TechTarget Inc - Quarter Report: 2020 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020

OR

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number: 1-33472

TECHTARGET, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 431-9200

(Former name, former address and formal fiscal year, if changed since last report): Not applicable

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 such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.

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  ☒

As of April 30, 2020, the registrant had 27,528,786 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)

TECHTARGET, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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TechTarget, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income

(in thousands, except per share data)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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TechTarget, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

6

TechTarget, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

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TECHTARGET, INC.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(In thousands, except share and per share data, where otherwise noted, or instances where expressed in millions)

1. Organization and Operations

TechTarget, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) is a leading provider of specialized online content for buyers of enterprise technology products and services, and a leading provider of purchase-intent marketing and sales services for business-to-business “B2B” technology companies. The Company’s service offerings enable enterprise B2B technology companies to better identify, reach, and influence corporate enterprise technology decision makers actively researching specific enterprise technology purchases. The Company improves B2B technology companies ability to impact these audiences for business growth using advanced targeting, analytics, and data services complemented with customized marketing programs that integrate demand generation and brand advertising techniques. The Company operates a network of over 140 websites, each of which focuses on a major enterprise technology sector such as storage, security, or networking. Enterprise technology and business professionals have become increasingly specialized, and they have come to rely on the Company’s sector-specific websites for purchasing decision support. The Company’s content platform enables enterprise technology and business professionals to navigate the complex and rapidly changing enterprise technology landscape where purchasing decisions can have significant financial and operational consequences. At critical stages of the purchase decision process, these content offerings, through different channels, meet enterprise technology and business professionals’ needs for expert, peer, and IT vendor information and provide a platform on which IT vendors can launch targeted marketing campaigns which generate measurable return on investment. Based upon the logical clustering of members’ respective job responsibilities and the marketing focus of the products being promoted by the Company’s customers, the Company categorizes its content offerings to address the key market opportunities and audience extensions across a portfolio of distinct market categories including: Security, Networking, Storage, Data Center and Virtualization Technologies, CIO/IT Strategy, Business Applications and Analytics, Application Architecture and Development, and ANCL Channel.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying consolidated financial statements reflect the application of certain significant accounting policies as described below and elsewhere in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company’s critical accounting policies are those that affect its more significant judgments used in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements. A description of the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates is contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and in this note to the consolidated financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, TechTarget Securities Corporation (“TSC”), TechTarget Limited, TechTarget (HK) Limited (“TTGT HK”), TechTarget (Australia) Pty Ltd., TechTarget (Singapore) Pte Ltd., E-Magine Médias SAS (“LeMagIT”) and TechTarget Germany GmbH. TSC is a Massachusetts corporation. TechTarget Limited is a subsidiary doing business principally in the United Kingdom. TTGT HK is a subsidiary incorporated in Hong Kong in order to facilitate the Company’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region. TechTarget (Australia) Pty Ltd. and TechTarget (Singapore) Pte Ltd. are the entities through which the Company does business in Australia and Singapore, respectively; LeMagIT and TechTarget Germany GmbH, both wholly-owned subsidiaries of TechTarget Limited, are entities through which the Company does business in France and Germany, respectively.

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Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or “GAAP”) in the United States (“U.S.”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for complete financial statements. All adjustments, which, in the opinion of management, are considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results of operations for the periods shown, are of a normal, recurring nature and have been reflected in the consolidated financial statements. The results of operations for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any other interim periods or for the full year. The information included in these consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in this report and the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenues, long-lived assets, goodwill, the allowance for doubtful accounts, stock-based compensation, self-insurance accruals, and income taxes. The Company reduces its accounts receivable for an allowance for doubtful accounts based on its best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses. Estimates of the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates its revenues from the sale of targeted marketing and advertising campaigns, which it delivers via its network of websites and data analytics solutions. Revenue is recognized when performance obligations are satisfied by transferring promised goods or services to customers, as determined by applying a five-step process consisting of: a) identifying the contract, or contracts, with a customer, b) identifying the performance obligations in the contract, c) determining the transaction price, d) allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and e) recognizing revenue when, or as, performance obligations are satisfied.

Accounts Receivable

We maintain an allowance for credit losses for expected uncollectible accounts receivable, which is recorded as an offset to accounts receivable and changes in such are classified as general and administrative expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. We assess collectability by reviewing accounts receivable on an individual basis when we identify specific customers with known disputes, overdue amounts or collectability issues and also reserve for losses on all accounts based on historical information, current market conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions to inform adjustments to historical loss data. In determining the amount of the allowance for credit losses, we consider historical collectability based on past due status and make judgments about the creditworthiness of customers based on ongoing credit evaluations.

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company’s assessment considered business and market disruptions caused by COVID-19 and estimates of expected emerging credit and collectability trends. The continued volatility in market conditions and evolving shifts in credit trends are difficult to predict causing variability and volatility that may have a material impact on our allowance for credit losses in future periods. 

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than twelve months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees, capital and operating leases, existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 in the first quarter of 2019 using the modified retrospective approach, and elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance. Results and disclosure requirements for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2019 are presented under Topic 842.

The Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance, which allowed us to carryforward our historical lease classification, our assessment on whether a contract was or contains a lease, and our initial direct costs for any leases that existed prior to January 1, 2019. We also elected to combine our lease and non-lease components and to keep leases with an initial term of 12 months or less off the balance sheet and recognize the associated lease payments in the consolidated statements of income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company recorded operating lease assets with right-of-use of $27.5 million and $2.9 million current operating lease liability and $29.2 million non-current operating lease liability as of January 1, 2019, of which $4.9 million and $0.3 million were reclassified from deferred rent and prepaid rent, respectively (see Note 9).

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment ("ASU 2017-04"). ASU 2017-04 eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill to measure a goodwill impairment charge (step 2 of the goodwill impairment test) and instead requires only a one-step quantitative impairment test, performed by comparing the fair value of goodwill with its carrying amount. ASU 2017-04 is effective on a prospective basis effective for goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract, which requires implementation costs incurred by customers in cloud computing arrangements (i.e., hosting arrangements) to be capitalized under the same premises of authoritative guidance for internal-use software, and deferred over the non-cancellable term of the cloud computing arrangements plus any optional renewal periods that are reasonably certain to be exercised by the customer or for which the exercise is controlled by the service provider. ASU 2018-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” (ASU 2016-13) which amends ASC 326 “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses” which introduces a new methodology for accounting for credit losses on financial instruments. The guidance establishes a new forward looking "expected loss model" that requires entities to estimate current expected credit losses on accounts receivable and financial instruments by using all practical and relevant information. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2018-13, “Changes to Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurements” (Topic 820) (ASU 2018-13), which improved the effectiveness of disclosure requirements for recurring and nonrecurring fair value measurements. The standard removes, modifies, and adds certain disclosure requirements. The Company adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

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Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

In December 2019, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): “Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” (ASU 2019-12), which simplifies the accounting for income taxes. This guidance will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2021 on a prospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

3. Revenues

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following table depicts the disaggregation of revenue according to categories consistent with how the Company evaluates its financial performance and economic risk. International revenue consists of international geo-targeted campaigns, which are campaigns targeted at an audience of members outside of North America.

Contract Liabilities

Timing may differ between the satisfaction of performance obligations and the invoicing and collections of amounts related to the Company’s contracts with customers. Liabilities are recorded for amounts that are collected in advance of the satisfaction of performance obligations. Additionally, certain customers may receive credits, which are accounted for as a material right. The Company estimates these amounts based on the expected amount of future services to be provided to customer and allocates a portion of the transaction price to these material rights. The Company recognizes these material rights as the material rights are exercised. The resulting amounts included in the contract liabilities on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets were $2.4 at both March 31, 2020 and, December 31, 2019.

The Company elected to apply the following practical expedients:

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4. Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis, including short-term and long-term investments and contingent consideration. Additionally, the Company switched banks and the money market accounts are in bank deposits and are not quoted instruments. As such they are all considered cash.  The fair value of these financial assets and liabilities for was determined based on three levels of input as follows: 

The fair value hierarchy of the Company’s financial assets carried at fair value and measured on a recurring basis is as follows:

5. Cash and Investments

Cash is carried at cost, which approximates their fair market value. Cash consisted of the following:

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Investments are recorded at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income, a component of stockholders’ equity, net of tax. Realized gains and losses on the sale of these investments are determined using the specific identification method. The cumulative unrealized loss, net of taxes, was $169 as of March 31, 2020. There were no realized gains or losses as of December 31, 2019. 

Short-term investments consisted of the following:

6. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The following table summarizes the Company’s intangible assets, net:

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Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which range from approximately 3 to 17 years, using methods of amortization that are expected to reflect the estimated pattern of economic use. The remaining amortization expense will be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 5.10 years. Amortization expense was $0.1 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019. Amortization expense is recorded within operating expenses as the intangible assets consist of customer-related assets which generate website traffic that the Company considers to be in support of selling and marketing activities. The Company did not write off any fully amortized intangible assets in the first three months of 2020.  

The Company expects amortization expense of intangible assets to be as follows:

Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are reviewed annually for impairment or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. The Company did not have any intangible assets other than goodwill with indefinite lives as of March 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019. There were no indications of impairment as of March 31, 2020, and the Company believes that, as of the balance sheet dates presented, none of the Company’s goodwill or intangible assets was impaired.

7. Net Income Per Common Share

A reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used in the calculation of basic and diluted net income per common share is as follows:

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8. Term Loan Agreement

On December 24, 2018, the Company entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Western Alliance Bank as the lender. The Loan Agreement provides for a $25 million term loan facility with a maturity date of December 10, 2023 (the “Term Loan”).

The Term Loan is secured by a lien on substantially all of the assets of the Company, including a pledge of the stock of certain of its wholly-owned subsidiaries (limited, in the case of the stock of certain foreign subsidiaries of the Company, to no more than 65% of the capital stock of such subsidiaries).

The Term Loan must be repaid quarterly, with applicable interest paid monthly, in the following manner: 1.25% of the initial aggregate borrowings are due and payable each quarter for the first two loan years, 1.88% of the initial aggregate borrowings are due and payable each quarter for the third loan year, and 2.50% of the initial aggregate borrowings are due and payable each quarter for the fourth and fifth loan years. At maturity, all outstanding amounts, including unpaid principal and accrued and unpaid interest, under the Loan Agreement will be due and payable.

The Term Loan bears interest at a floating per annum rate equal to one and three-eighths percent (1.375%) above the greater of (a) the one-month U.S. LIBOR rate reported in The Wall Street Journal or (b) two percent (2.00%).

9. Leases and Contingencies

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted Topic 842 Leases using the modified retrospective approach.  The Company recorded operating lease assets (right-of-use assets) of $27.8 million and operating lease liabilities of $30.1 million.  There was no impact to retained earnings upon adoption of Topic 842.

The Company has various non-cancelable lease agreements for certain of our offices with original lease periods expiring between 2019 and 2029. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain we will exercise that option. Leases with a renewal option allow the Company to extend the lease term typically between 1 and 5 years.  When determining the lease term, renewal options reasonably certain of being exercised are included in the lease term.  When determining if a renewal option is reasonably certain of being exercised, the Company considers several economic factors, including but not limited to, the significance of leasehold improvements incurred on the property, whether the asset is difficult to replace, underlying contractual obligations, or specific characteristics unique to that particular lease that would make it reasonably certain that the Company would exercise such option.  Renewal and termination options were generally not included in the lease term for the Company's existing operating leases. Certain of the arrangements have discounted rent periods or escalating rent payment provisions. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.  Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantee or material restrictive covenants.

As of March 31, 2020, operating lease assets were $25.8 million and operating lease liabilities were $30.1 million. The maturity of the Company’s operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2020 are as follows:

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For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, the total lease cost is comprised of the following amounts:

The following summarizes additional information related to operating leases:

If the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate. The Company uses its best judgment when determining the incremental borrowing rate, which is the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term to the lease payments in a similar currency.

Litigation

From time to time and in the ordinary course of business, the Company may be subject to various claims, charges, and litigation. At March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company did not have any pending claims, charges, or litigation that it expects would have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

10. Stock-Based Compensation

Stock Option and Incentive Plans

In April 2007, the Board approved the 2007 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”), which was approved by the stockholders of the Company and became effective upon the consummation of the Company’s IPO in May 2007. The 2007 Plan allowed the Company to grant ISOs, NSOs, stock appreciation rights, deferred stock awards, restricted stock units and other awards. Under the 2007 Plan, stock options could not be granted at less than fair market value on the date of grant, and grants generally vested over a three- to four-year period. Stock options granted under the 2007 Plan expire no later than ten years after the grant date. Additionally, beginning with awards made in August 2015, the Company had the option to direct a net issuance of shares for satisfaction of tax liability with respect to vesting of awards and delivery of shares. Prior to August 2015, this choice of settlement method was solely at the discretion of the award recipient. The 2007 Plan expired in May 2017.

No new awards may be granted under the 2007 Plan; however, the shares of common stock remaining in the 2007 Plan are available for issuance in connection with previously awarded grants under the 2007 Plan. There are 77,500 shares of common stock that remain subject to outstanding stock grants under the 2007 Plan as of March 31, 2020.

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In March 2017, the Board approved the 2017 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”), which was approved by the stockholders of the Company at the 2017 Annual Meeting and became effective June 16, 2017. The 2017 Plan replaces the Company’s 2007 Plan. On that date, 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock were reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan and, generally, shares that are forfeited or canceled from awards under the 2017 Plan also will be available for future awards. Under the 2017 Plan, the Company may grant restricted stock and restricted stock units, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance awards, and other stock-based and cash-based awards. Grants generally vest in equal tranches over a three-year period. Stock options granted under the 2017 Plan expire no later than ten years after the grant date. Shares of stock issued pursuant to restricted stock awards are restricted in that they are not transferable until they vest. Stock underlying awards of restricted stock units are not issued until the units vest. Non-qualified stock options cannot be exercised until they vest. Under the 2017 Plan, all stock options and stock appreciation rights must be granted with an exercise price that is at least equal to the fair market value of the stock on the date of grant. The 2017 Plan broadly prohibits the repricing of options and stock appreciation rights without stockholder approval and requires that no dividends or dividend equivalents be paid with respect to options or stock appreciation rights. The 2017 Plan further provides that, in the event any dividends or dividend equivalents are declared with respect to restricted stock, restricted stock units, other stock-based awards and performance awards (referred to as “full-value awards”), they would be subject to the same vesting and forfeiture provisions as the underlying award. There is a total of 1,363,630 shares of common stock that remain subject to outstanding stock grants under the 2017 Plan as of March 31, 2020.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to calculate the grant date fair value of an award.

The expected volatility of options granted has been determined using a weighted average of the historical volatility of the Company’s stock for a period equal to the expected life of the option. The expected life of options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method. The risk-free interest rate is based on a zero coupon U.S. treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected life of the stock options. The Company has not paid and does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its shares of common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero. The Company applied an estimated annual forfeiture rate based on historical averages in determining the expense recorded in each period.

A summary of the stock option activity under the Company’s plans for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is presented below:

There were no options exercised during the three months ended March 31, 2020. The total intrinsic value of options exercised (i.e. the difference between the market price at exercise and the price paid by the employee to exercise the options) was $138 thousand during the three months ended March 31, 2019. The total amount of cash received from exercise of these options was approximately $23 thousand during the three months ended, March 31, 2019.

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Restricted Stock Units

Restricted stock units are valued at the market price of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant. A summary of the restricted stock unit activity under the Company’s plans for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is presented below:

There were 95,688 restricted stock units with a total grant-date fair value of $2.0 million that vested during the three months ended March 31, 2020. There were 42,604 restricted stock units with a total grant-date fair value of $0.7 million that vested during the that vested during the three months ended March 31, 2019.

As of, March 31, 2020 there was $20.5 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options and restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.7 years.

11. Stockholders’ Equity

Reserved Common Stock

As of, March 31, 2020 the Company has reserved 2,384,015 shares of common stock for use in settling outstanding options and unvested restricted stock units that have not been issued as well as future awards available for grant under the 2017 Plan.

Common Stock Repurchase Programs and Subsequent Event

In November 2018 the Company announced that the Board had authorized a $25.0 million stock repurchase program (the “November 2018 Repurchase Program”) under which the Company is authorized to repurchase the Company’s common stock from time to time on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions at prices and in a manner that may be determined by management. The Company repurchased 736,760 shares at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $14.8 million during the first quarter of 2020 under the November 2018 Stock Repurchase Program. As of March 31, 2020, funds available under the November 2018 Repurchase Program have been substantially exhausted and the program is now complete.

On May 1, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a new two-year $25.0 million stock repurchase program (the “May 2020 Repurchase Program”). Repurchases of the Company's stock under the May 2020 Repurchase Program may be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions, or pursuant to one or more trading plans. The timing and amount of repurchases, if any, will be determined by the Company's management at its discretion and be based on a variety of factors such as the market price of the Company's common stock, corporate and contractual requirements, prevailing market and economic conditions and legal requirements. The May 2020 Repurchase Program may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time.  

Repurchased shares are recorded under the cost method and are reflected as treasury stock in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. All share repurchases were funded with cash on hand.

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12. Income Taxes

The Company measures its interim period tax expense using an estimated annual effective tax rate and adjustments for discrete taxable events that occur during the interim period. The estimated annual effective income tax rate is based upon the Company’s estimations of annual pre-tax income, the geographic mix of pre-tax income, and its interpretations of tax laws. The Company updates the estimate of its annual effective tax rate at the end of each quarterly period. The Company recorded income tax expense of $0.9 million for both the three months ended March 31, 2020 and, March 31, 2019.

13. Segment Information

The Company views its operations and manages its business as one operating segment based on factors such as how the Company manages its operations and how its executive management team reviews results and makes decisions on how to allocate resources and assess performance.

Geographic Data

Net sales by campaign target area were as follows (1):

Net sales to unaffiliated customers by geographic area were as follows (2):

Long-lived assets by geographic area were as follows:

Net sales to unaffiliated customers by geographic area is based on the customers’ current billing addresses, and does not consider the geo-targeted (target audience) location of the campaign. Long-lived assets are comprised of property and equipment, net; goodwill; and intangible assets, net. No single country outside of the U.S. accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s long-lived assets during either of these periods.

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14. Acquisition

On February 18, 2020, the Company acquired substantially all of the operating assets of Data Science Central LLC, which is a niche digital publishing and media company focused on data science and business analytics for $5.5 million, plus a potential future earnout valued at $.9 million at the time of acquisition.  A $5.0 million cash payment was made at closing, with the remainder due in fiscal year 2021. The earnout is subject to certain revenue growth targets and the payment is adjusted based on actual results. If all targets are met, the total purchase price, including the earnout, shall not exceed $7.5 million which will become payable upon the achievement of certain revenue objectives during the next two years.  

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including those discussed below in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and in the other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Please refer to our “Forward-Looking Statements” section on page 40.

Overview

TechTarget, Inc. (“we” or “the Company”) is a Delaware corporation incorporated on September 14, 1999. Through continued innovation around our specialized online content for buyers of enterprise technology solutions we have become a global leader in purchase intent-driven marketing and sales services that deliver business impact for enterprise business-to-business “B2B” technology companies. Our offerings enable B2B technology companies to better identify, reach and influence corporate enterprise technology decision makers actively researching specific enterprise technology purchases. We improve a vendors’ ability to impact these audiences for business growth using advanced targeting, analytics and data services complemented with customized marketing programs that integrate demand generation, brand marketing and advertising techniques.

Enterprise technology has become increasingly specialized, and the websites within our network of over 140 websites address every major enterprise technology segment such as storage, security, networking, and business applications.  Enterprise technology and business professionals rely on us for key decision support information tailored to their specific areas of responsibility.

We enable enterprise technology and business professionals to navigate the complex and rapidly-changing enterprise technology landscape where purchasing decisions can have significant financial and operational consequences. Our content strategy includes three primary sources which enterprise technology and business professionals use to assist them in their pre-purchase research: independent content provided by our professionals, vendor-generated content provided by our customers and member-generated, or peer-to-peer, content. In addition to utilizing our independent editorial content, registered members appreciate the ability to deepen their pre-purchase research by accessing the extensive vendor supplied content available across our website network. Likewise, these members derive significant additional value from the ability our network provides to seamlessly interact with and contribute to information exchanges in a given field.

We had approximately 20.8 million and 20.2 million registered members – our “audiences” – as of March 31, 2020 and 2019 respectively. While the size of our registered member base does not provide direct insight into our customer numbers or our revenues, the value of our services sold to our customers is a direct result of the breadth and reach of this content footprint. This footprint creates the opportunity for our customers to gain business leverage by targeting our audiences through customized marketing programs. Likewise, the behavior exhibited by these audiences enables us to provide our customers with data products to improve their marketing and sales efforts. The targeted nature of our member base enables B2B technology companies to reach a specialized audience efficiently because our content is highly segmented and aligned with the B2B technology companies’ specific products. With it, we have developed a broad customer base and, in 2020 expect to deliver marketing and sales services programs to approximately 1,400 customers.

Executive Summary

Our Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

We are witnessing the far-reaching impact that COVID-19 is having on our employees, customers, vendors, members, stockholders, and other stakeholders as well as the global economy and society at large. While we have responded proactively to address the effects of COVID-19 and to mitigate its potential impacts to our business, including through the elimination of all non-essential travel, transitioning our entire workforce to a remote work environment, and enhancing access to certain health and safety resources for our employees, beginning in March, 2020 we saw certain customers extend their normal sales cycles and budget shifts as some customers moved from long-term commitments to shorter term marketing campaigns as they began to navigate through the pandemic.  To date,

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we have only experienced a handful of cancellations but we continue to stay close to our customers to ensure they are continuing to see ROI.  New customer acquisition became harder as some potential customers were less apt to spend on new products or services.

We believe our strong financial position provides us with the flexibility to weather this period of economic uncertainty and the opportunity to respond quickly to our customers with the content and services they expect. However, the restrictive measures local, state, and federal governments (including in the other countries in which we operate) have implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including restrictions on the operation of non-essential businesses, shelter in place orders, travel restrictions, quarantines, school closures, and other community response and social distancing policies and guidelines, will continue to affect the way we and our customers conduct and operate our respective businesses. We remain open and continue to provide the content and services that are important to our customers. Moreover, our dedicated employees continue to collaborate with each other and our customers and their sales and marketing teams, to deliver high quality, impactful campaigns. While we will continue to actively monitor government restrictions impacting our business and remain focused on business continuity, including reducing expenses and managing liquidity, given the fluid nature of COVID-19, the uncertainty of its duration, the potential for resurgence and the unknown effects of potential future government actions in response to COVID-19, we cannot estimate duration or magnitude of its impact on the global economy, our business or our financial results.  

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We finished the first quarter of 2020 in a strong financial position. As of March 31, 2020, our balance sheet included:

Cash and investments:                           $45.2 million

Current portion debt:               $1.4 million

Long-term portion debt:$22.0 million

Our remaining debt obligation for 2020, including required interest payments, is approximately $1.5 million.  We generated $9.6 million in cash from operations during the three months ended March 31, 2020. We expect to be able to maintain adequate liquidity to satisfy our cash needs as we navigate through the current environment, although we could experience significant fluctuations in our cash flows from period to period. If necessary, we may take steps to preserve adequate liquidity, including through accessing capital markets and other sources of external financing. After the easing of governmental restrictions and the end of the COVID-19 crisis, we could experience further fluctuations in our results of operations and cash flows resulting from the ongoing global impacts of the crisis and our customers’ realignment of their marketing and sales budgets.

Our priorities remain to ensure the health and safety of our employees, customers, vendors, members, stockholders, and other stakeholders, while delivering our content and services to our customers around the world, continuing to drive long-term growth.

Impacts on Future Financial Results

At the beginning of 2020, we expected the strong demand we saw in 2019 to continue.  However, beginning in March, we saw certain customers extend their normal sales cycles and budget shifts as some customers moved from long-term commitments to shorter term marketing campaigns as they began to navigate through the pandemic. This trend continued into April and through the date of this report. We expect the adverse impacts to result in lower revenue as we and our customers work through the duration of the pandemic. The impact COVID-19 will have on our 2020 results remains uncertain.  We continue to evaluate the impacts the pandemic will have on our business.

Quarter ended March 31, 2020 Financial Results

Our revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2020 increased by $1.4 million, or 5%, to $31.4 million, compared with $30.0 million, during the same period in 2019. Priority Engine™ revenues increased to more than $12.6 million in the first three months of 2020, compared to the first three months of 2019.

We continue to have success selling longer-term contracts of approximately twelve months. The amount of revenue that we derived from longer-term contracts in the first quarter increased 24%, compared to the first quarter of 2019.

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We continue to benefit from our customers’ increasing demand for purchase intent data to fuel their sales and marketing outreach. Another important factor in our revenue trajectory relates to the evolving way our customers use our purchase intent data relative to our offerings. Our offerings help customers identify “in-market” prospects for their products and services – our offerings help them reach, influence, and activate these prospects. A growing number of customers purchase “always on” programs from us that combine offerings to identify and influence active buyers throughout the year. The growth in our longer-term revenue component is evidence of our continued traction for these types of integrated programs. Additionally, Customers use our offerings to support quarterly sales and marketing campaigns. These purchases are more fluid – customers of this type may focus more on offerings in a particular campaign, and shift objectives as opposed to an “always on” program.

Our international geo-targeted revenues, where our target audience is outside North America (“International”), increased 19% for the three months ended March 31, 2020, compared with the prior year period.

Gross profit percentage was 74% and 77% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Gross profit increased by $0.3 million, mainly due to the increase in revenues as compared to the same period a year ago.

Business Trends

The following discussion highlights key trends affecting our business not including items relating to the global pandemic, which is discussed in further detail above.

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Revenues

Revenue changes for the three month period ended, March 31, 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019, are shown in the table below. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our revenues.

We sell customized marketing programs to B2B technology companies targeting a specific audience within a particular enterprise technology or business sector or sub-sector. We maintain multiple points of contact with our customers to provide support throughout their organizations and their customers’ enterprise technology sales cycles. As a result, our customers often run multiple advertising programs with us in order to target their desired audience of enterprise technology and business professionals more effectively. There are multiple factors that can impact our customers’ marketing and advertising objectives and spending with us, including but not limited to, enterprise technology product launches, increases or decreases to their advertising budgets, the timing of key industry marketing events, responses to competitor activities and efforts to address specific marketing objectives such as creating brand awareness or generating sales leads. Our products and services are generally delivered under short-term contracts that run for the length of a given program, typically less than nine months. We continue to enter into longer-term contracts with certain customers, and in the quarter ended, March 31, 2020 approximately 39% of our revenues were from longer-term contracts of approximately twelve months.   

Product and Service Offerings

We use our offerings to provide B2B technology companies with numerous touch points to identify, reach and influence key enterprise technology decision makers. The following is a description of the products and services we offer:

IT Deal Alert. IT Deal Alert is a suite of products and services for B2B technology companies that leverages the detailed purchase intent data that we collect about end-user enterprise technology organizations. Through proprietary scoring methodologies, we use this insight to help our customers identify and prioritize accounts whose content consumption around specific enterprise technology topics indicates that they are “in-market” for a particular product or service. We also use the data directly to identify and further profile accounts’ upcoming purchase plans.

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Demand Solutions. Our offerings enable our customers to reach and influence prospective buyers through content marketing programs designed to generate demand for their solutions, and through display advertising and other brand programs that influence consideration by prospective buyers. This allows B2B technology companies to maximize return on investment by capturing sales leads from the distribution and promotion of content to our audience of enterprise technology and business professionals. Our demand solutions offerings may include the following program components:

Brand Solutions. Our suite of brand solutions offerings provides B2B technology companies exposure to targeted audiences of enterprise technology and business professionals actively researching information related to their products and services. We leverage our Activity Intelligence to enable significant segmentation and targeting of specific audiences that can be accessed through these programs. Components of brand programs may include: On-Network Branding. These offerings enable our customers to influence prospective buyers through display advertising purchased on the websites we operate. Programs may include specific sites or audience segments across our sites.

Custom Content Creation. We will at times create white papers, case studies, webcasts or videos to our customers’ specifications through our Custom Content team. These customized content assets are then promoted to our audience within both demand solutions and brand solutions programs.

Our suite of demand solutions offerings allows B2B technology companies to maximize return on investment by capturing sales leads from the distribution and promotion of content to our audience of enterprise technology and business professionals. Our demand solutions campaigns typically offer the Activity Intelligence Dashboard, a tool that gives our customers’ marketers and sales representatives a near real-time view of their prospects including insights on the research activities

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Cost of Revenues, Operating Expenses, and Other

Expenses consist of cost of revenues, selling and marketing, product development, general and administrative, depreciation and amortization, and interest and other expense, net. Personnel-related costs are a significant component of each of these expense categories except for depreciation and amortization and except for interest and other expense, net.

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists primarily of: salaries and related personnel costs; member acquisition expenses (primarily keyword purchases from leading internet search sites); freelance writer expenses; website hosting costs; vendor expenses associated with the delivery of webcast, podcast, videocast and similar content, and other offerings; stock-based compensation expenses; facility expenses, and other related overhead.

Selling and Marketing. Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of: salaries and related personnel costs; sales commissions; travel-related expenses; stock-based compensation expenses; facility expenses and other related overhead. Sales commissions are recorded as expense when earned by the employee, based on recorded revenues.

Product Development. Product development includes the creation and maintenance of our network of websites, advertiser offerings and technical infrastructure. Product development expense consists primarily of salaries and related personnel costs; stock-based compensation expenses; facility expenses, and other related overhead.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and related personnel costs; facility expenses and related overhead; accounting, legal and other professional fees; and stock-based compensation expenses.

Depreciation and Amortization. Depreciation expense consists of the depreciation of our property and equipment and other capitalized assets. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, ranging from three to twelve years. Amortization of intangible assets expense consists of the amortization of intangible assets recorded in connection with our acquisitions. Separable intangible assets that are not deemed to have an indefinite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which range from 2 to 17 years, using methods that are expected to reflect the estimated pattern of economic use.

Interest and Other Income (Expense), Net. Interest and other expense, net consists primarily of interest costs and the related amortization of deferred issuance costs on amounts borrowed under our Loan and Security Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Western Alliance Bank and amortization of premiums on our investments, less any interest income earned on cash, and short-term and long-term investments. We historically have invested our cash in money market accounts, municipal bonds, government agency bonds, U.S. Treasury securities and corporate bonds. Other expense, net consists of non-operating gains or losses, primarily related to realized and unrealized foreign currency gains and losses on trade assets and liabilities.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

The discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”). The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenues, long-lived assets, goodwill, allowance for doubtful accounts, stock-based compensation, contingent liabilities, self-insurance accruals and income taxes. We based our estimates of the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. In some cases, changes in the accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Our critical accounting policies are those that affect our more significant judgments used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. A description of our critical accounting policies and estimates is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. Other than those noted in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates during the first three months of 2020.

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Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in both the U.S. and foreign jurisdictions, and we use estimates in determining our provision for income taxes. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on temporary differences between the financial reporting and income tax bases of assets and liabilities using statutory rates.

Our deferred tax assets are comprised primarily of book to tax differences on stock-based compensation and timing of deductions for rent expense, accrued expenses, depreciation, and amortization. As of March 31, 2020, we had foreign net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of $0.2 million, which may be used to offset future taxable income in foreign jurisdictions indefinitely.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the periods indicated, including percentage of total revenues: