GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Food solutions company SpartanNash (the 'Company') (Nasdaq: SPTN) today reported financial results for its 12-week second quarter ended July 16, 2022.
Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Highlights
Net sales of $2.3 billion, increased 7.9%, compared to $2.1 billion in the prior year quarter.
Retail comparable sales increased 6.5% for the quarter.
Net earnings of $5.1 million, compared to $16.8 million in the prior year quarter.
Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $61.8 million, a significant increase of 13.7%, compared to $54.4 million in the prior year quarter.
The Company continued to make additional progress on its Supply Chain Transformation, concluding the quarter with a 9% improvement in throughput rate year-over-year.
'We are pleased with the significant momentum in our business as evidenced by our strong second quarter results, including impressive gains in sales and profits,' said SpartanNash President and CEO Tony Sarsam. 'These results were driven by our continued turnaround in the Military business and the margin improvements across our distribution businesses. With the launch of our Merchandising Transformation, we are doubling down on our efforts to maintain price competitiveness in this highly inflationary environment. We believe that when the end consumer wins, we all win.'
Second Quarter Consolidated Financial Results
Consolidated net sales for the second quarter increased $167.3 million, or 7.9%, to $2.3 billion from $2.1 billion in the prior year quarter. The growth versus prior year was driven by net sales increases in all three segments, each of which were favorably impacted by inflation. Additionally, case volume increased 3.3% within the Military segment.
Gross profit for the second quarter was $354.2 million, or 15.6% of net sales, compared to $333.6 million, or 15.8% of net sales, in the prior year quarter. The gross profit increase was driven by higher sales, while the gross margin rate decline was driven by lower Retail margins. Approximately one third of the decline was due to lower Retail fuel margins compared to the prior year period. The gross profit rate decline was partially offset by improvements in gross profit rates within both the Food Distribution and Military segments. Additionally, LIFO expense increased $14.9 million, representing a headwind of 65 basis points compared to the prior year quarter.
Reported operating expenses for the second quarter were $341.9 million, or 15.0% of net sales, compared to $307.7 million, or 14.6% of net sales, in the prior year quarter. The increase in operating expenses as a percentage of sales was due to higher corporate administrative costs, including higher incentive compensation expense and costs related to shareholder activism, in addition to higher fuel costs. The increase in operating expenses was partially offset by efficiencies realized from the Supply Chain Transformation.
The Company reported operating earnings of $12.3 million, compared to $25.9 million in the prior year quarter, due to the changes in net sales, gross profit, and operating expenses discussed above. Adjusted operating earnings(2) were $38.0 million, an increase of 18%, compared to $32.2 million in the prior year quarter and were adjusted for the items detailed in Table 3.
Interest expense increased $1.3 million from the prior year quarter due to rising interest rates and an increase in borrowings. Other expenses for the current year include $0.6 million of costs related to the partial settlement of a post-retirement benefit plan. The income tax rate increased from the prior year quarter due to increases in state taxes and non-deductible expenses.
The Company reported net earnings of $5.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $16.8 million, or $0.47 per diluted share in the prior year quarter. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations(3) for the second quarter were $24.2 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, compared to $21.5 million, or $0.60 per diluted share in the prior year quarter. A reconciliation of net earnings to adjusted earnings from continuing operations is included in Table 4.
Adjusted EBITDA(1) increased $7.4 million to $61.8 million, compared to $54.4 million in the prior year quarter, due to the factors mentioned above.
Please see the financial tables at the end of this press release for a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable measure, prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.
Second Quarter Segment Financial Results
Food Distribution
Net sales for Food Distribution increased $61.8 million, or 5.9%, to $1.12 billion from $1.06 billion in the prior year quarter. The increase in net sales was due primarily to the inflationary impact on pricing.
Reported operating earnings for Food Distribution were $13.0 million, compared to $16.7 million in the prior year quarter. The decrease in reported operating earnings was due to increases in corporate administrative costs, partially offset by a higher gross profit rate. Adjusted operating earnings(2) increased more than 28% to $24.5 million from $19.1 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating earnings exclude, among other items, LIFO expense in both years and costs related to shareholder activism in the current year.
Retail
Net sales for Retail increased $52.4 million, or 8.5%, to $672.4 million from $620.0 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to inflationary pricing and share gains. Retail comparable store sales increased 6.5% for the quarter.
Reported operating loss for Retail was $0.4 million, compared to earnings of $12.7 million in the prior year quarter. The decrease was due to a lower gross profit rate, along with increased corporate administrative, utilities, and supplies costs. Adjusted operating earnings(2) were $8.4 million, compared to $15.8 million in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating earnings exclude, among other items, LIFO expense, restructuring and asset impairment charges in both years and costs related to shareholder activism in the current year.
Military
Net sales for Military increased $53.1 million, or 12.4%, to $483.2 million from $430.1 million in the prior year quarter. The increase was primarily related to inflation and an increase in case volume.
Reported operating loss for Military was $0.3 million, compared to a $3.5 million loss in the prior year quarter. The improvement was due to higher gross profit rates and increased case volumes, partially offset by increased corporate administrative costs. Adjusted operating earnings(2) were $5.1 million, compared to a $2.7 million loss in the prior year quarter. Adjusted operating earnings for Military exclude, among other items, LIFO expense in both years and costs related to shareholder activism in the current year.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
Cash flows provided by operating activities for the first half of fiscal 2022 were $28.5 million compared to $73.6 million in the first half of the prior year. The decrease in cash flows compared to the prior year was due primarily to changes in working capital. Accordingly, long-term debt and finance lease liabilities increased $74.5 million during the first half of fiscal 2022, which resulted in a change in the Company's net long-term debt(4) to adjusted EBITDA(1) ratio over this period from 1.8x to 2.0x.
Purchases of property and equipment were $46.4 million, while capital expenditures and IT capital(5) totaled $49.6 million in the first half of fiscal 2022 compared to $43.8 million in the first half of the prior year.
During the first half of fiscal 2022, the Company paid $15.2 million in cash dividends, equal to $0.42 per common share. During the second quarter, the Company also renewed its share repurchase program and repurchased 215,402 shares for a total of $6.6 million, with an average price of $30.49 per share. In total, the Company returned $21.8 million to shareholders in the first half of 2022.
Fiscal 2022 Outlook
'Due to our strong performance to-date and the success of our Supply Chain Transformation, we are raising our full-year outlook for the second time this year,' Sarsam continued. 'We remain steadfastly committed to delivering strong results and creating sustainable shareholder value through Our Winning Recipe, which leverages our three Core Capabilities: People, Operational Excellence and Insights That Drive Solutions.'
Based on year-to-date performance and expectations for the remainder of the year, the Company is updating its full year guidance for fiscal 2022, as noted in the table below. The Company expects a stable earnings pace for the back half of fiscal 2022, inclusive of the net incremental costs associated with the Merchandising Transformation initiative, currently estimated to be between $11.0 million to $14.0 million.
Previous Full Year 2022 Outlook
Long-Term Financial Targets & Investor Day
The Company also reaffirms its 2025 long-term financial targets. These include growing:
Sales to more than $10 billion, an increase of 12% from fiscal 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA to more than $300 million, an increase of 40% from fiscal 2021.
The Company is currently in the process of planning an Investor Day, scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, 2022. The live webcast of the formal presentation will be made available at SpartanNash's website at www.spartannash.com/webcasts under the 'Investor Relations' section and will remain archived on the Company's website.
Conference Call & Supplemental Earnings Presentation
The Company will host a conference call to discuss its quarterly results with additional comments and details on Thursday, August 18, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. ET. There will also be a simultaneous, live webcast made available at SpartanNash's website at www.spartannash.com/webcasts under the 'Investor Relations' section and will remain archived on the Company's website.
A supplemental quarterly earnings presentation will also be available on the Company's website at www.spartannash.com/investor-presentations.
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. As a distributor, wholesaler and retailer with a global supply chain network, SpartanNash customers span a diverse group of national accounts, independent and chain grocers, e-commerce retailers, U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, and the Company's own brick-and-mortar grocery stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. SpartanNash distributes grocery and household goods, including fresh produce and its Our Family portfolio of products, to locations in all 50 states, in addition to distributing to the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Korea and Japan. To support its distribution business, the Company operates a strategically developed network of large-scale distribution facilities and a nationwide transportation fleet. In addition, the Company owns and operates 147 supermarkets - primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market - and shares its operational insights to drive innovative solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 strong and growing. For more information, visit spartannash.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
The matters discussed in this press release and in the Company's website-accessible conference calls with analysts and investor presentations include 'forward-looking statements' about the plans, strategies, objectives, goals or expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are identifiable by words or phrases indicating that the Company or management 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'plans,' 'believes,' or 'estimates,' or that a particular occurrence or event 'may,' 'could,' 'should,' 'will' or 'will likely' result, occur or be pursued or 'continue' in the future, that the 'outlook', 'trend', 'guidance' or 'target' is toward a particular result or occurrence, that a development is an 'opportunity,' 'priority,' 'strategy,' 'focus,' that the Company is 'positioned' for a particular result, or similarly stated expectations. Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. There are many important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include the Company's ability to compete in the highly competitive grocery distribution, retail grocery and military distribution industries; changes in economic or geopolitical conditions, including inflationary pressures and the Russia-Ukraine conflict; interest rate fluctuations; labor relations issues and rising labor costs; the ability of customers to fulfill their obligations to the Company; the Company's dependence on certain major customers, suppliers and vendors; disruptions to the Company's information security network; disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company's ability to implement its growth strategy and transformation initiatives; instances of security threats, severe weather conditions and natural disasters; impairment charges for goodwill and other long-lived assets; the Company's ability to successfully manage leadership transitions; the Company's ability to service its debt and to comply with debt covenants; the Company's ability to manage its private brand program for U.S. military commissaries; changes in the military commissary system, including its supply chain, or in the level of governmental funding; product recalls and other product-related safety concerns; changes in government regulations; and other risks and uncertainties listed under 'Risk Factors' and 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations' in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to the Company or that the Company currently believes are immaterial also may impair its business, operations, liquidity, financial condition and prospects. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements to reflect developments that occur or information obtained after the date of this press release.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes information regarding adjusted operating earnings, adjusted earnings from continuing operations, as well as per diluted share ('adjusted EPS'), and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ('adjusted EBITDA'). These are non-GAAP financial measures, as defined below, and are used by management to allocate resources, assess performance against its peers and evaluate overall performance. The Company believes these measures provide useful information for both management and its investors. The Company believes these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors because they provide additional understanding of the trends and special circumstances that affect its business. These measures provide useful supplemental information that helps investors to establish a basis for expected performance and the ability to evaluate actual results against that expectation. These measures, when considered in connection with GAAP results, can be used to assess the overall performance of the Company as well as assess the Company's performance against its peers. Certain of these measures are also used as a basis for certain compensation programs sponsored by the Company. In addition, securities analysts, fund managers and other shareholders and stakeholders that communicate with the Company request its financial results in these adjusted formats.
The Company is unable to provide a full reconciliation of the GAAP to non-GAAP measures used in the fiscal 2022 outlook and long-term targets disclosed in this press release without unreasonable effort because it is not possible to predict certain adjustment items with a reasonable degree of certainty since they are not yet known or quantifiable, and do not relate to the Company's routine activities. These adjustments may include, among other items, restructuring and asset impairment activity, acquisition and integration costs, severance, costs related to the postretirement plan amendment and settlement, and organizational realignment costs, and the impact of adjustments to the last-in-first-out (LIFO) inventory reserve. This information is dependent upon future events, which may be outside of the Company's control and could have a significant impact on its GAAP financial results for fiscal 2022 or fiscal 2025, respectively.
(1) A reconciliation of net earnings to Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided in Table 2 below.
(2) A reconciliation of operating earnings to adjusted operating earnings, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided in Table 3 below.
(3) A reconciliation of net earnings to adjusted earnings from continuing operations, as well as per diluted share ('adjusted EPS'), a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided in Table 4 below.
(4) A reconciliation of long-term debt and finance lease obligations to net long-term debt, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided in Table 5 below.
(5) A reconciliation of purchases of property and equipment to capital expenditures and IT capital, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided in Table 7 below.
SPARTANNASH COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS: see full results at:
https://www.spartannash.com/investors/news/release/?id=111137
Notes: Capital expenditures and IT capital is a non-GAAP financial measure calculated by adding spending related to the development of cloud computing applications spend to capital expenditures, the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Cloud computing spend only includes costs incurred during the application development phase and does not include ongoing costs of hosting or maintenance associated with these applications, which are expensed as incurred. The Company believes it is a useful indicator of the Company's investment in its facilities and systems as it transitions to more cloud-based IT systems. Capital expenditures and IT capital is not a substitute for GAAP financial measures and may differ from similarly titled measures of other companies.
Investor Relations:
Kayleigh Campbell
Head of Investor Relations
Kayleigh.Campbell@spartannash.com
SpartanNashIR@icrinc.com
616-878-8354
Media:
Caitlin Gardner
Senior Manager, Public Relations
Caitlin.Gardner@spartannash.com
press@spartannash.com
SPARTANNASH COMPANY 
