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home / news releases / BXC - BlueLinx Announces Record Gross Margin and Net Income for Fourth Quarter and Full Year


BXC - BlueLinx Announces Record Gross Margin and Net Income for Fourth Quarter and Full Year

— Gross Margin of 12.7% for the Year; Up 60 Basis Points From Prior Year —
— Net Income of $53.5 Million for the Quarter and $63.0 Million for the Fiscal Year —
— Adjusted EBITDA of $9.8 Million for the Quarter and $43.9 Million for the Fiscal Year —
— Debt Principal Reduction of $22.5 Million From Q4 2016 —

ATLANTA, March 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC), a leading distributor of building and industrial products in the United States, today reported financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and audited financial results for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2017.

“We are pleased to share our 2017 results, including our best full year gross margin and net income on record and our best full year Adjusted EBITDA since 2006. These results, coupled with the four sale-leaseback transactions we completed on January 10, 2018, position us well to capitalize on our anticipated continued strength in the markets we serve,” said Mitch Lewis, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Susan O’Farrell, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer added, “2017 was exceptional for BlueLinx. Our continued focus on deleveraging the business led to one of the best years in Company history as we improved our financial results and significantly reduced our debt.”

Fourth Quarter Results Compared to Prior Year Period
BlueLinx generated net sales of $433.6 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, up $12.0 million or 2.8% from the prior fiscal fourth quarter. As previously disclosed, the Company initiated several operational efficiency initiatives beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, pursuant to which it closed and sold certain facilities and rationalized inventory by discontinuing certain underperforming products. When excluding the effects of these operational efficiency initiatives, adjusted same-center net sales, which is a non-GAAP measure, increased by $14.7 million or 3.5% from this period a year ago.

The Company recorded gross profit of $55.5 million during the fiscal fourth quarter, up $3.1 million or 6.0% from the prior fiscal fourth quarter, with a gross margin of 12.8%, an increase of 40 basis points from the prior year period. When excluding the effects of the Company’s operational efficiency initiatives, adjusted same-center gross profit, which is a non-GAAP measure, increased by $3.4 million from this period a year ago.

The Company released a substantial portion of its Deferred Tax Valuation Allowance during the fiscal fourth quarter, resulting in a significant income tax benefit. BlueLinx recorded net income of $53.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, up $43.1 million from this period a year ago. The previous fiscal fourth quarter included real estate gains of $13.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure, was $9.8 million for the fiscal fourth quarter, up $4.2 million or 73.2% from this period a year ago.

Full Year Fiscal 2017 Compared to Prior Year Period
For the full fiscal year ended 2017, the Company generated $1.82 billion in net sales compared to $1.88 billion from the prior year. When excluding the effects of our operational efficiency initiatives, adjusted same-center net sales, which is a non-GAAP measure, increased by $63.7 million or 3.6% from the same period in fiscal 2016.

Gross profit for the full fiscal year ended 2017 was $231.0 million, up $3.6 million from the prior year period, with a gross margin of 12.7%, an increase of 60 basis points from 2016. When excluding the effects of the Company’s operational efficiency initiatives, adjusted same-center gross profit, which is a non-GAAP measure, increased by $11.2 million from the prior fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

Net income for the full fiscal year was $63.0 million, up $46.9 million from this period a year ago, with a diluted earnings per share of $6.81. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure, for the full fiscal year was $43.9 million, an increase of $7.5 million or 20.6% from the fiscal year ended 2016. Excluding the effects of our operational efficiency initiatives, same-center Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP measure, was up $9.5 million or 27.4% from the same period in fiscal 2016. 

Working Capital and Liquidity
As of December 30, 2017, the Company had $63.3 million of excess availability under its asset-based revolving credit facility, based on qualifying inventory and receivables. As a result of our working capital initiatives and mortgage reduction efforts, interest expense for the full fiscal year 2017 decreased by $3.7 million or 14.8% from the same period in fiscal 2016. With the new five-year revolving credit facility entered into on October 10, 2017, additional interest rate savings will be obtained over the life of the loan compared to the previous credit facility. The new facility’s improved economic terms include LIBOR margin improvements of 75 to 125 basis points depending on excess availability levels.

In fiscal year 2018, the Company paid off the remaining mortgage principal of approximately $98.0 million. The payment was funded through long-term sale leaseback transactions on four properties owned by the Company, which provided $110.0 million in aggregate sale proceeds.

Conference Call
BlueLinx will host a conference call today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, accompanied by a supporting slide presentation. Investors can listen to the conference call and view the accompanying slide presentation by going to the BlueLinx website, www.BlueLinxCo.com, and selecting the conference link on the Investor Relations page. Investors will be able to access an archived recording of the conference call for one week following the live call by dialing 404-537-3406, Conference ID# 5957630. The recording will be available two hours after the conference call has concluded. Investors can also access a recording of this call on the BlueLinx website.

Use of Non-GAAP Measures and Supplementary Information
BlueLinx reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). The Company also believes that presentation of certain non-GAAP measures may be useful to investors. Any non-GAAP measures used herein are reconciled in the financial tables accompanying this news release. The Company cautions that non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the Company’s reported GAAP results.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as an amount equal to net income plus interest expense and all interest expense related items, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and further adjusted to exclude certain non-cash items and other adjustments to Consolidated Net Income. Further, we also exclude, as an additional measure, the effects of the operational efficiency initiatives, to determine same-center Adjusted EBITDA, which is useful for period over period comparability.

We present Adjusted EBITDA (and the exclusion of the effects of the operational efficiency initiatives) because it is a primary measure used by management to evaluate operating performance and, we believe, helps to enhance investors’ overall understanding of the financial performance and cash flows of our business. However, Adjusted EBITDA is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP, and is not intended to present a superior measure of the financial condition from those determined under GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA, as used herein, is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is helpful in highlighting operating trends. We also believe that Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in their evaluation of companies, many of which present an Adjusted EBITDA measure when reporting their results. We compensate for the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures by using them to supplement GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than using GAAP results alone.

We define the non-GAAP metrics of adjusted same-center net sales and adjusted same-center gross profit as net sales and gross profit excluding the effects of both closed facilities and the inventory rationalization initiative. These measures are not in accordance with GAAP, and are not intended to present a superior measure of the financial condition from those determined under GAAP. Adjusted same-center net sales and adjusted same-center gross profit, as used herein, are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation.

We believe adjusted same-center net sales and adjusted same-center gross profit are helpful in presenting comparability across periods. We also believe that these non-GAAP metrics are used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in their evaluation of our company, to illustrate the effects of these initiatives. We compensate for the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures by using them to supplement GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than using GAAP results alone.

Additionally, we believe supplementary GAAP-based information such as operating working capital and debt principal are helpful to investors in explaining the impacts of our operating efficiencies. Operating working capital is defined as current assets less current liabilities plus the current portion of long-term debt. Operating working capital is an important measure we use to determine the efficiencies of our operations and our ability to readily convert assets into cash. Debt principal is defined as the principal amount of debt payable at the stated period-end date and is used by management to monitor our progress in meeting our goals to reduce the debt on our balance sheet.

About BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
BlueLinx Holdings Inc., operating through its wholly owned subsidiary BlueLinx Corporation, is a leading distributor of building and industrial products in the United States. The Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and operates its distribution business through its broad network of distribution centers. BlueLinx is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BXC. Additional information about BlueLinx can be found on its website at www.BlueLinxCo.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to profitability, and our guidance regarding anticipated financial results. All of these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by our management that, although believed by BlueLinx to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors outside of BlueLinx’s control that may cause its business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, among other things: changes in the prices, supply and/or demand for products that it distributes, inventory management and commodities pricing; new housing starts and inventory levels of existing homes for sale; general economic and business conditions in the United States; acceptance by our customers of our privately branded products; financial condition and creditworthiness of our customers; supply from our key vendors; reliability of the technologies we utilize; the activities of competitors; changes in significant operating expenses; fuel costs; risk of losses associated with accidents; exposure to product liability claims; changes in the availability of capital and interest rates; adverse weather patterns or conditions; acts of cyber intrusion; variations in the performance of the financial markets, including the credit markets; and other factors described in the “Risk Factors” section in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BlueLinx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events, and changes in expectations or otherwise, except as required by law.


 
BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
 
Quarter Ended
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
(unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Net sales
$
433,608
 
 
$
421,657
 
 
$
1,815,535
 
 
$
1,881,043
 
Cost of sales
378,104
 
 
369,283
 
 
1,584,506
 
 
1,653,637
 
Gross profit
55,504
 
 
52,374
 
 
231,029
 
 
227,406
 
Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selling, general, and administrative
49,419
 
 
47,347
 
 
198,709
 
 
204,509
 
Gains from sales of property
 
 
(13,395
)
 
(6,700
)
 
(28,097
)
Depreciation and amortization
2,167
 
 
2,251
 
 
9,032
 
 
9,342
 
Total operating expenses
51,586
 
 
36,203
 
 
201,041
 
 
185,754
 
Operating income
3,918
 
 
16,171
 
 
29,988
 
 
41,652
 
Non-operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
4,945
 
 
5,336
 
 
21,225
 
 
24,898
 
Other income, net
(272
)
 
(42
)
 
(822
)
 
(452
)
Income (loss) before (benefit from) provision for income taxes
(755
)
 
10,877
 
 
9,585
 
 
17,206
 
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
(54,241
)
 
512
 
 
(53,409
)
 
1,121
 
Net income
$
53,486
 
 
$
10,365
 
 
$
62,994
 
 
$
16,085
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic earnings per share
$
5.89
 
 
$
1.16
 
 
$
6.96
 
 
$
1.80
 
Diluted earnings per share
$
5.76
 
 
$
1.14
 
 
$
6.81
 
 
$
1.77
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
$
53,486
 
 
$
10,365
 
 
$
62,994
 
 
$
16,085
 
Other comprehensive income (loss):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreign currency translation, net of tax
2
 
 
(14
)
 
14
 
 
264
 
Amortization of unrecognized pension gain (loss), net of tax
(74
)
 
9,256
 
 
130
 
 
(2,141
)
Total other comprehensive (loss) income
(72
)
 
9,242
 
 
144
 
 
(1,877
)
Comprehensive income
$
53,414
 
 
$
19,607
 
 
$
63,138
 
 
$
14,208
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share data)
 
 
December 30,
2017
 
December 31,
2016
ASSETS
Current assets:
 
 
 
Cash
$
4,696
 
 
$
5,540
 
Receivables, less allowances of $2,761 and $2,733, respectively
134,072
 
 
125,857
 
Inventories
187,512
 
 
191,287
 
Other current assets
17,124
 
 
23,126
 
Total current assets
343,404
 
 
345,810
 
Property and equipment:
 
 
 
Land and improvements
30,802
 
 
34,609
 
Buildings
84,781
 
 
80,131
 
Machinery and equipment
70,596
 
 
72,122
 
Construction in progress
570
 
 
3,104
 
Property and equipment, at cost
186,749
 
 
189,966
 
Accumulated depreciation
(102,977
)
 
(101,644
)
Property and equipment, net
83,772
 
 
88,322
 
Deferred tax asset
53,853
 
 
 
Other non-current assets
13,066
 
 
10,005
 
Total assets
$
494,095
 
 
$
444,137
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Current liabilities:
 
 
 
Accounts payable
$
70,623
 
 
$
82,735
 
Bank overdrafts
21,593
 
 
21,696
 
Accrued compensation
9,229
 
 
8,349
 
Current maturities of long-term debt, net of discount of $0 and $201, respectively
 
 
29,469
 
Other current liabilities
16,160
 
 
12,092
 
Total current liabilities
117,605
 
 
154,341
 
Non-current liabilities:
 
 
 
Long-term debt, net of discount of $3,792 and $2,544, respectively
276,677
 
 
270,792
 
Pension benefit obligation
30,360
 
 
34,349
 
Other non-current liabilities
34,451
 
 
14,496
 
Commitments and contingencies
 
 
 
Total liabilities
459,093
 
 
473,978
 
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
 
 
 
Common Stock, $0.01 par value, Authorized - 20,000,000 shares, Issued and Outstanding - 9,100,923 and 9,031,263, respectively
91
 
 
90
 
Additional paid-in capital
259,588
 
 
257,972
 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(36,507
)
 
(36,651
)
Accumulated deficit
(188,170
)
 
(251,252
)
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)
35,002
 
 
(29,841
)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)
$
494,095
 
 
$
444,137
 
 



 
BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
 
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
(In thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities:
 
 
 
Net income
$
62,994
 
 
$
16,085
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used in) provided by operations:
 
 
 
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
(53,409
)
 
1,121
 
Depreciation and amortization
9,032
 
 
9,342
 
Amortization of debt issuance costs
1,990
 
 
2,688
 
Gains from sales of property
(6,700
)
 
(28,097
)
Pension expense (credit)
(186
)
 
799
 
Share-based compensation
2,480
 
 
2,339
 
Other
(350
)
 
100
 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
 
 
 
Accounts receivable
(8,214
)
 
12,687
 
Inventories
3,775
 
 
35,374
 
Accounts payable
(12,112
)
 
(5,352
)
Prepaid assets
(1,058
)
 
632
 
Quarterly pension contributions
(2,996
)
 
(4,666
)
Payments on operational efficiency initiatives and/or restructuring
 
 
(4,812
)
Other assets and liabilities
2,251
 
 
3,157
 
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities
(2,503
)
 
41,397
 
Cash flows from investing activities:
 
 
 
Property and equipment investments
(797
)
 
(631
)
Proceeds from disposition of assets
27,635
 
 
37,476
 
Net cash provided by investing activities
26,838
 
 
36,845
 
Cash flows from financing activities:
 
 
 
Repurchase of shares to satisfy employee tax withholdings
(226
)
 
(178
)
Repayments on revolving credit facilities
(435,708
)
 
(519,873
)
Borrowings from revolving credit facilities
441,779
 
 
475,112
 
Principal payments on mortgage
(28,976
)
 
(41,377
)
Payments on capital lease obligations
(3,429
)
 
(2,908
)
(Decrease) increase in bank overdrafts
(103
)
 
4,409
 
Increase in cash in escrow related to the mortgage
1,490
 
 
7,628
 
Debt financing costs
 
 
(602
)
Other
(6
)
 
279
 
Net cash used in financing activities
(25,179
)
 
(77,510
)
(Decrease) increase in cash
(844
)
 
732
 
Cash, beginning of period
5,540
 
 
4,808
 
Cash, end of period
$
4,696
 
 
$
5,540
 
 
 
 
 
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
 
 
 
Net income tax payments during the period
$
1,577
 
 
$
627
 
Interest paid during the period
$
19,825
 
 
$
21,236
 
Noncash transactions:
 
 
 
Property and equipment under capital leases
$
11,828
 
 
$
3,433
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASUREMENTS
(In thousands)
(unaudited)
 
The following schedule reconciles net income to Adjusted EBITDA, including Same-center Adjusted EBITDA:
 
 
 
 
 
Quarter Ended
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
Net income
$
53,486
 
 
$
10,365
 
 
$
62,994
 
 
$
16,085
 
Adjustments:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
2,167
 
 
2,251
 
 
9,032
 
 
9,342
 
Interest expense
4,945
 
 
5,336
 
 
21,225
 
 
24,898
 
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes
(54,241
)
 
512
 
 
(53,409
)
 
1,121
 
Gains from sales of property
 
 
(13,395
)
 
(6,700
)
 
(28,097
)
Share-based compensation expense
661
 
 
572
 
 
2,465
 
 
2,193
 
Restructuring, severance, and legal
2,817
 
 
39
 
 
8,312
 
 
7,361
 
Refinancing-related expenses
 
 
 
 
 
 
3,518
 
Adjusted EBITDA
$
9,835
 
 
$
5,680
 
 
$
43,919
 
 
$
36,421
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted EBITDA
$
9,835
 
 
$
5,680
 
 
$
43,919
 
 
$
36,421
 
Less: non-GAAP adjustments
 
 
 
 
 
 
1,954
 
Same-center Adjusted EBITDA
$
9,835
 
 
$
5,680
 
 
$
43,919
 
 
$
34,467
 


 
 
 
 

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net sales and gross profit to the non-GAAP measures of adjusted same-center sales and adjusted same-center gross profit versus comparable prior periods:

 
Quarter Ended
 
Fiscal Year Ended
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
Net sales
$
433,608
 
 
$
421,657
 
 
$
1,815,535
 
 
$
1,881,043
 
Less: non-GAAP adjustments
 
 
2,788
 
 
 
 
129,184
 
Adjusted same-center net sales
$
433,608
 
 
$
418,869
 
 
$
1,815,535
 
 
$
1,751,859
 
Adjusted year-over-year percentage increase
3.5
%
 
 
 
3.6
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
$
55,504
 
 
$
52,374
 
 
$
231,029
 
 
$
227,406
 
Less: non-GAAP adjustments
 
 
310
 
 
50
 
 
7,617
 
Adjusted same-center gross profit
$
55,504
 
 
$
52,064
 
 
$
230,979
 
 
$
219,789
 
 



 
BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
(In thousands)
(unaudited)
 
Debt Principal
 
The following schedule presents debt principal for the fourth quarters of fiscal 2017 and 2016, respectively:
 
 
December
30, 2017
 
December
31, 2016
 
YOY
Change
Revolving credit facilities - principal
$
182,685
 
 
$
176,183
 
 
$
6,502
 
Mortgage - principal
97,847
 
 
126,823
 
 
(28,976
)
Total
$
280,532
 
 
$
303,006
 
 
$
(22,474
)

Operating Working Capital

Operating working capital is defined as current assets less current liabilities plus the current portion of long-term debt. The following schedule displays the selected balance sheet components of our operating working capital calculation:

 
December 30,
2017
 
December 31,
2016
 
YOY Change
Current assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Cash
$
4,696
 
 
$
5,540
 
 
$
(844
)
Receivables, less allowances of $2,761 and $2,733, respectively
134,072
 
 
125,857
 
 
8,215
 
Inventories
187,512
 
 
191,287
 
 
(3,775
)
Other current assets
17,124
 
 
23,126
 
 
(6,002
)
Total current assets
$
343,404
 
 
$
345,810
 
 
$
(2,406
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Current liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
Accounts payable
$
70,623
 
 
$
82,735
 
 
$
(12,112
)
Bank overdrafts
21,593
 
 
21,696
 
 
(103
)
Accrued compensation
9,229
 
 
8,349
 
 
880
 
Current maturities of long-term debt, net of discount of $0 and $201, respectively
 
 
29,469
 
 
(29,469
)
Other current liabilities
16,160
 
 
12,092
 
 
4,068
 
Total current liabilities
$
117,605
 
 
$
154,341
 
 
$
(36,736
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating working capital
$
225,799
 
 
$
220,938
 
 
$
4,861
 
 


BlueLinx Contact Information:
Susan O’Farrell, SVP, CFO & Treasurer
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
(770) 953-7000     

Natalie Poulos, Investor Relations
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
(866) 671-5138
investor@bluelinxco.com

Stock Information

Company Name: Bluelinx Holdings Inc.
Stock Symbol: BXC
Market: NYSE
Website: bluelinxco.com

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