- Net sales increased 4% to $119.7 million
- Comparable sales decreased 3%
- Diluted earnings per share were $0.20
HOUSTON, Sept. 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Francesca’s Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FRAN ) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended July 29, 2017.
Steve Lawrence, President and CEO, stated, “As we previously announced, our second quarter EPS exceeded our expectations as a result of better than expected merchandise margins and SG&A expenses. Comparable sales came in at the low-end of the expected range and further softened in August. We believe that the recent downturn in business is primarily reflective of merchandising missteps. We are taking decisive actions to efficiently move through our back-to-school product and to get back on track as we turn the corner into the holiday season. Our core merchandising philosophy of surprising every guest, every time with a unique, trend-right assortment at a great value will continue to dictate our go-forward strategy. Moreover, we will remain highly disciplined in managing our inventory to ensure a constant flow of newness and swiftly move through slow-sellers.
“Hurricane Harvey had a devastating impact on south Texas and Louisiana. Our dedicated team has been resilient and, even though personally impacted, have worked hard to get us back up and running. Our corporate headquarters, ecommerce fulfilment, distribution center, approximately 40 boutiques and many team members located in Houston or neighboring areas were directly impacted by the storm. As of Tuesday, September 5 th , we have fully re-opened our corporate facilities and all but one of our impacted boutiques. The disruption to our supply chain is impacting all of our boutiques and we expect it to take a couple of weeks before things normalize. While there is a lot of work to be done, we have a talented and capable team who is firmly committed to taking the necessary steps to reinvigorate our merchandise assortments as well as work through the challenges created by Hurricane Harvey.”
SECOND QUARTER RESULTS
Net sales increased 4% to $119.7 million from $115.3 million in the comparable prior year quarter. This increase was due to the addition of 40 net new boutiques since the end of the second quarter last year. Comparable sales decreased 3% compared to the same period last year due to a decrease in boutique conversion rates. Prior year second quarter comparable sales were flat. The Company opened 16 new boutiques and closed three boutiques during the quarter, bringing the total count to 692 at the end of the quarter.
Gross profit, as a percent of net sales, decreased to 46.3% from 46.8% in the prior year quarter. This was primarily due to deleveraging of occupancy costs as merchandise margin compared to last year was essentially flat.
Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) increased 18% to $43.5 million from $36.8 million in the prior year quarter. This increase was primarily due to higher boutique and corporate payroll, professional service fees, software, stock-based compensation and marketing expenses. Additionally, prior year SG&A included a $2.0 million net benefit in connection with the resignation of the Company’s previous Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Income from operations was $11.9 million, or 10.0% of net sales, compared to $17.1 million, or 14.9% of net sales, in the prior year quarter.
BALANCE SHEET SUMMARY
Total cash and cash equivalents at the end of the second quarter were $33.3 million compared to $26.0 million at the end of the comparable prior year quarter. During the second quarter, the Company repurchased 0.5 million shares of its common stock at a cost of $5.7 million.
The Company ended the quarter with $34.0 million of inventory on hand compared to $32.7 million at the end of the comparable prior year period. Average ending inventory per boutique decreased by 2% compared to the comparable prior year period, as the Company continues to diligently control inventory through enhanced inventory management processes that began in the second quarter of 2016.
THIRD QUARTER AND REVISED FISCAL YEAR 2017 GUIDANCE
For the third quarter ending October 28, 2017, net sales are expected to be in the range of $105 million to $109 million; assuming a comparable sales decrease in the mid- to high-teens compared to a 7% comparable sales increase in the prior year. The Company plans to open approximately 32 new boutiques and close one existing boutique during the third quarter. Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $0.00 to $0.05. This guidance includes the Company’s best estimate of the impact of Hurricane Harvey.
For the fiscal year ending February 3, 2018, net sales are now expected to be in the range of $481 million to $491 million; assuming a high-single digit decrease in comparable sales compared to the prior year increase of 2%. The Company expects to open approximately 60 to 65 boutiques and close approximately 8 to 10 boutiques in fiscal year 2017, compared to 64 new boutiques opened and nine boutiques closed in fiscal year 2016. Diluted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $0.71 to $0.81 compared to the prior year of $1.09. The number of average diluted shares for the full year assumed in guidance is 36.5 million shares. The effective tax rate is estimated to be 38.3%.
Capital expenditures for fiscal year 2017 are expected to be in the range of $30 million to $33 million.
Conference Call Information
A conference call to discuss the second quarter results is scheduled for September 6, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. ET. A live webcast of the conference call will be available in the investor relations section of the Company’s website, www.francescas.com . A replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the call and remain available until September 13, 2017. To access the telephone replay, listeners should dial 1-844-512-2921. The access code for the replay is 2728299. A replay of the web cast will also be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will remain on the website for ninety days.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations or beliefs concerning future events and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: the risk that we cannot anticipate, identify and respond quickly to changing fashion trends and customer preferences or changes in consumer environment, including changing expectations of service and experience in boutiques and online, and evolve our business model; our ability to attract a sufficient number of customers to our boutiques or sell sufficient quantities of our merchandise through our ecommerce business; our ability to successfully open and operate new boutiques each year; our ability to efficiently source and distribute additional merchandise quantities necessary to support our growth; our ability to successfully attract, hire and integrate our next Chief Merchant and our ability to successfully rebound from the impact of Hurricane Harvey. For additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our forward-looking statements, please refer to "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 28, 2017 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 2017 and any risk factors contained in subsequent quarterly and annual reports we file with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.
About Francesca's Holdings Corporation
francesca's® is a growing specialty retailer which operates a nationwide-chain of boutiques providing customers a unique, fun and personalized shopping experience. The merchandise assortment is a diverse and balanced mix of apparel, jewelry, accessories and gifts. Today francesca's® operates approximately 692 boutiques in 47 states and the District of Columbia and also serves its customers through francescas.com. For additional information on francesca's®, please visit www.francescas.com .
Francesca’s Holdings Corporation Consolidated Statements of Operations (In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts, Percentages and Basis Points)
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 29, 2017 | July 30, 2016 | Variance | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In USD | As a % of Net Sales (1) | In USD | As a % of Net Sales (1) | In USD | % | Basis Points | |||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 119,707 | 100.0 | % | $ | 115,260 | 100.0 | % | $ | 4,447 | 4 | % | - | ||||||||||
| Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs | 64,312 | 53.7 | % | 61,323 | 53.2 | % | 2,989 | 5 | % | 50 | |||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 55,395 | 46.3 | % | 53,937 | 46.8 | % | 1,458 | 3 | % | (50 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 43,456 | 36.3 | % | 36,815 | 31.9 | % | 6,641 | 18 | % | 440 | |||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 11,939 | 10.0 | % | 17,122 | 14.9 | % | (5,183 | ) | (30 | )% | (490 | ) | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | (110 | ) | (0.1 | )% | (113 | ) | (0.1 | )% | 3 | 3 | % | - | |||||||||||
| Other income | 19 | 0.0 | % | 39 | 0.0 | % | (20 | ) | (51 | )% | - | ||||||||||||
| Income before income tax expense | 11,848 | 9.9 | % | 17,048 | 14.8 | % | (5,200 | ) | (31 | )% | (490 | ) | |||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 4,585 | 3.8 | % | 6,457 | 5.6 | % | (1,872 | ) | (29 | )% | (180 | ) | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 7,263 | 6.1 | % | $ | 10,591 | 9.2 | % | $ | (3,328 | ) | (31 | )% | (310 | ) | ||||||||
| ____________________ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) Percentage totals or differences in the above table may not equal the sum or difference of the components due to rounding. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.20 | $ | 0.27 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average diluted share count | 36,472 | 38,755 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Comparable sales | (3)% | 0% | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Twenty-Six Weeks Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 29, 2017 | July 30, 2016 | Variance | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In USD | As a % of Net Sales | In USD | As a % of Net Sales | In USD | % | Basis Points | |||||||||||||||||
| Net sales | $ | 227,396 | 100.0 | % | $ | 221,373 | 100.0 | % | $ | 6,023 | 3 | % | - | ||||||||||
| Cost of goods sold and occupancy costs | 123,317 | 54.2 | % | 118,306 | 53.4 | % | 5,011 | 4 | % | 80 | |||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 104,079 | 45.8 | % | 103,067 | 46.6 | % | 1,012 | 1 | % | (80 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 84,934 | 37.4 | % | 74,481 | 33.6 | % | 10,453 | 14 | % | 380 | |||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 19,145 | 8.4 | % | 28,586 | 12.9 | % | (9,441 | ) | (33 | )% | (450 | ) | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | (223 | ) | (0.1 | )% | (222 | ) | (0.1 | )% | (1 | ) | - | - | |||||||||||
| Other income | 190 | 0.1 | % | 39 | 0.0 | % | 151 | 387 | % | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Income before income tax expense | 19,112 | 8.4 | % | 28,403 | 12.8 | % | (9,291 | ) | (33 | )% | (440 | ) | |||||||||||
| Income tax expense | 7,516 | 3.3 | % | 10,731 | 4.8 | % | (3,215 | ) | (30 | )% | (150 | ) | |||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 11,596 | 5.1 | % | $ | 17,672 | 8.0 | % | $ | (6,076 | ) | (34 | )% | (290 | ) | ||||||||
| ____________________ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) Percentage totals or differences in the above table may not equal the sum or difference of the components due to rounding. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | $ | 0.32 | $ | 0.45 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average diluted share count | 36,811 | 39,580 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Comparable sales | (4)% | 1% | |||||||||||||||||||||
Francesca’s Holdings Corporation Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands, except share and per share amount)
| July 29, 2017 | January 28, 2017 | July 30, 2016 | ||||||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 33,298 | $ | 53,202 | $ | 26,021 | ||||||
| Accounts receivable | 18,416 | 5,605 | 10,791 | |||||||||
| Inventories | 34,036 | 23,958 | 32,667 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes | - | 8,487 | 6,728 | |||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 9,433 | 8,823 | 6,715 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 95,183 | 100,075 | 82,922 | |||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 83,956 | 80,484 | 80,225 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes | 16,009 | 6,978 | 4,640 | |||||||||
| Other assets, net | 3,138 | 2,056 | 1,296 | |||||||||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 198,286 | $ | 189,593 | $ | 169,083 | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 26,971 | $ | 9,205 | $ | 16,620 | ||||||
| Accrued liabilities | 17,748 | 25,761 | 14,327 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 44,719 | 34,966 | 30,947 | |||||||||
| Landlord incentives and deferred rent | 38,125 | 38,092 | 38,673 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities | 82,844 | 73,058 | 69,620 | |||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies | ||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||||||
| Common stock - $0.01 par value, 80.0 million shares authorized; 46.4 million, 46.1 million and 45.9 million shares issued at July 29, 2017, January 28, 2017 and July 30, 2016, respectively. | 464 | 461 | 459 | |||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 111,405 | 109,008 | 106,916 | |||||||||
| Retained earnings | 155,080 | 143,557 | 119,228 | |||||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost – 9.7 million, 8.5 million and 8.0 million shares at July 29, 2017, January 28, 2017 and July 30, 2016, respectively. | (151,507 | ) | (136,491 | ) | (127,140 | ) | ||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 115,442 | 116,535 | 99,463 | |||||||||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | 198,286 | $ | 189,593 | $ | 169,083 | ||||||
Francesca’s Holdings Corporation Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (In thousands)
| Twenty-Six Weeks Ended | ||||||||
| July 29, 2017 | July 30, 2016 | |||||||
| Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 11,596 | $ | 17,672 | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 10,310 | 9,482 | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 2,422 | (857 | ) | |||||
| Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation | - | (6 | ) | |||||
| Loss on disposal of assets | 233 | 155 | ||||||
| Deferred income taxes | (497 | ) | (1,315 | ) | ||||
| Impairment charges | 100 | - | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | (12,538 | ) | (1,205 | ) | ||||
| Inventories | (10,078 | ) | (1,126 | ) | ||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | (1,978 | ) | (55 | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable | 16,864 | 2,599 | ||||||
| Accrued liabilities | (8,013 | ) | (2,001 | ) | ||||
| Landlord incentives and deferred rent | 33 | 2,121 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 8,454 | 25,464 | ||||||
| Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities: | ||||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (12,890 | ) | (11,149 | ) | ||||
| Other | - | 8 | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (12,890 | ) | (11,141 | ) | ||||
| Cash Flows Used in Financing Activities: | ||||||||
| Repurchases of common stock | (15,326 | ) | (44,812 | ) | ||||
| Taxes paid related to net settlement of equity awards | (142 | ) | - | |||||
| Proceeds from the exercise of stock options | - | 280 | ||||||
| Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation | - | 6 | ||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (15,468 | ) | (44,526 | ) | ||||
| Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents | (19,904 | ) | (30,203 | ) | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year | 53,202 | 56,224 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | 33,298 | $ | 26,021 | ||||
| Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information: | ||||||||
| Cash paid for income taxes | $ | 23,742 | $ | 9,175 | ||||
| Interest paid | $ | 97 | $ | 95 | ||||
Francesca’s Holdings Corporation Supplemental Information
Quarterly Sales by Merchandise Category
| Thirteen Weeks Ended | ||||||||||||||||||
| July 29, 2017 | July 30, 2016 | Variance | ||||||||||||||||
| In USD | As a % of Sales | In USD | As a % of Sales | In Dollars | % | |||||||||||||
| (in thousands, except percentages) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Apparel (1) | $ | 65,396 | 54.6 | % | $ | 62,367 | 54.1 | % | $ | 3,029 | 5 | % | ||||||
| Jewelry | 25,560 | 21.4 | % | 25,368 | 22.0 | % | 192 | 1 | % | |||||||||
| Accessories (1) | 14,735 | 12.3 | % | 13,850 | 12.0 | % | 885 | 6 | % | |||||||||
| Gifts | 12,836 | 10.7 | % | 13,209 | 11.5 | % | (373 | ) | (3 | )% | ||||||||
| Merchandise sales | 118,527 | 99.0 | % | 114,794 | 99.6 | % | 3,733 | 3 | % | |||||||||
| Others (2) | 1,180 | 1.0 | % | 466 | 0.4 | % | 714 | 153 | % | |||||||||
| $ | 119,707 | 100.0 | % | $ | 115,260 | 100.0 | % | $ | 4,447 | 4 | % | |||||||
_____________ (1) In the first quarter of fiscal 2017, swimwear was reclassified out of accessories to apparel. To facilitate comparability, prior year amounts were reclassified. (2) Includes gift card breakage income, shipping and change in return reserve.
Quarterly Comparable Sales
| FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 | ||||||
| Q1 | (5 | )% | 2 | % | (2 | )% | ||
| Q2 | (3 | )% | 0 | % | (4 | )% | ||
| Q3 | 7 | % | 4 | % | ||||
| Q4 | 0 | % | 11 | % | ||||
| Fiscal year | 2 | % | 3 | % | ||||
Boutique Count
| Twenty-Six Weeks Ended July 29, 2017 | Fiscal Year Ended January 28, 2017 | Twenty-Six Weeks Ended July 30, 2016 | ||||
| Number of boutiques open at the beginning of period | 671 | 616 | 616 | |||
| Boutiques opened | 28 | 64 | 41 | |||
| Boutiques closed | (7 | ) | (9 | ) | (5 | ) |
| Number of boutiques open at the end of period | 692 | 671 | 652 |
CONTACT: ICR, Inc. Jean Fontana 646-277-1214 Company Kelly Dilts 832-494-2236 Kate Venturina 832-494-2233 IR@francescas.com
