Not too long ago, InfoSpace (NSDQ: INSP) was making millions of dollars from the sale of ringtones, and ramping up its content business, even securing deals with high-flying skateboarder Tony Hawk. And, even when that business dried up, it pushed forward using its deep carrier relationships to sell deck-and search-related infrastructure to such big names as AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile USA.
But now it’s official. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Bellevue-based company severed all its ties to the industry. Today, the company released Q4 and year-end results, and said that during the period it finalized the sale of its directory business to Idearc and the sale of its mobile services business to Motricity for a combined total of $360 million. InfoSpace distributed the money in a special dividend worth $500 million, or $15.30 per share, in cash between May and January. Remaining at InfoSpace: its metasearch branded and white-label online search business including Dogpile and WebFetch.
InfoSpace revenues in Q4 totaled $39.1 million, increasing 15 percent compared to the year ago quarter. Q4 net income was $57.8 million, increasing from a profit of $27.6 million in the year ago period. Full-year revenues for 2006 totaled $140.5 million, a 9% decrease over 2006, and profits totaled $16.9 million in 2007 compared to a net loss of $15.1 million in 2006. Net income for 2007 was heavily influenced by a gain recorded from the sale of the company’s two divisions and from discontinued operations.
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