SOURCE: Nautilus Inc.
First Quarter Revenue and Operating Income Exceed Guidance
Retail Revenue Increased 13.7% to $43.0 Million
Company Reiterates Full Year 2018 Revenue and Operating Income Guidance
VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2018-- Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS) today reported its unaudited operating results for the first three months ended March 31, 2018.
Q1 2018 Highlights
All comparisons relate to the first quarter of 2017 unless otherwise indicated:
- Revenues:
o Total revenue increased 1.4% to $114.8 million compared to prior year of $113.3 million and guidance range of $110.0 to $113.0 million.
o Direct segment sales decreased 4.7% to $71.2 million primarily from the expected decline in TreadClimberĀ® sales, partially offset by growth of new products, including the Bowflex HVTĀ® product.
o Retail segment sales increased 13.7% to $43.0 million, reflecting strong growth across a variety of product lines, as well as growth in specialty and commercial customers.
- Gross Margins:
o Total company gross margins decreased by 320 basis points to 51.3% primarily due to a reduction in Direct gross margins, coupled with a shift in segment revenue mix from Direct to Retail.
o Direct margins decreased by 250 basis points due to a shift in product mix to lower margin HVTĀ® products and treadmills.
o Retail margins decreased by 80 basis points due to increased product costs.
- Operating income decreased 15.7% to $10.7 million compared to prior year of $12.7 million due to the decline in gross margin and added investments in key strategic initiatives.
- Income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2018 was $8.1 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to income from continuing operations of $8.2 million, or $0.26 per diluted share in the prior year quarter.
- EBITDA from continuing operations decreased 11.8% to $13.1 million compared to $14.9 million in the prior year period.
- At March 31, 2018, cash and marketable securities increased to $92.7 million and debt decreased to $44.0 million, compared to $85.2 million and $48.0 million, respectively, at December 31, 2017.
- Repurchased $2.7 million of stock in the open market as part of previously announced stock repurchase program.
Bruce M. Cazenave, Chief Executive Officer, stated, āFirst quarter 2018 revenue and operating income exceeded the guidance range we provided and were driven by solid momentum in our Retail segment. The Retail segment achieved 14% growth in the first quarter as we experienced broad based sales growth across existing and recently introduced products with several key partners and improved performance in the specialty retail channel. As anticipated, we experienced a decline in the Direct segment revenues due to the phase-down of the mature TreadClimberĀ® product line but are well positioned to return to growth in this segment beginning the third quarter of 2018. New products introduced during the middle of last year such as the Bowflex Results Seriesā¢ and HVTĀ® products continued to meaningfully contribute during the first quarter, and we are on track to launch additional Direct and Retail segment products later this year. The introduction of the Commercial Max TrainerĀ®product at the recent IHRSA show has been extremely well received, and we look forward to the anticipated uplift in Octane sales when the product starts shipping during the third quarter of this year.ā
Mr. Cazenave continued, āImplementation of the multi-faceted 2018 plan we described in previous communications is proceeding as planned and on schedule. This includes systems integration, consolidation of warehousing facilities, supply base realignment and restructuring of our international sales and support teams. Progress in developing our new digital technology platform is also advancing as planned. These initiatives are anticipated to enhance and support our growth initiatives, including new product introductions and improved margins, going forward. Based on our first quarter results, planned rollout of new offerings and operational improvements, we are well positioned to return to full year top line growth in 2018, and reaffirm our full year guidance range on revenue and operating income.ā
For further information, see āResults of Operations Informationā attached hereto.
Segment Results
Net sales for the Direct segment were $71.2 million in the first quarter of 2018, a decrease of 4.7% over the comparable period last year as the expected decline in TreadClimberĀ® sales, coupled with a decline in Max TrainerĀ® sales, was partially offset by the growth of new products, including the Bowflex Results Seriesā¢ treadmills and ellipticals. Operating income for the Direct segment was $11.3 million for the first quarter of 2018, compared to $15.3 million in the first quarter of last year. Operating income was negatively impacted by the decline in gross margins and lower media returns, partially offset by a decrease in consumer financing fees. Gross margin for the Direct segment declined by 250 basis points resulting from a shift in product mix to lower margin HVTĀ® products and treadmills.
Net sales for the Retail segment were $43.0 million in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 13.7% when compared to $37.8 million in the first quarter last year. The increase reflected robust growth across a variety of product lines and sales growth with specialty and commercial customers. Operating income for the Retail segment was $3.9 million for the first quarter of 2018 compared to $2.2 million in the first quarter of last year. The increase in Retail segment operating income was primarily due to the higher net sales, coupled with the non-recurrence of a $1.2 million reserve recorded in the same period of the prior year. Retail segment gross margin was 31.2% in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 32.0% in the same quarter of the prior year, reflecting increased product costs due to unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Royalty revenue in the first quarter 2018 was $0.6 million, compared to $0.7 million for the same quarter of last year. The reduction in royalty revenue reflects the renegotiation of a certain license.
For further information, see āSegment Informationā attached hereto.
Balance Sheet
As of March 31, 2018, the Company had cash and marketable securities of $92.7 million and debt of $44.0 million, compared to cash and marketable securities of $85.2 million and debt of $48.0 million at year end 2017. During the first quarter, the Company purchased $2.7 million of stock in the open market as part of its previously announced stock repurchase program. Working capital of $93.6 million as of March 31, 2018 was $2.4 million higher than the 2017 year-end balance of $91.1 million. Inventory as of March 31, 2018 was $37.7 million, compared to $53.4 million as of December 31, 2017 and $34.3 million at the end of the first quarter last year.
For further information, see āBalance Sheet Informationā attached hereto.
Conference Call
Nautilus will host a conference call to discuss the Companyās operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) on Monday, May 7, 2018. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet hosted at http://www.nautilusinc.com/events and will be archived online within one hour after completion of the call. In addition, listeners may call (888) 394-8218 in North America and international listeners may call (323) 701-0225. Participants from the Company will include Bruce M. Cazenave, Chief Executive Officer, Sid Nayar, Chief Financial Officer, and William B. McMahon, Chief Operating Officer.
A telephonic playback will be available from 7:30 p.m. ET, May 7, 2018, through 11:59 p.m. ET, May 21, 2018. Participants can dial (844) 512-2921 in North America and international participants can dial (412) 317-6671 to hear the playback. The passcode for the playback is 2770686.
Non-GAAP Presentation
In addition to disclosing results determined in accordance with GAAP, Nautilus has presented EBITDA from continuing operations, a non-GAAP financial measure, for the three months ended March 31, 2018and 2017.
The Company defines EBITDA from continuing operations as its income from continuing operations, adjusted to exclude interest expense (income), income tax expense of continuing operations, and depreciation and amortization expense. The Company uses EBITDA from continuing operations in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes such as budgeting and establishing operational goals. The Company believes that EBITDA from continuing operations helps identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the items that are excluded from EBITDA from continuing operations and enhances the overall understanding of the Companyās past performance and future prospects. The Company presents EBITDA from continuing operations as a complement to results provided in accordance with GAAP, and these results should not be regarded as a substitute for GAAP. The Company strongly encourages you to review all of its financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure.
For a quantitative reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures, see "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included with this release.
About Nautilus, Inc.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE: NLS) is a global fitness solutions company that believes everyone deserves a fit and healthy life. With a brand portfolio including BowflexĀ®, NautilusĀ®, Octane FitnessĀ®, SchwinnĀ® and UniversalĀ®, Nautilus, Inc. develops innovative products to support healthy living through direct and retail channels, as well as in commercial channels with Octane FitnessĀ® products. Nautilus, Inc. uses the investor relations page of its website (www.nautilusinc.com/investors) to make information available to its investors and the market.
This press release includes forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including: projected or forecasted financial and operating results; statements regarding the Company's prospects, resources or capabilities; current or future financial and economic trends; planned investments, restructurings and similar initiatives and the anticipated or targeted results therefrom; future plans for introduction of new products; and anticipated demand for the Company's new and existing products. Factors that could cause Nautilus, Inc.ās actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include: our ability to timely acquire inventory that meets our quality control standards from sole source foreign manufacturers at acceptable costs; an inability to pass along or otherwise mitigate the impact of raw material price increases and other cost pressures; experiencing delays and/or greater than anticipated costs in connection with launch of new products, entry into new markets, or restructuring initiatives; changes in consumer fitness trends; changes in the media consumption habits of our target consumers or the effectiveness of our media advertising; a decline in consumer spending due to unfavorable economic conditions; and softness in the retail marketplace. Additional assumptions, risks and uncertainties are described in detail in our registration statements, reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the āRisk Factorsā set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented by our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Such filings are available on our website or at www.sec.gov. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent developments, events or circumstances.
