Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP), a leading provider of software for pharmaceutical discovery and development, today reported its financial results for its 2017 fiscal year (FY17) and fourth quarter (4Q17) ended August 31, 2017.

Results for the 2017 fiscal year (FY17):

• Revenues were $24.1 million, up 20.9% over $20.0 million in FY16
• Gross profit was up 16.0%, or $2.46 million, to $17.83 million, from $15.37 million in FY16
• SG&A expense increased 22.5% to $8.2 million from $6.7 million in FY16
  • As a percent of sales, SG&A increased 0.5% to 34.0% from 33.5% in FY16
    • During FY2017, approximately $620,000 of one-time charges were incurred associated with an acquisition

• R&D expenditures were $2.7 million in FY17, up 3.0%, or $78,000, over $2.6 million in FY16
  • For FY17, $1.4 million was capitalized and $1.4 million was expensed
  • For FY16, $1.2 million was capitalized and $1.4 million was expensed
• Net income was $5.8 million, up 16.9% from $5.0 million in FY16
• Net income from operations increased 13.9%
• Net income per fully diluted share was $0.33, up 14.9% from $0.29 for FY16
• Cash was $6.2 million, a decrease of $1.8 million, or 23%, from $8.0 million at the end of FY16. This decrease was the result of nearly $10 million in cash distributions made during the fiscal year that included: the final $1 million payment to TSRL; approximately $5 million of DILIsym Services, Inc. acquisition-related payments; and cash distributions totaling $3.5 million in dividends distributed to shareholders during FY2017. Cash today is $8.2 million.

Results for the fourth quarter of FY17 (4Q17):

• Revenues were $6.3 million, up $2.3 million, or 58.3%, compared to $4.0 million in 4Q16.
  • $1.24 million of these revenues came from the DILIsym Services Acquisition on June 1, 2017
  • Revenues at our Buffalo Division, Cognigen, increased 67.4% or $851,000 over 4Q16
• Gross profit was up 48.2% to $4.3 million, an increase of $1.4 million from $2.9 million in 4Q16
• SG&A increased 50.7%, or $818,000, to $2.4 million from $1.6 million in 4Q16
  • During the quarter approximately $323,000 was incurred for acquisition-related expenses
  • 4Q17 SG&A expense of our new subsidiary accounted for $274,000.
• R&D expenditures were $829,000, an increase of 25.2% from $662,000 in 4Q16
  • For 4Q17, $455,000 was capitalized and $374,000 was expensed
  • For 4Q16, $378,000 was capitalized and $284,000 was expensed
• Net income was $1.15 million, up 45.9% over $789,000 in 4Q16
• Earnings per fully diluted share were $0.06, up $0.019, or 41.9%, over $0.05 in 4Q16

Walt Woltosz, chairman and chief executive officer of Simulations Plus, said: “Fiscal year 2017 was another exciting year for Simulations Plus, with record revenues, record net income up nearly 17%, and record EPS up nearly 15%. We remain committed to rewarding our shareholders, as evidenced by the recently announced dividend increase to $0.06 per share per quarter from the $0.05 per share per quarter we’ve distributed since 2012. The performance of our Cognigen division in Buffalo, NY, was outstanding all year and finished with an exceptional fourth quarter that had an increase in revenues of over 67%. Our new DILIsym Services division, acquired at the beginning of the fourth quarter, is already contributing nicely to our growth in both revenues and earnings. And our software offerings and consulting services in the Lancaster, CA, division continue the more than 10-year-long trend of continuous growth and improved offerings.”

John DiBella, president of the Lancaster division of Simulations Plus, said: “We continued to see expansion of customers both licensing our technology and outsourcing projects to our team of experts in FY17. 88 new organizations, or new departments at existing organizations, are now licensing our technology, with significant growth realized from companies outside our core pharmaceutical market, highlighting the utility of our tools for various research activities. We have scaled up our consulting services division by adding staff to meet increased demand, and our business development representatives continue to maintain a robust consulting project pipeline heading into 2018. Our software development teams are working hard on the next versions of GastroPlus™, ADMET Predictor™, and PKPlus™, and with our continued focus on education and training, coupled with increased marketing efforts, we believe we are in an excellent position to address the needs set forth by regulatory agencies and to capitalize on the increased adoption of modeling and simulation technology across industries.”

Dr. Brett Howell, president of the DILIsym Services division, added: “DILIsym Services has now been a part of the Simulations Plus family for one fiscal quarter. We had a great fourth quarter with combined revenue from consulting and licensing that represented significant growth compared to prior periods. Most importantly, synergies have immediately surfaced between DILIsym Services and our sister divisions, Simulations Plus Lancaster and Cognigen. We foresee additional synergies through combined marketing, consulting, and software projects in the future that will benefit all three groups.”

Investor Conference Call November 14, 2017, 4:15 p.m. EST/1:15 p.m. PST

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s performance on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time. All interested parties are invited to join the call by registering here. Upon registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions for joining the call. Please dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled start time. For listen-only mode, you may dial +1 (562) 247-8422, and enter access code: 189-912-336.

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