TNS 4Q loss deepens on accounting costs for refinancing; 1Q outlook falls below analyst views

TNS 4Q loss widens on refinancing costs

RESTON, Va. — TNS Inc.’s fourth-quarter losses deepened as the company absorbed the one-time costs of a refinancing completed late last year.

The supplier of data communications said Monday that it lost $5.7 million, or 22 cents per share, in the final three months of 2009. That compared to a setback of $1 million, or 4 cents per share, at the same time in 2008.

The loss in the latest quarter reflected write-offs taken to account for a refinancing completed in November.

If not for those items and certain other costs unrelated to its ongoing business, TNS said it would have earned 69 cents per share. On that basis, TNS’s performance was 2 cents above the average estimate among analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Revenue for the period increased 70 percent to $137.5 million, about $2 million below analyst estimates.

TNS provides various data services to the processors of credit card, debit card and automated teller machine transactions.

Excluding certain costs, the company expects its first-quarter earnings per share to range from 53 cents to 58 cents on revenue of $127.5 million to $130.55 million. Analysts, on average, had projected earnings of 61 cents per share on revenue of $136.4 million.

For all of 2009, TNS lost $2.1 million, or 8 cents per share, on revenue of $474.8 million. In 2008, the company earned $3.5 million, or 14 cents per share, on revenue of $344 million.