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Vice President Finance and CFO
LANDEC CORPORATION REPORTS THIRD QUARTER AND FIRST NINE MONTHS FISCAL YEAR 2012 RESULTS
Landec increases revenue guidance and guides to top of net income growth for FY 2012
MENLO PARK, CA - March 26, 2012 -- Landec Corporation (Nasdaq: LNDC), today reported results for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal year 2012. Revenues for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 increased 9% to $80.1 million compared to revenues of $73.5 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2011. Net income increased 107% to $4.8 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.3 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, during the third quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Third Quarter Results
The revenue growth of $6.6 million was due to an $8.7 million increase in revenues in Apio's value-added business, which includes the fresh-cut specialty packaged vegetable business, Apio Cooling, and Apio Packaging. The growth in Apio's value-added vegetable business resulted from a year over year 24% increase in unit volume sales which were facilitated by new distribution gains and normal weather patterns during this year's third quarter compared to very poor weather conditions during the third quarter of last year which resulted in significant produce sourcing issues. These increases in revenue were partially offset by a $1.1 million decrease in revenues at Lifecore due to the timing of shipments within the fiscal year compared to the third quarter of last year and a $1.3 million decrease in revenues in our Technology Licensing business primarily due to the termination of the Monsanto license agreement at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2012.
The $2.5 million increase in net income resulted from a $1.7 million increase in pre-tax income from Apio's value-added business and a $3.8 million increase in pre-tax income from our investment in Windset Farms, based on a recent appraisal and the requirement to record most of the increase in the fair market value of our Windset investment in the third quarter instead of the fourth quarter. These increases in net income in the third quarter were partially offset by a $1.3 million reduction in license fees from the termination of the Monsanto license agreement and a $1.6 million increase in the income tax expense due to higher pre-tax income.
Gary Steele, Landec's Chairman and CEO, commented, "We had a very good third quarter. Our Apio value-added business grew revenues 18% during the quarter based on a significant increase in the fresh-cut vegetable business unit volume sales due to new distribution gains and good produce sourcing during the quarter that resulted from normal weather patterns. Pre-tax income for Apio and Windset combined grew $5.4 million during the third quarter compared to last year's third quarter due to increased sales and margins in its value-added vegetable business and the contribution from our investment in Windset Farms. Although revenues in our Lifecore biomaterials business were down $1.1 million compared to the third quarter of last year as a result of the timing of shipments, for fiscal year 2012 Lifecore is expected to exceed last year's revenues and meet or exceed its pre-tax income plan for fiscal year 2012."
Revenues for the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 increased $26.3 million, or 13%, to $234.9 million compared to revenues of $208.6 million for the same period a year ago. Net income for the first nine months increased 49% to $9.9 million or $0.38 per diluted share compared to net income of $6.7 million or $0.25 per diluted share for the same period last year.
The increase in revenues during the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 compared to the first nine months of fiscal year 2011 resulted from: (1) a $17.6 million, or 14%, increase in Apio's value-added business, (2) a $9.7 million, or 20%, increase in Apio's export business, and (3) a $458,000, or 2%, increase in Lifecore's biomaterials business. These increases in revenue were partially offset by a $1.4 million decrease in revenues in our Technology Licensing business primarily due to the termination of the Monsanto licensing agreement at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2012.
Net income for the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 increased $3.3 million compared to the first nine months of last year, primarily due to a $5.6 million increase in pre-tax income from our investment in Windset Farms and a $1.9 increase in pre-tax income from Apio's value-added and export businesses. These increases were partially offset by (1) a $1.5 million decrease in pre-tax income in our Technology Licensing business primarily due to the termination of the Monsanto licensing agreement at the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2012, (2) a $2.2 million increase in the income tax expense due to higher pre-tax income, and (3) a $463,000 decrease in pre-tax income at Lifecore due to changes in product mix to higher sales of lower margin products, primarily during the first six months of fiscal year 2012.
Landec ended the quarter with $37.6 million in cash and marketable securities and for the first nine months of fiscal year 2012, Landec generated $8.5 million in cash from operations.
Based on our financial results for the first nine months of fiscal year 2012 and our outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, which reflect the solid performance and financial contributions of Apio, Windset and Lifecore, we are increasing our guidance for revenue growth and guiding to the top end of the range for growth in net income for the full fiscal year 2012.
For fiscal year 2012, we now expect revenues to grow 9% to 10% compared to our original guidance of 5% or better growth. In addition, we now expect net income to grow approximately 40%, after adding back the one-time impairment charge of $4.8 million to net income for fiscal year 2011, compared to our original guidance of 30% to 40%.
Landec Third Quarter 2012 Earnings Conference Call
A conference call will follow this release at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 during which senior management of Landec will present an overview of results for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal year 2012. Interested parties have the opportunity to listen to the conference call live on the Internet at www.landec.com by selecting Investors and the Financial Releases & Events page. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days. Additionally, investors can listen to the call by dialing (866) 244-4530 or (703) 639-1173 at least five minutes prior to the start. A replay of the call will be available through Wednesday, January 11, 2012 by calling (888) 266-2081 or (703) 925-2533, code #1571046.
Landec Corporation is a materials science company that leverages its proprietary polymer technologies, application development and innovation capabilities to develop and commercialize new products in agricultural, biomedical and industrial markets. Landec has two proprietary polymer technology platforms: Intelimer Polymers and Sodium Hyaluronate ("NaHy") that are the foundation for its business. Landec's subsidiary, Apio, has become the leader in US fresh-cut specialty packaged vegetables by combining Landec's proprietary food packaging technology with the capabilities of a large national food supplier, processor and distributor. Through its subsidiary, Lifecore Biomedical, Landec is now a premium supplier of hyaluronan-based materials and medical products to ophthalmic, orthopedic and veterinary markets worldwide. Landec's Licensing Partnerships work closely with market-leading companies to develop and commercialize differentiated polymer-based products. For more information about the Company, visit Landec's website at www.landec.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including such factors among others, as the timing and expenses associated with operations, the ability to achieve acceptance of the Company's new products in the market place, the severity of the current economic slowdown, weather conditions that can affect the supply and price of produce, the amount and timing of research and development funding and license fees from the Company's collaborative partners, the timing of regulatory approvals, the mix between domestic and international sales, and the risk factors listed in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 29, 2011 (See item 1A: Risk Factors) which may be updated in Part II. Item 1A Risk Factors in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. As a result of these and other factors, the Company expects to continue to experience significant fluctuations in quarterly operating results and there can be no assurance that the Company will remain consistently profitable. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new developments or otherwise.
--Tables and Q&A to Follow--
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
| February 26, 2012 | May 29, 2011 | |||||||
| (unaudited) | ||||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current Assets: | ||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities | $ | 37,628 | $ | 36,259 | ||||
| Accounts and income taxes receivable, net | 23,956 | 22,672 | ||||||
| Inventories, net | 19,932 | 20,161 | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 4,592 | 6,534 | ||||||
| Total Current Assets | 86,108 | 85,626 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 51,791 | 51,779 | ||||||
| Intangible assets, net | 52,025 | 52,256 | ||||||
| Investments in non-public companies | 21,181 | 16,455 | ||||||
| Other assets | 441 | 196 | ||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 211,546 | $ | 206,312 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current Liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 14,669 | $ | 17,047 | ||||
| Accrued compensation | 3,918 | 3,080 | ||||||
| Other accrued liabilities | 12,717 | 3,581 | ||||||
| Deferred revenue | 344 | 2,657 | ||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 4,330 | 4,330 | ||||||
| Total Current Liabilities | 35,978 | 30,695 | ||||||
| Long-term debt | 12,170 | 15,500 | ||||||
| Deferred taxes | 12,627 | 11,338 | ||||||
| Other non-current liabilities | 1,161 | 11,053 | ||||||
| Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| Common stock | 26 | 27 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 121,041 | 119,169 | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes | (202 | ) | (267 | ) | ||||
| Retained earnings | 27,043 | 17,126 | ||||||
| Total Stockholders' Equity | 147,908 | 136,055 | ||||||
| Non controlling interest | 1,702 | 1,671 | ||||||
| Total Equity | 149,610 | 137,726 | ||||||
| Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | $ | 211,546 | $ | 206,312 |
CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per-share data)
| Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
| February 26, | February 27, | February 26, | February 27, | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | 2011 | 2012 | 2011 | |||||||||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
| Product sales | $ | 79,365 | $ | 71,490 | $ | 229,577 | $ | 201,470 | ||||||||
| Services revenues | 545 | 549 | 2,330 | 2,600 | ||||||||||||
| License fees | 154 | 1,470 | 3,028 | 4,560 | ||||||||||||
| Total revenues | 80,064 | 73,509 | 234,935 | 208,630 | ||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue: | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales | 66,432 | 60,548 | 195,596 | 170,272 | ||||||||||||
| Cost of services revenues | 460 | 483 | 1,907 | 2,208 | ||||||||||||
| Total cost of revenue | 66,892 | 61,031 | 197,503 | 172,480 | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 13,172 | 12,478 | 37,432 | 36,150 | ||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
| Research and development | 2,473 | 2,275 | 7,142 | 6,762 | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 6,664 | 6,458 | 19,172 | 18,183 | ||||||||||||
| Total operating costs and expenses | 9,137 | 8,733 | 26,314 | 24,945 | ||||||||||||
| Operating income | 4,035 | 3,745 | 11,118 | 11,205 | ||||||||||||
| Dividend income | 281 | 47 | 844 | 47 | ||||||||||||
| Interest income | 63 | 120 | 219 | 344 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (153 | ) | (196 | ) | (492 | ) | (631 | ) | ||||||||
| Other income (expense) | 3,508 | (44 | ) | 4,595 | (146 | ) | ||||||||||
| Net income before taxes | 7,734 | 3,672 | 16,284 | 10,819 | ||||||||||||
| Income taxes | (2,920 | ) | (1,350 | ) | (6,079 | ) | (3,911 | ) | ||||||||
| Consolidated net income | 4,814 | 2,322 | 10,205 | 6,908 | ||||||||||||
| Non controlling interest | (49 | ) | (24 | ) | (288 | ) | (251 | ) | ||||||||
| Net income available to common stockholders | $ | 4,765 | $ | 2,298 | $ | 9,917 | $ | 6,657 | ||||||||
| Diluted net income per share | $ | 0.18 | $ | 0.09 | $ | 0.38 | $ | 0.25 | ||||||||
| Shares used in diluted per share computations | 25,825 | 26,634 | 26,205 | 26,654 |
THIRD QUARTER ENDED FEBRUARY 26, 2012
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
| Three months ended 2/26/12 | Three months ended 2/27/11 | Nine months ended 2/26/12 | Nine months ended 2/27/11 | |||||||||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio Value Added(a) | $ | 56,456 | $ | 47,704 | $ | 146,512 | $ | 128,911 | ||||||||
| Apio Export | 12,388 | 12,178 | 57,972 | 48,296 | ||||||||||||
| Total Apio | 68,844 | 59,882 | 204,484 | 177,207 | ||||||||||||
| Lifecore | 11,066 | 12,157 | 27,422 | 26,964 | ||||||||||||
| Tech. Licensing (b) | 154 | 1,470 | 3,029 | 4,459 | ||||||||||||
| Total Revenues | 80,064 | 73,509 | 234,935 | 208,630 | ||||||||||||
| Gross Profit: | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio Value Added | 5,478 | 3,273 | 16,069 | 13,388 | ||||||||||||
| Apio Export | 917 | 937 | 3,732 | 3,099 | ||||||||||||
| Total Apio | 6,395 | 4,210 | 19,801 | 16,487 | ||||||||||||
| Lifecore | 6,623 | 6,798 | 14,602 | 15,204 | ||||||||||||
| Tech. Licensing | 154 | 1,470 | 3,029 | 4,459 | ||||||||||||
| Total Gross Profit | 13,172 | 12,478 | 37,432 | 36,150 | ||||||||||||
| R&D: | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio | 279 | 284 | 792 | 753 | ||||||||||||
| Lifecore | 1,232 | 1,046 | 3,475 | 3,191 | ||||||||||||
| Tech. Licensing | 962 | 945 | 2,875 | 2,818 | ||||||||||||
| Total R&D | 2,473 | 2,275 | 7,142 | 6,762 | ||||||||||||
| S,G&A: | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio | 3,722 | 3,199 | 10,758 | 9,411 | ||||||||||||
| Lifecore | 1,268 | 1,357 | 3,381 | 3,608 | ||||||||||||
| Tech. Licensing | 94 | 93 | 317 | 312 | ||||||||||||
| Corporate | 1,580 | 1,809 | 4,716 | 4,852 | ||||||||||||
| Total S,G&A | 6,664 | 6,458 | 19,172 | 18,183 | ||||||||||||
| Other (c): | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio | 3,796 | 76 | 5,324 | (80 | ) | |||||||||||
| Lifecore | (153 | ) | (198 | ) | (476 | ) | (672 | ) | ||||||||
| Corporate | (2,913 | ) | (1,325 | ) | (6,049 | ) | (3,796 | ) | ||||||||
| Total Other | 730 | (1,447 | ) | (1,201 | ) | (4,548 | ) | |||||||||
| Net Income (Loss): | ||||||||||||||||
| Apio | 6,190 | 803 | 13,575 | 6,243 | ||||||||||||
| Lifecore | 3,970 | 4,197 | 7,270 | 7,733 | ||||||||||||
| Tech. Licensing | (902 | ) | 432 | (163 | ) | 1,329 | ||||||||||
| Corporate | (4,493 | ) | (3,134 | ) | (10,765 | ) | (8,648 | ) | ||||||||
| Net Income | $ | 4,765 | $ | 2,298 | $ | 9,917 | $ | 6,657 |