Central garden & pet company announces fiscal 2011 second quarter
results
Walnut creek, calif.--(business wire)--central garden & pet company (nasdaq:cent) (nasdaq:centa), a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn and garden and pet supplies markets, today reported financial results for its second quarter ended march 26, 2011. the company reported second quarter net sales of $485.7 million, an increase of 10 percent over the same period a year ago. strong net sales growth in its garden products segment contributed significantly to the overall increase. the company reported operating income of $59.6 million, compared to operating income of $60.5 million in the comparable 2010 period, impacted by rising raw material input costs and the company’s continued strategic investments in marketing and brand building activities. net interest expense was $9.3 million compared to $9.8 million in the year-ago period. net income for the quarter totaled $31.8 million, or $0.54 per fully diluted share, compared with net income of $31.6 million, or $0.49 per fully diluted share, in the second quarter of 2010, on fewer shares outstanding. “our revenues have continued to grow,” said bill brown, chairman and chief executive officer. “we are especially pleased with the strong growth demonstrated by our garden business this quarter, led by our premium grass seed and our garden chemical and control products. although our revenues grew again this quarter, our earnings were impacted by the continued rise in input costs and by our strategic investment in brand building, which enhances consumer awareness of the quality and benefits of our products.” brown added, “innovation continues to be a key focus for our organization. as we plan our future, we are confident that the strength of our product portfolio, financial discipline and the dedication of our talented team strongly position us for continued, profitable long-term growth.” branded product sales increased $49.4 million, or 13 percent, to $417.3 million in the second quarter of 2011. sales of other manufacturers’ products were $68.4 million, a decrease of $5.6 million compared to the year ago period. the garden products segment’s branded product sales increased $46.2 million or 25 percent to $231.3 million, and sales of other manufacturers’ products were $29.0 million, a decrease of $5.5 million compared to the second quarter of 2010. the pet products segment’s branded product sales were $186.0 million, an increase of $3.2 million, and sales of other manufacturers’ products were $39.4 million, relatively flat compared to the second quarter of 2010. net sales for the garden products segment in the second quarter were $260.3 million, an increase of 19 percent from $219.6 million in the second quarter of 2010. the garden product segment’s operating income was $46.9 million compared to operating income of $36.8 million in the year ago period. net sales for the pet products segment were $225.4 million, an increase of 1 percent compared to $222.3 million in the year ago period. operating income for the pet products segment totaled $23.3 million, compared to $34.8 million in the year ago period, impacted by rising raw material input costs and strategic investments in activities to build the company’s brands. at march 26, 2011, the company’s cash and short term investments balance was $26.5 million. depreciation and amortization expense was $7.2 million in the second quarter of 2011, consistent with the second quarter of the prior year. the quarter ending total leverage ratio, as defined in the company’s credit agreement, was 3.5x. during the second quarter, the company repurchased $39 million of its common stock as part of its $100 million share repurchase program, approved by the board of directors in july 2010. for the six months ending march 26, 2011, the company reported net sales of $767.4 million, an increase of 8 percent, compared to $711.2 million in the comparable 2010 period. branded products sales equaled $647.6 million, up 10 percent over the comparable 2010 period. sales of other manufacturers’ products decreased 3 percent to $119.8 million. operating income for the period was $53.1 million compared to $61.0 million in the prior year. net income for the six months ended march 26, 2011 was $22.2 million compared to $28.7 million in the comparable 2010 period. earnings per diluted share were $0.37 compared to $0.43 per share per fully diluted share in the year ago period. conference call the company will host a conference call today at 4:30 p.m. eastern time / 1:30 p.m. pacific time to discuss its second quarter results. the conference call will be accessible via the internet through central’s website, http://www.central.com. to access the webcast link, log on to central’s website and locate the link in the investor relations section of the website. alternatively, to listen to the call by telephone, dial 888-680-0865 (domestic) or 617-213-4853 (international) and enter passcode 9979 1913. a replay of the call will be available for three weeks by dialing 888-286-8010 (domestic) and 617-801-6888 (international) and entering passcode 7040 4322. about central garden & pet central garden & pet company is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. committed to new product innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. participating categories in lawn & garden include: grass seed and the brands pennington®, smart seedtm and the rebels™; wild bird feed and the brand pennington®; weed and insect control and the brands amdro®, sevin®, ironite® and over-n-out®; and decorative outdoor patio products and the brands norcal®, new england pottery® and matthews four seasons™. we also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. participating categories in pet include: animal health and the brands adams™ and zodiac®; aquatics and reptile and the brands oceanic®, aqueon™ and zilla™; bird & small animal and the brands kaytee®, super pet® and critter trail®; dog & cat and the brands tfh®, nylabone®, four paws®, pinnacle® and avoderm®; and equine and the brands farnam®, bronco® and super mask®. we also provide a host of other application-specific pet brands and supplies. central garden & pet company is based in walnut creek, california, and has approximately 4,300 employees, primarily in north america and europe. for additional information on central garden & pet company, including access to the company's sec filings, please visit the company’s website at www.central.com. “safe harbor” statement under the private securities litigation reform act of 1995: the statements contained in this release which are not historical facts, including the potential for incorrect profitable sales, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. these risks are described in the central’s annual report on form 10-k, filed november 19, 2010, and central’s quarterly report on form 10-q, filed february 3, 2011, and other securities and exchange commission filings. central undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise. central garden & pet company condensed consolidated statements of income (unaudited) (in thousands, except per share amounts) march 26, central garden & pet company condensed consolidated balance sheets (unaudited) (in thousands) 2011 march 27, 2010 2010 total central garden & pet company shareholders’ equity
