ULTE Ultimate Electronics (MM)

Ultimate Electronics Reports Operating Results for Its Fiscal 2005 Second Quarter Ended July 31, 2004 DENVER, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ultimate Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTE) announced today its operating results for the second quarter and six months ended July 31, 2004. For the second quarter ended July 31, 2004, the company reported a net loss of $16.2 million or $1.09 per share on a basic and diluted basis, compared to a net loss of $1.8 million or $0.12 per share on a basic and diluted basis for the same quarter of the prior year. Operating loss for the second quarter was $8.8 million compared to an operating loss of $2.9 million for the same quarter of the prior year. Sales for the second quarter were $152.9 million, a 1% decrease from sales of $154.2 million for the same quarter of the prior year. Comparable store sales were down 9% for the quarter. Gross profit margin for the second quarter was 32.7% compared to 33.9% for the same quarter of the prior year. Gross profit margin continued to be impacted by SKU reduction in certain categories, efforts to reduce the amount of product that becomes discontinued and aggressive promotions. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the second quarter increased as a percentage of sales to 38.5% from 35.8% for the same quarter of the prior year, reflecting the impact of the reduction in comparable store sales (200 basis points), higher costs associated with the operation of the company's information systems (90 basis points) and a non-cash impairment charge for three under-performing stores (60 basis points), partially offset by cost savings in other areas. Results for the quarter were also negatively impacted by the non-cash reversal of an income tax benefit of $6.9 million. The company believes that under the guidance provided by FAS109, the reversal of the income tax benefit more appropriately represents the company's tax position. As of July 31, 2004, the availability under our revolving line of credit was $26.3 million. For the six months ended July 31, 2004, the company reported a net loss of $24.6 million or $1.66 per share on a basic and diluted basis, compared to a net loss of $3.2 million or $0.22 per share on a basic and diluted basis for the same period of the prior year. Operating loss for the six months ended July 31, 2004 was $21.7 million compared to $5.1 million for the same period of the prior year. Sales for the six months ended July 31, 2004 were $305.3 million, a 2% decrease from sales of $309.9 million for the same period of the prior year. Comparable store sales were down 10% for the six months ended July 31, 2004. Gross profit margin for the six months ended July 31, 2004 was 32.1%, compared to 33.3% for the same period in the prior year. Gross profit margin was impacted by SKU reduction in certain categories, the efforts to reduce the amount of product that becomes discontinued and aggressive promotions. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the six months increased as a percentage of sales to 39.2% from 34.9% for the same period of the prior year, reflecting the impact of the reduction in comparable store sales (290 basis points), higher costs associated with the operation of the company's information systems (100 basis points) and a non-cash impairment charge for three under-performing stores (30 basis points). Results for the six months were also negatively impacted by a non-cash reversal of an income tax benefit of $1.8 million. The company believes that under the guidance provided by FAS109, the reversal of the income tax benefit more appropriately represents the company's tax position. Second quarter and year-to-date sales by category were as follows: Second Quarter Ended Six Months Ended Category 7/31/2004 7/31/2003 7/31/2004 7/31/2003 Television/DBS 44% 42% 46% 42% Audio 18% 18% 18% 18% Video/DVD 13% 13% 12% 14% Mobile 9% 11% 9% 10% Home Office 1% 3% 1% 3% Other 15% 13% 14% 13% Commenting on the results, Dave Workman, President and CEO said, "While our operating results for the second quarter and the first half of the year ended July 31, 2004 were below our expectations, we have made progress to date with the implementation of our turnaround strategy, including our initiatives to capitalize on new sales opportunities in the home builder business; to reduce stock outages in an effort to optimize our inventory; to improve our information systems; and to reduce operating costs. We have generated improvements from the first quarter to the second quarter of this year in comparable store sales, gross profit margin and operating results. This progress underlies our belief that we should continue to see improvement in the second half of the fiscal year. "When we implemented our turnaround strategy, we anticipated that we could generate positive sales and achieve break-even results by the end of the year. Based on our sales performance for the first half of this fiscal year and the first three weeks of August, we now expect weaker sales and to finish the year with a net loss. We believe that our turnaround strategy and the initiatives we have taken to implement that strategy are key to reestablishing our core business. We believe we have and will continue to yield improved financial results from these initiatives. We now expect, however, that our strategy and related initiatives will take longer than originally anticipated to return our company to profitability. "Our focus continues to be on implementing and fine-tuning our turnaround strategy -- enhancing our customer experience, capitalizing on new sales opportunities, improving execution at every level of our business and reducing costs. We believe the amendment of our revolving line of credit and the additional financing we obtained in the form of a term loan in July will provide us with the necessary financial flexibility we need to effectuate our turnaround strategy. "With the number of initiatives and changes we have implemented, and in light of the uncertain retail environment, we expect that our sales and operating results will remain difficult to predict. As a result, we will not be providing specific sales or earnings guidance for the foreseeable future." Ultimate Electronics quarterly earnings conference call (August 26, 2004 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time) will be broadcast live on the Internet. Please visit the Company's Web site at http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/ and click on the Investor Relations and Webcast-Live icons. The statements made in this news release, other than those concerning historical financial information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are made based upon management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon the company. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding: effectuating the company's turnaround strategy and related initiatives; improvement in comparable store sales, gross profit margin and operating results for the second half of the year; expected weaker sales and net loss for the year; reestablishing the company's core business; timing of the company's return to profitability; financial flexibility provided by the company's amended and restated revolving line of credit and new term loan; difficulty in predicting the company's sales and operating results; and sales and earnings guidance. Actual results may differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: changes in general economic conditions; success of sales promotions and marketing efforts; shifts in merchandise mix; activities of competitors; terrorism and acts of war; consumer acceptance of new technologies; risks associated with the operation of the company's information systems; and other risk factors identified in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the company will be those anticipated by management. The company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements that are in this news release. About Ultimate Electronics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTE) Ultimate Electronics is a leading specialty retailer of home entertainment and consumer electronics products in 14 states. The company operates 65 stores, including 54 stores in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Utah under the trade name Ultimate Electronics(R) and 11 stores in Colorado under the trade name SoundTrack(R). In addition, the company operates Fast Trak Inc., an independent electronics repair company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Ultimate Electronics. During the past two years, the company received numerous industry awards including Audio Video International's 2003 "Top 10 Audio/Video Retailer of the Year." Ultimate Electronics news releases, quarterly sales and operating results can be found on the Internet on the Company's Web site at http://www.ultimateelectronics.com or accessed via PR Newswire's Web site at http://www.prnewswire.com. For further information, please contact David A. Carter, Chief Financial Officer of Ultimate Electronics, Inc., +1-303-801-4025. SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (amounts in thousands except share and per share data) Quarter ended Quarter ended July 31, 2004 July 31, 2003 (unaudited) % of Sales (unaudited) % of Sales Sales $152,923 $154,219 Cost of goods sold 102,879 67.3% 101,983 66.1% Gross profit 50,044 32.7% 52,236 33.9% Selling, general & administrative expenses 58,801 38.5% 55,128 35.8% Loss from operations (8,757) (5.7)% (2,892) (1.9)% Interest expense, net 586 0.4% 44 -- Loss before taxes (9,343) (6.1)% (2,936) (1.9)% Income tax expense (benefit) 6,887 4.5% (1,116) (0.7)% Net loss $(16,230) (10.6)% $(1,820) (1.2)% Loss per share -- basic and diluted $(1.09) $(0.12) Shares outstanding -- basic and diluted 14,924,467 14,634,482 Six months ended Six months ended July 31, 2004 July 31, 2003 (unaudited) % of Sales (unaudited) % of Sales Sales $305,304 $309,904 Cost of goods sold 207,230 67.9% 206,759 66.7% Gross profit 98,074 32.1% 103,145 33.3% Selling, general & administrative expenses 119,759 39.2% 108,288 34.9% Loss from operations (21,685) (7.1)% (5,143) (1.7)% Interest expense, net 1,181 0.4% 89 -- Loss before taxes (22,866) (7.5)% (5,232) (1.7)% Income tax expense (benefit) 1,748 0.6% (1,988) (0.6)% Net loss $(24,614) (8.1)% $(3,244) (1.0)% Loss per share -- basic and diluted $(1.66) $(.22) Shares outstanding -- basic and diluted 14,866,380 14,608,050 SUMMARY BALANCE SHEETS (amounts in thousands) July 31, 2004 January 31, 2004 (unaudited) (audited) Assets: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $2,096 $4,413 Accounts receivable, net 40,042 44,306 Income tax receivable -- 7,975 Merchandise inventories, net 105,167 113,875 Prepaids and other assets 4,978 3,800 Total current assets 152,283 174,369 Property and equipment, net 149,970 158,247 Deferred tax asset -- 806 Other assets 2,609 2,805 Total assets $304,862 $336,227 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity: Current liabilities: Accounts payable $43,489 $35,330 Accrued liabilities 29,287 35,177 Other current liabilities 243 494 Total current liabilities 73,019 71,001 Revolving line of credit 53,999 63,186 Other long term liabilities 2,824 3,105 Stockholders' equity 175,020 198,935 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $304,862 $336,227 DATASOURCE: Ultimate Electronics, Inc. CONTACT: David A. Carter, Chief Financial Officer of Ultimate Electronics, Inc., +1-303-801-4025 Web site: http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/877054.html

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