Carter's, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2020 Results

Carter’s, Inc. (NYSE:CRI), the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children, today reported its second quarter fiscal 2020 results.

“We had a strong finish to the second quarter. Thankfully, the disruption to our business due to the pandemic and related store closures was less meaningful than we expected,” said Michael D. Casey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In the second quarter, we continued to see good demand from our largest wholesale customers whose stores remained open, and we were also able to serve the needs of families with young children through our very profitable eCommerce operations.

“By the end of June, substantially all of our stores in the United States had reopened and we saw strong demand for our brands over the July 4th holiday shopping period.

“In the second quarter, we strengthened our brand marketing, improved price realization with more effective promotions, controlled spending, reduced our exposure to excess inventories and improved liquidity.

“We are now entering the largest portion of our year with respect to sales and earnings contribution. Given the strength of our brands and extensive market presence, we believe we are well-positioned to weather the current market challenges. We expect gradually improving trends in the performance of our Company, relative to the second quarter, in the balance of the year.”

Adjustments to Reported GAAP Results

In addition to the results provided in this earnings release in accordance with GAAP, the Company has provided adjusted, non-GAAP financial measurements, as presented below. These adjusted, non-GAAP financial measurements are presented for informational purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the Company’s future condition or results of operations. See “Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Results” section of this release for additional disclosures and reconciliations regarding these non-GAAP financial measures.

Consolidated Results

The discussion of results below is presented on an adjusted (non-GAAP) basis where noted.

Second Quarter of Fiscal 2020 compared to Second Quarter of Fiscal 2019

Net sales decreased $219.5 million, or 29.9%, to $514.9 million. The decline was driven by the closure of the Company’s retail stores in the second quarter of fiscal 2020, particularly during the months of April and May, and decreased sales to certain wholesale customers as a result of disruptions related to COVID-19, partially offset by strong eCommerce channel growth. Comparable eCommerce sales in the U.S. and Canada grew 101% and 194%, respectively. As of the end of the second quarter, approximately 97% of the Company’s stores in the U.S. and 90% in Canada had reopened.

Operating income was $21.0 million, compared to $64.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Adjusted operating income (a non-GAAP measure) was $41.1 million, compared to $63.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. The decrease reflects the decline in net sales and lower royalty income, partially offset by improved gross margin and lower selling, general, and administrative expenses.

Net income was $8.2 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $43.9 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $23.6 million, compared to $43.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2019. Adjusted earnings per diluted share (a non-GAAP measure) was $0.54, compared to $0.95 in the second quarter of fiscal 2019.

First Half of Fiscal 2020 compared to First Half of Fiscal 2019

Net sales decreased $306.1 million, or 20.7%, to $1.17 billion. The decline was driven by the closure of the Company’s retail stores in the first half of fiscal 2020, particularly during the months of March, April and May, and decreased sales to certain wholesale customers as a result of disruptions related to COVID-19, partially offset by strong eCommerce channel growth. Comparable eCommerce sales in the U.S. and Canada increased 53% and 110%, respectively.

The Company posted an operating loss of $57.5 million, compared to operating income of $125.2 million in the first half of fiscal 2019. In addition to lower net sales, the Company recorded incremental inventory-related charges of $41.9 million in the first half of fiscal 2020, primarily due to disruptions related to COVID-19. Adjusted operating income (a non-GAAP measure) was $14.8 million, compared to $124.1 million in the first half of fiscal 2019. The decrease reflects the decline in net sales and higher inventory provisions, partially offset by lower selling, general, and administrative expenses.

The Company’s net loss was $70.5 million, or $1.64 per diluted share, compared to net income of $78.4 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, in the first half of fiscal 2019. The Company posted an adjusted net loss (a non-GAAP measure) of $11.2 million, compared to adjusted net income of $83.0 million in the first half of fiscal 2019. Adjusted loss per diluted share (a non-GAAP measure) was $0.26, compared to adjusted earnings per diluted share of $1.82 in the first half of fiscal 2019.

Net cash provided by operations in the first half of fiscal 2020 was $238.8 million compared to $104.5 million in the first half of fiscal 2019. The increase reflects deferrals of retail store lease and other cash payments, partially offset by lower earnings related to COVID-19.

See the “Business Segment Results” and “Reconciliation of GAAP to Adjusted Results” sections of this release for additional disclosures regarding business segment performance and non-GAAP measures.

Liquidity and Financial Position

The Company’s total liquidity at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2020 was $1.5 billion, comprised of cash and cash equivalents of $1.0 billion and $501 million in unused borrowing capacity on the Company’s $750 million secured revolving credit facility.

As previously disclosed, on May 4, 2020, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary The William Carter Company, entered into an agreement with its lenders to amend its secured revolving credit facility. Under the terms of the amendment, financial maintenance covenants under the credit facility were waived for the balance of fiscal year 2020 and relaxed for much of fiscal year 2021.

Also as previously disclosed, on May 11, 2020, The William Carter Company completed the sale of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 5.500% senior unsecured notes due 2025. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, the net proceeds from this offering, along with cash on hand, were used to repay $500 million of borrowings under the Company’s secured revolving credit facility.

Consistent with the Company’s previously-announced temporary suspensions of share repurchases and quarterly cash dividends, no distributions of capital occurred in the second quarter of fiscal 2020. The Company’s Board of Directors will evaluate future distributions of capital, including share repurchases and dividends, based on a number of factors, including business conditions, the Company’s financial performance, and other considerations.

The Company believes it has sufficient liquidity for the foreseeable future to maintain its operations and manage through the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Business Outlook

Given the market disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, recent spikes in confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and related uncertainty on timing and extent of the market recovery, the Company is not providing fiscal 2020 sales and earnings guidance at this time.

Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call with investors to discuss second quarter fiscal 2020 results and its business outlook on July 24, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. To participate in the call, please dial 334-777-6978. To listen to a live broadcast via the internet and view the accompanying presentation materials, please visit ir.carters.com and select links for “News & Events” followed by “Webcasts & Presentations”. A replay of the call will be available shortly after the broadcast through August 7, 2020, at 888-203-1112 (U.S. / Canada) or 719-457-0820 (international), passcode 8105031. The replay will also be archived online on the “Webcasts & Presentations” page noted above.

About Carter’s, Inc.

Carter’s, Inc. is the largest branded marketer in North America of apparel exclusively for babies and young children. The Company owns the Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh brands, two of the most recognized brands in the marketplace. These brands are sold in leading department stores, national chains, and specialty retailers domestically and internationally. They are also sold through approximately 1,100 Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and online at www.carters.com, www.oshkosh.com, www.cartersoshkosh.ca, and www.carters.com.mx. The Company’s Child of Mine brand is available at Walmart, its Just One You brand is available at Target, and its Simple Joys brand is available on Amazon. The Company also owns Skip Hop, a global lifestyle brand for families with young children. Carter’s is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional information may be found at www.carters.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws relating to our future performance, including statements with respect to the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Company’s liquidity. Such statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or not materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, or projected. Certain of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially are described in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 28, 2020, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time under the headings “Risk Factors”. Included among those risks are those related to: the effects of the current coronavirus outbreak; financial difficulties for one or more of our major customers; an overall decrease in consumer spending; our products not being accepted in the marketplace; increased competition in the market place; diminished value of our brands; the failure to protect our intellectual property; the failure to comply with applicable quality standards or regulations; unseasonable or extreme weather conditions; pending and threatened lawsuits; a breach of our information technology systems and the loss of personal data; increased margin pressures, including increased cost of materials and labor; our foreign sourcing arrangements; disruptions in our supply chain; the management and expansion of our business domestically and internationally; the acquisition and integration of other brands and businesses; and changes in our tax obligations, including additional customs, duties or tariffs. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

(*) Corporate expenses include expenses related to incentive compensation, stock-based compensation, executive management, severance and relocation, finance, office occupancy, information technology, certain legal fees, consulting fees, and audit fees. Two fiscal quarters ended June 27, 2020 and June 29, 2019 each include $1.6 million in charges related to organizational restructuring, respectively.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are supplemental financial measures that are not defined or prepared in accordance with GAAP. We define EBITDA as net income before interest, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA adjusted for the items described in footnotes (a) - (i) to the table above.

We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because we consider them important supplemental measures of our performance and believe they are frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. These measures also afford investors a view of what management considers to be the Company's core performance.

The use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA instead of net income or cash flows from operations has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent net income or cash flow from operations as those terms are defined by GAAP and do not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs. While EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are frequently used as measures of operations and the ability to meet debt service requirements, these terms are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters that we consider not to be indicative of our ongoing operations. Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as discretionary cash available to us for working capital, debt service and other purposes.

The Company evaluates its net sales on both an “as reported” and a “constant currency” basis. The constant currency presentation, which is a non-GAAP measure, excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that occurred between the comparative periods. Constant currency net sales results are calculated by translating current period net sales in local currency to the U.S. dollar amount by using the currency conversion rate for the prior comparative period. The Company consistently applies this approach to net sales for all countries where the functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. The Company believes that the presentation of net sales on a constant currency basis provides useful supplemental information regarding changes in our net sales that were not due to fluctuations in currency exchange rates and such information is consistent with how the Company assesses changes in its net sales between comparative periods.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200724005181/en/