UNION, N.J., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) today reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2017 ended August 26, 2017.

Second Quarter Results

For the fiscal 2017 second quarter, the Company reported net earnings of $.67 per diluted share ($94.2 million), including the unfavorable impacts of approximately $.08 per diluted share of cash restructuring charges associated with the acceleration of the realignment of our store management structure announced on August 3, 2017; the estimated costs associated with the impact of Hurricane Harvey of approximately $.02 per diluted share; and the impact of the new share-based payment accounting standard of approximately $.01 per diluted share, compared with $1.11 per diluted share ($167.3 million) for the fiscal 2016 second quarter. Net sales for the fiscal 2017 second quarter were approximately $2.9 billion, a decrease of approximately 1.7% from the prior year quarter. Comparable sales in the fiscal 2017 second quarter decreased by approximately 2.6%. Comparable sales from customer-facing digital channels continued to have strong growth in excess of 20% for the 13(th) consecutive quarter, while comparable sales from stores declined in the mid-single-digit percentage range during the fiscal 2017 second quarter.

Transformational Initiatives

The Company is undertaking a number of transformational initiatives to drive operational excellence and further its mission to be its customer's first choice for the home and heart-felt life events. These initiatives will be discussed in further detail on the Company's conference call with analysts and investors to be held today at 5:00 pm (ET).

The Company believes the initiatives to drive operational excellence, as well as opportunities for added efficiencies, should produce savings in excess of $150 million over the next few years, a portion of which may be strategically reinvested toward future growth.

Capital Allocation

The Company's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $.15 per share, to be paid on January 16, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 15, 2017.

During the fiscal 2017 second quarter, the Company repurchased approximately $56 million of its common stock, representing approximately 1.8 million shares, under its existing $2.5 billion share repurchase program. As of August 26, 2017, the program had a remaining balance of approximately $1.6 billion.

Fiscal 2017

During the call, the Company plans to review its financial planning assumptions for fiscal 2017, which is a 53-week year.

The Company's planning assumptions reflect actual results through the fiscal second quarter and the continuation of the trends the Company has been experiencing, and the unfavorable impacts of: the cash restructuring charges associated with the acceleration of the realignment of our store management structure; Hurricanes Harvey and Irma; the adoption of the new shared based payment accounting standard; and further increases in its overall expense structure to reflect some of the accelerated spending associated with the Company's organizational changes and transformational initiatives. Based upon these planning assumptions, the Company is now modeling net earnings per diluted share for the full year to be about $3.00, with the balance of the net earnings per diluted share to be split approximately 20% in the fiscal third quarter and approximately 80% in the fiscal fourth quarter.

Fiscal 2017 Second Quarter Conference Call

The Company's fiscal 2017 second quarter conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-800-446-1671, or if international, 1-847-413-3362, using conference ID number 45587344. The replay of the call can be accessed by dialing 1-888-843-7419, using conference ID number 45587344. The call and replay can also be accessed via audio webcast on the investor relations section of our website at www.bedbathandbeyond.com.

About the Company

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") is an omnichannel retailer selling a wide assortment of domestics merchandise and home furnishings which operates under the names Bed Bath & Beyond, Christmas Tree Shops, Christmas Tree Shops andThat! or andThat!, Harmon, Harmon Face Values or Face Values, buybuy BABY and World Market, Cost Plus World Market or Cost Plus. Customers can purchase products either in-store, online, with a mobile device or through a customer contact center. The Company generally has the ability to have customer purchases picked up in-store or shipped direct to the customer from the Company's distribution facilities, stores or vendors. In addition, the Company operates Of a Kind, an e-commerce website that features specially commissioned, limited edition items from emerging fashion and home designers; One Kings Lane, an authority in home décor and design, offering a unique collection of select home goods, designer and vintage items; PersonalizationMall.com, an industry-leading online retailer of personalized products; Chef Central, an online retailer of kitchenware, cookware and homeware items catering to cooking and baking enthusiasts; and Decorist, an online interior design platform that provides personalized home design services. The Company also operates Linen Holdings, a provider of a variety of textile products, amenities and other goods to institutional customers in the hospitality, cruise line, healthcare and other industries. Additionally, the Company is a partner in a joint venture which operates retail stores in Mexico under the name Bed Bath & Beyond.

The Company operates websites at bedbathandbeyond.com, bedbathandbeyond.ca, worldmarket.com, buybuybaby.com, buybuybaby.ca, christmastreeshops.com, andthat.com, harmondiscount.com, facevalues.com, ofakind.com, onekingslane.com, personalizationmall.com, chefcentral.com, decorist.com, harborlinen.com, and t-ygroup.com. As of August 26, 2017, the Company had a total of 1,550 stores, including 1,023 Bed Bath & Beyond stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada, 277 stores under the names of World Market, Cost Plus World Market or Cost Plus, 114 buybuy BABY stores, 81 stores under the names Christmas Tree Shops, Christmas Tree Shops andThat! or andThat!, and 55 stores under the names Harmon, Harmon Face Values or Face Values. During the fiscal second quarter, the Company opened one Bed Bath & Beyond store, two World Market stores, one buybuy BABY store, and one andThat! store, and closed one World Market store. In addition, the Company is a partner in a joint venture which operates eight stores in Mexico under the name Bed Bath & Beyond.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements can be identified by use of words such as may, will, expect, anticipate, approximate, estimate, assume, continue, model, project, plan, and similar words and phrases. The Company's actual results and future financial condition may differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements as a result of many factors. Such factors include, without limitation: general economic conditions including the housing market, a challenging overall macroeconomic environment and related changes in the retailing environment; consumer preferences, spending habits and adoption of new technologies; demographics and other macroeconomic factors that may impact the level of spending for the types of merchandise sold by the Company; civil disturbances and terrorist acts; unusual weather patterns and natural disasters; competition from existing and potential competitors; competition from other channels of distribution; pricing pressures; liquidity; the ability to achieve anticipated cost savings, and to not exceed anticipated costs, associated with organizational changes; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees in all areas of the organization; the cost of labor, merchandise and other costs and expenses; potential supply chain disruption due to trade restrictions, political instability, labor disturbances, product recalls, financial or operational instability of suppliers or carriers, and other items; the ability to find suitable locations at acceptable occupancy costs and other terms to support the Company's plans for new stores; the ability to assess and implement technologies in support of the Company's development of its omnichannel capabilities; the ability to establish and profitably maintain the appropriate mix of digital and physical presence in the markets it serves; uncertainty in financial markets; volatility in the price of the Company's common stock and its effect, and the effect of other factors, on the Company's capital allocation strategy; disruptions to the Company's information technology systems including but not limited to security breaches of systems protecting consumer and employee information; reputational risk arising from challenges to the Company's or a third party supplier's compliance with various laws, regulations or standards, including those related to labor, health, safety, privacy or the environment; reputational risk arising from third-party merchandise or service vendor performance in direct home delivery or assembly of product for customers; changes to statutory, regulatory and legal requirements, including without limitation proposed changes affecting international trade; changes to, or new, tax laws or interpretation of existing tax laws; new, or developments in existing, litigation, claims or assessments; changes to, or new, accounting standards; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the integration of acquired businesses. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update its forward-looking statements.



                                                                             BED BATH & BEYOND INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                                                                               Consolidated Statements of Earnings

                                                                              (in thousands, except per share data)

                                                                                            (unaudited)


                    Three Months Ended             Six Months Ended
                   ------------------              ----------------


                        August 26,                     August 27,                                  August 26,                      August 27,

                                              2017                      2016                                       2017                     2016
                                              ----                      ----                                                               ----



     Net sales                                                   $2,936,357                                             $2,988,235               $5,678,498 $5,726,319


     Cost of sales                                                1,867,798                                              1,871,342                3,609,824  3,585,834



                                                                  1,068,559                                              1,116,893                2,068,674  2,140,485

     Gross profit


     Selling, general and administrative expenses                   899,712                                                835,920                1,752,816  1,646,486



                                                                    168,847                                                280,973                  315,858    493,999

     Operating profit


     Interest expense, net                                           19,166                                                 18,199                   35,746     34,514



                                                                    149,681                                                262,774                  280,112    459,485

      Earnings before provision for income
      taxes


     Provision for income taxes                                      55,451                                                 95,439                  110,599    169,531



                                                                    $94,230                                               $167,335                 $169,513   $289,954

     Net earnings



     Net earnings per share - Basic                                   $0.67                                                  $1.12                    $1.21      $1.92

     Net earnings per share - Diluted                                 $0.67                                                  $1.11                    $1.20      $1.91


     Weighted average shares outstanding - Basic                    139,868                                                149,725                  140,599    150,941

     Weighted average shares outstanding - Diluted                  140,211                                                150,515                  141,176    152,133


     Dividends declared per share                                    $0.150                                                 $0.125                   $0.300     $0.250

                                                                           BED BATH & BEYOND INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                                                                                 Consolidated Balance Sheets
                                                                            (in thousands, except per share data)
                                                                                         (unaudited)


                                                                                                                                           August 26,               August 27,

                                                                                                                                                 2017                      2016
                                                                                                                                                 ----                      ----


    Assets


    Current assets:

                                          Cash and cash equivalents                                                                                       $464,062                            $577,844

                                          Merchandise inventories                                                                                        2,878,638                           2,903,647

                                          Other current assets                                                                                             187,664                             229,560



                                                 Total current assets                                                                                    3,530,364                           3,711,051



    Long term investment securities                                                                                                                      99,157                              82,740

    Property and equipment, net                                                                                                                       1,834,470                           1,739,952

    Goodwill                                                                                                                                             707,127                             520,226

    Other assets                                                                                                                                         611,541                             599,785
                                                                                                                                                         -------                             -------


                                                                                                                                                        $6,782,659                          $6,653,754
                                                                                                                                                        ==========                          ==========


    Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity


    Current liabilities:

                                         Accounts payable                                                                                               $1,168,092                          $1,192,574

                                         Accrued expenses and other current liabilities                                                       486,719                             473,595

                                         Merchandise credit and gift card liabilities                                                         318,407                             307,969

                                         Current income taxes payable                                                                          15,802                              23,539



                                                Total current liabilities                                                                                1,989,020                           1,997,677



    Deferred rent and other liabilities                                                                                                                 514,902                             513,968

    Income taxes payable                                                                                                                                 65,203                              76,744

    Long term debt                                                                                                                                     1,491,836                           1,491,370
                                                                                                                                                       ---------                           ---------


                                                Total liabilities                                                                                        4,060,961                           4,079,759



    Shareholders' equity:

                                         Preferred stock - $0.01 par value; authorized - 1,000

                                           shares; no shares issued or outstanding                                                                  -                                  -


                                          Common stock -$0.01 par value; authorized -900,000
                                          shares;

                                           issued 341,582 and 339,520, respectively;

                                           outstanding 143,242 and 152,084 shares, respectively                                   3,416                                   3,395

                                         Additional paid-in capital                                                                                      2,022,826                           1,939,470

                                         Retained earnings                                                                                              11,130,348                          10,646,033

                                          Treasury stock, at cost; 198,340 and 187,436 shares,
                                          respectively                                                                     (10,399,254)                            (9,968,003)

                                         Accumulated other comprehensive loss                                                                (35,638)                           (46,900)



    Total shareholders' equity                                                                                                                        2,721,698                           2,573,995
                                                                                                                                                      ---------                           ---------


                                                                                                                                                        $6,782,659                          $6,653,754
                                                                                                                                                        ==========                          ==========



                                               Certain reclassifications have been made to the Fiscal Year 2016 consolidated balance sheet
                                                        to conform to the Fiscal Year 2017 consolidated balance sheet presentation.





                                                                                                                    BED BATH & BEYOND INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                                                                                                                     Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                                                                                                                           (in thousands, unaudited)


                                                                                                                                                                           Six Months Ended
                                                                                                                                                                          ----------------


                                                                                                                                                                              August 26,                August 27,

                                                                                                                                                                                       2017                    2016
                                                                                                                                                                                       ----                    ----



    Cash Flows from Operating Activities:


                                 Net earnings                                                                                                                                                 $169,513                         $289,954

                                 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash

                                 provided by operating activities:

                                 Depreciation and amortization                                                                                                    148,497                                   141,293

                                 Stock-based compensation                                                                                                          36,904                                    37,563

                                 Deferred income taxes                                                                                                                             (10,707)                            11,842

                                 Other                                                                                                                                                             182                            (809)

                                  Decrease (increase) in assets, net of effect of
                                  acquisitions:

                                      Merchandise inventories                                                                                                      31,852                                  (48,849)

                                      Trading investment securities                                                                                     (9,221)                               (11,657)

                                      Other current assets                                                                                                         10,590                                  (51,624)

                                      Other assets                                                                                                                                  (4,052)                          (11,611)

                                  Increase (decrease) in liabilities, net of effect
                                  of acquisitions:

                                      Accounts payable                                                                                                                               22,004                            121,431

                                      Accrued expenses and other current liabilities                                                                      2,723                                   (225)

                                      Merchandise credit and gift card liabilities                                                                        8,604                                   9,850

                                      Income taxes payable                                                                                                       (46,766)                                 (35,438)

                                      Deferred rent and other liabilities                                                                                 4,578                                  17,977
                                                                                                                                                          -----                                  ------


                                 Net cash provided by operating activities                                                                              364,701                                 469,697



    Cash Flows from Investing Activities:


                                 Redemption of held-to-maturity investment securities                                                                         -                                 86,240

                                 Capital expenditures                                                                                                                             (176,955)                         (184,789)

                                 Investment in unconsolidated joint venture                                                                                   -                                (3,318)

                                 Payment for acquisition, net of cash acquired                                                                          (5,207)                               (11,777)



                                 Net cash used in investing activities                                                                                          (182,162)                                (113,644)



    Cash Flows from Financing Activities:


                                 Proceeds from exercise of stock options                                                                                 10,161                                  20,258

                                 Payment of dividends                                                                                                                              (39,241)                          (18,827)

                                 Repurchase of common stock, including fees                                                                           (183,715)                              (299,486)



                                 Net cash used in financing activities                                                                                          (212,795)                                (298,055)



                                  Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash
                                  equivalents                                                                                         5,989                                            4,273



                                 Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents                                                                  (24,267)                                 62,271


    Cash and cash equivalents:

                                 Beginning of period                                                                                                                                488,329                            515,573


                                 End of period                                                                                                                                                $464,062                         $577,844





                                  Certain reclassifications have been made to the Fiscal Year 2016 consolidated statement
                                  of cash flows to conform to the Fiscal Year 2017 consolidated cash flows presentation.

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SOURCE Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.