Medpace Holdings, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2019 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

or

For the transition period from             to             .

Commission file number: 001-37856

Medpace Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

5375 Medpace Way, Cincinnati, OH 45227

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(513) 579-9911

(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 requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒  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 and post such files).  Yes  ☒  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.

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  ☒

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

MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

FORM 10-Q

FOR QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION 

Item 1. Financial Statements

MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

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MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)

March 31, 2019

(1) Basis of Presentation

Description of Business

Medpace Holdings, Inc. together with its subsidiaries, (“Medpace” or the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, is a global provider of clinical research-based drug and medical device development services. The Company partners with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies in the development and execution of clinical trials. The Company’s drug development services focus on full service Phase I-IV clinical development services and include development plan design, project management, regulatory affairs, clinical monitoring, data management and analysis, pharmacovigilance new drug application submissions, post-marketing clinical support, laboratory services, clinical human pharmacology, imaging services, and electrocardiography reading support for clinical trials.

The Company’s operations are principally based in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Unaudited Interim Financial Information

The interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, are prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), and are unaudited. In the opinion of the Company’s management, all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected. Certain financial information that is normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP, but that is not required for interim reporting purposes, has been omitted. The preparation of the interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the interim condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results and outcomes could differ from management’s estimates and assumptions. As such, the information included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Our significant accounting policies are detailed in Note 3 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Significant changes to our accounting policies as a result of adopting Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842 (“ASC 842”) are discussed below:

Lease Recognition

The Company enters into contracts to lease facilities and equipment to be used in its operations. At contract inception, the Company determines whether a contract contains a lease within the scope of Accounting Standard Codification Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”), and determines the appropriate classification of the lease as either operating or finance.  

Contracts containing operating leases are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets within Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, Other current liabilities, and Operating lease liabilities. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future lease payments over the lease term as of the lease commencement date.  In addition operating ROU assets also include lease payments made and exclude lease incentives and initial direct costs incurred.  Operating lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term within Total direct costs and Selling, general, and administrative expenses. Variable lease costs are primarily related to adjustments for inflation, common area maintenance and property tax and are recognized within Total direct costs and Selling, general and administrative expenses.  

Contracts containing finance leases are recognized initially in the same manner as Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities, however are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets within Property and equipment, net, Other current liabilities, and Other long-term liabilities. Finance lease assets are subsequently amortized on a straight line basis over the lease term within Depreciation expense, while the lease liability is accreted within Interest expense, net utilizing the discount rate determined at lease commencement and reduced by periodic lease payments over the lease term. Currently, the Company does not have any finance leases.

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The discount rate utilized in determining the present value of future payments for both operating and finance leases, unless implicit in the lease contract, is determined based on the Company’s collateralized incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at lease commencement.  

Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option as determined at lease commencement.  

Many of our lease agreements have both lease and non-lease components, which the Company has elected to treat as a single lease component for recognition purposes.  

The Company may enter into short-term leases (leases with a lease term of less than 1 year), which it has elected not to capitalize as assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets, but instead recognizes lease payments within Total direct costs and Selling, general, and administrative expenses on a straight line basis over the lease term.  

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2014-09 ‘‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers,’’ (“ASC 606”) to clarify the principles of recognizing revenue and create common revenue recognition guidance between US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The new standard became effective for the Company in the first quarter 2018.

The cumulative effect adjustment was recorded as a reduction to the opening balance of Accumulated deficit in the consolidated balance sheets in the amount of $5.7 million, with offsetting amounts of $23.9 million to Accounts receivable and unbilled, net, $(1.6) million to Deferred income taxes, $35.1 million to Accrued expenses, $(57.4) million to Pre-funded study costs and $38.9 million to Advanced billings, respectively. The amounts recorded to Accounts receivable and unbilled, net, Deferred income taxes, Accrued expenses, Pre-funded study costs, and Advanced billings reflect differences between revenue recognized and billings to customers by project as well as costs incurred but not settled as of the Implementation Date. The above disclosed cumulative effect adjustments have been revised from the amounts previously disclosed in the Company’s interim financial statements filed on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2018, June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018 to correct certain immaterial misstatements to the opening balance sheet adoption impact of the standard. The effects of these misstatements were immaterial to the Company’s results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASC 842”). The guidance in ASC 842 supersedes the lease recognition requirements in ASC Topic 840, Leases (FAS 13) (“ASC 840”). The objective of ASC 842 is to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring the recognition of Right of use assets (“ROU assets”) and Lease liabilities on the balance sheet.  In addition, ASC 842 introduces additional disclosure requirements that are meant to enable users of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.  ASC 842 became effective for the Company in the first quarter 2019.

ASC 842 allows by policy election, an entity to choose its transition approach.  Entities must adopt ASC 842 on a either a modified retrospective basis to each prior reporting period presented or through an optional alternative method referred to as the “Comparatives Under ASC 840 Approach” which allows entities to apply the new requirements to only those leases that exist as of January 1, 2019.  The Company has elected to adopt ASC 842 utilizing the Comparatives Under ASC 840 Approach.  As such, ASC 842 is applied on a prospective basis as of January 1, 2019 and any cumulative catch up adjustment for differences between ASC 842 and ASC 840 were recorded upon adoption.

ASC 842 also allows for the election of certain practical expedients that are meant to ease the burden of transitioning to ASC 842 while still achieving compliance.  The Company elected the “package of three” practical expedient allowing the Company to carry forward decisions made and documented under current US GAAP, rather than reassessing all of the Company’s contracts to determine whether they are or contain leases and how they would be classified under ASC 842.  The Company has decided not to elect the hindsight practical expedient, which had it been elected, would require the Company to reassess the lease term and assessment of impairment for all of the Company’s leases using the facts and circumstances known up to the adoption date of the standard.  

ASC 842 had a material impact on our consolidated balance sheets, as all leases currently classified as operating were recognized as ROU assets and lease liabilities upon adoption.  In addition, it was determined that two contracts entered into with a related party for two of the Company’s corporate offices that were classified as deemed assets and deemed liabiltiies under ASC 840 were determined to be operating leases under ASC 842.  These deemed assets and liabilities were reclassified on the consolidated balance sheets to ROU assets and lease liabilities and an adjustment to retained earnings was recorded as a cumulative adjustment for the difference in depreciation expense and operating lease expense as of the date of adoption.  

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The impact of the adoption of ASC 842 as of January 1, 2019 is as follows:

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, “Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.” ASU 2018-02 allows for an entity to elect to reclassify the income tax effects on items within accumulated other comprehensive income resulting from U.S. tax reform to retained earnings. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted, including interim periods within those years. The Company adopted this standard in the first quarter of 2019 and it has no impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles- Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.” ASU 2017-04 simplifies how an entity assesses goodwill for impairment by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. As amended, the goodwill impairment test will consist of one step comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize a goodwill impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value.  The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 with early adoption permitted.  The Company adopted this standard on a prospective basis in the first quarter of 2019 and it had no impact to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

(3) Net Income Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings or loss per share (“EPS”) are computed using the two-class method, which is an earnings allocation that determines EPS for each class of common stock and participating securities according to dividends declared and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Restricted Stock Awards (“RSAs”) are considered participating securities because they are legally issued at the date of grant and holders are entitled to receive non-forfeitable dividends during the vesting term.

The computation of diluted EPS includes additional common shares, such as unvested stock options with exercise prices less than the average market price of the Company’s common stock during the period (“in-the-money options”), which would be considered outstanding under the treasury stock method. The treasury stock method assumes that additional shares would have to be issued in cases where the exercise price of stock options is less than the value of the common stock being acquired because the cash proceeds received from the stock option holder would not be sufficient to acquire that same number of shares. The Company does not compute diluted EPS in cases where the inclusion of such additional shares would be anti-dilutive in effect.

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The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands, except for earnings per share): 

During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company had 0 and 35,000 stock options, respectively, that were excluded due to the exercise price exceeding the average fair value of the Company’s common stock during the period.

(4) Fair Value Measurements

The Company follows accounting guidance related to fair value measurements that defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value. This hierarchy maximizes the use of “observable” inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. The hierarchy specifies three levels based on the inputs, as follows:

Level 1: Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Valuations based on directly observable inputs or unobservable inputs corroborated by market data.

Level 3: Valuations based on unobservable inputs supported by little or no market activity representing management’s determination of assumptions of how market participants would price the assets or liabilities. 

The fair value of financial instruments such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and unbilled, net, accounts payable, accrued expenses and advanced billings approximate their carrying amounts due to their short term maturities.

The Company does not have any recurring fair value measurements as of March 31, 2019. There were no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2019 or 2018.

(5) Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities

Contract assets and liabilities are reflected in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets within the accounts reflected below.  

Contract Assets

Accounts receivable represent amounts due from the Company’s customers who are concentrated primarily in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. Unbilled represents revenue recognized to date that has not been billed or is not yet contractually billable to the customer. In general, amounts become billable upon the achievement of negotiated contractual events, in accordance with predetermined payment schedules or when a reimbursable expense has been incurred. Amounts classified to unbilled are those billable to customers within one year from the respective balance sheet date.

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

Unbilled receivables decreased from $49.4 million at December 31, 2018 to $28.3 million at March 31, 2019. The decrease is primarily driven by increased customer invoicing.

Contract Liabilities

Advanced billings represents cash received from customers, or billed amounts per an agreed upon payment schedule, in advance of services being performed or revenue being recognized.

Advanced billings consisted of the following (in thousands):

Advanced billings increased from $147.9 million at December 31, 2018 to $150.2 million at March 31, 2019. The increase is primarily driven by billing and/or collection activity in the three months ended March 31, 2019 in advance of revenue being earned for services performed.

On March 31, 2019, we had approximately $1,156.2 million of performance obligations remaining to be performed for active projects.

(6) Intangible Assets, Net

Intangible assets, net consisted of the following (in thousands):

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As of March 31, 2019, estimated amortization expense of the Company’s intangible assets for each of the next five years and thereafter is as follows (in thousands):

(7) Accrued Expenses

Accrued expenses consisted of the following (in thousands):

(8) Debt

Debt consisted of the following (in thousands):

Principal payments on debt are due as follows (in thousands):

The estimated fair value of the Company’s debt based on Level 2 inputs using the market approach, which is primarily based on rates at which the debt is traded among financial institutions, approximates the carrying value as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

(9) Leases

The Company enters into leases for real estate and equipment. Real estate leases are for our corporate office space and laboratories around the world. Real estate leases have remaining lease terms of less than 1 year to 20 years. Many of the Company’s leases include options to extend the leases on a month to month basis or for set periods for up to 20 years. Many leases also include options to terminate the leases within 1 year or per other contractual terms.

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The components of lease expense as of March 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands):

Supplemental cash flow information for the three months ended March 31, 2019 related to the leases was as follows (in thousands):

Supplemental balance sheet information as of March 31, 2019 related to the leases was as follows (in thousands):

Lease payments due related to lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands):

As of March 31, 2019, we have an additional operating lease related to a corporate office under construction, which has not yet commenced, with future payments of $124.0 million. This operating lease will commence between fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020 with an initial lease term of 20 years and a renewal option for two 10-year terms at prevailing market rates.

Comparative period disclosures under ASC 840:

Rental expense under operating leases totaled $2.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

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Future minimum rental payments for lease obligations with initial terms in excess of one year as of December 31, 2018 are as follows (in thousands):

Minimum annual payments required in conjunction with the Deemed landlord liabilities are as follows (in thousands):

(10) Shareholder’s Equity and Stock-Based Compensation

The Company granted 268,617 awards to employees under the 2016 Incentive Award Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2019, consisting of 5,000 stock option awards and 164,200 restricted stock units (“RSU”) vesting after four years, 77,417 fully-vested stock option awards and 22,000 stock option awards with vesting in twelve equal monthly installments beginning on March 31, 2019. The Company granted 504,500 awards to employees under the 2016 Incentive Award Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2018, consisting of 406,500 stock option awards and 98,000 restricted stock units (“RSU”), all vesting after four years.

Award Activity

The following table sets forth the Company’s stock option activity:

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The following table sets forth the Company’s RSA/RSU activity:

Stock-based compensation expense recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations related to all outstanding stock based compensation awards is summarized below (in thousands):

(11) Income Taxes

The Company’s effective income tax rate was 22.1% and 17.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company’s effective income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 varied from the U.S. statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the impact of state taxes, which was partially offset with previously acquired tax attributes and windfall option exercises.

(12) Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved in legal proceedings from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including employment claims and claims related to other business transactions. The Company cannot predict with certainty the outcome of such proceedings, but it believes that adequate reserves have been recorded and losses already recognized with respect to such proceedings, which were immaterial as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.  There is a reasonable possibility that a loss exceeding amounts already recognized may be incurred related to these actions; however, the Company believes that such potential losses were immaterial as of March 31, 2019.

Purchase Commitments

The Company has several minimum purchase commitments for project related supplies totaling $10.1 million. In return for the commitment, Medpace receives preferential pricing. The commitments expire at various times through 2026.

(13) Related Party Transactions

Employee Loans

The Company periodically extends short term loans or advances to employees, typically upon commencement of employment.  Total receivables as a result of these employee advances of $0.2 million existed at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, and are included in the Prepaid expenses and other current assets and Other assets line items of the condensed consolidated balance sheets, respectively, depending on the contractual repayment date.

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Service Agreements

Cymabay Therapeutics, Inc. (“Cymabay”)

Cymabay is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies to treat metabolic diseases with high unmet medical need, including serious rare and orphan disorders. During the first quarter of 2016, it was announced that a Medpace employee would join Cymabay’s board of directors. The Company and Cymabay entered into a MSA dated October 21, 2016. Subsequently, the Company and Cymabay have entered into several task orders for the Company to perform clinical trial related services. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized total revenue from Cymabay of $3.1 million and $0.7 million, respectively, in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, the Company had Accounts receivable and unbilled, net from Cymabay of $0.4 million and $2.5 million recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

LIB Therapeutics LLC and subsidiaries (“LIB”)

Certain executives and employees of the Company, including the chief executive officer, are members of LIB’s board of managers. The Company entered into a MSA dated November 24, 2015 with LIB, a company that engages in research, development, marketing and commercialization of pharmaceutical drugs. Subsequently, the Company and LIB have entered into several task orders for the Company to perform clinical trial related services. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized total revenue from LIB of $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively, in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, the Company had Advanced billings from LIB of $0.4 million and $0.3 million recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. In addition, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, the Company had Accounts receivable and unbilled, net from LIB of $0.5 million and $1.0 million recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

CinRX Pharma and subsidiaries (“CinRx”)

Certain executives and employees of the Company, including the chief executive officer, are members of CinRx’s board of managers and/or have equity investments in CinRx, a biotech company. The Company and CinRx have entered into several task orders for the Company to perform clinical trial related services. During the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recognized total revenue from CinRx of $1.4 million and less than $0.1 million, respectively, in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 the Company had Accounts receivable and unbilled, net from CinRx of $0.8 million and $0.4 million, respectively, in the consolidated balance sheets.

The Summit, a Dolce Hotel (“The Summit”)

The Summit Hotel, located on the Medpace campus, is owned by the chief executive officer, and managed by an unrelated hospitality management entity. Medpace incurs travel lodging and meeting expenses at The Summit. As of March 31, 2019, Medpace incurred expenses of $0.1 million at The Summit.

Leased Real Estate

Headquarters Lease

The Company entered into an operating lease for its corporate headquarters with an entity that is wholly owned by the chief executive officer of the Company. The Company has evaluated its relationship with the related party and concluded that the related party is not a variable interest entity because the Company has no direct ownership interest or relationship other than the lease. The lease for headquarters is for an initial term of twelve years through November 2022 with a renewal option for one 10-year term at prevailing market rates. The Company pays rent, taxes, insurance, and maintenance expenses that arise from the use of the property. Annual base rent for its corporate headquarters allows for adjustments to the rental rate annually for increases in the consumer price index. Under ASC 842, operating lease expense recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $0.5 million. Under ASC 840, lease expense recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was $0.5 million. The lease expense was allocated between Total direct costs and Selling, general and administrative in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

In 2018, Medpace, Inc. entered into a multi-year lease agreement governing future occupancy of additional office space in Cincinnati, Ohio. The lease expires in 2040 and the Company has two 10-year options to extend the term of the lease.

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ASC 842 – Operating Leases

The Company entered into two multi-year lease agreements governing the occupancy of space of two buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio with an entity that is wholly owned by the Company’s chief executive officer and certain members of his immediate family. The Company assumed occupancy in 2012 and the leases expire in 2027 with the Company having one 10-year option to extend the lease term. The Company pays rent, taxes, insurance, and maintenance expenses that arise from the use of the property. Annual base rent for the corporate headquarters allows for adjustments to the rental rate annually for increases in the consumer price index. Under ASC 842, the Company has determined that the leases are operating leases. Operating lease expense recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2019 is $0.9 million. The lease expense was allocated between Total direct costs and Selling, general and administrative in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

ASC 840 – Deemed Assets and Deemed Landlord Liabilities

In accordance with the accounting guidance related to leases under ASC 840, the Company was deemed in substance to be the owner of the property during the construction phase and at completion. Accordingly, the Company reflected the buildings and related liabilities as deemed assets from landlord building construction in Property and equipment, net, Other current liabilities, and Deemed landlord liability, less current portion, respectively, on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The deemed assets were being fully depreciated, on a straight line basis, over the 15-year term of the lease. Deemed landlord liabilities were recorded at their net present value when the Company enters into qualifying leases and are reduced as the Company makes periodic lease payments on the properties. Accretion expense was being recorded over the term of the lease as a component of Interest expense, net in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Company paid $1.0 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018. The current and long-term portions of the Deemed landlord liability at December 31, 2018 were $2.1 million and $24.5 million, respectively. The Company has recognized deemed assets, net of $14.6 million at December 31, 2018 in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Travel Services

The Company incurs expenses for travel services for company executives provided by a private aviation charter company that is owned by the chief executive officer and the executive vice president of operations of the Company (“private aviation charter”). The Company may contract directly with the private aviation charter for the use of its aircraft or indirectly through a third party aircraft management and jet charter company (the “Aircraft Management Company”). The travel services provided are primarily for business purposes, with certain personal travel paid for as part of the executives’ compensation arrangements. The Aircraft Management Company also makes the private aviation charter aircraft available to third parties. The Company incurred travel expenses of $0.3 million and $0.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, related to these travel services. These travel expenses are recorded in Selling, general and administrative in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had Accounts payable due to Reynolds of $0.2 million in the consolidated balance sheets.

(14) Entity Wide Disclosures

Revenue by Category

The following table disaggregates our revenue by major source (in thousands):

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and with the information under the heading “Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. This item and the related discussion contain forward-looking statements reflecting current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the “Forward-Looking Statements” below and “Risk Factors” in “Item 1A Risk Factors” of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained herein, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, product approvals and plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward looking statements. The words “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, changes in circumstances and other important factors that are difficult to predict. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment in which new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all important factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of such factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward looking events and circumstances discussed may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward looking statements. We caution you therefore against relying on these forward looking statements.

We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. For a further discussion of the risks relating to our business, see “Item 1A Risk Factors” of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018.

Business Overview

We are one of the world’s leading clinical contract research organizations, or CROs, by revenue, solely focused on providing scientifically-driven outsourced clinical development services to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Our mission is to accelerate the global development of safe and effective medical therapeutics. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors by our disciplined operating model centered on providing full-service Phase I-IV clinical development services and our therapeutic expertise. We believe this combination results in timely and cost-effective delivery of clinical development services for our customers. We believe that we are a partner of choice for small- and mid-sized biopharmaceutical companies based on our ability to consistently utilize our full-service, disciplined operating model to deliver timely and high-quality results for our customers.

We focus on conducting clinical trials across all major therapeutic areas, with particular strength in Cardiology, Metabolic Disease, Oncology, Central Nervous System (“CNS”), Antiviral and Anti-infective (“AVAI”), as well as therapeutic expertise in Medical Devices. Our global platform includes approximately 3,100 employees across 36 countries, providing our customers with broad access to diverse markets and patient populations as well as local regulatory expertise and market knowledge.

How We Generate Revenue

We earn fees through the performance of services detailed in our customer contracts. Contract scope and pricing is typically based on either a fixed-fee or unit-of-service model, with consideration of activities performed by third parties, as well as ancillary costs necessary to deliver on the contract scope that are reimbursable by our customers. Our contracts can range in duration from a few months to several years. These contracts are individually priced and negotiated based on the anticipated project scope, including the complexity of the project and the performance risks inherent in the project. The majority of our contracts are structured with an upfront fee that is collected at the time of contract signing, and the balance of the fee is collected over the duration of the contract either through an arranged billing schedule or upon completion of certain performance targets or defined milestones.

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Revenue, which is distinct from billing and cash receipt, is recognized based the satisfaction of the individual performance obligations identified in each contract. Substantially all of our customer contracts consist of a single performance obligation, as the promise to transfer the individual services defined in the contracts are not separately identifiable from other promises in the contract, and therefore not distinct.  Our performance obligations are generally satisfied over time and recognized as services are performed.  The progression of our contract performance obligations are measured primarily utilizing the input method of cost to cost.  Cancellation provisions in our contracts allow our customers to terminate a contract either immediately or according to advance notice terms specified within the applicable contract, which is typically 30 days. Contract cancellation may occur for various reasons, including, but not limited to, adverse patient reactions, lack of efficacy, or inadequate patient enrollment. Upon cancellation, we are entitled to fees for services rendered through the date of termination, including payment for subsequent services necessary to conclude the study or close out the contract. These fees are typically discussed and agreed upon with the customer and are realized as revenue when we believe the amount can be estimated reliably and its realization is probable.  Changes in revenue from period to period are driven primarily by new business volume and task order execution activity, project cancellations, and the mix of active studies during a given period that can vary based on therapeutic area and or study life cycle stage.

Costs and Expenses

Our costs and expenses are comprised primarily of our total direct costs, selling, general and administrative costs, depreciation and amortization and income taxes.

Total Direct Costs

Total direct costs are primarily driven by labor and related employee benefits, but also include contracted third party service related expenses, fees paid to site investigators, reimbursed out of pocket expenses, laboratory supplies and other expenses contributing to service delivery. The other costs of service delivery can include office rent, utilities, supplies and software licenses which are allocated between Total direct costs and selling, general and administrative expenses based on the estimated contribution among service delivery and support function efforts on a percentage basis. Total direct costs are expensed as incurred and are not deferred in anticipation of contracts being awarded or finalization of changes in scope. Total direct costs, as a percentage of net revenue, can vary from period to period due to project labor efficiencies, changes in workforce, compensation/bonus programs and service mix.

Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expenses are primarily driven by compensation and related employee benefits, as well as rent, utilities, supplies, software licenses, professional fees (e.g., legal and accounting expenses), bad debt expense, travel, marketing and other operating expenses.

Depreciation

Depreciation is provided on our property and equipment on the straight-line method at rates adequate to allocate the cost of the applicable assets over their estimated useful lives, which is three to five years for computer hardware, software, phone, and medical imaging equipment, five to seven years for furniture and fixtures and other equipment, and thirty to forty years for buildings. Leasehold improvements and deemed assets from landlord building construction are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the improvement or the associated remaining lease term.

Amortization

Amortization relates to finite-lived intangible assets recognized as expense using the straight-line method or using an accelerated method over their estimated useful lives, which range in term from 5 to 15 years. 

Income Tax Provision

Income tax provision consists of federal, state and local taxes on income in multiple jurisdictions.  Our income tax is impacted by the pre-tax earnings in jurisdictions with varying tax rates and any related tax credits that may be available to us.  Our current and future provision for income taxes will vary from statutory rates due to the impact of valuation allowances in certain countries, income tax incentives, certain non-deductible expenses, and other discrete items.

Key Performance Metrics

To evaluate the performance of our business, we utilize a variety of financial and performance metrics. These key measures include new business awards, cancellations and backlog.

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New Business Awards, Cancellations and Backlog

New business awards represent the value of anticipated future net revenue that has been awarded during the period that is recognized in backlog. This value is recognized upon the signing of a contract or receipt of a written pre-contract confirmation from a customer that confirms an agreement in principle on budget and scope. New business awards also include contract amendments, or changes in scope, where the customer has provided written authorization for changes in budget and scope or has approved us to perform additional work as of the measurement date. Awards may not be recognized as backlog after consideration of a number of factors, including whether (i) the relevant net revenue is expected only after a pending regulatory hurdle, which might result in cancellation of the study, (ii) the customer funding needed for commencement of the study is not believed to have been secured or (iii) study timelines are uncertain or not well defined. In addition, study amounts that extend beyond a three-year timeline are not included in backlog. The number and amount of new business awards can vary significantly from period to period, and an award’s contractual duration can range from several months to several years based on customer and project specifications.

Cancellations arise in the normal course of business and are reflected when we receive written confirmation from the customer to cease work on a contractual agreement. The majority of our customers can terminate our contracts without cause upon 30 days’ notice. Similar to new business awards, the number and amount of cancellations can vary significantly period over period due to timing of customer correspondence and study-specific circumstances.

Net new business awards represent gross new business awards received in a period offset by total cancellations in that period. Net new business awards were $248.7 million and $200.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Backlog represents anticipated future net revenue from net new business awards that have not commenced or are currently in process but not complete. Reported backlog will fluctuate based on new business awards, changes in the scope of existing contracts, cancellations, revenue recognition on existing contracts and foreign exchange adjustments from non-U.S. dollar denominated backlog. As of March 31, 2019, our backlog increased by $198.6 million, or 21.8%, to $1,108.1 million compared to $909.5 million as of March 31, 2018. Included within backlog as of March 31, 2019 was approximately $615 million to $635 million that we expect to convert to net revenue over the next twelve months, with the remainder expected to convert to net revenue thereafter.

The effect of foreign currency adjustments on backlog was as follows: unfavorable foreign currency adjustments of $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and favorable foreign currency adjustments of $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Backlog and net new business award metrics may not be reliable indicators of our future period revenue as they are subject to a variety of factors that may cause material fluctuations from period to period. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the scope of projects, cancellations, and duration and timing of services provided.

Exchange Rate Fluctuations

The majority of our contracts and operational transactions are U.S. dollar denominated.  The Euro represents the largest foreign currency denomination of our contractual and operational exposure.  As a result, a portion of our revenue and expenses are subject to exchange rate fluctuations. We have translated the Euro into U.S. dollars using the following average exchange rates based on data obtained from www.xe.com:

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Results of Operations

Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2018

Total revenue

Total revenue increased by $37.7 million to $200.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, from $163.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily driven by growth within the Oncology, Metabolic and other uncategorized therapeutic areas. 

Total direct costs

Total direct costs increased by $28.4 million, to $145.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $117.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily attributed to higher reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses and higher personnel costs to support the growth in service activities. Reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, which can fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the timing of program initiation and closeout, increased $13.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to the same period in the prior year. The higher personnel costs portion increased by $11.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to the same period in the prior year.

Selling, general and administrative

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $5.3 million, to $21.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $16.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018.  This increase was primarily driven by higher personnel costs and local non-income tax costs. The higher personnel costs portion increased by $2.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to the same period in the prior year. Local non-income tax costs increased by $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to the same period in the prior year. 

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense decreased by $1.9 million, to $7.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $9.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The decrease in depreciation and amortization was primarily related to the continued amortization of our definite lived intangible assets, which are amortized on an accelerated basis.

Miscellaneous expense, net

Miscellaneous expense, net increased by $0.1 million to $0.3 million of expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $0.2 million of expense for the three months ended March 31, 2018. These changes were mainly attributable to foreign exchange gains or losses that arise in connection with the revaluation of short-term intercompany balances between our domestic and international subsidiaries, gains or losses from foreign currency transactions, such as those resulting from the settlement of third-party accounts receivables and payables denominated in a currency other than the local currency of the entity making the payment.

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Interest expense, net

Interest expense, net decreased by $1.4 million to $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $2.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The decrease in interest expense, net was related to a lower average outstanding balance under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities (as defined below).

Income tax provision

Income tax provision increased by $2.4 million, to $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 from $3.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The overall effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was 22.1%, compared to an overall effective tax rate of 17.6% for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in pre-tax book income as well as a reduction in the benefit for uncertain tax positions compared to the same period in the prior year.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash to fund our operating, investing and financing activities. Our principal sources of liquidity are operating cash flows and funds available for borrowing under our Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below). As of March 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $30.1 million. Approximately $14.4 million of cash and cash equivalents, none of which was restricted, was held by our foreign subsidiaries as of March 31, 2019. On December 8, 2016, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Senior Secured Credit Agreement”) consisting of a $165.0 million term loan (the “Senior Secured Term Loan Facility”) and a $150.0 million revolving credit facility (the “Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility” and, together with the Senior Secured Term Loan Facility, the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”). As of March 31, 2019, we had $149.8 million available for borrowing under our Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility. Our expected primary cash needs on both a short and long-term basis are for investment in operational growth, capital expenditures, payment of debt, share repurchases, selective strategic bolt-on acquisitions, other investments, and other general corporate needs. We have historically funded our operations and growth with cash flow from operations and borrowings under our credit facilities. We expect to continue expanding our operations through organic growth and potentially highly selective bolt-on acquisitions and investments. We expect these activities will be funded from existing cash, cash flow from operations and, if necessary, borrowings under our existing or future credit facilities. We have deemed that foreign earnings will be indefinitely reinvested and therefore we have not provided taxes on these earnings. While we do not anticipate the need to repatriate these foreign earnings for liquidity purposes given our cash flows from operations and available borrowing under existing and future credit facilities, we would incur taxes on these earnings if the need for repatriation due to liquidity purposes arises.