Best Buy Reports Third Quarter Results
Comparable Sales Declined 2.9%
GAAP Diluted EPS Increased 4% to $1.26
Non-GAAP Diluted EPS Decreased 2% to $1.26
MINNEAPOLIS, November 26, 2024 — Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) today announced results for the 13-week third quarter ended November 2, 2024 (“Q3 FY25”), as compared to the 13-week third quarter ended October 28, 2023 (“Q3 FY24”).
Click here to view full release and statements.
Q3 FY25 | Q3 FY24 | |
| Revenue ($ in millions) | ||
| Enterprise | $9,445 | $9,756 |
| Domestic segment | $8,697 | $8,996 |
| International segment | $748 | $760 |
| Enterprise comparable sales % change1 | (2.9)% | (6.9)% |
| Domestic comparable sales % change1 | (2.8)% | (7.3)% |
| Domestic comparable online sales % change1 | (1.0)% | (9.3)% |
| International comparable sales % change1 | (3.7)% | (1.9)% |
| Operating Income | ||
| GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Non-GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| Diluted Earnings per Share (“EPS”) | ||
| GAAP diluted EPS | $1.26 | $1.21 |
| Non-GAAP diluted EPS | $1.26 | $1.29 |
For GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations of the measures referred to in the above table, please refer to the attached supporting schedule.
“In the third quarter, our teams delivered an in-line non-GAAP operating income rate on sales that were a little softer than expected,” said Corie Barry, Best Buy CEO. “During the second half of the quarter, a combination of the ongoing macro uncertainty, customers waiting for deals and sales events, and distraction during the run-up to the election, particularly in non-essential categories, led to softer-than-expected demand. In the first few weeks of Q4, as holiday sales have begun and the election is behind us, we have seen customer demand increase again.”
“We are excited and feel well-positioned for the holiday season with compelling deals, inspirational in-store and digital merchandising and competitive fulfillment options,” Barry continued. “We continue to see a consumer who is seeking value and sales events, and one who is also willing to spend on high price-point products when they need to or when there is new, compelling technology. Thus, we are balancing our optimism in both the industry and our unique positioning with a pragmatic approach to likely uneven customer behavior going forward.”
“We are adjusting our full year comparable sales guidance to a decline in the range of 2.5% to 3.5%,” said Matt Bilunas, Best Buy CFO. “At the same time, we are maintaining our full year non-GAAP operating income rate of 4.1% to 4.2%, which represents slight expansion compared to FY24 on a 52-week basis.”
Bilunas continued, “For Q4 FY25, we expect comparable sales versus last year to be flat to down 3% and our non-GAAP operating income rate to be in the range of 4.6% to 4.8%.”
Best Buy’s updated guidance for FY25 is the following:
- Revenue of $41.1 billion to $41.5 billion, which compares to prior guidance of $41.3 billion to $41.9 billion
- Comparable sales1 of (3.5%) to (2.5%), which compares to prior guidance of (3.0%) to (1.5%)
- Enterprise non-GAAP operating income rate2 of 4.1% to 4.2%, which is unchanged
- Non-GAAP effective income tax rate2 of approximately 23.5%, which compares to prior guidance of approximately 24.0%
- Non-GAAP diluted EPS2 of $6.10 to $6.25, which compares to prior guidance of $6.10 to $6.35
- Capital expenditures of approximately $750 million, which is unchanged
Note: FY25 has 52 weeks compared to 53 weeks in FY24. The company estimates the impact of the extra week in Q4 FY24 added approximately $735 million in revenue, approximately 15 basis points of non-GAAP operating income rate and approximately $0.30 of non-GAAP diluted EPS to the full-year results.
Domestic Segment Q3 FY25 Results
Domestic revenue of $8.70 billion decreased 3.3% versus last year primarily driven by a comparable sales decline of 2.8%.
From a merchandising perspective, the largest drivers of the comparable sales decline on a weighted basis were appliances, home theater and gaming. These drivers were partially offset by growth in the computing, tablets and services categories.
Domestic online revenue of $2.73 billion decreased 1.0% on a comparable basis, and as a percentage of total Domestic revenue, online revenue was 31.4% versus 30.6% last year.
Domestic gross profit rate was 23.6% versus 22.9% last year. The higher gross profit rate was primarily due to improved financial performance from the company’s services category, including its membership offerings, which was partially offset by lower profit-sharing revenue from the company’s private label and co-branded credit card arrangement and lower product margin rates.
Domestic Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”)
Domestic GAAP SG&A expenses were $1.72 billion, or 19.7% of revenue, versus $1.73 billion, or 19.2% of revenue, last year. On a non-GAAP basis, SG&A expenses were $1.71 billion, or 19.7% of revenue, versus $1.71 billion, or 19.0% of revenue, last year. GAAP SG&A decreased $11 million, which included lower intangible asset amortization of approximately $10 million. Both GAAP and non-GAAP SG&A included higher advertising expense, which was partially offset by lower incentive compensation.
International Segment Q3 FY25 Results
International Revenue
International revenue of $748 million decreased 1.6% versus last year primarily driven by a comparable sales decline of 3.7% and the negative impact from foreign exchange rates, which were partially offset by revenue from Best Buy Express locations that have opened in Canada during FY25.
International Gross Profit Rate
International gross profit rate was 22.5% versus 22.1% last year. The higher gross profit rate was primarily due to growth in the higher margin services category.
International SG&A
International SG&A expenses were $155 million, or 20.7% of revenue, versus $151 million, or 19.9% of revenue, last year. The higher SG&A expense was primarily driven by expenses associated with new Best Buy Express locations.
Share Repurchases and Dividends
In Q3 FY25, the company returned a total of $339 million to shareholders through dividends of $202 million and share repurchases of $137 million. On a year-to-date basis, the company has returned a total of $892 million to shareholders through dividends of $607 million and share repurchases of $285 million. The company still expects to spend approximately $500 million on share repurchases during FY25.
Today, the company announced that its board of directors has authorized the payment of a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.94 per common share. The quarterly dividend is payable on January 7, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 17, 2024.
Conference Call
(1) The method of calculating comparable sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, our method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other retailers’ methods. For additional information on comparable sales, please see our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and available at www.investors.bestbuy.com.
(2) A reconciliation of the projected non-GAAP operating income rate, non-GAAP effective income tax rate, and non-GAAP diluted EPS, which are forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, is not provided because the company is unable to provide such reconciliation without unreasonable effort. The inability to provide a reconciliation is due to the uncertainty and inherent difficulty predicting the occurrence, the financial impact and the periods in which the non-GAAP adjustments may be recognized. These GAAP measures may include the impact of such items as restructuring charges; price-fixing settlements; goodwill and intangible asset impairments; gains and losses on sales of subsidiaries and certain investments; intangible asset amortization; certain acquisition-related costs; and the tax effect of all such items. Historically, the company has excluded these items from non-GAAP financial measures. The company currently expects to continue to exclude these items in future disclosures of non-GAAP financial measures and may also exclude other items that may arise (collectively, “non-GAAP adjustments”). The decisions and events that typically lead to the recognition of non-GAAP adjustments, such as a decision to exit part of the business or reaching settlement of a legal dispute, are inherently unpredictable as to if or when they may occur. For the same reasons, the company is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements:
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as “anticipate,” “appear,” “approximate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “foresee,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possible,” “project” “seek,” “should,” “would,” and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negatives thereof. Such statements reflect our current views and estimates with respect to future market conditions, company performance and financial results, operational investments, business prospects, our operating model, new strategies and growth initiatives, the competitive environment, consumer behavior and other events. These statements involve a number of judgments and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the control of the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in such forward-looking statements. Readers should review Item 1A, Risk Factors, of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any updated information in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for a description of important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements made in this release. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: macroeconomic pressures in the markets in which we operate (including but not limited to recession, inflation rates, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, limitations on a government’s ability to borrow and/or spend capital, fluctuations in housing prices, energy markets, jobless rates and effects related to the conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East or other geopolitical events); catastrophic events, health crises and pandemics; susceptibility of the products we sell to technological advancements, product life cycle fluctuations and changes in consumer preferences; competition (including from multi-channel retailers, e-commerce business, technology service providers, traditional store-based retailers, vendors and mobile network carriers and in the provision of delivery speed and options); our ability to attract and retain qualified employees; changes in market compensation rates; our expansion into health and new products, services and technologies; our focus on services as a strategic priority; our reliance on key vendors and mobile network carriers (including product availability); our ability to maintain positive brand perception and recognition; our ability to effectively manage strategic ventures, alliances or acquisitions; our ability to effectively manage our real estate portfolio; inability of vendors or service providers to perform components of our supply chain (impacting our stores or other aspects of our operations) and other various functions of our business; risks arising from and potentially unique to our exclusive brands products; risks associated with vendors that source products outside the U.S.; our reliance on our information technology systems, internet and telecommunications access and capabilities; our ability to prevent or effectively respond to a cyber-attack, privacy or security breach; product safety and quality concerns; changes to labor or employment laws or regulations; risks arising from statutory, regulatory and legal developments (including statutes and/or regulations related to tax or privacy); evolving corporate governance and public disclosure regulations and expectations (including, but not limited to, cybersecurity and environmental, social and governance matters); risks arising from our international activities (including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates) and those of our vendors; failure to effectively manage our costs; our dependence on cash flows and net earnings generated during the fourth fiscal quarter; pricing investments and promotional activity; economic or regulatory developments that might affect our ability to provide attractive promotional financing; constraints in the capital markets; changes to our vendor credit terms; changes in our credit ratings; and failure to meet financial-performance guidance or other forward-looking statements. We caution that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement that we may make.
| Investor Contact: | Media Contact: |
| Mollie O’Brien | Carly Charlson |
| mollie.obrien@bestbuy.com | carly.charlson@bestbuy.com |