La-Z-Boy Reports Fiscal 2021 Second-Quarter Results

La-Z-Boy Incorporated (“La-Z-Boy” or the “company”), a global leader in residential furniture, today reported strong operating results for the fiscal 2021 second quarter ended October 24, 2020.

Fiscal 2021 second quarter versus Fiscal 2020 second quarter:

– Consolidated sales increased 2.7% to $459.1 million

– Written same-store sales for the entire La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® network increased 34%

– Consolidated operating income: GAAP: $47.9 million versus $29.6 million, an increase of 62%; Non-GAAP(1): $51.2 million versus $33.7 million, an increase of 52%

– Consolidated operating margin: GAAP: 10.4% versus 6.6%; Non-GAAP(1): 11.1% versus 7.5%, Wholesale(2): 12.2% versus 10.6%, Retail: 9.4% versus 5.8%

– Net income attributable to La-Z-Boy Incorporated per diluted share (“EPS”): GAAP: $0.75 versus $0.48; Non-GAAP(1): $0.82 versus $0.52

– Strong cash generation, with fiscal year-to-date cash from operating activities of $195.7 million

– Cash(3) was $353.4 million at quarter end after full repayment of $50 million outstanding balance on credit line

Kurt L. Darrow, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of La-Z-Boy, said, “Demand across all La-Z-Boy Incorporated businesses is at record levels as consumers continue to allocate more discretionary spending to home furnishings. Orders are fueling an unprecedented backlog and our supply chain team is doing a great job to continually increase weekly production to service customers and drive increased delivered sales. For the quarter, we produced a double-digit consolidated operating margin, with all operating companies posting excellent results, including Joybird which turned a profit for the first time. With the well-known and trusted La-Z-Boy brand clearly resonating with consumers during these uncertain times, solid cash generation, a robust balance sheet, and prudent expense management, we are confident we will continue to adeptly navigate the challenging COVID-19 landscape while we remain focused on providing a safe environment for employees and customers.”

Consolidated sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 increased 2.7% to $459.1 million, with strong demand across all operating companies. Consolidated GAAP operating margin increased to 10.4% from 6.6% in the prior-year quarter. Non-GAAP(1) operating margin improved to 11.1% versus 7.5% in last year’s second quarter, driven by an increase in delivered sales and decreased spending.

For the entire La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® network, written same-store sales increased 34% for the fiscal 2021 second quarter compared with the same period last year.

For the quarter, delivered sales in the company’s Wholesale(2) segment decreased 2% to $343.0 million. A significant increase in demand has led to a record-level backlog. The company continues to increase manufacturing production capacity to meet demand, but a temporary supply shortage of polyurethane foam led to lower unit volume. Non-GAAP(1) operating margin for the Wholesale(2) segment was 12.2% versus 10.6% for the prior-year period, reflecting tight cost controls and a lower marketing spend.

With the demand acceleration outpacing production acceleration, the company continued to increase weekly production levels and took the following actions to improve capacity moving forward:

– Added additional manufacturing cells at its U.S.-based upholstery manufacturing facilities as well as additional weekend shifts

– Temporarily re-activated a portion of its Newton, Mississippi assembly plant

– Added manufacturing cells at its Cut-and-Sew Center in Mexico

– Leased a 200,000 square-foot upholstery plant south of Yuma, Arizona, in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, which is expected to start production in December with full ramp up extending over the first half of the new calendar year

Darrow stated, “In this stronger-than-expected demand environment, our supply chain team is demonstrating agility and flexibility to significantly increase production capacity on both an opportunistic and permanent basis. As part of our longer-term strategic plan, we have been considering alternatives to most efficiently serve the western portion of North America, and we are excited to take this first step with our new facility in Mexico.”

The Retail segment delivered sales increased 9.3% to $162.3 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. Written same-store sales for the company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores increased 36% in the quarter, reflecting strong traffic trends and demand as well as continued excellent execution at the store level, including an increase in conversion and average ticket driven by increased units and design sales. Delivered sales for the core base of 150 stores increased 6.3%. Non-GAAP(1) operating margin for the Retail segment increased to 9.4% versus 5.8% in last year’s second quarter, as a result of fixed-cost leverage on the higher delivered sales volume and lower spending on advertising and other expenses, including travel.

During the second quarter, the company closed on the acquisition of six Seattle-based La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores with approximately $30 million in annual retail volume in calendar 2019, and one warehouse. As the company is already recording a portion of the Seattle-based store volume in its Wholesale segment, the acquisition of the six stores is expected to contribute approximately $15 million of additional sales annually to the company on a consolidated basis, based on their calendar 2019 sales. For the second quarter, the Seattle stores added $3.5 million of sales to the Retail segment.

Within Corporate & Other, Joybird delivered its first profitable quarter on a sales increase of 42% to $29.4 million. For the period, Joybird improved its gross margin significantly and lowered advertising and other expenses. Written sales increased 25% compared with the prior-year quarter, reflecting ongoing strong order trends. Darrow noted, “We are encouraged by Joybird’s performance for the quarter and optimistic about its trajectory for accelerated growth. We will continue to balance investments in top-line growth with bottom-line performance.”

GAAP diluted EPS was $0.75 for the fiscal 2021 second quarter versus $0.48 in the prior-year quarter. Non-GAAP(1) diluted EPS was $0.82 versus $0.52 in last year’s second quarter.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Year to date, the company generated $196 million in cash from operating activities, reflecting strong profit performance and a $100 million increase in customer deposits from written orders for the company’s Retail segment and Joybird. La-Z-Boy ended the period with $353 million in cash(3), compared with $120 million in cash(3) at the end of the fiscal 2020 second quarter. The company holds $27 million in investments to enhance returns on cash versus $33 million at the end of last year’s period. Year to date, the company invested $8 million in acquisitions, $15 million in the business through capital expenditures, and paid $3 million in dividends. During the quarter, the company used $50 million of cash to fully repay its credit line, ending the quarter with no borrowings outstanding.

Dividend

On November 17, 2020, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.14 per share. This returns the dividend to the full quarterly amount paid prior to the company’s suspension of dividends as part of its COVID-19 Action Plan. The dividend is payable December 15, 2020, to shareholders of record as of December 2, 2020.

Business Outlook

Darrow concluded, “Although there is extreme uncertainty with respect to the pandemic, including the risk of COVID-19-related shutdowns affecting operations moving forward as well as risk of ongoing disruption within the global supply chain, such as the polyurethane foam issue, we are optimistic the company will deliver strong results in the second half of fiscal 2021. The strength of our brands and vast distribution network are driving strong written order trends across our entire business, translating to a significant increase in backlog. In addition, our supply chain team is making great progress to increase capacity so that we can shorten delivery times and service our customers with high-quality products. With the initiatives already underway, we expect to continue to significantly increase production capacity throughout the balance of the fiscal year.”

Due to the unusual business trends driven by the pandemic, La-Z-Boy is providing perspective for the remainder of the year. The company does not intend to provide this level of forward-looking perspective regularly.

Provided there are no COVID-19-related shutdowns or other unexpected external disruptions impacting the company’s operations, including global supply chain issues, such as with polyurethane foam, and taking all planned actions into account, La-Z-Boy expects consolidated sales growth in the third quarter of flat to 4% above the prior year’s all-time record-high third quarter. Further, accounting for continued growth and the effects of the month-long pandemic shutdown in the prior-year fourth quarter base period, the company anticipates fiscal 2021 fourth-quarter sales growth of 40% to 45% versus the prior-year quarter.

Presuming these sales trends sustain, the company expects to deliver a historically high consolidated operating margin of approximately 9% to 11% for the balance of the year. Included in these margin expectations is the anticipation that Joybird will sustain profitable operations.

For the full second quarter results, click here.

(1)Non-GAAP amounts for the second quarter of fiscal 2021 exclude:

– pre-tax purchase accounting charges related to acquisitions totaling $3.0 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, primarily due to a write-up of the Joybird contingent consideration liability based on forecasted future performance, with $2.9 million included in operating income and $0.1 million included in interest expense

– a pre-tax charge of $0.3 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, related to the company’s business realignment, announced in June 2020, which included a 10% reduction in the company’s global workforce and the closure of its Newton, Mississippi upholstery manufacturing facility

Non-GAAP amounts for the second quarter of fiscal 2020 exclude:

– pre-tax purchase accounting charges of $1.6 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, with $1.4 million included in operating income and $0.2 million included in interest expense

– a pre-tax charge of $2.8 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, related to the company’s supply chain optimization initiative, including the closure of the company’s Redlands, California upholstery manufacturing facility and relocation of its Newton, Mississippi leather cut-and-sew operations

– pre-tax income of $1.9 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, related to the 2019 termination of the company’s defined benefit pension plan.

Please refer to the accompanying “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for detailed information on calculating the Non-GAAP measures used in this press release and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.

(2)Wholesale segment: Effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, in order to better align with the manner in which we view and manage the business, coupled with economic and customer channel similarities, the company revised its reportable operating segments by aggregating the former Upholstery segment with the former Casegoods segment to form the newly combined Wholesale segment. The change in reportable operating segments reflects how the company evaluates financial information used to make operating decisions. Prior-period results disclosed in this earnings release with respect to the Wholesale segment have been revised to reflect these changes.

(3)Cash includes cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash.

About La-Z-Boy

La-Z-Boy Incorporated is one of the world’s leading residential La-Z-Boy Incorporated is one of the world’s leading residential furniture producers, marketing furniture for every room of the home. The Wholesale segment includes England, La-Z-Boy, American Drew®, Hammary®, and Kincaid®. The company-owned Retail segment includes 159 of the 355 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores. Joybird is an e-commerce retailer and manufacturer of upholstered furniture. The corporation’s branded distribution network is dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy Incorporated products and brands, and includes 355 stand-alone La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores and 561 independent Comfort Studio® locations, in addition to in-store gallery programs for the company’s Kincaid and England operating units. Additional information is available at http://www.la-z-boy.com/.

Contact:

Kathy Liebmann – kathy.liebmann@la-z-boy.com – (734) 241-2438

Source: La-Z-Boy Incorporated