SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: WOOF), a complete partner in pet health and wellness, today released its financial results for fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021 ended January 29, 2022.

In the fourth quarter of 2021, Petco delivered net revenue of $1.5 billion, up 13 percent versus prior year. Net income improved by $35.2 million from prior year to $29.0 million or $0.11 per share. Adjusted Net Income1 for the fourth quarter increased $38.2 million to $75.1 million or $0.28 per share, up $0.11 or 65 percent3 from prior year, while Adjusted EBITDA1 increased by $23.6 million or 16 percent2 from prior year to $172.2 million.

Net revenue for full year 2021 increased 18 percent or $886.9 million to $5.8 billion. Net income improved by $190.9 million from prior year to $164.4 million or $0.62 per share. Adjusted Net Income1 for the year increased $183.0 million from prior year to $241.1 million or $0.91 per share, while Adjusted EBITDA1 increased by $107.1 million or 22 percent2 from prior year to $591.5 million.

"Our results for the quarter and full year demonstrate that our focus on long-term, sustainable growth, powered by continued delivery against our strategic growth opportunities, is working," said Ron Coughlin, Chairman and CEO of Petco. "We enter this fiscal year as a stronger company than ever. Our category remains strong and resilient; our competitive moats are deepening, and our world-class team is executing to deliver purpose driven performance. With an integrated omnichannel infrastructure, robust services offering including 197 veterinary hospitals, and millions of net new customers, we're well positioned to drive enhanced long-term shareholder value."

Additionally, total debt remained roughly flat throughout 2021 at $1.7 billion with Net Debt1 improving $72.9 million to $1.5 billion driven by net cash flow from operations of $358.2 million and Free Cash Flow1 of $119.1 million, up 33 percent and 9 percent, respectively, from fiscal year 2020. Throughout 2021, Net Debt1 / Trailing Twelve Month Adjusted EBITDA1 decreased 22 percent or 0.7x to 2.5x driven by Free Cash Flow1 generation and growth in Adjusted EBITDA1.

Fiscal Q4 2021 Highlights: Comparisons are fourth quarter of 2021 ended January 29, 2022 versus fourth quarter of 2020 ended January 30, 2021 unless otherwise noted

• Net revenue increased 13 percent to $1.5 billion driven by comparable sales growth of 14 percent
• Net income increased $35.2 million to $29.0 million or $0.11 per share
• Adjusted Net Income1 increased $38.2 million to $75.1 million or $0.28 per share
• Adjusted EBITDA1 increased $23.6 million to $172.2 million

Fiscal Year 2021 Highlights: Comparisons are fiscal year of 2021 ended January 29, 2022 versus fiscal year of 2020 ended January 30, 2021 unless otherwise noted

• Net sales increased 18 percent to $5.8 billion driven by comparable sales growth of 19 percent
• Net income increased $190.9 million to $164.4 million or $0.62 per share
• Adjusted Net Income1 increased $183.0 million to $241.1 million or $0.91 per share
• Adjusted EBITDA1 increased $107.1 million to $591.5 million
• Net cash provided by operating activities increased $89.6 million to $358.2 million
• Free Cash Flow1 increased $10.1 million to $119.1 million
• Total Debt increased $27.3 million to $1.7 billion
• Net Debt1 decreased $72.9 million to $1.5 billion
• Net Debt1 / Adjusted EBITDA1 improved by 0.7, to 2.5x
• Ended 2021 with 1,433 Pet Care Centers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 197 Full-Service Vet Hospitals within Pet Care Centers, and 108 Pet Care Centers in Mexico

Fiscal 2022 Guidance: The following guidance as of March 8, 2022 reflects the company's expectations for fiscal year 2022.

Assumptions in the guidance include that economic conditions, currency rates and the tax and regulatory landscape remain generally consistent. Adjusted EPS guidance assumes approximately $76 million of interest expense, a 26 percent tax rate and a 267 million weighted average diluted share count.

Earnings Conference Call Webcast Information:

The company will host an earnings conference call on March 8, 2022 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time to discuss Petco's financial results. The conference call will be accessible through live webcast. Interested investors and other individuals can access the webcast, earnings release, earnings presentation, and infographic via the company's investor relations page at ir.petco.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on the company's investor relations page through March 22, 2022 at approximately 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.:

Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. Since our founding in 1965, we've been striving to set new standards in pet care, delivering comprehensive wellness solutions through our products and services, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including a growing network of more than 150 in-store veterinary hospitals, and offer a complete online resource for pet health and wellness at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we've helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This earnings release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, concerning expectations, beliefs plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are not statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our fiscal year 2022 guidance, our growth plans, and execution on our transformation initiatives. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believes," "expects," "may," "intends," "will," "shall," "should," "anticipates," "opportunity," "illustrative", or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Although Petco believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct or that any forward-looking results will occur or be realized. Nothing contained in this earnings release is, or should be relied upon as, a promise or representation or warranty as to any future matter, including any matter in respect of the operations or business or financial condition of Petco. All forward-looking statements are based on expectations and assumptions about future events that may or may not be correct or necessarily take place and that are by their nature subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are outside the control of Petco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the potential results or events discussed in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those identified in this earnings release as well as the following: (i) increased competition (including from multi-channel retailers and e-Commerce providers); (ii) reduced consumer demand for our products and/or services; (iii) our reliance on key vendors; (iv) our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; (v) risks arising from statutory, regulatory and/or legal developments; (vi) macroeconomic pressures in the markets in which we operate including inflation; (vii) failure to effectively manage our costs; (viii) our reliance on our information technology systems; (ix) our ability to prevent or effectively respond to a privacy or security breach; (x) our ability to effectively manage or integrate strategic ventures, alliances or acquisitions and realize the anticipated benefits of such transactions; (xi) economic or regulatory developments that might affect our ability to provide attractive promotional financing; (xii) business interruptions and other supply chain issues; (xiii) catastrophic events, political tensions, conflicts and wars (such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine), health crises, and pandemics, including the potential effects that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and/or corresponding macroeconomic uncertainty could have on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows; (xiv) our ability to maintain positive brand perception and recognition; (xv) product safety and quality concerns; (xvi) changes to labor or employment laws or regulations; (xvii) our ability to effectively manage our real estate portfolio; (xviii) constraints in the capital markets or our vendor credit terms; (xix) changes in our credit ratings; and (xx) the other risks, uncertainties and other factors identified under "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Petco's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The occurrence of any such factors could significantly alter the results set forth in these statements.

Petco cautions that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not complete, and forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Petco undertakes no duty to update publicly any such forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law, regulation or other competent legal authority.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

The following information provides definitions and reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures presented in this earnings release to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The company has provided this non-GAAP financial information, which is not calculated or presented in accordance with GAAP, as information supplemental and in addition to the financial measures presented in this earnings release that are calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Such non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered superior to, as a substitute for or alternative to, and should be considered in conjunction with, the GAAP financial measures presented in this earnings release. The non-GAAP financial measures in this earnings release may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Adjusted EBITDA and Trailing Twelve Month Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA, including Trailing Twelve Month Adjusted EBITDA, is considered a non-GAAP financial measure under the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") rules because it excludes certain amounts included in net income (loss) calculated in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful measure to share with investors because it facilitates comparison of the current period performance with that of the comparable prior period. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA affords investors a view of what management considers to be Petco's core operating performance as well as the ability to make a more informed assessment of such operating performance as compared with that of the prior period.

Please see the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on April 5, 2021 for additional information on Adjusted EBITDA. The tables below reflect the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended January 29, 2022 compared to the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended January 30, 2021, respectively.

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS

Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to Petco common stockholders (Adjusted EPS) are considered non-GAAP financial measures under the SEC's rules because they exclude certain amounts included in the net income (loss) attributable to Petco common stockholders and diluted earnings per share attributable to Petco common stockholders calculated in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are meaningful measures to share with investors because they facilitate comparison of the current period performance with that of the comparable prior period. In addition, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS afford investors a view of what management considers to be Petco's core earnings performance as well as the ability to make a more informed assessment of such earnings performance with that of the prior period.

The tables below reflect the calculation of Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EPS for the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended January 29, 2022 compared to the thirteen and fifty-two weeks prior year quarter ended January 30, 2021, respectively.

Free Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net cash provided by operating activities less cash paid for fixed assets. Management believes that Free Cash Flow, which measures the ability to generate additional cash from business operations, is an important financial measure for use in evaluating the company's financial performance.

The table below reflects the calculation of Free Cash Flow for the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended January 29, 2022 compared to the thirteen and fifty-two weeks ended January 30, 2021, respectively.

Net Debt

Net Debt is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as the sum of current and non-current debt, less cash and cash equivalents. Management considers this adjustment useful because it reduces the volatility of total debt caused by fluctuations between cash paid against the company's revolving credit facility and cash held on hand in cash and cash equivalents.

The table below reflects the calculation of Net Debt as of January 29, 2022 compared to the year ago quarter ended January 30, 2021.

Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS Footnotes

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