HNI Corporation today announced sales for the first quarter ended April 3, 2021 of $484.3 million and net income of $15.0 million. GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share was $0.34, compared to $(0.56) in the prior year. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.36, compared to $0.21 in the prior year.
First Quarter Highlights
Strong results in Residential Building Products: First quarter 2021 revenue grew 39 percent on a year-over-year basis, and operating margin expanded 600 basis points from prior-year, pre-COVID levels. This fueled a greater than 90 percent year-over-year increase in segment operating profit to a first quarter record of $39.8 million.
Signs of improvement in Workplace Furnishings: First quarter 2021 revenue was down approximately 12 percent from the first quarter of 2020, on an organic basis. This rate of decline was the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic.
Strong incremental margins: Non-GAAP consolidated operating income increased 67 percent year-over-year (or $9.4 million) to $23.3 million on two percent organic revenue growth (or $6.8 million). This equated to a 60 percent incremental operating margin, which was primarily driven by volume leverage in the Residential Building Products segment and solid cost control in the Workplace Furnishings segment, as both segments benefited from the Corporation’s annual cost savings initiatives and cost actions taken last year to combat pandemic pressures.
High-quality balance sheet: Quarter-ending debt levels were $176 million, essentially unchanged from last quarter and down from $230 million at the end of the first quarter of last year. The gross leverage ratio at the end of the first quarter of 2021 was approximately 0.9x, slightly improved from last quarter and last year. Cash totaled $94 million as of the end of the first quarter of 2021, more than double the $35 million reported in the first quarter of 2020.
“This quarter, our members again demonstrated much of what is unique about HNI. We delivered substantial profit improvement, highlighted by strong revenue growth and expanded profitability in Residential Building Products. Although the pandemic continues to negatively impact demand in Workplace Furnishings, particularly in the contract market, we benefited from our reset cost structure and improving top-line performance in our brands focused on small to mid-sized customers. Overall, the first quarter shows the power of our diversified revenue streams, our ability to react quickly to changing market dynamics, and our overall operational capability,” stated Jeff Lorenger, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer.
First Quarter Summary Comments
Consolidated net sales increased 3.3 percent from the prior-year quarter to $484.3 million. On an organic basis, sales increased 1.5 percent year-over-year. The acquisition of Design Public Group ("DPG") in the fourth quarter of 2020 increased year-over-year sales by $6.4 million, and the acquisition of residential building products distributors in 2020 and 2021 increased year-over-year sales by $2.4 million. A reconciliation of organic sales, a non-GAAP measure, follows the financial statements in this release.
Gross profit margin decreased 40 basis points compared to the prior-year quarter. This decrease was primarily driven by lower Workplace Furnishings volume and unfavorable price-cost, partially offset by improved net productivity and higher Residential Building Products volume.
Selling and administrative expenses as a percent of sales decreased 310 basis points compared to prior-year quarter. The decrease was driven by lower core SG&A, higher Residential Building Products volume, and freight and distribution productivity, partially offset by lower Workplace Furnishings volume and higher variable compensation. Included in current year quarter SG&A was $0.7 million of one-time costs from exiting Workplace Furnishings showrooms, driven by conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The prior-year quarter included $5.0 million of one-time costs incurred as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic (of which $1.6 million was recorded as a corporate charge).
The Corporation recorded charges of $32.7 million in the prior-year quarter related to the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets.
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.36 compared to $0.21 in the prior-year quarter. The $0.15 increase was due to higher Residential Building Products volume, lower core SG&A, and improved net productivity, partially offset by lower Workplace Furnishings volume, unfavorable price-cost, and higher variable compensation.
First Quarter Orders
Orders in the Workplace Furnishings segment declined 10 percent year-over-year. Within the segment, orders to small to mid-sized customers were down less than the segment overall and improved through the quarter. Demand in the contract market remained soft with orders down over 20 percent. eCommerce and international both generated positive order growth.
Normalized orders in the Residential Building Products segment increased 40 percent compared to the prior-year quarter. Remodel-retrofit activity and orders tied to new construction were both strong throughout the quarter.
Workplace Furnishings net sales decreased 10.5 percent from the prior-year quarter to $302.7 million. On an organic basis, sales decreased 12.4 percent year-over-year. The acquisition of DPG in the fourth quarter of 2020 increased sales by $6.4 million compared to the prior-year quarter.
Workplace Furnishings GAAP operating profit margin increased 880 basis points versus the prior-year quarter. On a non-GAAP basis, segment operating margin decreased 160 basis points year-over-year driven by lower volume and unfavorable price-cost, partially offset by net productivity and lower core SG&A spend.
The Workplace Furnishings segment recorded $0.7 million of one-time costs in the current year quarter from exiting showrooms. The prior-year quarter included $32.7 million of charges related to the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, as well as $3.4 million of one-time costs incurred as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Residential Building Products net sales increased 39.3 percent from the prior-year quarter to $181.5 million. On an organic basis, sales increased 37.4 percent year-over-year. The impact of building products distributors acquired in 2020 and 2021 increased sales $2.4 million compared to the prior-year quarter.
Residential Building Products operating profit margin expanded 600 basis points, primarily driven by strong volume growth and SG&A leverage, partially offset by unfavorable price-cost and higher variable compensation.
Concluding Remarks
“As we look to the rest of the year, we are increasingly optimistic. We expect our strength in Residential Building Products to continue and see evidence our HNI-specific strategies are gaining momentum for the long-term. In Workplace Furnishings, we see improving conditions and expect revenue growth as we progress through the remainder of the year. Signs of improvement are strongest in our businesses focused on small to mid-sized customers, where we have a strong competitive position. Our opportunities to grow profits will improve as we move into the back half of the year.
I continue to be extremely proud of our HNI members. As we move into the next stage of the recovery, we do so as a stronger company—well positioned to grow revenue, expand margins, and generate cash flow,” Mr. Lorenger concluded.
Second Quarter 2021 Outlook
Residential Building Products revenue: Recent order trends, housing construction activity, and expected benefits tied to multiple growth initiatives, combine to suggest growth rates in the low-30 percent range compared to the prior-year quarter.
Workplace Furnishings revenue: Improving order trends driven by small to mid-sized customers, public sector activity, and a low prior year comparable suggest a growth rate, including acquisition impacts, in the low-teens on a year-over-year basis.
Profitability drivers: Despite inflationary pressures, investments, and the return of temporary cost actions taken in the prior year, the Corporation expects the benefit of higher volume and net productivity to generate modest year-over-year profit growth, on a non-GAAP basis.