Form 8-K Filing

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 8-K


Current Report Pursuant
to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

October 17, 2012
(Date of Report - Date of Earliest Event Reported)

First Cash Financial Services, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

0-19133
 
75-2237318
(Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer Identification No.)



690 East Lamar Blvd., Suite 400, Arlington, Texas
 
76011
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

(817) 460-3947
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  


NA
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)



Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
  [   ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
  [   ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
  [   ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
  [   ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

First Cash Financial Services, Inc. has issued a press release announcing its financial results for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2012. The Company's press release dated October 17, 2012 announcing the results is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Item 2.02.

The information provided in this Item 2.02 shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall such information be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by the specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits:

99.1


Press Release dated October 17, 2012 announcing the Company's financial results for the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2012.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: October 17, 2012   First Cash Financial Services, Inc.
             (Registrant)

  /s/   R. DOUGLAS ORR
R. Douglas Orr
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number Document
99.1 Press release dated October 17, 2012
First Cash Reports 16% Increase in Third Quarter Earnings Per Share to $0.67; Pawn Growth in Mexico Drives Record Earnings; With Completed Fast Cash Acquisition, YTD Store Additions Total 139

EXHIBIT 99.1

First Cash Reports 16% Increase in Third Quarter Earnings Per Share to $0.67; Pawn Growth in Mexico Drives Record Earnings; With Completed Fast Cash Acquisition, YTD Store Additions Total 139

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Cash Financial Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:FCFS) today announced record-setting revenue, net income and earnings per share for the three month period ended September 30, 2012. In addition, the Company announced that in September it completed the acquisition of 16 large format Fast Cash Pawn stores located in Denver, Colorado. The Company also noted that it was closing seven small format, payday-only stores located in Texas.

Earnings Highlights

Revenue Highlights

Revenue growth rates are presented below on a constant currency basis, calculated by applying the currency exchange rate from the comparable prior-year period to the current year's Mexican peso-denominated revenue. The average exchange rate for the third quarter of 2012 was 13.2 Mexican pesos / U.S. dollar versus 12.3 Mexican pesos / U.S. dollar in the comparable prior-year period.

Pawn Metrics

Profitability and Return Metrics

Acquisitions and New Store Openings

Financial Position & Liquidity

Discontinued Payday Operations

Fiscal 2012 Outlook

Commentary & Analysis

Mr. Rick Wessel, chief executive officer, commented on the third quarter results, "We are very pleased with our third quarter results, which continue to be driven by impressive growth in our core pawn business. We achieved several significant milestones during the quarter as we opened our 800th store, acquired an additional 16 pawn stores in the U.S. and continued our industry-leading record pace of large format de novo store growth in Mexico. Consolidated pawn receivables increased 35% over the prior year, topping $100 million for the first time in Company history. The growth in pawn receivables drove an impressive 31% increase in total pawn service fees for the quarter.  This is a strong leading indicator for the future growth of pawn fees and positions us well for not only a strong finish to this year, but also a solid start to next year."

"We remain excited and encouraged by the strong pawn growth in Mexico, which saw a 36% increase in pawn receivables and 35% growth in pawn fees.  These results demonstrate the consistency and profitability of our large format business model in Mexico, where our pawn operations are now almost entirely focused on hard good (non-gold) lending and retail sales. We have clearly differentiated ourselves in Mexico, where we have a dominant share of the large format, full-service retail pawn market."  

"Regarding our payday and consumer loan businesses, the strategic decision made several years ago to focus our growth on large format retail pawn operations and reduce overall exposure to payday lending products has served us well. While we continue to see contraction in many of our payday lending-related operations due in part to regulatory challenges and product saturation from internet and other store-front providers, our pawn operations continue to grow. Although there is a marginal earnings impact as a result of our decision to reduce our exposure to the payday lending space, we continue to believe that this strategic direction is in the best interest of our shareholders over the long-term."

"The Company's strong operating cash flow and balance sheet provide us the ability to fund both organic growth and take advantage of acquisition opportunities as they arise.  During the third quarter, we increased the size of our unsecured bank credit facility to $175 million to support continued store openings and potential future acquisitions. Even with the additional credit availability, we remain significantly under-levered and have ample capacity to fund continued growth both domestically and internationally."

"In summary, given our competitive strengths, growth platform and expanding customer base, we are excited about our ability to further grow our store count, revenues, margins and earnings. We believe our business model, coupled with our strong balance sheet, positions us to drive sustainable long-term growth in shareholder value."

Forward-Looking Information    

This release may contain forward-looking statements about the business, financial condition and prospects of the Company. Forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "projects," "expects," "may," "estimates," "should," "plans," "targets," "intends," "could," or "anticipates," or the negative thereof, or other variations thereon, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy or objectives. Forward-looking statements can also be identified by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical or current matters. Rather, forward-looking statements relate to anticipated or expected events, activities, trends or results. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release include, without limitation, the Company's expectations of earnings per share, earnings growth, expansion strategies, regulatory exposures, store openings, liquidity (including the availability of capital under existing credit facilities), cash flow, consumer demand for the Company's products and services, currency exchange rates and the impact thereof, completion of disposition transactions and expected gains or losses from the disposition of such operations, earnings from acquisitions, the ability to successfully integrate acquisitions and other performance results. These statements are made to provide the public with management's current assessment of the Company's business. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurances that such expectations will prove to be accurate. Security holders are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this statement, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to report any updates or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Certain factors may cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by some of the statements made in this release. Such factors are difficult to predict and many are beyond the control of the Company and may include changes in regional, national or international economic conditions, changes in the inflation rate, changes in the unemployment rate, changes in consumer purchasing, borrowing and repayment behaviors, changes in credit markets, the ability to renew and/or extend the Company's existing bank line of credit, credit losses, changes in the market value of pawn collateral and merchandise inventories, changes or increases in competition, the ability to locate, open and staff new stores, the availability or access to sources of inventory, inclement weather, the ability to successfully integrate acquisitions, the ability to hire and retain key management personnel, the ability to operate with limited regulation as a credit services organization, new federal, state or local legislative initiatives or governmental regulations (or changes to existing laws and regulations, including recently enacted ordinances in the Texas cities of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio) affecting consumer loan businesses, credit services organizations and pawn businesses (in both the United States and Mexico), changes in import/export regulations and tariffs or duties, changes in anti-money laundering regulations, unforeseen litigation, changes in interest rates, monetary inflation, changes in tax rates or policies, changes in gold prices, changes in energy prices, cost of funds, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, future business decisions, public health issues, changes in demand for the Company's services and products, changes in the Company's ability to satisfy its debt obligations or to obtain new capital to finance growth, a prolonged interruption in the Company's operations of its facilities, systems, and business functions, including its information technology and other business systems, the implementation of new, or changes in the interpretation of existing accounting principles or financial reporting requirements, and other uncertainties. These and other risks, uncertainties and regulatory developments are further and more completely described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and updated in subsequent releases on Form 10-Q. These risks and uncertainties are beyond the ability of the Company to control, nor can the Company predict, in many cases, all of the risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements.

About First Cash

First Cash Financial Services, Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer and provider of consumer financial services. Its retail pawn locations buy and sell a wide variety of jewelry, electronics, tools and other merchandise, and make small customer loans secured by pledged personal property. The Company's focus is serving cash and credit constrained consumers through deep value retailing and offering small loans and other financial products. In total, the Company owns and operates 812 stores in twelve U.S. states and 24 states in Mexico. 

First Cash was named by Fortune Magazine as one of America's 100 fastest growing companies for 2011. First Cash is also a component company in both the Standard & Poor's SmallCap 600 Index® and the Russell 2000 Index®. First Cash's common stock (ticker symbol "FCFS") is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, which has the highest initial listing standards of any stock exchange in the world based on financial and liquidity requirements. 

The First Cash Financial Services, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3365

STORE COUNT ACTIVITY

The following table details store openings for the three months ended September 30, 2012: 

  Pawn Locations Consumer  
  Large Small Loan Total
  Format (1) Format (2) Locations (3) Locations
United States:        
Total locations, beginning of period  164  27  72  263
New locations opened  2  --   --   2
Locations acquired  16  --   --   16
Discontinued consumer loan operations   --   --   (7)  (7)
Total locations, end of period  182  27  65  274
         
Mexico:        
Total locations, beginning of period  465  19  34  518
New locations opened  18  --   --   18
Total locations, end of period  483  19  34  536
         
Total:        
Total locations, beginning of period  629  46  106  781
New locations opened  20  --   --   20
Locations acquired  16  --   --   16
Discontinued consumer loan operations  --   --   (7)  (7)
Total locations, end of period   665  46  99  810

(1) The large format locations include retail showrooms and accept a broad array of pawn collateral including jewelry, electronics, appliances, tools and other consumer hard goods. At September 30, 2012, 111 of the U.S. large format pawn stores also offered consumer loans or credit services products, which includes the 24 locations acquired from Mister Money.

(2) The small format locations typically have limited retail operations and primarily accept jewelry and small electronic items as pawn collateral. At September 30, 2012, all of the Texas and Mexico small format pawn stores also offered consumer loans or credit services products.

(3) The Company's U.S. free-standing, small format consumer loan locations offer a credit services product and are all located in Texas. The Mexico locations offer small, short-term consumer loans. In addition to stores shown on this chart, First Cash is also an equal partner in Cash & Go, Ltd., a joint venture, which owns and operates 38 check cashing and financial services kiosks located inside convenience stores in the state of Texas. 

The following table details store openings for the nine months ended September 30, 2012: 

  Pawn Locations Consumer  
  Large Small Loan Total
  Format (1) Format (2) Locations (3) Locations
United States:        
Total locations, beginning of period  132  25  74  231
New locations opened  6  --   --   6
Locations acquired  44  --   --   44
Store format conversions  --   2  (2)  -- 
Discontinued consumer loan operations  --   --   (7)  (7)
Total locations, end of period  182  27  65  274
         
Mexico:        
Total locations, beginning of period  394  19  34  447
New locations opened  60  --   --   60
Locations acquired  29  --   --   29
Total locations, end of period  483  19  34  536
         
Total:        
Total locations, beginning of period  526  44  108  678
New locations opened  66  --   --   66
Locations acquired  73  --   --   73
Store format conversions  --   2  (2)  -- 
Discontinued consumer loan operations  --   --   (7)  (7)
Total locations, end of period  665  46  99  810

(1) The large format locations include retail showrooms and accept a broad array of pawn collateral including jewelry, electronics, appliances, tools and other consumer hard goods. At September 30, 2012, 111 of the U.S. large format pawn stores also offered consumer loans or credit services products, which includes the 24 locations acquired from Mister Money.

(2) The small format locations typically have limited retail operations and primarily accept jewelry and small electronic items as pawn collateral. At September 30, 2012, all of the Texas and Mexico small format pawn stores also offered consumer loans or credit services products.

(3) The Company's U.S. free-standing, small format consumer loan locations offer a credit services product and are all located in Texas. The Mexico locations offer small, short-term consumer loans. In addition to stores shown on this chart, First Cash is also an equal partner in Cash & Go, Ltd., a joint venture, which owns and operates 38 check cashing and financial services kiosks located inside convenience stores in the state of Texas. 

 
FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(UNAUDITED)
         
  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30, September 30,
  2012 2011 2012 2011
  (in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenue:        
Merchandise sales  $ 96,006  $ 87,794  $ 269,204  $ 243,447
Pawn loan fees  39,768   31,741  108,612  91,277
Consumer loan and credit services fees  13,717  13,078  38,157  37,831
Other revenue  204  239  733  808
Total revenue  149,695  132,852  416,706  373,363
         
Cost of revenue:        
Cost of goods sold  59,328  53,164  168,212  150,278
Consumer loan and credit services loss provision  4,397  3,908  9,587  8,587
Other cost of revenue  32  54  80  147
Total cost of revenue  63,757   57,126  177,879  159,012
         
Net revenue  85,938  75,726  238,827  214,351
         
Expenses and other income:        
Store operating expenses  39,889  33,313  111,003  96,352
Administrative expenses  12,330  11,531  36,248  33,995
Depreciation and amortization  3,328  2,815  9,467  8,259
Interest expense  444  39  697  105
Interest income  (30)  (56)  (147)  (221)
Total expenses and other income  55,961   47,642  157,268  138,490
         
Income from continuing operations before income taxes  29,977  28,084  81,559  75,861
         
Provision for income taxes  10,341   9,832  28,138  26,554
         
Income from continuing operations  19,636  18,252  53,421  49,307
         
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax  (747)   181  (671)  7,020
Net income  $ 18,889  $ 18,433  $ 52,750  $ 56,327
         
Basic income per share:        
Income from continuing operations  $ 0.69  $ 0.60  $ 1.85  $ 1.59
Income (loss) from discontinued operations  (0.03)  --   (0.03)  0.23
Net income per basic share  $ 0.66  $ 0.60  $ 1.82  $ 1.82
         
Diluted income per share:        
Income from continuing operations  $ 0.67  $ 0.58  $ 1.80  $ 1.55
Income (loss) from discontinued operations  (0.03)   0.01  (0.03)  0.23
Net income per diluted share  $ 0.64  $ 0.59  $ 1.77  $ 1.78
         
Weighted average shares outstanding:        
Basic  28,616   30,348  28,951  30,915
Diluted  29,430  31,195  29,729  31,713
 
 
FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
       
  September 30, December 31,
  2012 2011 2011
  (in thousands)
ASSETS      
       
Cash and cash equivalents  $ 25,744  $ 48,410  $ 70,296
Pawn loan fees and service charges receivable  15,888  11,472  10,842
Pawn loans  107,714  77,973  73,287
Consumer loans, net  2,027  929   858
Inventories  65,692  54,916  44,412
Other current assets  12,441  6,745  10,783
Total current assets  229,506  200,445  210,478
       
Property and equipment, net  89,621  68,620  73,451
Goodwill, net  162,675  68,704  69,695
Other non-current assets  6,418  3,504   3,472
Total assets  $ 488,220  $ 341,273  $ 357,096
       
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY      
       
Current portion of notes payable  $ 3,184  $ 487  $ -- 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  35,707  31,140  25,629
Income taxes payable and deferred taxes payable  --   7,280  9,776
Total current liabilities  38,891  38,907  35,405
       
Revolving unsecured credit facility  111,000  --   -- 
Notes payable, net of current portion  9,165  1,018  -- 
Deferred income tax liabilities  12,278  5,461  6,319
Total liabilities  171,334  45,386  41,724
       
Stockholders' equity      
Preferred stock  --   --   -- 
Common stock  383  383  383
Additional paid-in capital  149,606  147,385  147,649
Retained earnings  386,273  312,068  333,523
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) from cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments  (5,381)  (11,229)  (13,463)
Common stock held in treasury, at cost  (213,995)  (152,720)  (152,720)
Total stockholders' equity  316,886  295,887  315,372
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $ 488,220  $ 341,273  $ 357,096

 

FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
OPERATING INFORMATION
(UNAUDITED)

The following table details the components of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2012, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2011 (in thousands). Constant currency results exclude the effects of foreign currency translation and are calculated by translating current year results at prior year average exchange rates, which is more fully described elsewhere in this release. 

  Three Months Ended     Increase/(Decrease)
  September 30,     Constant Currency
  2012 2011 Increase/(Decrease) Basis
United States revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  $ 25,801  $ 20,000  $ 5,801 29 % 29 %
Scrap jewelry sales  13,822  15,653   (1,831) (12)% (12)%
Pawn loan fees  16,747  13,452  3,295 24 % 24 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees  12,785  11,887  898 8 % 8 %
Other revenue  204  239  (35) (15)% (15)%
   69,359  61,231   8,128 13 % 13 %
           
Mexico revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  44,137  38,157  5,980 16 % 24 %
Scrap jewelry sales  12,246  13,984  (1,738) (12)% (12)%
Pawn loan fees  23,021  18,289  4,732 26 % 35 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees   932  1,191  (259) (22)% (16)%
   80,336  71,621  8,715 12 % 19 %
           
Total revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  69,938  58,157  11,781 20 % 26 %
Scrap jewelry sales  26,068  29,637  (3,569) (12)% (12)%
Pawn loan fees  39,768  31,741  8,027 25 % 31 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees  13,717  13,078   639 5 % 5 %
Other revenue  204  239  (35) (15)% (15)%
   $ 149,695  $ 132,852  $ 16,843 13 % 16 %

 

FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
OPERATING INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
(UNAUDITED)

The following table details the components of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2012, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2011 (in thousands). Constant currency results exclude the effects of foreign currency translation and are calculated by translating current year results at prior year average exchange rates, which is more fully described elsewhere in this release.

  Nine Months Ended     Increase/(Decrease)
  September 30,     Constant Currency
  2012 2011 Increase/(Decrease) Basis
United States revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  $ 72,063  $  59,182  $ 12,881 22 % 22 %
Scrap jewelry sales  40,588  39,969  619 2 % 2 %
Pawn loan fees  44,394  37,853  6,541 17 % 17 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees  35,275  34,170  1,105 3 % 3 %
Other revenue  733  806  (73) (9)% (9)%
   193,053  171,980  21,073 12 % 12 %
           
Mexico revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  122,780  109,420  13,360 12 % 23 %
Scrap jewelry sales  33,773  34,876  (1,103) (3)% (3)%
Pawn loan fees  64,218  53,424  10,794 20 % 32 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees  2,882  3,661  (779) (21)% (13)%
Other revenue  --   2  (2) (100)% (100)%
   223,653  201,383  22,270 11 % 21 %
           
Total revenue:          
Retail merchandise sales  194,843  168,602  26,241 16 % 23 %
Scrap jewelry sales  74,361  74,845  (484) (1)% (1)%
Pawn loan fees  108,612  91,277  17,335 19 % 26 %
Consumer loan and credit services fees  38,157  37,831  326 1 % 2 %
Other revenue   733  808  (75) (9)% (9)%
   $ 416,706  $ 373,363  $ 43,343 12 % 17 %

 

FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
OPERATING INFORMATION (CONTINUED)
(UNAUDITED)

The following table details customer loans and inventories held by the Company and active CSO credit extensions from an independent third-party lender as of September 30, 2012, as compared to September 30, 2011 (in thousands).  Constant currency results exclude the effects of foreign currency translation and are calculated by translating current year balances at the prior year end-of-period exchange rate, which is more fully described elsewhere in this release. 

  Balance at     Increase/(Decrease)
  September 30,     Constant Currency
  2012 2011 Increase/(Decrease) Basis
United States:          
Pawn loans  $ 51,875  $ 38,791  $ 13,084 34 % 34 %
CSO credit extensions held by independent third-party (1)  14,048   12,226  1,822 15 % 15 %
Other consumer loans  1,194  41  1,153 2,812 % 2,812 %
   67,117  51,058  16,059 31 % 31 %
           
Mexico:          
Pawn loans  55,839  39,182  16,657 43 % 36 %
Other consumer loans  833  888  (55) (6)% (10)%
   56,672  40,070  16,602 41 % 35 %
           
Total:          
Pawn loans  107,714  77,973  29,741 38 % 35 %
CSO credit extensions held by independent third-party (1)  14,048  12,226   1,822 15 % 15 %
Other consumer loans  2,027  929  1,098 118 % 114 %
   $ 123,789  $ 91,128  $ 32,661 36 % 33 %
           
           
Pawn inventories:          
U.S. pawn inventories  $ 29,649  $ 23,149  $ 6,500 28 % 28 %
Mexico pawn inventories  36,043  31,767  4,276 13 % 8 %
   $ 65,692  $ 54,916  $ 10,776 20 % 17 %

(1) CSO amounts are comprised of the principal portion of active CSO extensions of credit by an independent third-party lender, which are not included on the Company's balance sheet, net of the Company's estimated fair value of its liability under the letters of credit guaranteeing the loans.

FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
UNAUDITED NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The Company uses certain financial calculations, such as free cash flow, EBITDA and constant currency results, which are not considered measures of financial performance under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Items excluded from the calculation of free cash flow, EBITDA and constant currency results are significant components in understanding and assessing the Company's financial performance. Since free cash flow, EBITDA and constant currency results are not measures determined in accordance with GAAP and are thus susceptible to varying calculations, free cash flow, EBITDA and constant currency results, as presented, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. Free cash flow, EBITDA and constant currency results should not be considered as alternatives to net income, cash flow provided by or used in operating, investing or financing activities or other financial statement data presented in the Company's consolidated financial statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Non-GAAP measures should be evaluated in conjunction with, and are not a substitute for, GAAP financial measures. 

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

EBITDA is commonly used by investors to assess a company's leverage capacity, liquidity and financial performance. The following table provides a reconciliation of income from continuing operations to EBITDA (in thousands):

  Trailing Twelve Months Ended
  September 30,
  2012 2011
     
Income from continuing operations  $ 74,825  $ 67,018
     
Adjustments:    
Income taxes  38,841   36,260
Depreciation and amortization  12,177  11,107
Interest expense  727  149
Interest income  (204)  (273)
Earnings from continuing operations before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization  $ 126,366  $ 114,261
     
EBITDA margin calculated as follows:    
Total revenue from continuing operations  $ 562,696  $ 500,335
Earnings from continuing operations before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization  126,366  114,261
EBITDA as a percentage of revenue 22% 23%

 

FIRST CASH FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
UNAUDITED NON-GAAP FINANCIAL INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

Free Cash Flow

For purposes of its internal liquidity assessments, the Company considers free cash flow, which is defined as cash flow from the operating activities of continuing and discontinued operations reduced by purchases of property and equipment and net cash outflow from pawn and consumer loans. Free cash flow is commonly used by investors as a measure of cash generated by business operations that will be used to repay scheduled debt maturities and can be used to invest in future growth through new business development activities or acquisitions, repurchase stock, or repay debt obligations prior to their maturities. These metrics can also be used to evaluate the Company's ability to generate cash flow from business operations and the impact that this cash flow has on the Company's liquidity. The following table reconciles "net cash flow from operating activities" to "free cash flow" (in thousands):

  Trailing Twelve Months Ended
  September 30,
  2012 2011
Cash flow from operating activities, including discontinued operations  $ 80,233  $ 78,506
Cash flow from investing activities:    
Pawn and consumer loans  (13,793)  (18,113)
Purchases of property and equipment  (24,079)  (26,540)
Free cash flow  $ 42,361  $ 33,853

Constant Currency

Certain performance metrics discussed in this release are presented on a "constant currency" basis, which may be considered a non-GAAP financial measurement of financial performance under GAAP. The Company's management uses constant currency results to evaluate operating results of certain business operations in Mexico, which are transacted primarily in Mexican pesos. Pawn scrap jewelry in Mexico is sold in U.S. dollars and, accordingly, does not require a constant currency adjustment. Constant currency results reported herein are calculated by translating certain balance sheet and income statement items denominated in Mexican pesos using the exchange rate from the prior-year comparable period, as opposed to the current comparable period, in order to exclude the effects of foreign currency rate fluctuations for purposes of evaluating period-over-period comparisons. For balance sheet items, the closing exchange rate at the end of the applicable prior-year period (September 30, 2011) of 13.5 to 1 was used, compared to the current end of period (September 30, 2012) exchange rate of 12.9 to 1. For income statement items, the average closing daily exchange rate for the appropriate period was used. The average exchange rate for the prior-year quarter ended September 30, 2011 was 12.3 to 1, compared to the current-quarter rate of 13.2 to 1. The average exchange rate for the prior-year nine-month period ended September 30, 2011 was 12.0 to 1, compared to the current year-to-date rate of 13.2 to 1. 

CONTACT: Gar Jackson
         Phone: (949) 873-2789
         Email: gar@irsense.com

         Rick Wessel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
         Doug Orr, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
         Phone: (817) 505-3199
         Email: investorrelations@firstcash.com
         Website: www.firstcash.com