Blue Buffalo Reports Third Quarter 2017 Results


WILTON, Conn., Nov. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ:BUFF), the leading natural pet food company in the United States, today announced its third quarter 2017 results.

  • Third Quarter Highlights
    • Net sales of $341 million, up 18.4%
    • Net income of $53 million, up 147.4%; Adjusted Net Income of $53 million, up 19.1%
    • Adjusted EBITDA of $89 million, up 20.0%
    • Diluted EPS of $0.27, up 148.4% Adjusted Diluted EPS of $0.27, up 19.6%

  • 2017 Outlook
    • Net sales between $1,250 and $1,265 million
    • Adjusted Diluted EPS between $0.91 and $0.93

“We are excited about the progress of our launch of BLUE Life Protection Formula into the mass and grocery channel and look forward to growing our business as we expand distribution over the next few years,” said Blue Buffalo CEO, Billy Bishop. “In addition, we are continuing to invest behind our exclusive specialty lines to maintain our leadership position in the specialty channel.”

Third Quarter of 2017 Compared to Third Quarter of 2016

Net sales increased $52.8 million, or 18.4%, to $340.8 million, driven primarily by volume growth and favorable product mix. Net sales of Dry Foods increased $31.1 million, or 13.3%, to $265.0 million while net sales of Wet Foods, Treats and Other Products increased $21.7 million, or 40.1%, to $75.9 million.

Gross profit increased $27.6 million, or 20.7%, to $160.8 million and gross margin was 47.2%, up 90 bps compared with 46.3% in the third quarter of 2016.  The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by favorable product mix and supply chain efficiencies, which were partially offset by higher distribution and warehousing costs.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $9.7 million, or 14.8%, to $75.2 million.  Adjusted SG&A, which excludes litigation expenses and costs incurred for our public offerings, increased $12.8 million, or 20.5%. The increase was primarily due to our ongoing investment in advertising and marketing consistent with our brand building strategy.

Net income increased $31.7 million, or 147.4%, to $53.1 million in the third quarter of 2017, as compared to $21.5 million in the third quarter of 2016. Adjusted Net Income, which excludes litigation expenses and costs incurred for our public offerings, increased $8.5 million, or 19.1%, to $53.3 million in the third quarter of 2017, compared to $44.7 million in the third quarter of 2016.  Diluted Earnings Per Share in the third quarter of 2017 increased 148.4% to $0.27, compared to $0.11 in the third quarter of 2016. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share in the third quarter of 2017 increased 19.6% to $0.27, compared to $0.22 in the third quarter of 2016.

First Nine Months of 2017 Compared to First Nine Months of 2016

Net sales increased $82.9 million, or 9.7%, to $937.6 million, driven primarily by volume growth and favorable product mix. Net sales of Dry Foods increased $53.4 million, or 7.7%, to $747.6 million while net sales of Wet Foods, Treats and Other Products increased $29.6 million, or 18.4%, to $190.0 million.

Gross profit increased $53.5 million, or 13.9%, to $437.2 million and gross margin was 46.6%, up 170 bps compared with 44.9% in the first nine months of 2016.  The increase in gross margin was driven primarily by supply chain efficiencies and favorable product mix.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $20.0 million, or 10.5%, to $210.8 million.  Adjusted SG&A, which excludes litigation expenses and costs incurred for our public offerings, increased $25.4 million, or 13.9%. The increase was primarily due to our ongoing investment in advertising and marketing consistent with our brand building strategy.

Net income increased $44.5 million, or 46.6%, to $139.9 million as compared to $95.4 million in the first nine months of 2016. Adjusted Net Income, which excludes litigation expenses and costs incurred for our public offerings, increased $19.9 million, or 16.4%, to $141.2 million in the first nine months of 2017, compared to $121.3 million in the first nine months of 2016. Diluted Earnings Per Share in the first nine months of 2017 increased 46.6% to $0.70 compared to $0.48 in the first nine months of 2016. Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share in the first nine months of 2017 increased 16.4% to $0.71, compared to $0.61 in the first nine months of 2016.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $121.2 million in the first nine months of 2017 compared with $111.5 million in the first nine months of 2016. Net cash provided by operating activities for the first nine months of 2016 was reduced by $20.0 million, which includes $12.0 million of cash tax savings, related to our settlement agreement in the U.S. consumer class action lawsuits. Cash and cash equivalents were $308.4 million as of September 30, 2017 as compared to $292.7 million as of December 31, 2016. Capital expenditures for the first nine months of 2017 and 2016 were $71.7 million and $17.9 million, respectively.

Full Year 2017 Outlook

For the full year 2017, the Company expects to deliver net sales between $1,250 million and $1,265 million. The Company expects its Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share to be between $0.91 and $0.93. The outlook for full year 2017 Adjusted Earnings Per Share excludes costs related to litigation. The Company expects 2017 capital expenditures to be between $150 million and $170 million. The full year 2017 effective tax rate is expected to be between 36.4% and 36.9%.

Share Repurchase Program

During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company repurchased approximately 2.1 million shares of its common stock through open market purchases at an average price of $23.89, and a total cost of $50.0 million, including broker's commissions. As of September 30, 2017, the share repurchase program was fully executed.

Important Information Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company presents non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Diluted EPS, Adjusted SG&A, Adjusted Income Taxes, Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Gross Profit, in this press release as management uses these measures in assessing our operating performance, and we believe they are helpful to investors, securities analysts and other interested parties, in evaluating the performance of companies in our industry. We also believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to management and investors, securities analysts and other interested parties as measures of our comparative operating performance from period to period. These non-GAAP financial measures are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP. They should not be considered as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities, as measures of liquidity, or as alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or any other measures of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. The methods used by the Company to calculate its non-GAAP financial measures may differ significantly from methods used by other companies to compute similar measures. As a result, any non-GAAP financial measures presented herein may not be comparable to similar measures provided by other companies. Please see the schedules to this press release for additional information and reconciliations of such non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest GAAP measure. With respect to our expectations under “Full Year 2017 Outlook” above, for Adjusted Diluted EPS a reconciliation to the closest corresponding GAAP financial measure is not available without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis due to the high variability, complexity and low visibility with respect to litigation expenses excluded from this non-GAAP financial measure. We expect the variability of these charges to have a potentially unpredictable, and potentially significant, impact on our future GAAP financial results.

Conference Call:

At 5 p.m. (Eastern Time) today, the Company will host a conference call to provide additional commentary on third quarter 2017 results. Further details will be accessible on the Company’s website at http://ir.bluebuffalo.com. Participants may dial 844-743-2498 in the United States or 661-378-9532 internationally and use the access code 99782268, or access the webcast through the Company’s website at http://ir.bluebuffalo.com. Participants are encouraged to dial into the call or link to the webcast at least fifteen minutes prior to the scheduled start time. A replay of the call will be available from November 7, 2017 to November 21, 2017 following the call. To access the replay, dial 855-859-2056 or 404-537-3406 and use the access code 99782268. The archive of the webcast will be available for a limited time on the Company’s website at http://ir.bluebuffalo.com.

About Blue Buffalo

Blue Buffalo, based in Wilton, CT, is the nation's leading natural pet food company, providing natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under its BLUE Life Protection Formula, BLUE Wilderness, BLUE Basics, BLUE Freedom, BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet and BLUE Earth's Essentials lines. Paying tribute to its founding mission, the Company, through the Blue Buffalo Foundation, is a leading sponsor of pet cancer awareness and of critical research studies of pet cancer, including causes, treatments and the role of nutrition, at leading veterinary medical schools and clinics across the United States. For more information about Blue Buffalo, visit the Company’s website at www.BlueBuffalo.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to the expectations regarding the performance of the Company's business, financial results, liquidity and capital resources and other non-historical statements, including the statements in the “Full Year 2017 Outlook” section of this press release. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “projects,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, among others, risks inherent to the pet food industry, macroeconomic factors beyond the Company’s control, competition for customers, risks related to the Company’s manufacturing and supply chain, the success of the Company’s Heartland manufacturing facility, risk of disruption at the Company’s third party distribution centers, risks related to the Company’s expansion outside the United States, the Company’s ability to protect the Company’s intellectual property and that of third parties, performance of the Company's information technology systems, adverse litigation judgments or settlements and the Company’s indebtedness. Additional factors that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 1, 2017, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC, and which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and in the Company’s filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contacts:
Investors & Financial Analysts

Michael Nathenson
EVP & CFO
203-665-3400
investors@bluebuff.com

Media

Phil Cheevers
VP, Communications
203-665-3234
media@bluebuff.com


Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
 (dollars in thousands, except for share data)
 
 Three Months Ended
September 30,
 Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 2017 2016 2017 2016
Net sales$340,845  $287,996  $937,627  $854,682 
Cost of sales180,028  154,787  500,398  470,938 
Gross profit160,817  133,209  437,229  383,744 
Selling, general and administrative expenses75,188  65,493  210,799  190,849 
Provision for legal settlement  32,000    32,000 
Operating income85,629  35,716  226,430  160,895 
Interest expense2,667  3,766  8,979  11,233 
Interest income(488) (137) (787) (361)
Other non-operating (income) expense, net(52)   32   
Income before income taxes83,502  32,087  218,206  150,023 
Provision for income taxes30,365  10,605  78,297  54,584 
Net income$53,137  $21,482  $139,909  $95,439 
        
Basic net income per common share$0.27  $0.11  $0.71  $0.49 
Diluted net income per common share$0.27  $0.11  $0.70  $0.48 
Basic weighted average shares196,121,691  196,445,684  196,577,436  196,311,529 
Diluted weighted average shares198,659,459  199,452,308  199,258,760  199,290,017 
            
            


 
 
Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
 (dollars in thousands, except for share data)
 
 September 30,
 2017
 December 31,
 2016
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$308,382  $292,656 
Receivables, net150,545  115,446 
Inventories77,862  70,941 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets7,712  6,130 
Total current assets544,501  485,173 
    
Restricted cash781  781 
Property, plant and equipment, net242,702  162,232 
Deferred income taxes52  1,311 
Other assets1,056  853 
Total assets$789,092  $650,350 
    
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Current maturities of long-term debt$4,000  $3,960 
Accounts payable56,473  35,238 
Other current liabilities68,436  59,629 
Total current liabilities128,909  98,827 
    
Long-term debt390,776  379,177 
Deferred income taxes13,687  12,660 
Other long-term liabilities12,465  13,348 
Total liabilities545,837  504,012 
    
Commitments and contingencies   
Stockholders’ equity:   
Preferred stock; $0.01 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or
outstanding at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016
   
Common stock, voting; $0.01 par value; 1,500,000,000 shares authorized;
197,344,697 and 196,524,010 shares issued at September 30, 2017 and December
31, 2016, respectively
1,973  1,965 
Additional paid-in capital78,915  71,420 
Retained earnings212,601  72,692 
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income(234) 261 
Treasury stock, at cost; 2,092,774 and no shares at September 30, 2017 and
December 31, 2016, respectively
(50,000)  
Total stockholders’ equity243,255  146,338 
  Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$789,092  $650,350 
        
        


 
 
Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
 (dollars in thousands)
 
 Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2017 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:   
Net income$139,909  $95,439 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:   
Depreciation and amortization7,767  6,766 
Amortization of debt issuance costs247  91 
Stock-based compensation2,976  3,051 
(Gain) loss on disposal of fixed assets562  (2)
Deferred income taxes2,286  3,061 
Provision for legal settlement  32,000 
Payment of legal settlement  (32,000)
Effect of changes in operating assets and liabilities:   
Receivables(35,324) (12,282)
Inventories(6,850) 8,257 
Prepaid expenses and other assets(1,849) (2,066)
Accounts payable20,812  4,055 
Other liabilities(9,292) 5,158 
Net cash provided by operating activities121,244  111,528 
    
Cash flows from investing activities:   
Capital expenditures(71,665) (17,901)
Restricted cash  (308)
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets  15 
Net cash used in investing activities(71,665) (18,194)
    
Cash flows from financing activities:   
Proceeds from borrowings of new debt400,000   
Repayment of long-term debt(382,147)  
Payments related to long-term refinancing(4,382)  
Principal payments on long-term debt(1,990) (2,970)
Repurchases of common stock(50,000)  
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
4,527  1,805 
Net cash used in financing activities(33,992) (1,165)
    
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents139  (60)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents15,726  92,109 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period292,656  224,253 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$308,382  $316,362 
    
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing activities:   
Accruals related to property, plant and equipment17,125   
      
      

 

 
 
Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Results*
 (dollars in millions, except for share data)
 
  Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 
  Gross
Profit
 % of
Sales
 SG&A % of
Sales
 Operating
Income
 % of
Sales
 Income
Taxes
 % of
Sales
 Net
Income
 % of
Sales
 Diluted
EPS
 
            
As reported (GAAP) $160.8  47.2% $75.2  22.1% $85.6  25.1% $30.4  8.9% $53.1  15.6% $0.27  
Litigation expenses (a)     0.2  0.1% 0.2  0.1% 0.1  % 0.1  %   
As adjusted $160.8  47.2% $75.0  22.0% $85.8  25.2% $30.4  8.9% $53.3  15.6% $0.27  
                        
  Three Months Ended September 30, 2016 
  Gross
Profit
 % of
Sales
 SG&A % of
Sales
 Operating
Income
 % of
Sales
 Income
Taxes
 % of
Sales
 Net
Income
 % of
Sales
 Diluted
EPS
 
            
As reported (GAAP) $133.2  46.3% $65.5  22.7% $35.7  12.4% $10.6  3.7% $21.5  7.5% $0.11  
Litigation expenses (a)     2.1  0.7% 2.1  0.7% 0.8  0.3% 1.3  0.5% 0.01  
Public offering costs (b)     1.2  0.4% 1.2  0.4% (0.3) (0.1)% 1.5  0.5% 0.01  
Provision for legal settlement (c)         32.0  11.1% 11.6  4.0% 20.4  7.1% 0.10  
As adjusted $133.2  46.3% $62.2  21.6% $71.0  24.6% $22.6  7.9% $44.7  15.5% $0.22  
                        
  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2017 
  Gross
Profit
 % of
Sales
 SG&A % of
Sales
 Operating
Income
 % of
Sales
 Income
Taxes
 % of
Sales
 Net
Income
 % of
Sales
 Diluted
EPS
 
            
As reported (GAAP) $437.2  46.6% $210.8  22.5% $226.4  24.1% $78.3  8.4% $139.9  14.9% $0.70  
Litigation expenses (a)     2.1  0.2% 2.1  0.2% 0.8  0.1% 1.3  0.1% 0.01  
As adjusted $437.2  46.6% $208.7  22.3% $228.5  24.4% $79.1  8.4% $141.2  15.1% $0.71  


  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 
  Gross
Profit
 % of
Sales
 SG&A % of
Sales
 Operating
Income
 % of
Sales
 Income
Taxes
 % of
Sales
 Net
Income
 % of
Sales
 Diluted
EPS
 
            
As reported (GAAP) $383.7  44.9% $190.8  22.3% $160.9  18.8% $54.6  6.4% $95.4  11.2% $0.48  
Litigation expenses (a)     5.4  0.6% 5.4  0.6% 2.0  0.2% 3.5  0.4% 0.02  
Public offering costs (b)     2.1  0.2% 2.1  0.2%   % 2.1  0.2% 0.01  
Provision for legal settlement (c)         32.0  3.7% 11.6  1.4% 20.4  2.4% 0.10  
As adjusted $383.7  44.9% $183.3  21.4% $200.4  23.5% $68.2  8.0% $121.3  14.2% $0.61  
                        
* Amounts may not be additive due to rounding.     
(a) Represents costs primarily related to our litigation against the third party ingredient supplier and broker that sold us mislabeled ingredients, as well as against our insurance providers, in connection with the litigation with Nestlé Purina PetCare Company that was settled in November 2016.  
(b) Represents costs incurred for our public offerings.  
(c) Represents a provision related to the Settlement Agreement entered into in November 2016.  
      
      


 
 
Blue Buffalo Pet Products, Inc.
Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Results*
 (dollars in millions, except for share data)
 
  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016 September 30, 2017 September 30, 2016
Net income $53.1  $21.5  $139.9  $95.4 
Interest expense, net 2.2  3.6  8.2  10.9 
Provision for income taxes 30.4  10.6  78.3  54.6 
Depreciation and amortization 2.5  2.3  7.8  6.8 
EBITDA (a) 88.1  38.0  234.2  167.7 
Litigation expenses (b) 0.2  2.1  2.1  5.4 
Public offering costs (c)   1.2    2.1 
Provision for legal settlement (d)   32.0    32.0 
Stock-based compensation (e) 0.8  1.0  3.0  3.1 
Adjusted EBITDA $89.2  $74.3  $239.2  $210.2 
         
* Amounts may not be additive due to rounding.
 
(a) EBITDA represents net income plus interest expense, net, provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization.
(b) Represents costs primarily related to our litigation against the third party ingredient supplier and broker that sold us mislabeled ingredients, as well as against our insurance providers, in connection with the litigation with Nestlé Purina PetCare Company that was settled in November 2016.
(c) Represents costs incurred for our public offerings.
(d) Represents a provision related to the Settlement Agreement entered into in November 2016.
(e) Represents non-cash, stock-based compensation expense.