OREANDA-NEWS. August 04, 2016.  CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) today reported results for second quarter 2016.

"CenturyLink delivered solid second quarter financial results with total operating revenues and core revenues in line with our guidance, and operating cash flow and adjusted diluted earnings per share that exceeded our previous guidance," said Glen F. Post III, chief executive officer and president. "Our new sales and marketing leadership team continues to refine our sales channels and associated go-to-market strategies for the Business market, and continues to pivot toward higher-value bundled solutions for the Consumer market. While second quarter Consumer subscriber metrics were softer than anticipated, we expect to see an improvement in unit trends in the second half of the year.

"We also are continuing to invest with a 'network first' focus on delivering higher broadband speeds and in the transformation and virtualization of our network infrastructure through the deployment of NFV4 and SDN5 technologies. We ended the quarter with more than 8.4 million addressable households and businesses with 40 Mbps or higher speeds, including 1.2 million GPON-enabled addressable units. We expect to reach 11 million 40 Mbps or higher, including 2 million GPON-enabled addressable households and businesses by year-end 2017," concluded Post.

Consolidated Financial Results

Operating revenues for second quarter 2016 were \\$4.40 billion compared to \\$4.42 billion in second quarter 2015. Declines in legacy1,6 and data integration revenues were partially offset by higher strategic revenues1,6, and increased high-cost support revenues related to Connect America Fund Phase 2 (CAF Phase 2) in second quarter 2016.

Operating expenses decreased to \\$3.75 billion from \\$3.87 billion in second quarter 2015. Excluding special items, operating expenses decreased to \\$3.73 billion from \\$3.84 billion in second quarter 2015. The year-over-year decrease in operating expenses was primarily driven by lower depreciation and amortization expenses and employee-related costs.

Operating income increased to \\$650 million from \\$549 million in second quarter 2015 due to lower operating expenses this quarter compared to the same year-ago period.

Operating cash flow (as defined in our attached supplemental schedules), excluding special items, increased to \\$1.65 billion from \\$1.62 billion in second quarter 2015. For second quarter 2016, CenturyLink achieved an operating cash flow margin, excluding special items, of 37.5% versus 36.8% in second quarter 2015.

Net income and diluted earnings per share (EPS) were \\$196 million and \\$0.36, respectively, for second quarter 2016, compared to \\$143 million and \\$0.26, respectively, for second quarter 2015. The increase in diluted EPS was due to higher net income and the impact of the lower number of shares outstanding due to share repurchases in 2015.

Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS (as reflected in our attached supplemental schedule) exclude the after-tax impact of special items, the non-cash after-tax impact of the amortization of certain intangible assets related to major acquisitions since mid-2009, and the non-cash after-tax impact to interest expense relating to the assignment of fair value to the outstanding debt assumed in connection with those acquisitions. Excluding these items, CenturyLink's adjusted net income for second quarter 2016 was \\$342 million compared to adjusted net income of \\$308 million in second quarter 2015. Second quarter 2016 adjusted diluted EPS was \\$0.63 compared to \\$0.55 in the year-ago period due to higher adjusted net income and the impact of the lower number of shares outstanding due to share repurchases in 2015.

The accompanying financial schedules provide additional details regarding the company's special items and reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

Segment Financial Results7

Business segment revenues were \\$2.60 billion, a decrease of 2.3% from second quarter 2015, primarily due to a decline in legacy revenues, which was partially offset by 8% growth in high-bandwidth data revenues. Strategic revenues were \\$1.23 billion in the quarter, an increase of 5.0% from second quarter 2015, primarily due to the increased high-bandwidth data revenues being partially offset by lower hosting revenues.

Consumer segment revenues were \\$1.49 billion, a decrease of 0.6% from second quarter 2015, primarily due to a decline in legacy voice revenues, which was partially offset by growth in broadband and Prism® TV revenues. Strategic revenues were \\$800 million in the quarter, a 5.5% increase over second quarter 2015.

Guidance — Third Quarter 2016

CenturyLink expects an increase in data integration revenues and continued growth in strategic revenues to be offset by an anticipated decline in legacy revenues, resulting in lower third quarter 2016 operating revenues compared to second quarter 2016. The company expects third quarter 2016 operating cash flow to decline compared to second quarter 2016 primarily due to the anticipated decline in revenues and increased operating expenses related to the seasonality of outside plant maintenance and utility costs.

Third Quarter 2016 (excluding special items)

Operating Revenues


\\$4.35 to \\$4.40 billion

Core Revenues


\\$3.90 to \\$3.95 billion

Operating Cash Flow


\\$1.56 to \\$1.61 billion

Adjusted Diluted EPS


\\$0.52 to \\$0.57

All 2016 guidance figures and 2016 outlook statements included in this release (i) speak as of August 3, 2016 only, (ii) exclude the impact of any share repurchases made after June 30, 2016 and (iii) exclude the effects of special items, future impairment charges, future changes in regulation, future changes in tax laws, accounting rules or our accounting policies, unforeseen litigation or contingencies, integration expenses associated with major acquisitions, any changes in our expected pension fundings, any changes in operating or capital plans or other unforeseen events or circumstances that impact our financial performance, and any future mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures or other similar business transactions. See "Forward Looking Statements" below. For additional information on how we define certain of the terms used above, see the attached schedules.

Investor Call

As previously announced, CenturyLink's management will host a conference call at 4:00 p.m. Central Time today, August 3, 2016. Interested parties can access the call by dialing 866-814-1933. The call will be accessible for replay through August 11, 2016, by dialing 888-266-2081 and entering the access code 1673713. Investors can also listen to CenturyLink's earnings conference call and webcast replay by accessing the Investor Relations portion of the company's website at http://www.centurylink.com through August 25, 2016. Financial, statistical and other information related to the call will also be posted to our website.

Reconciliation to GAAP

This release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including but not limited to operating cash flow, free cash flow, core revenues, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS and adjustments to GAAP measures to exclude the effect of special items. In addition to providing key metrics for management to evaluate the company's performance, we believe these measurements assist investors in their understanding of period-to-period operating performance and in identifying historical and prospective trends. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached financial schedules. Reconciliation of additional non-GAAP financial measures that may be discussed during the earnings call described above, along with further descriptions of non-GAAP financial measures, will be available in the Investor Relations portion of the company's website at www.centurylink.com. Non-GAAP measures are not presented to be replacements or alternatives to the GAAP measures, and investors are urged to consider these non-GAAP measures in addition to, and not in substitution for, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. CenturyLink may determine or calculate our non-GAAP measures differently from other companies.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications, hosting, cloud and IT services company enabling millions of customers to transform their businesses and their lives through innovative technology solutions. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, Big Data analytics and IT consulting, and operates more than 55 data centers in North America, Europe and Asia. The company provides broadband, voice, video, data and managed services over a robust 250,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 300,000-route-mile international transport network. Visit www.centurylink.com for more information.

Forward Looking Statements

Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and other of our oral or written statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements as defined by the federal securities laws, and are subject to the "safe harbor" protections thereunder.

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected, or implied by us if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: the effects of competition from a wide variety of competitive providers, including lower demand for our legacy offerings; the effects of new, emerging or competing technologies, including those that could make our products less desirable or obsolete; the effects of ongoing changes in the regulation of the communications industry, including the outcome of regulatory or judicial proceedings relating to intercarrier compensation, interconnection obligations, access charges, universal service, broadband deployment, data protection and net neutrality; our ability to effectively adjust to changes in the communications industry and changes in the composition of our markets and product mix; possible changes in the demand for, or pricing of, our products and services, including our ability to effectively respond to increased demand for high-speed broadband service; our ability to successfully maintain the quality and profitability of our existing product and service offerings and to introduce new offerings on a timely and cost-effective basis; the adverse impact on our business and network from possible equipment failures, service outages, security breaches or similar events impacting our network; our ability to generate cash flows sufficient to fund our financial commitments and objectives, including our capital expenditures, operating costs, debt repayments, dividends, periodic share repurchases, periodic pension contributions and other benefits payments; changes in our operating plans, corporate strategies, dividend payment plans or other capital allocation plans, whether based upon changes in our cash flows, cash requirements, financial performance, financial position, or otherwise; our ability to effectively retain and hire key personnel and to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements on reasonable terms without work stoppages; increases in the costs of our pension, health, post-employment or other benefits, including those caused by changes in markets, interest rates, mortality rates, demographics or regulations; adverse changes in our access to credit markets on favorable terms, whether caused by changes in our financial position, lower debt credit ratings, unstable markets or otherwise; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our key business partners, suppliers, vendors, landlords and financial institutions; our ability to effectively manage our expansion opportunities; our ability to collect our receivables from financially troubled customers; any adverse developments in legal or regulatory proceedings involving us; changes in tax, communications, pension, healthcare or other laws or regulations, in governmental support programs, or in general government funding levels; the effects of changes in accounting policies or practices, including potential future impairment charges; the effects of terrorism, adverse weather or other natural or man-made disasters; the effects of more general factors such as changes in interest rates, in operating costs, in general market, labor, economic or geo-political conditions (including uncertainty about the long-term prospects of the European Union, China and certain other economies), or in public policy; and other risks referenced from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). For all the reasons set forth above and in our SEC filings, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any of our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of our forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. Furthermore, any information about our intentions contained in any of our forward-looking statements reflects our intentions as of the date of such forward-looking statement, and is based upon, among other things, existing regulatory, technological, industry, competitive, economic and market conditions, and our assumptions as of such date. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans without notice at any time and for any reason.

(1)

Core revenues defined as strategic revenues plus legacy revenues (excludes data integration and other revenues) as described further in the attached schedules.  Strategic revenues primarily include broadband, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Ethernet, Optical Wavelength, colocation, hosting, cloud, video, VoIP and IT services.  Legacy revenues primarily include voice, private line (including special access), switched access and Integrated Services Digital Network ("ISDN") and other ancillary services.

(2)

See attachments for non-GAAP reconciliations.

(3)

Beginning first quarter 2016, CenturyLink revised its Free Cash Flow calculation. See attachments for non-GAAP reconciliations.

(4)

Network functions virtualization.

(5)

Software-defined network.

(6)

Beginning second quarter 2016, private line (including special access) revenues were reclassified from strategic services to legacy services. All historical periods have been restated to reflect this change.

(7)

All references to segment data herein reflect certain adjustments described in the attached schedules.

CenturyLink, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts; shares in thousands)




















Three months ended June 30, 2016


Three months ended June 30, 2015











As adjusted






As adjusted




Increase







excluding






excluding




(decrease)





Less


special




Less


special


Increase


excluding



As


special


items


As


special


items


(decrease)


special



reported


items


(Non-GAAP)


reported


items


(Non-GAAP)


as reported


items

OPERATING REVENUES *

















Strategic

\\$

2,030





2,030



1,929





1,929



5.2

%


5.2

%


Legacy

1,938





1,938



2,089





2,089



(7.2)

%


(7.2)

%


Data integration

123





123



143





143



(14.0)

%


(14.0)

%


Other

307





307



258





258



19.0

%


19.0

%


  Total operating revenues

4,398





4,398



4,419





4,419



(0.5)

%


(0.5)

%


















OPERATING EXPENSES

















Cost of services and products

1,949



2


(1)

1,947



1,959



3


(3)

1,956



(0.5)

%


(0.5)

%


Selling, general and administrative

812



12


(1)

800



863



24


(3)

839



(5.9)

%


(4.6)

%


Depreciation and amortization

987





987



1,048





1,048



(5.8)

%


(5.8)

%


   Total operating expenses

3,748



14



3,734



3,870



27



3,843



(3.2)

%


(2.8)

%


















OPERATING INCOME

650



(14)



664



549



(27)



576



18.4

%


15.3

%

















OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

















Interest expense

(340)





(340)



(327)





(327)



4.0

%


4.0

%


Other income, net

7





7



12





12



(41.7)

%


(41.7)

%


Income tax expense

(121)



5


(2)

(126)



(91)



10


(4)

(101)



33.0

%


24.8

%

NET INCOME

\\$

196



(9)



205



143



(17)



160



37.1

%


28.1

%

BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE

\\$

0.36



(0.02)



0.38



0.26



(0.03)



0.29



38.5

%


31.0

%

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

\\$

0.36



(0.02)



0.38



0.26



(0.03)



0.29



38.5

%


31.0

%


















AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING
















Basic

539,627




539,627


558,640




558,640


(3.4)

%


(3.4)

%


Diluted

540,375




540,375


559,220




559,220


(3.4)

%


(3.4)

%


















DIVIDENDS PER COMMON SHARE

\\$

0.54





0.54



0.54





0.54



%


%

















SPECIAL ITEMS
















(1) -

Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$7 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$3 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$4 million).

(2) -

Income tax benefit of Item (1).

(3) -

Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$19 million) and integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$8 million).

(4) -

Income tax benefit of Item (3).

*

During the second quarter of 2016, we determined that because of declines due to customer migration to other strategic products and services certain of our business low-bandwidth data services, specifically our private line (including special access) services in our business segment, are now more closely aligned with our legacy services than with our strategic services. As a result, we now reflect these operating revenues as legacy services, and we have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to this change. The revision resulted in a reduction of revenue from strategic services and a corresponding increase in revenue from legacy services of \\$401 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015.


 

CenturyLink, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts; shares in thousands)




















Six months ended June 30, 2016


Six months ended June 30, 2015











As adjusted






As adjusted




Increase







excluding






excluding




(decrease)





Less


special




Less


special


Increase


excluding



As


special


items


As


special


items


(decrease)


special



reported


items


(Non-GAAP)


reported


items


(Non-GAAP)


as reported


items

OPERATING REVENUES *

















Strategic

\\$

4,019





4,019



3,832





3,832



4.9

%


4.9

%


Legacy

3,926





3,926



4,240





4,240



(7.4)%



(7.4)%



Data integration

239





239



283





283



(15.5)%



(15.5)%



Other

615





615



515





515



19.4

%


19.4

%


Total operating revenues

8,799





8,799



8,870





8,870



(0.8)%



(0.8)%



















OPERATING EXPENSES

















Cost of services and products

3,849



4


(1)

3,845



3,870



6


(3)

3,864



(0.5)

%


(0.5)

%


Selling, general and administrative

1,643



30


(1)

1,613



1,714



67


(3)

1,647



(4.1)

%


(2.1)

%


Depreciation and amortization

1,963





1,963



2,088





2,088



(6.0)

%


(6.0)

%


Total operating expenses

7,455



34



7,421



7,672



73



7,599



(2.8)

%


(2.3)

%


















OPERATING INCOME

1,344



(34)



1,378



1,198



(73)



1,271



12.2

%


8.4

%

















OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)

















Interest expense

(671)





(671)



(655)





(655)



2.4

%


2.4

%


Other (expense) income

24





24



14





14



71.4

%


71.4

%


Income tax expense

(265)



13


(2)

(278)



(222)



22


(4)

(244)



19.4

%


13.9

%

NET INCOME

\\$

432



(21)



453



335



(51)



386



29.0

%


17.4

%

BASIC EARNINGS PER SHARE

\\$

0.80



(0.04)



0.84



0.60



(0.09)



0.69



33.3

%


21.7

%

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

\\$

0.80



(0.04)



0.84



0.60



(0.09)



0.69



33.3

%


21.7

%


















AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING
















Basic

539,213




539,213


560,304




560,304


(3.8)

%


(3.8)

%


Diluted

540,281




540,281


561,362




561,362


(3.8)

%


(3.8)

%


















DIVIDENDS PER COMMON SHARE

\\$

1.08





1.08



1.08





1.08



%


%

















SPECIAL ITEMS
















(1) -

Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$21 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$7 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$6 million).

(2) -

Income tax benefit of Item (1).

(3) -

Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$32 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$18 million), the impairment of office buildings (\\$8 million) and regulatory fines associated with a 911 system outage (\\$15 million).

(4) -

Income tax benefit of Item (3).

*

During the second quarter of 2016, we determined that because of declines due to customer migration to other strategic products and services certain of our business low-bandwidth data services, specifically our private line (including special access) services in our business segment, are now more closely aligned with our legacy services than with our strategic services. As a result, we now reflect these operating revenues as legacy services, and we have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to this change. The revision resulted in a reduction of revenue from strategic services and a corresponding increase in revenue from legacy services of \\$818 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015.


 

CenturyLink, Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

JUNE 30, 2016 AND DECEMBER 31, 2015

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)


June 30,


December 31,


2016


2015

ASSETS




CURRENT ASSETS




Cash and cash equivalents

\\$

191



126


Other current assets

2,600



2,524


   Total current assets

2,791



2,650






NET PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT




Property, plant and equipment

39,763



38,785


Accumulated depreciation

(21,869)



(20,716)


   Net property, plant and equipment

17,894



18,069






GOODWILL AND OTHER ASSETS




Goodwill

20,766



20,742


Other, net

5,667



6,143


    Total goodwill and other assets

26,433



26,885






TOTAL ASSETS

\\$

47,118



47,604






LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY




CURRENT LIABILITIES




Current maturities of long-term debt

\\$

1,451



1,503


Other current liabilities

3,391



3,101


    Total current liabilities

4,842



4,604






LONG-TERM DEBT

18,165



18,722


DEFERRED CREDITS AND OTHER LIABILITIES

10,126



10,218


STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

13,985



14,060






TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

\\$

47,118



47,604






CenturyLink, Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)






Six months ended


Six months ended


June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015

OPERATING ACTIVITIES




Net income

\\$

432



335


Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:




Depreciation and amortization

1,963



2,088


Impairment of assets

1



8


Deferred income taxes

21



53


Provision for uncollectible accounts

96



84


Share-based compensation

40



38


Changes in current assets and liabilities, net

93



(93)


Retirement benefits

(28)



(19)


Changes in other noncurrent assets and liabilities, net

(35)



(11)


Other, net

18



(2)


Net cash provided by operating activities

2,601



2,481


INVESTING ACTIVITIES




Payments for property, plant and equipment and capitalized software

(1,264)



(1,272)


Cash paid for acquisitions

(24)



(4)


Proceeds from sale of property

11



26


Other, net

(2)



(8)


Net cash used in investing activities

(1,279)



(1,258)


FINANCING ACTIVITIES




Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

1,215



594


Payments of long-term debt

(1,464)



(506)


Net payments on credit facility and revolving line of credit

(410)



(405)


Dividends paid

(586)



(609)


Net proceeds from issuance of common stock

3



9


Repurchase of common stock and shares withheld to satisfy tax withholdings

(15)



(277)


Other, net



(2)


Net cash used in financing activities

(1,257)



(1,196)


Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

65



27


Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

126



128


Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

\\$

191



155


CenturyLink, Inc.

SELECTED SEGMENT FINANCIAL INFORMATION

THREE MONTHS AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)












Three months ended June 30,


Six months ended June 30,



2016


2015 *


2016


2015 *

Total segment revenues

\\$

4,091



4,161



8,184



8,355


Total segment expenses

2,141



2,140



4,192



4,211


Total segment income

\\$

1,950



2,021



3,992



4,144


Total segment income margin (segment income divided by segment revenues)

47.7

%


48.6

%


48.8

%


49.6

%










Business








Revenues *









Strategic services

\\$

1,230



1,171



2,445



2,336



Legacy services

1,244



1,344



2,518



2,737



Data integration

123



143



238



282



Total revenues

2,597



2,658



5,201



5,355


Expenses **









Total expenses

1,487



1,504



2,914



2,967











Segment income

\\$

1,110



1,154



2,287



2,388


Segment income margin

42.7

%


43.4

%


44.0

%


44.6

%










Consumer








Revenues









Strategic services

\\$

800



758



1,574



1,496



Legacy services

694



745



1,408



1,503



Data integration





1



1



Total revenues

1,494



1,503



2,983



3,000


Expenses **









Total expenses

654



636



1,278



1,244











Segment income

\\$

840



867



1,705



1,756


Segment income margin

56.2

%


57.7

%


57.2

%


58.5

%










*

During the second quarter of 2016, we determined that because of declines due to customer migration to other strategic products and services certain of our business low-bandwidth data services, specifically our private line (including special access) services in our business segment, are now more closely aligned with our legacy services than with our strategic services. As a result, we now reflect these operating revenues as legacy services, and we have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to this change. The revision resulted in a reduction of revenue from strategic services and a corresponding increase in revenue from legacy services of \\$401 million and \\$818 million (net of \\$2 million and \\$4 million of deferred revenue included in other business legacy services) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, respectively.

**

During the first half of 2016, we implemented several changes with respect to the assignment of certain expenses to our reportable segments. We have recast our previously-reported segment results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, to conform to the current presentation. For the three months ended June 30, 2015, the segment expense recast resulted in an increase in consumer expenses of \\$19 million and a decrease in business expenses of \\$21 million. For the six months ended June 30, 2015, the segment expense recast resulted in an increase in consumer expenses of \\$38 million and a decrease in business expenses of \\$42 million.

CenturyLink, Inc.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)
















Three months ended June 30, 2016


Three months ended June 30, 2015







As adjusted






As adjusted





Less


excluding




Less


excluding



As


special


special


As


special


special



reported


items


items


reported


items


items

Operating cash flow and cash flow margin













Operating income

\\$

650



(14)


(1)

664



549



(27)


(2)

576



Add: Depreciation and amortization

987





987



1,048





1,048



Operating cash flow

\\$

1,637



(14)



1,651



1,597



(27)



1,624
















Revenues

\\$

4,398





4,398



4,419





4,419
















Operating income margin (operating income divided by revenues)

14.8

%




15.1

%


12.4

%




13.0

%















Operating cash flow margin (operating cash flow divided by revenues)

37.2

%




37.5

%


36.1

%




36.8

%














Free cash flow













Operating cash flow





\\$

1,651







1,624



Less: Capital expenditures (3)





(648)







(654)



Less: Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized





(398)







(384)



Less: Pension and post-retirement impacts (4)





(7)







(10)



Less: Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds





(10)







(36)



Add: Share-based compensation





22







20



Add:  Other income





7







12



Free cash flow (5)





\\$

617







572















SPECIAL ITEMS

(1) -

Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$7 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$3 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$4 million).

(2) -

Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$19 million) and integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$8 million).



FREE CASH FLOW

(3) -

Excludes \\$5 million in second quarter 2016 and \\$2 million in second quarter 2015 of capital expenditures related to the integration of Qwest and Savvis.

(4) -

2016 includes net periodic pension benefit income of (\\$18 million), net periodic post-retirement benefit expense of \\$35 million and (\\$1 million) of benefits paid to participants of our non-qualified pension plans.  Post-retirement contributions included benefits paid by company (\\$38 million) offset by participant contributions \\$14 million and direct subsidy receipts \\$1 million.

-

2015 includes net periodic pension benefit income of (\\$17 million), net periodic post-retirement benefit expense of \\$41 million and (\\$2 million) of benefits paid to participants of our non-qualified pension plans.  Post-retirement contributions included benefits paid by company (\\$48 million) offset by participant contributions \\$14 million and direct subsidy receipts \\$2 million.

(5) -

Excludes special items identified in items (1) and (2).


 

CenturyLink, Inc.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)
















Six months ended June 30, 2016


Six months ended June 30, 2015







As adjusted






As adjusted





Less


excluding




Less


excluding



As


special


special


As


special


special



reported


items


items


reported


items


items

Operating cash flow and cash flow margin













Operating income

\\$

1,344



(34)


(1)

1,378



1,198



(73)


(2)

1,271



Add: Depreciation and amortization

1,963





1,963



2,088





2,088



Operating cash flow

\\$

3,307



(34)



3,341



3,286



(73)



3,359
















Revenues

\\$

8,799





8,799



8,870





8,870
















Operating income margin (operating income divided by revenues)

15.3

%




15.7

%


13.5

%




14.3

%















Operating cash flow margin (operating cash flow divided by revenues)

37.6

%




38.0

%


37.0

%




37.9

%














Free cash flow













Operating cash flow





\\$

3,341







3,359



Less: Capital expenditures (3)





(1,255)







(1,267)



Less: Cash paid for interest, net of amounts capitalized





(660)







(654)



Less: Pension and post-retirement impacts (4)





(28)







(20)



Less: Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds





(21)







(41)



Add: Share-based compensation





40







38



Add:  Other income





24







14



Free cash flow (5)





\\$

1,441







1,429















SPECIAL ITEMS












(1) -

Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$21 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$7 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$6 million).

(2) -

Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$32 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$18 million), the impairment of office buildings (\\$8 million) and regulatory fines associated with a 911 system outage (\\$15 million).



FREE CASH FLOW

(3) -

Excludes \\$9 million in 2016 and \\$5 million in 2015 of capital expenditures related to the integration of Qwest and Savvis.

(4) -

2016 includes net periodic pension benefit income of (\\$38 million), net periodic post-retirement benefit expense of \\$71 million and (\\$3 million) of benefits paid to participants of our non-qualified pension plans.  Post-retirement contributions included benefits paid by company (\\$89 million) offset by participant contributions \\$29 million and direct subsidy receipts \\$2 million.

-

2015 includes net periodic pension benefit income of (\\$41 million), net periodic post-retirement benefit expense of \\$82 million and (\\$3 million) of benefits paid to participants of our non-qualified pension plans.  Post-retirement contributions included benefits paid by company (\\$90 million) offset by participant contributions \\$29 million and direct subsidy receipts \\$3 million.

(5) -

Excludes special items identified in items (1) and (2).














CenturyLink, Inc.

REVENUES

(UNAUDITED)

(Dollars in millions)












Three months ended


Six months ended



June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015


June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015

Strategic services *









Business high-bandwidth data services (1)

\\$

753



697



1,491



1,384



Business hosting services (2)

305



319



612



637



Other business strategic services (3)

172



155



342



315



Consumer broadband services (4)

682



652



1,349



1,287



Other consumer strategic services (5)

118



106



225



209



Total strategic services revenues

2,030



1,929



4,019



3,832










Legacy services *









Business voice services (6)

611



648



1,233



1,318



Business low-bandwidth data services (7)

352



403



718



822



Other business legacy services (8)

281



293



567



597



Consumer voice services (6)

615



675



1,249



1,363



Other consumer legacy services (9)

79



70



159



140



Total legacy services revenues

1,938



2,089



3,926



4,240











Data integration









  Business data integration

123



143



238



282



  Consumer data integration





1



1



Total data integration revenues

123



143



239



283










Other revenues









  High-cost support revenue (10)

173



132



347



266



  Other revenue (11)

134



126



268



249



Total other revenues

307



258



615



515










Total revenues

\\$

4,398



4,419



8,799



8,870











(1)


Includes MPLS and Ethernet revenue

(2)


Includes colocation, hosting (including cloud hosting and managed hosting) and hosting area network revenue

(3)


Includes primarily broadband, VoIP, video and IT services revenue

(4)


Includes broadband and related services revenue

(5)


Includes video and other revenue

(6)


Includes local and long-distance voice revenue

(7)


Includes private line (including special access) revenue

(8)


Includes UNEs, public access, switched access and other ancillary revenue

(9)


Includes other ancillary revenue

(10)


Includes CAF Phase 1, CAF Phase 2 and federal and state USF support revenue

(11)


Includes USF surcharges

*

During the second quarter of 2016, we determined that because of declines due to customer migration to other strategic products and services certain of our business low-bandwidth data services, specifically our private line (including special access) services in our business segment, are now more closely aligned with our legacy services than with our strategic services. As a result, we now reflect these operating revenues as legacy services, and we have reclassified certain prior period amounts to conform to this change. The revision resulted in a reduction of revenue from strategic services and a corresponding increase in revenue from legacy services of \\$401 million and \\$818 million (net of \\$2 million and \\$4 million of deferred revenue included in other business legacy services) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, respectively. In addition, our business broadband services remain a strategic service and are now included in our other business strategic services.


 

CenturyLink, Inc.

HOSTING REVENUES AND OPERATING METRICS

(UNAUDITED)












Three months ended


Six months ended



June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015


June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015

Hosting Revenue Detail

(In millions)

Colocation

\\$

156



156



311



312


Managed Hosting / Cloud

127



141



258



282


Hosting Area Network

22



22



43



43


Total Hosting Revenue

\\$

305



319



612



637
























As of


As of


As of





June 30, 2016


March 31, 2016


June 30, 2015

Hosting Data Center Metrics








Number of data centers (1)



58



59



59


Sellable square feet, million sq ft



1.55



1.57



1.57


Billed square feet, million sq ft



1.02



1.01



1.01


Utilization



66

%


65

%


64

%




















(1)

We define a data center as any facility where we market, sell and deliver colocation services, managed hosting (including cloud hosting) services, multi-tenant managed services, or any combination thereof.














As of


As of


As of





June 30, 2016


March 31, 2016


June 30, 2015

Operating Metrics



(In thousands)

Broadband subscribers



5,990



6,056



6,108


Access lines



11,413



11,611



12,109


Prism TV subscribers



311



302



258





















Our methodology for counting broadband subscribers, access lines and Prism TV subscribers may not be comparable to those of other companies.
















CenturyLink, Inc.


SUPPLEMENTAL NON-GAAP INFORMATION - ADJUSTED DILUTED EPS


THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015 AND SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 AND 2015


(UNAUDITED)


(Dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts)














Three months ended


Six months ended




June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015


June 30, 2016


June 30, 2015












Net Income

\\$

196



143



432



335













Less Special Items:










Special items (excluding tax items)

(14)


(1)


(27)


(3)


(34)


(5)


(73)


(7)



Special income tax items and income tax effect of other special items

5


(2)


10


(4)


13


(6)


22


(8)


Total impact of special items

(9)



(17)



(21)



(51)













Net income, excluding special items

205



160



453



386













Add back certain items arising from purchase accounting:








Amortization of customer base intangibles:










Qwest

187



202



378



407




Embarq

20



24



40



49




Savvis

16



16



31



31













Amortization of trademark intangibles







1













Amortization of fair value adjustment of long-term debt:










Embarq

1



2



3



3




Qwest

(4)



(6)



(9)



(12)













Subtotal

220



238



443



479



Tax effect of items arising from purchasing accounting

(83)



(90)



(168)



(182)



Net adjustment, after taxes

137



148



275



297













Net income, as adjusted for above items

\\$

342



308



728



683













Weighted average diluted shares outstanding

540.4


559.2


540.3


561.4












Diluted EPS
(excluding special items)

\\$

0.38



0.29



0.84



0.69













Adjusted diluted EPS as adjusted for the above-listed purchase accounting intangible and interest amortizations (excluding special items)

\\$

0.63



0.55



1.35



1.22





The above non-GAAP schedule presents adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share (both excluding special items) by adding back to net income and diluted earnings per share certain non-cash expense items that arise as a result of the application of business combination accounting rules to our major acquisitions since mid-2009. Such presentation is not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles but management believes the presentation is useful to analysts and investors to understand the impacts of growing our business through acquisitions.


(1)


Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$7 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$3 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$4 million).


(2)


Income tax benefit of Item (1).


(3)


Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$19 million) and integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$8 million).


(4)


Income tax benefit of Item (3).


(5)


Includes severance costs associated with recent headcount reductions (\\$21 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$7 million) and costs associated with a large billing system integration project (\\$6 million).


(6)


Income tax benefit of Item (5).


(7)


Includes severance costs associated with reduction in force initiatives (\\$32 million), integration costs associated with our acquisition of Qwest (\\$18 million), the impairment of office buildings (\\$8 million) and regulatory fines associated with a 911 system outage (\\$15 million).


(8)


Income tax benefit of Item (7).