Stein Mart, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2017 Results

•Q4 operating income of $4.1 million compared to operating loss of $8.1 million in 2016
•Q4 adjusted operating income of $7.3 million grew $14.3 million over 2016
•Q4 gross profit expanded 380 basis points
•Year-end borrowings $26 million lower than last year

Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMRT) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended February 3, 2018.

Operating income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $4.1 million compared to an operating loss of $8.1 million in 2016. Fourth quarter results include non-cash pretax asset impairment charges of $3.2 million in 2017 compared to $1.2 million in 2016. Excluding these charges, adjusted operating income for the fourth quarter was $7.3 million, up $14.3 million from the adjusted operating loss of $7.0 million in 2016 (see Note 1).

Net loss for the fourth quarter was $0.4 million or $0.01 per diluted share compared to a net loss of $4.9 million or $0.11 per diluted share in 2016. In addition to the asset impairment charges noted above, fourth quarter 2017 results also include $2.2 million higher income tax expense related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Act”) (see below). Excluding these expenses, fourth quarter adjusted net income was $3.7 million or $0.08 per diluted share in 2017 compared to adjusted net loss of $4.2 million or $0.09 diluted loss per share in 2016 (see Note 1).

Adjusted earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) for the fourth quarter was $15.4 million compared to $2.1 million in 2016 (see Note 1).

“2017 was a year of transition that positions us for the future. We have updated our assortment and improved inventory productivity through reduced inventory levels, changes to receipt flow and better markdown practices. We also launched a new advertising campaign, cut expenses and capital spending, and expanded e-Commerce by adding ship-from-store fulfillment,” said Hunt Hawkins, CEO. “These changes allowed us to achieve meaningful fourth quarter adjusted operating income that grew $14.3 million from last year driven by gross profit expansion and even greater growth in our merchandise margins.”

“We are encouraged by the sales trend we saw in February and early March driven by very strong regular-priced selling, particularly in our warm weather and resort markets where spring selling begins. These leading indicators give us confidence that comparable sales trends will dramatically improve in the first quarter as spring regular-price selling builds in other markets. With improved first quarter comparable sales, our gross profit expansion and continued expense control, we expect first-half operating income in excess of $8 million, most of which will occur in the first quarter.”

Sales
Total sales for the fourth quarter of 2017 decreased 0.2 percent to $384.9 million, while comparable store sales decreased 5.4 percent. Total sales for the year decreased 3.1 percent to $1.32 billion for 2017, while comparable store sales decreased 6.2 percent. The month of January included a 53rd week in fiscal 2017, creating a 14-week fourth quarter. Comparable store sales are based on 13 and 52-week comparisons to fiscal 2016.

Gross Profit
Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $102.4 million or 26.6 percent of sales compared to $87.9 million or 22.8 percent of sales in 2016. The 380 basis point improvement in the gross profit rate was primarily due to a higher merchandise margin rate from reduced markdowns and better inventory productivity.
more at:  http://ir.steinmart.com/news-releases/news-release-details/stein-mart-inc-reports-fourth-quarter-and-fiscal-2017-results

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