Helen of Troy Limited Reports Results for the Second Quarter and First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2015

Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ, NM:HELE), designer, developer and worldwide marketer of brand-name housewares, healthcare/home environment, nutritional supplement and personal care consumer products, today reported results for the three- and six-month periods ended August 31, 2014.

Julien R. Mininberg, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our sales and earnings surpassed our revised guidance driven by stronger orders late in the quarter and better gross profit margin in August. Our acquisition of Healthy Directions contributed positively as planned. During the quarter, we made progress on our strategies that focus on product innovation, increased collaboration across our businesses and brands, and improved efficiency in many aspects of our organization. As an example, we have added new leadership in our global shared services who are spearheading the transformation of our distribution and sourcing operations. Executing our key strategies combined with our strong balance sheet, allows us to invest in organic growth, improve our business and operations, while evaluating compelling acquisitions and repurchasing our common shares. This is positioning us to achieve our long-term goal of delivering consistent sales growth at increasing rates of profitability.”

Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2015 Consolidated Operating Results

• Net sales revenue grew to $319.9 million compared to $319.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2014.
• Gross profit margin was 41.8% compared to 38.6% for the same period last year. This increase reflects two months of operations of the Nutritional Supplements segment, which had a favorable impact of 2.6 percentage points on the consolidated gross profit margin. Additionally, gross profit margin for the core business improved by 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year due to a better product sales mix.
• SG&A was 34.1% of net sales compared to 29.1% of net sales for the same period last year. The increase is primarily due to a higher relative SG&A ratio in the Nutritional Supplements segment, $3.6 million of acquisition-related expenses, and higher advertising and other marketing expenditures in the core business, which were partially offset by lower incentive compensation costs.
• Operating income was $24.6 million compared to operating income of $30.4 million in the same period last year.
• Income tax expense as a percentage of pretax income was 9.0% compared to 17.4% for the same period last year. The second quarter of fiscal year 2015 includes a tax benefit of $2.1 million related to the favorable resolution of an uncertain tax position. On a normalized basis, the Company expects the ongoing effective tax rate to be between 16% and 18% with the inclusion of Healthy Directions.
• Net income was $18.8 million, or $0.65 per fully diluted share on 28.8 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding. This compares to net income in the second quarter of fiscal year 2014 of $23.3 million, or $0.72 per fully diluted share on 32.3 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding.
• Adjusted EBITDA (EBITDA excluding non-cash share-based compensation and acquisition-related expenses) was $40.2 million compared to $41.8 million in the same period last year.

On an adjusted basis for the second quarter of fiscal years 2015 and 2014, excluding acquisition-related expenses, amortization of intangible assets and non‐cash share based compensation, as applicable:

• Adjusted operating income was $36.4 million compared to $39.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal year 2014.
• Adjusted income was $28.5 million, or $0.99 per fully diluted share, compared to $31.2 million, or $0.97 per fully diluted share, for the second quarter of fiscal year 2014.

First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2015 Consolidated Operating Results

• Net sales revenue increased 1.3% to $631.7 million compared to $623.9 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2014.
• Gross profit margin was 40.1% compared to 39.0% for the same period last year. This increase reflects two months of operations of the Nutritional Supplements segment, which had a favorable impact of 1.3 percentage points on the consolidated gross profit margin. This was partially offset by a 0.2 percentage point reduction in the gross profit margin for the core business compared to the same period last year due to higher promotional program spending, shifts in margin mix and product cost increases.
• SG&A was 31.1% of net sales compared to 28.9% of net sales for the same period last year. The increase is primarily due to a higher relative SG&A ratio in the Nutritional Supplements segment, $3.6 million of acquisition-related expenses in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015 and higher advertising and other marketing expenditures in the core business, which were partially offset by lower incentive compensation costs.
• Operating income was $47.7 million, which includes $9.0 million in non-cash asset impairment charges related to certain trademarks in the Company’s Personal Care segment. This is compared to operating income of $51.0 million in the same period last year, which included the impact of $12.0 million in non‐cash asset impairment charges related to certain trademarks in the Company’s Personal Care segment.
• Income tax expense as a percentage of pretax income was 12.9% compared to 18% for the same period last year. The first six months of fiscal year 2015 includes a tax benefit of $2.1 million related to the favorable resolution of an uncertain tax position. On a normalized basis, the Company expects the ongoing effective tax rate to be between 16% and 18% with the inclusion of Healthy Directions.
• Net income was $35.2 million, or $1.21 per fully diluted share on 29.2 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding. This compares to net income of $37.7 million, or $1.17 per fully diluted share on 32.2 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the same period last year.
• Adjusted EBITDA (EBITDA excluding non-cash share-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and non-cash asset impairment charges) was $82.2 million compared to $86.4 million in the same period last year.

On an adjusted basis for the first six months of fiscal years 2015 and 2014, excluding non-cash asset impairment charges, acquisition-related expenses, amortization of intangible assets and non‐cash share based compensation in both periods, as applicable:

• Adjusted operating income was $75.1 million compared to $80.7 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2014.
• Adjusted income was $59.3 million, or $2.03 per fully diluted share, compared to $65.5 million, or $2.03 per fully diluted share, for the first six months of fiscal year 2014.

Balance Sheet Highlights

• Cash and cash equivalents totaled $24.7 million at August 31, 2014, compared to $10.1 million at August 31, 2013.
• Total short- and long-term debt increased to $604.6 million at August 31, 2014, compared to $227.6 million at August 31, 2013. The increase primarily reflects borrowing incurred in conjunction with the repurchase of $273.6 million of common stock in the first quarter of fiscal year 2015 and the acquisition of Healthy Directions for $195.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal year 2015.
• Accounts receivable turnover was 63.8 days at August 31, 2014, compared to 61.9 days at August 31, 2013.
• Inventory was $351.8 million at August 31, 2014, compared to $306.9 million at August 31, 2013.

Recent Events

On June 11, 2014, the Company entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Healthy Directions, LLC, a leader in the premium doctor‐branded vitamin, mineral and supplement market. The transaction was completed on June 30, 2014 for a cash purchase price of $195.9 million funded from cash on hand and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility.

On June 11, 2014, in connection with the acquisition of Healthy Directions, the Company entered into an amendment of its credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. and other lenders. The amendment, among other things, increased the unsecured revolving commitment of the credit agreement from $375 million to $570 million.

Additionally, a strategic licensing agreement between Helen of Troy and The Cookware Company (“TCC”) to bring to market high quality cookware under the OXO Good Grips® brand name was announced on June 20, 2014. Under the arrangement, TCC has collaborated with OXO to develop 3 initial collections using an innovative new “smart shapes” concept built with premium materials consisting of two lines of hard‐anodized aluminum cookware and one line of stainless steel cookware. These will be marketed by TCC into OXO’s normal channels of distribution. The licensing agreement will extend OXO’s brand into a new housewares category.

Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Outlook

For fiscal year 2015, the Company continues to expect net sales revenue excluding Healthy Directions in the range of $1.275 to $1.30 billion, and diluted EPS (GAAP) in the range of $3.42 to $3.52, which includes after-tax non-cash asset impairment charges of $0.28 per share. The Company continues to expect projected sales and diluted EPS (GAAP) from the Healthy Directions acquisition to be in the range of $100 million to $105 million and $0.12 to $0.16, respectively, for the eight months included in our fiscal year 2015 results. The Company continues to expect consolidated net sales revenue including Healthy Directions in the range of $1.375 to $1.405 billion and diluted EPS (GAAP) in the range of $3.54 to $3.68.

The Company continues to expect adjusted diluted EPS (non-GAAP) excluding Healthy Directions to be in the range of $4.55 to $4.65, which excludes after-tax non-cash asset impairment charges, intangible asset amortization expense, and non-cash share-based compensation expense. The Company continues to expect adjusted diluted EPS (non-GAAP) for Healthy Directions to be in the range of $0.32 to $0.36, which excludes after-tax acquisition-related expenses, intangible asset amortization expense, and non-cash share-based compensation expense. The Company continues to expect consolidated adjusted diluted EPS (non-GAAP) including Healthy Directions to be in the range of $4.87 to $5.01.

The diluted EPS outlook is based on an estimated weighted average shares outstanding of 29.2 million for the full fiscal year 2015, which includes the impact of the “Dutch auction” tender offer completed on March 14, 2014, as well as an additional buyback of $25.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2015, as previously disclosed. Further information concerning the fiscal year 2015 outlook, including a reconciliation of fiscal year 2015 projected diluted EPS (GAAP) to Adjusted Diluted EPS (non-GAAP), is furnished in a table below.

The Company’s guidance assumes that the severity of the upcoming cold/flu season will be in line with historical averages. The likelihood and potential impact of any additional fiscal year 2015 acquisitions, asset impairment charges or share repurchases are unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated; therefore they are not included in the Company’s sales and earnings outlook.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will conduct a teleconference in conjunction with today's earnings release. The teleconference begins at 4:45 pm Eastern Time today, Thursday, October 9, 2014. Institutional investors and analysts interested in participating in the call are invited to dial (888) 500-6950 approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call. The conference call will also be webcast live at: www.hotus.com. A telephone replay of this call will be available at 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time on October 9, 2014 until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 16, 2014 and can be accessed by dialing (877) 870-5176 and entering replay pin number 3117775. A replay of the webcast will remain available on the website for 60 days.

About Helen of Troy Limited:

Helen of Troy Limited is a leading global consumer products company offering creative solutions for its customers through a strong portfolio of well-recognized and widely-trusted brands, including: Housewares: OXO®, Good Grips®, Soft Works®, OXO tot®, and OXO Steel®; Healthcare/Home Environment: Vicks®, Braun®, Honeywell®, PUR®, Febreze®, Stinger®, Duracraft® and SoftHeat®; and Personal Care: Revlon®, Vidal Sassoon®, Dr. Scholl's®, Pro Beauty Tools®, Sure®, Pert®, Infusium23®, Brut®, Ammens®, Hot Tools®, Bed Head®, Karina®, Ogilvie®, and Gold 'N Hot®. The Nutritional Supplements segment was formed with the recent acquisition of Healthy Directions, a U.S. market leader in premium doctor-branded vitamins, minerals and supplements, as well as other health products sold directly to consumers. The Honeywell® trademark is used under license from Honeywell International Inc. The Vicks®, Braun®, Febreze®, and Vidal Sassoon® trademarks are used under license from The Procter & Gamble Company. The Revlon® trademark is used under license from Revlon Consumer Products Corporation. The Bed Head® trademark is used under license from Unilever PLC. The Dr. Scholl's® trademark is used under license from MSD Consumer Care, Inc.

For in-depth information about Helen of Troy, please visit www.hotus.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

The Company reports and discusses its operating results using financial measures consistent with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). To supplement its presentation, the Company discloses certain financial measures that may be considered non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted operating income, adjusted income, adjusted diluted EPS, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, which are presented in accompanying tables to this press release along with a reconciliation of these financial measures to their corresponding GAAP-based measures presented in the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to change. The forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any or all of the forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many of these factors will be important in determining the Company's actual future results. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Actual future results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by a number of risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical or anticipated results. Generally, the words "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "plans," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "project," "predict," "potential," "continue," "intends," and other similar words identify forward-looking statements. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company intends its forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time of such statements, and does not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release should be read in conjunction with, and are subject to and qualified by, the risks described in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2014 and in our other filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to refer to the risk factors referred to above for a description of these risks. Such risks include, among others, the departure and recruitment of key personnel, the Company's ability to deliver products to our customers in a timely manner, the costs of complying with the business demands and requirements of large sophisticated customers, the Company's relationship with key customers and licensors, our dependence on the strength of retail economies and vulnerabilities to an economic downturn, expectations regarding acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses, exchange rate risks, disruptions in U.S., European and other international credit markets, risks associated with weather conditions, the Company’s dependence on foreign sources of supply and foreign manufacturing, risks associated with the availability, purity and integrity of materials used in nutritional supplements, the impact of changing costs of raw materials and energy on cost of goods sold and certain operating expenses, the Company's geographic concentration of certain U.S. distribution facilities, which increases our exposure to significant shipping disruptions and added shipping and storage costs, the Company's projections of product demand, sales, net income and earnings per share are highly subjective and our future net sales revenue and net income could vary in a material amount from such projections, circumstances that may contribute to future impairment of goodwill, intangible or other long-lived assets, the risks associated with the use of trademarks licensed from and to third parties, the Company's ability to develop and introduce innovative new products to meet changing consumer preferences, increased product liability and reputational risks associated with the formulation and distribution of nutritional supplements, risks associated with adverse publicity and negative public perception regarding the use of nutritional supplements, trade barriers, exchange controls, expropriations, and other risks associated with foreign operations, the Company’s debt leverage and the constraints it may impose, the costs, complexity and challenges of upgrading and managing our global information systems, the risks associated with information security breaches, the increased complexity of compliance with a number of new government regulations as a result of adding nutritional supplements to the Company’s portfolio of products, the risks associated with tax audits and related disputes with taxing authorities, potential changes in laws, including tax laws, and the Company's ability to continue to avoid classification as a controlled foreign corporation.