TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. Reports 2013 First Quarter Results

TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. Reports 2013 First Quarter Results

-Record New Home Orders and Backlog in the First Quarter of 2013-

-Increased Lots Owned and Controlled to Approximately 2,500-

-Raised $155.4 million through initial public offering in January-

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. (NYS: TPH) today announced record results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013.

2013 First Quarter Highlights and Comparisons to the 2012 First Quarter

• Net income was $270,000, or $0.01 per diluted share compared to a net loss of $(1.1) million, or $(0.09) per diluted share

• New home orders increased to 123 compared to 18

• Active selling communities averaged 7.3 compared to 3.8

  • New home orders per average selling community were 16.8 orders (5.62 monthly) compared to 4.7 orders (1.58 monthly)

  • Cancellation rate improved to 9%

• Backlog of 143 homes with a dollar value of $77.0 million

  • Average sales price in backlog grew 33% to $539,000

• Home sales revenue was $23.9 million compared to $4.6 million

  • New homes delivered increased to 48 compared to 11

  • Average sales price of homes delivered grew 19% to $497,000

• Homebuilding gross margin percentage improved to 18.5% from 11.2%

• Acquired 301 lots valued at $38.4 million and controlled an additional 474 lots

Douglas F. Bauer, Chief Executive Officer stated, "We are just beginning to capitalize on the benefits of the growth in our homebuilding activities as a result of our strategic land acquisitions and the introduction of new communities. We expect that our first quarter results, highlighted by strong new home orders resulting in a record high backlog for the Company, will position us to achieve significant growth in home sales revenue and homebuilding gross margin dollars for the balance of 2013. Our strong performance is a direct result of the operational execution of our strategy and taking advantage of improving market conditions in all of our core markets."

Mr. Bauer continued, "A direct indicator of the market acceptance of our new communities was the pace of new home orders during the quarter of 5.6 orders per month per average active selling community, which represented a 57% increase over the fourth quarter of 2012. Due to the continued strong demand from a larger volume of high quality customer traffic, we have begun to limit the number of homes we release for sale per community. We expect that this will enable us to maximize home sales revenue and profits per community through increased pricing."

First quarter 2013 operating results

New home orders increased to 123 homes for the 2013 first quarter, the highest amount of quarterly orders since the Company began acquiring land in 2010. The Company's overall absorption rate for the three months ended March 31, 2013 per average selling community increased to 16.8 orders (5.62 monthly), compared to 4.7 orders (1.58 monthly) during the same period in 2012. The improved order trends for the 2013 first quarter resulted in an increase in the number of homes in backlog to 143, representing approximately $77.0 million in home sales revenue. Supporting this increase was a rise in the average sales price of homes in backlog of $135,000, or 33%, to $539,000.

Net income was $270,000, or $0.01 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2013, compared to a net loss of $(1.1) million, or $(0.09) per diluted share for the first quarter of 2012, primarily driven by a $3.9 million increase in homebuilding gross margin due to higher home sales revenue and increased homebuilding gross margin percentages.

Total revenue was $27.9 million in the 2013 first quarter compared to $4.6 million for the same period in 2012. Home sales revenue increased $19.3 million to $23.9 million for the 2013 first quarter, as compared to $4.6 million for the same period in 2012, primarily attributable to a significant increase in new homes delivered to 48 and a growth in the Company's average sales price of homes delivered to $497,000. The increase in the average sales price of homes delivered was primarily attributable to a change in product mix including deliveries in Northern California projects which have higher average sales prices. Furthermore, the growth in new home deliveries was due to an increase in the average number of selling communities to 7.3 for the 2013 first quarter as compared to 3.8 for the same period in 2012.

The Company's homebuilding gross margin percentage for the 2013 first quarter increased to 18.5% compared to 11.2% for the same period in 2012. This increase compared to the same period in 2012 was primarily due to the delivery unit mix from new projects which achieved higher homebuilding gross margins in the 2013 period. Excluding interest in cost of home sales, adjusted homebuilding gross margin percentage was 19.5%* for the 2013 first quarter versus 12.5%* for the same period in 2012.

SG&A expense for the 2013 first quarter was $4.6 million (19.5% of home sales revenue) compared to $1.7 million (36.4% of home sales revenue) for the same period in 2012. The increase was attributable to an $837,000 increase in sales and marketing expenses related to the planned growth in the number of active selling communities and the number of homes delivered. In addition, general and administrative expenses increased $2.1 million primarily due to an increase in employee headcount to support our growth from 26 to 46, an increase in stock-based compensation related to new stock option and restricted share grants issued and other costs of being a public company.

The Company purchased 301 lots valued at $38.4 million during the 2013 first quarter, all of which were located in Southern California. Furthermore, an additional 474 lots were contracted or controlled in Northern California during the first quarter. As of March 31, 2013, the Company owned or controlled 2,162 lots, of which 1,028 are owned and actively selling or under development and 1,134 are controlled under land option contracts, purchase contracts, or non-binding letters of intent. Of the 2,162 lots owned and controlled, 920 are in Southern California, 938 in Northern California and 304 in Colorado.

* See "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures"

Subsequent Events

Thomas J. Mitchell, President and Chief Operating Officer of TRI Pointe Homes, noted, "In addition to improving operational and financial metrics, due to our Company's reputation and relationships in our markets, we continue to have success in the competitive land environment."

The Company contracted an additional 345 lots representing four new communities valued at $34 million so far in the second quarter, of which 172 are in Southern California and 173 are in Northern California. As a result, through April, the Company owns or controls approximately 2,500 lots.

2013 Outlook

The Company expects to open seven new selling communities for the balance of 2013, five in Southern California, one in Northern California and one in Colorado. In the second quarter, the Company expects to deliver approximately 55 to 60% of its 143 units in backlog as of March 31, 2013. Based on the recent strength of the Company's new home order absorption rates, the growth in the backlog through April, combined with the increased confidence surrounding new community openings for the balance of the year, the Company is providing an initial outlook range for 2013. Assuming some modest year-over year increases in average sales prices per community, the Company is expecting to deliver between 350 and 360 units in 2013 which will generate home sales revenue in the range of $205 to $210 million.

Earnings Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call via live webcast for investors and other interested parties beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. The call will be hosted by, Doug Bauer, Chief Executive Officer, Tom Mitchell, Chief Operating Officer and Mike Grubbs, Chief Financial Officer.

Participants may access the live webcast by visiting the Company's investor relations website at www.TRIPointeHomes.com. The call can also be accessed by dialing (877) 407-3982, or (201) 493-6780 for international participants.

The replay of the call will be available from approximately 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 14, 2013 through midnight Eastern Time on May 28, 2013. To access the replay, the domestic dial-in number is (877) 870-5176, the international dial-in number is (858) 384-5517, and the passcode is 412851. The archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's Web site for a limited time.

About TRI Pointe Homes, Inc.

TRI Pointe Homes, Inc (NYS: TPH) is engaged in the design, construction and sale of innovative single-family homes in planned communities in major metropolitan areas located throughout Southern and Northern California and, more recently, Colorado. The Company is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information about the Company and its new home developments please visit the Company's website at www.TRIPointeHomes.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Various statements contained in this press release, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects and our future production, revenues, income and capital spending. Our forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "potential," "plan," "goal," "will," or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this release, and we disclaim any obligation to update these statements unless required by law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. The following factors, among others, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements: economic changes either nationally or in the markets in which we operate, including declines in employment, volatility of mortgage interest rates and inflation; a downturn in the homebuilding industry; continued volatility and uncertainty in the credit markets and broader financial markets; our future operating results and financial condition; our business operations; changes in our business and investment strategy; availability of land to acquire and our ability to acquire such land on favorable terms or at all; availability, terms and deployment of capital; continued or increased disruption in the availability of mortgage financing or the number of foreclosures in the market; shortages of or increased prices for labor, land or raw materials used in housing construction; delays in land development or home construction resulting from adverse weather conditions or other events outside our control; the cost and availability of insurance and surety bonds; changes in, or the failure or inability to comply with, governmental laws and regulations; the timing of receipt of regulatory approvals and the opening of projects; the degree and nature of our competition; our leverage and debt service obligations; our relationship, and actual and potential conflicts of interest, with Starwood Capital Group; availability of qualified personnel and our ability to retain our key personnel; and additional factors discussed under the sections captioned "Risk Factors" included in our annual and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.