<<  Back

URBN Reports Record Q2 Sales

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN), a leading lifestyle products and services company which operates a portfolio of global consumer brands including the Anthropologie, Free People, FP Movement, Urban Outfitters and Nuuly brands, today announced net income of $117.5 million and earnings per diluted share of $1.24 for the three months ended July 31, 2024. For the six months ended July 31, 2024, net income was $179.3 million and earnings per diluted share were $1.89.

Total Company net sales for the three months ended July 31, 2024, increased 6.3% to a record $1.35 billion. Total Retail segment net sales increased 3.1%, with comparable Retail segment net sales increasing 2.0%. The increase in Retail segment comparable net sales was driven by low single-digit positive growth in both digital channel sales and retail store sales. Comparable Retail segment net sales increased 7.1% at Free People and 6.7% at Anthropologie and decreased 9.3% at Urban Outfitters. Nuuly segment net sales increased by 62.6% primarily driven by a 55% increase in average active subscribers in the current quarter versus the prior year quarter. Wholesale segment net sales increased 15.1% driven by a 17.5% increase in Free People wholesale sales due to an increase in sales to department stores and specialty customers, partially offset by a decrease in Urban Outfitters wholesale sales.

For the six months ended July 31, 2024, total Company net sales increased 7.0% to a record $2.55 billion. Total Retail segment net sales increased 4.4%, with comparable Retail segment net sales increasing 3.2%. The increase in Retail segment comparable net sales was driven by mid single-digit positive growth in digital channel sales and low single-digit positive growth in retail store sales. Comparable Retail segment net sales increased 11.5% at Free People and 8.4% at Anthropologie and decreased 11.4% at Urban Outfitters. Nuuly segment net sales increased by 57.2% primarily driven by a 50% increase in average active subscribers in the current period versus the prior year period. Wholesale segment net sales increased 9.2% driven by a 11.9% increase in Free People wholesale sales due to an increase in sales to department stores and specialty customers, partially offset by a decrease in Urban Outfitters wholesale sales.

“We are pleased to report record second quarter sales fueled by strength across all three segments – Retail, Nuuly and Wholesale,” said Richard A. Hayne, Chief Executive Officer. “Equally impressive, four of our five brands delivered record operating profits during the second quarter,” finished Mr. Hayne.

Net sales by brand and segment for the three and six-month periods were as follows:

  Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
  July 31,     July 31,  
  2024     2023     2024     2023  
Net sales by brand                      
Anthropologie(1) $ 569,100     $ 530,087     $ 1,095,485     $ 1,003,727  
Free People(2)   365,129       331,201       683,820       604,936  
Urban Outfitters   316,715       346,424       586,973       655,132  
Nuuly   90,696       55,793       168,638       107,263  
Menus & Venues   10,319       8,690       17,775       14,811  
Total Company $ 1,351,959     $ 1,272,195     $ 2,552,691     $ 2,385,869  
                       
Net sales by segment                      
Retail Segment $ 1,196,456     $ 1,160,089     $ 2,259,141     $ 2,164,190  
Nuuly Segment   90,696       55,793       168,638       107,263  
Wholesale Segment   64,807       56,313       124,912       114,416  
Total Company $ 1,351,959     $ 1,272,195     $ 2,552,691     $ 2,385,869  

(1) Anthropologie includes the Anthropologie and Terrain brands.
(2) Free People includes the Free People and FP Movement brands.


For the three months ended July 31, 2024, the gross profit rate increased by 68 basis points compared to the three months ended July 31, 2023. Gross profit dollars increased 8.3% to $493.3 million from $455.6 million in the three months ended July 31, 2023. The increase in gross profit rate was primarily due to higher initial merchandise markups for all segments primarily driven by Company cross-functional initiatives, partially offset by higher Retail segment merchandise markdowns, primarily at the Urban Outfitters brand. The increase in gross profit dollars was due to higher net sales and the improved gross profit rate.

For the six months ended July 31, 2024, the gross profit rate increased by 67 basis points compared to the six months ended July 31, 2023. Gross profit dollars increased 9.1% to $901.7 million from $826.8 million in the six months ended July 31, 2023. The increase in gross profit rate was primarily due to higher initial merchandise markups for all segments primarily driven by Company cross-functional initiatives, partially offset by higher Retail segment merchandise markdowns, primarily at the Urban Outfitters brand, and a deleverage in logistics expenses. The deleverage in logistics expenses was primarily driven by the increased penetration of Nuuly segment sales to total Company sales, as well as transition and start-up expenses related to the additional Nuuly fulfillment facility that opened during the three months ended April 30, 2024. The increase in gross profit dollars was due to higher net sales and the improved gross profit rate.

As of July 31, 2024, total inventory increased by $18.2 million, or 3.1%, compared to total inventory as of July 31, 2023. Total Retail segment inventory increased 3.1%, while Retail segment comparable inventory decreased by 1.3%. Wholesale segment inventory increased by 3.5%.

For the three months ended July 31, 2024, selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $24.7 million, or 7.6%, compared to the three months ended July 31, 2023, and expressed as a percentage of net sales, deleveraged 32 basis points. For the six months ended July 31, 2024, selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $58.6 million, or 9.4%, compared to the six months ended July 31, 2023, and expressed as a percentage of net sales, deleveraged 59 basis points. The deleverage in selling, general and administrative expenses as a rate to net sales for both periods was primarily related to the Urban Outfitters brand not being able to reduce expenses at the same rate of net sales. The dollar growth in selling, general and administrative expenses for both periods was primarily related to increased marketing expenses to support customer traffic growth and increased sales in the Retail and Nuuly segments and increased store payroll expenses to support the Retail segment stores comparable sales growth.

The Company’s effective tax rate for the three months ended July 31, 2024 was 23.0%, compared to 23.2% in the three months ended July 31, 2023. The Company's effective tax rate for the six months ended July 31, 2024 was 23.2%, compared to 24.5% in the six months ended July 31, 2023. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the three and six months ended July 31, 2024 was primarily due to the favorable impact of equity activity in the current year.

Net income for the three months ended July 31, 2024 was $117.5 million and earnings per diluted share were $1.24. Net income for the six months ended July 31, 2024 was $179.3 million and earnings per diluted share were $1.89.

On June 4, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of 20 million common shares under a share repurchase program. During the six months ended July 31, 2024, the Company repurchased and subsequently retired 1.2 million shares for approximately $52 million. As of July 31, 2024, 18.0 million common shares were remaining under the program.

During the six months ended July 31, 2024, the Company opened a total of 19 new retail locations including: 9 Free People stores (including 7 FP Movement stores), 5 Urban Outfitters stores and 5 Anthropologie stores; and closed 9 retail locations including: 4 Urban Outfitters stores, 3 Anthropologie stores and 2 Free People stores.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. offers lifestyle-oriented general merchandise and consumer products and services through a portfolio of global consumer brands comprised of 263 Urban Outfitters stores in the United States, Canada and Europe and websites; 239 Anthropologie stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, catalogs and websites; 205 Free People stores (including 45 FP Movement stores) in the United States, Canada and Europe, catalogs and websites, 9 Menus & Venues restaurants, 7 Urban Outfitters franchisee-owned stores and 2 Anthropologie franchisee-owned stores as of July 31, 2024. Free People, FP Movement and Urban Outfitters wholesale sell their products through department and specialty stores worldwide, digital businesses and the Company’s Retail segment. Nuuly is a women's apparel subscription rental service which offers a wide selection of rental product from the Company's own brands, third-party brands and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces.

A conference call will be held today to discuss second quarter results and will be webcast at 5:15 pm. ET at: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/o4zr87uy/.

As used in this document, unless otherwise defined, "Anthropologie" refers to the Company's Anthropologie and Terrain brands and "Free People" refers to the Company's Free People and FP Movement brands.

This news release is being made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain matters contained in this release may contain forward-looking statements. When used in this release, the words “project,” “believe,” “plan,” “will,” “anticipate,” “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any one, or all, of the following factors could cause actual financial results to differ materially from those financial results mentioned in the forward-looking statements: overall economic and market conditions (including current levels of inflation) and worldwide political events and the resultant impact on consumer spending patterns and our pricing power, the difficulty in predicting and responding to shifts in fashion trends, changes in the level of competitive pricing and promotional activity and other industry factors, the effects of the implementation of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from membership in the European Union (commonly referred to as “Brexit”), including currency fluctuations, economic conditions and legal or regulatory changes, any effects of war, including geopolitical instability, impacts of the conflict in the Middle East and impacts of the war between Russia and Ukraine and from related sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom and others, terrorism and civil unrest, natural disasters, severe or unseasonable weather conditions (including as a result of climate change) or public health crises (such as the coronavirus (COVID-19)), labor shortages and increases in labor costs, raw material costs and transportation costs, availability of suitable retail space for expansion, timing of store openings, risks associated with international expansion, seasonal fluctuations in gross sales, response to new concepts, our ability to integrate acquisitions, risks associated with digital sales, our ability to maintain and expand our digital sales channels, any material disruptions or security breaches with respect to our technology systems, the departure of one or more key senior executives, import risks (including any shortage of transportation capacities or delays at ports), changes to U.S. and foreign trade policies (including the enactment of tariffs, border adjustment taxes or increases in duties or quotas), the unexpected closing or disruption of, or any damage to, any of our distribution centers, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, failure of our manufacturers and third-party vendors to comply with our social compliance program, risks related to environmental, social and governance activities, changes in our effective income tax rate, changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, regulatory changes and legal matters and other risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that actual results may differ materially from any projected results expressed or implied therein.

   
(Tables follow)  
   
URBAN OUTFITTERS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
(unaudited)
 
   
  Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
  July 31,     July 31,  
  2024     2023     2024     2023  
Net sales $ 1,351,959     $ 1,272,195     $ 2,552,691     $ 2,385,869  
Cost of sales (excluding store impairment and lease abandonment charges)   858,674       816,614       1,646,420       1,559,057  
Store impairment and lease abandonment charges               4,601        
Gross profit   493,285       455,581       901,670       826,812  
Selling, general and administrative expenses   348,150       323,483       681,911       623,331  
Income from operations   145,135       132,098       219,759       203,481  
Other income, net   7,429       3,399       13,675       4,418  
Income before income taxes   152,564       135,497       233,434       207,899  
Income tax expense   35,079       31,405       54,184       50,990  
Net income $ 117,485     $ 104,092     $ 179,250     $ 156,909  
                       
Net income per common share:                      
Basic $ 1.26     $ 1.12     $ 1.93     $ 1.69  
Diluted $ 1.24     $ 1.10     $ 1.89     $ 1.67  
                       
Weighted-average common shares outstanding:                      
Basic   93,071,401       92,741,888       93,097,694       92,610,499  
Diluted   94,684,003       94,228,185       94,842,065       94,026,950  
                       
                       
AS A PERCENTAGE OF NET SALES                      
Net sales   100.0 %     100.0 %     100.0 %     100.0 %
Cost of sales (excluding store impairment and lease abandonment charges)   63.5 %     64.2 %     64.5 %     65.3 %
Store impairment and lease abandonment charges               0.2 %      
Gross profit   36.5 %     35.8 %     35.3 %     34.7 %
Selling, general and administrative expenses   25.8 %     25.4 %     26.7 %     26.2 %
Income from operations   10.7 %     10.4 %     8.6 %     8.5 %
Other income, net   0.6 %     0.3 %     0.5 %     0.2 %
Income before income taxes   11.3 %     10.7 %     9.1 %     8.7 %
Income tax expense   2.6 %     2.5 %     2.1 %     2.1 %
Net income   8.7 %     8.2 %     7.0 %     6.6 %


   
URBAN OUTFITTERS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(amounts in thousands, except share data)
(unaudited)
 
   
  July 31,     January 31,     July 31,  
  2024     2024     2023  
ASSETS                
Current assets:                
Cash and cash equivalents $ 209,129     $ 178,321     $ 224,744  
Marketable securities   352,360       286,744       250,832  
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,429, $1,465 and $1,481, respectively   78,749       67,008       79,118  
Inventory   604,667       550,242       586,514  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   228,966       200,188       224,254  
Total current assets   1,473,871       1,282,503       1,365,462  
Property and equipment, net   1,314,923       1,286,541       1,222,343  
Operating lease right-of-use assets   941,404       920,396       961,458  
Marketable securities   209,469       314,152       122,356  
Other assets   319,156       307,617       298,317  
Total Assets $ 4,258,823     $ 4,111,209     $ 3,969,936  
                 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                
Current liabilities:                
Accounts payable $ 299,351     $ 253,342     $ 270,464  
Current portion of operating lease liabilities   227,987       226,645       227,669  
Accrued expenses, accrued compensation and other current liabilities   483,080       514,218       459,343  
Total current liabilities   1,010,418       994,205       957,476  
Non-current portion of operating lease liabilities   875,174       851,853       882,841  
Other non-current liabilities   131,798       152,611       162,228  
Total Liabilities   2,017,390       1,998,669       2,002,545  
                 
Shareholders’ equity:                
Preferred shares; $.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, none issued                
Common shares; $.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 92,260,283, 92,787,522, and 92,773,249 shares issued and outstanding, respectively 9     9     9  
Additional paid-in-capital         37,943       23,214  
Retained earnings   2,279,856       2,113,735       1,982,970  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (38,432 )     (39,147 )     (38,802 )
Total Shareholders’ Equity   2,241,433       2,112,540       1,967,391  
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity $ 4,258,823     $ 4,111,209     $ 3,969,936  


   
URBAN OUTFITTERS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(amounts in thousands)
(unaudited)
 
   
    Six Months Ended  
    July 31,  
    2024     2023  
Cash flows from operating activities:            
Net income   $ 179,250     $ 156,909  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:            
Depreciation and amortization     56,552       47,471  
Non-cash lease expense     103,146       101,277  
Provision for deferred income taxes     9,208       526  
Share-based compensation expense     15,556       15,556  
Amortization of tax credit investment     8,760       7,953  
Store impairment and lease abandonment charges     4,601        
Loss on disposition of property and equipment, net     420       146  
Changes in assets and liabilities:            
Receivables     (11,606 )     (8,160 )
Inventory     (54,050 )     3,299  
Prepaid expenses and other assets     (48,318 )     (48,256 )
Payables, accrued expenses and other liabilities     16,858       54,573  
Operating lease liabilities     (116,563 )     (120,047 )
Net cash provided by operating activities     163,814       211,247  
Cash flows from investing activities:            
Cash paid for property and equipment     (98,854 )     (78,517 )
Cash paid for marketable securities     (166,428 )     (229,446 )
Sales and maturities of marketable securities     204,145       149,921  
Initial cash payment for tax credit investment           (20,000 )
Net cash used in investing activities     (61,137 )     (178,042 )
Cash flows from financing activities:            
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options     851       594  
Share repurchases related to share repurchase program     (52,262 )      
Share repurchases related to taxes for share-based awards     (14,977 )     (8,184 )
Tax credit investment liability payments     (2,713 )     (1,724 )
Net cash used in financing activities     (69,101 )     (9,314 )
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents     (2,768 )     (407 )
Increase in cash and cash equivalents     30,808       23,484  
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period     178,321       201,260  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period   $ 209,129     $ 224,744  


   
Contact: Oona McCullough
  Executive Director of Investor Relations
  (215) 454-4806

Primary Logo

Source: Urban Outfitters, Inc.