CATO CORP - Quarter Report: 2017 April (Form 10-Q)

 

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UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer þ    Accelerated filer ¨    Non-accelerated filer ¨    Smaller reporting company ¨    Emerging growth company ¨

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

 

As of April 29, 2017, there were 23,999,753 shares of Class A common stock and 1,755,601 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.

 

THE CATO CORPORATION

 

FORM 10-Q

 

Quarter Ended April 29, 2017

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PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

THE CATO CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(UNAUDITED)

 

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

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THE CATO CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

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THE CATO CORPORATION

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

 

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

NOTE 1- GENERAL:

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements as of April 29, 2017 and for the thirteen week period ended April 29, 2017 and April 30, 2016 have been prepared from the accounting records of The Cato Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”), and all amounts shown are unaudited.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement have been included.  All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature unless otherwise noted.  The results of the interim period may not be indicative of the results expected for the entire year.

 

The interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2017.  Amounts as of January 28, 2017 have been derived from the audited balance sheet, but do not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

On May 19, 2017, the Board of Directors maintained the quarterly dividend at $0.33 per share.

 

As of May 24, 2017 the Company repurchased 120,035 shares for $2,674,769.

 

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company changed its estimates for unrecognized benefits of uncertain tax positions. As a result of this change in estimate, Income tax expense decreased by $1.5 million, Other noncurrent liabilities decreased by $2.5 million, and Noncurrent deferred income taxes decreased by $1.0 million.

 

NOTE 2- EARNINGS PER SHARE:

 

Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 260 – Earnings Per Share requires dual presentation of basic and diluted Earnings Per Share (“EPS”) on the face of all income statements for all entities with complex capital structures.  The Company has presented one basic EPS and one diluted EPS amount for all common shares in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.  While the Company’s certificate of incorporation provides the right for the Board of Directors to declare dividends on Class A shares without declaration of commensurate dividends on Class B shares, the Company has historically paid the same dividends to both Class A and Class B shareholders and the Board of Directors has resolved to continue this practice.  Accordingly, the Company’s allocation of income for purposes of the EPS computation is the same for Class A and Class B shares and the EPS amounts reported herein are applicable to both Class A and Class B shares.

 

Basic EPS is computed as net income less earnings allocated to non-vested equity awards divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period.  Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur from common shares issuable through stock options and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.   

 

 

NOTE 3– ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME:

 

The following tables set forth information regarding the reclassification out of Accumulated other comprehensive income (in thousands) for the three months ended April 29, 2017:

 

 

The following tables set forth information regarding the reclassification out of Accumulated other comprehensive income (in thousands) for the three months ended April 30, 2016:

 

 

NOTE 4– FINANCING ARRANGEMENTS:

 

As of April 29, 2017, the Company had an unsecured revolving credit agreement to borrow $35.0 million less the balance of any revocable letters of credit as discussed below.  The revolving credit agreement is committed until August 2018.  The credit agreement contains various financial covenants and limitations, including the maintenance of specific financial ratios with which the Company was in compliance as of April 29, 2017.  There were no borrowings outstanding under this credit facility at April 29, 2017 or January 28, 2017.  The weighted average interest rate under the credit facility was zero at April 29, 2017 due to no borrowings outstanding.

 

At April 29, 2017 and January 28, 2017, the Company had no outstanding revocable letters of credit relating to purchase commitments.

 

NOTE 5 – REPORTABLE SEGMENT INFORMATION:

 

The Company has determined that it has four operating segments, as defined under ASC 280-10, including Cato, It’s Fashion, Versona and Credit.  As outlined in ASC 280-10, the Company has two reportable segments: Retail and Credit.  The Company has aggregated its three retail operating segments, including e-commerce, based on the aggregation criteria outlined in ASC 280-10, which states that two or more operating segments may be aggregated into a single reportable segment if aggregation is consistent with the objective and basic principles of ASC 280-10, which require the segments to have similar economic characteristics, products, production processes, clients and methods of distribution. 

 

The Company’s retail operating segments have similar economic characteristics and similar operating, financial and competitive risks.  They are similar in nature of product, as they all offer women’s apparel, shoes and accessories.  Merchandise inventory for the Company’s retail operating segments is sourced from the same countries and some of the same vendors, using similar production processes.  Merchandise for the Company’s operating segments is distributed to retail stores in a similar manner through the Company’s single distribution center and is subsequently distributed to clients in a similar manner.

                         

The Company operates its women’s fashion specialty retail stores in 33 states as of April 29, 2017, principally in the southeastern United States. The Company offers its own credit card to its customers and all credit authorizations, payment processing and collection efforts are performed by a separate subsidiary of the Company.

 

 

NOTE 5 – REPORTABLE SEGMENT INFORMATION (CONTINUED):

 

The following schedule summarizes certain segment information (in thousands):

 

 

The Company evaluates segment performance based on income before taxes.  The Company does not allocate certain corporate expenses or income taxes to the credit segment.

 

The following schedule summarizes the direct expenses of the credit segment which are reflected in Selling, general and administrative expenses (in thousands):

 

 

NOTE 6– STOCK BASED COMPENSATION:

 

As of April 29, 2017, the Company had three long-term compensation plans pursuant to which stock-based compensation was outstanding or could be granted. The Company’s 1987 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan is for the granting of options to officers and key employees.  As of April 29, 2017, there were no available stock options for grant. The 2013 Incentive Compensation Plan and 2004 Amended and Restated Incentive Compensation Plan are for the granting of various forms of equity-based awards, including restricted stock and stock options for grant, to officers, directors and key employees. Effective May 23, 2013, shares for grant were no longer available under the 2004 Amended and Restated Incentive Compensation Plan.

 

The following table presents the number of options and shares of restricted stock initially authorized and available for grant under each of the plans as of April 29, 2017:

 

 

In accordance with ASC 718, the fair value of current restricted stock awards is estimated on the date of grant based on the market price of the Company’s stock and is amortized to compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the related vesting periods. As of April 29, 2017 and January 28, 2017, there was $11,404,000 and $12,685,000, respectively, of total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested restricted stock awards, which had a remaining weighted-average vesting period of 2.2 years and 2.5 years, respectively. The total fair value of the shares recognized as compensation expense during the three months ended April 29, 2017 was $408,000 compared to $353,000 for the three months ended April 30, 2016.  These expenses are classified as a component of Selling, general and administrative expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

 

The following summary shows the changes in the shares of unvested restricted stock outstanding during the three months ended April 29, 2017:

 

 

 

The Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan allows eligible full-time employees to purchase a limited number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock during each semi-annual offering period at a 15% discount through payroll deductions. During the three months ended April 29, 2017 and April 30, 2016, the Company sold 11,215 and 7,048 shares to employees at an average discount of $3.27 and $5.23 per share, respectively, under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The compensation expense recognized for the 15% discount given under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan was approximately $37,000 for the three months ended April 29, 2017 and April 30, 2016.  These expenses are classified as a component of Selling, general and administrative expenses.

 

As of May 1, 2017, the Company granted 191,919 shares of additional restricted stock to officers and key employees. The shares have a weighted average grant date fair value of $22.44 and will vest over five years at the rate of 33% in each of the third and fourth years and 34% in the fifth. The calculated unearned compensation expense of $4,307,000 will be charged as a component of additional paid-in capital and amortized to compensation expense over the related vesting term.

NOTE 7 – FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS:

 

The following tables set forth information regarding the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value (in thousands) as of April 29, 2017 and January 28, 2017:

 

 

 

The Company’s investment portfolio was primarily invested in corporate bonds and tax-exempt and taxable governmental debt securities held in managed accounts with underlying ratings of A or better at April 29, 2017 and January 28, 2017.  The state, municipal and corporate bonds have contractual maturities which range from two days to 30.0 years. The U.S. Treasury Notes and Certificates of Deposit have contractual maturities which range from five months to one year. These securities are classified as available-for-sale and are recorded as Short-term investments, Restricted cash and investments and Other assets on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. These assets are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses reported net of taxes in Accumulated other comprehensive income.

 

Additionally, at April 29, 2017, the Company had $0.8 million of corporate equities and deferred compensation plan assets of $8.1 million.  At January 28, 2017, the Company had $0.7 million of corporate equities and deferred compensation plan assets of $8.0 million. All of these assets are recorded within Other assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 

Level 1 category securities are measured at fair value using quoted active market prices.  Level 2 investment securities include corporate and municipal bonds for which quoted prices may not be available on active exchanges for identical instruments.  Their fair value is principally based on market values determined by management with assistance of a third-party pricing service.  Since quoted prices in active markets for identical assets are not available, these prices are determined by the pricing service using observable market information such as quotes from less active markets and/or quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics, among other factors.

 

Deferred compensation plan assets consist of life insurance policies. These life insurance policies are valued based on the cash surrender value of the insurance contract, which is determined based on such factors as the fair value of the underlying assets and discounted cash flow and are therefore classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy. The Level 3 liability associated with the life insurance policies represents a deferred compensation obligation, the value of which is tracked via underlying insurance funds. These funds are designed to mirror existing mutual funds and money market funds that are observable and actively traded. Cash surrender values are provided by third parties and reviewed for reasonableness by the Company.