Gen Digital 10-Q 2021-12-31
Filed 2022-02-04. 7 sections, 249K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
(Mark One)
| ☑ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Quarterly Period Ended December 31, 2021
or
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Transition Period from to
Commission File Number 000-17781
NortonLifeLock Inc.
(Exact name of the registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 77-0181864 | ||||||||||||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. employer Identification no.) | ||||||||||||||||
| 60 E. Rio Salado Parkway, | Suite 1000, | Tempe, | Arizona | 85281 | |||||||||||||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(650) 527-8000
Former name or former address, if changed since last report:
Not applicable
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | |||||||||
| Common Stock, | par value $0.01 per share | NLOK | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes þ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer | þ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No þ
The number of shares of NortonLifeLock common stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding as of January 28, 2022 was 581,861,307 shares.
NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
FORM 10-Q
Quarterly Period Ended December 31, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“NortonLifeLock,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” refer to NortonLifeLock Inc. and all of its subsidiaries. NortonLifeLock, the NortonLifeLock Logo, the Checkmark Logo, Norton, LifeLock, and the LockMan Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NortonLifeLock Inc. or its affiliates in the United States (U.S.) and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited, in millions, except par value per share amounts)
| December 31, 2021 | April 2, 2021 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,771 | $ | 933 | |||||||
| Short-term investments | 10 | 18 | |||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 113 | 117 | |||||||||
| Other current assets | 205 | 237 | |||||||||
| Assets held for sale | 58 | 233 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 2,157 | 1,538 | |||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 63 | 78 | |||||||||
| Operating lease assets | 80 | 76 | |||||||||
| Intangible assets, net | 1,054 | 1,116 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 2,876 | 2,867 | |||||||||
| Other long-term assets | 643 | 686 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 6,873 | $ | 6,361 | |||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT) | |||||||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 83 | $ | 52 | |||||||
| Accrued compensation and benefits | 80 | 107 | |||||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 1,086 | 313 | |||||||||
| Contract liabilities | 1,209 | 1,210 | |||||||||
| Current operating lease liabilities | 20 | 26 | |||||||||
| Other current liabilities | 405 | 428 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 2,883 | 2,136 | |||||||||
| Long-term debt | 2,757 | 3,288 | |||||||||
| Long-term contract liabilities | 48 | 55 | |||||||||
| Deferred income tax liabilities | 137 | 137 | |||||||||
| Long-term income taxes payable | 1,012 | 1,119 | |||||||||
| Long-term operating lease liabilities | 81 | 66 | |||||||||
| Other long-term liabilities | 53 | 60 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities | 6,971 | 6,861 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 18) | |||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity (deficit): | |||||||||||
| Common stock and additional paid-in capital, $0.01 par value: 3,000 shares authorized; 582 and 580 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021 and April 2, 2021, respectively | 1,940 | 2,229 | |||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | 22 | 47 | |||||||||
| Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) | (2,060) | (2,776) | |||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity (deficit) | (98) | (500) | |||||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit) | $ | 6,873 | $ | 6,361 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited, in millions, except per share amounts)
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 702 | $ | 639 | $ | 2,080 | $ | 1,879 | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | 105 | 87 | 307 | 263 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 597 | 552 | 1,773 | 1,616 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 160 | 140 | 466 | 428 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 60 | 71 | 194 | 199 | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 42 | 42 | 150 | 163 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 21 | 18 | 63 | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring, transition and other costs | 12 | 1 | 24 | 142 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 295 | 272 | 897 | 986 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 302 | 280 | 876 | 630 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (32) | (32) | (95) | (109) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (9) | 5 | 165 | 62 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | 261 | 253 | 946 | 583 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 59 | 80 | 230 | 95 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations | 202 | 173 | 716 | 488 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations | — | 5 | — | (128) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 202 | $ | 178 | $ | 716 | $ | 360 | |||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) per share - basic: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Continuing operations | $ | 0.35 | $ | 0.29 | $ | 1.23 | $ | 0.83 | |||||||||||||||
| Discontinued operations | $ | — | $ | 0.01 | $ | — | $ | (0.22) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income per share - basic | $ | 0.35 | $ | 0.30 | $ | 1.23 | $ | 0.61 | |||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) per share - diluted: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Continuing operations | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.29 | $ | 1.21 | $ | 0.81 | |||||||||||||||
| Discontinued operations | $ | — | $ | 0.01 | $ | — | $ | (0.21) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income per share - diluted | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.30 | $ | 1.21 | $ | 0.60 | |||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average shares outstanding: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | 582 | 593 | 581 | 591 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted | 591 | 597 | 591 | 604 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHEN****SIVE INCOME
(Unaudited, in millions)
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 202 |
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Forward-looking statements and factors that may affect future results
The discussion below contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to safe harbors under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Forward-looking statements include references to our ability to utilize our deferred tax assets, as well as statements including words such as “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “goal,” “intent,” “momentum,” “projects,” and similar expressions. In addition, projections of our future financial performance; anticipated growth and trends in our businesses and in our industries; the consummation of or anticipated impacts of acquisitions (including the recent acquisition of Avira and the Proposed Merger with Avast and related financing), divestitures, restructurings, stock repurchases, and investment activities; the outcome or impact of pending litigation, claims or disputes; our intent to pay quarterly cash dividends in the future; plans for and anticipated benefits of our solutions; matters arising out of the ongoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) investigation; anticipated tax rates, benefits and expenses; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and financial performance; and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions, based on our current expectations about future events and may not prove to be accurate. We do not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events occurring or circumstances arising after the date of this report. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and our actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements on the basis of several factors, including those that we discuss in Part II Item 1A, of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We encourage you to read that section carefully.
OVERVIEW
NortonLifeLock Inc. has the largest Consumer Cyber Safety platform in the world, empowering nearly 80 million users in more than 150 countries. We are the trusted and number one top of mind brand in consumer Cyber Safety, according to the 2020 NortonLifeLock brand tracking study. We help prevent, detect and restore potential damages caused by many cyber criminals.
Fiscal calendar
We have a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the Friday closest to March 31. The three and nine months ended December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2021 each consisted of 13 and 39 weeks, respectively. Our 2022 fiscal year consists of 52 weeks and ends on April 1, 2022.
Key financial metrics
The following tables provide our key financial metrics for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for per share amounts) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 702 | $ | 639 | $ | 2,080 | $ | 1,879 | |||||||||||||||
| Operating income | $ | 302 | $ | 280 | $ | 876 | $ | 630 | |||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations | $ | 202 | $ | 173 | $ | 716 | $ | 488 | |||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations | $ | — | $ | 5 | $ | — | $ | (128) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 202 | $ | 178 | $ | 716 | $ | 360 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income per share from continuing operations - diluted | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.29 | $ | 1.21 | $ | 0.81 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) per share from discontinued operations - diluted | $ | — | $ | 0.01 | $ | — | $ | (0.21) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income per share - diluted | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.30 | $ | 1.21 | $ | 0.60 | |||||||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 330 | $ | 293 | $ | 648 | $ | 350 |
| As Of | |||||||||||
| (In millions) | December 31, 2021 | April 2, 2021 | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments | $ | 1,781 | $ | 951 | |||||||
| Contract liabilities | $ | 1,257 | $ | 1,265 |
Below are our financial highlights for the third quarter of fiscal 2022, compared to the corresponding period in the prior year:
-
Net revenues increased $63 million, due to higher sales in both our consumer security products and our identity and information protection products. This was driven by an increase in our direct customer count year-over-year and revenue attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
-
Operating income increased $22 million, primarily due to the increase in revenue, partially offset by an increase in related cost of revenue and our investment in advertising during fiscal 2022.
-
Income (loss) from continuing operations increased $29 million, primarily due to the increase in operating income partially offset by a decrease in income tax expense.
-
Net income increased $24 million and net income per share - diluted increased $0.04, due to the increase in income from continuing operations discussed above.
Below are our financial highlights for the first nine months of fiscal 2022, compared to the corresponding period in the prior year:
-
Net revenues increased $201 million, due to higher sales in both our consumer security products and our identity and information protection products. This was driven by an increase in our direct customer count year-over-year and revenue attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
-
Operating income increased $246 million, primarily due to the increase in revenue, the decrease in restructuring costs for which the related activities were completed in fiscal 2021 and continued general and administrative efficiencies. This is partially offset by an increase in related cost of revenue and our investment in advertising during fiscal 2022.
-
Income (loss) from continuing operations increased $228 million, primarily due to the increase in operating income partially offset by an increase in income tax expense.
-
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax, increased from a loss of $128 million, primarily due to the completion of the discontinued operations activities during fiscal 2021.
-
Net income increased $356 million and net income per share increased $0.61, primarily due to the increase in income from continuing operations discussed above.
-
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased by $830 million compared to April 2, 2021, primarily due to cash generated by operations during the first nine months of fiscal 2022 and proceeds from sale of certain Mountain View, California properties.
-
Contract liabilities were relatively flat compared to April 2, 2021.
Proposed Merger with Avast
On August 10, 2021, we announced a transaction under which we intend to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Avast plc, a public company incorporated in England and Wales and a global leader of digital security and privacy headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic (Avast and such transaction, the Proposed Merger). The Proposed Merger will be implemented by means of a court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under the UK Companies Act 2006, as amended (the Scheme), and remains subject to a number of conditions. Under the terms of the Proposed Merger, Avast shareholders will be entitled to elect to receive, for each ordinary share of Avast held, in respect of their entire holding of Avast shares, either: (i) $7.61 in cash and 0.0302 of a new share of our common stock (such option, the Majority Cash Option); or (ii) $2.37 in cash and 0.1937 of a new share of our common stock (such option, the Majority Stock Option).The estimated purchase price range, based on our undisturbed closing share price of $27.20 on July, 13 2021, for the Avast shares under the Proposed Merger is $8.1 billion to $8.6 billion, depending on the Avast shareholders elections. Each of the directors of Avast who holds shares has undertaken to elect for the Majority Stock Option in respect of their entire beneficial holdings of Avast shares. We plan to finance the Proposed Merger with existing cash, cash to be generated by operations and new debt financing.
In conjunction with the Proposed Merger, on August 10, 2021, we entered into an agreement (as amended, the Interim Facilities Agreement) with certain financial institutions, in which they agreed to provide us with (i) a $3,600 million term loan interim facility B (the Interim Facility B), (ii) $750 million term loan interim facility A1 (the Interim Facility A1) and $3,500 million term loan interim facility A2 (the Interim Facility A2), and (iii) a $1,500 million interim revolving facility (the Interim Revolving Facility) (collectively, the Interim Facilities) and a commitment letter (as amended, the Commitment Letter) with certain financial institutions, in which they agreed to provide us with financing no less than the financing available under the Interim Facilities (the Definitive Facilities and, together with the Interim Facilities, the Facilities) to finance the cash consideration payable in connection with the Proposed Merger. The Definitive Facilities will be financed by a syndicate of lenders led by Bank of America, N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank N.A. On January 28, 2022, the syndication of the Definitive Facilities by lenders under the Commitment Letter was finalized with repriced commitments, which provided for an incremental increase of $500 million under our Interim Facilities and increased Interim Facility B to $3,690 million and Interim Facility A2 to $3,910 million. The Interim Facilities Agreement contains, and any definitive financing documentation entered into in connection with the Commitment Letter will contain, customary representations and warranties, events of default and covenants for transactions of this type. Definitive financing documentation entered into in connection with the Commitment Letter will replace the existing credit facility agreement upon the close of the transactions contemplated thereby.
In conjunction with the Proposed Merger, on August 10, 2021, we entered into a Co-operation Agreement (the Co-operation Agreement) with Nitro Bidco Limited, our wholly-owned subsidiary (Bidco), and Avast, pursuant to which we and Bidco agreed to, among other things, use all reasonable endeavors for the purposes of obtaining any regulatory authorizations which are required to implement the Proposed Merger, and we, Bidco and Avast agreed to cooperate with each other in preparing required transaction documents and certain other matters in connection with the Proposed Merger. The Co-operation Agreement also contains certain termination rights. The Co-operation Agreement also provides that, subject to certain exceptions, in connection with a failure to satisfy specified events, conditions or regulatory approvals, we may be required to pay Avast a break fee ranging from $100 million to $300 million.
The Proposed Merger has been approved by our Board of Directors and shareholders and the Board of Directors and shareholders of Avast. As previously reported in our Form 8-K dated November 15, 2021, the waiting period under the HSR Act in connection with the Proposed Merger expired at 11:59 P.M. E.T. on November 12, 2021. The Proposed Merger is currently expected to close on February 24, 2022, subject to regulatory approvals and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.
COVID-19 UPDATE
The COVID-19 pandemic is having widespread, rapidly evolving and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets and business practices. To protect the health and well-being of our employees, partners and third-party service providers, we implemented a work-from-home requirement for most employees, established site-specific COVID-19 prevention protocols, made substantial modifications to employee travel policies and cancelled or shifted our conferences and other marketing events to virtual-only. We continue to monitor the situation and plan to adjust our current policies as recommendations and public health guidance is changing. To date, we have not seen any meaningful negative impact on our customer success efforts, sales and marketing efforts or employee productivity. Nevertheless, as employees, partners or third-party services providers return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of inadvertent transmission of COVID-19 through human contact could still occur and result in litigation.
The U.S. and global economies have experienced a recession due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we did not experience a material increase in cancellations by customers or a material reduction in our retention rate in 2021, we may experience such an increase or reduction in the future, especially in the event of a prolonged recession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A prolonged recession could adversely affect demand for our offerings, retention rates and harm our business and results of operations, particularly in light of the fact that our solutions are discretionary purchases and thus may be more susceptible to macroeconomic pressures, as well impact the value of our common stock, ability to refinance our debt and our access to capital.
The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately forecasted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of new variants of the disease, the extent, effectiveness and acceptance of containment actions, such as vaccination programs, and the impact of these and other factors
on our employees, customers, partners and third-party service providers. For more information on the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, please see “Risk Factors” in Part II, Item 1A below.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. requires us to make estimates, including judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We have based our estimates on historical experience and on various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate our estimates on a regular basis and make changes accordingly. Management believes that the accounting estimates employed and the resulting amounts are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates. Making estimates and judgments about future events is inherently unpredictable and is subject to significant uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. Should any of these estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect, it could have a material impact on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
Our critical accounting policies and estimates were disclosed in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 2, 2021. There have been no material changes in the matters for which we make critical accounting estimates in the preparation of our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements during the nine months ended December 31, 2021.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations data as a percentage of net revenues for the periods indicated:
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 85 | 86 | 85 | 86 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 9 | 11 | 9 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring, transition and other costs | 2 | — | 1 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 42 | 43 | 43 | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 43 | 44 | 42 | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (5) | (5) | (5) | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | (1) | 1 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | 37 | 40 | 45 | 31 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | 8 | 13 | 11 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations | 29 | 27 | 34 | 26 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from discontinued operations | — | 1 | — | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | 29 | % | 28 | % | 34 | % | 19 | % |
Note: Percentages may not add due to rounding.
Net revenues
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net revenues | $ | 702 | $ | 639 | 10 | % | $ | 2,080 | $ | 1,879 | 11 | % |
Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Three Months Ended January 1, 2021
Net revenues increased $63 million, due to a $40 million increase in sales of our consumer security products and a $23 million increase in sales of our identity and information protection products. This was driven by an increase in our direct customer count year-over-year and revenue attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Nine Months Ended January 1, 2021
Net revenues increased $201 million, due to a $134 million increase in sales of our consumer security products and a $67 million increase in sales of our identity and information protection products. This was driven by an increase in our direct customer count year-over-year and revenue attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Performance Metrics
We regularly monitor a number of metrics in order to measure our current performance and estimate our future performance. Our metrics may be calculated in a manner different than similar metrics used by other companies.
The following table summarizes supplemental key performance metrics:
| Three Months Ended | |||||||||||
| (In millions, except for per user amounts) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | |||||||||
| Direct customer revenues (1) | $ | 622 | $ | 569 | |||||||
| Partner revenues | $ | 82 | $ | 70 | |||||||
| Average direct customer count | 23.4 | 20.8 | |||||||||
| Direct customer count (at quarter end) | 23.4 | 21.0 | |||||||||
| Direct average revenue per user (ARPU) | $ | 8.87 | $ | 9.10 |
(1) Direct customer revenues during the three months ended December 31, 2021 excludes a $2 million reduction of revenue from a contract liability purchase accounting adjustment. We believe that eliminating the impact of this adjustment improves the comparability of revenues between periods. In addition, although the adjustment amounts will never be recognized in our GAAP financial statements, we do not expect the acquisitions to affect the future renewal rates of revenues excluded by the adjustments.
We define direct customer revenues as revenues from sales of our consumer solutions to direct customers, which we define as active paid users who have a direct billing relationship with the Company at the end of the reported period. We exclude users on free trials and users who have indirectly purchased our product or services through partners unless such users convert or renew their subscription directly with us, or sign up for a paid membership through our web store.
Average direct customer count presents the average of the total number of direct customers at the beginning and end of the fiscal quarter.
ARPU is calculated as estimated direct customer revenues for the period divided by the average direct customer count for the same period, expressed as a monthly figure. Non-GAAP estimated direct customer revenues and ARPU have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP estimated direct customer revenues or other GAAP measures. We monitor ARPU because it helps us understand the rate at which we are monetizing our consumer customer base.
Net revenues by geographical region
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Americas | 70 | % | 72 | % | 70 | % | 72 | % | |||||||||||||||
| EMEA | 18 | % | 16 | % | 18 | % | 16 | % | |||||||||||||||
| APJ | 12 | % | 12 | % | 12 | % | 12 | % |
The Americas include the U.S., Canada and Latin America; EMEA includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa; APJ includes Asia Pacific and Japan.
Percentage of revenue by geographic region in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2021 remains primarily in the Americas but is beginning to shift into the international markets, which is consistent with our stated strategy.
Cost of revenues
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenues | $ | 105 | $ | 87 | 21 | % | $ | 307 | $ | 263 | 17 | % |
Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Three Months Ended January 1, 2021
Our cost of revenues increased $18 million, primarily due to higher revenue share costs, payment processing fees, technical support costs associated with year-over-year business growth and costs attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Nine Months Ended January 1, 2021
Our cost of revenues increased $44 million, primarily due to higher revenue share costs, payment processing fees, technical support costs associated with year-over-year business growth and costs attributable to Avira, which was acquired during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Operating expenses
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | Change in % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 160 | $ | 140 | 14 | % | $ | 466 | $ | 428 | 9 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 60 | 71 | (15) | % | 194 | 199 | (3) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 42 | 42 | — | % | 150 | 163 | (8) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | 21 | 18 | 17 | % | 63 | 54 | 17 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other costs | 12 | 1 | 1,100 | % | 24 | 142 | (83) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 295 | $ | 272 | 8 | % | $ | 897 | $ | 986 | (9) | % |
Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Three Months Ended January 1, 2021
Sales and marketing expense increased $20 million, primarily due to a $21 million increase in advertising and promotional expenses as a result of increased investment in advertising, partially offset by a $6 million decrease in IT and related support costs from corporate restructuring and cost reduction efforts in fiscal 2021.
Research and development expense decreased $11 million, primarily due to a decrease in compensation and benefits, as a result of decreased stock based compensation, and shared facility and IT costs.
General and administrative expense remained consistent, primarily due to a decrease in compensation and benefits which was offset by an increase in outside services and occupancy expense.
Amortization of intangible assets increased $3 million primarily as a result of the Avira acquisition.
Restructuring and other costs increased $11 million, in connection with the December 2020 Plan. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for details of the fiscal 2022 restructuring activities.
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Nine Months Ended January 1, 2021
Sales and marketing expense increased $38 million, primarily due to a $57 million increase in advertising and promotional expenses as a result of increased investment in advertising. This is partially offset by a $15 million decrease in IT costs from corporate restructuring and cost reduction efforts in fiscal 2021.
Research and development expense remained consistent, primarily due to a $13 million decrease in shared facility and IT costs partially offset by a $14 million increase in compensation and benefits primarily as a result of the Avira acquisition.
General and administrative expense decreased $13 million, primarily due to IT asset restructuring and write-offs in connection with our November 2019 restructuring plan (the November 2019 Plan) as well as a decrease in outside services and compensation and benefits.
Amortization of intangible assets increased $9 million primarily as a result of the Avira acquisition.
Restructuring and other costs decreased $118 million, in connection with the November 2019 Plan, which was substantially completed in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for details of the fiscal 2022 restructuring activities.
Non-operating income (expense), net
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | $ | (32) | $ | (32) | $ | (95) | $ | (109) | |||||||||||||||
| Interest income | — | — | — | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Foreign exchange gain (loss) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gain (loss) on early extinguishment of debt | — | — | (5) | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on sale of property | — | — | 175 | 35 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Transition service expense, net | — | — | — | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | (10) | 3 | (8) | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total non-operating income (expense), net | $ | (41) | $ | (27) | $ | 70 | $ | (47) |
Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Three Months Ended January 1, 2021
Non-operating income (expense), net, decreased by $14 million in expense, due to a $9 million impairment of long term assets primarily associated with our equity investments which are measured at cost minus impairment.
Nine Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared with Nine Months Ended January 1, 2021
Non-operating income (expense), net, increased by $117 million, primarily due to a $175 million gain on the sale of certain land and buildings in Mountain View during the second quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the gain on sale of our Culver City property in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. This is partially offset by a $9 million impairment of long term assets primarily
associated with one of our equity investments which is measured at cost minus impairment as well as the absence of gain on early extinguishment of debt of $20 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2021.
Provision for income taxes
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions, except for percentages) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes | $ | 261 | $ | 253 | $ | 946 | $ | 583 | |||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | $ | 59 | $ | 80 | $ | 230 | $ | 95 | |||||||||||||||
| Effective tax rate | 23 | % | 32 | % | 24 | % | 16 | % |
Our effective tax rate for income for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2021 differs from the federal statutory income tax rate primarily due to state taxes and U.S. taxation on foreign earnings.
Our effective tax rate for the three months ended January 1, 2021 differs from the federal statutory income tax rate primarily due to state taxes and U.S. taxation on foreign earnings, partially offset by the benefits of lower-tax international earnings and stock-based compensation. Our effective tax rate for the nine months ended January 1, 2021 differs from the federal statutory income tax rate primarily due to the gain on selling a building, state taxes and U.S. taxation on foreign earnings, partially offset by the benefits of lower-tax international earnings, a favorable withholding tax ruling in Japan and stock-based compensation.
We are a U.S.-based multinational company subject to tax in multiple U.S. and international tax jurisdictions. Our results of operations would be adversely affected to the extent that our geographical mix of income becomes more weighted toward jurisdictions with higher tax rates and would be favorably affected to the extent the relative geographic mix shifts to lower tax jurisdictions. Any change in our mix of earnings is dependent upon many factors and therefore, is difficult to predict.
The timing of the resolution of income tax examinations is highly uncertain and the amounts ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ materially from the amounts accrued for each year. Given the potential resolution of uncertain tax positions involves multiple tax periods and jurisdictions, we are unable to accurately estimate when these unrecognized tax benefits will be realized or released. However, it is reasonably possible that there could be significant changes to our unrecognized tax benefits in the next 12 months.
We continue to monitor the progress of ongoing income tax controversies and the impact, if any, of the expected expiration of the statute of limitations in various taxing jurisdictions.
LIQUIDITY, CAPITAL RESOURCES AND CASH REQUIREMENTS
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have historically relied on cash generated from operations, borrowings under credit facilities, issuances of debt and proceeds from divestitures for our liquidity needs.
Our principal cash requirements are primarily to meet our working capital needs, support on-going business activities, including payment of taxes and cash dividends, funding capital expenditures, servicing existing debt, repurchasing shares of our common stock and investing in business acquisitions and mergers.
Our capital allocation strategy is to balance driving stockholder returns, managing financial risk and preserving our flexibility to pursue strategic options, including acquisitions and mergers. Historically, this has included a quarterly cash dividend, the repayment of debt and the repurchase of shares of our common stock.
Cash and cash equivalents
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $1,781 million, of which $644 million was held by our foreign subsidiaries. Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments are managed with the objective to preserve principal, maintain liquidity and generate investment returns. The participation exemption system under current U.S. federal tax regulations generally allows us to make distributions of non-U.S. earnings to the U.S. without incurring additional U.S. federal tax, however these distributions may be subject to applicable state or foreign taxes.
Debt
We have an undrawn revolving credit facility of $1 billion, which expires in May 2026.
On May 7, 2021, we entered into the first amendment to our credit agreement (the First Amendment), which provided for an incremental increase under the Initial Term Loan, and extended the maturity date of the Initial Term Loan, the Delayed Draw Term Loan, and revolving credit facility from November 2024 to May 2026. We borrowed $525 million under the First Amendment of our Initial Term Loan. For additional discussion on the amendment, see Note 10 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
On May 20, 2021, we settled the $250 million principal and conversion rights of our New 2.5% Convertible Notes in cash. The aggregate settlement amount of $364 million was based on $24.40 per underlying share into which the New 2.5% Convertible
Notes were convertible. In addition, we paid $1 million of accrued and unpaid interest through the date of settlement and $1 million of cash dividends that we declared on May 10, 2021.
Proposed Merger with Avast
On August 10, 2021, the Company announced a transaction under which we intend to acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Avast plc, a public company incorporated in England and Wales and a global leader of digital security and privacy headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic (Avast and such transaction, the Proposed Merger). The estimated purchase price range, based on our undisturbed closing share price of $27.20 on July 13, 2021, for the Avast shares under the Proposed Merger is $8.1 billion to $8.6 billion, depending on the Avast shareholder elections. In conjunction with the Proposed Merger, we and certain financial institution parties entered into an Interim Facilities Agreement, under which Bank of America, N.A. and Wells Fargo Bank N.A., as interim lenders, agreed to provide us with certain term loan and revolving facilities in order to finance the cash consideration payable and based on the terms and conditions set forth in the Interim Facilities Agreement. The Interim Facilities Agreement includes (i) Interim Facility B, (ii) Interim Facility A1 and Interim Facility A2, and (iii) Interim Revolving Facility which, on or before the final repayment date, are to be repaid/replaced in full by loans made under the definitive financing documentation for the Facilities. The obligations under the Interim Facilities Agreement will be guaranteed, jointly and severally, by all of our present and future domestic subsidiaries, with certain exceptions, as applicable. Definitive financing documentation entered into connection with the Commitment Letter will replace the existing credit facility agreement upon the close of the transaction.
Sale of certain assets
On July 14, 2021, we completed the sale of certain land and buildings in Mountain View, California for cash consideration of $355 million, net of selling costs.
Cash flows
The following summarizes our cash flow activities:
| Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||
| (In millions) | December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2021 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in): | |||||||||||
| Operating activities | $ | 648 | $ | 350 | |||||||
| Investing activities | $ | 316 | $ | 164 | |||||||
| Financing activities | $ | (116) | $ | (1,658) |
See Note 7 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for our supplemental cash flow information.
Cash from operating activities
Our cash flows provided by operating activities increased by $298 million, primarily due to higher profit before taxes adjusted by non-cash items compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2021.
Cash from investing activities
Our cash flows provided by investing activities increased $152 million, primarily due to proceeds from the sale of certain Mountain View, California properties, partially offset by payment for the business acquisition and a decrease in proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments.
Cash from financing activities
Our cash flows used in financing activities decreased $1,542 million, primarily due to $512 million of proceeds from the issuance of our Initial Term Loan and decreases in repayments of debt and payments of dividends and dividend equivalents. The first nine months of fiscal 2022 reflects the settlement of our New 2.5% Convertible Notes of $364 million and payment of dividends and dividend equivalents of $230 million, compared to the settlement of our 2.0% Convertible Notes and repayment of our 4.2% Senior Notes of $1,929 million and payment of dividends and dividend equivalents of $300 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2021. Dividend equivalents paid during the first nine months of fiscal 2021 included a larger portion of awards released that were entitled to the special $12 dividend declared in fiscal 2020.
Cash Requirements
Debt. As of December 31, 2021, our total outstanding principal amount of indebtedness is summarized as follows. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information on our debt.
| (In millions) | December 31, 2021 | ||||
| Term Loans | $ | 1,723 | |||
| Senior Notes | 1,500 | ||||
| Convertible Senior Notes | 625 | ||||
| Mortgage Loans | 7 | ||||
| Total debt | $ | 3,855 |
Debt covenant compliance. The credit agreement we entered into in November 2019, which was amended and extended through May 2026 on May 7, 2021, contains customary representations and warranties, non-financial covenants for financial reporting and affirmative and negative covenants, including compliance with specified financial ratios. As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with all debt covenants. See Note 10 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding financial ratios and debt covenant compliance
Dividends. On February 3, 2022, we announced the declaration of a cash dividend of $0.125 per share of common stock to be paid in March 2022. Any future dividends and dividend equivalents will be subject to the approval of our Board of Directors.
Stock repurchases. Under our stock repurchase program, we may purchase shares of our outstanding common stock through accelerated stock repurchase transactions, open market transactions (including through trading plans intended to qualify under Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act) and privately-negotiated transactions. On May 4, 2021, our Board of Directors approved an incremental share repurchase authorization of $1,500 million. No shares were repurchased during the nine months ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, the remaining balance of our stock repurchase authorization was $1,774 million and does not have an expiration date. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions and other investment opportunities.
Restructuring. Under our restructuring plan approved by our Board of Directors in December 2020, we have incurred cash expenditures primarily for severance and termination benefits. As of December 31, 2021, we estimate remaining costs of up to $1 million in connection with the December 2020 Plan. During the nine months ended December 31, 2021, we made $7 million in cash payments related to the December 2020 Plan. Actions under the December 2020 Plan are expected to be completed in fiscal 2022. See Note 12 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further cash flow information associated with our restructuring activities.
Contractual obligations. Our principal commitments consist of principal and interest payments related to our debt instruments, obligations under our purchase agreements, repatriation tax payments under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts and obligations under various non-cancellable leases. Due to the uncertainty with respect to the timing of future cash flows associated with our unrecognized tax benefits and other long-term taxes as of December 31, 2021, we are unable to make reasonably reliable estimates of the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authorities. Therefore, $571 million in long-term income taxes payable has been excluded from our quarterly review of timing of contractual obligations.
Commitments related to the principal payments of our debt instruments increased $235 million from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 2, 2021 primarily due to additional borrowings under our Initial Term Loan, partially offset by the repayment of our New 2.5% Convertible Notes. Commitments related to repatriation tax payments under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts decreased $88 million from our fiscal year ended April 2, 2021 due to adjustments and payments made during the nine months ended December 31, 2021. In addition, obligations under our purchase agreements decreased $83 million from our fiscal year ended April 2, 2021 due to billings for actual services rendered during the nine months ended December 31, 2021. There have been no other material changes, outside the ordinary course of business, to the contractual obligations reported in our Annual Report. For additional information about our debt obligations and certain other contingencies, see Note 10 and Note 18, respectively, of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Business Combinations. Under the terms of the Proposed Merger, we expect to pay a purchase price for the Avast shares ranging from $8.1 billion to $8.6 billion upon the completion of the transaction, which is currently expected to occur on February 24, 2022. In conjunction with the Proposed Merger, we have secured debt under the Interim Facilities which will be available upon the close of the transaction. If the Proposed Merger is completed, our debt obligations will include principal and interest payments related to these credit facilities. See Note 4 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information regarding this business combination and the related debt instruments.
Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, together with cash generated from operations and amounts available under our credit facility, will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs and support on-going business activities through at least the next 12 months and to meet our known long-term contractual obligations. We plan to finance the cash consideration payable to Avast primarily with borrowings under our Interim Facilities. We believe that our existing cash and cash to be generated by operations, along with amounts available under the new credit facility,
will satisfy our long-term cash requirements for this transaction. However, our future liquidity and capital requirements may vary materially from those as of December 31, 2021 depending on several factors, including, but not limited to, economic conditions; the expansion of sales and marketing activities; the costs to acquire or invest in businesses; and the risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” in Part II, Item 1A below.
Indemnifications
In the ordinary course of business, we may provide indemnifications of varying scope and terms to customers, vendors, lessors, business partners, subsidiaries and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of our breach of agreements or representations and warranties made by us. In connection with the sale of Veritas and the sale of our Enterprise Security business to Broadcom, we assigned several leases to Veritas Technologies LLC or Broadcom and/or their related subsidiaries. See Note 18 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further information on our indemnifications.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
There have been no significant changes to our market risk exposures during the first nine months of fiscal 2022, as compared to those discussed in Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, set forth in Part II, Item 7A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 2, 2021.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The SEC defines the term “disclosure controls and procedures” to mean a company’s controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. “Disclosure controls and procedures” include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management. Our management (with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer) has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act). Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of the end of the period covered by this report.
(b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting or in other factors during the third quarter of fiscal 2022, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
(c) Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Information with respect to this Item may be found under the heading “Litigation contingencies” in Note 18 of the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-Q, which information is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
A description of the risk factors associated with our business is set forth below. The list is not exhaustive, and you should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties before investing in our common stock.
COVID-19 RISKS
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how we are operating our business, and the duration and extent to which this will impact our future results of operations and overall financial performance remains uncertain.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having widespread, rapidly evolving, and unpredictable impacts on global society, economies, financial markets, and business practices. To protect the health and well-being of our employees, partners and third-party service providers, we have implemented a work-from-home requirement for most employees until further notice, established site-specific COVID-19 prevention protocols, made substantial modifications to employee travel policies, and cancelled or shifted our conferences and other marketing events to virtual-only for the foreseeable future. We continue to monitor the situation and will adjust our current policies as recommendations and public health guidance changes. To date, we have not seen any meaningful negative impact on our customer success efforts, sales and marketing efforts, or employee productivity. Nevertheless, as employees, partners or third-party services providers return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of inadvertent transmission of COVID-19 through human contact could still occur and result in litigation.
The U.S. and global economies have experienced a recession due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we did not experience a material increase in cancellations by customers or a material reduction in our retention rate in fiscal 2021 or in the first three quarters of fiscal 2022, we may experience such an increase or reduction in the future, especially in the event of a prolonged recession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A prolonged recession could adversely affect demand for our offerings, retention rates and harm our business and results of operations, particularly in light of the fact that our solutions are discretionary purchases and thus may be more susceptible to macroeconomic pressures, as well impact the value of our common stock, ability to refinance our debt, and our access to capital.
The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately forecasted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of new variants of the disease, the extent, effectiveness and acceptance of containment actions, such as vaccination programs, and the impact of these and other factors on our employees, customers, partners and third-party service providers. If we are not able to respond to and manage the impact of such events effectively and if the macroeconomic conditions of the general economy or the industries in which we operate do not improve, or deteriorate further, our business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND INDUSTRY
If we are unable to develop new and enhanced solutions, or if we are unable to continually improve the performance, features, and reliability of our existing solutions, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Our future success depends on our ability to effectively respond to evolving threats to consumers, as well as competitive technological developments and industry changes, by developing or introducing new and enhanced solutions on a timely basis.
We have in the past incurred, and will continue to incur, significant research and development expenses as we focus on organic growth through internal innovation. We believe that we also must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our research and development efforts to decrease our reliance on third parties. If we do not achieve the benefits anticipated from these investments, or if the achievement of these benefits is delayed, our operating results may be adversely affected. Additionally, we must continually address the challenges of dynamic and accelerating market trends and competitive developments. Customers may require features and capabilities that our current solutions do not have. Our failure to develop new solutions and improve our existing solutions to satisfy customer preferences and effectively compete with other market offerings in a timely and cost-effective manner may harm our ability to retain our customers and attract new customers. A loss of customers would adversely impact our business and operating results.
The development and introduction of new solutions involve a significant commitment of time and resources and are subject to a number of risks and challenges including but not limited to:
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Lengthy development cycles;
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Evolving industry and regulatory standards and technological developments by our competitors and customers;
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Rapidly changing customer preferences;
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Evolving platforms, operating systems, and hardware products, such as mobile devices;
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Product and service interoperability challenges with customer’s technology and third-party vendors;
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The integration of products and solutions from acquired companies;
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Entering into new or unproven markets; and
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Executing new product and service strategies.
In addition, third parties, including operating systems and internet browser companies, may take steps to limit the interoperability of our solutions with their own products and services, in some cases to promote their own offerings. This could delay the development of our solutions or our solutions may be unable to operate effectively. This could also result in decreased demand for our solutions, decreased revenue, and harm to our reputation, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
If we are not successful in managing these risks and challenges, or if our new or improved solutions are not technologically competitive or do not achieve market acceptance, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
We operate in a highly competitive environment, and our competitors may gain market share in the markets for our solutions.
We operate in intensely competitive markets that experience frequent technological developments, changes in industry and regulatory standards, changes in customer requirements and preferences, and frequent new product introductions and improvements. If we are unable to anticipate or react to these continually evolving conditions, we could lose market share and experience a decline in our revenues. To compete successfully, we must maintain an innovative research and development effort to develop new solutions and enhance our existing solutions, effectively adapt to changes in the technology or product rights held by our competitors as well as the ways our information is accessed, used and stored by our customers, and appropriately respond to competitive strategies.
Our competitors include software vendors and operating system providers that offer solutions that directly compete with our offerings. We face growing competition from other technology companies, as well as from companies in the identity threat protection space such as credit bureaus. Many of our competitors are increasingly developing and incorporating into their products data protection software and other competing products, often free of charge, that compete at some level with our offerings. Our competitive position could be adversely affected to the extent that our customers perceive the functionality incorporated into these products as replacing the need for our solutions. We face additional risk that these products could limit the operability of our solutions for our customers. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marke
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Item 6. Exhibits
| Exhibit Number | Incorporated by Reference | Filed/Furnished with this 10-Q | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exhibit Description | Form | File Number | Exhibit | File Date | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31.01 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31.02 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32.01† | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32.02† | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 101 | The following financial information from NortonLifeLock Inc.'s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 are formatted in iXBRL (Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, (iii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iv) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit), (vi) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (vi) Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text and including detailed tags. | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) | X |
| † | This exhibit is being furnished rather than filed, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing, in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| NORTONLIFELOCK INC. | ||||||||
| (Registrant) | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ Vincent Pilette | |||||||
| Vincent Pilette Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| By: | /s/ Natalie Derse | |||||||
| Natalie Derse Chief Financial Officer |
February 4, 2022