News Details

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Caleres (NYSE: CAL, caleres.com), a diverse portfolio of global footwear brands which fit people’s lives, today reported third quarter 2016 financial results.

Consolidated Results

Third Quarter

• Net sales of $732.2 million were up 0.5%, as Famous Footwear experienced a solid back-to-school season
• Gross margin up 53 basis points to 40.1%, driven by Brand Portfolio
• Operating margin up 41 basis points to 7.6%, with strong contribution from Brand Portfolio
• Reported diluted EPS of $0.81 versus reported diluted EPS of $0.78 and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.80 in the prior year
• Tax rate of 33.6% versus 26.7% in the prior year, including a $0.03 discrete tax benefit to EPS
• Cash and equivalents of $173.4 million, up $87.1 million year-over-year
• Inventory down 3.6%, with solid inventory management across the company

First Nine Months

• Net sales of $1,939.9 million were down 1.5%, due in part to planned reductions in Healthy Living
• Gross margin up 68 basis points to 41.3%, partially driven by the exit of some lower margin categories in Healthy Living
• SG&A spend up less than 1% year-over-year, including operational investments
• Operating margin flat year-over-year
• Diluted EPS of $1.67
• Cash from operations of $137.0 million versus $84.0 million in the prior year

“Despite a somewhat choppy environment, our third quarter performance – with improvement in sales, margins, earnings, and cash from operations – further confirms our portfolio strategy is working as intended and delivering shareholder value,” said Diane Sullivan, CEO, president and chairman of Caleres. “By diversifying across platforms, brands, channels and products, we have been able to drive toward our long-term goal of consistent, profitable and sustainable growth, while minimizing our exposure to potential variability in the marketplace.”

Third Quarter Segment Results

Famous Footwear

• Same-store-sales up 2.1%, with the back-to-school season up 2.7% and total sales up 2.6%
• Gross margin of 41.6%, reflecting product mix shift
• Inventory down 0.4% per store on a dollar basis
• Opened 16 new stores and operated seven more stores year-over-year

Brand Portfolio

• Sales down 3.0%, with growth at Contemporary Fashion offset by planned reductions in Healthy Living
• Gross margin up more than 300 basis points to 37.5%, benefitting from higher initial margin and better retail sell-through rates
• Inventory down low-double digits, with continued focus on better inventory management

First Nine Months Segment Results

Famous Footwear

• Same-store-sales up 0.7%, with total sales up 0.9%
• Gross margin of 44.2%, reflecting higher shipping costs related to increased sales at famous.com and the successful ship-from-store program
• Opened 37 new stores and closed 32

Brand Portfolio

• Sales down 5.2%, with growth at Contemporary Fashion offset by expected declines in Healthy Living
• Gross margin up ~230 basis points to 36.3%, partially benefitting from the exit of some lower margin categories

“Our teams did a fantastic job of continuing to adapt to changes in consumer shopping trends, and – as a result – delivered both improved sales and gross margin,” said Ken Hannah, chief financial officer of Caleres. “We continued to return value to shareholders and strengthen our balance sheet in the third quarter, as we increased cash and equivalents by more than 100% and reduced our inventory by 3.6%.”

Outlook for 2016

Investor Conference Call

Caleres will host an investor conference call at 4:45 p.m. ET today, Tuesday, November 22, 2016. The webcast and slides will be available at investor.caleres.com/news/events. A live conference call will be available at (877) 217-9089 for analysts in North America or (706) 679-1723 for international analysts by using the conference ID 11918508. A replay will be available at investor.caleres.com/news/events/archive for a limited period. Investors may also access the replay by dialing (855) 859-2056 in North America or (404) 537-3406 internationally and using the conference ID 11918508 through Tuesday, December 6, 2016.

Definitions

All references in this press release, outside of the condensed consolidated financial statements that follow, unless otherwise noted, related to net earnings attributable to Caleres, Inc. and diluted earnings per common share attributable to Caleres, Inc. shareholders, are presented as net earnings and earnings per diluted share, respectively.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this press release, the company’s financial results are provided both in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and using certain non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, the company provides historic and estimated future gross profit, operating earnings, net earnings and earnings per diluted share adjusted to exclude certain gains, charges and recoveries, which are non-GAAP financial measures. These results are included as a complement to results provided in accordance with GAAP because management believes these non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in the company’s business and provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the company’s core operating results. These measures should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and expectations regarding the company’s future performance and the performance of its brands. Such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include (i) changing consumer demands, which may be influenced by consumers' disposable income, which in turn can be influenced by general economic conditions; (ii) rapidly changing fashion trends and purchasing patterns; (iii) intense competition within the footwear industry; (iv) political and economic conditions or other threats to the continued and uninterrupted flow of inventory from China and other countries, where the Company relies heavily on third-party manufacturing facilities for a significant amount of its inventory; (v) the ability to accurately forecast sales and manage inventory levels; (vi) cybersecurity threats or other major disruption to the Company’s information technology systems; (vii) customer concentration and increased consolidation in the retail industry; (viii) a disruption in the Company’s distribution centers; (ix) the ability to recruit and retain senior management and other key associates; (x) foreign currency fluctuations; (xi) compliance with applicable laws and standards with respect to labor, trade and product safety issues; (xii) the ability to secure/exit leases on favorable terms; (xiii) the ability to maintain relationships with current suppliers; (xiv) the ability to attract, retain, and maintain good relationships with licensors and protect intellectual property rights; and (xv) changes to federal overtime regulations could increase the Company’s payroll costs. The company's reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission contain detailed information relating to such factors, including, without limitation, the information under the caption Risk Factors in Item 1A of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 30, 2016, which information is incorporated by reference herein and updated by the company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The company does not undertake any obligation or plan to update these forward-looking statements, even though its situation may change.

About Caleres

Caleres is a diverse portfolio of global footwear brands, which fit people’s lives: Family, Healthy Living and Contemporary Fashion. Our products are available virtually everywhere - in the over 1,200 retail stores we operate, in hundreds of major department and specialty stores, on our branded e-commerce sites, and on many additional third-party retail websites. Famous Footwear and Famous.com serve as our Family brands. Our Contemporary Fashion brands include Sam Edelman, Franco Sarto, Vince, Via Spiga, George Brown Bilt, Diane von Furstenberg, Fergie Footwear and Carlos Santana. Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, LifeStride, Bzees and Ryka represent our Healthy Living brands. Combined, these brands help make Caleres a company with both a legacy and a mission. Our legacy is our more than 130 years of craftsmanship, our passion for fit and our business savvy, while our mission is to continue to inspire people to feel good feet first. Visit caleres.com to learn more about us.