HIGH POINT, N.C. — September 2, 2020 — Culp Inc. today reported financial and operating results for the first quarter ended August 2, 2020, which were materially affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Additionally, the first quarter of fiscal 2021 included 13 weeks compared with 14 weeks for the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
Fiscal 2021 First Quarter Financial Summary1
- Net sales were $64.5 million, down 8.8 percent over the prior-year period, with mattress fabric sales down 7.1 percent and upholstery fabric sales down 11.0 percent compared with the first quarter of last year.
- Pre-tax income from continuing operations was $1.5 million, compared with pre-tax income from continuing operations of $3.5 million for the prior-year period.
- Net loss from continuing operations was $(2.7) million, or $(0.22) per diluted share, compared with net income from continuing operations of $1.8 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the prior-year period.
- Adjusted net income from continuing operations (non-GAAP) was $1.0 million, or $0.08 per diluted share2. Adjusted net income from continuing operations for the prior-year period was $2.0 million, or $0.16 per diluted share3.
- The company’s financial position reflected total cash and investments of $47.4 million and no outstanding borrowings as of August 2, 2020. This compares with a net cash position of $38.7 million as of the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.
- Cash flow from operations and free cash flow were $10.6 million and $10.0 million, respectively, compared with cash flow from operations and free cash flow of $2.0 million and $1.0 million, respectively, for the prior-year period.
- The company announced a quarterly cash dividend of 10.5 cents per share, payable in October.
1During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, the company sold its majority ownership interest in eLuxury LLC, resulting in the elimination of its home accessories segment. Accordingly, the financial results for this segment are excluded from the reported financial performance of the company’s continuing operations and are presented as a discontinued operation in the company’s consolidated financial statements.
2This excludes a $3.7 million net income tax charge, which consists of a $7.2 million non-cash income tax charge to record a full valuation allowance against the company’s U.S. net deferred income tax assets, partially offset by a $3.5 million non-cash income tax benefit resulting from the re-establishing of certain U.S. Federal net operating loss carryforwards in connection with the U.S. Treasury regulations enacted during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 regarding the Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”) tax provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
3This excludes a $229,000 income tax charge, which represents the company’s estimated GILTI tax incurred through the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
Financial Outlook
Due to the continued economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of visibility as to its duration, the company is providing only limited financial guidance for fiscal 2021 at this time.
Although subject to unforeseen changes that may arise as the pandemic and its economic impact continue to unfold, the company is encouraged by improving business conditions. The company expects sales and operating income for the second quarter of fiscal 2021 to be materially improved as compared to the first quarter, but not reaching the performance achieved in the second quarter of last year, which was an especially strong quarter for the upholstery fabrics segment.
Commenting on the results, Iv Culp, president and CEO of Culp, said: “As we continue to navigate our way through these uncertain times, we remain focused on the health and safety of our employees, customers, suppliers, and the communities that we serve. I am incredibly thankful for our team’s hard work, agility, and commitment to safety, and I am proud of our leadership team for adapting and effectively managing through this challenging environment.
“We are pleased that both our mattress fabrics and upholstery fabrics segments saw better-than-expected increases in orders and shipments during the quarter, particularly during the last eight weeks. We are especially pleased with the substantial sequential improvement compared with the end of the fourth quarter, going from a significant pre-tax loss to profitability. We believe these trends are primarily being driven by a surge in consumer focus on the home environment and overall comfort, leading to an increased proportion of discretionary spending moving to home furnishings.
“Although the ongoing impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic remain unknown, we are cautiously optimistic, based on current demand trends, that business will continue its solid return in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. We are confident that our product-driven strategy, strong management team, and solid financial position will enable us to overcome the near-term headwinds and capture market share as we continue to demonstrate the resilience and strategic advantage of our global platform and stable supply chain. Our balance sheet remains strong, as evidenced by our significantly improved liquidity as compared to pre-pandemic levels at the end of the fiscal 2020 third quarter. We are also pleased to have maintained our quarterly dividend throughout this period of disruption, and we are excited about the continued sequential improvement in our business we expect for the second quarter of fiscal 2021,” added Culp.
Segment Update
Mattress Fabrics Segment
Sales for this segment were $36.1 million for the first quarter, down 7.1 percent compared with sales of $38.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, which included an extra week. Excluding this extra week, sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 were comparable (based on average sales per week) to sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
Sandy Brown, president of Culp’s mattress fabrics division, stated: “While our mattress fabrics sales and operating performance for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 were affected by the ongoing disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, we were pleased with the solid improvement during the quarter as business conditions began to normalize. The beginning of the quarter was materially affected by the virus, but we experienced a greater than anticipated increase in demand beginning in mid-May as government restrictions were lifted and customers and retail stores resumed operations. This increase continued throughout the quarter across all product offerings, including our CLASS mattress cover business, approximating pre-pandemic levels at quarter end. We returned all our previously furloughed workers and rapidly expanded our production schedules to meet this growing demand. As a result, sales increased by approximately 60 percent from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 to the first quarter of fiscal 2021.
“While we were energized by the sequential growth in sales and improving business conditions for the quarter, our operating performance was negatively affected by manufacturing inefficiencies associated with the dramatic ramp up in operations, as well as significant inventory reductions. Despite these challenges, we believe business conditions are stabilizing and will result in improved profitability going forward, barring additional disruption related to the pandemic. To support our future growth plan, we are investing in additional equipment to expand our capacity in North America. We believe the strength and flexibility of our global manufacturing and sourcing operations in the U.S., Canada, Haiti, Asia, and Turkey have us well positioned to execute our strategy and support the current environment surrounding the changing demands of our customers,” added Brown.
Upholstery Fabrics Segment
Sales for this segment were $28.4 million for the first quarter, down 11.0 percent compared with sales of $31.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, which included an extra week. Excluding this extra week, sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 were down approximately 4.0 percent (based on average sales per week) compared with the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
“The unprecedented disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect our sales and operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2021,” said Boyd Chumbley, president of Culp’s upholstery fabrics division. “We began the quarter slowly, with a gradual increase in orders and shipments beginning in mid-May as customers and retail stores started to reopen, followed by a swift upturn during the month of June and further acceleration to end the quarter. We returned all our previously furloughed workers to meet this rapid increase in demand, and our strong platform in Asia, including our cut and sew capabilities in Vietnam and our stable supply chain, has allowed us to respond quickly and meet the needs of our customers.
“We were pleased with the improvement throughout the quarter as demand increased in most of our businesses, including our residential upholstery business which features our popular lines of LiveSmart® and LiveSmart Evolve™ performance fabrics, as well as the Read Window Products portion of our hospitality business. We have benefited from our ability to continue representing our products for customers through our innovative virtual showcase presentations, and our strong product placements with customers prior to the COVID-19 outbreak have also advanced our recovery as business conditions improve,” Chumbley added.
Balance Sheet
“As the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, maintaining a strong financial position remains one of Culp’s top priorities for fiscal 2021,” added Ken Bowling, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Culp, Inc. “As of August 2, 2020, we reported $47.4 million in total cash and investments and no outstanding borrowings, up from our $38.7 million net cash position as of the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. During the first quarter, we incurred $500,000 in capital expenditures and spent $1.3 million on regular dividends. We also generated cash flow from operations of $10.6 million and free cash flow from operations of $10.0 million for the quarter, compared with cash flow from operations of $2.0 million and free cash flow of 1.0 million for the prior-year period.
Dividends and Share Repurchases
The company announced that its Board of Directors has approved the payment of the company’s quarterly cash dividend of 10.5 cents per share. The dividend is to be paid on or about October 15, 2020, to shareholders of record as of October 8, 2020. Importantly, the company has maintained and increased its annual dividend for eight consecutive fiscal years. The Board will continue to evaluate the appropriateness of the current dividend rate considering economic conditions and the company’s performance in upcoming quarters.
The company did not repurchase any shares during the first quarter of fiscal 2021, leaving $5.0 million available under the $5.0 million share repurchase program approved by the Board in March 2020. As previously disclosed, the company has temporarily suspended its share repurchases given the economic uncertainty related to COVID-19.
Posted September 2, 2020
Source: Culp Inc.
