Exhibit 99.1

 
 
NEWS
   
Contacts:
     
   
Analysts/Investors:
Brian J. Radecki - Chief Financial Officer
(301) 664-9132
bradecki@costar.com
 
Media:
Timothy J. Trainor - Communications Director
(301) 280-7695
ttrainor@costar.com
 


CoStar Group, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2008 Results

Record Number of New Subscribing Firms Added During Quarter;
Net Income Increases 178% Year Over Year, Company Raises Earnings Outlook for 2008

BETHESDA, MD — April 23, 2008 - CoStar Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSGP), the number one provider of information services to the commercial real estate industry, today announced that net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2008 increased 178% to $5.0 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to $1.8 million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2007.  EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, deprecation and amortization) for the first quarter of 2008 was $11.5 million, an increase of 128% compared to EBITDA of $5.0 million for the first quarter of 2007.  Revenues for the first quarter of 2008 were $52.3 million, a 16.6% increase over first quarter 2007 revenues of $44.8 million.

Year 2007-2008 Quarterly Results
(in millions, except per share data)
   
2007
   
2008
 
   
Q1
   
Q2
   
Q3
   
Q4
   
Q1
 
                                         
Revenues
  $ 44.8     $ 47.8     $ 49.3     $ 50.8     $ 52.3  
EBITDA
    5.0       4.2       8.0       16.8       11.5  
Net income
    1.8       1.2       3.3       9.7       5.0  
Net income per share - diluted
    0.09       0.06       0.17       0.50       0.26  
Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted
    19.2       19.3       19.5       19.5       19.4  


 

 
 
“We are very pleased to report another quarter of robust earnings at CoStar resulting from the organization's continued focus on adding and renewing subscribers, growing earnings and effectively managing our cost structure as we work towards achieving both a 30% EBITDA margin in our U.S. operations and break-even in our international operations by 2008 year-end,” said President and CEO Andrew C. Florance. “Based on our strong first quarter performance, the outlook for our long-term revenue growth and profitability remains bullish.”

Demand for CoStar’s subscription-based products remained strong in the first quarter as the company signed 591 new subscribing firms, the highest number to subscribe in a single quarter, which contributed to the addition of 2,071 net new paying subscribers to the company’s expanded service platform. In addition, the customer renewal rate for CoStar’s subscription-based products remained strong at 90%. The high renewal rate and surge in new subscribers contributed to the increase in revenues for the quarter.

The company also confirmed the May 2008 release of CoStar Showcase®, a new online marketing service dedicated to helping commercial real estate professionals maximize the value of listing their properties online by presenting their listings before a large audience of prospective tenants and buyers.

CoStar’s first quarter 2008 results included non-cash charges for equity compensation of $1.2 million, primarily included in general and administrative costs, selling and marketing expenses and cost of revenues.

As of March 31, 2008, the company had $193.1 million in cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments. Also, as of March 31, 2008, the company had no long-term debt.

2008 Outlook

“CoStar continues to anticipate earnings growth from U.S. operations through 2008 as a result of consistent core revenue growth over a relatively fixed-cost base,” said CoStar Group Chief Financial Officer Brian J. Radecki. “Based on strong first quarter results and our ability to execute our plan, we are raising the outlook for net income for the full year 2008 to approximately $1.05 to $1.10 per diluted share. We also continue to anticipate 2008 overall revenue growth in the range of 14% to 16% over 2007,” added Radecki.

“For the second quarter of 2008, we continue to anticipate a sequential quarterly increase in revenue of 2.0% to 4.0% and fully diluted net income per share of approximately $0.24 to $0.26, which includes seasonally high selling and marketing expenses associated with the ICSC trade show and the pending release of CoStar Showcase,” Radecki said.

In addition, during the second quarter 2008, the company expects a charge of approximately $300,000 resulting from the termination of a lease and write-off of certain leasehold improvements that will save the company approximately $1.2 million over the remaining two-year term of the lease as it consolidates excess office space in Maryland.

Management will conduct a conference call to discuss earnings results for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, and the financial outlook for the second quarter of 2008 at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 24, 2008.  The audio portion of the conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet at http://www.costar.com/corporate/investor/. To join the conference call by telephone, please call

 
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(888) 688-0419 from within the United States and Canada, or (706) 634-0964 from outside the United States and Canada. A replay of the conference call will be available two hours after the live call concludes through midnight on May 8, 2008. The replay telephone number is (800) 642-1687 within the United States and Canada or (706) 645-9291 outside the United States and Canada. Refer to Conference ID 41904827. The replay will also be available over the Internet at http://www.costar.com/corporate/investor/ for a period of time following the call.


CoStar Group, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations-Unaudited
(in thousands, except per share data)
             
   
For the Three Months
 
   
Ended March 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
             
             
Revenues
  $ 52,264     $ 44,831  
Cost of revenues
    19,721       17,826  
Gross margin
    32,543       27,005  
                 
Operating expenses:
               
  Selling and marketing
    10,873       13,166  
  Software development
    3,414       3,070  
  General and administrative
    9,805       8,063  
  Purchase amortization
    1,221       1,270  
      25,313       25,569  
                 
Income from operations
    7,230       1,436  
Interest and other income, net
    1,938       1,862  
Income before income taxes
    9,168       3,298  
Income tax expense, net
    4,126       1,484  
Net income
  $ 5,042     $ 1,814  
                 
Net income per share - basic
  $ 0.26     $ 0.10  
Net income per share - diluted
  $ 0.26     $ 0.09  
                 
Weighted average outstanding shares - basic
    19,217       18,896  
Weighted average outstanding shares - diluted
    19,369       19,207  
                 
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures with Net Income
       
                 
Net income
  $ 5,042     $ 1,814  
Purchase amortization in cost of revenues
    583       325  
Purchase amortization in operating expenses
    1,221       1,270  
Depreciation and other amortization
    2,478       2,015  
Interest income, net
    (1,938 )     (1,862 )
Income tax expense, net
    4,126       1,484  
EBITDA
  $ 11,512     $ 5,046  

 
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CoStar Group, Inc.
Results of Segments-Unaudited
(in thousands)
             
   
For the Three Months
 
   
Ended March 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
Revenues
           
United States
  $ 46,403     $ 40,181  
International
    5,861       4,650  
Total Revenues
  $ 52,264     $ 44,831  
                 
EBITDA
               
United States
  $ 12,570     $ 5,850  
International*
    (1,058 )     (804 )
Total EBITDA
  $ 11,512     $ 5,046  
                 
                 
* International EBITDA includes a corporate allocation of approximately $325,000 and $775,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
 


 
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CoStar Group, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)
             
   
March 31,
   
December 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
   
(Unaudited)
       
ASSETS
           
Current assets:
           
  Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 94,706     $ 57,785  
  Short-term investments
    66,855       129,641  
  Accounts receivable, net
    11,708       10,875  
  Deferred income taxes
    2,097       2,716  
  Prepaid and other current assets
    3,371       4,661  
Total current assets
    178,737       205,678  
                 
Long-term investments
    31,532       -  
Deferred income taxes
    3,335       2,233  
Property and equipment, net
    22,714       24,045  
Intangible and other assets, net
    85,711       87,565  
Deposits and other assets
    1,485       2,322  
Total assets
  $ 323,514     $ 321,843  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
               
Current liabilities:
               
  Accounts payable and accrued expenses
  $ 24,834     $ 27,863  
  Deferred revenue
    10,723       10,374  
Total current liabilities
    35,557       38,237  
                 
Deferred income taxes
    1,089       1,801  
                 
Stockholders' equity
    286,868       281,805  
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
  $ 323,514     $ 321,843  


Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures with 2007-2008 Quarterly Results
       
(in millions)
                             
   
2007
   
2008
 
    Q1     Q2    
Q3
   
Q4
   
Q1
 
                                         
Net income
  $ 1.8     $ 1.2     $ 3.3     $ 9.7     $ 5.0  
Purchase amortization
    1.6       1.8       1.8       2.0       1.8  
Depreciation and other amortization
    2.0       2.1       2.3       2.5       2.5  
Interest income, net
    (1.9 )     (1.9 )     (2.1 )     (2.2 )     (1.9 )
Income tax expense, net
    1.5       1.0       2.7       4.8       4.1  
EBITDA
  $ 5.0     $ 4.2     $ 8.0     $ 16.8     $ 11.5  
 
 

 
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About CoStar Group, Inc.

CoStar Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSGP) is the number one provider of information services to commercial real estate professionals in the United States as well as the United Kingdom.  CoStar's suite of services offers customers access via the Internet to the most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information throughout the U.S. as well as in the United Kingdom and France.  Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, the company has approximately 1,300 employees, including the largest professional research organization in the industry. For more information, visit http://www.costar.com.
 

 

 
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" including, without limitation, statements regarding CoStar’s expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. More information about potential factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those stated in CoStar's filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including CoStar’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 under the heading “Risk Factors.”  In addition to these statements, there can be no assurance that CoStar will achieve both a 30% EBITDA margin in its U.S. operations and break-even in its international operations by 2008 year-end; that CoStar’s long-term revenue growth and profitability will remain bullish; that the company will release CoStar Showcase in May 2008 or that CoStar Showcase will help commercial real estate professionals maximize the value of listing their properties online by presenting their listings before a large audience of prospective tenants and buyers; that earnings will continue to grow through 2008 from U.S. operations as a result of consistent core revenue growth over a relatively fixed cost base; that net income for the full year 2008 will be as stated in this press release; that overall revenue growth for 2008 will be as stated in this press release; that sequential quarterly revenue growth rates for the second quarter of 2008 will be as stated in this press release; that second quarter 2008 fully diluted net income per share will be as stated in this press release; that the second quarter 2008 charge from termination of a lease and write-off of certain leasehold improvements will be as stated in this press release; and that the company will save approximately $1.2 million over the remaining two-year term of the lease.  All forward-looking statements are based on information available to CoStar on the date hereof, and CoStar assumes no obligation to update such statements.

 
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