EX-99.1 2 g07146exv99w1.htm EX-99.1 PRESS RELEASE DATED MAY 4, 2007 EX-99.1 PRESS RELEASE DATED MAY 4, 2007
 

EXHIBIT 99.1
(LOGO)
4300 Wildwood Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339
1-888-502-BLUE
www.BlueLinxCo.com
     
BlueLinx Contacts:
   
Lynn Wentworth, CFO & Treasurer
  Jim Storey, VP Investor Relations
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
  BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
(770) 953-7505
  (770) 612-7169
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLUELINX ANNOUNCES FIRST-QUARTER RESULTS
— Net Loss of $0.01 Per Share on 30.5% Revenue Decline as Housing-Related Slowdown Continues —
— Gross Margin Rises to 10.8% for Quarter —
ATLANTA — May 4, 2007 — BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BXC), a leading distributor of building products in North America, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2007.
The first-quarter net loss totaled $189,000, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared with net income of $9.8 million, or $0.32 per share, in the year-ago period. Revenues decreased 30.5% to $957.1 million from $1.38 billion for the same period a year ago, reflecting a 36.2% drop in structural product sales and a 21.3% sales decline in specialty products. Approximately two-thirds of the sales decline in structural products resulted from unit volume, which fell 22.6% from a year ago, as demand related to new home construction remained sharply below year-earlier levels, evidenced by a 29.8% drop in new home construction for the quarter. The sales decrease in specialty products was due almost entirely to unit volume, which declined 20.9%. Overall unit volume for the company’s estimated weighted end-use markets fell 18.1% from the prior year.
Gross profit for the first quarter totaled $103.8 million, down 20.2% from $130 million in the prior-year period, reflecting lower unit volume associated with the housing starts decline. This decline was offset in part by an increase in gross margin. Gross margin increased 140 basis points to 10.8% from 9.4% a year earlier, due to structural product gross margin improvements achieved as wood-based structural product prices generally stabilized during the quarter after deteriorating sharply throughout much of 2006. First-quarter structural product gross margin of 8.7% improved 180 basis points from the year-ago period and 170 basis points from the previous quarter. Specialty product gross margin of 13.9% remained unchanged from a year ago and was up 10 basis points from the fourth quarter.
Total operating expenses of $93.9 million decreased $8.4 million, or 8.3%, from the same period a year ago, primarily reflecting decreases in variable compensation and lower payroll costs related to headcount reductions implemented in the third quarter of 2006. The operating expense decrease was partially offset by additional operating expense related to Austin Hardwoods, which was acquired last August, and expenses associated with investments in the business, including the implementation of a sales process and productivity improvement program designed to enhance market share and profitability. Operating income for the quarter totaled $9.9 million, compared with $27.6 million a year ago.

 


 

     
BlueLinx Q1’07 Press Release
  Page 2 of 6
May 4, 2007
   
“We continued to operate in a challenging business environment during the first quarter,” said Stephen Macadam, chief executive officer. “The ongoing cyclical decline in housing starts and lower wood-based structural product prices, the key grades of which ended the quarter approximately 26% below year-earlier levels, combined to make the first quarter a continuation of one of the weakest business environments our industry has experienced in many years.
“We faced these challenges by tightly managing costs while continuing to focus on the strategies that will facilitate our long-term growth as a leading distributor of specialty building products,” Macadam said. “We continued to provide quality service to our customers. We focused on expanding our specialty product business. We also continued to invest in processes and infrastructure to drive long-term profitability and market-share growth.
“As we move forward in 2007, we remain confident in our ability to execute our long-term strategy in this challenging environment,” Macadam said. “We currently do not see any signs of significant recovery in our housing-related business, but neither do we see signs of significant further deterioration. Our overall end-use markets appear generally weak, but stable. Wood-based structural product prices are showing some stability, but remain near their manufacturing costs and sharply below year-ago levels. We do not expect wood-based structural product prices to show any sustained recovery until demand returns with the recovery of the home construction sector.
“We continue to believe the longer-term fundamentals for household creation remain favorable for our business,” Macadam said. “We are proceeding in the current environment by focusing on improved margin performance and diligent cost and working capital management as we continue to execute on our long-term objectives.”
Dividend
On May 3, 2007 the BlueLinx Board of Directors declared a $0.125 dividend on the company’s common shares for the quarter ended March 31, 2007. The dividend is payable on June 29, 2007, to shareholders of record on June 15, 2007.
Conference Call
BlueLinx will host a conference call today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, accompanied by a supporting slide presentation. Investors may listen to the conference call and download the presentation by going to the Investor Relations page of the BlueLinx Web site at www.BlueLinxCo.com. Investors also can access a recording of the conference call for one week by calling (706)645-9291, Conference ID# 6257933. The recording will be available two hours after the conference call has concluded. Investors also can access a recording of this call on the BlueLinx Web site where a replay of the Webcast will be available for 90 days.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
BlueLinx reports its financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The company also believes that presentation of certain non-GAAP measures, i.e., results excluding certain charges, provides useful information for the understanding of its ongoing operations and enables investors to focus on period-over-period operating performance, without the impact of significant special items, and thereby enhances the user’s overall understanding of the company’s current financial performance relative to past performance and provides a better baseline for modeling future earnings expectations. Non-GAAP measures are reconciled in the financial tables accompanying this news release. The company cautions that non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, the company’s reported GAAP results.
About BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., operating through its wholly owned subsidiary BlueLinx Corporation, is a leading distributor of building products in North America. Employing more than 3,300 people, BlueLinx offers greater than 10,000 products from over 750 suppliers to service approximately 11,500 customers nationwide, including dealers, industrial manufacturers, manufactured housing producers and

 


 

     
BlueLinx Q1’07 Press Release
  Page 3 of 6
May 4, 2007
   
home improvement retailers. The company operates its distribution business from sales centers in Atlanta and Denver, and its network of more than 70 warehouses. BlueLinx, which is on the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest companies, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BXC. Additional information about BlueLinx can be found on its Web site at www.BlueLinxCo.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All of these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by our management that, although believed by BlueLinx to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of its control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, among other things: changes in the supply and/or demand for products that we distribute, especially as a result of conditions in the residential housing market; general economic and business conditions in the United States; the activities of competitors; changes in significant operating expenses; changes in the availability of capital; the ability to identify acquisition opportunities and effectively and cost-efficiently integrate acquisitions; adverse weather patterns or conditions; acts of war or terrorist activities; variations in the performance of the financial markets; and other factors described in the “Risk Factors” section in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2006, and in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. BlueLinx undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
- Tables to Follow -

 


 

     
BlueLinx Q1’07 Press Release
  Page 4 of 6
May 4, 2007
   
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
Statements of Operations
in thousands, except per share data
                 
    Quarters Ended  
    March 31,     Apri1 1,  
    2007     2006  
    (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
Net sales
  $ 957,114     $ 1,376,606  
Cost of sales
    853,359       1,246,654  
 
           
Gross profit
    103,755       129,952  
 
           
Operating expenses:
               
Selling, general, and administrative
    88,468       97,267  
Depreciation and amortization
    5,400       5,043  
 
           
Total operating expenses
    93,868       102,310  
 
           
Operating income
    9,887       27,642  
Non-operating expenses:
               
Interest expense
    10,606       11,197  
Other (income) expense, net
    (383 )     81  
 
           
Income (loss) before provision for (benefit from) income taxes
    (336 )     16,364  
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
    (147 )     6,569  
 
           
Net income (loss)
    (189 )     9,795  
 
           
 
               
Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding
    30,800       30,417  
 
           
Basic net income (loss) per share applicable to common stock
  $ (0.01 )   $ 0.32  
 
           
Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding
    30,800       30,713  
 
           
Diluted net income (loss) per share applicable to common stock
  $ (0.01 )   $ 0.32  
 
           
Dividends declared per share of common stock
  $ 0.125     $ 0.125  
 
           


 

     
BlueLinx Q1’07 Press Release
  Page 5 of 6
May 4, 2007
   
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
Balance Sheets
in thousands
                 
    March 31,     December 30,  
    2007     2006  
    (unaudited)          
Assets:
               
Current assets:
               
Cash
  $ 20,262     $ 27,042  
Receivables
    377,695       307,543  
Inventories
    465,550       410,686  
Deferred income taxes
    8,785       9,024  
Other current assets
    43,908       44,948  
 
           
Total current assets
    916,200       799,243  
 
           
Property, plant, and equipment:
               
Land and land improvements
    57,483       56,985  
Buildings
    95,814       95,814  
Machinery and equipment
    64,404       61,955  
Construction in progress
    3,949       2,025  
 
           
Property, plant, and equipment, at cost
    221,650       216,779  
Accumulated depreciation
    (42,304 )     (38,530 )
 
           
Property, plant, and equipment, net
    179,346       178,249  
Other non-current assets
    26,334       26,870  
 
           
Total assets
    1,121,880       1,004,362  
 
           
 
               
Liabilities :
               
Current liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 233,941     $ 195,815  
Bank overdrafts
    50,603       50,241  
Accrued compensation
    9,498       8,574  
Current maturities of long-term debt
    88,281       9,743  
Other current liabilities
    16,135       14,633  
 
           
Total current liabilities
    398,458       279,006  
 
           
Noncurrent liabilities:
               
Long-term debt
    522,719       522,719  
Deferred income taxes
    1,513       1,101  
Other long-term liabilities
    13,048       12,137  
 
           
Total liabilities
    935,738       814,963  
 
           
 
               
Shareholders’ Equity:
               
Common stock
    312       309  
Additional paid in capital
    139,224       138,066  
Accumulated other comprehensive income
    59       412  
Retained earnings
    46,547       50,612  
 
           
Total shareholders’ equity
    186,142       189,399  
 
           
Total liabilities and equity
  $ 1,121,880     $ 1,004,362  
 
           


 

     
BlueLinx Q1’07 Press Release
  Page 6 of 6
May 4, 2007
   
BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
in thousands
                 
    Quarters Ended  
    March 31,     April 1,  
    2007     2006  
    (unaudited)     (unaudited)  
Cash flows from operating activities:
               
Net income (loss)
  $ (189 )   $ 9,795  
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to cash provided by (used in) operations:
               
Depreciation and amortization
    5,400       5,043  
Amortization of debt issue costs
    606       765  
Deferred income tax provision (benefit)
    198       (753 )
Share-based compensation
    874       562  
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation arrangements
    (60 )     (862 )
Changes in assets and liabilities:
               
Receivables
    (70,152 )     (81,373 )
Inventories
    (54,864 )     (28,084 )
Accounts payable
    38,126       25,898  
Changes in other working capital
    3,526       904  
Other
    (472 )     1,704  
 
           
Net cash used in operating activities
    (77,007 )     (66,401 )
 
           
 
               
Cash flows from investing activities:
               
Property, plant, and equipment investments
    (6,092 )     (658 )
Proceeds from sale of assets
    879       135  
 
           
Net cash used in investing activities
    (5,213 )     (523 )
 
           
 
               
Cash flows from financing activities:
               
Proceeds from stock options exercised
    323       1,479  
Excess tax benefits from share-based compensation arrangements
    60       862  
Net increase in revolving credit facility
    78,538       84,919  
Debt financing costs
          (569 )
Increase (decrease) in bank overdrafts
    362       (12,822 )
Common dividends paid
    (3,876 )     (3,831 )
Other
    33        
 
           
Net cash provided by financing activities
    75,440       70,038  
 
           
 
               
Increase (decrease) in cash
    (6,780 )     3,114  
Balance, beginning of period
    27,042       24,320  
 
           
Balance, end of period
  $ 20,262     $ 27,434  
 
           
###