OREANDA-NEWS. May 17, 2017. Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN), a leading lifestyle products and services company which operates a portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of Anthropologie, BHLDN, Free People, Terrain and Urban Outfitters brands and the Food and Beverage division, today announced net income of $12 million for the three months ended April 30, 2017. Earnings per diluted share were $0.10 for the three months ended April 30, 2017.

Total Company net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2018 were $761 million, flat compared to the same quarter last year. Comparable Retail segment net sales, which include the comparable direct-to-consumer channel, decreased 3.1%. By brand, comparable Retail segment net sales increased 1.5% at Free People, but decreased 3.1% at Urban Outfitters and 4.4% at the Anthropologie Group. Comparable Retail segment sales were driven by strong, double-digit growth in the direct-to-consumer channel, which were offset by negative retail store comparable net sales. Wholesale segment net sales increased 14%.   

"During the first quarter we continued to see strong double-digit growth from our direct-to-consumer channel and our wholesale business," said Richard A. Hayne, Chief Executive Officer.  “We believe we have significant opportunity to continue to grow both of these channels at all of our brands,” finished Mr. Hayne.

Net sales by brand and segment for the three month period were as follows:

             
        Three Months Ended
        April 30,
Net sales by brand         2017     2016
Urban Outfitters       $ 284,787   $ 298,889
Anthropologie Group         311,056     314,073
Free People         159,507     144,514
Food and Beverage         5,840     5,101
Total Company       $ 761,190   $ 762,577
             
Net sales by segment            
Retail Segment       $ 690,352   $ 700,193
Wholesale Segment         70,838     62,384
Total Company       $ 761,190   $ 762,577
             

For the three months ended April 30, 2017, the gross profit rate decreased 284 basis points versus the prior year’s comparable period. The decline in gross profit rate was driven by higher markdowns due to under-performing women’s apparel and accessories product at Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, deleverage in delivery and logistics expenses primarily due to the penetration of the direct-to-consumer channel, and deleverage in store occupancy related to negative comparable store net sales. 

As of April 30, 2017, total inventory was $359 million, which is flat on a year-over-year basis. Comparable Retail segment inventory decreased 3.3% at cost, which was offset by inventory to stock non-comparable stores.

For the three months ended April 30, 2017, selling, general and administrative expenses, expressed as a percentage of net sales, increased by 102 basis points when compared to the prior year’s comparable period. The deleverage in the quarter primarily related to approximately $5.9 million, or 77 basis points, of nonrecurring expenses related to severance and fees associated with the Company’s previously announced store organization project.

The Company’s effective tax rate for the first quarter of fiscal 2018 was 44.1% compared to 39.6% in the prior year period. This increase in the tax rate was due to the ratio of foreign taxable losses to global taxable profits in the quarter and the prospective adoption of the new accounting standard related to share-based compensation.

Net income for the three months ended April 30, 2017, was $12 million and earnings per diluted share was $0.10. The nonrecurring costs associated with the store organization project negatively impacted earnings per diluted share by approximately $0.03 per diluted share. The higher tax rate in the first quarter versus what the Company believes its annual effective tax rate could be, 36.5%, negatively impacted earnings per diluted share by approximately $0.02 per diluted share.

On February 23, 2015, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of 20 million common shares under a share repurchase program. No shares were repurchased under this authorization during the first quarter of fiscal 2018. The Company repurchased and subsequently retired 1.3 million common shares for approximately $46 million under this authorization during the year ended January 31, 2017. As of April 30, 2017, 6.0 million common shares are remaining under this authorization.

During the three months ended April 30, 2017, the Company opened a total of 7 new locations including: 4 Free People stores, 1 Urban Outfitters store, 1 Anthropologie Group store and 1 Food and Beverage restaurant; and closed 4 locations including: 1 Free People store, 1 Urban Outfitters store, 1 Anthropologie Group store and 1 Food and Beverage restaurant.

Urban Outfitters, Inc., offers lifestyle-oriented general merchandise and consumer products and services through a portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of 242 Urban Outfitters stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe and websites; 225 Anthropologie Group stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, catalogs and websites; 130 Free People stores in the United States and Canada, catalogs and websites and 12 Food and Beverage restaurants, as of April 30, 2017. Free People wholesale sells its product through approximately 1,900 department and specialty stores worldwide, third-party websites and the Company’s own retail stores.

A conference call will be held today to discuss first quarter results and will be webcast at 5:00 pm. ET at: http://edge.media-server.com/m/p/q3d2pn4r