Movado Group, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Results

~ Fiscal 2024 Net Sales of $672.6 million ~

~ Fiscal 2024 EPS of $2.06 and Fiscal 2024 Adjusted EPS of $2.13 ~

~ Fourth Quarter Net Sales of $179.6 million ~

~ Fourth Quarter EPS of $0.53 and Fourth Quarter Adjusted EPS of $0.55 ~

~ Board Declares Quarterly Dividend ~

~ Launches Investment Growth Strategy ~

PARAMUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 26, 2024-- Movado Group, Inc. (NYSE: MOV) today announced fourth quarter and fiscal year 2024 results for the periods ended January 31, 2024.

Fiscal Year 2024 Highlights (See attached table for GAAP and Non-GAAP measures)

• Delivered net sales of $672.6 million vs. $751.9 million in fiscal 2023;
• Generated operating income of $54.7 million as compared to $120.4 million in the prior year period; Adjusted operating income of $56.8 million as compared to $123.2 million;
• Achieved diluted earnings per share of $2.06 as compared to $4.12 in the prior year period; Adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.13 as compared to $4.22;
• Strong operating cashflow of $76.8 million, up 41.3% from fiscal 2023;
• Inventories declined 20.5% to $148.0 million; and
• Ended the year with cash of $262.1 million and no debt.

Efraim Grinberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We ended the year with revenue and diluted earnings per share at the high end and above our revised outlook, respectively. Our holiday marketing initiatives and new product introductions in both watches and jewelry were favorably received despite a challenging retail backdrop in the U.S. and Europe. Early in the fourth quarter, we successfully tested marketing programs that will be continued and expanded upon in fiscal 2025 as their effectiveness is demonstrated.”

Mr. Grinberg continued, “The year included significant progress in evolving our strategy with important investments made in marketing and product innovation that we believe position us to leverage the strength of our compelling brand portfolio. As we begin fiscal 2025, we are focused on making the investments necessary to grow our business and build our brands for the long-term. As such, we will strategically increase our marketing investments, particularly in the U.S. behind our Movado brand and in our biggest markets in Europe to drive growth in our licensed brands with our retail partners. Although these investments are expected to constrain earnings in the short term, we are confident that this is the right time to invest behind the momentum in our portfolio of brands and utilize our strong balance sheet to gain market share and position Movado Group for sustained long-term growth in sales and profitability.”

Fiscal Fourth Quarter Highlights (See attached table for GAAP and Non-GAAP measures)

• Delivered net sales of $179.6 million versus $194.3 million in the prior year period;
• Generated gross margin of 53.9% as compared to 56.2% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023;
• Generated operating income of $13.5 million as compared to $26.1 million in the prior year period. Adjusted operating income was $13.8 million as compared to adjusted operating income of $26.8 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023; and
• Achieved diluted earnings per share of $0.53 as compared to $1.00 in the prior year period. Adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.55 as compared to $1.03 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

Non-GAAP Items (See attached table for GAAP and Non-GAAP measures)

Fourth quarter fiscal 2024 results of operations included the following charges:

• a $0.4 million pre-tax charge, or $0.3 million after tax, representing $0.02 per diluted share, associated with the amortization of acquired intangible assets related to the acquisitions of Olivia Burton and MVMT.

Fourth quarter fiscal 2023 results of operations included the following charges:

• a $0.7 million pre-tax charge, or $0.6 million after tax, representing $0.03 per diluted share, associated with the amortization of acquired intangible assets related to the acquisition of Olivia Burton and MVMT.

In this press release, references to “adjusted” results exclude the impact of the above charges, as well as the items described in the Non-GAAP Items section of the Company’s earnings releases for the first, second and third quarter of fiscal year 2024, in deriving the adjusted results for the twelve months ended January 31, 2024 and January 31, 2023. Please refer to the attached GAAP and Non-GAAP measures table for a detailed reconciliation of the Company’s reported results to its adjusted, Non-GAAP results.

Beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company will no longer provide adjusted results that omit the amortization of acquired intangible assets for its Olivia Burton and MVMT acquisitions. The omission of this amortization was the only adjustment made to reported results to derive the Company’s Non-GAAP measures in fiscal 2024. The Company has provided a recast of its GAAP and Non-GAAP measures for the fourth quarter of 2024 and fiscal year 2024 to be consistent with the ongoing definition.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results (See attached table for GAAP and Non-GAAP measures)

• Net sales decreased 7.5% to $179.6 million, or decreased 9.0% on a constant dollar basis, compared to $194.3 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. The decrease in net sales reflected declines in wholesale customers’ brick and mortar stores, online retail and Movado Company Stores. U.S. net sales decreased 12.4% as compared to the fourth quarter of last year. International net sales decreased 2.9% (a decrease of 5.8% on a constant dollar basis) as compared to the fourth quarter of last year.
• Gross profit was $96.8 million, or 53.9% of net sales, compared to $109.3 million, or 56.2% of net sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. The decrease in gross margin percentage was primarily the result of the decreased leverage of higher fixed costs over lower sales, the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates and unfavorable changes in channel and product mix.
• Operating expenses were $83.3 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to $83.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. Adjusted operating expenses were $82.9 million compared to $82.4 million in the prior year period. The change in operating expenses was primarily due to higher marketing and payroll-related expenses, nearly fully offset by lower performance-based compensation. As a percent of sales, adjusted operating expenses increased to 46.2% of sales from 42.4% in the prior year period due to lower sales.
• Operating income was $13.5 million compared to $26.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. Adjusted operating income was $13.8 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 and $26.8 million for the prior year period.
• The Company recorded a tax provision of $2.7 million, as compared to a tax provision of $4.0 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. Based on adjusted pre-tax income, the adjusted tax provision was $2.8 million, or an adjusted tax rate of 18.1%, as compared to an adjusted tax provision of $4.2 million, or an adjusted tax rate of 14.8%, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.
• Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 was $12.1 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, compared to net income of $22.7 million, or $1.00 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. Adjusted net income for the fiscal 2024 period was $12.4 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $23.3 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023.

Full Year Fiscal 2024 Results (See attached table for GAAP and Non-GAAP measures)

• Net sales decreased 10.5% to $672.6 million, or decreased 11.7% on a constant dollar basis, compared to net sales of $751.9 million in fiscal 2023. The decrease in net sales reflected declines in wholesale customers’ brick and mortar stores, online retail and Movado Company Stores. U.S. net sales decreased 13.1% as compared to fiscal 2023. International net sales decreased 8.5% (a decrease of 10.6% on a constant dollar basis) as compared to fiscal 2023.
• Gross profit was $370.4 million, or 55.1% of net sales, compared to gross profit of $433.9 million, or 57.7% of net sales in fiscal 2023. The year over year decrease in gross margin percentage was primarily the result of unfavorable changes in channel and product mix, the decreased leverage of higher fixed costs over lower sales and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, partially offset by reduced shipping costs.
• Operating expenses were $315.7 million in fiscal 2024 compared to $313.5 million in fiscal 2023. For fiscal 2024, adjusted operating expenses were $313.6 million versus $310.7 million in fiscal 2023. This increase was primarily due to higher payroll-related costs, higher marketing expenses and higher travel and entertainment costs, partially offset by lower performance-based compensation.
• Operating income was $54.7 million in fiscal 2024 as compared to operating income of $120.4 million in fiscal 2023. Adjusted operating income for fiscal 2024 was $56.8 million compared to adjusted operating income for fiscal 2023 of $123.2 million.
• The Company recorded a tax provision of $12.7 million in fiscal 2024 compared to a tax provision of $24.9 million in fiscal 2023. Based on adjusted pre-tax income, the adjusted tax provision was $13.2 million, or an adjusted tax rate of 21.1%, as compared to an adjusted tax provision of $25.4 million, or an adjusted tax rate of 20.4%, in fiscal 2023.
• Net income was $46.7 million, or $2.06 per diluted share, for fiscal 2024, compared to net income of $94.5 million, or $4.12 per diluted share, for fiscal 2023. Adjusted net income in fiscal 2024 was $48.3 million or $2.13 per diluted share. This compares to adjusted net income for fiscal 2023 of $96.8 million or $4.22 per diluted share.

Fiscal 2025 Outlook

The Company expects fiscal 2025 net sales to be in a range of approximately $700 million to $710 million, gross profit of approximately 55% of net sales, and operating income in a range of approximately $32 million to $35 million. Assuming no changes to current tax regulations, the Company anticipates an effective tax rate of approximately 22% for the fiscal year and earnings in a range of approximately $1.20 to $1.30 per diluted share.

Operating expenses for the fiscal 2025 outlook include an incremental $25 million of marketing spend to drive long-term top-line growth; however, the majority of the growth in revenue is expected to be in the second half of the fiscal year as the marketing investments favorably impact the top line. The Company therefore expects net sales for the first half of fiscal 2025 to be relatively flat on a year-over-year basis.

Quarterly Dividend and Share Repurchase Program

The Company also announced today that on March 26, 2024, the Board of Directors approved the payment on April 23, 2024 of a cash dividend in the amount of $0.35 for each share of the Company’s outstanding common stock and class A common stock held by shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 9, 2024.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company repurchased approximately 26,000 shares under its November 23, 2021 share repurchase program. As of January 31, 2024, the Company had $17.9 million remaining available under the share repurchase program.

Conference Call

The Company’s management will host a conference call and audio webcast to discuss its results today, March 26, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (877) 407-0784. Additionally, a live webcast of the call can be accessed at www.movadogroup.com. The webcast will be archived on the Company’s website approximately one hour after the conclusion of the call. Additionally, a telephonic re-play of the call will be available from 12:00 p.m. ET on March 26, 2024 until 11:59 p.m. ET on April 9, 2024 and can be accessed by dialing 844-512-2921 and entering replay pin number 13744755.

Movado Group, Inc. designs, sources, and distributes MOVADO®, MVMT®, OLIVIA BURTON®, EBEL®, CONCORD®, CALVIN KLEIN®, COACH®, TOMMY HILFIGER®, HUGO BOSS®, and LACOSTE®, watches, and, to a lesser extent jewelry and other accessories, and operates Movado Company Stores in the United States and Canada.

In this release, the Company presents certain financial measures that are not calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). Specifically, the Company is presenting adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross margin, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted pre-tax income, adjusted tax provision and adjusted net income, which are gross profit, gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, pre-tax income, tax provision and net income, respectively, under GAAP, adjusted to eliminate the amortization of acquisition accounting adjustments related to the Olivia Burton and MVMT acquisitions. The Company is also presenting adjusted tax provision, which is the tax provision under GAAP, adjusted to eliminate the impact of charges for the Olivia Burton and MVMT acquisitions. The Company believes these adjusted measures are useful because they give investors information about the Company’s financial performance without the effect of certain items that the Company believes are not characteristic of its usual operations. The Company is also presenting adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per share and adjusted effective tax rate, which are net income, earnings per share and effective tax rate, respectively, under GAAP, adjusted to eliminate the after-tax impact of amortization of acquisition accounting adjustments related to the Olivia Burton and MVMT acquisitions. The Company believes that adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per share and adjusted effective tax rate are useful measures of performance because they give investors information about the Company’s financial performance without the effect of certain items that the Company believes are not characteristic of its usual operations. Additionally, the Company is presenting constant currency information to provide a framework to assess how its business performed excluding the effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations in the current period. Comparisons of financial results on a constant dollar basis are calculated by translating each foreign currency at the same U.S. dollar exchange rate as in effect for the prior-year period for both periods being compared. The Company believes this information is useful to investors to facilitate comparisons of operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures are designed to complement the GAAP financial information presented in this release. The non-GAAP financial measures presented should not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the comparable GAAP financial measures, and the methods of their calculation may differ substantially from similarly titled measures used by other companies.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company has tried, whenever possible, to identify these forward-looking statements using words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “should” and variations of such words and similar expressions. Similarly, statements in this press release that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals are also forward-looking statements. Accordingly, such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements and levels of future dividends to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. These risks and uncertainties may include, but are not limited to general economic and business conditions which may impact disposable income of consumers in the United States and the other significant markets (including Europe) where the Company’s products are sold, uncertainty regarding such economic and business conditions, including inflation, elevated interest rates, increased commodity prices and tightness in the labor market, trends in consumer debt levels and bad debt write-offs, general uncertainty related to geopolitical concerns, the impact of international hostilities, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and war in the Middle East, on global markets, economies and consumer spending, on energy and shipping costs, and on the Company’s supply chain and suppliers, supply disruptions, delivery delays and increased shipping costs, defaults on or downgrades of sovereign debt and the impact of any of those events on consumer spending, evolving stakeholder expectations and emerging complex laws on environmental, social, and governance matters, changes in consumer preferences and popularity of particular designs, new product development and introduction, decrease in mall traffic and increase in e-commerce, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its business strategies, competitive products and pricing, including price increases to offset increased costs, the impact of “smart” watches and other wearable tech products on the traditional watch market, seasonality, availability of alternative sources of supply in the case of the loss of any significant supplier or any supplier’s inability to fulfill the Company’s orders, the loss of or curtailed sales to significant customers, the Company’s dependence on key employees and officers, the ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses without disruption to other business activities, the possible impairment of acquired intangible assets, risks associated with the Company’s minority investments in early-stage growth companies and venture capital funds that invest in such companies, the continuation of the Company’s major warehouse and distribution centers, the continuation of licensing arrangements with third parties, losses possible from pending or future litigation and administrative proceedings, the ability to secure and protect trademarks, patents and other intellectual property rights, the ability to lease new stores on suitable terms in desired markets and to complete construction on a timely basis, the ability of the Company to successfully manage its expenses on a continuing basis, information systems failure or breaches of network security, complex and quickly-evolving regulations regarding privacy and data protection, the continued availability to the Company of financing and credit on favorable terms, business disruptions, and general risks associated with doing business internationally, including, without limitation, import duties, tariffs (including retaliatory tariffs), quotas, political and economic stability, changes to existing laws or regulations, and impacts of currency exchange rate fluctuations and the success of hedging strategies related thereto, and the other factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based upon information currently available to it. Be advised that developments subsequent to this press release are likely to cause these statements to become outdated with the passage of time. The Company assumes no duty to update its forward looking statements and this release shall not be construed to indicate the assumption by the Company of any duty to update its outlook in the future.

(Tables to follow)

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ICR, Inc.
Cody McAlester/Allison Malkin
203-682-8200

Source: Movado Group, Inc.