U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter Results
-- Net sales $80.5 million.
-- Adjusted EBITDA $4.3 million.
-- Gross margin 34.1%.
CARSON, Calif., Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRTS), one of the largest online providers of automotive aftermarket parts and accessories, today reported net sales for the fourth quarter ended January 1, 2011 of $80.5 million compared with Q4 2009 net sales of $45.8 million. Excluding $25.5 million of revenues from the acquisition of J.C. Whitney, net sales were $55.0 million, an increase of 20% over Q4 2009 net sales. Q4 2010 net loss was $2.9 million or $0.10 per share, compared with Q4 2009 net income of $0.6 million or $0.02 per diluted share. Q4 2010's net loss includes net loss of $3.1 million or $0.10 per share related to J.C. Whitney of which $1.5 million of the loss, net of tax was attributable to restructuring and acquisition expenses. Excluding J.C. Whitney's EBITDA loss of $1.0 million and related $1.5 million of restructuring and acquisition expenses, as well as $0.1 million of legal fees to protect intellectual property and $0.6 million of share-based compensation, adjusted EBITDA was $3.7 million, an increase of 3% over Q4 2009. For further information regarding adjusted EBITDA, including a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), see non-GAAP Financial Measures below.
For the year, net sales for 2010 were $262.3 million, compared with $176.3 million for 2009. Excluding $39.1 of sales from J.C. Whitney, net sales for 2010 were $223.2 million, an increase of 27% over 2009 net sales. Net loss for the year 2010 was $13.9 million, or $0.46 per share which includes a non-cash deferred income tax asset valuation reserve of $11.4 million or $0.38 per share, $3.1 million or $0.10 per share of restructuring charges related to J.C. Whitney and $2.3 million or $0.08 per share of legal expenses to protect intellectual property. This compares to net income of $1.3 million, or $0.04 per diluted share for 2009 which includes $0.4 million or $0.01 per share of legal expenses to protect intellectual property. Earnings per share ("EPS") for the years ended January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010 included amortization expense related to intangibles of $2.8 million or $0.09 per share and $0.7 million or $0.2 per diluted share, respectively. The Company generated adjusted EBITDA of $19.5 million in 2010 compared to $13.5 million in 2009. Adjusted EBITDA excludes share-based compensation expense of $2.7 million in 2010 and $3.3 million in 2009.
"We are pleased to report our sixth consecutive quarter of 20% plus organic sales growth. Additionally, we continue to be on track with the integration of our recent acquisition, Whitney Automotive Group. We have successfully converted the catalog, cut over StylinTruck and CarParts to our platform and are on track to cut over JC Whitney by the end of the 2Q 2011," stated Shane Evangelist, Chief Executive Officer.
Q4 2010 Financial Highlights
-- Net sales for Q4 2010 increased by 75.7% from Q4 2009. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, Q4 2010 net sales increased 20.2% due to a 19.5% increase in online sales and a 28.9% increase in offline sales. The increase in online sales resulted from an 8.5% improvement in conversion, 12.9% growth in unique visitors and a 2.7% increase in revenue capture, partially offset by a 2.7% decline in average order value. -- Gross profit for Q4 2010, increased 66.4% from Q4 2009. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, gross profit was $18.4 million an increase of 11.5%. Gross margin declined 1.9% to 34.1% of net sales compared with Q4 2009. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, gross margin was 33.4%. Gross margin was unfavorably impacted by increased freight expense of 1.1%, and a discontinuation of high margin loyalty programs of 0.6%. -- Online advertising expense, which includes catalog costs, was $7.1 million or 9.5% of Internet and catalog net sales for the Fourth quarter of 2010. Excluding JC Whitney, online advertising expense was 7.2% of Internet sales, up 0.5% from the prior year. Marketing expense, excluding advertising expense, was $6.1 million or 7.6% of net sales for the fourth quarter of 2010 compared to 7.1% in the prior year period. Excluding JC Whitney, marketing expense without advertising was $4.2 million or 7.6% of Q4 2010 net sales, up 0.5% from the prior year. The increase is primarily due to higher amortization from software deployments this year. -- General and administrative expense was $8.3 million or 10.4% of net sales for the fourth quarter of 2010 which includes $1.5 million of integration expenses for Whitney. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, Q4 2010 G&A expense was $5.0 million or 9.0% of net sales, down 1.8% from Q4 2009. This decrease reflects fixed cost leverage from higher sales. -- Fulfillment expense was $4.7 million or 5.8% of net sales in the fourth quarter of 2010. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, Q4 2010 fulfillment expense was 6.6% of net sales down from 6.7% last year. The decrease is primarily due to fixed cost leverage from higher sales. -- Technology expense was $2.1 million or 2.6% of net sales in the fourth quarter of 2010. Excluding the acquisition of JC Whitney, technology expense for Q4 2010 was 2.4% of net sales, unchanged from last year. -- Capital expenditures, inclusive of non-cash accrued asset purchases for the fourth quarter of 2010 were $3.5 million which included $1.8 million of internally developed software and website development costs.
Cash, cash equivalents and investments were $22.8 million and debt was $24.0 million at January 1, 2011. The Company includes $4.1 million of auction rate preferred securities in long-term assets as investments. Cash, cash equivalents and investments decreased by $6.9 million over the previous quarter primarily from JC Whitney related spending of $6.3 million including $3.4 million to pay-down stale accounts payable, $2.2 million of integration related capital expenditures and $0.7 million for inventory. U.S. Auto Parts also added $0.7 million of inventory during the quarter, all of which was private label. Also in connection with the Company’s credit facility, the Company’s Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage ratio was lower than the ratio required by the covenants in the Loan and Security Agreement between the Company and Silicon Valley Bank. The bank has granted an amendment and limited waiver, which will not impact operating flexibility going forward.
Q4 2010 Operating Metrics U.S. Auto Parts, Excluding JC Whitney Q4 2010 Q4 2009 Q3 2010 Conversion Rate 1.59% 1.47% 1.61% Customer Acquisition Cost $6.56 $6.48 $6.44 Marketing Spend (% Internet Sales) 7.2% 6.7% 7.3% Visitors (millions)(1) 28.3 25.1 29.4 Orders (thousands) 451 368 474 Revenue Capture (% Sales)(2) 86.1% 83.9% 84.4% Average Order Value $112 $115 $116 Consolidated Q4 2010 Q4 2009 Q3 2010 Conversion Rate 1.73% 1.47% 1.67% Customer Acquisition Cost $10.73 $6.48 $8.29 Marketing Spend (% Internet Sales) 9.5% 6.7% 8.2% Visitors (millions)(1) 37.4 25.1 34.8 Orders (thousands) 650 368 582 Revenue Capture (% Sales)(2) 85.0% 83.9% 83.1% Average Order Value $122 $115 $121 (1) Visitors do not include traffic from media properties (e.g. AutoMD). (2) Revenue capture is the amount of actual dollars retained after taking into consideration returns, credit card declines and product fulfillment.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Regulation G, "Conditions for Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures," and other provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, define and prescribe the conditions for use of certain non-GAAP financial information. We provide "Adjusted EBITDA," which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA consists of net income before (a) interest income (expense), net; (b) income tax provision (benefit); (c) amortization of intangibles and impairment loss; (d) depreciation and amortization; (e) share-based compensation expense related to stock options; (f) legal costs to enforce intellectual property rights; (g) charge for change in revenue recognition; and (h) restructuring costs.
The Company believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides important supplemental information to management and investors. This non-GAAP financial measure reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Company's operations that, when viewed with the GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Company's business and results of operations.
Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of the Company's operating performance because it assists in comparing the Company's operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of items not directly resulting from core operations. Internally, this non-GAAP measure is also used by management for planning purposes, including the preparation of internal budgets; for allocating resources to enhance financial performance; for evaluating the effectiveness of operational strategies; and for evaluating the Company's capacity to fund capital expenditures and expand its business. The Company also believes that analysts and investors use adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to evaluate the overall operating performance of companies in our industry. Additionally, lenders or potential lenders use adjusted EBITDA to evaluate the Company's ability to repay loans.
This non-GAAP financial measure is used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management strongly encourages investors to review the Company's consolidated financial statements in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. In addition, the Company expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments described above, and exclusion of these items from the Company's non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring.
The tables below reconcile net income (loss) to consolidated adjusted EBITDA and US Auto Parts excluding the JC Whitney acquisition for the periods presented (in thousands):
Thirteen Weeks Thirteen Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Consolidated Ended Ended Ended Ended January 1, January 2, January 1, January 2, 2011 2010 2011 2010 Net income (loss) $ (2,896) $ 586 $ (13,926) $ 1,317 Interest income, net 240 (17) 371 (189) Income tax provision 64 687 12,218 3,123 Amortization of intangibles 1,640 81 2,804 661 Depreciation and amortization 2,982 1,455 9,466 4,910 EBITDA 2,030 2,792 10,933 9,822 Share-based compensation 630 569 2,742 3,270 Legal costs to enforce intellectual property rights 87 229 2,284 433 Charge for change in revenue recognition - - 411 - Add back Legal Restructuring 38 - 393 - Add back Other Restructuring 1,496 - 2,731 - Adjusted EBITDA $ 4,281 $ 3,590 $ 19,494 $ 13,525
US Auto Parts Thirteen Weeks Thirteen Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Excluding JC Whitney Ended Ended Ended Ended January 1, January 2, January 1, January 2, 2011 2010 2011 2010 Net income (loss) $ 218 $ 586 $ (7,909) $ 1,317 Interest income, net 295 (17) 378 (189) Income tax provision 29 687 12,182 3,123 Amortization of intangibles 125 81 494 661 Depreciation and amortization 2,325 1,455 8,458 4,910 EBITDA 2,992 2,792 13,603 9,822 Share-based compensation 630 569 2,742 3,270 Legal costs to enforce intellectual property rights 87 229 2,284 433 Charge for change in revenue recognition - - 411 - Adjusted EBITDA $ 3,709 $ 3,590 $ 19,040 $ 13,525
Conference Call
As previously announced, the Company will conduct a conference call with analysts and investors to discuss the results today, Monday, at 2:00 pm Pacific Time (5:00 pm Eastern Time). The conference call will be conducted by Shane Evangelist, Chief Executive Officer and Ted Sanders, Chief Financial Officer. Participants may access the call by dialing 1-877-941-4776 (domestic) or 1-480-629-9762 (international). In addition, the call will be broadcast live over the Internet and accessible through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.usautoparts.net where the call will be archived for two weeks. A telephone replay will be available through March 14, 2011. To access the replay, please dial 1-877-870-5176 (domestic) or 1-858-384-5517 (international), passcode 4415933. To view the press release or the financial or other statistical information required by SEC Regulation G, please visit the Investor Relations section of the U.S. Auto Parts website at investor.usautoparts.net.
About U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.
Established in 1995, U.S. Auto Parts is a leading online provider of automotive aftermarket parts, including body parts, engine parts, performance parts and accessories. Through the Company's network of websites, U.S. Auto Parts provides individual consumers with a broad selection of competitively priced products that are mapped by a proprietary product database to product applications based on vehicle makes, models and years. U.S. Auto Parts' flagship websites are located at www.autopartswarehouse.com, www.jcwhitney.com, www.partstrain.com and www.AutoMD.com and the Company's corporate website is located at www.usautoparts.net.
U.S. Auto Parts is headquartered in Carson, California.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements which are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business and its industry, as well as certain assumptions made by the Company. These statements are forward looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Words such as ''anticipates,'' "could," ''expects,'' ''intends,'' ''plans,'' "potential," ''believes,'' "predicts," "projects," ''seeks,'' "estimates," "may,'' ''will,'' "would," "will likely continue" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations regarding its future operating results and financial condition, impact of changes in our key operating metrics, speed of integration and/or profitability and performance of acquisitions, our potential growth, our liquidity requirements, and the status of our auction rate preferred securities. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.
Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, economic downturn that could adversely impact retail sales; performance of the Company's acquistion; marketplace illiquidity; demand for the Company's products; increases in commodity and component pricing that would increase the Company's per unit cost and reduce margins; the competitive and volatile environment in the Company's industry; the Company's ability to expand and price its product offerings, control costs and expenses, and provide superior customer service; the mix of products sold by the Company; the effect and timing of technological changes and the Company's ability to integrate such changes and maintain, update and expand its infrastructure and improve its unified product catalog; the Company's ability to improve customer satisfaction and retain, recruit and hire key executives, technical personnel and other employees in the positions and numbers, with the experience and capabilities, and at the compensation levels needed to implement the Company's business plans both domestically and internationally; the Company's cash needs; any changes in the search algorithms by leading Internet search companies; the Company's need to assess impairment of intangible assets and goodwill; and the Company's ability to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and maintain an adequate system of internal controls; any remediation costs or other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the Risk Factors contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available at www.usautoparts.net and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements in this release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise.
U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) January 1, 2011 January 2, 2010 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 17,595 $ 26,251 Short-term investments 1,062 11,071 Accounts receivable, net 6,849 3,383 Inventory 48,100 18,610 Deferred income taxes 359 1,513 Other current assets 5,646 3,148 Total current assets 79,611 63,976 Property and equipment, net 33,140 12,405 Intangible assets, net 18,718 3,114 Goodwill 17,137 9,772 Deferred income taxes - 10,985 Investments 4,141 4,264 Other non-current assets 787 98 Total assets $ 153,534 $ 104,614 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 31,660 $ 11,371 Accrued expenses 15,487 8,038 Notes payable 6,122 — Capital leases payable, current portion 132 — Other current liabilities 5,522 2,518 Total current liabilities 58,923 21,927 Non-current liabilities: Notes payable, net of current portion 17,875 — Capital leases payable, net of current portion 185 — Deferred tax liabilities 3,046 — Other non current liabilities 701 — Total liabilities, commitments and contingencies 80,730 21,927 Stockholders' equity: Common stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized at January 1, 2011 and January 02, 2010; 30,429,376 and 29,893,631 shares issued and outstanding as of January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010, respectively 30 30 Additional paid-in capital 153,962 150,084 Accumulated other comprehensive income 249 84 Accumulated deficit (81,437) (67,511) Total stockholders' equity 72,804 82,687 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 153,534 $ 104,614
U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except share and per share data) Thirteen Weeks Thirteen Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Ended Ended Ended Ended January 1, January 2, January 1, January 2, 2011 2010 2011 2010 Net sales $ 80,450 $ 45,776 $ 262,277 $ 176,288 Cost of sales 53,051 29,309 172,668 112,415 Gross profit 27,399 16,467 89,609 63,873 Operating expenses: Marketing (1) 13,261 6,053 38,757 23,419 General and administrative (1) 8,339 4,933 28,628 19,640 Fulfillment (1) 4,677 3,051 14,946 11,437 Technology (1) 2,062 1,093 5,902 4,467 Amortization of intangibles and impairment loss 1,640 81 2,804 661 Total operating expenses 29,979 15,211 91,037 59,624 Income (loss) from operations (2,580) 1,256 (1,428) 4,249 Other income: Other income (expense) (12) - 91 2 Interest income, net (240) 17 (371) 189 Other income, net (252) 17 (280) 191 Income before income taxes (2,832) 1,273 (1,708) 4,440 Income tax provision 64 687 12,218 3,123 Net income (loss) $ (2,896) $ 586 $ (13,926) $ 1,317 Basic net income (loss) per share $ (0.10) $ 0.02 $ (0.46) $ 0.04 Diluted net income (loss) per share $ (0.10) $ 0.02 $ (0.46) $ 0.04 Shares used in computation of basic net income (loss) per share 30,402,264 29,865,452 30,357,988 29,851,873 Shares used in computation of diluted net income (loss) per share 30,402,264 31,245,893 30,357,988 30,809,111 Thirteen Weeks Thirteen Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Fifty-Two Weeks Ended Ended Ended Ended January 1, January 2, January 1, January 2, (1) Includes share-based compensation expense as follows: 2011 2010 2011 2010 Marketing $ 56 $ 114 $ 321 $ 436 General and administrative 422 384 1,869 2,276 Fulfillment 115 60 376 213 Technology 37 11 176 345 Total share-based compensation expense $ 630 $ 569 $ 2,742 $ 3,270
U.S. AUTO PARTS NETWORK, INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands) Fifty-Two Weeks Ended Fifty-Two Weeks Ended January 1, January 2, 2011 2010 Operating activities Net (loss) income $ (13,926) $ 1,317 Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 9,466 4,910 Amortization of intangibles 2,804 661 Share-based compensation expense 2,742 3,270 Deferred taxes 12,336 3,634 Gain from disposition of assets (5) - Amortization of deferred financing costs 50 - Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 919 (2,030) Inventory (17,124) (7,700) Other current assets (1,229) (1,055) Other non current assets (123) (3) Accounts payable and accrued expenses (979) 7,560 Other current liabilities 1,812 1,023 Other non current liabilities 700 - Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (2,557) 11,587 Investing activities Additions to property and equipment (12,068) (8,400) Proceeds from the sale of investments 29,641 2,150 Purchases of investments (19,540) (11,090) Purchases of company-owned life insurance (250) - Acquisition (27,500) - Purchases of intangible assets (1,012) (739) Net cash used in investing activities (30,729) (18,079) Financing activities Payments on short-term financing (77) (47) Proceeds from notes payable 25,000 - Payments on notes payable (1,000) - Payments of debt financing costs (467) - Proceeds from exercise of stock options 956 162 Net cash provided by financing activities 24,412 115 Effect of changes in foreign currencies 218 155 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (8,656) (6,222) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 26,251 32,473 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 17,595 $ 26,251 Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing activities: Accrued asset purchases 1,691 451 Property acquired under capital lease 370 - Unrealized gain on investments 15 19 Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash paid during the period for income taxes 131 589 Cash paid during the period for interest 127 2
Investor Contacts: Ted Sanders, Chief Financial Officer U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. tsanders@usautoparts.com (424) 702-1455 Budd Zuckerman, President Genesis Select Corporation bzuckerman@genesisselect.com (303) 415-0200
SOURCE U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.
Released February 28, 2011