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KFORCE INC (KFRC) FY 2022 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from KFORCE INC's 10-K for fiscal year 2022. Filing date: 2023-02-24. Report date: 2022-12-31. Accession: 0000930420-23-000030.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high.

Company profile: KFRC · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2021 · Next year: FY 2023

ITEM 7.     MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

This MD&A should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto contained in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, as well as Item 1. Business of this report, for an overview of our operations and business environment.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The following is an executive summary of what Kforce believes are highlights for 2022, which should be considered in the context of the additional discussions herein and in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.

•Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased 7.9%, per billing day, to $1.7 billion in 2022 from $1.6 billion in 2021. Revenue per billing day increased 17.9% in our Technology business and decreased 33.9% in our FA business, which was impacted by the expected run-off in the COVID-19 project-related business and repositioning efforts.

•Flex revenue increased 7.6%, per billing day, to $1.65 billion in 2022 from $1.53 billion in 2021. Flex revenue increased 17.8%, per billing day, for Technology and decreased 37.8%, per billing day, for FA. Excluding revenues from the COVID-19 project-related business for both periods, our FA Flex business would have declined 16.7% in 2022 on a year-over-year, billing day basis primarily as a result of our repositioning efforts.

•While our growth rates slowed in the second half of 2022 given the macro-economic uncertainties, our Technology business carried momentum into the fourth quarter of 2022 as evidenced by 8% growth on a year-over-year billing day basis.

•Direct Hire revenue, per billing day, increased 16.7% to $58.3 million in 2022 from $49.8 million in 2021. Revenue in this more cyclically sensitive business was down 19.4% in the fourth quarter of 2022 on a year-over-year basis.

•Gross profit margin increased 40 basis points to 29.3% in 2022 from 28.9% in 2021, primarily as a result of an increased mix of Direct Hire revenue and increased margins in our FA business. Flex gross profit margin increased 20 basis points to 26.8% for 2022 from 26.6% in 2021. Flex gross profit margin was flat for Technology and increased 230 basis points for FA in 2022 over 2021.

•Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) expenses as a percentage of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased to 22.2% from 21.9% in 2021. The increase is primarily driven by a provision for the note receivable from our joint venture recognized in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a gain on the sale of our corporate headquarters in 2021.

•Net income for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased to $75.4 million, or $3.68 per share, from $75.2 million, or $3.54 per share, in 2021. The impairment charge and provision for the note receivable from our joint venture negatively impacted earnings per share in 2022 by $0.57. Excluding this impact, earnings per share improved approximately 20% in 2022 on a year-over-year basis.

•The Firm returned $91.6 million of capital to our shareholders in the form of open market repurchases totaling $67.6 million, or 1.1 million shares, and quarterly dividends totaling $24.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The total capital returned to shareholders in 2022 represented approximately 100% of operating cash flows.

•Net debt was $25.5 million as of December 31, 2022, as compared to $3.0 million as of December 31, 2021.

•Cash provided by operating activities was $90.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $72.9 million for 2021. This increase is primarily driven by the strength in our accounts receivable portfolio and improved profitability levels, partially offset by payments for deferred payroll taxes as a result of the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) of approximately $19 million and final payments under our terminated Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) of approximately $20 million.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Certain discussions of the changes in our results of operations from the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, have been omitted from this Form 10-K, and may be found in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2022.

The following table presents certain items in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income as a percentage of revenue for the years ended:

DECEMBER 31,
202220212020
Revenue by segment:
Technology88.1%80.6%75.1%
FA11.919.424.9
Total Revenue100.0%100.0%100.0%
Revenue by type:
Flex96.6%96.9%97.6%
Direct Hire3.43.12.4
Total Revenue100.0%100.0%100.0%
Gross profit29.3%28.9%28.3%
Selling, general and administrative expenses22.2%21.9%22.2%
Depreciation and amortization0.3%0.3%0.4%
Income from operations6.8%6.7%5.7%
Income from operations, before income taxes6.0%6.3%5.4%
Net income4.4%4.8%4.0%

Revenue. The following table presents revenue by type for each segment and percentage change from the prior period for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

2022Increase (Decrease)2021Increase (Decrease)2020
Technology
Flex revenue$1,476,05518.3%$1,247,56020.8%$1,032,901
Direct Hire revenue31,57219.7%26,38157.7%16,727
Total Technology revenue$1,507,62718.3%$1,273,94121.4%$1,049,628
FA
Flex revenue$176,395(37.6)%$282,597(14.7)%$331,196
Direct Hire revenue26,74314.4%23,38438.6%16,876
Total FA revenue$203,138(33.6)%$305,981(12.1)%$348,072
Total Flex revenue$1,652,4508.0%$1,530,15712.2%$1,364,097
Total Direct Hire revenue58,31517.2%49,76548.1%33,603
Total Revenue$1,710,7658.3%$1,579,92213.0%$1,397,700

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Our quarterly operating results are affected by the number of billing days in a quarter. The following table presents the year-over-year revenue growth rates, per billing day, for the last five quarters:

Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth Rates
(Per Billing Day)
Q4 2022Q3 2022Q2 2022Q1 2022Q4 2021
Billing days6164646461
Technology Flex8.5%15.7%23.3%26.0%31.0%
FA Flex(28.8)%(30.7)%(49.0)%(37.6)%(28.9)%
Total Flex3.1%8.7%7.2%11.8%16.6%

Flex Revenue. The key drivers of Flex revenue are the number of consultants on assignment, billable hours, the bill rate per hour and, to a limited extent, the amount of billable expenses incurred by Kforce.

Flex revenue for our Technology business increased 17.8% per billing day, during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021. The increase was driven principally by a combination of significant growth in the number of consultants on assignment and higher average bill rates. Given the inflationary pressures on wages and scarcity of highly-skilled technology consultants, we have continued to experience a meaningful acceleration in average bill rates, which increased 1.7% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2022. We believe that the growth in consultants on assignment was fueled by strong secular drivers of demand, the strength of our client portfolio, our concentration in highly-skilled technology talent, and solid execution. While we may be susceptible to short-term disruption with specific clients or industry-specific dynamics as a result of the macro-economic environment, we believe that we are positioned well to achieve our long-term growth ambitions. We expect first quarter 2023 Technology Flex revenue to grow in the low to mid-single digits year-over year.

Our FA business experienced a decrease in Flex revenue of 37.8%, per billing day, during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, primarily driven by the expected run-off of the COVID-related project business. Excluding the COVID-related business in 2021, FA Flex revenues declined 16.7% in 2022, per billing day, primarily as a result of our repositioning effort towards more highly-skilled roles. We expect first quarter 2023 FA Flex revenue to be down in the mid 20% range year-over year.

The following table presents the key drivers for the change in Flex revenue by segment over the prior period (in thousands):

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
2022 vs. 20212021 vs. 2020
Key Drivers - Increase (Decrease)TechnologyFATechnologyFA
Volume - hours billed$118,757$(144,684)$177,865$(63,558)
Bill rate109,35738,45635,24215,167
Billable expenses381261,552(208)
Total change in Flex revenue$228,495$(106,202)$214,659$(48,599)

The following table presents total Flex hours billed by segment and the percentage change over the prior period for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

2022Increase (Decrease)2021Increase (Decrease)2020
Technology16,7949.6%15,32917.3%13,070
FA3,789(51.2)%7,768(19.2)%9,615
Total Flex hours billed20,583(10.9)%23,0971.8%22,685

Direct Hire Revenue. The key drivers of Direct Hire revenue are the number of placements and the associated placement fee.

Direct Hire revenue increased 16.7% per billing day, during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, primarily driven by a significant increase in both placement fees and the number of placements. There has, however, been a moderation in the performance of this more cyclically sensitive business in the second half of 2022 given the macro-economic concerns. We expect Direct Hire revenue to decline in the first quarter of 2023 on a year-over-year basis by approximately 30%.

Gross Profit. Gross profit is determined by deducting direct costs (primarily consultant compensation, payroll taxes, payroll-related insurance and certain fringe benefits, as well as independent contractor costs) from total revenue. In addition, there are no consultant payroll costs associated with Direct Hire placements; thus, all Direct Hire revenue increases gross profit by the full amount of the placement fee.

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The following table presents the gross profit as a percentage of total revenue (“gross profit percentage”) for each segment and percentage change over the prior period for the years ended December 31:

2022Increase (Decrease)2021Increase (Decrease)2020
Technology28.0%0.4%27.9%1.1%27.6%
FA39.0%18.2%33.0%7.8%30.6%
Total gross profit percentage29.3%1.4%28.9%2.1%28.3%

Total gross profit percentage increased 40 basis points for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, primarily as a result of an increased mix of Direct Hire revenue and the expected run-off of the COVID-19 related business, which had a lower margin profile.

Flex gross profit percentage (Flex gross profit as a percentage of Flex revenue) provides management with helpful insight into the other drivers of total gross profit percentage driven by our Flex business such as changes in the spread between the consultants’ bill rate and pay rate.

The following table presents the Flex gross profit percentage for each segment and percentage change over the prior period for the years ended December 31:

2022Increase (Decrease)2021Increase (Decrease)2020
Technology26.4%%26.4%%26.4%
FA29.7%8.4%27.4%1.1%27.1%
Total Flex gross profit percentage26.8%0.8%26.6%%26.6%

Our Flex gross profit percentage for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, increased 20 basis points. We have seen good stability in our Technology Flex gross margins over the last several years as the benefit from higher growth in our managed teams and project solutions business, which typically carries a higher margin profile, has offset any spread compression in the remainder of our Technology business.

FA Flex gross profit margins increased 230 basis points for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, primarily due to the expected run-off of the lower margin COVID-19 related business and our repositioning efforts.

The following table presents the key drivers for the change in Flex gross profit by segment over the prior period (in thousands):

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
2022 vs. 20212021 vs. 2020
Key Drivers - Increase (Decrease)TechnologyFATechnologyFA
Revenue impact$60,365$(29,128)$56,734$(13,152)
Profitability impact3954,061(137)1,033
Total change in Flex gross profit$60,760$(25,067)$56,597$(12,119)

SG&A Expenses. Total compensation, commissions, payroll taxes and benefit costs as a percentage of SG&A represented 84.1%, 85.4% and 83.0% of SG&A for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Commissions and other bonus incentives for our revenue-generating talent are variable costs driven primarily by revenue and gross profit levels, and associate performance.

The following table presents certain components of SG&A as a percentage of total revenue for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

2022% of Revenue2021% of Revenue2020% of Revenue
Compensation, commissions, payroll taxes and benefits costs$319,50118.7%$295,18718.7%$257,80218.4%
Other (1)60,3143.5%50,5343.2%52,9113.8%
Total SG&A$379,81522.2%$345,72121.9%$310,71322.2%

(1) Includes items such as credit loss expense, lease expense, professional fees, travel, telephone, computer and certain other expenses.

SG&A as a percentage of revenue increased 30 basis points for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, mostly driven by a $1.9 million reserve related to the note receivable issued to our joint venture and a $2.0 million gain on the sale of our previous corporate headquarters in 2021.

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The Firm continues to focus on improving the productivity of our associates and generating increased operating leverage as revenues grow.

Depreciation and Amortization. The following table presents depreciation and amortization expense and percentage change over the prior period by major category for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

2022Increase (Decrease)2021Increase (Decrease)2020
Fixed asset depreciation (includes finance leases)$2,655(5.9)%$2,822(30.7)%$4,073
Capitalized software amortization1,7725.6%1,67842.0%1,182
Total Depreciation and amortization$4,427(1.6)%$4,500(14.4)%$5,255

Other Expense, Net. Other expense, net was $14.4 million in 2022, $7.4 million in 2021 and $5.0 million in 2020. Other expense, net consists of our proportionate share of losses for our joint venture and interest expense related to outstanding borrowings under our credit facility.

During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, we recognized $3.8 million, $2.5 million, and $1.7 million, respectively, related to our share of losses related to our equity method investment. During the year ended December 31, 2022, Other expense, net also includes an impairment charge of $13.7 million for our equity method investment. Refer to Note 1 - “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a more detailed discussion on the impairment of our equity method investment.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, Other expense, net also includes a $4.1 million gain recognized as a result of the termination of an interest rate swap agreement in May 2022. Refer to Note 14 - “Derivative Instrument and Hedging Activity” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for a complete discussion of the interest rate swap derivative instruments.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, Other expense, net includes $1.8 million expense related to the termination of our SERP in 2021. Refer to Note 12 - “Employee Benefit Plans” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a complete discussion of the termination of our SERP.

Income Tax Expense. Income tax expense as a percentage of income from operations, before income taxes (our “effective tax rate”) for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 were 26.4%, 24.3% and 25.5%, respectively. The 2022 effective tax rate was unfavorably impacted by a lower work opportunity tax credit and a lower tax benefit from the vesting of restricted stock in 2022, as compared to 2021.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Free Cash Flow. “Free Cash Flow”, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined by Kforce as net cash provided by operating activities determined in accordance with GAAP, less capital expenditures. Management believes this provides an additional way of viewing our liquidity that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our cash flows and is useful information to investors as it provides a measure of the amount of cash generated from the business that can be used for strategic opportunities including investing in our business, repurchasing common stock, paying dividends or making acquisitions. Free Cash Flow has limitations due to the fact that it does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. Therefore, we believe it is important to view Free Cash Flow as a complement to, but not as a replacement for, our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

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The following table presents Free Cash Flow (in thousands):

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,
202220212020
Net income$75,431$75,177$56,039
Non-cash provisions and other50,29430,18827,582
Changes in operating assets/liabilities(34,920)(32,467)25,538
Net cash provided by operating activities90,80572,898109,159
Capital expenditures(8,109)(6,441)(6,475)
Free cash flow82,69666,457102,684
Note receivable issued to our joint venture(6,750)
Cash proceeds received from Company-owned life insurance1,077
Equity method investment(500)(9,000)(4,000)
Change in debt(74,400)35,000
Repurchases of common stock(74,913)(66,210)(35,613)
Cash dividends(24,027)(20,120)(16,787)
Net proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale23,7423,548
Other(51)(1,366)(1,177)
Change in cash and cash equivalents$(96,868)$(6,497)$83,655

Adjusted EBITDA. “Adjusted EBITDA”, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined by Kforce as net income before depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, interest expense, net, income tax expense, loss from equity method investment, gain from Swap termination, reserve associated with the note receivable issued to our joint venture, impairment of equity method investment, gain on the sale of the corporate headquarters, legal settlement expense and SERP termination expense. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of financial performance under GAAP. Items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing our past and future financial performance, and this presentation should not be construed as an inference by us that our future results will be unaffected by those items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by management to assess our operations including our ability to generate cash flows and our ability to repay our debt obligations and management believes it provides a good metric of our core profitability in comparing our performance to our competitors, as well as our performance over different time periods. Consequently, management believes it is useful information to investors. The measure should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income, cash flows or other financial statement information presented in the consolidated financial statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. The measure is not determined in accordance with GAAP and is thus susceptible to varying calculations. Also, Adjusted EBITDA, as presented, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

In addition, although we excluded amortization of stock-based compensation expense because it is a non-cash expense, we expect to continue to incur stock-based compensation in the future and the associated stock issued may result in an increase in our outstanding shares of stock, which may result in the dilution of our shareholder ownership interest. We suggest that you evaluate these items and the potential risks of excluding such items when analyzing our financial position.

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The following table presents Adjusted EBITDA and includes a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands):

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,
202220212020
Net income$75,431$75,177$56,039
Depreciation and amortization4,4274,5005,255
Stock-based compensation expense17,65513,99911,595
Interest expense, net9733,0733,396
Income tax expense27,01124,09019,173
Loss from equity method investment3,8242,4801,681
Gain from termination of interest rate swap(4,059)
Reserve associated with note receivable issued to our joint venture1,925
Impairment of equity method investment13,684
Gain on sale of corporate headquarters(2,051)
Legal settlement expense3,350
SERP termination expense1,821
Adjusted EBITDA$140,871$126,439$97,139

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

To meet our capital and liquidity requirements, we primarily rely on operating cash flow, as well as borrowings under our credit facility. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had $0.1 million and $97.0 million, respectively, in cash and cash equivalents, which consisted primarily of government money market funds. At December 31, 2022, Kforce had $146.3 million in working capital compared to $211.7 million at December 31, 2021.

Cash Flows

Our business has historically generated a significant amount of operating cash flows, which allows us to balance deploying available capital towards: (i) investing in our infrastructure to allow sustainable growth via capital expenditures; (ii) our dividend and share repurchase programs; and (iii) maintaining sufficient liquidity for potential acquisitions or other strategic investments.

The following table presents a summary of our net cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities (in thousands):

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,
Cash Provided by (Used in)202220212020
Operating activities$90,805$72,898$109,159
Investing activities(14,282)8,301(6,927)
Financing activities(173,391)(87,696)(18,577)
Change in cash and cash equivalents$(96,868)$(6,497)$83,655

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $90.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $72.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. Our largest source of operating cash flows is the collection of trade receivables, and our largest use of operating cash flows is the payment of our associate and consultant compensation. Cash provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2022, includes the payment of $20.0 million for amounts owed to two participants under the terminated SERP and the payment of approximately $19.3 million in deferred payroll taxes as a result of the application of the CARES Act. The year-over-year increase in cash provided by operating activities was primarily driven by strong collections of accounts receivable, improved profitability levels, proceeds from the termination of our interest rate swap, and continued management of working capital. This is partially offset by payments for deferred payroll taxes under the CARES Act.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities was $14.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, and primarily consisted of cash used for capital expenditures of $8.1 million and the issuance of secured promissory notes to our joint venture totaling $6.8 million. Cash provided by investing activities of $8.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily included $23.7 million in net proceeds from the sale of our corporate headquarters, partially offset by cash used for capital expenditures and capital contributions to our joint venture. We expect to continue selectively investing in our infrastructure, primarily focusing on implementing new and upgrading existing technologies that we expect will help deliver exceptional service to our clients, consultants, and candidates and improve productivity of our associates and the scalability of our organization.

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Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities was $173.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $87.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The change was primarily driven by $74.4 million of net payments on our credit facility, which includes payments of $112.6 million and draw downs of $38.2 million, as well as an overall increase in repurchases of common stock and dividend payments.

The following table presents the cash flow impact of the common stock repurchase activity for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

202220212020
Open market repurchases$66,806$54,265$29,386
Repurchase of shares related to tax withholding requirements for vesting of restricted stock8,10711,9456,227
Total cash flow impact of common stock repurchases$74,913$66,210$35,613
Cash paid in current year for settlement of prior year repurchases$181$$

During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, Kforce declared and paid dividends of $24.0 million ($1.20 per share), $20.1 million ($0.98 per share) and $16.8 million ($0.80 per share), respectively.

On February 3, 2023, Kforce’s Board approved a 20% annual increase to the Company's dividend from $1.20 per share to $1.44 per share. The declaration, payment and amount of future dividends are discretionary and will be subject to determination by Kforce’s Board each quarter following its review of, among other things, the Firm’s current and expected financial performance as well as the ability to pay dividends under applicable law.

We believe that existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flow from operations and available borrowings under our credit facility will be adequate to meet the capital expenditure and working capital requirements of our operations for at least the next 12 months. However, a material deterioration in the economic environment or market conditions, among other things, could negatively impact operating results and liquidity, as well as the ability of our lenders to fund borrowings. Actual results could also differ materially from those indicated as a result of a number of factors, including the use of currently available resources for potential acquisitions and additional stock repurchases.

Credit Facility

On October 20, 2021, the Firm entered into an amended and restated credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as lead arranger and bookrunner, Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, BMO Harris Bank, N.A., as documentation agent, and the lenders referred to therein (the “Amended and Restated Credit Facility”). Under the Amended and Restated Credit Facility, the Firm has a maximum borrowing capacity of $200.0 million, which may, subject to certain conditions and the participation of the lenders, be increased up to an aggregate additional amount of $150.0 million. The maturity date of the Amended and Restated Credit Facility is October 20, 2026. Refer to Note 13 - “Credit Facility” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a complete discussion of our credit facility. As of December 31, 2022, $25.6 million was outstanding and $173.1 million, subject to certain covenants, was available.

In April 2017 and March 2020, Kforce entered into two forward-starting interest rate swap agreements to mitigate the risk of rising interest rates. As of December 31, 2022, the Firm did not have any outstanding interest rate swap derivative instruments. Refer to Note 14 - “Derivative Instrument and Hedging Activity” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report for a complete discussion of our interest rate swaps.

Stock Repurchases

The following table presents the open market repurchase activity under the Board-authorized common stock repurchase program for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):

20222021
Shares$Shares$
Open market repurchases1,124$67,599922$54,446

On February 3, 2023, the Board approved an increase in our stock repurchase authorization, bringing the total authorization to $100.0 million. As of December 31, 2022, $41.3 million remained available for further repurchases under the Board-authorized common stock repurchase program.

Contractual Obligations

In addition to our discussion and analysis surrounding our liquidity and capital resources, consideration should also be given to significant contractual obligations:

•Our credit facility matures October 20, 2026, and as of December 31, 2022, our outstanding debt balance was $25.6 million. Total payments, however, are inherently uncertain as the Interest rates related to this outstanding balance are variable and the outstanding borrowings that will occur over the remaining term of the credit facility is unknown. Refer to Note 13 - “Credit Facility” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for further detail of our credit facility.

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•We maintain various non-qualified deferred compensation plans pursuant to which eligible management and highly-compensated key employees may elect to defer all or part of their compensation to later years. As of December 31, 2022, the amount of our obligation under these plans was $40.5 million. These amounts are included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and classified as Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities and Other long-term liabilities, as appropriate, and are payable based upon the elections of the plan participants (e.g., retirement, termination of employment, change-in-control). Amounts payable upon the retirement or termination of employment may become payable during the next five years if a covered employee retires, terminates, or schedules a distribution.

•Our purchase obligations consist of agreements to purchase goods and services entered into in the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2022, the value of our non-cancellable unconditional purchase obligations was $21.9 million.

•We have employment agreements with certain executives that provide for minimum compensation, salary and continuation of certain benefits for a six-month to a three-year period after their employment ends under certain circumstances. At December 31, 2022, our liability would be approximately $40.3 million for terminations related to a change in control and $17.3 million related to terminations in the absence of cause. Refer to Note 17 - “Commitments and Contingencies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional information regarding our commitments related to employment agreements.

•We lease certain facilities and other properties under non-cancellable operating lease arrangements that expire at various dates through 2033. As of December 31, 2022, the value of our obligations under operating leases was $22.8 million. Refer to Note 11 - “Operating Leases” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional information regarding our lease obligations and the timing of expected future payments, including a five-year maturity schedule.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Kforce provides letters of credit to certain vendors in lieu of cash deposits. At December 31, 2022, Kforce had letters of credit outstanding for operating lease and insurance coverage deposits totaling $1.3 million.

These off-balance sheet arrangements do not have a material impact on our liquidity or capital resources. These off-balance sheet arrangements do not provide financing, liquidity, market or credit risk support.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, we are required to make assumptions and estimates about future events, and apply judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and the related disclosures. We base our assumptions, estimates and judgments on historical experience, current trends and other factors that management believes to be relevant at the time our consolidated financial statements are prepared. On a regular basis, management reviews the accounting policies, estimates, assumptions and judgments to ensure that our consolidated financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with GAAP. However, because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and such differences could be material. Management believes that the following accounting estimates are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and they require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We have not made any material changes in our accounting methodologies used in prior years.

Equity Method Investment

Initial Investment

We entered into a joint venture with WorkLLama in June 2019 and contributed $22.5 million in equity capital from inception through December 31, 2022.

Impairment Assessment

We review the equity method investment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the investment may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized in the event that an other-than-temporary decline in the fair value of the investment occurs. Management’s estimate of fair value of the investment is generally based on the income approach and/or market approach or another acceptable fair value method. For the income approach, we utilize estimated discounted future cash flows expected to be generated by WorkLLama. For the market approach, we utilized market multiples of revenue and earnings derived from comparable publicly-traded companies. These types of analyses contain uncertainties because they require management to make significant assumptions and judgments including: (1) an appropriate rate to discount the expected future cash flows; (2) the inherent risk in achieving forecasted operating results; (3) long-term growth rates; (4) expectations for future economic cycles; (5) market comparable companies and appropriate adjustments thereto; and (6) market multiples.

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For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recognized an impairment charge of $13.7 million, which was recorded in Other Expense, net, on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income.

Refer to Note 1 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 15 - “Fair Value Measurements” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a complete discussion of our equity method investment and our impairment analysis.

Allowance for Credit Losses

Management performs an ongoing analysis of factors in establishing its allowance for doubtful accounts including recent write-off and delinquency trends, a specific analysis of significant receivable balances that are past due, the concentration of accounts receivable among clients and higher-risk sectors, and the current state of the U.S. economy. A 10% change in accounts reserved, at December 31, 2022, would have impacted our net income by approximately $0.1 million in 2022.

Accounting for Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate is influenced by tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we conduct business. Significant judgment is required in determining our effective tax rate and in evaluating our tax positions, including those that may be uncertain.

We are also required to exercise judgment with respect to the realization of our net deferred tax assets. Management evaluates positive and negative evidence and exercises judgment regarding past and future events to determine if it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the deferred tax assets may not be realized. If appropriate, a valuation allowance is recorded against deferred tax assets to offset future tax benefits that may not be realized. A 0.5% change in our effective tax rate would have impacted our net income by approximately $0.5 million in 2022.

Refer to Note 6 – “Income Taxes” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a complete discussion of the components of our income tax expense, as well as the temporary differences that exist as of December 31, 2022.

Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill is tested at the reporting unit level which is generally an operating segment, or one level below the operating segment level, where a business operates and for which discrete financial information is available and reviewed by segment management. We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently whenever events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value. We monitor the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the year. It is our policy to conduct impairment testing based on our current business strategy in light of present industry and economic conditions, as well as future expectations.

When performing a quantitative assessment, we determine the fair value of our reporting units using widely accepted valuation techniques, including the discounted cash flow, guideline transaction and guideline company methods. These types of analyses contain uncertainties because they require management to make significant assumptions and judgments including: (1) an appropriate rate to discount the expected future cash flows; (2) the inherent risk in achieving forecasted operating results; (3) long-term growth rates; (4) expectations for future economic cycles; (5) market comparable companies and appropriate adjustments thereto; and (6) market multiples. When performing a qualitative assessment, we assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying amount.

Refer to Note 8 – “Goodwill” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a complete discussion of the valuation methodologies employed.

Self-Insured Liabilities

We are self-insured for certain losses related to health insurance claims that are below insurable limits. However, we obtain third-party insurance coverage to limit our exposure to claims in excess of insurable limits. When estimating our self-insured liabilities, we consider a number of factors, including historical claims experience, plan structure, internal claims management activities, demographic factors and severity factors. Periodically, management reviews its assumptions to determine the adequacy of our self-insured liabilities.

Our self-insured liabilities contain uncertainties because management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the ultimate total cost to settle reported claims and claims incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) as of the balance sheet date. A 10% change in our self-insured liabilities related to health insurance, as of December 31, 2022, would have impacted our net income by approximately $0.3 million in 2022.

NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Refer to Note 1 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, included in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report, for a discussion of new accounting standards.

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