GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), one of the world's leading innovators in synthetic and recycled yarns, today released operating results for the second quarter ended December 24, 2017.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Highlights

• Net sales increased $12.3 million, or 7.9%, to $167.5 million, compared to $155.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017, and increased $11.4 million, or 7.4%, when excluding the impact of foreign currency translation;

• Revenues from premium value-added ("PVA") products grew more than 20% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2017, and represented more than 45% of consolidated net sales;

• Gross margin of 13.5%, compared to 14.3% for the second quarter of fiscal 2017;

• Operating income of $7.8 million, compared to $9.0 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017;

• Diluted EPS of $0.63, compared to $0.25 for the second quarter of fiscal 2017, and Adjusted EPS of $0.43, compared to $0.34 for the second quarter of fiscal 2017; and

• Fiscal 2018 outlook is updated by raising top-line expectations and adjusting operating income and earnings guidance to reflect higher costs.

"These second quarter results demonstrated strength across our product portfolio, driving revenue growth of 7.9%," said Kevin Hall, Chairman and CEO of Unifi. "An acceleration in the expansion of our PVA brands, like REPREVE®, drove PVA revenues to more than 45% of our consolidated net sales. We remain encouraged by the many brands, retailers and mills who have adopted Unifi's differentiated products, and are finding value in partnering with our recycling, sustainability and innovation efforts."

Hall continued, "At the same time, we experienced a rapid rise in raw material costs during the quarter, and we are seeking to counter this through appropriate price increases and improved sales mix through the balance of the fiscal year."

Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Operational Review

Net sales were $167.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to $155.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017.  Revenue growth was driven by an overall increase in sales volume, led by recycled product sales in Asia and North America, together with continued momentum and strong performance in Brazil. Gross margin was 13.5% for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to 14.3% for the second quarter of fiscal 2017, reflecting a lower-priced sales mix and cost pressures, primarily relating to raw materials.

Operating income was $7.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to $9.0 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017, as second quarter fiscal 2018 operating income reflected higher compensation and marketing expenses for expanded commercial efforts.

Net income was $11.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to $4.6 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017.  Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 benefited from a lower effective tax rate, but was unfavorably impacted by higher administrative expenses. Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2018 included a $3.8 million tax benefit due to the reversal of a valuation allowance on certain historical net operating losses, while net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 included a loss on sale of business of $1.7 million. For the second quarter of fiscal 2018, Diluted EPS and Adjusted EPS were $0.63 and $0.43, respectively. For the second quarter of fiscal 2017, Diluted EPS and Adjusted EPS were $0.25 and $0.34, respectively. Adjusted EPS does not include separate consideration for the impact of the federal tax reform legislation signed into law in December 2017.

Adjusted EBITDA was $13.9 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, compared to $14.5 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2017.  The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA resulted primarily from higher operating expenses in the second quarter of fiscal 2018. Adjusted EPS and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. The schedules included in this press release reconcile Adjusted EPS and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Net debt (debt principal less cash and cash equivalents) was $84.9 million at December 24, 2017, compared to $94.0 million at June 25, 2017, as cash and cash equivalents grew from $35.4 million at June 25, 2017 to $48.6 million at December 24, 2017.

First Six Months of Fiscal 2018 Operational Review

Net sales were $331.7 million for the first six months of fiscal 2018, compared to $315.1 million for the first six months of fiscal 2017. Gross margin was 13.9% for the first six months of fiscal 2018, compared to 14.5% for the first six months of fiscal 2017. Operating income was $17.9 million for the first six months of fiscal 2018, compared to $21.6 million for the first six months of fiscal 2017. Net income was $20.8 million for the first six months of fiscal 2018, compared to $14.0 million for the first six months of fiscal 2017.  Net income for the first six months of fiscal 2018 included a $3.8 million tax benefit due to the reversal of a valuation allowance on certain historical net operating losses, while net income for the first six months of fiscal 2017 included a loss on sale of business of $1.7 million. For the first six months of fiscal 2018, Diluted EPS and Adjusted EPS were $1.12 and $0.91, respectively. For the first six months of fiscal 2017, Diluted EPS and Adjusted EPS were $0.76 and $0.85, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA was $29.7 million for the first six months of fiscal 2018, compared to $32.4 million for the first six months of fiscal 2017.

Revised Fiscal 2018 Outlook

Based on the Company's most recent results and a rapid increase in raw material costs in connection with a greater than 30% increase in petroleum prices since July 2017, the Company has updated its fiscal 2018 outlook, as reflected below:

• Revenue growth in the low- to mid-single digit percentage range, driven by volume growth from continued strategic investments;

• Operating income broadly in-line with fiscal 2017;

• Earnings, excluding Parkdale America, LLC, (i.e. Adjusted EBITDA) flat to mid-single digit percentage growth;

• Capital expenditures of approximately $30 million; and

• An effective tax rate for ongoing business, exclusive of significant fluctuations, in the mid-20% range.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Earnings Conference Call

The Company will provide additional commentary regarding its second quarter fiscal 2018 results and other developments during its earnings conference call on January 25, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  The call can be accessed via a live audio webcast on the Company's website at http://investor.unifi.com.  Additional supporting materials and information related to the call will also be available on the Company's website.

About Unifi:

Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI) is a global textile solutions provider and one of the world's leading innovators in manufacturing synthetic and recycled performance fibers. The Company's proprietary technologies offer increased performance, comfort and style advantages, enabling customers to develop products that perform, look and feel better. Through REPREVE^®, one of Unifi's proprietary technologies and the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, Unifi has transformed more than 10 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes, home goods and other consumer products. Unifi continually innovates to meet consumer needs in moisture management, thermal regulation, antimicrobial, UV protection, stretch, water repellency and enhanced softness with leading products such as Sorbtek^®, XS™ Cross Section technology and Cotton-like™ technology. Unifi collaborates with many of the world's most influential brands in the sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries. For more information about Unifi, visit www.Unifi.com.

Financial Statements, Business Segment Information and Reconciliations to Adjusted Results to Follow

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain non-GAAP financial measures included herein are designed to complement the financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures include Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization ("EBITDA"), Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS (collectively, the "non-GAAP financial measures").

• EBITDA represents Net income attributable to Unifi, Inc. before net interest expense, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization expense.

• Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA adjusted to exclude equity in loss (earnings) of Parkdale America, LLC and, from time to time, certain other adjustments necessary to understand and compare the underlying results of the Company.

• Adjusted Net Income represents Net income attributable to Unifi, Inc. calculated under GAAP, adjusted to exclude the approximate after-tax impact of certain income or expense items (as well as specific impacts to the provision for income taxes) necessary to understand and compare the underlying results of the Company. Adjusted Net Income excludes certain amounts which management believes do not reflect the ongoing operations and performance of the Company.

• Adjusted EPS represents Adjusted Net Income divided by the Company's diluted weighted average common shares outstanding.

The non-GAAP financial measures are not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for performance measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The calculations of the non-GAAP financial measures are subjective, based on management's belief as to which items should be included or excluded in order to provide the most reasonable and comparable view of the underlying operating performance of the business. We may, from time to time, modify the amounts used to determine our non-GAAP financial measures. When applicable, management's discussion and analysis includes specific consideration for items that comprise the reconciliations of its non-GAAP financial measures.

We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures better reflect the Company's underlying operations and performance and that their use, as operating performance measures, provides investors and analysts with a measure of operating results unaffected by differences in capital structures, capital investment cycles and ages of related assets, among otherwise comparable companies.

Management uses Adjusted EBITDA (i) as a measurement of operating performance because it assists us in comparing our operating performance on a consistent basis, as it removes the impact of (a) items directly related to our asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization) and (b) items that we would not expect to occur as a part of our normal business on a regular basis; (ii) for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget; (iii) as a valuation measure for evaluating our operating performance and our capacity to incur and service debt, fund capital expenditures and expand our business; and (iv) as one measure in determining the value of other acquisitions and dispositions. Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance metric utilized in the determination of variable compensation. We also believe Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate supplemental measure of debt service capacity, because it serves as a high-level proxy for cash generated from operations and is relevant to our fixed charge coverage ratio. Equity in loss (earnings) of Parkdale America, LLC is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA because such earnings do not reflect our operating performance.

Management uses Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS (i) as measurements of net operating performance because they assist us in comparing such performance on a consistent basis, as they remove the impact of (a) items that we would not expect to occur as a part of our normal business on a regular basis and (b) components of the provision for income taxes that we would not expect to occur as a part of our underlying taxable operations; (ii) for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget; and (iii) as measures in determining the value of other acquisitions and dispositions.

Historically, the non-GAAP financial measures aimed to exclude the impact of the non-controlling interest in Repreve Renewables, LLC, while the consolidated amounts for such entity were required to be included in the Company's financial amounts reported under GAAP.

In evaluating non-GAAP financial measures, investors should be aware that, in the future, we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments included herein. Our presentation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as indicating that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Each of our non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results or liquidity measures as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are (i) it is not adjusted for all non-cash income or expense items that are reflected in our statements of cash flows; (ii) it does not reflect the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters we consider not indicative of our ongoing operations; (iii) it does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; (iv) it does not reflect the cash requirements necessary to make payments on our debt; (v) it does not reflect our future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments; (vi) it does not reflect limitations on or costs related to transferring earnings from our subsidiaries to us; and (vii) other companies in our industry may calculate this measure differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business or as a measure of cash that will be available to us to meet our obligations, including those under our outstanding debt obligations. You should compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using these measures only as supplemental information.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws about the financial condition and results of operations of the Company that are based on management's beliefs, assumptions and expectations about our future economic performance, considering the information currently available to management.  Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, guidance pertaining to our financial outlook. The words "believe," "may," "could," "will," "should," "would," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "project," "expect," "intend," "seek," "strive" and words of similar import, or the negative of such words, identify or signal the presence of forward-looking statements.  These statements are not statements of historical fact, and they involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or financial condition to differ materially from the expectations of future results, performance or financial condition that we express or imply in any forward-looking statement.

Factors that could contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to:  the competitive nature of the textile industry and the impact of global competition; changes in the trade regulatory environment and governmental policies and legislation; the availability, sourcing and pricing of raw materials; general domestic and international economic and industry conditions in markets where the Company competes, including economic and political factors over which the Company has no control; changes in consumer spending, customer preferences, fashion trends and end-uses for products; the financial condition of the Company's customers; the loss of a significant customer; the success of the Company's strategic business initiatives; volatility of financial and credit markets; the ability to service indebtedness and fund capital expenditures and strategic business initiatives; availability of and access to credit on reasonable terms; changes in foreign currency exchange, interest and inflation rates; fluctuations in production costs; the ability to protect intellectual property; employee relations; the impact of environmental, health and safety regulations; the operating performance of joint ventures and other equity investments; and the accurate financial reporting of information from equity method investees.

All such factors are difficult to predict, contain uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and may be beyond our control.  New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors or to assess the impact of each such factor on the Company.  Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, except as may be required by federal securities laws. The above and other risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and additional risks or uncertainties may be described from time to time in other reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

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SOURCE Unifi, Inc.