Domestic Comparable Sales Increased 2.0% on Top of 22.6% Last Year
GAAP Diluted EPS Increased 35% to $2.00
Non-GAAP Diluted EPS Increased 1% to $2.08
Raises Full-Year Enterprise Comparable Sales Growth Outlook to a
Range of 10.5% to 11.5%
MINNEAPOLIS, November 23, 2021 — Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) today announced results for the 13-week third quarter ended October 30, 2021 (“Q3 FY22”), as compared to the 13-week third quarter ended October 31, 2020 (“Q3 FY21”).
| Q3 FY22 | Q3 FY21 | |
| Revenue ($ in millions) | ||
| Enterprise | $11,910 | $11,853 |
| Domestic segment | $10,985 | $10,850 |
| International segment | $925 | $1,003 |
| Enterprise comparable sales % change1 | 1.6% | 23.0% |
| Domestic comparable sales % change1 | 2.0% | 22.6% |
| Domestic comparable online sales % change1 | (10.1)% | 173.7% |
| International comparable sales % change1 | (3.0)% | 27.3% |
| Operating Income | ||
| GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 5.6% | 4.7% |
| Non-GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 5.8% | 6.1% |
| Diluted Earnings per Share (“EPS”) | ||
| GAAP diluted EPS | $2.00 | $1.48 |
| Non-GAAP diluted EPS | $2.08 | 2.06 |
For GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations of the measures referred to in the above table, please refer to the attached supporting schedule.
“We delivered record Q3 results, including 2% Domestic comparable sales on top of 22.6% last year, as our leaders continued to drive new ways of operating and our employees continued to do amazing things to support our customer’s technology needs in knowledgeable, fast and convenient ways,” said Corie Barry, Best Buy CEO. “Our omnichannel capabilities and our ability to inspire and support across all of technology in a way no one else can means we are uniquely positioned to seize the opportunity in this environment and in the future.”
“More people continue to sustainably work, entertain, cook and connect at home, and while customers are returning to stores, digital sales were still more than double pre-pandemic levels, and phone, chat and in-home sales continued to grow,” Barry continued. “During the third quarter, we reached our fastest small-package online shipping times ever as our same-day delivery was up 400% and we nearly doubled the percent of products delivered within one day compared to last year.”
“We are looking forward to a strong holiday season and believe we are extremely well-positioned with both the tech customers want and fast and convenient ways to get it,” said Matt Bilunas, Best Buy CFO. “We are committed to driving initiatives that will deliver future growth and our Q4 outlook reflects continued investments in our new membership program, technology, advertising and our health strategy.”
Financial Outlook
The company is providing the following Enterprise outlook:
- Revenue of $16.4 billion to $16.9 billion
- Comparable sales growth of -2.0% to +1.0%
- Non-GAAP gross profit rate2 decline of approximately 30 basis points to last year
- Non-GAAP SG&A2 dollar growth of approximately 8% to last year
- Non-GAAP effective income tax rate2 of approximately 24.0%
FY22:
- Revenue of $51.8 billion to $52.3 billion compared to the prior outlook of $51.0 billion to $52.0 billion
- Comparable sales growth of 10.5% to 11.5% compared to the prior outlook of 9% to 11% growth
- Non-GAAP gross profit rate2 slightly higher than last year, which remains unchanged
- Non-GAAP SG&A2 growth of approximately 9.5% compared to the prior outlook of 9% growth
- Non-GAAP effective income tax rate2 of approximately 20.0%, which remains unchanged
- Share repurchases of more than $2.5 billion, which remains unchanged
Domestic Segment Q3 FY22 Results
Domestic revenue of $10.99 billion increased 1.2% versus last year. The increase was primarily driven by comparable sales growth of 2.0%, which was partially offset by the loss of revenue from permanent store closures in the past year.
From a merchandising perspective, the largest drivers of comparable sales growth on a weighted basis were appliances, home theater and mobile phones. These positive drivers were partially offset by a decline in computing.
Domestic online revenue of $3.44 billion decreased 10.1% on a comparable basis, and as a percentage of total Domestic revenue, online revenue decreased to approximately 31.3% versus 35.2% last year.
Domestic gross profit rate was 23.4% versus 24.0% last year. The gross profit rate decrease of approximately 60 basis points was primarily due to (1) lower product margin rates, which were driven by lapping low levels of promotions, product damages and returns last year, as well as increased inventory shrink; and (2) lower services margin rates, which included rate pressure associated with the company’s new Totaltech membership offering. The previous items were partially offset by higher profit-sharing revenue from the company’s private label and co-branded credit card arrangement.
Domestic Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”)
Domestic GAAP SG&A was $1.96 billion, or 17.9% of revenue, versus $1.95 billion, or 18.0% of revenue, last year. On a non-GAAP basis, SG&A was $1.94 billion, or 17.6% of revenue, versus $1.93 billion, or 17.8% of revenue, last year. Both GAAP and non-GAAP SG&A increased primarily due to higher advertising expense and increased technology investments, which were partially offset by lapping last year’s $40 million donation to the Best Buy Foundation and lower incentive compensation.
International Segment Q3 FY22 Results
International Revenue
International Gross Profit Rate
International GAAP gross profit rate was 25.0% versus 19.0% last year. On a non-GAAP basis, the gross profit rate was 25.0% versus 22.6% last year. The higher GAAP and non-GAAP gross profit rates were primarily driven by improved product margin rates in Canada, and sales mixing out of Mexico, which had a lower gross profit rate than Canada. The higher GAAP gross profit also included the impact of lapping $36 million of inventory markdowns associated with the company’s decision to exit its operations in Mexico last year.
International SG&A was $171 million, or 18.5% of revenue, versus $175 million, or 17.4% of revenue, last year. SG&A decreased primarily due to the company’s exit of its Mexico operations, which was partially offset by the impact of foreign exchange rates and increased store payroll expense in Canada.
Dividends and Share Repurchases
In Q3 FY22, the company returned a total of $577 million to shareholders through share repurchases of $405 million and dividends of $172 million. On a year-to-date basis, the company has returned a total of $2.25 billion to shareholders through share repurchases of $1.73 billion and dividends of $522 million.
Today, the company announced its board of directors has authorized the payment of a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.70 per common share. The quarterly dividend is payable on January 4, 2022, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 14, 2021.
Conference Call
Best Buy is scheduled to conduct an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. Central Time) on November 23, 2021. A webcast of the call is expected to be available at www.investors.bestbuy.com, both live and after the call.
(1) Comparable sales include revenue from all stores that were temporarily closed or operating an enhanced curbside-only operating model as a result of COVID-19. The method of calculating comparable sales varies across the retail industry, including the treatment of store closures as a result of COVID-19. As a result, our method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other retailers’ methods. On November 24, 2020, the company announced its decision to exit its operations in Mexico. As a result, all revenue from Mexico operations has been excluded from the comparable sales calculation beginning in fiscal December FY21. For additional information on comparable sales, please see our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any 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 gross profit rate, non-GAAP SG&A and non-GAAP effective income tax rate, 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 impairments; gains and losses on 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 that reflect management’s current views and estimates regarding future market conditions, company performance and financial results, operational investments, business prospects, new strategies, the competitive environment and other events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “assume,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “foresee,” “project,” “guidance,” “plan,” “outlook,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: the duration and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resurgence and the impact on demand for our products and services, levels of consumer confidence and our supply chain; the effects and duration of steps we have taken and will continue to take in response to the pandemic, including the implementation of our interim and evolving operating model; actions governments, businesses and individuals have taken and will continue to take in response to the pandemic and their impact on economic activity and consumer spending; the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and a worsening of global economic conditions or low levels of economic growth; competition (including from multi-channel retailers, e-commerce business, technology service providers, traditional store-based retailers, vendors and mobile network carriers), our expansion strategies, our focus on services as a strategic priority, our reliance on key vendors and mobile network carriers, our ability to attract and retain qualified employees, changes in market compensation rates, risks arising from statutory, regulatory and legal developments, macroeconomic pressures in the markets in which we operate, failure to effectively manage our costs, our reliance on our information technology systems, our ability to prevent or effectively respond to a privacy or security breach, our ability to effectively manage strategic ventures, alliances or acquisitions, our dependence on cash flows and net earnings generated during the fourth fiscal quarter, susceptibility of our products to technological advancements, product life cycle preferences and changes in consumer preferences, economic or regulatory developments that might affect our ability to provide attractive promotional financing, interruptions and other supply chain issues, catastrophic events, health crises, pandemics, our ability to maintain positive brand perception and recognition, product safety and quality concerns, changes to labor or employment laws or regulations, our ability to effectively manage our real estate portfolio, constraints in the capital markets or our vendor credit terms, changes in our credit ratings, any material disruption in our relationship with or the services of third-party vendors, risks related to our exclusive brand products and risks associated with vendors that source products outside of the U.S., including trade restrictions or changes in the costs of imports (including existing or new tariffs or duties and changes in the amount of any such tariffs or duties) and risks arising from our international activities.
A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in the company’s annual report and other reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including, but not limited to, Best Buy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 19, 2021 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Best Buy cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete, and any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Best Buy assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement that it may make.
| Investor Contact: | Media Contact: |
| Mollie O’Brien | Carly Charlson |
| mollie.obrien@bestbuy.com | carly.charlson@bestbuy.com |