Upgrade to SI Premium - Free Trial

The Estée Lauder Companies Reports Strong Sales and Earnings Growth in Fiscal 2017 Third Quarter

May 3, 2017 6:45 AM

– Reported Net Sales Rose 8%, Constant Currency Net Sales Increased 9% –

– Reported EPS $.80, Adjusted EPS $.91 –

– Company On Track To Deliver Strong Full-Year Results –

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) today reported net sales of $2.86 billion for its third quarter ended March 31, 2017, an 8% increase compared with $2.66 billion in the prior-year quarter. Incremental sales from the Company’s recent acquisitions of Too Faced and BECCA contributed approximately half the reported sales growth.

Net earnings increased 12% to $298 million, compared with $265 million last year. Diluted net earnings per common share increased 13% to $.80, including the effect of restructuring and other charges, compared with $.71 in the prior year.

Excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, net sales increased 9%. For the quarter, the negative impact of foreign currency translation on diluted net earnings per common share was $.02. Adjusting for restructuring and other charges, diluted net earnings per common share for the three months ended March 31, 2017 were $.91, and in constant currency rose 28% to $.93.

Fabrizio Freda, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We delivered an excellent third quarter performance. Sales accelerated across every geographic region and in our three largest product categories, reflecting the range and strength of our brand portfolio and product offerings. Our business in global travel retail and in China was exceptionally strong, driven by strong sales gains in virtually every brand. Our mid-sized and luxury brands, as well as online and specialty-multi retail channels, also led growth. Additionally, our recent acquisitions of Too Faced and BECCA performed above expectations. These elements contributed to stronger-than-expected constant currency sales growth that, combined with disciplined expense management, resulted in sharply higher earnings per share.

“By further penetrating the specialty-multi channel globally and selectively opening freestanding stores in some key international markets, our brands made great progress reaching new consumers. Our strategy and financial performance continue to be powered by our ability to deploy our diverse brand portfolio into fast-growing channels and consumer segments.

“We will continue to seize opportunities in the most promising areas of prestige beauty and expect our sales growth to continue to accelerate in our fourth quarter, capping another strong fiscal year. In our fiscal fourth quarter, we plan to increase targeted investment spending behind the greatest opportunities to further our momentum into fiscal 2018. We are confident in our ability to achieve our previously stated fiscal 2017 sales growth goal of 6% to 7% in constant currency, which includes approximately 2% of incremental sales from our recent acquisitions. We are also reiterating our constant currency earnings per share growth expectation of 8% to 9%, before charges, which reflects $.07 of dilution related to acquisitions.”

During the fiscal 2017 third quarter, the Company recorded restructuring and other charges of $62 million ($42 million after tax), equal to $.11 per diluted share, in connection with its previously announced Leading Beauty Forward initiative. During the fiscal 2016 third quarter, the Company recorded charges of $15 million ($10 million after tax), equal to $.02 per share, in connection with its initiative to transform its global technology infrastructure. See table on page 10.

Information about GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, including reconciliation information, is included in this release.

Reconciliation between GAAP andnon-GAAP

Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Three Months Ended March 31

Net Sales Growth Diluted EPS Growth

Diluted Earnings Per Share

(Unaudited)

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

2017 2016

Results including restructuring and othercharges

8 %(1) 9 % 13 %(1) 16 % $.80 (1) $.71 (1)

Non-GAAP

Restructuring and other charges 12 %(1) 12 % .11 (1) .02 (1)
Results excluding charges 8 % 9 % 25 % 28 % .91 $.73

Impact of foreign currency on earningsper share

.02
Constant currency earnings per share $.93

_____________________(1) Represents GAAP.

Results by Product Category

Three Months Ended March 31
(Unaudited; Dollars in millions) Net Sales Percent Change

OperatingIncome (Loss)

PercentChange

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

Skin Care $ 1,105 $ 1,073 3 % 4 % $ 265 $ 202 31 %
Makeup 1,271 1,161 9 11 192 192 0
Fragrance 336 276 22 24 16 (6 ) 100 +
Hair Care 126 128 (2 ) (1 ) 12 10 20
Other 19 19 0 (11 ) 4 1 100 +
Subtotal 2,857 2,657 8 9 489 399 23

Returns and charges associated withrestructuring and other activities

(62 ) (15 )
Total $ 2,857 $ 2,657 8 % 9 % $ 427 $ 384 11 %

Net sales and operating income in the Company’s major product categories were unfavorably impacted by the strength of the U.S. dollar in relation to most currencies. Total operating income in constant currency, before charges, increased 25%.

Skin Care

Makeup

Fragrance

Hair Care

Results by Geographic Region

Three Months Ended March 31
(Unaudited; Dollars in millions) Net Sales Percent Change

OperatingIncome (Loss)

PercentChange

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

The Americas $ 1,171 $ 1,112 5 % 5 % $ 87 $ 112 (22 )%
Europe, the Middle East & Africa 1,126 1,023 10 13 288 212 36
Asia/Pacific 560 522 7 8 114 75 52
Subtotal 2,857 2,657 8 9 489 399 23

Returns and charges associated withrestructuring and other activities.

(62 ) (15 )
Total $ 2,857 $ 2,657 8 % 9 % $ 427 $ 384 11 %

Net sales and operating income in the Company’s geographic regions were unfavorably impacted by the strength of the U.S. dollar in relation to most currencies.

The Americas

Europe, the Middle East & Africa

Asia/Pacific

Nine-Month Results

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Outlook for Fiscal 2017 Full Year

Global prestige beauty remains a vibrant industry estimated to grow approximately 4% to 5%. There are risks related to social and political issues, terrorism, currency volatility and economic challenges affecting consumer behavior in certain countries. We are also cautious of the decline in retail traffic, primarily related to brick-and-mortar stores and certain tourist-driven doors in the United States. The Company’s annual growth has consistently outpaced global prestige beauty and, despite these global issues, is expected to continue to grow at least one percentage point ahead of the industry for the fiscal year, which is our strategic goal.

The Company expects sales growth to continue to progressively accelerate during its fiscal fourth quarter driven by strong innovation programs, greater outreach to target consumers for our fast-growing brands in winning channels, regular price increases, organic growth, easier comparisons in certain markets, improvement in Hong Kong, and accelerating incremental sales from recent acquisitions.

Full Year Fiscal 2017

Reconciliation between GAAP and

non-GAAP

Year Ending June 30, 2017 (F) Twelve Months June 30
Net Sales Growth Diluted EPS Growth Diluted Earnings Per Share
(Unaudited)

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

ReportedBasis

ConstantCurrency

2017 (F) 2016
Forecast / actual results including charges 4-5 %(1) 6-7 % 2-4 %(1) 6-9 % $3.02 - $3.09 (1) $2.96 (1)

Non-GAAP

Restructuring and other charges 2-1 %(1) 2-0 % .28 -.30 (1) .24 (1)
Forecast / actual results excluding charges 4-5 % 6-7 % 4-5 % 8-9 % $3.32 - $3.37 $3.20

Impact of foreign currency on earningsper share

.13

Forecasted constant currency earnings pershare

$3.45 - $3.50

________________

(1) Represents GAAP.(F) Represents forecast.

Conference Call

The Estée Lauder Companies will host a conference call at 9:30 a.m. (ET) today, May 3, 2017 to discuss its results. The dial-in number for the call is 888-294-4716 in the U.S. or 706-902-0101 internationally (conference ID number: 9981045). The call will also be webcast live at http://www.elcompanies.com/investors/events-and-presentations.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements in this press release, including those containing words like “expect,” “plans,” “may,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “projected,” “forecasted,” those in Mr. Freda’s remarks and those in the “Outlook for Fiscal 2017 Full Year” section involve risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include the following:

(1) increased competitive activity from companies in the skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care businesses;
(2) the Company’s ability to develop, produce and market new products on which future operating results may depend and to successfully address challenges in the Company’s business;
(3) consolidations, restructurings, bankruptcies and reorganizations in the retail industry, and other factors causing a decrease in the number of stores that sell the Company’s products, an increase in the ownership concentration within the retail industry, ownership of retailers by the Company’s competitors or ownership of competitors by the Company’s customers that are retailers and our inability to collect receivables;
(4) destocking and tighter working capital management by retailers;
(5) the success, or changes in timing or scope, of new product launches and the success, or changes in the timing or the scope, of advertising, sampling and merchandising programs;
(6) shifts in the preferences of consumers as to where and how they shop for the types of products and services the Company sells;
(7) social, political and economic risks to the Company’s foreign or domestic manufacturing, distribution and retail operations, including changes in foreign investment and trade policies and regulations of the host countries and of the United States;
(8) changes in the laws, regulations and policies (including the interpretations and enforcement thereof) that affect, or will affect, the Company’s business, including those relating to its products or distribution networks, changes in accounting standards, tax laws and regulations, environmental or climate change laws, regulations or accords, trade rules and customs regulations, and the outcome and expense of legal or regulatory proceedings, and any action the Company may take as a result;
(9) foreign currency fluctuations affecting the Company’s results of operations and the value of its foreign assets, the relative prices at which the Company and its foreign competitors sell products in the same markets and the Company’s operating and manufacturing costs outside of the United States;
(10) changes in global or local conditions, including those due to the volatility in the global credit and equity markets, natural or man-made disasters, real or perceived epidemics, or energy costs, that could affect consumer purchasing, the willingness or ability of consumers to travel and/or purchase the Company’s products while traveling, the financial strength of the Company’s customers, suppliers or other contract counterparties, the Company’s operations, the cost and availability of capital which the Company may need for new equipment, facilities or acquisitions, the returns that the Company is able to generate on its pension assets and the resulting impact on its funding obligations, the cost and availability of raw materials and the assumptions underlying the Company’s critical accounting estimates;
(11) shipment delays, commodity pricing, depletion of inventory and increased production costs resulting from disruptions of operations at any of the facilities that manufacture nearly all of the Company’s supply of a particular type of product (i.e. focus factories) or at the Company’s distribution or inventory centers, including disruptions that may be caused by the implementation of information technology initiatives or by restructurings;
(12) real estate rates and availability, which may affect the Company’s ability to increase or maintain the number of retail locations at which the Company sells its products and the costs associated with the Company’s other facilities;
(13) changes in product mix to products which are less profitable;
(14) the Company’s ability to acquire, develop or implement new information and distribution technologies and initiatives on a timely basis and within the Company’s cost estimates and the Company’s ability to maintain continuous operations of such systems and the security of data and other information that may be stored in such systems or other systems or media;
(15) the Company’s ability to capitalize on opportunities for improved efficiency, such as publicly-announced strategies and restructuring and cost-savings initiatives, and to integrate acquired businesses and realize value therefrom;
(16) consequences attributable to local or international conflicts around the world, as well as from any terrorist attack, retaliation or similar threats;
(17) the timing and impact of acquisitions, investments and divestitures; and
(18) additional factors as described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2016.

The Company assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M•A•C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Tory Burch, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA and Too Faced.

An electronic version of this release can be found at the Company’s website, www.elcompanies.com.

ELC-FELC-E

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS(Unaudited; In millions, except per share data and percentages)

Three Months Ended March 31

PercentChange

Nine Months Ended March 31

PercentChange

2017

2016

2017

2016

Net Sales (A) $ 2,857 $ 2,657 8% $ 8,930 $ 8,616 4%
Cost of sales (A) 591 504 1,824 1,670
Gross Profit 2,266 2,153 5% 7,106 6,946 2%
Gross Margin 79.3 % 81.0 % 79.6 % 80.6 %
Operating expenses:
Selling, general and administrative 1,780 1,754 5,522 5,445
Restructuring and other charges (A) 59 15 122 34
1,839 1,769

4%

5,644 5,479

3%

Operating Expense Margin 64.4 % 66.5 % 63.2 % 63.6 %
Operating Income 427 384 11% 1,462 1,467 0%
Operating Income Margin 14.9 % 14.5 % 16.4 % 17.0 %
Interest expense 28 18 71 52
Interest income and investment income, net 8 4 19 10
Earnings before Income Taxes 407 370 10% 1,410 1,425 (1)%
Provision for income taxes 107 104 384 399
Net Earnings 300 266 13% 1,026 1,026 0%
Net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests (2 ) (1 ) (6 ) (5 )

Net Earnings Attributable to The Estée Lauder

Companies Inc.

$ 298 $ 265

12%

$ 1,020 $ 1,021 0%

Net earnings attributable to The Estée Lauder Companies

Inc. per common share:

Basic $ .81 $ .72 13% $ 2.78 $ 2.76 1%
Diluted .80 .71 13% 2.74 2.71 1%
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic 367.0 369.1 366.8 370.4
Diluted 372.3 375.6 372.7 376.9

(A) In May 2016, the Company announced a multi-year initiative (Leading Beauty Forward) to build on its strengths and better leverage its cost structure to free resources for investment to continue its growth momentum. Leading Beauty Forward is designed to enhance the Company’s go-to-market capabilities, reinforce its leadership in global prestige beauty and continue creating sustainable value. During the fiscal 2017 third quarter, the Company continued to approve specific initiatives under Leading Beauty Forward. The Company plans to approve additional initiatives through fiscal 2019 and expects to complete those initiatives through fiscal 2021. The Company expects Leading Beauty Forward will result in related restructuring and other charges totaling between $600 million and $700 million, before taxes. Once fully implemented, Leading Beauty Forward is expected to yield annual net benefits of between $200 million and $300 million, before taxes, of which a portion is expected to be reinvested in future growth initiatives.

During the fiscal 2016 third quarter, as part of the Company’s ongoing initiative to upgrade and modernize its systems and processes, the Company transitioned its global technology infrastructure (GTI) to fundamentally change the way it delivers information technology services internally. This initiative is expected to result in operational efficiencies and reduce the Company’s information technology service and infrastructure costs in the future. The implementation of this initiative was substantially completed during fiscal 2016.

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.

Total charges associated with restructuring and other activities included in operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were:

SalesReturns

Cost ofSales

Operating Expenses Total

AfterTax

DilutedEarningsPerShare

(Unaudited)

RestructuringCharges

OtherCharges

(In millions, except per share data)

Three Months EndedMarch 31, 2017

Leading Beauty Forward $— $3 $41 $18 $62 $42 $.11

Three Months EndedMarch 31, 2016

Global Technology Infrastructure $— $— $13 $2 $15 $10 $.02

Total charges associated with restructuring and other activities included in operating income for the nine months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were:

SalesReturns

Cost ofSales

Operating Expenses Total

AfterTax

DilutedEarningsPerShare

(Unaudited)

RestructuringCharges

OtherCharges

(In millions, except per share data)

Nine Months EndedMarch 31, 2017

Leading Beauty Forward $2 $10 $70 $52 $134 $88 $.24

Nine Months EndedMarch 31, 2016

Global Technology Infrastructure $— $— $29 $5 $34 $22 $.06

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.SUMMARY OF CONSOLIDATED RESULTS(Unaudited; Dollars in millions)

Nine Months Ended March 31
Net Sales Percent Change

OperatingIncome (Loss)

PercentChange

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

LocalCurrency

2017 2016

ReportedBasis

Results by Geographic Region

The Americas $3,646 $3,607 1% 1% $236 $310 (24)%
Europe, the Middle East & Africa. 3,477 3,308 5 10 956 843 13
Asia/Pacific 1,809 1,701 6 6 404 348 16
Subtotal 8,932 8,616 4 5 1,596 1,501 6

Returns and charges associated withrestructuring and other activities

(2) (134) (34)
Total $8,930 $8,616 4% 5% $ 1,462 $ 1,467 0%

Results by Product Category

Skin Care $3,455 $3,414 1% 2% $828 $701 18%
Makeup 3,743 3,574 5 6 562 642 (12)
Fragrance 1,275 1,159 10 14 157 114 38
Hair Care 399 411 (3) (2) 38 36 6
Other 60 58 3 3 11 8 38
Subtotal 8,932 8,616 4 5 1,596 1,501 6

Returns and charges associated withrestructuring and other activities

(2) (134) (34)
Total $8,930 $8,616

4%

5% $1,462 $ 1,467 0%

______________

This earnings release includes some non-GAAP financial measures relating to charges associated with restructuring and other activities. The following is a reconciliation between the non-GAAP financial measures and the most directly comparable GAAP measures for certain consolidated statements of earnings accounts before and after the charges associated with restructuring and other activities. The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures, among other financial measures, to evaluate its operating performance, and the measures represent the manner in which the Company conducts and views its business. Management believes that excluding certain items that are not comparable from period to period helps investors and others compare operating performance between two periods. While the Company considers the non-GAAP measures useful in analyzing its results, they are not intended to replace, or act as a substitute for, any presentation included in the consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with GAAP.

The Company operates on a global basis, with the majority of its net sales generated outside the United States. Accordingly, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the Company’s results of operations. Therefore, the Company presents certain net sales, operating results and diluted earnings per share information excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations to provide a framework for assessing the performance of its underlying business outside the United States. Constant currency information compares results between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period-over-period. The Company calculates constant currency information by translating current-period results using prior-year period weighted average foreign currency exchange rates.

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.Reconciliation of Certain Consolidated Statements of Earnings Accounts Before and After Charges(Unaudited; In millions, except per share data and percentages)

Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Three Months Ended March 31, 2016

AsReported

Charges

Before Charges

Impact of foreign currencytranslation

ConstantCurrency

As Reported

Charges

Before Charges

% Change versus Prior Year BeforeCharges

% ChangeConstantCurrency

Net Sales $2,857 $— $2,857 $31 $2,888 $2,657 $— $2,657 8% 9%
Cost of sales 591 (3) 588 504 504
Gross Profit 2,266 3 2,269 2,153 2,153 5%
Gross Margin 79.3% 79.4% 81.0% 81.0%
Operating expenses 1,839 (59) 1,780 1,769 (15) 1,754 1%
Operating Expense Margin 64.4% 62.3% 66.5% 66.0%
Operating Income 427 62 489 384 15 399 23%
Operating Income Margin 14.9% 17.1% 14.5% 15.0%
Provision for income taxes 107 20 127 104 5 109

Net Earnings Attributable to The

Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

298 42 340 265 10 275 24%

Diluted net earnings attributable

to The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.per common share

.80 .11 .91 .02 .93 .71 .02 .73 25% 28%

Nine Months Ended March 31, 2017

Nine Months EndedMarch 31, 2016

AsReported

Charges

Before Charges

Impact of foreign currencytranslation

ConstantCurrency

As Reported

Charges

Before Charges

% Change versus Prior Year BeforeCharges

% ChangeConstantCurrency

Net Sales $8,930 $2 $8,932 $144 $9,076 $8,616 $— $8,616 4% 5%
Cost of sales 1,824 (10) 1,814 1,670 1,670
Gross Profit 7,106 12 7,118 6,946 6,946 2%
Gross Margin 79.6% 79.7% 80.6% 80.6%
Operating expenses 5,644 (122) 5,522 5,479 (34) 5,445 1%
Operating Expense Margin 63.2% 61.8% 63.6% 63.2%
Operating Income 1,462 134 1,596 1,467 34 1,501 6%
Operating Income Margin 16.4% 17.9% 17.0% 17.4%
Provision for income taxes 384 46 430 399 12 411

Net Earnings Attributable to The

Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

1,020 88 1,108 1,021 22 1,043 6%

Diluted net earnings attributable

to The Estée Lauder CompaniesInc. per common share

2.74 .24 2.97 .10 3.07 2.71 .06 2.77 7% 11%

Amounts may not sum due to rounding.

THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES INC.CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(Unaudited; In millions)

March 312017

June 302016

March 312016

ASSETS
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,139 $ 914 $ 556

Short-term investments

701 469 518
Accounts receivable, net 1,528 1,258 1,417
Inventory and promotional merchandise, net 1,310 1,264 1,150
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 294 320 311
Total Current Assets 4,972 4,225 3,952
Property, Plant and Equipment, net 1,576 1,583 1,511
Other Assets 4,897 3,415 3,342
Total Assets $ 11,445 $ 9,223 $ 8,805
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current Liabilities
Current debt $ 519 $ 332 $ 313
Accounts payable 597 717 572
Other accrued liabilities 1,744 1,632 1,542
Total Current Liabilities 2,860 2,681 2,427
Noncurrent Liabilities
Long-term debt 3,377 1,910 1,601
Other noncurrent liabilities 1,073 1,045 954
Total Noncurrent Liabilities 4,450 2,955 2,555
Total Equity 4,135 3,587 3,823
Total Liabilities and Equity $ 11,445 $ 9,223 $ 8,805

SELECT CASH FLOW DATA(Unaudited; In millions)

Nine Months EndedMarch 31

2017 2016
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net earnings $

1,026

$ 1,026
Depreciation and amortization 337 305

Deferred income taxes

(84 ) (51 )
Other items 161 202
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Increase in accounts receivable, net (242 ) (251 )
Decrease in inventory and promotional merchandise, net 59 53
Increase in other assets, net (30 ) (82 )
Increase in accounts payable and other 25 114
Net cash flows provided by operating activities $

1,252

$ 1,316
Capital expenditures $ 316 $ 334
Acquisition of businesses 1,690 101

Purchase of investments, net

(112 ) (662 )
Payments to acquire treasury stock 363 703
Dividends paid 361 312

Increase in long-term debt, net

1,488

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Investor Relations:

Dennis D’Andrea, 212-572-4384

or

Media Relations:

Alexandra Trower, 212-572-4430

Source: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Categories

Press Releases

Next Articles