Enterprise Comparable Sales Increased 12.6%
Domestic Comparable Online Sales Increased 89.3%
GAAP Diluted EPS Increased 9% to $3.10
Non-GAAP Diluted EPS Increased 20% to $3.48
Quarterly Dividend Increased 27% to $0.70 per Share
MINNEAPOLIS, February 25, 2021 — Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) today announced results for the 13-week fourth quarter ended January 30, 2021 (“Q4 FY21”), as compared to the 13-week fourth quarter ended February 1, 2020 (“Q4 FY20”).
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| Revenue ($ in millions) | Q4 FY21 | Q4 FY20 | FY21 | FY20 |
| Enterprise | $16,937 | $15,196 | $47,262 | $43,638 |
| Domestic segment | $15,400 | $13,848 | $43,293 | $40,114 |
| International segment | $1,537 | $1,348 | $3,969 | $3,524 |
| Enterprise comparable sales % change1 | 12.6% | 3.2% | 9.7% | 2.1% |
| Domestic comparable sales % change1 | 12.4% | 3.4% | 9.2% | 2.3% |
| Domestic comparable online sales % change1 | 89.3% | 18.7% | 144.4% | 17.0% |
| International comparable sales % change1 | 14.9% | 1.6% | 15.0% | (0.5)% |
| Operating Income | ||||
| GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 6.1% | 6.4% | 5.1% | 4.6% |
| Non-GAAP operating income as a % of revenue | 6.9% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| Diluted Earnings per Share (“EPS”) | ||||
| GAAP diluted EPS | $3.10 | $2.84 | $6.84 | $5.75 |
| Non-GAAP diluted EPS | $3.48 | $2.90 | $7.91 | $6.07 |
For GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations of the measures referred to in the above table, please refer to the attached supporting schedule.
“During the fourth quarter, our teams delivered an exceptional customer experience in a safe environment,” said Corie Barry, Best Buy CEO. “They showed amazing flexibility managing extraordinary volume in a dynamic environment. Online sales grew almost 90% to a record $6.7 billion and made up 43% of our total Domestic sales. Our stores played a pivotal role in the fulfillment of these sales, as almost two-thirds of our online revenue was either picked up in store or curbside, shipped from a store or delivered by a store employee. I want to thank our associates across the company for their dedication, ingenuity and resilience in a constantly changing environment.”
Barry continued, “To show our appreciation for their hard work over the past year and in recognition of their ongoing efforts in the face of ‘pandemic fatigue,’ we are paying our employees an additional cash gratitude bonus. In the next few weeks, all hourly US employees will receive $500 if full-time and $200 if part-time. In addition, to help keep employees and customers safe, we are encouraging all employees to get COVID vaccinations as they are available by providing them with paid time off when they receive the vaccine and providing them absence time to be used in the event they develop side effects that warrant their needing to stay home and rest after receiving the vaccination.”
Barry concluded, “During FY21, we managed through the impacts of the pandemic in a way that allowed us to accelerate many aspects of our strategy in order to thrive in what we believe to be a new and forever changed retail environment that is even more digital and puts customers entirely in control of their shopping experience. In FY22, we are accelerating investments to build on that momentum and push even faster in our evolution to a digital-first mindset. This includes areas such as our technology, automation and analytic capabilities, our health initiatives, and continuing to pilot and test new operating formats with our store assets using a more flexible and cross-trained employee base.”
Financial Outlook
Best Buy CFO Matt Bilunas said, “We are confident in our long-term strategic direction and believe we are investing from a position of strength. As it relates to FY22 specifically, the demand for technology remains at elevated levels as we start the year. However, there is a high level of uncertainty related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that makes it difficult to predict how sustainable these trends will be, including, but not limited to, the timing of administration of the vaccine and the subsequent impact to customer demand and shopping patterns, as well as potential government stimulus actions. We will update our expectations during the year if needed, but our initial FY22 outlook for comparable sales growth in the range of (-2%) to +1% assumes that customers resume or accelerate spend in areas that were slowed during the pandemic, such as travel and dining out, in the back half of the year.”
Although not providing its traditional guidance, the company is providing the following working assumptions:
FY22:
- Enterprise comparable sales growth of (-2%) to +1%
- Online sales of approximately 40% of total Domestic sales
- Enterprise non-GAAP gross profit rate2 slightly below the FY21 rate of 22.4%
- Enterprise non-GAAP SG&A2 growth rate in the low single-digits
- Share repurchases of at least $2.0 billion
- Capital expenditures of $750 million to $850 million
Q1 FY22:
- Enterprise comparable sales growth of approximately 20%
- Enterprise non-GAAP gross profit rate2 slightly below the Q1 FY21 rate of 23.0%
- Enterprise non-GAAP SG&A2 growth of approximately 10%
Domestic Segment Q4 FY21 Results
Domestic Revenue
Domestic revenue of $15.40 billion increased 11.2% versus last year. The increase was primarily driven by comparable sales growth of 12.4%, which was partially offset by the loss of revenue from permanent store closures in the past year.
From a merchandising perspective, the company generated comparable sales growth across most of its categories, with the largest drivers being computing, appliances, gaming, virtual reality and home theater. These growth drivers were partially offset by declines in headphone and mobile phone sales.
Domestic online revenue of $6.66 billion increased 89.3% on a comparable basis, and as a percentage of total Domestic revenue, online revenue increased to 43.2% versus 25.4% last year.
Domestic Gross Profit Rate
Domestic GAAP gross profit rate was 20.9% versus 21.2% last year. On a non-GAAP basis, the gross profit rate was 20.7% versus 21.2% last year. The lower GAAP and non-GAAP gross profit rates were primarily driven by higher supply chain costs as a result of the increased mix of online revenue. The GAAP gross profit rate also included the benefit of a $21 million price-fixing settlement received in relation to products purchased and sold in prior fiscal years.
Domestic Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”)
Domestic GAAP SG&A was $2.15 billion, or 14.0% of revenue, versus $2.05 billion, or 14.8% of revenue, last year. On a non-GAAP basis, SG&A was $2.13 billion, or 13.8% of revenue, versus $2.03 billion, or 14.7% of revenue, last year. Both GAAP and non-GAAP SG&A increased primarily due to: (1) increased incentive compensation expense; (2) increased variable expense related to the higher sales growth, including items such as credit card processing fees; and (3) increased investments in technology and in support of the company’s health initiatives. These items were partially offset by lower store payroll expense.
International Segment Q4 FY21 Results
International Revenue
International revenue of $1.54 billion increased 14.0% versus last year. This increase was primarily driven by comparable sales growth of 14.9% and the benefit of approximately 160 basis points of favorable foreign currency exchange rates. These items were partially offset by lower revenue in Mexico, which was a result of the company exiting operations from the country during the quarter, as previously announced on November 24, 2020. As a result, revenue from Mexico was only included in the company’s Q4 FY21 International comparable sales for the fiscal month of November.
International Gross Profit Rate
International GAAP gross profit rate was 21.6% versus 22.6% last year. On a non-GAAP basis, the gross profit rate was 20.8% versus 22.6% last year. The lower GAAP and non-GAAP gross profit rates were primarily driven by higher supply chain costs as a result of the increased mix of online revenue and a lower percentage of revenue from the higher margin services category. The GAAP gross profit rate also included a $13 million benefit associated with more favorable than expected inventory markdowns in Mexico.
International SG&A
International SG&A was $216 million, or 14.1% of revenue, versus $215 million, or 15.9% of revenue, last year.
Restructuring Charges
Restructuring charges of $142 million in Q4 FY21 included Domestic restructuring of $88 million and International restructuring of $54 million. Domestic restructuring primarily consists of severance and employee-related benefits associated with actions taken to better align the company’s organizational structure with its strategic priorities. International restructuring primarily consists of charges associated with the company’s decision to exit operations in Mexico, which was substantially complete as of January 30, 2021.
Dividends and Share Repurchases
In Q4 FY21, the company returned a total of $392 million to shareholders through share repurchases of $250 million and dividends of $142 million. For the full year, the company returned a total of $880 million to shareholders through dividends of $568 million and share repurchases of $312 million.
Today, the company announced its board of directors approved a 27% increase in the regular quarterly dividend to $0.70 per share. The regular quarterly dividend will be payable on April 8, 2021, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 18, 2021.
In addition, the company’s board of directors approved a new $5.0 billion share repurchase authorization, replacing the existing authorization dated February 2019, which had $1.7 billion in repurchases remaining at the end of FY21.
Bond Retirement
In Q4 FY21, the company retired $650 million in 5.5% notes with an original maturity date of March 2021 by exercising its option to redeem the notes at par. These notes were replaced by the net proceeds from the company’s public bond offering completed during Q3 FY21 for $650 million in 1.95% notes due in October 2030.
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 February 25, 2021. A webcast of the call is expected to be available at www.investors.bestbuy.com, both live and after the call.
Notes:
(1) 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. Comparable sales include revenue from all stores that were temporarily closed or operating an enhanced curbside-only operating model in FY21 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. 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, and available at www.investors.bestbuy.com.
(2) A reconciliation of the projected non-GAAP gross profit rate and non-GAAP SG&A, 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 Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including, but not limited to, Best Buy’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 23, 2020 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 27, 2020, August 31, 2020 and November 30, 2020. 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 | Jeff Haydock |
| mollie.obrien@bestbuy.com | jeff.haydock@bestbuy.com |