Bassett Reports Fiscal Third Quarter Results, Updates Progress on Restructuring Plan and Announces Regular Quarterly Dividend
BASSETT, Va., Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: BSET) reported today its results of operations for its third quarter ended August 31, 2024. In addition, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share of common stock, payable on Nov. 29, 2024, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Nov. 15, 2024. This dividend represents an 11% increase over the prior year’s quarterly dividend.
Q3 Consolidated Business Highlights: [FY 24 vs. FY 23, unless otherwise specified]
- Revenues decreased 13%, impacted by a cyber incident that suspended all financial systems and manufacturing for 7 days.
- Operating loss of $6.4 million, which included a $1.2 million loss on a logistical services contract the Company abandoned and various costs associated with the cyber incident.
- Gross margin of 53.0%, which included $0.6 million of manufacturing wages paid during the cyber shutdown. Excluding the wage charge, gross profit margin would have been 53.8% as compared to adjusted gross margin of 52.7% in 2023 (see Table 5).
- Diluted loss per share of $0.52 vs. a loss of $0.30 in 2023.
- Limited cash flow deficit for the quarter to $0.4 million despite challenging results and cyber disruption related costs.
Fiscal 2024 Third Quarter Overview
(Dollars in millions)
| Sales | Operating Income (Loss) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Qtr | Dollar | % | 3rd Qtr | % of | 3rd Qtr | % of | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | Change | Change | 2024 | Sales | 2023 | Sales | |||||||||||||||
| Consolidated (1) | $ | 75.6 | $ | 87.2 | $ | (11.6 | ) | -13.3 | % | $ | (6.4 | ) | -8.5% | $ | (3.8 | ) | -4.4% | |||||
| Wholesale | $ | 47.8 | $ | 56.7 | $ | (8.9 | ) | -15.7 | % | $ | 4.4 | 9.2% | $ | 6.3 | 11.1% | |||||||
| Retail | $ | 47.3 | $ | 52.3 | $ | (5.0 | ) | -9.6 | % | $ | (2.8 | ) | -5.9% | $ | (3.0 | ) | -5.7% | |||||
| Corporate & Other (2) | $ | 1.0 | $ | 1.8 | $ | (0.8 | ) | -44.4 | % | $ | (7.0 | ) | N/A | $ | (7.4 | ) | N/A | |||||
| (1) Our consolidated results for the quarter include certain intercompany eliminations as well as a $1.2 million contract abandonment charge which are not allocated to our segment operating results. See Table 4, "Segment Information" below for an illustration of the effects of these items on our consolidated sales and operating income. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| (2) Corporate and Other includes the operations of Noa Home Inc. along with the shared Corporate costs that are benefiting both the Wholesale and Retail segments. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
“The third quarter is historically our slowest as we customarily shut down manufacturing for the week of July 4th,” said Robert H. Spilman, Jr., Bassett Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Although we had additional challenges this year, we delivered strong gross margins. In mid-July, we reported that we detected unauthorized activities in our IT systems, which resulted in us shutting down our IT systems and ceasing manufacturing for 7 days. The industry remained challenged by economic factors in the quarter, including a slow housing market that is forecasted to improve heading into 2025. With our strong balance sheet and our focus on right-sizing our expense structure, our goal is to drive better profitability.”
Update on Restructuring Plan
The Company made progress on the restructuring plan announced in July to lower its cost structure and to strengthen operations for topline growth. The comprehensive strategy builds on the strength of Bassett’s brand quality, design expertise and service, and focuses on driving revenue growth and profitability long-term. The five-point plan will be completed by the end of the fourth quarter. “We are running a leaner operation, reducing expenses and investing in new products and services,” Spilman added. “Through our restructuring plan, we are on target to improve our bottom-line between $5.5 million and $6.5 million on an annual basis. We are committed to returning to profitability.”
Conference Call and Webcast
The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its quarterly results on October 10, 2024, at 9:00 am ET. The public is invited to listen to the conference call by webcast, accessible through the Company’s investor relations website, /. Participants can also listen to the conference call via . A replay and transcript of the conference call will be available on demand on the investor relations site.
About Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc.
Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSET) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of high-quality home furnishings. With 87 company- and licensee-owned stores at the time of this release, Bassett has leveraged its strong brand name in furniture into a network of corporate and licensed stores that focus on providing consumers with a friendly environment for buying furniture and accessories. Bassett’s retail strategy includes stylish, custom-built furniture that features the latest on-trend furniture styles, free in-home design visits, and coordinated decorating accessories. Bassett also has a traditional wholesale business with more than 700 accounts on the open market, across the United States and internationally. For more information, visit the Company’s website at bassettfurniture.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements in this release, particularly those preceded by, followed by or including the words “believes,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “should,” “estimates,” or similar expressions, or those relating to or anticipating financial results or changes in operations for periods beyond the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2024, constitute “forward looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. For those statements, Bassett claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In many cases, Bassett cannot predict what factors would cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Expectations included in the forward-looking statements are based on preliminary information, as well as certain assumptions which management believes to be reasonable at this time. The following important factors affect Bassett and could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward looking statements: the effects of national and global economic or other conditions and future events on the retail demand for home furnishings and the ability of Bassett’s customers and consumers to obtain credit; the success of marketing, logistics, retail and other initiatives; and the economic, competitive, governmental and other factors identified in Bassett’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement that Bassett makes speaks only as of the date of such statement, and Bassett undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indication of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.
Contacts:
J. Michael Daniel
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
(276) 629-6614 – Investors
Peter D. Morrison
Vice President of Communications
(276) 629-6450 – Media
| Table 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - unaudited | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (In thousands, except for per share data) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quarter Ended | Nine Months | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Percent of | Percent of | Percent of | Percent of | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | ||||||||||||||||
| Net sales of furniture and accessories | $ | 75,619 | 100.0 | % | $ | 87,217 | 100.0 | % | $ | 245,583 | 100.0 | % | $ | 295,434 | 100.0 | % | |||||||
| Cost of furniture and accessories sold | 35,526 | 47.0 | % | 42,173 | 48.4 | % | 113,863 | 46.4 | % | 140,360 | 47.5 | % | |||||||||||
| Gross profit | 40,093 | 53.0 | % | 45,044 | 51.6 | % | 131,720 | 53.6 | % | 155,074 | 52.5 | % | |||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 45,210 | 59.8 | % | 48,848 | 56.0 | % | 142,141 | 57.9 | % | 154,709 | 52.4 | % | |||||||||||
| Loss on contract abandonment | 1,240 | 1.6 | % | - | 0.0 | % | 1,240 | 0.5 | % | - | 0.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Asset impairment charges | - | 0.0 | % | - | 0.0 | % | 5,515 | 2.2 | % | - | 0.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Gain on revaluation of contingent consideration | - | 0.0 | % | - | 0.0 | % | - | 0.0 | % | 1,013 | 0.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | (6,357 | ) | -8.4 | % | (3,804 | ) | -4.4 | % | (17,176 | ) | -7.0 | % | 1,378 | 0.5 | % | ||||||||
| Interest income | 692 | 0.9 | % | 923 | 1.1 | % | 2,075 | 0.8 | % | 1,644 | 0.6 | % | |||||||||||
| Other loss, net | (109 | ) | -0.1 | % | (309 | ) | -0.4 | % | (489 | ) | -0.2 | % | (1,381 | ) | -0.5 | % | |||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | (5,774 | ) | -7.6 | % | (3,190 | ) | -3.7 | % | (15,590 | ) | -6.3 | % | 1,641 | 0.6 | % | ||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) | (1,269 | ) | -1.7 | % | (599 | ) | -0.7 | % | (2,691 | ) | -1.1 | % | 711 | 0.2 | % | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | (4,505 | ) | -6.0 | % | (2,591 | ) | -3.0 | % | (12,899 | ) | -5.3 | % | 930 | 0.3 | % | ||||||||
| Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.30 | ) | $ | (1.48 | ) | $ | 0.11 | ||||||||||||
| Table 2 | ||||||
| BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||||
| Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||||
| (In thousands) | ||||||
| (Unaudited) | ||||||
| Assets | August 31, 2024 | November 25, 2023 | ||||
| Current assets | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 38,329 | $ | 52,407 | ||
| Short-term investments | 17,834 | 17,775 | ||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 12,974 | 13,736 | ||||
| Inventories, net | 56,138 | 62,982 | ||||
| Recoverable income taxes | 2,846 | 2,574 | ||||
| Other current assets | 9,421 | 8,480 | ||||
| Total current assets | 137,542 | 157,954 | ||||
| Property and equipment, net | 78,564 | 83,981 | ||||
| Other long-term assets | ||||||
| Deferred income taxes, net | 7,410 | 4,645 | ||||
| Goodwill and other intangible assets | 14,199 | 16,067 | ||||
| Right of use assets under operating leases | 90,274 | 100,888 | ||||
| Other | 7,873 | 6,889 | ||||
| Total long-term assets | 119,756 | 128,489 | ||||
| Total assets | $ | 335,862 | $ | 370,424 | ||
| Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | ||||||
| Current liabilities | ||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 14,232 | $ | 16,338 | ||
| Accrued compensation and benefits | 6,595 | 8,934 | ||||
| Customer deposits | 23,700 | 22,788 | ||||
| Current portion of operating lease obligations | 18,504 | 18,827 | ||||
| Other accrued expenses | 10,086 | 11,003 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 73,117 | 77,890 | ||||
| Long-term liabilities | ||||||
| Post employment benefit obligations | 10,885 | 10,207 | ||||
| Long-term portion of operating lease obligations | 85,310 | 97,357 | ||||
| Other long-term liabilities | 1,514 | 1,529 | ||||
| Total long-term liabilities | 97,709 | 109,093 | ||||
| Stockholders’ equity | ||||||
| Common stock | 43,674 | 43,842 | ||||
| Retained earnings | 121,387 | 139,354 | ||||
| Additional paid-in-capital | - | 93 | ||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | (25 | ) | 152 | |||
| Total stockholders' equity | 165,036 | 183,441 | ||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 335,862 | $ | 370,424 | ||
| Table 3 | |||||||
| BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - unaudited | |||||||
| (In thousands) | |||||||
| Nine Months | |||||||
| August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | ||||||
| Operating activities: | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (12,899 | ) | $ | 930 | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) | |||||||
| operating activities: | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 7,613 | 7,502 | |||||
| Non-cash asset impairment charges | 5,515 | - | |||||
| Gain on revaluation of contingent consideration | - | (1,013 | ) | ||||
| Inventory valuation charges | 4,954 | 3,814 | |||||
| Deferred income taxes | (2,765 | ) | 473 | ||||
| Other, net | 937 | 1,781 | |||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts receivable | 762 | 2,499 | |||||
| Inventories | 1,890 | 14,797 | |||||
| Other current and long-term assets | (1,213 | ) | (289 | ) | |||
| Right of use assets under operating leases | 13,029 | 13,668 | |||||
| Customer deposits | 912 | (12,337 | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable and other liabilities | (5,364 | ) | (6,586 | ) | |||
| Obligations under operating leases | (15,694 | ) | (14,990 | ) | |||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | (2,323 | ) | 10,249 | ||||
| Investing activities: | |||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (4,720 | ) | (14,657 | ) | |||
| Proceeds from disposal of discontinued operations, net | - | 1,000 | |||||
| Other | (909 | ) | (1,664 | ) | |||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (5,629 | ) | (15,321 | ) | |||
| Financing activities: | |||||||
| Cash dividends | (4,909 | ) | (4,406 | ) | |||
| Other issuance of common stock | 275 | 275 | |||||
| Repurchases of common stock | (1,127 | ) | (4,056 | ) | |||
| Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards | (161 | ) | (109 | ) | |||
| Repayments of finance lease obligations | (210 | ) | (208 | ) | |||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (6,132 | ) | (8,504 | ) | |||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | 6 | (37 | ) | ||||
| Change in cash and cash equivalents | (14,078 | ) | (13,613 | ) | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of period | 52,407 | 61,625 | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents - end of period | $ | 38,329 | $ | 48,012 | |||
| Table 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||||||||||||||
| Segment Information - unaudited | ||||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
| Quarter Ended | Nine Months | |||||||||||||||
| August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | |||||||||||||
| Sales Revenue | ||||||||||||||||
| Wholesale sales of furniture and accessories | $ | 47,828 | $ | 56,660 | $ | 155,138 | $ | 188,318 | ||||||||
| Less: Sales to retail segment | (20,453 | ) | (23,503 | ) | (64,967 | ) | (77,932 | ) | ||||||||
| Wholesale sales to external customers | 27,375 | 33,157 | 90,171 | 110,386 | ||||||||||||
| Retail sales of furniture and accessories | 47,256 | 52,264 | 151,478 | 178,004 | ||||||||||||
| Corporate & Other - Noa Home (1) | 988 | 1,796 | 3,934 | 7,044 | ||||||||||||
| Consolidated net sales of furniture and accessories | $ | 75,619 | $ | 87,217 | $ | 245,583 | $ | 295,434 | ||||||||
| Income (Loss) before Income Taxes | ||||||||||||||||
| Income (Loss) from Operations | ||||||||||||||||
| Wholesale | $ | 4,440 | $ | 6,340 | $ | 16,886 | $ | 22,339 | ||||||||
| Retail | (2,840 | ) | (3,036 | ) | (6,674 | ) | (751 | ) | ||||||||
| Net expenses - Corporate and other (1) | (6,963 | ) | (7,420 | ) | (21,500 | ) | (22,140 | ) | ||||||||
| Inter-company elimination | 246 | 312 | 867 | 917 | ||||||||||||
| Loss on abandoned warehouse contract | (1,240 | ) | - | (1,240 | ) | - | ||||||||||
| Asset impairment charges | - | - | (5,515 | ) | - | |||||||||||
| Gain on revaluation of contingent consideration | - | - | - | 1,013 | ||||||||||||
| Consolidated income (loss) from operations | (6,357 | ) | (3,804 | ) | (17,176 | ) | 1,378 | |||||||||
| Interest income | 692 | 923 | 2,075 | 1,644 | ||||||||||||
| Other loss, net | (109 | ) | (309 | ) | (489 | ) | (1,381 | ) | ||||||||
| Consolidated income (loss) before income taxes | $ | (5,774 | ) | $ | (3,190 | ) | $ | (15,590 | ) | $ | 1,641 | |||||
| (1) Corporate and Other includes the operations of Noa Home Inc. along with the shared | ||||||||||||||||
| Corporate costs that are benefiting both the Wholesale and Retail segments. | ||||||||||||||||
| Table 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| BASSETT FURNITURE INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted Gross Profit | |||||||||||||||||||
| (In thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Quarter Ended | Nine Months | ||||||||||||||||||
| August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | August 31, 2024 | August 26, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| Percent of | Percent of | Percent of | Percent of | ||||||||||||||||
| Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | Amount | Net Sales | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit as reported | $ | 40,093 | 53.0 | % | $ | 45,044 | 51.6 | % | $ | 131,720 | 52.5 | % | $ | 155,074 | 52.4 | % | |||
| Wages paid during cyber shutown | 609 | 0.8 | % | - | - | 609 | 0.2 | % | - | - | |||||||||
| Additional inventory valuation charges | - | - | 893 | 1.0 | % | 2,701 | 1.1 | % | 1,896 | 0.6 | % | ||||||||
| Gross profit as adjusted | $ | 40,702 | 53.8 | % | $ | 45,937 | 52.7 | % | $ | 135,030 | 55.0 | % | $ | 156,970 | 53.1 | % | |||
