PROVO, Utah, Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: NUS) today announced third-quarter results, with revenue of $571.3 million compared to $638.8 million in the prior-year period. Revenue improved on a sequential basis and was relatively even with the prior year in constant currency, but was negatively impacted 10 percent by foreign currency fluctuations. Revenue in the prior year was positively impacted by $81 million of product launch volume, versus $47 million in the third quarter of 2015. Earnings per share of $0.28 were significantly impacted by several factors, including a $37.9 million charge, or approximately $0.43 per share, to write down inventory in China, foreign currency translation expenses of approximately $0.13 per share, and a higher-than-normal tax rate primarily related to the inventory write down.

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"Our business continued to progress sequentially in each quarter of 2015, with constant-currency revenue improving in the third quarter to be even with the prior year," said Truman Hunt, president and chief executive officer. "We kicked off our current business cycle with a third-quarter introduction of our ageLOC Youth anti-aging supplement in the South Asia/Pacific region. This introduction generated local-currency sales growth of 44 percent, or 22 percent on a reported basis over the prior year, with a 36 percent sequential increase in sales leaders. We expect to see continued trend improvement in the fourth quarter with the introduction of ageLOC Youth in the Americas and our ageLOC Me customized skin care system in the North Asia region.

"While we are excited about our upcoming product introductions and anticipate continued improvements in our global business, the Greater China region underperformed in the quarter," continued Hunt. "Results for the region were impacted by a combination of lower-than-expected sales of our cosmetic oils, and the scale back of product promotions during the quarter that were being used to reduce inventory levels. Economic conditions may have also impacted results. Looking forward, we believe the Greater China business will benefit by focusing sales leaders on the upcoming launch of our ageLOC Me skin care system rather than focusing on discounted product promotions. These factors resulted in a decision to take an inventory write-down charge."

Regional Results

The company's regional revenue results for the three-month periods ended September 30 are presented in the following table.



                              2015     2014      %         Constant
                                                         Currency
                                            Change       % Change
                                            ------       --------


    Greater China         $188,669 $226,744        (17%)            (15%)

    North Asia             167,748  205,488        (18%)             (6%)

    South Asia/Pacific     108,857   88,915          22%              44%

    Americas                70,775   76,737         (8%)               2%

    EMEA                    35,259   40,916        (14%)               4%
                            ------   ------


    Total                 $571,308 $638,800        (11%)             ---*
                          ======== ========

    *Less than 1% change.

Mainland China revenue declined eight percent in local currency and 10 percent on a reported basis. Taiwan and Hong Kong declined 32 percent and 30 percent, respectively, due primarily to a large product introduction in the prior-year quarter.

The company's regional revenue results for the nine-month periods ended September 30 are presented in the following table.



                             2015       2014      %         Constant
                                                          Currency
                                             Change       % Change
                                             ------       --------


    Greater China        $576,172   $735,542        (22%)            (20%)

    North Asia            512,757    596,944        (14%)             (4%)

    South Asia/Pacific    247,697    241,762           2%              15%

    Americas              234,115    246,557         (5%)               9%

    EMEA                  104,108    139,083        (25%)             (8%)
                          -------    -------


    Total              $1,674,849 $1,959,888        (15%)             (7%)
                       ========== ==========

The company's regional actives and sales leaders statistics are presented in the following table.



                  As of September 30, 2015  As of September 30,
                                                   2014           % Increase (Decrease)
                  ------------------------ --------------------    --------------------

                          Actives                 Sales                 Actives           Sales       Actives       Sales
                                                 Leaders                                 Leaders                   Leaders
                                                 -------                                 -------                   -------


    Greater China                  211,000                 25,044                238,000       24,823        (11%)         ---*

    North Asia                     374,000                 18,038                398,000       17,153         (6%)           5%

    South Asia/
     Pacific                       120,000                  9,925                121,000        7,881         ---*          26%

    Americas                       178,000                  7,962                186,000        7,244         (4%)          10%

    EMEA                           110,000                  4,120                113,000        4,103         (3%)         ---*
                                   -------                  -----                -------        -----


    Total                          993,000                 65,089              1,056,000       61,204         (6%)           6%
                                   =======                 ======              =========       ======

    *Less than 1%
     change.



    "Actives" are persons who
     purchased products directly from
     the company during the previous
     three months.


    "Sales Leaders" are independent
     distributors, and sales employees
     and independent marketers in
     China, who achieve certain
     qualification requirements.

Operational Performance

The company's operating and gross margins were both negatively impacted by the China inventory write-down. Operating margin for the quarter was 7.4 percent, compared to 16.4 percent in the third quarter of 2014. Excluding the impact of the inventory write down, operating margin was 14.1 percent. Gross margin during the quarter was 73.3 percent, versus 82.9 percent in the prior-year period. Selling expenses were 42.1 percent of sales in the third quarter, compared to 41.2 percent in the prior-year period. General and administrative expenses were 23.8 percent of sales compared to 25.3 percent. The company's effective income tax rate for the quarter increased from 35.6 percent in the prior year to 42.1 percent. The higher tax rate was primarily related to the inventory write-down. Cash and current investments at the end of the quarter were $316.7 million and debt was $253.0 million. Dividend payments during the quarter were $20.2 million. Cash flow from operations for the quarter was $82.4 million, and the company repurchased $28.2 million of its outstanding shares.

Outlook

"With the introductions of ageLOC Me and ageLOC Youth, we are beginning a new business cycle that we believe will drive meaningful growth," said Hunt. "Based on the successful third-quarter introduction of ageLOC Youth in South Asia/Pacific, we anticipate positive global momentum from the introduction of these new products to continue in the fourth quarter and throughout 2016.

"Our balance sheet is strong, with a solid net-cash position. We are generating healthy cash flow and plan to use it to improve shareholder value, as demonstrated by today's announcement of an increase in the company's stock repurchase authorization to $500 million," concluded Hunt.

"We project fourth-quarter revenue of $570 to $590 million, which anticipates a negative foreign currency impact of 10 to 11 percent," said Ritch Wood, chief financial officer. "We also anticipate fourth-quarter earnings per share of $0.70 to $0.73. We look forward to discussing our 2016 business plans with shareholders at our investor day on December 4, 2015 in New York," concluded Wood.

The Nu Skin management team will host a conference call with the investment community on Oct. 29, at 5 p.m. (EDT). Those wishing to access the webcast, as well as the financial information presented during the call, can visit the Investor Relations page on the company's website at ir.nuskin.com. A replay of the webcast will be available at the same URL through Nov. 16, 2015.

About Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. demonstrates its tradition of innovation through its comprehensive anti-aging product portfolio, independent business opportunity and corporate social responsibility initiatives. The company's scientific leadership in both skin care and nutrition has established Nu Skin as a premier anti-aging company. The company's anti-aging products feature the ageLOC(®) line of products including ageLOC(®) Tru Face(®) Essence Ultra firming serum, the ageLOC(®) TR90(®) weight management and body shaping system, ageLOC(®) R(2) nutritional supplement, and ageLOC(®) Transformation daily skin care system. A global direct selling company, Nu Skin operates in 53 markets worldwide and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NUS." More information is available at http://www.nuskin.com.

Please Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that represent the company's current expectations and beliefs. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws and include, but are not limited to, statements of management's expectations regarding the company's performance, growth, initiatives, new product introductions, and sales force; projections regarding revenue, earnings per share, foreign currency fluctuations, uses of cash and other financial items; statements of belief; and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "believe," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "targets," "likely," "will," "would," "could," "may," "might," the negative of these words and other similar words.

The forward-looking statements and related assumptions involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from any forward-looking statements or views expressed herein. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:


    --  any failure of current or planned initiatives or products to generate
        interest among our sales force and customers and generate sponsoring and
        selling activities on a sustained basis;
    --  risk of foreign currency fluctuations and the currency translation
        impact on the company's business associated with these fluctuations;
    --  risk that direct selling laws and regulations in any of our markets,
        including the United States and China, may be modified, interpreted or
        enforced in a manner that results in negative changes to our business
        model or negatively impacts our revenue, sales force or business,
        including through the interruption of sales activities, loss of
        licenses, imposition of fines, or any other adverse actions or events;
    --  risks related to accurately predicting, delivering or maintaining
        sufficient quantities of products to support our planned initiatives or
        launch strategies, and increased risk of inventory write-offs if we
        over-forecast demand for a product or change our planned initiatives or
        launch strategies;
    --  regulatory risks associated with the company's products, which could
        require the company to modify its claims or inhibit the company's
        ability to import or continue selling a product in a market if it is
        determined to be a medical device or if it is unable to register the
        product in a timely manner under applicable regulatory requirements;
    --  adverse publicity related to the company's business, products, industry
        or any legal actions or complaints by the company's sales force or
        others;
    --  unpredictable economic conditions and events globally;
    --  any prospective or retrospective increases in duties on the company's
        products imported into the company's markets outside of the United
        States and any adverse results of tax audits or unfavorable changes to
        tax laws in the company's various markets; and
    --  continued competitive pressures in the company's markets.

The company's financial performance and the forward-looking statements contained herein are further qualified by a detailed discussion of associated risks set forth in the documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements set forth the company's beliefs as of the date that such information was first provided and the company assumes no duty to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect any change except as required by law.




                             NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC.

                   Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)

             For the Third Quarters Ended September 30, 2015 and 2014

                     (in thousands, except per share amounts)


                                                                   2015     2014
                                                                   ----     ----


    Revenue                                                    $571,308 $638,800


    Cost of sales                                               152,755  109,275
                                                                -------  -------


    Gross profit                                                418,553  529,525
                                                                -------  -------


    Operating expenses:

            Selling expenses                                    240,260  263,203

            General and administrative
             expenses                                           135,752  161,366
                                                                -------  -------

    Total operating expenses                                    376,012  424,569
                                                                -------  -------


    Operating income                                             42,541  104,956


    Other income, net                                          (14,428)   1,073
                                                                -------    -----

    Income before provision
     for income taxes                                            28,113  106,029

    Provision for income taxes                                   11,846   37,721
                                                                 ------   ------


    Net income                                                  $16,267  $68,308
                                                                =======  =======


    Net income per share:

            Basic                                                 $0.28    $1.15

            Diluted                                               $0.28    $1.12


    Weighted average common shares outstanding:

            Basic                                                57,725   59,249

            Diluted                                              58,663   60,777





                            NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC.

                  Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)

           For the Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2015 and 2014

                     (in thousands, except per share amounts)


                                                                   2015       2014
                                                                   ----       ----


    Revenue                                                  $1,674,849 $1,959,888


    Cost of sales                                               368,073    371,929
                                                                -------    -------


    Gross profit                                              1,306,776  1,587,959
                                                              ---------  ---------


    Operating expenses:

            Selling expenses                                    713,714    859,879

            General and
             administrative expenses                            410,074    467,190
                                                                -------    -------

    Total operating expenses                                  1,123,788  1,327,069
                                                              ---------  ---------


    Operating income                                            182,988    260,890


    Other (expense), net                                       (29,454)  (37,554)
                                                                -------    -------

    Income before provision
     for income taxes                                           153,534    223,336

    Provision for income
     taxes                                                       56,328     80,667
                                                                 ------     ------


    Net income                                                  $97,206   $142,669
                                                                =======   ========


    Net income per share:

            Basic                                                 $1.66      $2.42

            Diluted                                               $1.63      $2.34


    Weighted average common shares outstanding:

            Basic                                                58,403     59,058

            Diluted                                              59,565     61,010


                                                 NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC.

                                          Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

                                                       (in thousands)


                                            September 30, 2015                    December 31, 2014
                                            ------------------                    -----------------

    ASSETS

    Current assets:

            Cash and cash equivalents                                 $305,808                        $288,415

            Current investments                                         10,883                          11,793

            Accounts receivable                                         35,682                          35,834

            Inventories, net                                           260,464                         338,491

            Prepaid expenses and other                                 164,046                         160,134
                                                                       -------                         -------

                                                                       776,883                         834,667


    Property and equipment,
     net                                                               459,644                         464,783

    Goodwill                                                           112,446                         112,446

    Other intangible assets,
     net                                                                68,862                          75,062

    Other assets                                                       135,623                         127,476
                                                                       -------                         -------

                    Total assets                                    $1,553,458                      $1,614,434
                                                                    ==========                      ==========


    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

    Current liabilities:

            Accounts payable                                           $35,718                         $34,712

            Accrued expenses                                           308,600                         300,847

            Current portion of long-
             term debt                                                  66,743                          82,770
                                                                        ------                          ------

                                                                       411,061                         418,329


    Long-term debt                                                     186,222                         164,567

    Other liabilities                                                   95,657                          89,100
                                                                        ------                          ------

                    Total liabilities                                  692,940                         671,996
                                                                       -------                         -------


    Stockholders' equity:

            Class A common stock                                            91                              91

            Additional paid-in
             capital                                                   415,026                         414,394

           Treasury stock, at cost                                   (959,504)                      (862,608)

            Accumulated other
             comprehensive loss                                       (73,000)                       (51,521)

            Retained earnings                                        1,477,905                       1,442,082
                                                                     ---------                       ---------

                                                                       860,518                         942,438
                                                                       -------                         -------

                    Total liabilities and
                     stockholders' equity                           $1,553,458                      $1,614,434
                                                                    ==========                      ==========


                                           NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC.

                                     Reconciliation of Operating Income to

                            Operating Income Excluding Write-down of China Inventory

                                                 (in thousands)


                                                                                          Quarter Ended

                                                                                          September 30,
                                                                                          -------------

                                                                                         2015            2014
                                                                                         ----            ----


    Revenue as reported                                                              $571,308        $638,800
                                                                                     ========        ========


    Operating income as
     reported                                                                         $42,541        $104,956


        Write-down of China
         inventory                                                                     37,900               -
                                                                                       ------             ---


    Operating income
     excluding write-
     down of China
     inventory                                                                        $80,441        $104,956
                                                                                      =======        ========


    Operating income as a
     percent of revenue
     excluding write-
     down of China
     inventory

                                                                                        14.1%          16.4%


    Operating income as a
     percent of revenue
     as reported                                                                         7.4%          16.4%

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SOURCE Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.