Hooker Furniture Achieves Double-Digit Sales, Income Gains in Second Quarter

MARTINSVILLE, Va., Sept. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hooker Furniture Corporation (NASDAQ-GS: HOFT) today reported consolidated net sales of $162.5 million for its fiscal 2022 second quarter ended August 1, 2021, a $32.0 million, or 25%, increase compared to the prior year period.

Net income for the second quarter was $7.5 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, a 29% increase from a year ago.  

Consolidated operating income for the fiscal 2022 second quarter was $9.7 million versus $7.5 million in the prior year period, and operating margin improved moderately despite higher freight and raw material costs and ongoing shortages of ocean vessel and trucking capacity.  

“For the second consecutive quarter, Hooker Furnishings achieved double-digit sales and profitability increases, with all three of our reportable segments posting year-over-year sales gains of more than 20%,” said Jeremy Hoff, chief executive officer and director of Hooker Furnishings. “While we expected sizable improvements compared to the early months of the pandemic a year ago, we continue to surpass our goal to return to our pre-pandemic growth track. Consolidated sales were up over $10 million compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2020, and profits were up about 79% compared to the same quarter.”

In addition, “Consumer and retail demand remain historically strong, with consolidated backlogs nearly double and incoming orders up 27% over last year for the six-month period,” Hoff added.

“While industry-wide demand continues to be high, we’re facing significant headwinds on the supply side that will impact us in the short term,” said Hoff. “The surge of the Delta variant of COVID-19 has caused factories in our source countries of Vietnam and Malaysia to close, with reopening prospects currently uncertain. In addition, global logistics challenges with higher freight and transit costs and lower transportation capacity, along with raw materials inflation and some labor shortages, remain ongoing.”

“We believe we are utilizing all available levers to help mitigate these headwinds, and we remain optimistic about our long-term position as we work our way through these transitory disruptions,” Hoff said.

For the fiscal 2022 first half, consolidated net sales were $325.4 million, an increase of $90.2 million or 38%, and net income was $16.9 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $29.0 million or ($2.46) per diluted share, all compared to the prior year first half. The loss a year ago in the first half was due to non-cash impairment charges related to a write-down of goodwill and tradenames in the Home Meridian segment and goodwill in the Shenandoah division prompted by the impact of the COVID-19 downturn.


Segment Reporting: Hooker Branded

“The Hooker Branded Segment again had an exceptionally strong quarter, exceeding management’s expectations in sales, profitability, product flow and efficiency,” Hoff said.  Net sales increased by $11.1 million or 29%, versus the prior year period. Incoming orders increased by 38%, and the backlog tripled as compared to the prior-year second quarter.

Operating income for the fiscal 2022 second quarter was $8.9 million, or 17.9% of net sales, compared to $6.1 million or 15.7% of net sales in the prior-year second quarter.

“We attribute our strong sales and profitability performance in the Hooker Branded Segment to industry-wide demand and the dramatic improvements and expansions of our product lines,” said Hoff, adding that the recent June High Point International Market was “the biggest in written orders since April 2016. The Commerce & Market collection, with pricing, scale and styling targeting Millennials, was one of our largest accent furniture launches in our company’s history. In addition, our strategy to rationalize our stocking inventory to focus on top sellers is helping us maximize shipping and production capacity, product flow and cash utilization,” Hoff said.


Segment Reporting: Home Meridian

HMI’s second quarter sales were $87 million, up approximately 23% over the prior year.  Revenues were boosted by continued strong retail demand versus weak shipments during the second quarter last year due to Covid-19-related disruptions.  “Year to date, we have seen a strong sales rebound with our traditional furniture channel retail base, as those customers pick up share lost to emerging channels during the opening months of the pandemic shutdowns last year.  These emerging channel declines are the result of exceptionally strong demand in the prior year period,” he said.

“Lower allowances, reduced fixed and other operating expenses were all favorable, but not enough to mitigate the impact of all-time record freight costs,” Hoff said. The Home Meridian segment finished the quarter at essentially breakeven due to all the factors discussed above.

Incoming orders increased by about 4% as compared to the fiscal 2022 first quarter but decreased by 35% compared to the prior year second quarter when business rebounded dramatically after the height of the initial Covid crisis. Backlog at the end of the quarter was 62% higher than the prior year’s second quarter.


Segment Reporting: Domestic Upholstery

The Domestic Upholstery Segment net sales increased by $5.0 million or 28.7% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter compared to the prior year quarter due to significant sales increases at Bradington-Young and Shenandoah and to a lesser extent at Sam Moore.

Operating income for the fiscal 2022 second quarter was $457,000 or 2.0% of net sales compared to a small operating loss in the prior-year second quarter.

Backlogs at all three divisions were at historical highs, and incoming orders increased by 73% as compared to the prior year second quarter.  “Profitability for the quarter was negatively impacted in May due to ongoing foam shortages which improved in June and July.  A three-week production month in July also had an impact. There’s a lot of optimism in the Domestic Upholstery segment for the second half of the year,” said Hoff. “In addition to strong demand, we have seen stabilization of some raw materials issues such as foam allocation shortages. Our management focus is on servicing backlog with quality product and speed of delivery improvement which should drive increased profitability.”


Segment Reporting: All Other

All Other’s net sales decreased by $307,000 or 10% in the fiscal 2022 second quarter as compared to the prior year period due to an 11.3% sales decrease at H Contract. Operating income for the fiscal 2022 second quarter was $232,000 or 8.5% of net sales, compared to $350,000 or 11.5% of net sales in the prior year period.

As the retirement living market begins to slowly recover, H Contract incoming orders were up 6.4% over the prior-year second quarter, and backlog was 49% higher than the prior-year quarter end.


Cash, Debt and Inventory

Cash and cash equivalents stood at $37.4 million at fiscal 2022 second quarter-end, a decrease of $28.4 million compared to the balance at fiscal 2021 year-end due primarily to a $33.4 million increase in inventory as we continue to build inventories to meet increased customer demand and prepare for the holiday selling season.

Accounts receivable balances increased by $15 million as the result of increased net sales. We used existing cash on hand to pay $4.3 million in cash dividends to our shareholders and $3.5 million of capital expenditures to enhance our business systems and facilities.


Outlook

“In the current environment, supply chain and logistics continue to be our biggest challenges,” Hoff said. “The recent temporary Covid-related factory shutdowns in Vietnam and Malaysia in particular will have negative ripple effects throughout the global supply chain for some time.”

“Our Hooker Branded and Domestic Upholstery segments, where we have better ability to keep more product flowing and to ship from our significant US and Asia warehousing capacity is less challenged than Home Meridian, since Home Meridian ships primarily to larger customers via container and is more quickly impacted by factory shutdowns. Consequently, we expect our second-half net sales and income to be adversely affected by these challenges, particularly in our Home Meridian segment.”

“Our strong balance sheet and variable cost business model give us confidence that we can weather the current industry-wide challenges and should allow us to take advantage of the healthy consumer demand environment and long-term positive economic indicators and demographic trends for home-related industries,” Hoff concluded.


Dividends

On September 2, 2021, the Company’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.18 per share, payable on September 30, 2021, to shareholders of record at September 16, 2021. 


Conference Call Details

Hooker Furniture will present its fiscal 2022 second quarter financial results via teleconference and live internet web cast on Thursday morning, September 9, 2021 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. The dial-in number for domestic callers is 877.665.2466 and the number for international callers is 678.894.3031. The conference ID number is 6962007. The call will be simultaneously web cast and archived for replay on the Company’s web site at www.hookerfurniture.com in the Investor Relations section.

Hooker Furniture Corporation, in its 98th year of business, is a designer, marketer and importer of casegoods (wooden and metal furniture), leather furniture and fabric-upholstered furniture for the residential, hospitality and contract markets. The Company also domestically manufactures premium residential custom leather and custom fabric-upholstered furniture. It is ranked among the nation’s largest publicly traded furniture sources, based on 2020 shipments to U.S. retailers, according to a 2021 survey by a leading trade publication. Major casegoods product categories include home entertainment, home office, accent, dining, and bedroom furniture in the upper-medium price points sold under the Hooker Furniture brand.  Hooker’s residential upholstered seating product lines include Bradington-Young, a specialist in upscale motion and stationary leather furniture, Sam Moore Furniture, a specialist in upscale occasional chairs, settees, sofas and sectional seating with an emphasis on cover-to-frame customization, Hooker Upholstery, imported upholstered furniture targeted at the upper-medium price-range and Shenandoah Furniture, an upscale upholstered furniture company specializing in private label sectionals, modulars, sofas, chairs, ottomans, benches, beds and dining chairs in the upper-medium price points for lifestyle specialty retailers.  The H Contract product line supplies upholstered seating and casegoods to upscale senior living facilities. The Home Meridian division addresses more moderate price points and channels of distribution not currently served by other Hooker Furniture divisions or brands. Home Meridian’s brands include Accentrics Home, home furnishings centered around an eclectic mix of unique pieces and materials that offer a fresh take on home fashion, Pulaski Furniture, casegoods covering the complete design spectrum in a wide range of bedroom, dining room, accent and display cabinets at medium price points, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, value-conscious offerings in bedroom, dining room, home office and youth furnishings, Prime Resources, value-conscious imported leather upholstered furniture, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality, a designer and supplier of hotel furnishings, and HMidea, 2019 start-up that provides better-quality, ready-to-assemble furniture to mass marketers and e-commerce customers and includes our Clubs channel. Hooker Furniture Corporation’s corporate offices and upholstery manufacturing facilities are located in Virginia and North Carolina, with showrooms in High Point, N.C. and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The company operates distribution centers in North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, California and Vietnam. Please visit our websites hookerfurniture.com, bradington-young.com, sammoore.com, hcontractfurniture.com, homemeridian.com, pulaskifurniture.com, accentricshome.com and slh-co.com.

Certain statements made in this release, other than those based on historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our reasonable judgment with respect to future events and typically can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could” or “anticipates,” or the negative thereof, or other variations thereon, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy.  Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.  Those risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: (1) The effect and consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or future pandemics on a wide range of matters including but not limited to U.S. and local economies; our business operations and continuity; the health and productivity of our employees; and the impact on our global supply chain, the retail environment and our customer base; (2) general economic or business conditions, both domestically and internationally, and instability in the financial and credit markets, including their potential impact on our (i) sales and operating costs and access to financing or (ii) customers and suppliers and their ability to obtain financing or generate the cash necessary to conduct their respective businesses; (3) adverse political acts or developments in, or affecting, the international markets from which we import products, including duties or tariffs imposed on those products by foreign governments or the U.S. government, such as the prior U.S. administration’s imposition of a 25% tariff on certain goods imported into the United States from China including almost all furniture and furniture components manufactured in China, which is still in effect, with the potential for additional or increased tariffs in the future; (4) risks associated with our reliance on offshore sourcing and the cost of imported goods, including fluctuation in the prices of purchased finished goods, ocean freight costs, including the price and availability of shipping containers, vessels and domestic trucking, and warehousing costs and the risk that a disruption in our offshore suppliers could adversely affect our ability to timely fill customer orders; (5) changes in U.S. and foreign government regulations and in the political, social and economic climates of the countries from which we source our products; (6) disruptions involving our vendors or the transportation and handling industries, particularly those affecting imported products from Vietnam and China, including customs issues, labor stoppages, strikes or slowdowns and the availability of shipping containers and cargo ships; (7) difficulties in forecasting demand for our imported products; (8) risks associated with product defects, including higher than expected costs associated with product quality and safety, and regulatory compliance costs related to the sale of consumer products and costs related to defective or non-compliant products, including product liability claims and costs to recall defective products, and the adverse effects of negative media coverage; (9) disruptions and damage (including those due to weather) affecting our Virginia, North Carolina or California warehouses (and our new Georgia warehouse when occupied), our Virginia or North Carolina administrative facilities or our representative offices or warehouses in Vietnam and China; (10) risks associated with our newly leased warehouse space in Georgia, including delays in construction and occupancy and risks associated with our move to the facility, including information systems, access to warehouse labor and the inability to realize anticipated cost savings; (11) risks associated with domestic manufacturing operations, including fluctuations in capacity utilization and the prices and availability of key raw materials, as well as changes in transportation, warehousing and domestic labor costs, availability of skilled labor, and environmental compliance and remediation costs; (12) the risks specifically related to the concentrations of a material part of our sales and accounts receivable in only a few customers, including the loss of several large customers through business consolidations, failures or other reasons, or the loss of significant sales programs with major customers; (13) our inability to collect amounts owed to us or significant delays in collecting such amounts; (14) the interruption, inadequacy, security breaches or integration failure of our information systems or information technology infrastructure, related service providers or the internet or other related issues including unauthorized disclosures of confidential information or inadequate levels of cyber-insurance or risks not covered by cyber insurance; (15) the direct and indirect costs associated with the implementation of our Enterprise Resource Planning system, including costs resulting from unanticipated disruptions to our business; (16) achieving and managing growth and change, and the risks associated with new business lines, acquisitions, including the selection of suitable acquisition targets, restructurings, strategic alliances and international operations; (17) the impairment of our long-lived assets, which can result in reduced earnings and net worth; (18) capital requirements and costs; (19) risks associated with distribution through third-party retailers, such as non-binding dealership arrangements; (20) the cost and difficulty of marketing and selling our products in foreign markets; (21) changes in domestic and international monetary policies and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates affecting the price of our imported products and raw materials; (22) the cyclical nature of the furniture industry, which is particularly sensitive to changes in consumer confidence, the amount of consumers’ income available for discretionary purchases, and the availability and terms of consumer credit; (23) price competition in the furniture industry; (24) competition from non-traditional outlets, such as internet and catalog retailers; (25) changes in consumer preferences, including increased demand for lower-quality, lower-priced furniture; and (26) other risks and uncertainties described under Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021. Any forward-looking statement that we make speaks only as of the date of that statement, and we undertake no obligation, except as required by law, to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise and you should not expect us to do so.

Table I
HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
    For the
    Thirteen Weeks Ended   Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
    Aug 1,   Aug 2,   Aug 1,   Aug 2,
   
2021
  2020  
2021
  2020
                 
Net sales $ 162,519   $ 130,537     $ 325,379   $ 235,134  
                 
Cost of sales   130,802     103,537       260,080     189,480  
                 
Gross profit   31,717     27,000       65,299     45,654  
                 
Selling and administrative expenses   21,460     18,892       42,204     38,070  
Goodwill impairment charges                 39,568  
Trade name impairment charges                 4,750  
Intangible asset amortization   596     596       1,192     1,192  
                 
Operating income/(loss)   9,661     7,512       21,903     (37,926 )
                 
Other income/(expense), net   21     (10 )     27     (51 )
Interest expense, net   23     118       54     327  
                 
Income/(loss) before income taxes     9,659     7,384       21,876     (38,304 )
                 
Income tax expense/(benefit)   2,192     1,610       4,966     (9,259 )
                 
Net income/(loss) $ 7,467   $ 5,774     $ 16,910   $ (29,045 )
                 
Earnings/(Loss) per share              
Basic $ 0.63   $ 0.49     $ 1.42   $ (2.46 )
Diluted $ 0.62   $ 0.48     $ 1.40   $ (2.46 )
                 
Weighted average shares outstanding:            
Basic   11,850     11,824       11,842     11,811  
Diluted   11,993     11,853       11,985     11,811  
                 
Cash dividends declared per share $ 0.18   $ 0.16     $ 0.36   $ 0.32  
                 

 

Table II  
HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS)  
(In thousands)  
(Unaudited)  
    For the
    Thirteen Weeks Ended   Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
    Aug 1,   Aug 2,   Aug 1,   Aug 2,
      2021       2020       2021       2020  
                 
Net income/(loss)   $ 7,467     $ 5,774     $ 16,910     $ (29,045 )
Other comprehensive income (loss):                
Amortization of actuarial loss     100       84       201       168  
Income tax effect on amortization     (24 )     (20 )     (48 )     (40 )
Adjustments to net periodic benefit cost     76       64       153       128  
                 
Total Comprehensive Income/(Loss)   $ 7,543     $ 5,838     $ 17,063     $ (28,917 )
                 

 

Table III  
HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES  
 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS  
(In thousands)  
           
As of   August 1,   January 31,  
      2021       2021    
    (Unaudited)      
Assets          
Current assets          
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 37,411     $ 65,841    
Trade accounts receivable, net     98,294       83,290    
Inventories     103,595       70,159    
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     7,783       4,432    
Total current assets     247,083       223,722    
Property, plant and equipment, net     27,965       26,780    
Cash surrender value of life insurance policies     26,332       25,365    
Deferred taxes     12,504       14,173    
Operating leases right-of-use assets     26,176       34,613    
Intangible assets, net     25,045       26,237    
Goodwill     490       490    
Other assets     2,413       893    
Total non-current assets     120,925       128,551    
Total assets   $ 368,008     $ 352,273    
           
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity          
Current liabilities          
Trade accounts payable   $ 40,685     $ 32,213    
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits     6,979       7,136    
Income tax accrual     917       501    
Customer deposits     7,557       4,256    
Current portion of lease liabilities     5,942       6,650    
Other accrued expenses     2,848       3,354    
Total current liabilities     64,928       54,110    
Deferred compensation     10,848       11,219    
Lease liabilities     21,801       29,441    
Total long-term liabilities     32,649       40,660    
Total liabilities     97,577       94,770    
           
Shareholders’ equity          
Common stock, no par value, 20,000 shares authorized,          
11,924 and 11,888 shares issued and outstanding on each date   53,473       53,323    
Retained earnings     217,613       204,988    
Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (655 )     (808 )  
Total shareholders’ equity     270,431       257,503    
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity   $ 368,008     $ 352,273    
           
           

 

Table IV
HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
  For the Twenty-Six Weeks Ended  
  Aug 1,   Aug 2,  
    2021       2020    
Operating Activities:        
Net income/(loss) $ 16,910     $ (29,045 )  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash        
provided by operating activities:        
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges         44,318    
Depreciation and amortization   3,583       3,365    
Deferred income tax expense/(benefit)   1,621       (10,665 )  
Non-cash restricted stock and performance awards   150       1,046    
Provision for doubtful accounts and sales allowances   (340 )     3,396    
Gain on life insurance policies   (704 )     (651 )  
Changes in assets and liabilities        
Trade accounts receivable   (14,663 )     17,142    
Inventories   (33,435 )     25,106    
Income tax recoverable         751    
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   (4,663 )     (1,261 )  
Trade accounts payable   8,362       (1,391 )  
Accrued salaries, wages and benefits   (158 )     (726 )  
Accrued income taxes   417       975    
Customer deposits   3,302       977    
Operating lease liabilities   89       678    
Other accrued expenses   (507 )     (867 )  
Deferred compensation   (171 )     20    
Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities   (20,207 )     53,168    
         
Investing Activities:        
Purchases of property, plant and equipment   (3,465 )     (484 )  
Premiums paid on life insurance policies   (473 )     (453 )  
Proceeds received on life insurance policies         673    
Net cash used in investing activities   (3,938 )     (264 )  
         
Financing Activities:        
Cash dividends paid   (4,285 )     (3,796 )  
Payments for long-term debt         (2,929 )  
Cash used in financing activities   (4,285 )     (6,725 )  
         
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents   (28,430 )     46,179    
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of year   65,841       36,031    
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of year $ 37,411     $ 82,210    
         
Supplemental schedule of cash flow information:        
Income taxes paid, net $ 2,929     $ 220    
Interest paid, net   1       295    
         
Supplemental schedule of noncash investing activities:        
Decrease in lease liabilities arising from changes in right-of-use assets $ (4,919 )   $ (1,987 )  
Increase in property and equipment through accrued purchases   111       41    
         

  Table V    
  HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES    
  NET SALES AND OPERATING INCOME/(LOSS) BY SEGMENT    
  (In thousands)    
  Unaudited    
                       
    Thirteen Weeks Ended   Twenty-Six Weeks Ended  
   August 1, 2021
    August 2, 2020     August 1, 2021


    August 2, 2020    
      % Net   % Net     % Net   % Net  
Net Sales     Sales   Sales     Sales   Sales  
Hooker Branded   $ 49,929 30.7 % $ 38,820   29.7 %   $ 101,268 31.1 % $ 65,982   28.1 %  
Home Meridian     87,323 53.7 %   71,168   54.6 %     171,732 52.8 %   128,833   54.7 %  
Domestic Upholstery     22,532 13.9 %   17,507   13.4 %     47,025 14.5 %   34,290   14.6 %  
All Other     2,735 1.7 %   3,042   2.3 %     5,354 1.6 %   6,029   2.6 %  
Consolidated   $ 162,519 100 % $ 130,537   100 %   $ 325,379 100 % $ 235,134   100 %  
                       
Operating income/(loss)                    
Hooker Branded   $ 8,929 17.9 % $ 6,090   15.7 %   $ 18,371 18.1 % $ 7,423   11.2 %  
Home Meridian     43 0.0 %   1,083   1.5 %     908 0.5 %   (29,265 ) -22.7 %  
Domestic Upholstery     457 2.0 %   (10 ) -0.1 %     2,145 4.6 %   (16,820 ) -49.1 %  
All Other     232 8.5 %   349   11.5 %     479 8.9 %   736   12.2 %  
Consolidated   $ 9,661 5.9 % $ 7,512   5.8 %   $ 21,903 6.7 % $ (37,926 ) -16.1 %  
                       

For more information, contact:

Jeremy R. Hoff

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Phone: (276) 632-2133, or

Paul A. Huckfeldt, Senior Vice President, Finance & Accounting & Chief Financial Officer

Phone: (276) 666-3949