the quarter for $13.4 million and paid dividends of $8.0 million.

• On June 26, 2023, the Company increased its regular quarterly cash dividend by 20% to $0.18 per share, which is payable on July 31, 2023 to stockholders of record on July 7, 2023.

• For the full year the Company continued to maintain its balanced approach to capital allocation by investing $254.8 million in acquisitions, investing $61.0 million in cap-ex primarily related to the Digital business and corporate infrastructure, spending $18.5 million on debt service costs, and returning $93.9 million and $33.0 million to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends, respectively.

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY), a global organizational consulting firm, today announced fourth quarter and annual fee revenue of $730.9 million and $2,835.4 million, respectively. In addition, fourth quarter diluted earnings per share was $0.91 and adjusted diluted earnings per share was $1.01.

"During fiscal year 2023 our fee revenue reached an all-time high of $2.84 billion, up 8% at actual, 12% constant currency. The story of this period though is really about the success of our diversification strategy, set forth over the past few years, which has created new revenue streams and offerings, as clearly evidenced by our clients and in our results," said Gary D. Burnison, CEO, Korn Ferry.

"In FY'23 we added a completely new capability – an interim and transition management business with more than $400 million of annual revenue on a run rate basis," added Burnison. "Additionally, the Consulting and Digital businesses have never been more relevant as our clients increasingly seek transformation, growth and profitability.

"With a world immersed in Generative AI, Korn Ferry will continue to invest not only in these technologies, but also in advancing our proprietary data, assessment instruments and knowledge as these will be the ultimate differentiators."

Fiscal 2023 Fourth Quarter Results

The Company reported fee revenue in Q4 FY'23 of $730.9 million, an increase of 1% (up 3% on a constant currency basis) compared to Q4 FY'22. Fee revenue increased primarily due to an increase in the Interim portion of Professional Search & Interim, resulting from the acquisitions of Patina, Infinity Consulting Solutions and Salo (collectively, the "acquisitions"). This was partially offset by decreases in Executive Search, the Permanent Placement portion of Professional Search & Interim and RPO mainly due to a decline in demand driven by global economic factors.

Operating margin was 9.9% in Q4 FY'23, compared to 19.2% in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 13.4% in Q4 FY'23, compared to 20.0% in the year-ago quarter. Net income attributable to Korn Ferry was $47.5 million in Q4 FY'23, compared to $91.7 million in Q4 FY'22 and Adjusted EBITDA was $97.9 million in Q4 FY'23, compared to $144.4 million in Q4 FY'22.

Operating margin and Adjusted EBITDA margin decreased primarily due to a change in fee revenue mix, with fee revenue decreasing in Executive Search and Permanent Placement, which have higher margins, and being replaced with fee revenue in Interim that has lower margins, but is more resilient to economic factors and in line with our strategy.

Fiscal 2023 Full Year Results

The Company reported fee revenue in FY'23 of $2,835.4 million, an increase of 8% (up 12% on a constant currency basis) compared to FY'22. Fee revenue increased in all lines of business except Executive Search which was down about 6% compared to FY22 mainly due to a decline in demand driven by global economic factors. The acquisitions included in Professional Search & Interim segment were a significant factor in the increase in fee revenue compared to FY22.

Operating margin was 11.2% in FY'23, compared to 17.9% in FY'22. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.1% in FY'23 compared to 20.5% in FY'22. Net income attributable to Korn Ferry was $209.5 million in FY'23 as compared to $326.4 million in FY'22 and Adjusted EBITDA was $457.3 million in FY'23 as compared to $538.9 million in FY'22.

Operating margin decreased primarily due to a change in fee revenue mix, with a decrease in fee revenue in Executive Search and Permanent Placement, which have higher margins, and being replaced with fee revenue in Interim that has lower margins, but is more resilient to economic factors and in line with our strategy and was also impacted by an increase in restructuring charges, net recorded in FY'23.

The decline in Adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily due to the change in fee revenue mix discussed above.

Results by Line of Business

Fee revenue was $175.3 million in Q4 FY'23 compared to $173.9 million in Q4 FY'22, an increase of $1.4 million or 1% (up 3% on a constant currency basis). Consulting saw growth in our core solution Organizational Strategy, partially offset by a decline in fee revenue from Leadership Development.

Adjusted EBITDA was $24.6 million in Q4 FY'23 with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 14.0% compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $30.7 million with an associated margin of 17.6% in the year-ago quarter. This decrease in Adjusted EBITDA resulted primarily from an increase in compensation and benefits expense due to higher performance-related bonus expense, partially offset by an increase in fee revenue.

Fee revenue was $91.5 million in Q4 FY'23 compared to $89.5 million in Q4 FY'22, an increase of $2.0 million or 2% (up 5% on a constant currency basis). The accumulation of sales of subscriptions in fiscal 2023 has created year-over-year growth in subscription based revenue with increases in both sales effectiveness and total rewards tools.

Adjusted EBITDA was $23.6 million in Q4 FY'23 with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 25.8% compared to $27.7 million and 31.0%, respectively, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin resulted from an increase in compensation and benefits primarily due to an increase in average headcount compared to the year-ago quarter, partially offset by an increase in fee revenue discussed above.

Fee revenue was $212.6 million and $244.2 million in Q4 FY'23 and Q4 FY'22, respectively, a year-over-year decrease of 13% (down 11% on a constant currency basis). Fee revenue saw a decline in all regions of Executive Search as a result of a 15% decrease in the number of engagements billed, partially offset by a 4% increase in weighted-average fee billed per engagement (calculated using local currency).

Adjusted EBITDA was $42.7 million in Q4 FY'23 with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 20.1% compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $64.2 million and an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 26.3%, respectively, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the decrease in fee revenue discussed above, partially offset by a decrease in performance-related bonus expense.

Fee revenue was $151.7 million in Q4 FY'23, an increase of $51.0 million or 51% (up 52% on a constant currency basis), compared to the year-ago quarter. The increase in fee revenue was mainly driven by the acquisitions, partially offset by a decrease in Permanent Placement fee revenue.

Adjusted EBITDA was $27.3 million in Q4 FY'23 with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 18.0% compared to $33.4 million and 33.2%, respectively, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily due to a change in the revenue mix with decreases in Permanent Placement fee revenue being more than offset by an increase in fee revenue from Interim due to the acquisitions, which have lower margins but are more resilient to economic factors and in line with our strategy.

Fee revenue was $99.8 million in Q4 FY'23, a decrease of $13.0 million or 12% (down 9% on a constant currency basis), compared to the year-ago quarter. RPO fee revenue decreased due to a decline in demand driven by global economic factors.

Adjusted EBITDA was $9.0 million in Q4 FY'23 with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 9.0% compared to $17.4 million and 15.4%, respectively, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to the decrease in fee revenue, partially offset by a decrease in compensation and benefits expense.

Outlook

Assuming no new major pandemic related lockdowns or further changes in worldwide geopolitical conditions, economic conditions, financial markets or foreign exchange rates, on a consolidated basis:

• Q1 FY'24 fee revenue is expected to be in the range of $668 million and $698 million; and

• Q1 FY'24 diluted earnings per share is expected to range between $0.78 to $0.95.

On a consolidated adjusted basis:

• Q1 FY'24 adjusted diluted earnings per share is expected to be in the range from $0.84 to $1.00.

Earnings Conference Call Webcast

The earnings conference call will be held today at 12:00 PM (EDT) and hosted by CEO Gary Burnison, CFO Robert Rozek, SVP Business Development & Analytics Gregg Kvochak and VP Investor Relations Tiffany Louder. The conference call will be webcast and available online at ir.kornferry.com. We will also post to this section of our website earnings slides, which will accompany our webcast, and other important information, and encourage you to review the information that we make available on our website.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We help clients synchronize strategy and talent to drive superior performance. We work with organizations to design their structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people to bring their strategy to life. And we advise them on how to reward, develop, and motivate their people. Visit kornferry.com for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release and our conference call that relate to our outlook, projections, goals, strategies, future plans and expectations, including statements relating to expected demand for our products and services, and other statements of future events or conditions are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Words such as "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "goals", "estimates", "guidance", "may", "should", "could", "will" or "likely", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Such statements are based on current expectations; actual results in future periods may differ materially from those currently expected or desired because of a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond the control of Korn Ferry. The potential risks and uncertainties include those relating to the ultimate magnitude and duration of any pandemic or outbreaks, and related restrictions and operational requirements that apply to our business and the businesses of our clients, and any related negative impacts on our business, employees, customers and our ability to provide services in affected regions, global and local political or economic developments in or affecting countries where we have operations, including concerns regarding a potential recession, inflation, interest rates, tax rates, and economic uncertainty, competition, changes in demand for our services as a result of automation, the dependence on and costs of attracting and retaining qualified and experienced consultants, dislocation in the labor markets and increasing competition for highly skilled workers, our ability to maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain key employees, maintaining our brand name and professional reputation, impact of inflationary pressures on our profitability, potential legal liability and regulatory developments, the portability of client relationships, consolidation of the industries we serve, changes and developments in government laws and regulations, evolving investor and customer expectations with regard to environmental, social and governance matters, currency fluctuations in our international operations, risks related to growth, alignment of our cost structure, restrictions imposed by off-limits agreements, reliance on information processing systems, cyber security vulnerabilities, changes to data security, data privacy and data protection laws, limited protection of our intellectual property, our ability to enhance and develop new technology, our ability to develop new products and services, the utilization and billing rates of our consultants, dependence on third parties for the execution of critical functions, our ability to successfully recover from a disaster or other business continuity problems, changes in our accounting estimates/assumptions, treaties, or regulations on our business and our company, impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, deferred tax assets that we may not be able to use, our indebtedness, expansion of social media platforms, seasonality, ability to effect acquisition and integrate acquired businesses, including Infinity Consulting Solutions and Salo and employment liability risk. For a detailed description of risks and uncertainties that could cause differences, please refer to Korn Ferry's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Korn Ferry disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains financial information calculated other than in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). In particular, it includes:

• Adjusted net income attributable to Korn Ferry, adjusted to exclude integration/acquisition costs, impairment of fixed assets, impairment of right of use assets and restructuring charges net of income tax effect;
• Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share, adjusted to exclude integration/acquisition costs, impairment of fixed assets, impairment of right of use assets and restructuring charges net of income tax effect;
• Constant currency (calculated using a quarterly average) percentages that represent the percentage change that would have resulted had exchange rates in the prior period been the same as those in effect in the current period; and
• Consolidated and Executive Search Adjusted EBITDA, which is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude integration/acquisition costs, impairment of fixed assets, impairment of right of use assets and restructuring charges when applicable, and Consolidated and Executive Search Adjusted EBITDA margin.

This non-GAAP disclosure has limitations as an analytical tool, should not be viewed as a substitute for financial information determined in accordance with GAAP, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company's results as reported under GAAP, nor is it necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.

Management believes the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures in this press release provides meaningful supplemental information regarding Korn Ferry's performance by excluding certain charges that may not be indicative of Korn Ferry's ongoing operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures are performance measures and are not indicative of the liquidity of Korn Ferry. These charges, which are described in the footnotes in the attached reconciliations, represent 1) costs we incurred to acquire and integrate a portion of our Professional Search & Interim business, 2) impairment of fixed assets associated with the decision to terminate and sublease some of our offices, 3) impairment of right of use assets due to the decision to terminate and sublease some of our offices and 4) Restructuring charges, net to realign workforce with the Company's business needs and objectives. The use of non-GAAP financial measures facilitates comparisons to Korn Ferry's historical performance. Korn Ferry includes non-GAAP financial measures because management believes they are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its evaluation of Korn Ferry's ongoing operations and financial and operational decision-making. Adjusted net income attributable to Korn Ferry, adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share and Consolidated and Executive Search Adjusted EBITDA, exclude certain charges that management does not consider on-going in nature and allows management and investors to make more meaningful period-to-period comparisons of the Company's operating results. Management further believes that Consolidated and Executive Search Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is frequently used by investors and other interested parties to measure operating performance among companies with different capital structures, effective tax rates and tax attributes and capitalized asset values, all of which can vary substantially from company to company. In the case of constant currency percentages, management believes the presentation of such information provides useful supplemental information regarding Korn Ferry's performance as excluding the impact of exchange rate changes on Korn Ferry's financial performance allows investors to make more meaningful period-to-period comparisons of the Company's operating results, to better identify operating trends that may otherwise be masked or distorted by exchange rate changes and to perform related trend analysis, and provides a higher degree of transparency of information used by management in its evaluation of Korn Ferry's ongoing operations and financial and operational decision-making.