AUSTIN, Texas -- Littlefield Corporation (OTCBB:LTFD - News) today announced
earnings for the fourth quarter and for the full year 2005. Results
were substantially improved when compared to Q4-2004. This is the
seventh consecutive quarter of substantially improved operating
earnings.
There were no significant extraordinary or non-recurring expenses
during Q4-2005 though legal fees were over $200,000 greater in Q4-2005
than in Q4-2004.
Highlights, including all extraordinary income items, for the
quarter are as follows:
1. Net income for Q4-2005 improved by $1,570,412 compared to
Q4-2004. This is particularly significant given the magnitude of legal
fees.
2. Net income for the year 2005 v 2004 increased by over
$3,000,000 to $1,925,312 or $0.23 per share. This is also particularly
significant as the Company had $665,368 more in legal fees in 2005.
3. EPS for Q4-2005 are $0.04, a $0.19 per share increase compared
to Q4-2004.
4. EPS for FY 2005 are $0.23, a $0.36 per share increase compared
to FY 2004.
5. On an operating basis (before the application of corporate
overhead), Littlefield Hospitality (Word of Mouth, Premiere Tents &
Events) had Q4-2005 earnings of $139,787 a 31% increase compared to
Q4-2004.
6. On an operating basis, Littlefield Entertainment (bingo) had
Q4-2005 earnings of $733,819 a 46% increase compared to Q4-2004.
7. Revenue for Q4-2005 increased by 17% compared to Q4-2004 with
Littlefield Hospitality delivering a 19% increase and Littlefield
Entertainment providing a 14% increase.
8. Revenue for FY 2005 is $11,341,007 a 14% increase with
Littlefield Hospitality increasing by 27% and Littlefield
Entertainment increasing by 7%.
The following report is based upon accounts that have not yet been
reviewed by the Company's auditors. Any modifications as a result of
that review will be highlighted in the Company's 10-QSB filing, and,
if material, will be addressed in a subsequent press release.
REVENUE:
QUARTERLY Q4-2005 Q4-2004 Variance % Change
------------------------- ----------- ----------- --------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $3,280,151 $2,815,155 $464,996 17%
Entertainment 1,791,183 1,568,564 222,619 14%
Hospitality 1,468,074 1,238,491 229,583 19%
Revenue increased by 17% for Q4-2005. The increase in revenue was
the result of balanced increases in both Entertainment and
Hospitality. Underlying the revenue in increase in Hospitality, Word
of Mouth revenue increased by 7% while Premiere Tents & Events revenue
increased by 33%.
Premiere had the highest revenue quarter in its history in
Q4-2005! Revenue is also up in every state in which the Company's
corporate subsidiaries are engaged in bingo with Texas up 12%, South
Carolina up 20% and Alabama up 15%.
The trend of revenue increases has been as follows:
TREND OF REVENUE Q1- Q2- Q3- Q4- Q1- Q2- Q3- Q4-
INCREASES 2004 2004 2004 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005
--------------------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
LTFD Corporation (6%) (2%) 1% 9% 11% 10% 20% 17%
Entertainment (6%) 1% 15% 11% 10% 5% (1%) 14%
Hospitality (6%) (8%) (29%) 6% 5% 19% 90% 19%
YTD 2005 2004 Variance % Change
---------------------- ------------ ----------- ----------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $11,341,007 $9,927,697 $1,413,310 14%
Entertainment 6,908,360 6,484,397 423,963 7%
Hospitality 4,336,630 3,409,635 926,995 27%
This is the Company's highest level of revenue since its departure
from the amusement business in 2001. In addition, it is the highest
level of Entertainment and Hospitality revenue individually.
Premiere Tents & Events has surpassed its pre-9/11 levels of
revenue while Word of Mouth still has not recovered fully but is
clearly headed in the correct direction.
Littlefield Entertainment (bingo) revenue was up in South Carolina
by 19% and Alabama by 28% while Texas was down by 3%. The entire Texas
decline in bingo revenue is attributable to prior quarters as Q4-2005
revenue was up by 12% as previously noted.
NET INCOME:
QUARTERLY Q4-2005 Q4-2004 Variance % Change
------------------------ --------- ------------ ----------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $301,098 $(1,269,314) $1,570,412
Entertainment 733,819 503,499 230,220 46%
Hospitality 139,787 106,642 33,145 31%
Net Income improved a meaningful amount in Q4-2005. This
improvement is attributable to operating improvements in both
Entertainment and Hospitality. It is particularly significant that Net
Income increases are in greater percentages than the Revenue
percentage increases.
Both Word of Mouth and Premiere Tents & Events were profitable for
Q4-2005. Word of Mouth delivered a $37,849 increase in profits (48%)
to $117,209 while Premiere Tents & Events' profits increased to
$79,155 a 161% increase. These amounts are prior to the elimination of
intracompany transfers.
Net income was up in every state in which Littlefield
Entertainment (bingo) operates with Texas up by 39%, South Carolina up
by 66% and Alabama up by 42%.
YTD 2005 2004 Variance % Change
---------------------- ----------- ------------ ----------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $1,925,312 $(1,096,883) $3,022,195
Entertainment 3,468,919 2,311,705 1,157,214 50%
Hospitality (205,838) (489,046) 283,208 58%
Corporate income improved by over $3,000,000 and would have been
even more absent the high level of legal expenses in FY 2005 of
$950,418.
Word of Mouth was profitable for the year before intracompany
eliminations while Premiere Tents & Events, which has meaningful
levels of depreciation (a non-cash cost) that depress earnings,
reduced its loss by over 55% during FY 2005.
Littlefield Entertainment (bingo) had increases in FY net income
of 26% in South Carolina and 145% in Alabama. Texas was down by 19%
but has reversed course in Q4-2005 with an increase of 39%.
EBITDA:
EBITDA for Q4-2005 is derived as follows:
QUARTERLY LTFD Corp Entertainment Hospitality
--------------------------------- --------- ------------- -----------
Net Income $301,098 $733,819 $139,787
Interest, Taxes, Depreciation,
Amortization 193,352 68,274 75,492
EBITDA $494,450 $802,093 $215,279
QUARTERLY Q4-2005 Q4-2004 Variance % Change
-------------------------- --------- ---------- ----------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $494,450 $(956,860) $1,451,310
Entertainment 802,093 663,950 138,143 21%
Hospitality 215,279 200,969 14,310 7%
EBITDA, which is a rough measure of the Company's ability to generate
cash flow from operations, increased by $1,451,310 with both
Entertainment and Hospitality contributing in a positive manner.
YTD 2005 2004 Variance % Change
------------------------ ----------- ---------- ----------- ---------
LTFD Corporation $3,015,719 $165,850 $2,849,869 1718%
Entertainment 4,001,217 2,967,930 1,033,287 35%
Hospitality 137,213 (100,134) 237,347
The improvement in EBITDA for the FY 2005 is encouraging but most
importantly Hospitality has reversed a trend of negative EBITDA and
has now begun to contribute positively to the Company's performance.
CORPORATE OVERHEAD:
2005 2004 Variance % Change
---------- ---------- ----------- ---------
4th QUARTER $535,877 329,801 $(206,076) (62%)
YTD 2,295,806 1,269,614 (1,026,192) (81%)
Corporate overhead for Q4-2005 would have been reasonable absent the
magnitude of legal fees and expenses totaling $288,718 as compared to
$86,844 in Q4-2004. FY 2005 legal fees are $950,418 compared to
$285,050 in 2004.
EARNINGS PER SHARE:
2005 2004 Variance % Change
----------- ------------ ----------- ---------
Q4 Earnings $301,098 $(1,269,314) $1,570,412
Quarterly EPS $0.04 $(0.15) $0.19
FY Earnings $1,925,312 $(1,096,883) $3,022,195
FY EPS $0.23 $(0.13) $0.36
Shares Outstanding 8,535,706 8,370,702 165,004 2%
Quarterly EPS improved from a loss of 15 cents per share to a profit
of 4 cents per share. FY EPS improved by $0.36 per share to $0.23 per
share.
Jeffrey L. Minch, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Littlefield Corporation, offered the following comments:
"The Q4-2005 performance was a very good performance and it
compares very favorably with Q4-2004 which was a pretty good
quarter in its own right as it was the beginning of the trend of
increasing revenue in all of our businesses.
"Total Corporate Revenue was up 17% for the quarter with solid
increases in Texas (12%), South Carolina (20%) and Alabama (15%)
bingo and in Word of Mouth (7%) and Premiere Tents & Events (33%).
Revenue is likely to continue to increase in 2006.
"Net Income was up over $1,500,000 again with solid increases in
every line of business with Texas bingo up 39%, South Carolina up
20%, Alabama up 15%, Word of Mouth up 48% and Premiere up 161%.
Net Income is likely to mirror Revenue in 2006.
"An analysis of EBITDA validates the improvement which is even
more significant as meaningful amounts of debt have been repaid
thereby reducing interest expenses.
"The most significant weak spot in the Company's quarterly and
annual performance has been the high level of legal fees. There is
some encouragement on this matter as most of the legal fees were
incurred on matters which have been ultimately resolved and
therefore cannot generate additional levels of legal expenses.
There are only two significant legal expense generating issues
left confronting the Company and both of these will be resolved in
2006.
"Had legal fees been at a `normal' level, net income would have
been increased by approximately $200,000 in Q4-2005 and $650,000
in FY 2005."
Earnings will be discussed in a conference call on Friday, January
27, 2006, at 11:00 a.m. CST. Interested parties may participate by
calling 877-407-9205 and requesting the Littlefield Corporation Fourth
Quarter 2005 Earnings Conference Call.
Investors are always cautioned to be careful in drawing
conclusions from a single press release, the Company's performance in
a single quarter or the individual opinions of any member of the
Company's management in making their individual investment decisions.
In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Reform Act of 1995: except for historical information
contained herein, certain matters set forth in this press release are
forward-looking statements that are subject to substantial risks and
uncertainties, including government regulation, taxation, competition,
market risks, customer attendance, spending, general economic
conditions and other risks detailed in the Company's Securities and
Exchange Commission filings and reports.