Shoe Carnival Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

Shoe Carnival Reports Third Quarter 2012 Results

Company Reports Record Quarterly Earnings per Diluted Share

EVANSVILLE, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Shoe Carnival, Inc. (NAS: SCVL) a leading retailer of value-priced footwear and accessories, today reported results for the third quarter ended October 27, 2012.

Third Quarter Highlights

• Net sales of $244.4 million, a 13.4 percent increase, compared to the third quarter last year

• Comparable store sales increased 6.2 percent

• Quarterly earnings per diluted share of $0.60 represented a 15.4% increase over the previous record earnings per diluted share of $0.52, which was achieved in the third quarter of fiscal 2011

• Company opened six new stores, including two additional stores in Puerto Rico

"Our team did a great job in positioning us for a highly successful back-to-school season. We achieved comparable store sales at the high end of our guidance and record earnings. Our strong financial performance was the result of a marketing effort that resonated with our core consumer. We showcased the fashion trends currently driving footwear demand and reached additional customers through the opening of stores in new and existing markets," stated Cliff Sifford, President and CEO.

Financial Results

The Company reported net sales of $244.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2012, a 13.4 percent increase, compared to net sales of $215.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. Comparable store sales increased 6.2 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2012.

The gross profit margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 increased to 31.3 percent compared to 30.2 percent for the third quarter of fiscal 2011. The merchandise margin increased 0.6 percent, while buying, distribution and occupancy costs decreased 0.5 percent as a percentage of sales.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the third quarter increased $7.6 million to $55.9 million; as a percentage of sales, these expenses increased to 22.9 percent compared to 22.4 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. The increase in expense was primarily due to operating more stores and increased incentive compensation versus the third quarter last year.

The effective tax rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 increased to 40.2 percent from 37.8 percent in the third quarter last year. This increase was attributable to the non-deductibility of executive compensation related to the retirement of our former chief executive officer during the third quarter. The increase in the tax rate reduced earnings per diluted share by approximately 2.5 cents.

Net earnings for the third quarter increased to $12.2 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, from net earnings of $10.5 million, or $0.52 per diluted share in the third quarter of last year.

Mr. Sifford continued, "As we enter the fourth quarter, we believe Shoe Carnival is well positioned to capitalize on holiday sales, starting with Black Friday. Our team has worked especially hard to deliver to the consumer compelling reasons to visit our stores, and our e-commerce site, on this important retail shopping day. We have increased our hours of operation and we believe we have positioned our 'door buster' promotions, giveaways and coupons to be exceptionally competitive. For an early look at our Day-After-Thanksgiving product offerings, please visit www.shoecarnival.com."

Net sales during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 increased $68.7 million to $649.3 million as compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales increased 5.7 percent. The gross profit margin for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 was 30.4 percent compared to 29.8 percent last year. Selling, general and administrative expenses, as a percentage of sales were 23.7 percent for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to 23.4 percent last year. Net earnings for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 were $26.1 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $23.1 million, or $1.15 per diluted share, in the first nine months of last year.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012 Outlook

The Company expects fourth quarter net sales to be in the range of $215 to $220 million with a comparable store sales increase in the range of 2 to 4 percent. Earnings per diluted share in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 are expected to be in the range of $0.19 to $0.23. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, comparable store sales decreased 3.0 percent and the Company earned $0.16 per diluted share.

For fiscal 2012, the Company expects net sales to be in the range of $864 to $869 million with a comparable store sales increase in the range of 4.8 to 5.3 percent. Earnings per diluted share for fiscal 2012 are expected to be in the range of $1.47 to $1.51. For fiscal 2011, comparable store sales increased 0.7 percent and earnings per diluted share were $1.31.

The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes 14 weeks compared to 13 weeks in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 and the full fiscal year of 2012 includes 53 weeks compared with 52 weeks in the full fiscal year of 2011. The Company's sales and earnings guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes the effect of this additional week.

Store Growth

The Company completed its new store openings in early November and expects to close two stores during the fourth quarter to end fiscal 2012 with 351 stores in operation. Store openings and closings by quarter are as follows:

The six new stores opened during the third quarter include locations in:

Conference Call

Today, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, the Company will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter results. Participants can listen to the live webcast of the call by visiting Shoe Carnival's Investors webpage at www.shoecarnival.com. While the question-and-answer session will be available to all listeners, questions from the audience will be limited to institutional analysts and investors. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours after the conclusion of the conference call and will be archived for one year.

About Shoe Carnival

Shoe Carnival, Inc. is one of the nation's largest family footwear retailers, offering a broad assortment of moderately priced dress, casual and athletic footwear for men, women and children with emphasis on national and regional name brands. As of November 19, 2012, the Company operates 352 stores in 32 states and Puerto Rico, and offers online shopping at www.shoecarnival.com. Headquartered in Evansville, IN, Shoe Carnival trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the symbol SCVL. Shoe Carnival's press releases and annual report are available on the Company's website at www.shoecarnival.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in the areas of the continental United States and Puerto Rico in which our stores are located; the effects and duration of economic downturns and unemployment rates; changes in the overall retail environment and more specifically in the apparel and footwear retail sectors; our ability to generate increased sales at our stores; the potential impact of national and international security concerns on the retail environment; changes in our relationships with key suppliers; the impact of competition and pricing; changes in weather patterns, consumer buying trends and our ability to identify and respond to emerging fashion trends; the impact of disruptions in our distribution or information technology operations; the effectiveness of our inventory management; the impact of hurricanes or other natural disasters on our stores, as well as on consumer confidence and purchasing in general; risks associated with the seasonality of the retail industry; our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy, including the availability of desirable store locations at acceptable lease terms, our ability to open new stores in a timely and profitable manner, including our entry into major new markets, and the availability of sufficient funds to implement our growth plans; higher than anticipated costs associated with the closing of underperforming stores; our ability to successfully grow our e-commerce business; the inability of manufacturers to deliver products in a timely manner; changes in the political and economic environments in China, Brazil, Europe and East Asia, where the primary manufacturers of footwear are located; the impact of regulatory changes in the United States and the countries where our manufacturers are located; and the continued favorable trade relations between the United States and China and the other countries which are the major manufacturers of footwear.

In addition, these forward-looking statements necessarily depend upon assumptions, estimates and dates that may be incorrect or imprecise and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Accordingly, any forward-looking statements included in this press release do not purport to be predictions of future events or circumstances and may not be realized. Forward-looking statements can be identified by, among other things, the use of forward-looking terms such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "pro forma," "anticipates," "intends" or the negative of any of these terms, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy or intentions. Given these uncertainties, we caution investors not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We disclaim any obligation to update any of these factors or to publicly announce any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect future events or developments.