AT&T Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T):

Fourth-Quarter Consolidated Results

• Consolidated revenues of $45.7 billion
• Cash from operations of $10.1 billion
• Capital expenditures of $2.4 billion; gross capital investment of $4.3 billion¹
• Free cash flow of $7.7 billion²; total dividend payout ratio of 49%³
• Reported EPS of ($1.95) due to non-cash charges compared to $0.33 diluted EPS in the year-ago quarter
• Adjusted EPS of $0.75 compared to $0.89 in the year-ago quarter
  • Includes COVID-19 impacts of ($0.08): $0.01 incremental cost reductions and ($0.09) of estimated revenues

Full-Year Consolidated Results

• Consolidated revenues of $171.8 billion
• Cash from operations of $43.1 billion
• Capital expenditures of $15.7 billion; gross capital investment of $19.7 billion¹
• Free cash flow of $27.5 billion²; total dividend payout ratio 55%³
• Reported EPS of ($0.75) due to non-cash charges compared to $1.89 diluted EPS in the prior year
• Adjusted EPS of $3.18 compared to $3.57 in the prior year
  • Includes COVID-19 impacts of ($0.43): ($0.10) of incremental costs and ($0.33) of estimated revenues

Note: AT&T’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call will be webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. The webcast and related materials will be available on AT&T’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.att.com.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) reported fourth-quarter results that showed continuing subscriber growth in wireless, fiber and HBO Max while continuing to reflect strong cash flows and financial strength.

“We ended the year with strong momentum in our market focus areas of broadband connectivity and software-based entertainment,” said John Stankey, AT&T CEO. “By investing in our high-quality wireless customer base, we had our best full-year of postpaid phone net adds in a decade and our second lowest postpaid phone churn ever. Our fiber broadband net adds passed the 1 million mark for the year. And the release of Wonder Woman 1984 helped drive our domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers to more than 41 million, a full two years faster than our initial forecast.”

Fourth-Quarter Highlights

Communications

• Mobility:
  • 800,000 postpaid phone net adds; 1.5 million for full year
  • 1.2 million postpaid net adds; 2.2 million for full year
  • Nearly 6 million total domestic wireless net adds
  • Postpaid phone churn of 0.76%, second-lowest quarter ever; full-year churn of 0.79%
  • Revenues up 7.6%; service revenues up 0.5%; equipment revenues up 28.3%
  • Nation’s fastest 5G wireless network and, for the 8^th consecutive quarter in a row, the fastest network in the nation⁴

• Broadband:
  • 273,000 AT&T Fiber net adds; more than 1 million for full year
  • Solid IP broadband ARPU growth of 4.6% growth

• Video:

• AT&T TV gains helped offset premium TV loss
  • 617,000 net loss, the result of lower churn and higher quality base

WarnerMedia

• Total domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers⁵ top 41 million and nearly 61 million⁶ worldwide
• HBO Max activations double since end of third-quarter 2020; 17.2 million as of end of 4Q

Consolidated Financial Results

AT&T’s consolidated revenues for the fourth quarter totaled $45.7 billion versus $46.8 billion in the year-ago quarter. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted revenues across most businesses, particularly WarnerMedia and domestic wireless service revenues, which were pressured from lower international roaming. For the quarter, revenue declines included domestic video, Warner Bros. television and theatrical products, legacy wireline services, and Latin America, which includes foreign exchange pressure. These declines were partly offset by higher domestic wireless revenues, primarily from equipment sales.

Operating expenses were $56.4 billion versus $41.5 billion in the year-ago quarter. Expenses increased due to higher non-cash asset impairments and abandonments (including $15.5 billion for the Video business), higher domestic wireless equipment costs and higher HBO Max investments. These increases were partially offset by lower Video and Warner Bros. costs associated with lower revenues and foreign exchange impacts on Latin America expenses.

Operating income/(loss) was ($10.7) billion versus $5.3 billion in the year-ago quarter due to the non-cash asset impairments in the quarter and the impact of lower revenues. Operating income margin was (23.5%) versus 11.4% in the year-ago quarter. When adjusted for non-cash asset impairments, merger-amortization costs and other items, operating income was $7.8 billion versus $9.2 billion in the year-ago quarter, and operating income margin was 17.1% versus 19.6% in the year-ago quarter.

Fourth-quarter net loss attributable to common stock was ($13.9) billion, or ($1.95) per common share, versus net income attributable to common stock of $2.4 billion, or $0.33 per diluted common share, in the year-ago quarter. Adjusting for $2.70, which includes asset impairments, an actuarial loss on benefit plans, merger-amortization costs and other items, earnings per diluted common share was $0.75 compared to an adjusted $0.89 in the year-ago quarter. The company did not adjust for COVID-19 impacts of ($0.08): $0.01 incremental cost reductions and ($0.09) of estimated revenues.

Cash from operating activities was $10.1 billion, and capital expenditures were $2.4 billion. Gross capital investment – which consists of capital expenditures, cash payments for vendor payments and excludes FirstNet reimbursements – totaled $4.3 billion. Capital investment – which consists of capital expenditures plus cash payments for vendor financing – totaled $3.4 billion, which includes $1.0 billion of cash payments for vendor financing and $920 million of FirstNet reimbursements. Free cash flow – cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures – was $7.7 billion for the quarter. Net debt declined by $1.6 billion sequentially in the quarter, and net debt to adjusted EBITDA at the end of the fourth quarter was 2.70x.⁷

Full-Year Results

For full-year 2020 when compared with 2019 results, AT&T's consolidated revenues totaled $171.8 billion versus $181.2 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted revenues across all businesses, particularly WarnerMedia and domestic wireless service revenues, which were pressured from lower international roaming. Declines at WarnerMedia included lower content and advertising revenues, in part due to COVID-19. Revenues also declined in domestic video, legacy wireline services and Latin America, which was impacted by foreign exchange pressures. Growth from domestic wireless equipment and strategic and managed services partly offset these declines.

Operating expenses were $165.4 billion in 2020 compared with $153.2 billion in 2019, primarily due to non-cash asset impairments and abandonments that were $17.4 billion higher than in 2019, costs relating to launching and operating HBO Max, higher domestic wireless equipment costs, incremental COVID-19 costs, higher severance charges, and higher subscriber acquisition and fulfillment costs. These increases were partially offset by lower Video and WarnerMedia costs from lower revenues, foreign exchange impacts on Latin America expenses, a one-time spectrum gain and cost efficiencies.

Compared with results from 2019, operating income was $6.4 billion, down 77.1% primarily due to higher asset impairments and abandonments and COVID-19 impacts; and operating income margin was 3.7% versus 15.4%. With adjustments for both years, operating income was $34.1 billion versus $38.6 billion in 2019, and operating income margin was 19.8% versus 21.3%.

2020 net loss attributable to common stock was ($5.4) billion, or ($0.75) per common share, versus net income attributable to common stock of $13.9 billion, or $1.89 per diluted common share, in 2019. With adjustments for both years, earnings per diluted common share was $3.18 compared to $3.57 in 2019.

Cash from operating activities was $43.1 billion, and capital expenditures were $15.7 billion. Gross capital investment – which includes capital expenditures, cash payments for vendor financing and excludes FirstNet reimbursements – was $19.7 billion. Capital investment – which consists of capital expenditures plus cash payments for vendor financing – totaled $18.6 billion, including $3.0 billion of cash payments for vendor financing and $1.1 billion of FirstNet reimbursements. Full-year free cash flow² was $27.5 billion compared to $29.0 billion in 2019. The company’s free cash flow total dividend payout ratio for the full year was 55%.³ Net debt declined by $3.5 billion in the year.

2021 Outlook

In 2021, the company expects:

• Consolidated revenue growth in the 1% range
• Adjusted EPS to be stable with 2020⁹
• Gross capital investment¹ in the $21 billion range with capital expenditures in the
  $18 billion range
• 2021 free cash flow⁸ in the $26 billion range, with a full-year total dividend payout ratio in the high 50’s% range.³

¹Gross capital investment includes capital expenditures and cash payments for vendor financing and excludes FirstNet reimbursements. In 4Q20, gross capital investment included $1 billion in vendor financing payments and excluded $920 million of FirstNet reimbursements. In 2020, gross capital investment included $3.0 billion in vendor financing payments and excluded $1.1 billion of FirstNet reimbursements. In 2021, vendor financing payments are expected to be in the $2 billion range and FirstNet reimbursements are expected to be about $1 billion.

² Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is used by investors and credit rating agencies to provide relevant and useful information. Free cash flow is cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures. For 2020, Cash from operating activities was $43.1 billion and 2020 capital expenditures were $15.7 billion.

³ Free cash flow total dividend payout ratio is total dividends paid divided by free cash flow. In 4Q20, total dividends paid were $3.7 billion. For full-year 2020, dividends paid totaled $15.0 billion.

⁴ Fastest 5G network based on AT&T analysis of Ookla of Speedtest Intelligence data median 5G download speeds for Q4 2020. Fastest network based on analysis by Ookla of Speedtest Intelligence data of average download speeds for Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2019, and median download speeds for Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2020. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.

⁵ Domestic HBO Max and HBO subscribers exclude customers that are part of a free trial.

⁶ Worldwide HBO Max and HBO subscribers consist of domestic and international HBO subscribers and domestic HBO Max subscribers and excludes basic subscribers and Cinemax subscribers.

⁷Net Debt to adjusted EBITDA ratios are non-GAAP financial measures that are used by investors and credit rating agencies to provide relevant and useful information. Our Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio is calculated by dividing the Net Debt by the sum of the most recent four quarters of Adjusted EBITDA.

⁸ Free cash flow is cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures. Due to high variability and difficulty in predicting items that impact cash from operating activities and capital expenditures, the company is not able to provide a reconciliation between projected free cash flow and the most comparable GAAP metric without unreasonable effort.

⁹ The company expects adjustments to 2021 reported diluted EPS to include merger-related amortization in the range of $5.9 billion and other adjustments, a non-cash mark-to-market benefit plan gain/loss, and other items. Expect the mark-to-market adjustment, which is driven by interest rates and investment returns that are not reasonably estimable at this time, to be a significant item. Our 2021 EPS depends on future levels of revenues and expenses which are not reasonably estimable at this time. Accordingly, we cannot provide a reconciliation between our non-GAAP metrics and the reported GAAP metrics without unreasonable effort.

*About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a diversified, global leader in telecommunications, media and entertainment, and technology. AT&T Communications provides more than 100 million U.S. consumers with entertainment and communications experiences across TV, mobile and broadband. Plus, it serves high-speed, highly secure connectivity and smart solutions to nearly 3 million business customers. WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content to global audiences through its consumer brands, including: HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Turner Classic Movies. Xandr, now part of WarnerMedia, provides marketers with innovative and relevant advertising solutions for consumers around premium video content and digital advertising through its platform. AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 10 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and wireless services to consumers and businesses in Mexico.

AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information is available at about.att.com. 2021 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.

This news release may contain certain non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations between the non-GAAP financial measures and the GAAP financial measures are available on the company’s website at https://investors.att.com.

Discussion and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

We believe the following measures are relevant and useful information to investors as they are part of AT&T's internal management reporting and planning processes and are important metrics that management uses to evaluate the operating performance of AT&T and its segments. Management also uses these measures as a method of comparing performance with that of many of our competitors. These measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is defined as cash from operations minus capital expenditures. Free cash flow after dividends is defined as cash from operations minus capital expenditures and dividends on common and preferred shares. Free cash flow dividend payout ratio is defined as the percentage of dividends paid on common and preferred shares to free cash flow. We believe these metrics provide useful information to our investors because management views free cash flow as an important indicator of how much cash is generated by routine business operations, including capital expenditures, and makes decisions based on it. Management also views free cash flow as a measure of cash available to pay debt and return cash to shareowners.

Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Dividend Payout Ratio
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter									Year Ended
	2020				2019					2020				2019
Net cash provided by operating activities	$	10,082			$	11,943				$	43,130			$	48,668
Less: Capital expenditures	(2,392		)		(3,792		)			(15,675		)		(19,635		)
Free Cash Flow	7,690				8,151					27,455				29,033
Less: Dividends paid	(3,741		)		(3,726		)			(14,956		)		(14,888		)
Free Cash Flow after Dividends	$	3,949			$	4,425				$	12,499			$	14,145
Free Cash Flow Dividend Payout Ratio	48.6			%	45.7			%		54.5			%	51.3			%

Cash Paid for Capital Investment

In connection with capital improvements, we negotiate with some of our vendors to obtain favorable payment terms of 120 days or more, referred to as vendor financing, which are excluded from capital expenditures and reported in accordance with GAAP as financing activities. We present an additional view of cash paid for capital investment to provide investors with a comprehensive view of cash used to invest in our networks, product developments and support systems.

Cash Paid for Capital Investment
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter									Year Ended
	2020				2019					2020				2019
Capital Expenditures	$	(2,392	)		$	(3,792	)			$	(15,675	)		$	(19,635	)
Cash paid for vendor financing	(1,001		)		(449		)			(2,966		)		(3,050		)
Cash paid for Capital Investment	$	(3,393	)		$	(4,241	)			$	(18,641	)		$	(22,685	)
FirstNet reimbursement	(920		)		(902		)			(1,063		)		(1,005		)
Gross Capital Investment	$	(4,313	)		$	(5,143	)			$	(19,704	)		$	(23,690	)

EBITDA

Our calculation of EBITDA, as presented, may differ from similarly titled measures reported by other companies. For AT&T, EBITDA excludes other income (expense) – net, and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates, as these do not reflect the operating results of our subscriber base or operations that are not under our control. Equity in net income (loss) of affiliates represents the proportionate share of the net income (loss) of affiliates in which we exercise significant influence, but do not control. Because we do not control these entities, management excludes these results when evaluating the performance of our primary operations. EBITDA also excludes interest expense and the provision for income taxes. Excluding these items eliminates the expenses associated with our capital and tax structures. Finally, EBITDA excludes depreciation and amortization in order to eliminate the impact of capital investments. EBITDA does not give effect to cash used for debt service requirements and thus does not reflect available funds for distributions, reinvestment or other discretionary uses. EBITDA is not presented as an alternative measure of operating results or cash flows from operations, as determined in accordance with GAAP.

EBITDA service margin is calculated as EBITDA divided by service revenues.

When discussing our segment, business unit and supplemental results, EBITDA excludes equity in net income (loss) of affiliates, and depreciation and amortization from operating contribution.

These measures are used by management as a gauge of our success in acquiring, retaining and servicing subscribers because we believe these measures reflect AT&T's ability to generate and grow subscriber revenues while providing a high level of customer service in a cost-effective manner. Management also uses these measures as a method of comparing operating performance with that of many of its competitors. The financial and operating metrics which affect EBITDA include the key revenue and expense drivers for which management is responsible and upon which we evaluate performance.

We believe EBITDA Service Margin (EBITDA as a percentage of service revenues) to be a more relevant measure than EBITDA Margin (EBITDA as a percentage of total revenue) for our Mobility business unit operating margin. We also use wireless service revenues to calculate margin to facilitate comparison, both internally and externally with our wireless competitors, as they calculate their margins using wireless service revenues as well.

There are material limitations to using these non-GAAP financial measures. EBITDA, EBITDA margin and EBITDA service margin, as we have defined them, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Furthermore, these performance measures do not take into account certain significant items, including depreciation and amortization, interest expense, tax expense and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates. For market comparability, management analyzes performance measures that are similar in nature to EBITDA as we present it, and considering the economic effect of the excluded expense items independently as well as in connection with its analysis of net income as calculated in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA, EBITDA margin and EBITDA service margin should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP.

EBITDA
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter								Year to Date
	2020				2019				2020				2019
Net Income (Loss)	$	(13,515	)		$	2,704			$	(3,821	)		$	14,975
Additions:
Income Tax Expense	(2,038		)		434				965				3,493
Interest Expense	1,894				2,049				7,925				8,422
Equity in Net (Income) Loss of Affiliates	(106		)		30				(95		)		(6		)
Other (Income) Expense - Net	3,020				104				1,431				1,071
Depreciation and amortization	6,979				6,961				28,516				28,217
EBITDA	(3,766		)		12,282				34,921				56,172
Impairments1	16,365				1,458				18,880				1,458
Employee separation costs and benefit-related (gain) loss	253				243				1,177				624
Gain on spectrum transactions	—				—				(900		)		—
Merger costs and revenue adjustments	37				382				468				1,033
Adjusted EBITDA2	$	12,889			$	14,365			$	54,546			$	59,287
1 Includes $15.5 billion for the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets in our video business.
2 See page 5 for additional discussion and reconciliation of adjusted items.

Segment and Business Unit EBITDA, EBITDA Margin and EBITDA Service Margin
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter							Year Ended
	2020			2019				2020			2019
Communications Segment
Operating Contribution	$	6,558		$	7,511			$	30,521		$	32,230
Additions:
Depreciation and amortization	4,587			4,589				18,488			18,329
EBITDA	11,145			12,100				49,009			50,559
Total Operating Revenues	36,722			36,522				138,850			142,359
Operating Income Margin	17.9		%	20.6		%		22.0		%	22.6		%
EBITDA Margin	30.3		%	33.1		%		35.3		%	35.5		%
Mobility
Operating Contribution	$	5,088		$	5,503			$	22,372		$	22,321
Additions:
Depreciation and amortization	2,008			2,027				8,086			8,054
EBITDA	7,096			7,530				30,458			30,375
Total Operating Revenues	20,119			18,700				72,564			71,056
Service Revenues	14,022			13,948				55,542			55,331
Operating Income Margin	25.3		%	29.4		%		30.8		%	31.4		%
EBITDA Margin	35.3		%	40.3		%		42.0		%	42.7		%
EBITDA Service Margin	50.6		%	54.0		%		54.8		%	54.9		%
Video
Operating Contribution	$	98		$	39			$	1,729		$	2,064
Additions:
Depreciation and amortization	521			589				2,262			2,461
EBITDA	619			628				3,991			4,525
Total Operating Revenues	7,168			8,075				28,610			32,124
Operating Income Margin	1.4		%	0.5		%		6.0		%	6.4		%
EBITDA Margin	8.6		%	7.8		%		13.9		%	14.1		%
Broadband
Operating Contribution	$	366		$	686			$	1,822		$	2,681
Additions:
Depreciation and amortization	738			726				2,914			2,880
EBITDA	1,104			1,412				4,736			5,561
Total Operating Revenues	3,116			3,161				12,318			13,012
Operating Income Margin	11.7		%	21.7		%		14.8		%	20.6		%
EBITDA Margin	35.4		%	44.7		%		38.4		%	42.7		%
Business Wireline
Operating Contribution	$	1,006		$	1,283			$	4,598		$	5,164
Additions:
Depreciation and amortization	1,320			1,247				5,226			4,934
EBITDA	2,326			2,530				9,824			10,098
Total Operating Revenues	6,319			6,586				25,358			26,167
Operating Income Margin	15.9		%	19.5		%		18.1		%	19.7		%
EBITDA Margin	36.8		%	38.4		%		38.7		%	38.6		%

Segment and Business Unit EBITDA, EBITDA Margin and EBITDA Service Margin
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter							Year Ended
	2020			2019				2020			2019
WARNERMEDIA Segment
Operating Contribution	$	2,529		$	2,859			$	8,210		$	10,659
Additions:
Equity in Net (Income) of Affiliates	13			(23)				(18)			(161)
Depreciation and amortization	177			169				671			589
EBITDA	2,719			3,005				8,863			11,087
Total Operating Revenues	8,554			9,453				30,442			35,259
Operating Income Margin	29.7		%	30.0		%		26.9		%	29.8		%
EBITDA Margin	31.8		%	31.8		%		29.1		%	31.4		%

Segment and Business Unit EBITDA, EBITDA Margin and EBITDA Service Margin
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter									Year Ended
	2020				2019					2020				2019
Latin America Segment
Operating Contribution	$	(167	)		$	(87	)			$	(729	)		$	(635	)
Additions:
Equity in Net (Income) of Affiliates	2				(2		)			(24		)		(27		)
Depreciation and amortization	260				294					1,033				1,162
EBITDA	95				205					280				500
Total Operating Revenues	1,498				1,758					5,716				6,963
Operating Income Margin	-11.0			%	-5.1			%		-13.2			%	-9.5			%
EBITDA Margin	6.3			%	11.7			%		4.9			%	7.2			%
Vrio
Operating Contribution	$	(41	)		$	40				$	(142	)		$	83
Additions:
Equity in Net (Income) of Affiliates	2				(2		)			(24		)		(27		)
Depreciation and amortization	120				164					520				660
EBITDA	81				202					354				716
Total Operating Revenues	762				982					3,154				4,094
Operating Income Margin	-5.1			%	3.9			%		-5.3			%	1.4			%
EBITDA Margin	10.6			%	20.6			%		11.2			%	17.5			%
Mexico
Operating Contribution	$	(126	)		$	(127	)			$	(587	)		$	(718	)
Additions:
Equity in Net (Income) Loss of Affiliates	—				—					—				—
Depreciation and amortization	140				130					513				502
EBITDA	14				3					(74		)		(216		)
Total Operating Revenues	736				776					2,562				2,869
Operating Income Margin	-17.1			%	-16.4			%		-22.9			%	-25.0			%
EBITDA Margin	1.9			%	0.4			%		-2.9			%	-7.5			%

Adjusting Items

Adjusting items include revenues and costs we consider non-operational in nature, such as items arising from asset acquisitions or dispositions. We also adjust for net actuarial gains or losses associated with our pension and postemployment benefit plans due to the often-significant impact on our results (we immediately recognize this gain or loss in the income statement, pursuant to our accounting policy for the recognition of actuarial gains and losses). Consequently, our adjusted results reflect an expected return on plan assets rather than the actual return on plan assets, as included in the GAAP measure of income.

The tax impact of adjusting items is calculated using the effective tax rate during the quarter except for adjustments that, given their magnitude, can drive a change in the effective tax rate, in these cases we use the actual tax expense or combined marginal rate of approximately 25%.

Adjusting Items
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter							Year Ended
	2020			2019				2020			2019
Operating Revenues
Time Warner merger adjustment	$	—		$	—			$	—		$	72
Adjustments to Operating Revenues	—			—				—			72
Operating Expenses
Merger costs	37			382				468			961
Employee separation costs and benefit-related (gain) loss1	253			243				1,177			624
Impairments2	16,365			1,458				18,880			1,458
Gain on spectrum transaction	—			—				(900)			—
Adjustments to Operations and Support Expenses	16,655			2,083				19,625			3,043
Amortization of intangible assets	1,890			1,741				8,012			7,460
Impairments	14			43				14			43
Adjustments to Operating Expenses	18,559			3,867				27,651			10,546
Other
Gain on sale of investments - net	—			(69)				—			(707)
Debt redemption, impairments and other adjustments	14			331				1,685			693
Actuarial (gain) loss	4,106			1,123				4,169			5,171
Employee benefit-related (gain) loss1	(149)			—				(172)			—
Adjustments to Income Before Income Taxes	22,530			5,252				33,333			15,775
Tax impact of adjustments	3,186			1,119				4,977			3,302
Tax-related items	41			—				41			141
Impairment attributable to noncontrolling interest	—			—				105			—
Adjustments to Net Income	$	19,303		$	4,133			$	28,210		$	12,332
1 Total holding gains on benefit-related investments were approximately $205 million in the fourth quarter and $330 million for the year ended December 31,2020.
2 Includes $15.5 billion for the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets in our video business.

Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Income Margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBITDA service margin and Adjusted diluted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures calculated by excluding from operating revenues, operating expenses and income tax expense certain significant items that are non-operational or non-recurring in nature, including dispositions and merger integration and transaction costs, actuarial gains and losses, significant abandonments and impairment, severance and other material gains and losses. Management believes that these measures provide relevant and useful information to investors and other users of our financial data in evaluating the effectiveness of our operations and underlying business trends.

Adjusted Operating Revenues, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Income Margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBITDA service margin and Adjusted diluted EPS should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP. AT&T's calculation of Adjusted items, as presented, may differ from similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Income Margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted EBITDA Service Margin
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter								Year Ended
	2020				2019				2020			2019
Operating Income	$	(10,745	)		$	5,321			$	6,405		$	27,955
Adjustments to Operating Revenues	—				—				—			72
Adjustments to Operating Expenses	18,559				3,867				27,651			10,546
Adjusted Operating Income	7,814				9,188				34,056			38,573
EBITDA	(3,766		)		12,282				34,921			56,172
Adjustments to Operating Revenues	—				—				—			72
Adjustments to Operations and Support Expenses	16,655				2,083				19,625			3,043
Adjusted EBITDA	12,889				14,365				54,546			59,287
Total Operating Revenues	45,691				46,821				171,760			181,193
Adjustments to Operating Revenues	—				—				—			72
Total Adjusted Operating Revenue	45,691				46,821				171,760			181,265
Service Revenues	39,051				41,475				152,767			163,499
Adjustments to Service Revenues	—				—				—			72
Adjusted Service Revenue	39,051				41,475				152,767			163,571
Operating Income Margin	(23.5		)	%	11.4		%		3.7		%	15.4		%
Adjusted Operating Income Margin	17.1			%	19.6		%		19.8		%	21.3		%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin	28.2			%	30.7		%		31.8		%	32.7		%
Adjusted EBITDA Service Margin	33.0			%	34.6		%		35.7		%	36.2		%

Adjusted Diluted EPS
	Fourth Quarter								Year Ended
	2020				2019				2020				2019
Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS)	$	(1.95	)		$	0.33			$	(0.75	)		$	1.89
Amortization of intangible assets	0.22				0.19				0.90				0.81
Merger integration items	—				0.04				0.05				0.13
Impairments 2	2.02				0.16				2.37				0.16
Debt redemption costs, (gain) loss on sale of assets and other	0.04				0.05				0.18				0.04
Actuarial (gain) loss 1	0.43				0.12				0.44				0.56
Tax-related items	(0.01		)		—				(0.01		)		(0.02		)
Adjusted EPS	$	0.75			$	0.89			$	3.18			$	3.57
Year-over-year growth - Adjusted	-15.7			%					-10.9			%
Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding with Dilution (000,000)	7,176				7,341				7,183				7,348
1 Includes adjustments for actuarial gains or losses associated with our postemployment benefit plans, which we immediately recognize in the income statement, pursuant to our accounting policy for the recognition of actuarial gains/losses. We recorded total net actuarial losses of $4.2 billion in 2020. As a result, adjusted EPS reflects an expected return on plan assets of $3.7 billion (based on an average expected return on plan assets of 7.0% for our pension trust and 4.75% for our VEBA trusts), rather than the actual return on plan assets of $6.5 billion gain (actual pension return of 12.2% and VEBA return of 8.4%), included in the GAAP measure of income.
2 Includes $1.91 for the impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets in our video business.

Constant Currency

Constant Currency is a non-GAAP financial measure that management uses to evaluate the operating performance of certain international subsidiaries by excluding or otherwise adjusting for the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates between comparative periods. We believe constant currency enhances comparison and is useful to investors to evaluate the performance of our business without taking into account the impact of changes to the foreign exchange rates to which our business is subject. To compute our constant currency results, we multiply or divide, as appropriate, our current year U.S. dollar results by the current year average foreign exchange rates and then multiply or divide, as appropriate, those amounts by the prior year average foreign exchange rates. In calculating amounts on a constant currency basis, for our Vrio business unit (sale of this business unit closed in second quarter 2020), we exclude our Venezuela subsidiary in light of the hyperinflationary conditions in Venezuela, which we do not believe are representative of the macroeconomics of the rest of the region in which we operate.

Constant Currency
Dollars in millions
	Fourth Quarter
	2020				2019
AT&T Inc.
Total Operating Revenues	$	45,691			$	46,821
Exclude Venezuela	—				(6)
Impact of foreign exchange translation	219				—
Operating Revenues on Constant Currency Basis	45,910				46,815
Year-over-year growth	-1.9		%
Adjusted EBITDA	12,889				14,365
Exclude Venezuela	—				(38)
Impact of foreign exchange translation	52				—
Adjusted EBITDA on Constant Currency Basis	12,941				14,327
Year-over-year growth	-9.7		%
WarnerMedia Segment
Total Operating Revenues	$	8,554			$	9,453
Impact of foreign exchange translation	(6)				—
WarnerMedia Operating Revenues on Constant Currency Basis	8,548				9,453
Year-over-year growth	-9.6		%
EBITDA	2,719				3,005
Impact of foreign exchange translation	4				—
WarnerMedia EBITDA on Constant Currency Basis	2,723				3,005
Year-over-year growth	-9.4		%
Latin America Segment
Total Operating Revenues	$	1,498			$	1,758
Exclude Venezuela	—				(6)
Impact of foreign exchange translation	225				—
Latin America Operating Revenues on Constant Currency Basis	1,723				1,752
Year-over-year growth	-1.7		%
EBITDA	95				205
Exclude Venezuela	—				(38)
Impact of foreign exchange translation	48				—
Latin America EBITDA on Constant Currency Basis	143				167
Year-over-year growth	-14.4		%

Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA

Net Debt to EBITDA ratios are non-GAAP financial measures frequently used by investors and credit rating agencies and management believes these measures provide relevant and useful information to investors and other users of our financial data. Our Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio is calculated by dividing the Net Debt by the sum of the most recent four quarters Adjusted EBITDA. Net Debt is calculated by subtracting cash and cash equivalents and certificates of deposit and time deposits that are greater than 90 days, from the sum of debt maturing within one year and long-term debt.

Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA
Dollars in millions
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,				June 30,				Sept. 30,				Dec. 31,				Four Quarters
		2020 1				2020 1				2020 1				2020
Adjusted EBITDA2		$	14,232			$	14,112			$	13,313			$	12,889			$	54,546
End-of-period current debt																		3,470
End-of-period long-term debt																		153,775
Total End-of-Period Debt																		157,245
Less: Cash and Cash Equivalents																		9,740
Net Debt Balance																		147,505
Annualized Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA Ratio																		2.70
1 As reported in AT&T's Form 8-K filed April 22, 2020, July 23, 2020, and October 22, 2020.
2 Includes the purchase accounting reclassification of released content amortization of $69 million, $75 million, $45 million, and $38 million in the four quarters presented, respectively.

Supplemental Operational Measures

We provide a supplemental discussion of our business solutions operations that is calculated by combining our Mobility and Business Wireline operating units, and then adjusting to remove non-business operations. The following tables present a reconciliation of our supplemental Business Solutions results. Results have been recast to conform to the current period's classification.

Supplemental Operational Measure
	Fourth Quarter
	December 31, 2020													December 31, 2019
	Mobility			Business Wireline			Adjustments1			Business Solutions				Mobility			Business Wireline			Adjustments1			Business Solutions
Operating Revenues
Wireless service	$	14,022		$	—		$	(12,074)		$	1,948			$	13,948		$	—		$	(12,049)		$	1,899
Strategic and managed services	—			4,006			—			4,006				—			3,925			—			3,925
Legacy voice and data services	—			1,956			—			1,956				—			2,207			—			2,207
Other services and equipment	—			357			—			357				—			454			—			454
Wireless equipment	6,097			—			(5,172)			925				4,752			—			(3,897)			855
Total Operating Revenues	20,119			6,319			(17,246)			9,192				18,700			6,586			(15,946)			9,340
Operating Expenses
Operations and support	13,023			3,993			(10,925)			6,091				11,170			4,056			(9,266)			5,960
EBITDA	7,096			2,326			(6,321)			3,101				7,530			2,530			(6,680)			3,380
Depreciation and amortization	2,008			1,320			(1,688)			1,640				2,027			1,247			(1,720)			1,554
Total Operating Expenses	15,031			5,313			(12,613)			7,731				13,197			5,303			(10,986)			7,514
Operating Income	5,088			1,006			(4,633)			1,461				5,503			1,283			(4,960)			1,826
Equity in Net Income (Loss) of Affiliates	—			—			—			—				—			—			—			—
Operating Contribution	$	5,088		$	1,006		$	(4,633)		$	1,461			$	5,503		$	1,283		$	(4,960)		$	1,826
1 Non-business wireless reported in the Communication segment under the Mobility business unit.

Supplemental Operational Measure
	Year Ended
	December 31, 2020													December 31, 2019
	Mobility			Business Wireline			Adjustments1			Business Solutions				Mobility			Business Wireline			Adjustments1			Business Solutions
Operating Revenues
Wireless service	$	55,542		$	—		$	(47,810)		$	7,732			$	55,331		$	—		$	(47,887)		$	7,444
Strategic and managed services	—			15,788			—			15,788				—			15,430			—			15,430
Legacy voice and data services	—			8,183			—			8,183				—			9,180			—			9,180
Other services and equipment	—			1,387			—			1,387				—			1,557			—			1,557
Wireless equipment	17,022			—			(14,140)			2,882				15,725			—			(12,971)			2,754
Total Operating Revenues	72,564			25,358			(61,950)			35,972				71,056			26,167			(60,858)			36,365
Operating Expenses
Operations and support	42,106			15,534			(34,927)			22,713				40,681			16,069			(34,036)			22,714
EBITDA	30,458			9,824			(27,023)			13,259				30,375			10,098			(26,822)			13,651
Depreciation and amortization	8,086			5,226			(6,803)			6,509				8,054			4,934			(6,840)			6,148
Total Operating Expenses	50,192			20,760			(41,730)			29,222				48,735			21,003			(40,876)			28,862
Operating Income	22,372			4,598			(20,220)			6,750				22,321			5,164			(19,982)			7,503
Equity in Net Income (Loss) of Affiliates	—			—			—			—				—			—			—			—
Operating Contribution	$	22,372		$	4,598		$	(20,220)		$	6,750			$	22,321		$	5,164		$	(19,982)		$	7,503
1 Non-business wireless reported in the Communication segment under the Mobility business unit.

For comparative purposes and to assist in the transition to our current financial presentation, we provided on a one-time basis, a supplemental presentation of the Historical Entertainment Group business unit (Historical EG) that is calculated by combining our Video and Broadband business units, adjusted to remove the business video operations previously reported in the Business Wireline business unit. The following tables present a reconciliation of the supplemental Historical EG results.

Supplemental Operational Measure
	Fourth Quarter
	December 31, 2020													December 31, 2019
	Video			Broadband			Adj.1			Historical EG				Video			Broadband			Adj.1			Historical EG
Operating Revenues
Video	$	7,124		$	—		$	(2)		$	7,122			$	8,074		$	—		$	(6)		$	8,068
High-speed internet	—			2,205			—			2,205				—			2,107			—			2,107
Legacy voice and data services	—			534			—			534				—			604			—			604
Other services and equipment	44			377			—			421				1			450			3			454
Total Operating Revenues	7,168			3,116			(2)			10,282				8,075			3,161			(3)			11,233
Operating Expenses
Operations and support	6,549			2,012			(8)			8,553				7,447			1,749			(7)			9,189
EBITDA	619			1,104			6			1,729				628			1,412			4			2,044
Depreciation and amortization	521			738			(15)			1,244				589			726			(17)			1,298
Total Operating Expenses	7,070			2,750			(23)			9,797				8,036			2,475			(24)			10,487
Operating Income	98			366			21			485				39			686			21			746
Equity in Net Income (Loss) of Affiliates	—			—			—			—				—			—			—			—
Operating Contribution	$	98		$	366		$	21		$	485			$	39		$	686		$	21		$	746
Operating Income Margin	1.4		%	11.7		%				4.7		%		0.5		%	21.7		%				6.6		%
EBITDA Margin	8.6		%	35.4		%				16.8		%		7.8		%	44.7		%				18.2		%
1 Predominantly the video business previously reported in the Communications segment under the Business Wireline business unit.

Supplemental Operational Measure
	Year Ended
	December 31, 2020													December 31, 2019
	Video			Broadband			Adj.1			Historical EG				Video			Broadband			Adj.1			Historical EG
Operating Revenues
Video	$	28,465		$	—		$	(8)		$	28,457			$	32,123		$	—		$	(13)		$	32,110
High-speed internet	—			8,534			—			8,534				—			8,403			—			8,403
Legacy voice and data services	—			2,213			—			2,213				—			2,573			—			2,573
Other services and equipment	145			1,571			(1)			1,715				1			2,036			3			2,040
Total Operating Revenues	28,610			12,318			(9)			40,919				32,124			13,012			(10)			45,126
Operating Expenses
Operations and support	24,619			7,582			(30)			32,171				27,599			7,451			(22)			35,028
EBITDA	3,991			4,736			21			8,748				4,525			5,561			12			10,098
Depreciation and amortization	2,262			2,914			(57)			5,119				2,461			2,880			(65)			5,276
Total Operating Expenses	26,881			10,496			(87)			37,290				30,060			10,331			(87)			40,304
Operating Income	1,729			1,822			78			3,629				2,064			2,681			77			4,822
Equity in Net Income (Loss) of Affiliates	—			—			—			—				—			—			—			—
Operating Contribution	$	1,729		$	1,822		$	78		$	3,629			$	2,064		$	2,681		$	77		$	4,822
Operating Income Margin	6.0		%	14.8		%				8.9		%		6.4		%	20.6		%				10.7		%
EBITDA Margin	13.9		%	38.4		%				21.4		%		14.1		%	42.7		%				22.4		%
1 Predominantly the video business previously reported in the Communications segment under the Business Wireline business unit.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210127005463/en/