The Hain Celestial Group Announces Record Sales and Earnings
Net Income Increases 19% to $12.7 Million
Sales Increase 10% to $186.2 Million
Earnings Per Share at $0.33 Versus $0.29
MELVILLE, N.Y., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN), a leading natural and organic food and personal care products company, today reported results for the second quarter ended December 31, 2005. Hain Celestial reported second quarter record sales of $186.2 million, a 10% increase over the prior year's $169.8 million. Net income reached $12.7 million, a second quarter record, an increase of 19% from the prior year's $10.7 million. Diluted earnings for the second quarter this year were a record $0.33 per share as compared to $0.29 in the prior year's second quarter.
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"I am proud of our team as we accomplished record sales and profits with significant improvement in operating margins and our cash conversion," said Irwin D. Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We saw strength in each of our Grocery, Tea and Personal Care lines in both sales and consumption driven by Earth's Best(R), Imagine(R) soups, Garden of Eatin'(R), Terra(R), Rice Dream(R), WestSoy(R), Ethnic Gourmet(R), Celestial Seasonings(R), Jason(R) and Zia Natural Skincare(R). We are also excited by the progress we are making on the operating front with enhanced margins despite increased input costs. Our sales and earnings continue to grow, driven by strong top line growth, improved margins and focused working capital management."
The Company's gross profit for the second quarter was 32.3% versus 31.4% in the prior year period before consolidation of the Company's lower margin Hain Pure Protein joint venture, which reduced gross profit by 1.1%. Operating income grew 20.3% to $21.7 million versus $18.1 million in the period while selling, general and administrative expenses decreased as a percentage of sales to 19.6% versus the prior year's 20.7%.
Interest expense in the quarter was $0.4 million higher than in the prior year's quarter with the increase coming from increased market rates and from higher borrowings for acquisitions. There were no foreign exchange gains or losses in the second quarter while the Company benefited from foreign exchange gains of $0.6 million in the prior year's quarter. These items negatively impacted earnings by $0.02 per share in the second quarter when compared to the prior year.
The Company's average diluted shares outstanding during the second quarter were 38.4 million, an increase of 1.2 million shares or 3%, over the prior year's quarter. This increase in shares was caused by the issuance of shares in the acquisition of Spectrum Organic Products, Inc., the establishment of the alliance with Yeo Hiap Seng Limited and incremental equivalent shares included in the computation due to the higher market price of the Company's stock. The higher share count reduced earnings by $0.01 per share in the second quarter when compared to the prior year.
The Company's balance sheet remains strong with $142.3 million in working capital and a current ratio of 2.5 to 1 at the end of the second quarter. Debt as a percentage of equity was 19% with total equity at $578 million. The Company's operating free cash flow (defined as cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures) increased by 79% to $23.9 million for the trailing 12 months ended December 31, 2005 versus $13.3 million for the same period of the prior year. The cash conversion cycle improved to 67 days this period versus 82 days in the prior year period.
Mr. Simon concluded, "The stellar results that the Company achieved over the past two years are a testament to the excellence of our people, our strong brands and our positioning within a clear growth category. Our focus and long-term strategy allow us to make the right decisions for our business today and tomorrow. We are committed to growing our brand equity through targeted new product introductions and realizing new distribution opportunities while continuing to strengthen our management team. Hain Celestial will continue to be the leader as the world moves toward A Healthy Way of Life(TM)."
Fiscal Year 2006 Outlook
The Company updated its annual guidance for fiscal year 2006, adjusted only to reflect the recently completed acquisition of Spectrum Organic Products on December 16, 2005. The Company expects full fiscal year 2006 sales of $670 million to $690 million and earnings of $0.98 to $1.05 per share, as it integrates Spectrum into its operations during the second half of its fiscal year. The Company anticipates that Spectrum will be accretive to earnings beginning in fiscal year 2007, with a neutral impact on earnings for the remainder of this fiscal year as a result of higher interest costs and increased shares issued in connection with the acquisition which will offset Spectrum's otherwise positive contribution to operating income.
Webcast and Upcoming Events
Hain Celestial will host a conference call and live webcast at 4:15 PM Eastern Standard Time today to review its second quarter 2006 results via the Hain Celestial corporate website, www.hain-celestial.com. On February 16, 2006 the Company is scheduled to present at the JP Morgan Small Cap Conference, and on March 16, 2006 the Company is scheduled to present at the Bank of America Consumer Conference. These presentations, as well as the Company's earnings conference call, will be available under the Investor Relations section of the Company's website.
The Hain Celestial Group
The Hain Celestial Group (Nasdaq: HAIN), headquartered in Melville, NY, is a leading natural and organic food and personal care products company in North America and Europe. Hain Celestial participates in almost all natural food categories with well-known brands that include Celestial Seasonings(R), Terra Chips(R), Garden of Eatin'(R), Health Valley(R), WestSoy(R), Earth's Best(R), Arrowhead Mills(R), DeBoles(R), Hain Pure Foods(R), Raised Right(TM), Hollywood(R), Spectrum Naturals(R), Spectrum Essentials(R), Walnut Acres Organic(TM), Imagine Foods(R), Rice Dream(R), Soy Dream(R), Rosetto(R), Ethnic Gourmet(R), Yves Veggie Cuisine(R), Lima(R), Biomarche(TM), Grains Noirs(R), Natumi(R), JASON(R) and Zia(R) Natural Skincare. For more information, visit www.hain-celestial.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within and constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward- looking statements. These risks include but are not limited to general economic and business conditions; the ability to implement business and acquisition strategies, integrate acquisitions, and obtain financing for general corporate purposes; competition; retention of key personnel; compliance with government regulations and other risks detailed from time-to- time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. The forward-looking statements made in this press release are current as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.
THE HAIN CELESTIAL GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands)
December 31, June 30,
2005 2005
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 17,359 $ 24,139
Trade receivables, net 85,798 67,148
Inventories 104,743 76,497
Recoverable income taxes 2,590 2,575
Deferred income taxes 5,671 5,671
Other current assets 18,605 18,164
Total current assets 234,766 194,194
Property, plant and equipment, net 97,507 88,204
Goodwill, net 393,837 350,833
Trademarks and other intangible assets, net 61,399 61,010
Other assets 12,193 12,895
Total assets $799,702 $707,136
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 79,421 $ 65,922
Income taxes payable 9,009 1,139
Current portion of long-term debt 4,016 2,791
Total current liabilities 92,446 69,852
Deferred income taxes 16,723 16,723
Long-term debt, less current portion 108,184 92,271
Minority interest 4,790 -
Total liabilities 222,143 178,846
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock 390 375
Additional paid-in capital 429,773 402,645
Retained earnings 147,999 127,967
Treasury stock (12,745) (12,745)
Foreign currency translation adjustment 12,142 10,048
Total stockholders' equity 577,559 528,290
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity $799,702 $707,136
THE HAIN CELESTIAL GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
December 31, December 31,
2005 2004 2005 2004
(Unaudited) (Unaudited)
Net sales $186,227 $169,753 $347,324 $307,357
Cost of Sales 128,061 116,522 243,309 215,151
Gross profit 58,166 53,231 104,015 92,206
SG&A expenses 36,445 35,173 69,540 63,358
Operating income 21,721 18,058 34,475 28,848
Interest expense and other expenses 1,309 553 2,177 1,208
Income before income taxes 20,412 17,505 32,298 27,640
Income tax provision 7,743 6,827 12,266 10,780
Net income $ 12,669 $ 10,678 $ 20,032 $ 16,860
Basic per share amounts $ 0.34 $ 0.29 $ 0.54 $ 0.46
Diluted per share amounts $ 0.33 $ 0.29 $ 0.53 $ 0.46
Weighted average common shares
outstanding:
Basic 37,165 36,390 36,900 36,332
Diluted 38,434 37,207 37,997 37,031
SOURCE The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
02/02/2006
/CONTACT: Ira Lamel, or Mary Anthes, both of The Hain Celestial Group,
Inc., +1-631-730-2200; Jeremy Fielding, or David Lilly, both of Kekst and
Company, +1-212-521-4800/
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(HAIN)