La-Z-Boy Reports Record Sales for the Fiscal 2022 Second Quarter and Sequential Operating Margin Improvement

La-Z-Boy Incorporated, a global leader in residential furniture, today reported operating results for the fiscal 2022 second quarter ended October 23, 2021.

Fiscal 2022 second quarter versus Fiscal 2021 second quarter:

-Consolidated sales increased 25% to $576 million
-Strong written order trends versus pre-pandemic FY20 Q2
-Consolidated operating margin:
–GAAP: 9.4% versus 10.4%
–Non-GAAP(1): 9.0% versus 11.1%
—Improved sequentially versus 6.6% in the fiscal 2022 first quarter

-Net income attributable to La-Z-Boy Incorporated per diluted share (“EPS”):
–GAAP: $0.89 versus $0.75
–Non-GAAP(1): $0.85 versus $0.82

-$22 million returned to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends in FY22 Q2

Melinda D. Whittington, President and Chief Executive Officer of La-Z-Boy, said, “La-Z-Boy Incorporated again delivered all-time, record-high sales for the quarter as we continued to increase capacity to service ongoing demand and our significant backlog, and realized pricing and surcharge actions to help offset rising raw material costs. Even while navigating a challenging operating environment with significant widespread supply chain disruption, we delivered strong results, including improved margins versus last quarter. Our business is much larger today than it was pre-pandemic, and demand remains robust across the entire enterprise. With strong brands and vast distribution through multiple channels, we believe our sales momentum is sustainable. As we execute Century Vision, our winning strategy for growth to our Centennial year in 2027, we are making strategic investments across our business to drive market share gains, profitable growth and excellent returns for all stakeholders.”

Consolidated sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2022 increased 25% to $576 million versus the fiscal 2021 second quarter, reflecting ongoing capacity increases and pricing and surcharge actions. Consolidated sales for the fiscal 2022 second quarter were 29% higher than the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, for a compounded annual growth rate of 14% over the last two years.

Consolidated GAAP operating margin was 9.4% versus 10.4% in the prior-year second quarter. Consolidated non-GAAP(1) operating margin was 9.0% versus 11.1% in the prior-year second quarter and improved sequentially from 6.6% in the fiscal 2022 first quarter. Operating margin for the period was primarily impacted by significant increases in commodity and freight costs, start-up costs associated with the expansion of manufacturing capacity and labor challenges in the company’s Wholesale business, partially offset by pricing and surcharge actions and fixed-cost leverage on higher volume.

GAAP diluted EPS increased to $0.89 for the fiscal 2022 second quarter versus $0.75 in the prior-year quarter. Non-GAAP(1) diluted EPS increased to $0.85 versus $0.82 in the prior-year second quarter.

Wholesale Segment:

Sales:
-Increased 28% to $439 million in the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared with the fiscal 2021 second quarter, and increased 12% sequentially from the fiscal 2022 first quarter as the company increased capacity and realized pricing and surcharge actions
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, sales increased 25% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter, for a compounded annual growth rate of 12% over the two years

Operating Margin:

-Non-GAAP(1) operating margin in the fiscal 2022 second quarter was 9.1% versus 12.2% for the prior-year period, primarily reflecting higher raw material and freight costs, start-up costs for new facilities, and labor challenges, partially offset by pricing and surcharge actions and fixed-cost leverage on higher volume
-Non-GAAP(1) operating margin improved 440 basis points sequentially from the fiscal 2022 first quarter operating margin of 4.7%

Written same-store sales for the entire La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® network:

-Decreased 6.0% for the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared with the unusually strong fiscal 2021 second quarter (+34% versus the fiscal 2020 second quarter) following COVID-related store closures
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, written same-store sales increased 26% for the fiscal 2022 second quarter, for a compounded annual growth rate of 12% over the two years, reflecting continued significant growth in the business

Retail segment:

Delivered sales:
-Increased 19% to $192 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2022 compared with the prior-year second quarter
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, delivered sales increased 30%, for a compounded annual growth rate of 14% over the two years
-Delivered same-store sales increased 17% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter versus the year-ago period

Written same-store sales for the company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores:
-Decreased 7.2% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared with the unusually strong fiscal 2021 second quarter (+36% versus the fiscal 2020 second quarter) following COVID-related store closures
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, written same-store sales increased 26% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter, for a compounded annual growth rate of 12% over the two years, reflecting positive trends across all sales metrics, including traffic, conversion, average ticket and Design sales

Operating Margin:
-Non-GAAP(1) operating margin increased to a second-quarter record of 12.5% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter versus 9.4% in the fiscal 2021 second quarter, primarily driven by fixed-cost leverage on higher delivered sales volume

Corporate & Other:

Joybird delivered sales:
-Increased 37% to a record $40 million in the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared with the same quarter last year which posted a 42% sales increase versus the prior-year period
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, delivered sales increased an impressive 93%, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 39%

Joybird written sales:
-Increased 56% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared with the prior-year quarter
-Compared with the pre-pandemic fiscal 2020 second quarter, written sales increased an inspiring 95%, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 40%, reflecting continued robust order trends and the strength of the brand in the online marketplaceJoybird again turned in a profitable quarter. With investment in increased marketing to drive awareness and customer acquisition, -Joybird continues to drive higher web and brick and mortar store traffic, translating to improved written sales, conversion and average ticket

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

Fiscal 2022 year to date, the company generated $15 million in cash from operating activities, after investing $59 million in higher inventory levels to protect against supply chain disruptions and to support increased production and delivered sales.

Over the first half of fiscal 2022, the company continued to make disciplined investments in the business, including $33 million in capital expenditures to increase capacity, remodel stores, open new stores, and upgrade infrastructure. In addition, the company has continued to return capital to shareholders, including $13 million in dividends, with $6.6 million paid in the second quarter, as well as $51 million in share repurchases, or approximately 1.4 million shares of stock, leaving approximately 8.6 million shares available for repurchase under its authorized share repurchase program as of October 23, 2021.

La-Z-Boy ended the period with $297 million in cash(2) compared with $353 million in cash(2) at the end of the fiscal 2021 second quarter. The company holds $31 million in investments to enhance returns on cash versus $27 million at the end of the fiscal 2021 second quarter.

Dividend

On November 16, 2021, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.165 per share on the common stock of the company, an increase of 10% over the prior quarter. The dividend will be paid on December 15, 2021, to shareholders of record on December 2, 2021.

Outlook

Bob Lucian, Chief Financial Officer of La-Z-Boy Incorporated, said, “Demand trends remain strong, our backlog is high and we expect delivered sales to continue to strengthen, particularly in the fourth quarter as new production cells come online. At the same time, we expect continued supply chain disruptions, including a temporary, but significant, slowdown in our casegoods business due to COVID-related shutdowns in Vietnam. Quarterly trends will also be impacted by our third and fourth quarters containing 12 and 14 production weeks, respectively, compared to 13 production weeks in our second quarter. Taking all of these factors into consideration, we continue to expect sales and margin momentum to accelerate, particularly in the fourth quarter, and we continue to expect to deliver full-year consolidated operating margin at or near double digits.”

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(1)Non-GAAP amounts for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 exclude:

-purchase accounting charges related to acquisitions completed in prior periods totaling $0.9 million pre-tax, or $0.02 per diluted share, with $0.8 million included in operating income and $0.1 million included in interest expense
-a $3.3 million pre-tax, or $0.06 per diluted share, gain on the sale of the Newton, Mississippi facility related to the company’s business realignment, announced in June 2020. The company continues to operate a portion of this facility

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

-purchase accounting charges related to acquisitions completed in prior periods totaling $3.0 million pre-tax, 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 charge of $0.3 million pre-tax, or $0.01 per diluted share, related to the company’s business realignment, announced in June 2020

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)Cash includes cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

For the complete press release, click here.

About La-Z-Boy

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 158 of the 351 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 351 stand-alone La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® stores and 563 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