Business as usual for Clearwater company — despite NYSE delisting

Officials at Clearwater’s Digital Media Solutions say the company is not changing how it operates the business day-to-day after being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and that an agreement with lenders remains in place.

In a statement to investors, it says being stripped of its place on the exchange “does not affect the company’s business operations and DMS continues to be focused on its core solutions in service of its advertising clients.”

The delisting also does not change DMS’ status as a publicly traded company. While its shares will no longer to be traded on one of the most public — and prestigious — exchanges, investors will be able to buy and sell using over-the-counter markets.

The company first alerted investors of the delisting threat in May saying it had received a letter from the NYSE warning that it was not in compliance with requirements because of its market capitalization.

According to the latest note, the exchange found that DMS failed to “meet the NYSE’s continued listing standard that requires listed companies to maintain an average global market capitalization of at least $15 million over a period of 30 consecutive trading days.”

Digital Media Solutions was founded in 2012 by Joe Marinucci, Fernando Borghese, Luis Ruelas, Matt Goodman and David Shteif. According to its website, the company is a “provider of technology-enabled digital performance advertising solutions connecting consumers and advertisers.”

The company’s clients include small- and medium-sized companies in the property and casualty insurance and health insurance market as well as businesses in the e-commerce, career and education, and consumer finance sectors.

In its most recent earnings statement released Aug. 14, Marinucci, the CEO, says the company continues “to face unprecedented pressure in our insurance vertical as P&C carrier loss ratios persist, and the impact is seen across agent counts, bid prices and overall advertiser spend.”

“Our financial position remains modestly positive, even as we face headwinds, particularly in our insurance business,” he says.

DMS reported its second quarter revenue was $82.6 million, down 9.5% from the same period last year.

A few days after the earnings were released, DMS announced it had reached a deal with lenders to amend its credit agreements. The agreement, the company, says gives it flexibility to navigate “the challenging insurance industry environment, including through covenant relief and the optional ability to pay in kind for the next four quarters.”

Getting removed from the NYSE, and the conditions that led to it, do not affect that deal, company says in the note to investors.

The “delisting does not cause an event of default under the senior secured credit facility to which its subsidiaries are a party, and DMS continues to be supported by its lenders as evidenced by the recent amendment to its credit facility, which has provided the company and management with the flexibility needed to manage through the current environment.”