Operator
Operator
Good day and welcome to the Vail Resorts Second Quarter Fiscal 2015 Earnings Results Conference Call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Rob Katz, CEO. Please go ahead. Robert A. Katz - Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our fiscal second quarter 2015 earnings conference call. Joining me on today's call is Michael Barkin, our Chief Financial Officer. Before we start, let me remind you that some information provided during this call may include forward-looking statements that are based on certain assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties as described in our SEC filings, and actual future results may vary materially. Forward-looking statements in the press release that we issued this morning, along with our remarks today, are made as of today, March 12, 2015, and we undertake no duty to update them as actual events unfold. Today's remarks also include certain non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of these measures is provided in the tables included with our press release and in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed this morning with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is also available on the Investor Relations section of our website at www.vailresorts.com. So with that said, let's turn to our second quarter fiscal 2015 results. Our results were very strong in the second quarter of fiscal 2015 as we benefited from strong pass sales, increased ancillary yields across our resorts, and good conditions at our Colorado resorts. Total Mountain revenue increased 18.2% compared to the prior year with lift revenue increasing by 22.5%, primarily driven by a 15.9% growth in visitation and a 5.7% increase in effective ticket price compared to the prior year. We continue to see robust spending trends that drove a 22.1% increase in ski school revenue and a 18.5% increase in food and beverage revenue compared to the prior year. Our Mountain performance includes the results of Park City in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, which we are pleased to report were in line with our previous public estimates. Excluding Park City, lift revenue excluding season pass revenue increased by 12.7% for the quarter compared to the prior year with commensurate growth in our ancillary revenues. Unfortunately, we are experiencing another challenging year in Tahoe with record-low snowfall that is impacting visitation and tampering our Mountain EBITDA growth. Despite varied weather conditions, though, across our three primary regions, our results this fiscal quarter demonstrate the benefit of our geographic diversification and the impact of our destination marketing strategies. Moving to Lodging, our results were very strong for the quarter with both occupancy and rate increases compared to the prior year. Revenue, excluding payroll cost reimbursements, increased 6.3% compared to the prior year and revenue per available room increased 15.7% compared to the prior year. Our results were driven by strong demand for our lodging properties with particular strength in our Colorado markets. Regarding Real Estate, we continue to see strong momentum in our resort markets, with solid demand for our remaining condominium inventory and increasing interest in our development parcels. Net Real Estate cash flow for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 was $4.3 million. During the quarter, we closed on one Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail and four One Ski Hill Place units. Since January 31, 2015, we closed on three One Ski Hill Place units and closed on the sale of a property in Breckenridge that will be developed into a Marriott Residence Inn. These transactions will be included in our third quarter fiscal 2015 results. Now I would like to turn the call over to Michael to further discuss our financial results and our season-to-date metrics. Michael Z. Barkin - Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President: Thanks, Rob, and good morning, everyone. I want to remind you that you can find a full discussion of our financial results for our second quarter of fiscal 2015 ended January 31, 2015, in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which we filed this morning with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our Form 10-Q and our earnings announcement can be found on our website at www.vailresorts.com. As Rob mentioned, our second quarter results were very strong. Resort net revenue was $522.4 million for the second quarter, up 16.6% from the prior year period and Resort reported EBITDA was $199.7 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2015, up 32.2% from the prior year period. Resort reported EBITDA margin improved nearly 450 basis points over the prior year as we continue to leverage our infrastructure and cost structure to drive profitable growth. The results highlight the success of our efforts to grow destination visitation and season pass sales, our ability to capture premium pricing and ancillary spending through consistent reinvestment in our resorts, and the opportunities that we create through strategic acquisitions. Mountain reported EBITDA was $194.3 million for the second quarter, up 31.1% from the prior year period. Our strong Mountain results were driven by the addition of Park City and the strength of our Colorado resorts, which saw increased lift revenue and higher ancillary spending. We also benefited from our strong season pass sales leading up to the ski season. Our ski school revenue increased $10.4 million, or 22.1%; dining improved $6 million, or 18.5%; and retail/rental grew $9.3 million, or 10.8%, all compared to the prior year period. Our Lodging segment revenue, excluding payroll cost reimbursements, increased $3.4 million, or 6.3%, compared to the same period in the prior year and Lodging reported EBITDA increased 85.7% to $5.4 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2015. These results were driven by gains in occupancy and revenue per available room. Real Estate reported EBITDA for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 improved by $1.1 million to a loss of $2 million. Net Real Estate cash flow for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 was $4.3 million. During the second quarter, we finalized a comprehensive settlement agreement with the IRS regarding core proceedings related to the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards. We recorded an income tax benefit of $23.8 million related to the settlement and received a $19.1 million cash refund from the IRS. Net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. was $115.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2015, or $3.10 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $59.3 million, or $1.60 per diluted share for the same period in the prior year. Our balance sheet and cash flow remain very strong. We ended the quarter with $36.6 million of cash on hand. Our operating model continues to drive significant and growing cash flow augmented by Real Estate sales, favorable tax attributes and disciplined capital spending. Our cash flow this quarter allowed us to pay down the full $182.5 million of borrowings under the revolver component of our senior credit facility, which was used to finance the Park City acquisition in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Our net debt, including the capitalized Canyons obligation, was 2.0 times trailing 12 months total reported EBITDA, excluding the non-cash gain related to the Park City litigation settlement. With a continued focus on generating incremental cash flow, we're pleased to announce our plan to redeem the remaining $215 million of 6.5% senior subordinated notes due 2019, and the aggregate $41.2 million of our 6.95% Eagle County Bonds in May of this year. We plan to fund this refinancing with a $250 million term loan under our existing senior credit facility and cash on hand. At current rates, the company anticipates this refinancing will result in approximately $12 million in pre-tax annual interest savings. Turning now to our updated metrics. We're providing ski season to-date metrics for the comparative periods from the beginning of the ski season through March 8, 2015 and for the prior year period through March 9, 2014, adjusted as if Park City was owned in both periods. The reported ski season metrics do not incorporate the urban ski areas of Afton Alps and Mt. Brighton. The data is interim period data and is subject to fiscal quarter end review and adjustments. We continue to drive strong results as we approach the final peak period of our ski season through spring break and Easter. Season-to-date, total lift revenue at the company's nine mountain resorts, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue for each applicable period, was up 8% compared to the prior-year season-to-date period. Our ski school revenue increased by 2.1%, dining revenue increased by 4.8%, and resort retail/rental revenue increased by 2.9%, all compared to the prior year period. Our visitation was consistent with the prior year, down 0.3% compared to the prior-year season-to-date period. I'll now turn it back to Rob. Robert A. Katz - Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: Thanks, Michael. As Michael outlined in our metrics, our results in February and early March remained strong in Colorado, but were offset by increasing shortfalls to our expectations in Tahoe where the conditions continue to be very challenging. Snowfall in the region through February is down 42% compared to the very difficult 2013-2014 season, which is significantly impacting visitation and revenue. In addition, in early February Vail and Beaver Creek had the honor of hosting the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships. The event was an extraordinary showcase of both resorts with outstanding attendance and terrific television and online media coverage both in the United States and around the world. We are so proud of the effort and collaboration of our employees and the entire Vail Valley community to make the races a true experience of a lifetime for everyone who is there. However, as with any major international event, the Championships did depress skier visits and financial performance at both Vail and Beaver Creek in February compared to the prior year, which impact was largely in line with our original expectations. Our overall performance through March 8, 2015, has been incorporated in our updated guidance for fiscal 2015. We also recently announced pricing and benefits for our season pass products. Most notably on our Tahoe Local Pass we added five days of skiing at our Colorado and Utah resorts. The Tahoe Local Pass is our most popular pass in the Bay Area and by giving those pass holders access to Colorado and Utah, we feel we can dramatically improve the value of that pass and help mitigate concerns about weather in California. Despite the challenges in Tahoe, we're pleased to provide updated guidance within our original guidance range issued last September. Our Resort reported EBITDA is now expected to be within the lower half of our original range, between $340 million and $350 million, excluding the $16.4 million non-cash gain related to the Park City litigation settlement. Our estimates for fiscal 2015 Resort reported EBITDA include approximately $5 million of integration and litigation expenses related to Park City and Canyons. Our resorts in Colorado and Utah have performed very well this year with strong demand and by providing a great experience. Unfortunately, this was partially offset by results in Tahoe where our resorts are expected to generate an approximate $37 million revenue shortfall relative to our expectations. We now expect our resort EBITDA margin to be approximately 25.5% at the midpoint of our updated guidance range. This would represent an approximate 320 basis-point margin expansion over fiscal 2014, representing the strong operating leverage we create in our business with growth, yield increases, and acquisitions. We were also pleased to provide improved guidance for our Real Estate EBITDA and net Real Estate cash flow, driven by favorable sales trends in our resort real estate business. We now expect fiscal 2015 Real Estate EBITDA to be between negative $10 million and negative $6 million and net Real Estate cash flow to be between $20 million and $30 million. We continue to be very focused on our capital allocation strategy. I'm happy to announce that our board of directors has decided to increase our quarterly dividend by 50% to $0.6225 per share payable on April 15, 2015, to stockholders of record as of March 31, 2015. This significant dividend increase follows a 100% increase last year. We remain committed to returning capital to stockholders and believe that our performance underscores our ability to drive growth and generate significant cash flow despite varying conditions. Moving to our calendar year 2015 capital plan. Our 2015 capital plan reflects our goal to target high-return investments that support a premium experience for our guests, while generating significant cash flow. Our planned investment in Utah will be one of the most transformative ever undertaken in the ski industry and we're pleased with the progress of the local approval process for those projects. Consistent with prior estimates provided in December 2014, we expect to spend approximately $50 million to complete our plan to connect the Park City and Canyons resorts, creating the largest ski resort in the United States by skiable acreage. We plan to invest an additional $60 million to $65 million in maintenance spending and prioritized discretionary spending across all of our other resorts. These investments include the upgrade of Vail Mountain's Avanti Chair to a six-person high-speed chairlift, the expansion of snowmaking at Beaver Creek, and at our recently opened Peak 6 terrain at Breckenridge, room renovations at the Keystone Lodge, and investments in technology and marketing systems to drive increased yields and data capture across our ski school and rental ancillary services. Finally, we are pleased to announce our 2015 capital plan for Epic Discovery, our summer initiative. Epic Discovery is an incredible opportunity to leverage our existing infrastructure and capitalize on the large number of guests already visiting certain resort destinations during the summer months. We expect to spend approximately $10 million in calendar 2015 for the first major construction effort for Epic Discovery summer activities. The summer capital will be focused on a mountain coaster, canopy tours and summer tubing at Vail for which we have received all necessary U.S. Forest Service approvals. Additional capital will be used to construct kids' activities on private land at Breckenridge and for significant planning investments for the next phase of construction, which will occur in 2016 at Vail, Breckenridge and Heavenly. We expect that these summer activities at Vail and Breckenridge will contribute between $4 million and $5 million of incremental Resort reported EBITDA during calendar year 2016, which will be reported in both fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017. Construction at Heavenly remains subject to regulatory approval, and we will provide further guidance on potential incremental investments on our next earnings call in June. We are excited about the strong results we're generating this year and the benefits we receive from our geographic diversity. Our attention to service, our reinvestment in the resorts and our commitment to delivering an outstanding guest experience continue to be the focus of our efforts that lead to our continued growth, our strong cash flow and our ability to return capital to shareholders. I would like to thank all of our employees for their passion, hard work and commitment to our organization, which as always, lies at the center of our success. Operator, we are now ready for questions.