Acuity Brands Reports Fiscal 2019 Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results
Adjusted diluted EPS for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 increased 2.6 percent to
Mr. Nagel continued, “Finally, we are excited to welcome aboard the associates of the recently acquired
Fiscal 2019 Fourth Quarter Results
The 11.6 percent year-over-year decline in fiscal 2019 fourth quarter net sales was primarily due to a 16 percent decrease in volume, partially offset by a 5 percent net favorable change in product prices and mix of products sold (“price/mix”). The volume decline was a result of several factors, which included prior year’s fourth quarter significant initial stocking of product in the stores of a new customer in the retail sales channel that did not repeat in the current period, elimination of certain products in our portfolio sold primarily through the retail sales channel that did not meet our return objectives, as well as softer market conditions. While many key sales channels experienced declines in the fourth quarter, more than half of the sales decline occurred in the retail sales channel. The favorable change in price/mix was due to implemented price increases and changes in sales channel mix that was partially offset by changes in the mix of product sold. Management estimates that the realization from recent price increases contributed in the low single-digit range to the positive price/mix. The combined negative impact of changes in foreign currencies, the adoption of ASC 606, and acquisitions net of divestitures totaled less than one-half of a percentage point of net sales.
Gross profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 decreased
Selling, distribution, and administrative (“SD&A”) expenses for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 totaled
The effective income tax rate for the fourth quarter was 20.2 percent compared to 21.1 percent in the prior-year period. The decline in the current fiscal tax rate reflects the recognition of certain research and development cost tax credits, including claims for prior periods, during the current period. Prior year’s fourth quarter tax rate benefited from
Fiscal 2019 Full-Year Results
Net sales for fiscal 2019 of
Adjusted operating profit for fiscal 2019 decreased
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 totaled
Outlook
Mr. Nagel commented, “We remain cautious about overall market conditions within the lighting industry for fiscal 2020 primarily due to continued economic uncertainties caused by global trade issues, including tariffs. We expect market demand for lighting products to remain sluggish until there is more clarity regarding these global trade issues. Nonetheless, our focus for fiscal 2020 will be to drive top-line growth through market share gains and enhance margins, while implementing appropriate cost containment measures as necessitated by market demand.”
Mr. Nagel continued, “We believe our fiscal 2020 first quarter net sales could be down in the mid-to-high single-digit percentage range compared with first quarter of fiscal 2019 primarily due to the pull forward of orders by customers in advance of announced price increases in the prior-year period as well as our recent efforts to reduce our exposure to products whose profitability has been most negatively impacted by tariffs and are sold primarily through the retail sales channel. The decline in net sales should be partially mitigated by the recently acquired
Management estimates a fiscal 2020 annual tax rate of approximately 23 percent before any discrete items, assuming the tax rates in the Company’s taxing jurisdictions remain generally consistent throughout the year. Additionally, management expects fiscal 2020 capital expenditures will approximate 1.7 percent of net sales.
Mr. Nagel concluded, “Our focus for fiscal 2020 and beyond is to garner top-line growth through market share gains thereby outperforming the growth rates of the key markets and channels we serve through execution of our previously announced growth strategies, increase margins by selling a richer mix of products and solutions as we execute our tiered solutions strategy, and leverage our fixed cost infrastructure to achieve targeted incremental margins. We continue to believe the lighting and lighting-related industry as well as building management systems have the potential to experience solid growth over the next decade, particularly as owners and users of lighting equipment and buildings continue to see the potential to transform those investments into strategic assets by deploying our distinctive solutions. We believe we are uniquely positioned to fully participate in this exciting industry.”
The independent registered public accounting firm’s audit report with respect to the Company’s fiscal year-end financial statements will not be issued until the Company files its annual report on Form 10-K, including its evaluation of the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. Accordingly, the financial results reported in this earnings release are preliminary pending completion of the audit.
Conference Call
As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call to discuss fourth quarter results today,
About
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This news release includes the following non-GAAP financial measures: "adjusted gross profit," “adjusted gross profit margin,” “adjusted SD&A expenses,” “adjusted operating profit,” “adjusted operating profit margin,” “adjusted other expense,” “adjusted net income,” and “adjusted diluted EPS.” These non-GAAP financial measures are provided to enhance the reader's overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance and prospects for the future. Specifically, management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors by excluding or adjusting items for amortization of acquired intangible assets, share-based payment expense, which is used as a method to improve retention and align the interests of key leaders of acquired businesses with those of the Company’s shareholders, acquisition-related items, special charges associated with efforts to streamline the organization that we execute on an ongoing basis and to integrate acquisitions, manufacturing inefficiencies and excess inventory adjustments directly related to the closure of a facility, gain associated with the sale of the Company’s former Spanish lighting business, and income tax net benefit for discrete items associated with the TCJA. Management typically adjusts for these items for internal reviews of performance and uses the above non-GAAP measures for baseline comparative operational analysis, decision making, and other activities. Management believes these non-GAAP measures provide greater comparability and enhanced visibility into the Company’s results of operations as well as comparability with many of its peers, especially those companies focused more on technology and software.
Non-GAAP financial measures included in this news release should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, results prepared in accordance with GAAP. The most directly comparable GAAP measures for adjusted gross profit and adjusted gross profit margin are “gross profit” and “gross profit margin,” respectively, which include the impact of manufacturing inefficiencies and excess inventory adjustments directly related to the closure of a facility, as well as acquisition-related items. The most directly comparable GAAP measure for adjusted SD&A expenses is “SD&A expenses,” which includes amortization of acquired intangible assets, share-based payment expense, and acquisition-related items. The most directly comparable GAAP measures for adjusted operating profit and adjusted operating profit margin are “operating profit” and “operating profit margin,” respectively, which include the impact of acquisition-related items, manufacturing inefficiencies and excess inventory adjustments directly related to the closure of a facility, amortization of acquired intangible assets, share-based payment expense, and special charges. The most directly comparable GAAP measures for adjusted other expense is “other expense,” which includes the impact of a gain associated with the sale of the Company’s former Spanish lighting business. The most directly comparable GAAP measures for adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS are “net income” and “diluted EPS,” respectively, which include the impact of acquisition-related items, manufacturing inefficiencies and excess inventory adjustments directly related to the closure of a facility, amortization of acquired intangible assets, share-based payment expense, special charges, gain associated with the sale of the Company’s former Spanish lighting business, and income tax net benefit for discrete items associated with the TCJA. A reconciliation of each measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is available in this news release. The Company’s non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, have limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for GAAP financial measures.
Forward Looking Information
This release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that may be considered forward-looking include statements incorporating terms such as "expects," "believes," "intends," “estimates”, “forecasts,” "anticipates," “may,” “should”, “suggests”, “remain”, and similar terms that relate to future events, performance, or results of the Company and specifically include statements made in this press release regarding: our estimates that improvement in gross profit margin was partially offset by under-absorption of manufacturing costs as well as inventory reduction efforts; our outlook for 2020 and statements that we expect market demand for lighting products to remain sluggish until there is more clarity regarding global trade issues; our expectations for our fiscal 2020 first quarter net sales and the assumptions underlying our expectations; expectations regarding our fiscal 2020 annual tax rate; expectations regarding our fiscal 2020 capital expenditures; our belief that the lighting and light-related industry as well as building management systems have the potential to experience solid grown over the next decade; and our belief that we are uniquely positioned to fully participate in this exciting industry. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the historical experience of
ACUITY BRANDS, INC. | |||||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | |||||
(In millions) | |||||
August 31, | |||||
2019 (Preliminary) | 2018 | ||||
ASSETS | |||||
Current Assets: | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 461.0 | $ | 129.1 | |
Accounts receivable, less reserve for doubtful accounts of $1.0 and $1.3, respectively | 561.0 | 637.9 | |||
Inventories | 340.8 | 411.8 | |||
Prepayments and other current assets | 79.0 | 32.3 | |||
Total Current Assets | 1,441.8 | 1,211.1 | |||
Property, Plant, and Equipment, net | 277.3 | 286.7 | |||
Other Long-Term Assets | 1,453.3 | 1,491.0 | |||
Total Assets | $ | 3,172.4 | $ | 2,988.8 | |
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | |||||
Current Liabilities: | |||||
Accounts payable | $ | 338.8 | $ | 451.1 | |
Current maturities of long-term debt | 9.1 | 0.4 | |||
Other accrued liabilities | 248.2 | 231.2 | |||
Total Current Liabilities | 596.1 | 682.7 | |||
Long-Term Debt, less current portion | 347.5 | 356.4 | |||
Other Long-Term Liabilities | 309.9 | 232.9 | |||
Total Stockholders’ Equity | 1,918.9 | 1,716.8 | |||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | $ | 3,172.4 | $ | 2,988.8 | |
ACUITY BRANDS, INC. | |||||||||||||||
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME | |||||||||||||||
(In millions, except per-share data) | |||||||||||||||
Three Months | Year | ||||||||||||||
Ended August 31 | Ended August 31 | ||||||||||||||
2019 (Preliminary) | 2018 | 2019 (Preliminary) | 2018 | ||||||||||||
Net sales | $ | 938.1 | $ | 1,061.2 | $ | 3,672.7 | $ | 3,680.1 | |||||||
Cost of products sold | 543.4 | 649.3 | 2,193.0 | 2,194.7 | |||||||||||
Gross profit | 394.7 | 411.9 | 1,479.7 | 1,485.4 | |||||||||||
Selling, distribution, and administrative expenses | 263.9 | 273.3 | 1,015.0 | 1,019.0 | |||||||||||
Special charge | 0.5 | (5.1 | ) | 1.8 | 5.6 | ||||||||||
Operating profit | 130.3 | 143.7 | 462.9 | 460.8 | |||||||||||
Other expense (income): | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | 7.7 | 9.0 | 33.3 | 33.5 | |||||||||||
Miscellaneous expense (income), net | 2.1 | (2.4 | ) | 4.7 | 1.4 | ||||||||||
Total other expense | 9.8 | 6.6 | 38.0 | 34.9 | |||||||||||
Income before income taxes | 120.5 | 137.1 | 424.9 | 425.9 | |||||||||||
Income tax expense | 24.4 | 28.9 | 94.5 | 76.3 | |||||||||||
Net income | $ | 96.1 | $ | 108.2 | $ | 330.4 | $ | 349.6 | |||||||
Earnings per share: | |||||||||||||||
Basic earnings per share | $ | 2.43 | $ | 2.71 | $ | 8.32 | $ | 8.54 | |||||||
Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding | 39.6 | 40.0 | 39.7 | 40.9 | |||||||||||
Diluted earnings per share | $ | 2.42 | $ | 2.70 | $ | 8.29 | $ | 8.52 | |||||||
Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding | 39.7 | 40.1 | 39.8 | 41.0 | |||||||||||
Dividends declared per share | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.13 | $ | 0.52 | $ | 0.52 | |||||||
Certain prior-period amounts have been restated to conform to the current year presentation.
ACUITY BRANDS, INC. | |||||||
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS | |||||||
(In millions) | |||||||
Year Ended August 31, | |||||||
2019 (Preliminary) | 2018 | ||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||
Net income | $ | 330.4 | $ | 349.6 | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows from operating activities: | |||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 88.3 | 80.3 | |||||
Share-based payment expense | 29.2 | 32.3 | |||||
Loss on sale or disposal of property, plant, and equipment | 0.9 | 0.6 | |||||
Deferred income taxes | 9.3 | (38.2 | ) | ||||
Gain on sale of business | - | (5.4 | ) | ||||
Net change in assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisitions, divestitures and effect of exchange rate changes | 36.6 | (67.7 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 494.7 | 351.5 | |||||
Cash flows from investing activities: | |||||||
Purchases of property, plant, and equipment | (53.0 | ) | (43.6 | ) | |||
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired | (2.9 | ) | (163.2 | ) | |||
Proceeds from sale of business assets | - | 1.1 | |||||
Other investing activities | 2.9 | 1.7 | |||||
Net cash used for investing activities | (53.0 | ) | (204.0 | ) | |||
Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||||
Borrowings on credit facility | 86.5 | 395.4 | |||||
Repayments of borrowings on credit facility | (86.5 | ) | (395.4 | ) | |||
Repayments of long-term debt | (0.4 | ) | (0.4 | ) | |||
Repurchases of common stock | (81.6 | ) | (298.4 | ) | |||
Proceeds from stock option exercises and other | 0.6 | 1.7 | |||||
Payments for employee taxes on net settlement of equity awards | (6.0 | ) | (8.2 | ) | |||
Dividends paid | (20.8 | ) | (21.4 | ) | |||
Net cash used for financing activities | (108.2 | ) | (326.7 | ) | |||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (1.6 | ) | (2.8 | ) | |||
Net change in cash and cash equivalents | 331.9 | (182.0 | ) | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year | 129.1 | 311.1 | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year | $ | 461.0 | $ | 129.1 | |||
Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.
Reconciliation of Non-U.S. GAAP Measures
The tables below reconcile certain GAAP financial measures to the corresponding non-GAAP measures:
(In millions, except per share data) | Three Months Ended August 31 | |||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | Increase (Decrease) | Percent Change | |||||||||||
Net sales | $ | 938.1 | $ | 1,061.2 | $ | (123.1 | ) | (11.6 | %) | |||||
Gross profit (GAAP) | $ | 394.7 | $ | 411.9 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (1) | - | 1.2 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP) | $ | 394.7 | $ | 413.1 | $ | (18.4 | ) | (4.5 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 42.1 | % | 38.9 | % | 320 | bps | ||||||||
Selling, distribution, and administrative (SD&A) expenses (GAAP) | $ | 263.9 | $ | 273.3 | ||||||||||
Less: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | (7.7 | ) | (8.0 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Share-based payment expense | (6.3 | ) | (7.9 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Acquisition-related items (1) | (1.3 | ) | (0.3 | ) | ||||||||||
Adjusted SD&A expenses (Non-GAAP) | $ | 248.6 | $ | 257.1 | $ | (8.5 | ) | (3.3 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 26.5 | % | 24.2 | % | 230 | bps | ||||||||
Operating profit (GAAP) | $ | 130.3 | $ | 143.7 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 7.7 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Share-based payment expense | 6.3 | 7.9 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (1) | 1.3 | 1.5 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Special charge | 0.5 | (5.1 | ) | |||||||||||
Adjusted operating profit (Non-GAAP) | $ | 146.1 | $ | 156.0 | $ | (9.9 | ) | (6.3 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 15.6 | % | 14.7 | % | 90 | bps | ||||||||
Other expense (income) (GAAP) | $ | 9.8 | $ | 6.6 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Gain on sale of business | - | 5.4 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted other expense (income) (Non-GAAP) | $ | 9.8 | $ | 12.0 | $ | (2.2 | ) | (18.3 | %) | |||||
Net income (GAAP) | $ | 96.1 | $ | 108.2 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 7.7 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Share-based payment expense | 6.3 | 7.9 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (1) | 1.3 | 1.5 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Special charge | 0.5 | (5.1 | ) | |||||||||||
Add-back: Gain on sale of business | - | (5.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Total pre-tax adjustments to net income | 15.8 | 6.9 | ||||||||||||
Income tax effects | (2.9 | ) | (4.3 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Discrete income tax benefits of TCJA (2) | - | (3.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Adjusted net income (Non-GAAP) | $ | 109.0 | $ | 107.4 | $ | 1.6 | 1.5 | % | ||||||
Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) | $ | 2.42 | $ | 2.70 | ||||||||||
Adjusted diluted earnings per share (Non-GAAP) | $ | 2.75 | $ | 2.68 | $ | 0.07 | 2.6 | % | ||||||
(1) Acquisition-related items include profit in inventory and professional fees. | ||||||||||||||
(2) Discrete income tax benefits of the TCJA recognized within Income tax expense on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. | ||||||||||||||
(In millions, except per share data) | Year Ended August 31 | |||||||||||||
2019 | 2018 | Increase (Decrease) | Percent Change | |||||||||||
Net sales | $ | 3,672.7 | $ | 3,680.1 | $ | (7.4 | ) | (0.2 | %) | |||||
Gross profit (GAAP) | $ | 1,479.7 | $ | 1,485.4 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Manufacturing inefficiencies (1) | 0.9 | - | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (2) | 1.2 | 1.7 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Excess inventory (3) | - | 3.1 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted gross profit (Non-GAAP) | $ | 1,481.8 | $ | 1,490.2 | $ | (8.4 | ) | (0.6 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 40.3 | % | 40.5 | % | (20 | ) bps | ||||||||
Selling, distribution, and administrative (SD&A) expenses (GAAP) | $ | 1,015.0 | $ | 1,019.0 | ||||||||||
Less: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | (30.8 | ) | (28.5 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Share-based payment expense | (29.2 | ) | (32.3 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Acquisition-related items (2) | (1.3 | ) | (2.1 | ) | ||||||||||
Adjusted SD&A expenses (Non-GAAP) | $ | 953.7 | $ | 956.1 | $ | (2.4 | ) | (0.3 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 26.0 | % | 26.0 | % | - | bps | ||||||||
Operating profit (GAAP) | $ | 462.9 | $ | 460.8 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 30.8 | 28.5 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Share-based payment expense | 29.2 | 32.3 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Manufacturing inefficiencies (1) | 0.9 | - | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (2) | 2.5 | 3.8 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Excess inventory (3) | - | 3.1 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Special charge | 1.8 | 5.6 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted operating profit (Non-GAAP) | $ | 528.1 | $ | 534.1 | $ | (6.0 | ) | (1.1 | %) | |||||
Percent of net sales | 14.4 | % | 14.5 | % | (10 | ) bps | ||||||||
Other expense (income) (GAAP) | $ | 38.0 | $ | 34.9 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Gain on sale of business | - | 5.4 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted other expense (income) (Non-GAAP) | $ | 38.0 | $ | 40.3 | $ | (2.3 | ) | (5.7 | %) | |||||
Net income (GAAP) | $ | 330.4 | $ | 349.6 | ||||||||||
Add-back: Amortization of acquired intangible assets | 30.8 | 28.5 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Share-based payment expense | 29.2 | 32.3 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Manufacturing inefficiencies (1) | 0.9 | - | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Acquisition-related items (2) | 2.5 | 3.8 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Excess inventory (3) | - | 3.1 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Special charge | 1.8 | 5.6 | ||||||||||||
Add-back: Gain on sale of business | - | (5.4 | ) | |||||||||||
Total pre-tax adjustments to net income | 65.2 | 67.9 | ||||||||||||
Income tax effect | (14.2 | ) | (20.0 | ) | ||||||||||
Less: Discrete income tax benefits of the TCJA (4) | - | (34.6 | ) | |||||||||||
Adjusted net income (Non-GAAP) | $ | 381.4 | $ | 362.9 | $ | 18.5 | 5.1 | % | ||||||
Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) | $ | 8.29 | $ | 8.52 | ||||||||||
Adjusted diluted earnings per share (Non-GAAP) | $ | 9.57 | $ | 8.84 | $ | 0.73 | 8.3 | % | ||||||
(1) Incremental costs incurred due to manufacturing inefficiencies directly related to the closure of a facility. | ||||||||||||||
(2) Acquisition-related items include profit in inventory and professional fees. | ||||||||||||||
(3) Excess inventory related to the closure of a facility. | ||||||||||||||
(4) Discrete income tax benefits of the TCJA recognized within Income tax expense on the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. |
Contact:
dan.smith@acuitybrands.com
Source: Acuity Brands, Inc.