Annie's Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2014 Financial Results

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Annie's, Inc. (NYSE: BNNY), a leading natural and organic food company, today announced financial results for its second quarter of fiscal 2014, ended September 30, 2013.

Highlights:

• Net sales were $58.7 million in the second quarter; adjusted net sales¹ were $57.9 million, an increase of 24.0%
• Consumption grew an estimated 22% in the second quarter, representing further acceleration versus prior growth trends²
• Diluted EPS was $0.32 in the second quarter; adjusted diluted EPS¹ was $0.28, an increase of 19.1%
• As previously announced, management expects to achieve the upper end of its net sales guidance range and the lower end of adjusted diluted EPS guidance range for its fiscal 2014
• Annie's announces agreement to acquire its primary cookie and cracker manufacturing plant, positioning its snacks business for long-term growth

"We experienced accelerated growth in both shipments and consumption during the quarter, as we benefited from continued base business strength and the successful rollout of our new microwavable mac & cheese cups and family-size frozen entrees," commented John Foraker, CEO of Annie's. "Year-to-date consumption growth, which is in excess of 20%, is the strongest since our IPO and gives us increased confidence in our sales outlook. 

"While we are very pleased with our top-line performance and strong operating expense leverage, gross margin was impacted by changes in customer mix and, to a lesser extent, higher-than-expected sales of new products and above-normal inventory obsolescence. Nevertheless, we expect to exit the year with more normalized gross margin trends.

"Our ability to generate strong growth across product categories and sales channels gives us confidence in our long-term growth prospects. One of our biggest growth opportunities is in our snacks business, which remains highly under-penetrated relative to its potential. The planned acquisition of Safeway's cookie and cracker manufacturing plant in Joplin, Missouri will provide us with valuable long-term scale benefits, which we expect will enable us to accelerate our pace of innovation and distribution growth in snacks."

Second Quarter Results

For the second quarter, Annie's reported net sales of $58.7 million. Excluding the benefit to net sales from the pizza recall, primarily related to insurance recoveries, adjusted net sales increased 24.0% to $57.9 million, driven by significant increases in conventional sales channels. Net sales growth in the second quarter was led by meals, which benefited from continued strength in mac & cheese and initial shipments of our new family-size frozen entrees. Net sales of snacks and dressings, condiments and other products were also strong, growing double digits on a year-over-year basis.

EBITDA for the quarter was $9.7 million, with adjusted EBITDA increasing 15.6% year-over-year to $8.8 million.  Adjusted EBITDA was driven by strong net sales growth and improved selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales, partially offset by a lower gross margin percentage year-over-year. 

Net income for the quarter was $5.6 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, as compared to $3.8 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2013. Adjusted net income was $4.9 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, as compared to adjusted net income of $4.2 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2013. 

Fiscal 2014 Outlook

Annie's expects the following financial results for the current fiscal year:

• Adjusted net sales growth toward the upper end of 18% to 20% guidance range 
• Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $31 million
• Adjusted diluted EPS toward the lower end of $0.97 to $1.01 guidance range

Planned Acquisition of Safeway's Joplin Plant

Annie's also announced that on November 5, 2013, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Safeway Inc. and Safeway Australia Holdings, Inc. to acquire the snack manufacturing plant in Joplin, Missouri, which has been Annie's primary manufacturer of cookie and cracker products since the inception of its snacks business in 2002. Under the agreement, the purchase price will be $6.0 million, plus the cost of inventory and supplies at closing.  Annie's expects to fund the acquisition with cash on hand and, if necessary, by drawing under its revolving credit facility. Including the impact of previously planned efficiency projects, the acquisition is not expected to materially impact net income in fiscal 2015.

Annie's products produced in the Joplin plant currently account for over 50% of its overall snacks net sales and represent the majority of the plant's total production volume. In connection with the closing of the acquisition, which is expected to occur in the first quarter of Annie's fiscal 2015 and is subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions, Annie's expects to enter into a three-year supply agreement to produce products on behalf of an affiliate of Safeway Inc.  

"The Joplin plant is of high strategic value to Annie's," said Mr. Foraker. "The planned acquisition of the plant is consistent with our asset-light business model and provides capacity for future growth, a platform for innovation and an opportunity to further control and improve our cost structure."

Added Amanda Martinez, EVP, Operations and Administration of Annie's, "Having overseen the Joplin plant during my tenure with Safeway, I can speak first-hand to the focus on quality at the plant as well as the caliber of its workforce. We look forward to welcoming the plant's employees to the Annie's family."

Conference Call Information for Today, November 7, 2013

Annie's will host a conference call and live webcast today, November 7, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET). The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-877-941-8609, or 1-480-629-9692 (outside the U.S. and Canada). A live webcast will be available on the Investor Relations page of Annie's corporate website at www.annies.com and via replay beginning approximately two hours after the completion of the call for 90 days. An audio replay of the call will also be available to all interested parties beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, November 7, 2013 until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, November 14, 2013, by dialing 1-800-406-7325 or 1-303-590-3030 (outside the U.S. and Canada) and entering pass code 4643030#.

About Annie's 
Annie's (NYSE: BNNY) is a natural and organic food company that offers great-tasting products in large packaged food categories. Annie's products are made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, and preservatives regularly used in many conventional packaged foods. Additionally, Annie's sources ingredients so as to avoid synthetic growth hormones and genetically modified food ingredients. Today, Annie's offers over 135 products and is present in over 26,500 retail locations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1989, Annie's is committed to operating in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner. For more information, visit www.annies.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release and the accompanying conference call, including Annie's statements regarding expected full-year and back-half fiscal 2014 results, including adjusted net sales, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted diluted EPS, margins, cash and related drivers; growth prospects;  the planned acquisition of the Joplin plant and the timing thereof; the total purchase price and method of funding the planned acquisition; the expected benefits and impact of the planned acquisition, including the expected impact on the Company's fiscal 2015 results, expected scale benefits, expected impact on the Company's snacks business and expected supply agreement; expected growth in the Company's snacks business, including through innovation; innovation and new products, including our single-serve microwavable cup and frozen entrée products; customer mix; anticipated savings from fat rabbit and other initiatives; rapid growth; risk mitigation; and opportunities ahead are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "future," "will," "seek" and similar terms or phrases.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release and the accompanying conference call are based on management's current expectations, are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and are subject to significant risks. We cannot assure you that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. The timing of the closing of the planned acquisition, if it occurs, is dependent upon the satisfaction of closing conditions, including Safeway's satisfaction that it has fulfilled any collective bargaining obligations that it is required to undertake with the labor organization presently representing employees at the facility.  Additionally, our ability to achieve the expected benefits of the acquisition, in the event the acquisition closes, is dependent upon our ability to successfully integrate the Joplin plant, control costs and drive incremental volume.  Annie's has not previously operated a manufacturing facility and we may encounter financial and operational difficulties in integrating the Joplin manufacturing plant with our current operations or otherwise not achieve expected benefits.

Actual results may also differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release and the accompanying conference call due to changes in global, national, regional or local economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that these factors include those disclosed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2013 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 14, 2013 and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today and in our other filings with the SEC, including risks relating to competition; new product introductions; our growth strategy; our brand; reputation; product liability claims; recalls and related insurance proceeds; economic disruptions; changes in consumer preferences; ingredient and packaging costs and availability; reliance on a limited number of distributors, retailers, contract manufacturers and third-party suppliers and on an outside warehouse facility; efficiency projects; intellectual property and related disputes; regulatory compliance; transportation; supply-chain; inventory levels; seasonality; and our planned acquisition of the Joplin plant. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release or the accompanying conference call speaks only as of the date hereof. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted net sales, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS are not financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. As used in this press release: (1) adjusted net sales represents net sales adjusted for impact on net sales due to product recall; (2) adjusted operating income represents income from operations adjusted for the impact on net sales, cost of sales, and selling, general and administrative expenses due to product recall, costs associated with planned acquisition of Joplin plant, and shelf registration and secondary offering costs; (3) adjusted net income represents net income adjusted for impact on net sales, cost of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses and provision for income taxes due to product recall; costs associated with planned acquisition of Joplin plant; shelf registration and secondary offering costs; and the change in fair value of convertible preferred stock warrant liability;  (4) EBITDA represents net income plus interest expense, provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization; (5) adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA adjusted for impact on net sales, cost of sales, and selling, general and administrative expenses due to product recall; costs associated with the planned acquisition of Joplin plant; shelf registration and secondary offering costs; stock-based compensation; and the change in fair value of convertible preferred stock warrant liability; and (6) adjusted diluted EPS represents adjusted net income divided by weighted average diluted shares of common stock.

We present adjusted net sales, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS because we believe these measures provide additional metrics to evaluate our operations and, when considered with both our GAAP results and the related reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, provide a more complete understanding of our business than could be obtained absent this disclosure. We use adjusted net sales, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS together with financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP to assess our operating performance, to provide meaningful comparisons of operating performance across periods, to enhance our understanding of our core operating performance and to compare our performance to that of our peers and competitors. We also believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in assessing the operating performance of our business without the effect of the items described above. Adjusted net sales, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted EPS are subject to inherent limitation as they reflect the exercise of judgment by management in determining how they are formulated. Further, our computation of these non-GAAP measures is likely to differ from methods used by other companies in computing similarly titled or defined terms, limiting the usefulness of these measures. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to GAAP measures and do not purport to be alternatives to either net income as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. We urge investors to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures included in this press release, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

CONTACT:  

Ed Aaron                                    
510-558-7574
303-868-5551
[email protected]

SOURCE Annie's, Inc.