Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZPN), a leading provider of software and services to the process industries, today announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal 2012, ended March 31, 2012.

Mark Fusco, Chief Executive Officer of AspenTech, said, “AspenTech delivered strong fiscal third quarter results that exceeded our guidance on all key metrics, and was highlighted by approximately 15% year-over-year growth and 3% sequential growth in total license contract value.  Customers continue to embrace our subscription-based offerings, and we are seeing strong demand and product usage patterns across our product suite, key vertical markets and geographies.”

Fusco added, “The combination of solid growth, lower than expected expenses and strong working capital management contributed to record quarterly free cash flow of $54 million during the third quarter.  In addition, free cash flow of approximately $81 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 exceeds our free cash flow guidance for the full fiscal year.  We believe AspenTech is well positioned to continue driving strong cash flow, which we believe will provide us with opportunities to enhance shareholder value.”

Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 and Recent Business Highlights

• The license portion of total contract value was $1.40 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, an increase of 14.5% compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and 2.9% sequentially.    

• Total contract value, including the value of bundled maintenance, was $1.59 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, an increase of 19.0% compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and 3.3% sequentially.

• Annual spend, which the company defines as the annualized value of all term license and maintenance revenue contracts at the end of the quarter, was approximately $292 million at the end of the third quarter, an increase of approximately 13% compared to the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2011.   

Summary of Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Results

AspenTech’s total revenue of $61.3 million increased 17% from $52.6 million in the third quarter of the prior year. 

• Subscription and software revenue was $42.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, an increase of 38% from $30.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. 
• Services & other revenue was $18.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, compared to $21.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. 

For the quarter ended March 31, 2012, AspenTech reported a loss from operations of $2.8 million, compared to a loss from operations of $7.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. 

Net loss was $0.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, leading to a net loss per share of $0.01, compared to a net loss per share of $0.06 in the same period last fiscal year.    

Non-GAAP loss from operations, which adds back stock-based compensation expense and restructuring charges, was $0.1 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, compared to a non-GAAP loss from operations of $5.2 million in the same period last fiscal year.  Non-GAAP net income was $1.4 million, or $0.01 per share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $3.8 million, or ($0.04) per share, in the same period last fiscal year.  A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results is included in the financial tables included in this press release.

AspenTech had a cash balance of $182.6 million at March 31, 2012, an increase of $39.3 million from the end of the prior quarter after using $11.9 million in cash to repurchase shares of common stock and reducing secured borrowings by $1.9 million.  During the third quarter, the company generated $54.7 million in cash flow from operations and $54.3 million in free cash flow after taking into consideration $0.3 million in capital expenditures and capitalized software.  For the nine months ended March 31, 2012, the company generated $83.0 million in cash flow from operations and $81.3 million in free cash flow after taking into consideration $1.7 million in capitalized expenditures and capitalized software.      

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains “non-GAAP financial measures” under the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Non-GAAP financial measures are not based on a comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. This non-GAAP information supplements, and is not intended to represent a measure of performance in accordance with, disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP.  Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP.  A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results is included in the financial tables included in this press release.

Management considers both GAAP and non-GAAP financial results in managing AspenTech’s business.  As the result of adoption of new licensing models, management believes that, for the next few years, a number of AspenTech’s performance indicators based on GAAP, including revenue, gross profit, operating income (loss) and net income (loss), will be of limited value in assessing AspenTech’s performance, growth and financial condition. Accordingly, management instead is focusing on certain non-GAAP and other business metrics, including the non-GAAP metrics set forth in this press release, to track AspenTech’s business performance. None of these non-GAAP metrics should be considered as an alternative to any measure of financial performance calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Conference Call and Webcast

AspenTech will host a conference call and webcast today, May 1, 2012, at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), to discuss the company's financial results for the third quarter fiscal 2012 as well as the company’s business outlook. 

The live dial-in number is (877) 245-0126, conference ID code 70103052. Interested parties may also listen to a live webcast of the call by logging on to the Investor Relations section of AspenTech’s website, http://www.aspentech.com/corporate/investor.cfm, and clicking on the “webcast” link. A replay of the call will be archived on AspenTech’s website and will also be available via telephone at (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406, conference ID code 70103052, through May 8, 2012.

About AspenTech

AspenTech is a leading global provider of mission-critical process optimization software solutions, which are designed to manage and optimize plant and process design, operational performance, and supply chain planning. AspenTech’s aspenONE® software and related services have been developed specifically for companies in the process industries, including energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and engineering and construction. Customers use AspenTech’s solutions to improve their competitiveness and profitability by increasing throughput and productivity, reducing operating costs, enhancing capital efficiency, and decreasing working capital requirements. To see how the world’s leading process manufacturers rely on AspenTech to achieve their operational excellence goals, visit www.aspentech.com.