CEC Entertainment Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2009

October 29, 2009 4:05 PM EDT

$200 Million Increase in Share Repurchase Authorization

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CEC Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: CEC) today reported net earnings of $12.7 million for the third quarter ended September 27, 2009, compared to net earnings of $9.9 million in the third quarter of 2008. Diluted earnings per share increased to $0.55 for the third quarter of 2009, compared to $0.43 in the third quarter of 2008. The increase in diluted earnings per share between the two quarters was impacted by our repurchase of approximately 1.1 million shares of our common stock since the beginning of the third quarter of 2008. Total quarterly revenues decreased 2.0% to $197.8 million during the third quarter of 2009 from total quarterly revenues of $201.9 million in the third quarter of 2008. Comparable store sales for the third quarter of 2009 declined 3.1%.

Net earnings for the first nine months of 2009 were $55.8 million compared to net earnings of $54.1 million in the first nine months of 2008. Diluted earnings per share increased to $2.42 for the first nine months of 2009, compared to $2.21 in the first nine months of 2008. The increase in diluted earnings per share between the two periods was impacted by our repurchase of approximately 6.1 million shares of our common stock since the beginning of the 2008 fiscal year. Total revenues for the first nine months of 2009 were $630.7 million compared to total revenues of $639.5 million in the first nine months of 2008. Comparable store sales for the first nine months of 2009 declined 2.7%.

Separately, the Company also announced that on October 27, 2009, its Board of Directors authorized the purchase of up to an additional $200 million of common stock under its share repurchase program. With this increase, the Company currently has authorization to purchase approximately $237.8 million of its common stock, representing approximately 40% of the Company's current market capitalization.

Michael Magusiak, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated that, "Despite a very difficult economic environment and the added pressure related to H1N1, we believe our sales held up reasonably well, and we are encouraged by the improvement in our recent comparable stores sales trends. We believe this performance is a direct result of the strength of our concept and the result of our sales building initiatives. As we move forward, we will continue our focus on executing strategies to drive comparable store sales and generate significant free cash flow to return to shareholders. The Board's authorization of an additional $200 million in our share repurchase program underscores their belief in our concept and long-term opportunity to enhance shareholder value."

Business Outlook:

Based on the Company's current estimates, fiscal year 2009 diluted earnings per share are expected to be in a range of $2.63 to $2.67. This guidance incorporates the following assumptions:

    --  Fourth quarter comparable store sales down approximately 2.0%;
    --  average cheddar block prices of $1.50 per pound in the fourth quarter;
    --  two new Company stores during the last three months of fiscal year 2009,
        for a total of three new Company stores during 2009;
    --  effective tax rate of 37.7% to 38.5% for the remainder of fiscal year
        2009;
    --  total capital expenditures of approximately $70.0 million for fiscal
        year 2009;
    --  no changes in working capital associated with timing differences; and
    --  fiscal year 2009 will be a 53 week year; the addition of this extra week
        is estimated to benefit fiscal year 2009 diluted earnings per share by
        approximately $0.10.

In addition, the Company is projecting fiscal year 2010 diluted earnings per share to be in a range of $2.70 to $2.80, representing a growth rate of 6% to 10% excluding the benefit of the extra week from fiscal year 2009. This guidance incorporates the following assumptions:

    --  Comparable store sales in a range of flat to up 1.0%;
    --  average cheddar block prices in a range of $1.50 to $1.60 per pound;
    --  five to six new Company stores including two relocations;
    --  effective tax rate of 37.7% to 38.5%;
    --  total capital expenditures will range from $90.0 million to $95.0
        million;
    --  no changes in working capital associated with timing differences, and;
    --  free cash flow used to opportunistically buy Company common stock.

Third Quarter 2009 Conference Call:

The Company will host a conference call Thursday, October 29, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. Central Time to discuss its third quarter 2009 financial results and outlook for the remainder of the year. A live webcast of the call (listen only) can be accessed through the Company's website, www.chuckecheese.com. Shortly after its conclusion, a replay of the call will be available on the website through Thursday, December 24, 2009.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

The Company reports and discusses its operating results using financial measures consistent with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). From time to time in the course of financial presentations, earnings conference calls or otherwise, the Company may disclose certain non-GAAP financial measures such as Free Cash Flow. This non-GAAP financial measure presented in this earnings release should not be viewed as an alternative or substitute for the Company's reported GAAP results.

The Company believes that Free Cash Flow provides useful information to the Company, investors and other interested parties about the amount of cash generated by the business that, after the acquisition of property and equipment, can be used for strategic opportunities, including servicing debt, funding capital expenditures and making investments in the business. It should not be inferred that the entire Free Cash Flow amount is available for discretionary expenditures. A limitation of using Free Cash Flow versus the GAAP measure of cash provided by operating activities as a means for evaluating the business is that free cash flow does not represent the total increase or decrease in the cash balance from operations for the period since it excludes cash used for capital expenditures during the period. The Company compensates for this limitation by providing information about its capital expenditures on the face of its consolidated statement of cash flows in its Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K. A reconciliation of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to Free Cash Flow is set forth in a table accompanying this release. Free Cash Flow as defined herein may differ from similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

About CEC Entertainment, Inc.:

Celebrating over 30 years of success as a place Where a Kid can be a Kid(R), CEC Entertainment, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in family dining and entertainment. Chuck E. Cheese's stores feature musical and comic entertainment by robotic and animated characters, arcade-style and skill oriented games, video games, rides and other activities intended to appeal to families with children between the ages of two and 12 and offers a variety of pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers, a salad bar and desserts. The Company and its franchisees operate a system of 542 Chuck E. Cheese's stores located in 48 states (excluding Wyoming and Vermont) and six foreign countries or territories. Currently, 495 locations in the United States and Canada are owned and operated by the Company. For more information, see the Company's website at www.chuckecheese.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release, other than historical information, may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Statements that are not historical in nature, and which may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "should," "could," "believe," "predict," "potential," "continue," "plan," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "project," "estimate" and similar expressions (or the negative of such expressions) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future events and, therefore, involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors described in Item 1A "Risk Factors" of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2008, and the Company's Form 10-Q filed on May 5, 2009. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ from those anticipated, estimated or expected.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

    --  Changes in consumer discretionary spending and general economic
        conditions;
    --  Disruptions in the financial markets affecting the availability and cost
        of credit and our ability to maintain adequate insurance coverage;
    --  Our ability to successfully implement our business development
        strategies;
    --  Costs incurred in connection with our business development strategies;
    --  Competition in both the restaurant and entertainment industries;
    --  Loss of certain key personnel;
    --  Increases in food, labor and other operating costs;
    --  Changes in consumers' health, nutrition and dietary preferences;
    --  Negative publicity concerning food quality, health, safety and other
        issues;
    --  Public health issues such as the H1N1 influenza A virus, commonly
        referred to as the "swine flu";
    --  Disruption of our commodity distribution system;
    --  Our dependence on a few global providers for the procurement of games
        and rides;
    --  Adverse affects of local conditions, events and natural disasters;
    --  Fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations due to seasonality;
    --  Conditions in foreign markets;
    --  Risks in connection with owning and leasing real estate;
    --  Our ability to adequately protect our trademarks or other proprietary
        rights;
    --  Government regulations, litigation, product liability claims and product
        recalls;
    --  Disruptions of our information technology systems;
    --  Changes in financial accounting standards or our interpretations of
        existing standards; and
    --  Failure to establish, maintain and apply adequate internal control over
        financial reporting.

The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements were made. Except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect events and circumstances after the date on which the statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


CEC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

                Three Months Ended                Nine Months Ended

                September 27,    September 28,    September 27,    September 28,

                2009             2008             2009             2008

REVENUES

Food and        $        48.1%   $        49.7%   $        49.9%   $        50.2%
beverage sales  95,060           100,309          314,662          321,297

Entertainment
and             101,860  51.5%   100,569  49.8%   313,117  49.6%   315,154  49.3%
merchandise
sales

Company store   196,920  99.5%   200,878  99.5%   637,779  99.5%   636,451  99.5%
sales

Franchise fees  898      0.5%    1,000    0.5%    2,967    0.5%    3,097    0.5%
and royalties

Total revenues  197,818  100.0%  201,878  100.0%  630,746  100.0%  639,548  100.0%

OPERATING
COSTS AND
EXPENSES

Company store
operating
costs:

Cost of food
and beverage
(as a
percentage of   21,868   23.0%   24,829   24.8%   69,626   22.1%   75,986   23.6%
food and
beverage
sales)

Cost of
entertainment
and
merchandise
(as a           8,947    8.8%    8,426    8.4%    28,071   9.0%    26,468   8.4%
percentage of
entertainment
and
merchandise
sales)

                30,815   15.6%   33,255   16.6%   97,697   15.6%   102,454  16.1%

Labor expenses
(as a
percentage of   54,593   27.7%   54,851   27.3%   167,538  26.7%   171,523  26.9%
Company store
sales)

Depreciation
and
amortization
(as a           19,232   9.8%    18,638   9.3%    57,186   9.1%    55,343   8.7%
percentage of
Company store
sales)

Rent expense
(as a
percentage of   17,010   8.6%    16,741   8.3%    50,643   8.1%    49,594   7.8%
Company store
sales)

Other store
operating
expenses (as a  32,226   16.4%   32,904   16.4%   92,635   14.8%   91,353   14.4%
percentage of
Company store
sales)

Total Company
store           153,876  78.1%   156,389  77.9%   465,699  74.2%   470,267  73.9%
operating
costs

Advertising     9,179    4.6%    8,660    4.3%    27,860   4.4%    26,681   4.2%
expense

General and
administrative  11,328   5.7%    16,083   8.0%    37,583   6.0%    43,338   6.8%
expenses

Asset           -        0.0%    -        0.0%    -        0.0%    137      0.0%
impairments

Total
operating       174,383  88.2%   181,132  89.7%   531,142  84.2%   540,423  84.5%
costs and
expenses

Operating       23,435   11.8%   20,746   10.3%   99,604   15.8%   99,125   15.5%
income

Interest        2,769    1.4%    5,052    2.5%    8,938    1.4%    12,948   2.0%
expense, net

Income before   20,666   10.4%   15,694   7.8%    90,666   14.4%   86,177   13.5%
income taxes

Income taxes    7,955    4.0%    5,793    2.9%    34,909   5.5%    32,057   5.0%

Net income      $        6.4%    $ 9,901  4.9%    $        8.8%    $        8.5%
                12,711                            55,757           54,120

Earnings per
share:

Basic           $ 0.55           $ 0.44           $ 2.43           $ 2.24

Diluted         $ 0.55           $ 0.43           $ 2.42           $ 2.21

Weighted
average shares
outstanding:

Basic           22,971           22,662           22,949           24,202

Diluted         23,021           23,014           23,080           24,523



Percentages are expressed as a percent of total revenues (except as otherwise noted).

Due to rounding, percentages may not add.


CEC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands)

                                            September 27,  December 28,

                                              2009           2008

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents                   $ 16,039       $ 17,769

Other current assets                          53,918         60,988

Total current assets                          69,957         78,757

Property and equipment, net                   661,232        666,443

Other noncurrent assets                       1,912          2,240

Total assets                                $ 733,101      $ 747,440

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Current portion of long-term debt           $ 863          $ 806

Other current liabilities                     75,309         85,694

Total current liabilities                     76,172         86,500

Long-term debt, less current portion          350,432        413,252

Other noncurrent liabilities                  129,075        119,102

Total liabilities                             555,679        618,854

Stockholders' equity                          177,422        128,586

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $ 733,101      $ 747,440




CEC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(in thousands)

                                                  Nine Months Ended

                                                  September 27,  September 28,

                                                  2009           2008

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Net income                                        $ 55,757       $ 54,120

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization                     57,859         55,719

Deferred income taxes                             8,628          (1,818)

Stock-based compensation expense                  5,974          4,047

Other adjustments                                 2,167          2,285

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Current assets                                    7,269          941

Current liabilities                               (10,223)       10,099

Net cash provided by operating activities         127,431        125,393

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Purchases of property and equipment               (51,167)       (63,008)

Disposition of property and equipment             -              2,223

Other investing activities                        119            (374)

Net cash used in investing activities             (51,048)       (61,159)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Net (payments on) proceeds from line of credit    (62,250)       76,100

Exercise of stock options                         18,282         19,170

Payment of taxes for returned restricted shares   (1,364)        (1,028)

Treasury stock acquired                           (33,571)       (160,845)

Other financing activities                        1,435          (365)

Net cash used in financing activities             (77,468)       (66,968)

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash   (645)          -

Change in cash and cash equivalents               (1,730)        (2,734)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period  17,769         18,373

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period        $ 16,039       $ 15,639




CEC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(in thousands)

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of cash provided by operating
activities to Free Cash Flow for the periods shown:

                      Three Months Ended            Nine Months Ended

                      September 27,  September 28,  September 27,  September 28,

                        2009           2008           2009           2008

                      (Unaudited)                   (Unaudited)

Cash provided by      $ 35,803       $ 21,711       $ 127,431      $ 125,393
operating activities

Less:

Capital expenditures    18,177         23,666         51,167         63,008

Free Cash Flow        $ 17,626       $ (1,955 )     $ 76,264       $ 62,385



Free Cash Flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, is defined by the Company as cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures.

The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measure presented in the table above provide useful information to the Company, investors and other interested parties about the amount of cash generated by the business that, after the acquisition of property and equipment, can be used for strategic opportunities, including servicing debt, funding capital expenditures and making investments in the business. It should not be inferred that the entire Free Cash Flow amount is available for discretionary expenditures. A limitation of using Free Cash Flow versus the GAAP measure of cash provided by operating activities as a means for evaluating the business is that free cash flow does not represent the total increase or decrease in the cash balance from operations for the period since it excludes cash used for capital expenditures during the period. The Company compensates for this limitation by providing information about its capital expenditures on the face of its consolidated statement of cash flows in its Form 10-Q's and Annual Report on Form 10-K. The non-GAAP financial measure presented in the table above should not be viewed as an alternative or substitute for the Company's reported GAAP results. Free Cash Flow as defined herein may differ from similarly titled measures presented by other companies.


CEC ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

STORE COUNT INFORMATION

                      Three Months Ended            Nine Months Ended

                      September 27,  September 28,  September 27,  September 28,

                      2009           2008           2009           2008

Number of
Company-owned
stores:

Beginning of period   496            490            495            490

New                   -              2              1              3

Acquired from         -              2              -              2
franchisees

Closed                (1   )         (1   )         (1   )         (2   )

End of period         495            493            496            493

Number of franchised
stores:

Beginning of period   48             47             46             44

New                   -              1              2              4

Acquired by the       -              (2   )         -              (2   )
Company

Closed                -              -              -              -

End of period         48             46             48             46




    Source: CEC Entertainment, Inc.


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