Isaac Johnston
Analyst · ROTH Capital Partners. Your line is open
Thanks Mike and hello. I'll spend the next few minutes discussing our financial performance for the third quarter of fiscal 2016. We continue to make significant progress towards our objectives of driving improved volume growth, along with improvements in supply chain management and financial performance. Now, let me go into some of those details. On the income statement, net sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 was 134.5 million, representing a 1.5% increase compared to net sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2015. This increase was primarily driven by significant increases in coffee pounds sold, which were up 9.3% and an overall total unit sales which were up 6%, which were than offset by lower prices driven primarily by customers in cost plus pricing arrangements, where the changes in green coffee commodity cost are passed onto the customer. Most cost plus customers are covered under coffee hedging contracts, which help insulate them from immediate changes in green coffee commodity prices. The gross margin in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 was 39.1% or 400 basis points higher than the 35.1% in the third quarter of fiscal 2015. The improvements in gross margin was primarily driven by more green coffee costs, improvements in conversion and leverage as we moved production from our Torrance, California manufacturing site. Gross margin includes an expected benefit of LIFO layer reduction in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 of 800,000 compared to a very similar 700,000 reduction in Q3 of 2015. Overall we experienced a very strong quarter in gross margin improvement and I am very pleased with the results. Operating expenses in the third quarter were 52.3 million, representing an increase of 4.3 million as compared to the 48 million recorded in the prior year. One major factor impacted operating expenses and then a few smaller items. First performance-based incentive compensation accruals were above plan in the quarter, as compared to a reversal of accrual for incentive compensation in the prior year, when the operating performance was behind target. This total difference in the quarter was 4.6 million. In addition, some smaller items with lower vehicle, freight and fuel cost of $500,000 were offset by a $500,000 one-time increase in expenses related to a small reorganization in the DSD business, not included in the corporate relocation plan. You might recall we discussed this DSD reorganization during the prior quarter’s call. Expenses related to the corporate relocation plan was $400,000 more than Q3 of 2015. As a result, income from operations in the quarter was 300,000 compared to a loss from operations of 1.4 million in the prior year period, an improvement of 1.7 million versus the prior-year quarter. Total other income was 900,000 in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 as compared to total other expense of 1.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal ’15. In Q3 fiscal '16 we recorded $200,000 of coffee related derivative instrument gains with coffee related derivative instruments losses of 1.8 million in the prior year period. For the third quarter of fiscal '16, we recorded an income tax expense of 43,000 compared to an income tax benefit of 218,000 in the third quarter of ’15, an effective tax rate of 4.4% in Q3 of ’16. In the third quarter of ’16, we decreased our tax valuation allowance by 600,000 and still have 82.5 million in our deferred tax valuation allowance. We will continue to monitor all available evidence both positive and negative in determining whether it's more likely than not that we will realize our net deferred tax assets. As a result of the factors I mentioned net income was $1.2 million in the third quarter compared to a loss of 2.6 million in the third quarter of 2015. Net income per common diluted share in the third quarter was $0.07 per share versus net loss per common share of $0.16 per share in the prior year period. As Mike mentioned in referencing our non-GAAP net income, which excludes restructuring and other transition costs and gains and losses on assets, you will see our non-GAAP net income was 4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2016 versus 1.1 million in the prior year period. Our non-GAAP net income per common share diluted was $0.24 per share in the third quarter of fiscal '16 versus $0.07 per share in the third quarter of our fiscal '15. Our adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 7.6% in Q3 2016 versus 6.7% in Q3 of 2015, That brings our net income results for the first nine months in fiscal '16 to 5.7 million compared to 2.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal '15 or $0.34 per diluted share in the first nine months of fiscal '16 versus $0.17 per diluted share in the same period in fiscal ’15. Our non-GAAP net income is now 13.9 million for the first nine months of fiscal '16 compared to $7.8 million for the first nine months of fiscal '15. Our non-GAAP net income per common share diluted is $0.84 per share for the first nine months of fiscal ’16 versus $0.47 per share in the same period in fiscal '15. This quarter continues the same trend we saw in the first two quarters along with coffee pound growth accelerating. Now let's turn to the balance sheet, as of March 31, 2016, we had $13.3 million in cash and cash equivalents. Additionally, we had 24.8 million in short-term investments. As of March 31, 2016 we had 300,000 borrowed and outstanding on our revolving credit facility, so virtually nothing drawn on the revolver. Our credit facility with JP Morgan Chase and SunTrust has a 75 million borrowing capacity and a 50 million accordion expansion feature. As of March 31, 2016, we utilized 11.5 million in letters of credit and had 45.9 million of excess availability on the credit facility based on our borrowing base capacity. For the first nine months of fiscal 2016, our capital expenditures were 16.2 million as compared to 13.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2015. Our Capex includes fund spent on coffee brewing equipment, expenditures for vehicles, machinery, and equipment, building and factory improvements and IT related expenditures. In addition for the first nine months we increased construction in process assets under the Texas facility lease of 13.5 million offset by an increase in Texas facility leased obligations of an equal 13.5 million. On the balance sheet you will notice $9.3 million in assets held for sale, which is mainly our Torrance, California property and certain properties in Northern California. Depreciation and amortization expense in the first nine months of 2016 was 15.7 million versus 18.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal year ’15. As of March 31, 2016 we held coffee-related derivative instruments covering 36.9 million pounds of green coffee as compared to 34.2 million covered as of June 30, 2015. In addition, we had green coffee fixed-price contract commitments of 59.8 million, which is 18 million higher dollars than June 30 of 2015. As of March 31, 2016 we had $27.7 million in coffee inventory, both process and unprocessed combined. The combination of increased coffee related derivative instruments and the increase in fixed-price green coffee contract commitments has increased the price certainty on green coffee cost for us. I would like to now discuss some financials relating to our corporate relocation plan. In the first nine months ending March 31, 2015 restructuring and other transition expenses associated with our corporate relocation plan totaled 13.9 million. For the first nine month period, these expenses consisted of employee retention and separation benefits of 8.5 million, facility related costs of 2.7 million and other related costs including legal consulting and travel of 2.7 million. We have estimated that we will incur approximately 30 million in cash cost in connection with these restructuring and other transition expenses associated with the corporate relocation plan. Today we've paid or accrued 23.2 million in cash costs in connection with the corporate relocation plan, with the remainder of the estimated 30 million or 6.8 million expected to be realized in the remainder of fiscal 2016 and the first two quarters of fiscal 2017. Of the $23.2 million of cash cost associated with the corporate relocation expenses, $23.2 million has been expensed and $19.6 million of cash has already been paid out against the $23.2 million that has been accrued. In addition, we may incur certain non-cash asset impairment, post retirement related and pension related cost the amounts of which we have not yet determined. In July of 2015, we entered into a lease agreement with an affiliate of Wells Fargo to lease an approximate 538,000 square foot facility to be constructed on just over 28 acres of land located in the city of Northlake, Texas, which will include corporate offices, areas for manufacturing and distribution, in addition to housing a lab. The updated size and scope of the facility includes a larger manufacturing footprint, and a larger warehouse with increased [Indiscernible] spaces. In March 2016 we updated the estimated cost of the facility to $55 million to $60 million with machinery and equipment capital expenditures to $35 million to $39 million and those ranges remain the same. The Northlake, Texas lease agreement contains a purchase option equal to 103.5% of the total projected cost as of the date of the option closing. If the option is not exercised then obligation to pay rent would commence December 31, 2016. The expenditures associated with our Northlake, Texas facility are expected to be partially offset by proceeds from the planned sale of our Torrance, California facility and the previously completed sale of our spice assets. The sale of the spice assets was completed in December of 2015 for $6 million. The current offer to purchase the Torrance property is for $43 million, which we expect to close in very late fiscal year Q4 2016 or early fiscal year Q1 2017. We anticipate the total gain from the sale of the Torrance facility will be in the 75% of the sales price. We believe the expected proceeds from the sale of the Torrance facility, the proceeds from the sale of our spice assets, our credit facilities, cash flows from operations and other liquid assets collectively will be more than sufficient to cover our financing requirements over the next 12 to 18 months including the anticipated expenditures for our corporate relocation plan. In February 2015, when the corporate relocation plan was announced, we expected that when fully implemented to see annualized savings in the range of $12 million to $15 million. Our latest estimate in March of 2016 is $18 million to $20 million of estimated savings, including our move to third party logistics provider versus our internal long-haul fleet, vendor managed inventories, or VMI and some other items and we are confirming those ranges of $18 million to $20 million are still the same. We expect to realize these savings along with other savings at an increased rate throughout fiscal 2016 and 2017. And with that, I'll turn the call back over to Mike.