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Sally Beauty Q1 Earnings Meet Estimates, Sales Increase Y/Y

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Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (SBH - Free Report) reported first-quarter fiscal 2025 results, with both top and bottom lines increasing year over year. Net sales missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate while earnings met the same.

The company concluded the fiscal first quarter on a strong note, driven by continued momentum in the Sally Beauty and Beauty Systems Group segments. This marks the third consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth for both business units and the second consecutive quarter of increased profitability with expanded adjusted operating margins. 

However, the company has revised its consolidated net sales guidance for fiscal 2025 to account for the unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates.

SBH’s Q1 Performance: Key Metrics and Insights

Sally Beauty’s adjusted earnings were 43 cents per share, which were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The metric increased from 39 cents per share in the year-ago period.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. Quote

Consolidated net sales of $937.9 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $941 million. However, the metric rose 0.7% year over year. Adverse currency rates hurt net sales by 60 basis points (bps).

Consolidated comparable sales rose 1.6% year over year, driven by strong growth in hair color and digital marketplaces at Sally Beauty, along with continued momentum at Beauty Systems Group, fueled by innovation and expanded distribution.

The company operated 22 fewer stores than the year-ago quarter. Global e-commerce sales, at constant currency, totaled $99 million, representing 10.6% of consolidated net sales for the quarter.

Sally Beauty’s Margin & Cost Details

The consolidated gross profit was $476.8 million, up 2.1% from $467.2 million in the year-ago quarter. The adjusted gross margin expanded 60 bps to 50.8%. This upside was primarily driven by lower shrink expenses and reduced distribution and freight costs from supply-chain efficiencies.

The company’s adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses were $398.3 million, up $5 million year over year. Elevated labor, other compensation-related costs and advertising costs fueled the increase. However, this was partly mitigated by $6.3 million in savings from the company’s fuel for growth initiative. As a percentage of sales, the metric was 42.5% compared with 42.2% in the prior year.

Adjusted operating earnings were $78.5 million, up from $73.9 million in the year-ago quarter. The adjusted operating margin expanded 50 bps year over year to 8.4%.

Adjusted EBITDA was $110.2 million, representing a rise of 2.9% from the previous year. The adjusted EBITDA margin was 11.7%, indicating an increase of 20 bps from the prior-year period.

SBH’s Sales Insights by Segments

Sally Beauty Supply: Net sales in the segment climbed 0.4% year over year to $525.4 million. Adverse foreign exchange movements had a negative impact of 90 bps on sales. Segmental comparable sales saw a rise of 1.7% in the quarter, due to strong growth in hair color and digital marketplaces. The net store count at the end of the quarter was 3,123. Segmental e-commerce sales at cc were $41 million, contributing 7.9% to the segment’s net sales.

Beauty Systems Group: Net sales in the segment increased 1.1% year over year to $412.4 million. Currency headwinds hurt sales by 20 bps. The segment’s comparable sales increased 1.4%, driven by continued momentum, supported by innovation and expanded distribution. The net store count at the end of the quarter was 1,330. Total distributor sales consultants at the end of the quarter were 639 compared with 656 in the year-ago period. Segmental e-commerce sales at cc were $58 million, contributing 14% to the segment’s net sales.

Sally Beauty’s Financial Health Snapshot

SBH ended the fiscal first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $106 million, long-term debt, including capital leases, of $938.1 million and total stockholders’ equity of $656.5 million. The inventory was $1.01 billion.

In the fiscal first quarter, the company provided cash flow from operations of $33.5 million. The operating free cash flow was $57 million, which included $43.6 million in proceeds from the planned sale of the corporate office. Capital expenditure was $23.5 million for the period. 

In the quarter, the company used cash flow to repay $41 million of Term Loan B debt and repurchase 0.8 million shares under its share repurchase program for a total cost of $10 million. The company ended the quarter with a net debt leverage ratio of 1.9x.

What to Expect From SBH in the Future?

The company’s second-quarter fiscal 2025 guidance forecasts comparable sales to be approximately flat year over year. Consolidated net sales are expected to be about 100 bps lower than comparable sales, indicating the anticipated unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates. The adjusted operating margin is forecasted to be between 8% and 8.3%.

For fiscal 2025, the company expects comparable sales to range from flat to up 2% year over year, with an adjusted operating margin between 8.5% and 9%. However, consolidated net sales are now predicted to be approximately 100 bps lower than comparable sales, due to the anticipated unfavorable impact of foreign exchange rates, compared with the previous outlook of flat to up 2% year over year.

This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has lost 29.8% in the past three months against the industry’s growth of 5.7%.

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