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

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		000-27038 (Commission File Number)		94-3156479 (IRS Employer Identification No.)

1 Wayside Road
Burlington, Massachusetts 01803
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (781) 565-5000

(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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o    Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o    Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o    Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

ITEM 2.02 Results of Operation and Financial Condition

On November 23, 2009, Nuance Communications, Inc. announced its financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2009. The information in this Form 8-K and the Exhibit attached hereto is being furnished and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

The press release, supplemental financial information and the reconciliations contained therein, which have been attached as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 and are incorporated herein, disclose certain financial measures that may be considered non-GAAP financial measures.

Management utilizes a number of different financial measures, both GAAP and non-GAAP, in analyzing and assessing the overall performance of the business, for making operating decisions and for forecasting and planning for future periods. Our annual financial plan is prepared both on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, and the non-GAAP annual financial plan is approved by our board of directors. Continuous budgeting and forecasting for revenue and expenses are conducted on a consistent non-GAAP basis (in addition to GAAP) and actual results on a non-GAAP basis are assessed against the annual financial plan. The board of directors and management utilize these non-GAAP measures and results (in addition to the GAAP results) to determine our allocation of resources. In addition and as a consequence of the importance of these measures in managing the business, we use non-GAAP measures and results in the evaluation process to establish management’s compensation. For example, our annual bonus program payments are based upon the achievement of consolidated non-GAAP revenue and consolidated non-GAAP earnings per share financial targets. We consider the use of non-GAAP revenue helpful in understanding the performance of our business, as it excludes the purchase accounting impact on acquired deferred revenue and other acquisition-related adjustments to revenue. We also consider the use of non-GAAP earnings per share helpful in assessing the organic performance of the continuing operations of our business. By organic performance we mean performance as if we had owned an acquired asset in the same period a year ago. By continuing operations we mean the ongoing results of the business excluding certain unplanned costs. While our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures as a tool to enhance their understanding of certain aspects of our financial performance, our management does not consider these measures to be a substitute for, or superior to, the information provided by GAAP revenue and earnings per share. Consistent with this approach, we believe that disclosing non-GAAP revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share to the readers of our financial statements provides such readers with useful supplemental data that, while not a substitute for GAAP revenue and earnings per share, allows for greater transparency in the review of our financial and operational performance. In assessing the overall health of the business during the three and twelve months ended September 30, 2009 and 2008, and, in particular, in evaluating our revenue and earnings per share, our management has either included or excluded items in four general categories, each of which are described below.

Acquisition-Related Revenue and Cost of Revenue.

The Company provides supplementary non-GAAP financial measures of revenue which include revenue related to acquisitions, primarily fromTegic, X-Solutions and Zi that would otherwise have been recognized but for the purchase accounting treatment of these transactions. Non-GAAP revenue also includes revenue that the Company would have otherwise recognized had the Company not acquired intellectual property and other assets from the same customer during the same quarter. Because GAAP accounting requires the elimination of this revenue, GAAP results alone do not fully capture all of the Company’s economic activities. These non-GAAP adjustments are intended to reflect the full amount of such revenue. The Company includes non-GAAP revenue and cost of revenue to allow for more complete comparisons to the financial results of historical operations, forward looking guidance and the financial results of peer companies. The Company believes these adjustments are useful to management and investors as a measure of the ongoing performance of the business because the Company historically has experienced high renewal rates on maintenance and support agreements and other customer contracts, although we cannot be certain that customers will renew these contracts. Additionally, although acquisition related revenue adjustments are non-recurring with respect to past acquisitions, the Company generally will incur these adjustments in connection with any future acquisitions.

Acquisition-Related Expenses.

In recent years, the Company has completed a number of acquisitions, which result in operating expenses which would not otherwise have been incurred. The Company provides supplementary non-GAAP financial measures which exclude certain transition, integration and other acquisition-related expense items resulting from acquisitions to allow more accurate comparisons of the financial results to historical operations, forward-looking guidance and the financial results of less acquisitive peer companies. The Company considers these types of expenses, to a great extent, to be unpredictable and dependent on a significant number of factors that are outside of the control of the Company. Furthermore, such costs are generally not relevant to assessing or estimating the long-term performance of the acquired assets as part of the Company. In addition, the size, complexity and/or volume of past acquisitions, which often drives the magnitude of acquisition-related expenses, may not be indicative of the size, complexity and/or volume of future acquisitions. By excluding the above referenced expenses from our non-GAAP measures, management is better able to evaluate the Company’s ability to utilize its existing assets and estimate the long-term value that acquired assets will generate for the Company.

These items are included in the following categories: (i) acquisition-related transition and integration costs; (ii) amortization of intangible assets; (iii) in-process research and development; and (iv) costs associated with disputes and regulatory matters related to acquired entities. These categories are further discussed as follows:

(i) Acquisition-related transition and integration costs. The Company excludes transition and integration costs such as retention and earn-out bonuses for employees from acquisitions. The Company does not consider these expenses to be related to the organic continuing operation of its business, and believes it is useful to management and investors to understand the effects of these items on total operating expenses. Although acquisition-related transition and integration costs are not recurring with respect to past acquisitions, the Company generally will incur these expenses in connection with any future acquisitions.

(ii) Amortization of intangible assets. The Company excludes the amortization of intangible assets from non-GAAP expense and income measures. These amounts are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and size of acquisitions. Providing a supplemental measure which excludes these charges allows management and investors to evaluate results “as-if” the acquired intangible assets had been developed internally rather than acquired and, therefore, provides a supplemental measure of performance in which the Company’s acquired intellectual property is treated in a comparable manner to its internally developed intellectual property. Although the Company excludes amortization of intangible assets from its non-GAAP expenses, the Company believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets contribute to revenue generation. Amortization of intangible assets that relate to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Future acquisitions may result in the amortization of additional intangible assets.

(iii) In-Process research and development. The Company excludes expenses associated with acquired in-process research and development from non-GAAP expense and income measures. These amounts are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing, size and nature of acquisitions. Providing a supplemental measure which excludes these charges allows management and investors to evaluate results “as-if” the acquired research and development had been conducted internally rather than acquired. Although expenses associated with acquired in-process research and development are generally not recurring with respect to past acquisitions, the Company may incur these expenses in connection with any future acquisitions.

(iv) Costs associated with disputes and regulatory matters related to acquired entities. The Company excludes expenses incurred as a result of disputes arising from earnout and indemnification matters related to prior acquisitions. The Company also incurs post-closing legal and other professional services fees for non-recurring compliance and regulatory matters associated with acquisitions. The Company does not consider these expenses to be related to the organic continuing operations of the acquired businesses, and believes that providing a supplemental non-GAAP measure which excludes these items allows management and investors to consider the ongoing operations of the business both with, and without, such expenses. Although these expenses are not recurring with respect to past acquisitions, the Company may incur these expenses in connection with any future acquisitions.

Non-Cash Expenses.

The Company provides non-GAAP information relative to the following non-cash expenses: (i) stock-based compensation; (ii) certain accrued interest; and (iii) certain accrued income taxes. These items are further discussed as follows:

(i) Stock-based compensation. Because of varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types, the Company believes that the exclusion of stock-based compensation allows for more accurate comparisons of operating results to peer companies, as well as to times in the Company’s history when stock-based compensation was more or less significant as a portion of overall compensation than in the current period. The Company evaluates performance both with and without these measures because compensation expense related to stock-based compensation is typically non-cash and the options granted are influenced by factors such as volatility and risk-free interest rates that are beyond the Company’s control. The expense related to stock-based awards is generally not controllable in the short-term and can vary significantly based on the timing, size and nature of awards granted. As such, the Company does not include such charges in operating plans. Stock-based compensation will continue in future periods.

(ii and iii) Certain accrued interest and income taxes. The Company also excludes certain accrued interest and certain accrued income taxes because the Company believes that excluding these non-cash expenses provides senior management as well as other users of the financial statements, with a valuable perspective on the cash-based performance and health of the business, including the current near-term projected liquidity. These non-cash expenses will continue in future periods.

Other Expenses.

The Company excludes certain other expenses that are the result of other, unplanned events to measure operating performance as well as current and future liquidity both with and without these expenses. Included in these expenses are items such as non-acquisition-related restructuring, asset impairment and other charges (credits), net. These events are unplanned and arose outside of the ordinary course of continuing operations. These items also include adjustments from changes in fair value of share-based instruments relating to the issuance of our common stock with security price guarantees payable in cash. The Company assesses operating performance with these amounts included, but also excluding these amounts; the amounts relate to costs which are unplanned, and therefore by providing this information the Company believes management and the users of the financial statements are better able to understand the financial results of what the Company considers to be organic continuing operations.

The Company believes that providing the non-GAAP information to investors, in addition to the GAAP presentation, allows investors to view the financial results in the way management views the operating results. The Company further believes that providing this information allows investors to not only better understand the Company’s financial performance but more importantly, to evaluate the efficacy of the methodology and information used by management to evaluate and measure such performance.

ITEM 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

     (d) Exhibits

	99.1		Press Release dated November 23, 2009 by Nuance Communications, Inc.
	99.2		Supplemental Financial Information

SIGNATURE

          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 hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX

99.1		Press Release dated November 23, 2009 by Nuance Communications, Inc.
99.2		Supplemental Financial Information