David W. Johnson
Analyst · Sidoti & Company
Thank you, Helen. Helen gave you a good picture of where we are and our plans going forward. Let me give you some perspective around the quarterly and year-to-date financials. First, operating expense, which was up in dollars on a year-to-date basis. Higher volume generally translates into higher expenses, but the primary driver behind the unfavorable year-over-year comparison was the favorable $3.5 million insurance settlement in last year's second quarter, which Helen mentioned earlier. That, along with increased investment in R&D, and the Jetboil acquisition, accounted for the year-over-year comparison in dollars. Now, despite these increases, operating expense is actually down for the first 6 months as a percentage of sales. A quick update on Jetboil, integration is on-track and the brand is adding to the top line. For all the reasons Helen stated earlier, it's too soon to project full year performance, but we remain bullish on the brand and the category. Now, we had a nice lift in gross margin for the quarter to 41%, a full 1.7 points gain over last year's quarter. Year-to-date gross margin is also up 1 point to 40.1%. Product mix in Marine Electronics was a big factor, since the majority of the unit sales are from higher margin new products. Gross profit also benefited from the transition last year from a dual brand to a single brand go-to-market strategy in the bigger water segment in Marine Electronics. Product mix in Watercraft is also better due to the continuing deemphasis on low margin SKUs. Inventory levels are higher year-over-year due to the delayed start of the retail selling season. Orders and sell-through at retail are what we would expect at the start of the season and our operations have the flexibility to ramp up or down quickly, depending on marketplace demand. Of course, we're keeping a close eye on things and we'll be ready to react to any changes in market dynamics, if and when that's necessary. As explained to you in the past 3 quarters, why our effective tax rate was unusually high. As I mentioned last quarter, we expected the rate to go down over the course of the year, as we drive more profits during the season in jurisdictions with deferred tax asset valuation allowances, and that's what's happened. In addition, we're benefiting from the retroactive recognition of the R&D credit enactment. We're also considering a number of other options to benefit our tax position on an ongoing basis. Lastly, the balance sheet continues to be strong with every business contributing to operating cash flow. Debt, net of cash, is below prior year despite the acquisition of Jetboil in the first quarter of this year. Our cash position is solid, providing us the opportunity to invest in targeted strategic growth opportunities when they arise, as we continue to evaluate a range of capital deployment opportunities. Now, I'll turn the call back over to the operator for questions. Operator?