HACKETT GROUP, INC. - Quarter Report: 2017 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2017

OR

For the transition period from              to             

Commission File Number 333-48123

The Hackett Group, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(305) 375-8005

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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 requirement for the past 90 days.    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files).    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether 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.

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 registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    YES    NO  ☒

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

As of August 4, 2017, there were 28,869,509 shares of common stock outstanding.

The Hackett Group, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The Hackett Group, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share data)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

3

The Hackett Group, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share data)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

4

The Hackett Group, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

5

The Hackett Group, Inc.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

6

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation and General Information

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of The Hackett Group, Inc. (“Hackett” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the Company’s accounts and those of its wholly-owned subsidiaries which the Company is required to consolidate. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments which are necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of the dates and for the periods presented. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Accordingly, these statements do not include all the disclosures normally required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 30, 2016, included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company with the SEC. The consolidated results of operations for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2017, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period or for the full fiscal year.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and unbilled revenue, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities and debt. As of June 30, 2017 and December 30, 2016, the carrying amount of each financial instrument approximated the instrument’s respective fair value due to the short-term nature and maturity of these instruments.

The Company uses significant other observable market data or assumptions (Level 2 inputs as defined in accounting guidance) that it believes market participants would use in pricing debt. The fair value of the debt approximated the carrying amount, using Level 2 inputs, due to the short-term variable interest rates based on market rates.

Business Combinations

The Company applies the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations, in the accounting for its acquisitions, which requires recognition of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values, separately from goodwill. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred and the net of the acquisition date fair values of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed. While the Company uses its best estimates and assumptions to accurately value assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as contingent consideration, where applicable, its estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. As a result, during the measurement period, that may be up to 12 months from the acquisition date, the Company records adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with a corresponding adjustment to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, the impact of any subsequent adjustments is included in the consolidated statements of operations.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance on revenue recognition, which provides for a single, principles-based model for revenue recognition and replaces the existing revenue recognition guidance. The guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017 and will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. It permits the use of either a retrospective or cumulative effect transition method and early adoption is permitted, however not before December 15, 2016. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is in the process of evaluating the effect this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.    

7

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation and General Information (continued)

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance on leases which supersedes the current lease guidance. The core principle requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from nearly all leases on the balance sheet. Accounting applied by lessors will remain largely consistent with previous guidance. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is assessing the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued guidance simplifying the accounting for share-based payment transactions including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statements of cash flows. Under the new standard, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies should be recognized as income tax expense or benefit on the statements of income.  An excess income tax benefit arises when the tax deduction of a share-based award for income tax purposes exceeds the compensation cost recognized for financial reporting purposes and, a tax deficiency arises when the compensation cost exceeds the tax deduction. Under current GAAP, excess tax benefits are recognized as additional paid-in capital while tax deficiencies are recognized either as an offset to accumulated excess tax benefits, if any, or on the statements of income.

Management adopted the guidance effective December 31, 2016. As a result of the adoption of this guidance, management made an accounting policy election to recognize the effect of forfeitures in compensation cost when they occur, which had an immaterial impact on results of operations and financial position and no impact on cash flows at adoption.  In the first quarter of 2017, the Company recorded no income tax expense as a result of the adoption of the new guidance relating to the accounting on the vesting of share-based awards. Excluding the effect of the new guidance, the effective tax rate would have been 33% for certain federal, foreign and state taxes during the six months ended June 30, 2017.

Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts in the consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

2. Net Income per Common Share

Basic net income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. With regard to common stock subject to vesting requirements and restricted stock units issued to the Company’s employees and non-employee members of its Board of Directors, the calculation includes only the vested portion of such stock and units.

Dilutive net income per common share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, increased by the assumed conversion of other potentially dilutive securities during the period.

The following table reconciles basic and dilutive weighted average common shares:

Approximately 0.8 million and 0.7 million shares of common stock equivalents were excluded from the computations of diluted net income per common share for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2017, respectively, as compared to 0.9 million for both of the periods in 2016, as their inclusion would have had an anti-dilutive effect on diluted net income per common share.   

8

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

3. Accounts Receivable and Unbilled Revenue, Net

Accounts receivable and unbilled revenue, net, consisted of the following (in thousands):

Accounts receivable is net of uncollected advanced billings. Unbilled revenue includes recognized recoverable costs and accrued profits on contracts for which billings had not been presented to clients.

4. Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):

5. Restructuring Costs

The Company recorded restructuring costs of $1.3 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2017, which primarily relate to the transition of resources driven by our migration from on premise software to cloud-based implementations, as well as the Jibe acquisition, and the rationalization of global resources as a result of the emergence of RPA (“Robotic Process Automation”) related engagements from the Aecus acquisition.  As of June 30, 2017, the Company had $0.2 million remaining in restructuring commitments which will be fully utilized the next quarter. The restructuring liability is included in the accrued expenses and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.   

The following table sets forth the activity in the restructuring expense accruals (in thousands):

9

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

6. Credit Facility

The Company entered into a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. (“Bank of America”), pursuant to which Bank of America agreed to lend the Company up to $20.0 million pursuant to a revolving line of credit (the “Revolver”) and up to $47.0 million pursuant to a term loan (the “Term Loan”).  The Company has fully utilized and repaid its Term Loan.

On May 9, 2016, the Company amended and restated the credit agreement with Bank of America to:

The obligations of Hackett under the Revolver are guaranteed by active existing and future material U.S. subsidiaries of Hackett (the “U.S. Subsidiaries”), and are secured by substantially all of the existing and future property and assets of Hackett and the U.S. Subsidiaries, a 100% pledge of the capital stock of the U.S. Subsidiaries, and a 66% pledge of the capital stock of Hackett’s direct foreign subsidiaries (subject to certain exceptions).

During the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company had net borrowings of $11.0 million and $13.0 million, respectively, under the Revolver and had a balance of $20.0 million outstanding as of June 30, 2017. The interest rates per annum applicable to borrowings under Revolver will be, at the Company’s option, equal to either a base rate or a LIBOR base rate, plus an applicable margin percentage. The applicable margin percentage is based on the consolidated leverage ratio, as defined in the Credit Agreement. As of June 30, 2017, the applicable margin percentage was 1.50% per annum based on the consolidated leverage ratio, in the case of LIBOR rate advances, and 0.75% per annum, in the case of base rate advances. The interest rate as of June 30, 2017, was 2.56%.

The Company is subject to certain covenants, including total consolidated leverage, fixed cost coverage, adjusted fixed cost coverage and liquidity requirements, each as set forth in the Credit Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.  As of June 30, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all covenants.

7. Stock Based Compensation

During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company issued 636,730 restricted stock units at a weighted average grant-date fair value of $16.67 per share. As of June 30, 2017, the Company had 1,675,608 restricted stock units outstanding at a weighted average grant-date fair value of $11.77 per share. As of June 30, 2017, $12.8 million of total restricted stock unit compensation expense related to unvested awards had not been recognized and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.9 years.

During the quarter ended June 30, 2017, 182,279 shares of common stock subject to vesting requirements were issued. These shares were issued to settle the equity portion of the closing consideration to the sellers in the acquisition of Jibe Consulting in May 2017 and will vest over four years. See Note 12 “Acquisitions” for further details. As of June 30, 2017, the Company had 531,024 shares of common stock subject to vesting requirements outstanding at a weighted average grant-date fair value of $12.85 per share. As of June 30, 2017, $5.3 million of compensation expense related to common stock subject to vesting requirements had not been recognized and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 2.1 years.

10

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

8. Shareholders’ Equity

Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”)

In 2012, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) agreed to give up 50% of their equity incentive compensation awards under the 1998 Stock Option and Incentive Plan for the years 2012 through 2015 in exchange for 2.9 million SARs with an exercise price of $4.00, only to be earned upon the achievement of 50% growth in pro forma earnings per share and 50% growth in pro forma EBITDA from a base year of 2011.  The grants would have expired if neither target were achieved during a six-year term.

In the first quarter of 2015, the outstanding SARs awards for the achievement of 50% growth in pro forma earnings per share vested with the Audit Committee’s approval of the Company’s 2014 financial statements. In the first quarter of 2016, the outstanding SARs awards for the Company’s achievement of over 50% growth of pro forma EBITDA vested with the Audit Committee’s approval of the Company’s 2015 financial statements.  As of June 30, 2017, no SARs had been exercised. By the end of 2015, all non-cash stock compensation expense relating to the outstanding SARs had been expensed.

Treasury Stock

Under the Company’s share repurchase plan, the Company may buy back shares of its outstanding stock either on the open market or through privately negotiated transactions subject to market conditions and trading restrictions. During the quarter ended June 30, 2017, the Company repurchased 507 thousand shares of its common stock at an average price of $15.01 per share for a total cost of $7.6 million. During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company repurchased 566 thousand shares of its common stock at an average price of $15.55 per share for a total cost of $8.8 million. As of June 30, 2017, the Company had $0.6 million available under its share repurchase plan authorization. Subsequent to June 30, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an additional $5.0 million authorization under the repurchase plan increasing the total authorization to $137.2 million.  

During the quarter ended July 1, 2016, the Company repurchased 1.7 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $14.73 per share for a total cost of $25.4 million. During the six months ended July 1, 2016, the Company repurchased 2.0 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $14.60 per share for a total cost of $29.6 million.    

The shares repurchased under the share repurchase plan during the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2017, do not include 21 thousand and 195 thousand shares, respectively, which the Company bought back to satisfy employee net vesting obligations for a cost of $0.4 million and $3.3 million.  During the quarter and six months ended July 1, 2016, the Company bought back 29 thousand and 284 thousand shares, respectively, at a cost of $0.4 million and $3.8 million, respectively, to satisfy employee net vesting obligations.       

On May 6, 2016, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the repurchase of 697 thousand shares of its common stock from the Company’s CEO, 732 thousand shares of its common stock from the Company’s COO, and 73 thousand shares of its common stock from the Company’s Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) for a total of approximately 1.5 million shares at a purchase price of $14.77 per share. The transaction was approved by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors which is comprised solely of independent directors and was effected as part of the Company’s share repurchase program.  Following the transaction, Mr. Fernandez, Mr. Dungan and Mr. Ramirez remained the beneficial owners of 11.8%, 4.9% and 0.9% shares, respectively, of the outstanding common stock.  Following the transaction, approximately $3.1 million remained available under the Company’s share repurchase program. One of the primary reasons for this transaction was to lower the Company’s weighted average shares outstanding which had increased by 11% from the first quarter of 2016 as a result of the vesting of the SARs and appreciation in share price. The repurchase reduced weighted average shares outstanding by approximately 4% and is $0.03 to $0.04 accretive on an annualized basis. Based the most recent SEC filings, including shares of Company common stock beneficially owned and shares that could be acquired upon the exercise of the SARs, Mr. Fernandez continues to be the single largest beneficial shareholder of the Company.

In reviewing and approving the transaction, the independent directors of the Board considered, among other factors, the benefits to the Company’s stockholders of this transaction such as the fact that (i) the share repurchase transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share, and (ii) the transaction was a unique opportunity to repurchase a large block of shares in an orderly manner. The transaction was funded from borrowings under the Company’s Revolver which was amended on May 9, 2016 in order to provide an additional $25.0 million in borrowing capacity for an aggregate amount of up to $45.0 million from time to time.   

11

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

8. Shareholders’ Equity (continued)

Dividend Program

In 2016, the Company increased the annual dividend from $0.20 per share to $0.26 per share to be paid on a semi-annual basis which resulted in aggregate dividends of $4.0 million paid to shareholders of record on July 11, 2016 and December 22, 2016, respectively. These dividends were paid from U.S. domestic sources and are accounted for as an increase to accumulated deficit. The dividend declared in December 2016 was paid in January 2017. During the quarter ended March 31, 2017, the Company increased its annual dividend to $0.30 per share to be paid on a semi-annual basis.  The first semi-annual dividends for 2017 were paid on July 10, 2017.

9. Transactions with Related Parties

During the six months ended June 30, 2017, the Company bought back 59 thousand shares of its common stock from members of its Board of Directors for $1.2 million, or $20.13 per share.  

10. Litigation

The Company is involved in legal proceedings, claims, and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business not specifically discussed herein. In the opinion of management, the final disposition of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, cash flows or results of operations.

11. Geographic and Group Information

Revenue, which is primarily based on the country of the contracting entity was attributed to the following geographical areas (in thousands):

Long-lived assets are attributable to the following geographic areas (in thousands):

As of June 30, 2017 and December 30, 2016, foreign assets included $14.2 million and $11.9 million, respectively, of goodwill related to acquisitions.   

12

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

11. Geographic and Group Information (continued)

In the following table, the Hackett Group service group encompasses Benchmarking, Business Transformation, Executive Advisory, Oracle Cloud Applications, EPM and EPM Application Maintenance and Support groups.  The SAP Solutions service group encompasses SAP ERP Implementation and SAP Maintenance groups (in thousands):

12. Acquisitions

Jibe Consulting, Inc.

Effective May 1, 2017, the Company acquired certain assets and liabilities of Jibe Consulting, Inc. (“Jibe”), a U.S.- based Oracle E-Business Suite (“EBS”) and Oracle Cloud Business Application implementation firm. The acquisition of Jibe enhances the Company’s Cloud Application capabilities and strongly complements its market leading EPM transformation and technology implementation group.

Management’s purchase consideration was $5.4 million in cash, not subject to vesting, and $3.6 million in shares of the Company’s common stock, subject to vesting. The equity that was issued has a four-year vesting term and will be recorded as compensation expense over the respective vesting period. In addition, the Sellers have the opportunity to earn an additional $6.6 million in cash and $4.4 million in Company stock based on the achievement of performance targets over the next 18 months for a total of $11.0 million in contingent consideration.  The cash related to the contingent consideration is not subject to service vesting and has been accounted for as part of the purchase consideration. This contingent liability has been recorded in the consolidated balance sheet as non-current accrued expenses and other liabilities. The equity related to the contingent consideration will be subject to service vesting and will be recorded as compensation expense over the respective vesting period. As of June 30, 2017, the Company has recorded $0.3 million of non-cash stock compensation related to the equity portion of the closing consideration and the equity portion of the contingent consideration. The initial cash consideration was funded from borrowings under the Company’s Revolver.

13

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

12. Acquisitions (continued)

The purchase price was allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values.  The fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired was based on estimates and assumptions made by management at the time of the acquisition. Management is currently working to complete the valuation of identified intangible assets, goodwill and related deferred income taxes. As additional information, as of the acquisition date, becomes available and as management completes its evaluation, the preliminary purchase price allocation may be revised during the remainder of the measurement period (which will not exceed 12 months from the Acquisition Date). Any such revisions or changes may be material as the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are finalized. The following table presents the preliminary purchase price allocation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on the fair values (in thousands):

The recognized goodwill is primarily attributable the benefits the Company expects to derive from enhanced market opportunities. The acquired intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over periods ranging from 2 to 5 years. The following table presents the preliminary intangible assets acquired from Jibe:

The acquisition was not material to the Company's results of operations, financial position, or cash flows and, therefore, the pro forma impact of these acquisitions is not presented. During the three months ended June 30, 2017, Jibe contributed $2.8 million of revenue before reimbursable expenses and contribution before depreciation, amortization, interest, corporate overhead allocation and taxes of $0.2 million.  The acquisition related costs incurred in the second quarter of 2017 totaled $0.2 million and were all classified in selling, general and administrative costs in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. All goodwill is expected to be deductible for tax purposes.

Aecus Limited

Effective April 6, 2017, the Company acquired 100% of the equity of the U.K.-based operations of Aecus Limited (“Aecus”), a European Outsourcing Advisory and Robotics Process Automation (“RPA”) consulting firm. This acquisition strongly complements the global strategy and business transformation offerings of the Hackett Group.

Management’s purchase consideration was £3.2 million in cash. In addition, the sellers have the opportunity to earn an additional £2.4 million in contingent consideration in cash based on the achievement of performance targets achieved over the next 12 months and key personnel have the opportunity to earn £0.3 million in cash and £0.3 million in the Company’s common stock. The contingent consideration for the selling shareholders and key personnel is subject to performance and service periods and will be accounted for as compensation expense. As of June 30, 2017, the Company had recorded a total of $0.4 million of acquisition related compensation expense and acquisition non-cash stock compensation expense for the cash and equity portion of the contingent consideration. The closing purchase consideration was funded with the Company’s available funds.

14

The Hackett Group, Inc.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(unaudited)

12. Acquisitions (continued)

The purchase price was allocated to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values.  The fair value of identifiable intangible assets acquired was based on estimates and assumptions made by management at the time of the acquisition. Management is currently working to complete the valuation of identified intangible assets, goodwill and related deferred income taxes. As additional information, as of the acquisition date, becomes available and as management completes its evaluation, the preliminary purchase price allocation may be revised during the remainder of the measurement period (which will not exceed 12 months from the Acquisition Date). Any such revisions or changes may be material as the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are finalized. The following table presents the preliminary purchase price allocation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on the fair values (in thousands):

The recognized goodwill is primarily attributable the benefits the Company expects to derive from enhanced market opportunities. The acquired intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over periods ranging from 2 to 5 years. The following table presents the preliminary intangible assets acquired from Jibe:

The acquisition was not material to the Company's results of operations, financial position, or cash flows and, therefore, the pro forma impact of these acquisitions is not presented. During the three months ended June 30, 2017, Aecus contributed $1.3 million of revenue before reimbursable expenses and contribution before depreciation, amortization, interest, corporate overhead allocation and taxes of $0.2 million.  The acquisition related costs incurred during the first six months of 2017 totaled $0.1 million and were all classified in selling, general and administrative costs in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The goodwill and intangibles resulting from this transaction are not expected to be deductible under UK tax regulations.

15

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We intend the forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements. All statements regarding our expected financial position and operating results, our business strategy, our financing plans and forecasted demographic and economic trends relating to our industry are forward-looking statements. These statements can sometimes be identified by our use of forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” or “intend” and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We cannot promise you that our expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements will turn out to be correct. Factors that impact such forward-looking statements include, among others, our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions into our operations, our ability to retain existing business, our ability to attract additional business, our ability to effectively market and sell our product offerings and other services, the timing of projects and the potential for contract cancellation by our customers, changes in expectations regarding the business consulting and information technology industries, our ability to attract and retain skilled employees, possible changes in collections of accounts receivable due to the bankruptcy or financial difficulties of our customers, risks of competition, price and margin trends, foreign currency fluctuations and changes in general economic conditions, interest rates and our ability to obtain debt financing through additional borrowings under an amendment to our existing credit facility. An additional description of our risk factors is set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2016. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

OVERVIEW

The Hackett Group, Inc. (“Hackett” or the “Company”) is a leading strategic advisory and technology consulting firm that enables companies to achieve world-class business performance. By leveraging the comprehensive Hackett database, the world’s leading repository of enterprise business process performance metrics and best practice intellectual capital, our business and technology solutions help clients improve performance and maximize returns on technology investments. Only Hackett empirically defines world-class performance in sales, general and administrative and certain supply chain activities with analysis gained through more than 13,000 benchmark studies over 23 years at over 5,100 of the world’s leading companies.

In the following discussion, “The Hackett Group” encompasses our Benchmarking, Business Transformation, Executive Advisory, Enterprise Performance Management (“EPM”), EPM Application Maintenance and Support (“AMS”) and Oracle Cloud Applications groups. “SAP Solutions” encompasses our SAP ERP Implementation and SAP Maintenance groups.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Adjusted non-GAAP information is provided to enhance the understanding of the Company’s financial performance of its business compared to prior periods and is reconciled to the Company’s GAAP information in the tables below.  In our quarterly earnings announcements, we refer to adjusted non-GAAP information as “pro-forma”, which is unaudited.  We also present earnings before income taxes, interest, depreciation and amortization expense (EBITDA), and other one-time acquisition-related and restructuring charges (Adjusted EBITDA), both of which are non-GAAP measures. These measures are used by management to evaluate the Company’s financial performance.

References to adjusted non-GAAP results below specifically exclude non-cash stock compensation expense, intangible asset amortization expense, other one-time acquisition related income and expense, restructuring charges and assumes a normalized long-term cash tax rate.  

All non-GAAP information presented herein should be considered in addition to, and not as substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance, cash flows, or liquidity prepared in accordance with GAAP.

16

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our results of operations and the percentage relationship to revenue before reimbursements of such results (in thousands):