Flowers Meals guarded about 2023 outlook

THOMASVILLE, GA. — Adjusted earnings at Flowers Meals, Inc. grew solely modestly in 2022 regardless of the corporate’s robust efficiency within the market and after producing important financial savings from cost-cutting initiatives. Anticipating substantial additional prices from the continuing replace of its enterprise useful resource planning (ERP) system, the corporate’s executives count on income to stay almost flat in 2023.

Flowers Meals web revenue within the yr ended Dec. 31, 2022, was $228.4 million, equal to $1.07 per share on the widespread inventory, up 11% from $206.2 million, or 97¢ per share, in 2021. Gross sales had been $4.81 billion, up 11% from $4.33 billion the yr earlier than. Adjusted for quite a few particular objects in each years, adjusted earnings per share had been $1.27, up 3%. EBITDA margins had been 10.4%, down 90 foundation factors from 2021.

For the brand new yr, Flowers is projecting adjusted earnings per share in a spread of $1.20 to $1.30, versus $1.27. Gross sales in 2023 had been forecast at $5.18 billion to $5.24 billion, up 7.7% to 9.1% from 2022.

In pre-recorded remarks launched Feb. 9, A. Ryals McMullian, president and chief govt officer, mentioned excessive inflation is probably going and a recession is feasible in 2023.

“Regardless of these challenges, we intend to proceed investing in our enterprise, bringing extra innovation to market whereas additionally implementing our digital transformation and provide chain initiatives,” he mentioned. “Whereas these investments will influence our close to‐time period outcomes and contribute to a beneath‐algorithm yr, I’m assured that they’ll improve an already robust basis and place us for future progress as soon as these headwinds subside.”

In early buying and selling on the New York Inventory Trade Feb. 10 after the monetary outcomes and 2023 steering had been introduced, Flowers shares had been up as a lot as 2.4%, at $27.97 per share.

Elaborating on the investments Mr. McMullian referenced, R. Steve Kinsey, chief monetary officer, mentioned a big a part of the approaching prices relate to a multi-year upgrade of Flowers’ ERP system. He mentioned the venture’s prices are operating increased than initially projected and that completion is anticipated in 2026.

“We count on the influence of those prices to peak in 2023 as we start to roll‐out the system throughout our community,” he mentioned. “Our adjusted EBITDA steering incorporates roughly $26 million (or roughly 9¢ per share) of incremental prices associated to this venture. We anticipate these prices to reasonable considerably by venture completion in 2026.”

All in, the ERP venture is anticipated to value $350 million, up from the corporate’s earlier estimate of $275 million, Mr. Kinsey mentioned. He defined that the elevated value displays an growth of “the venture scope as we moved by the construct part, and anticipation of larger reliance on exterior assets for implementation and bakery deployments on account of labor constraints.”

Via the tip of 2022, Flowers spent $153 million on the venture, which Mr. Kinsey mentioned “stays on observe.”

“We’re assured in our skill to implement it as deliberate and throughout the up to date monetary steering,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the corporate will spend $80 million to $90 million on the ERP venture in 2023, which would go away as much as $117 million remaining to be spent between 2024 and 2026.

Turning to working bills, Mr. Kinsey mentioned that whereas flour prices have declined from latest highs, the expense of different inputs has been rising.

“Along with flour, we’re experiencing inflationary stress in nearly all main classes of components, packaging, and pure fuel,” he mentioned.

Mr. McMullian mentioned Flowers is taking steps to “mitigate short-term inflationary pressures” and to reestablish the corporate as a low-cost producer within the baking business for the long term.

“I’ve challenged our workforce to redouble their efforts with particular actions to drive financial savings and enhance efficiencies in order that we emerge from this era even stronger,” Mr. McMullian mentioned.

Progress has been made. Mr. McMullian mentioned Flowers has lowered the variety of job openings at its crops and that the labor atmosphere has improved.

“Nonetheless, we are going to proceed to spend money on what I imagine is one of the best workforce within the business and we’re working onerous to make sure that Flowers continues to be acknowledged as a vacation spot office,” he mentioned.

Mr. McMullian additionally cited progress within the rollout of the company’s Bakery of the Future initiative. He mentioned this system was applied in 14 baking crops in 2022, and one other 18 crops are anticipated to be added in 2023.

“As Bakery of the Future hits important mass, we anticipate the advantages of actual‐time knowledge to start flowing by,” Mr. McMullian mentioned. “Importantly, in 2023 we’re dedicated to investing additional in provide chain capabilities to assist these and different initiatives. We count on these added capabilities to drive a larger emphasis on preventative upkeep, waste discount, logistics efficiencies, and total gear effectiveness. Moreover, capital investments to improve gear and enhance automation ought to contribute to our positive aspects.”

Throughout a reside name with analysts Feb. 10, Mr. McMullian was requested to flesh out learnings from the Bakery of the Future venture with knowledge factors.

“An enormous one for us is scrap or waste discount,” he mentioned. “And so having larger knowledge insights into how the bakeries are operating permits us to be smarter about how we run the strains and cut back that waste. Waste is a giant value for us. So it’s not immaterial in any respect. The opposite factor it helps us do is it helps with preventive upkeep, understanding when breakdowns might happen in order that we will plan for downtime as a substitute of getting unplanned downtime, which is dear.

“After which there’s a complete notion of micro stops on the road. You could have your regular downtime for cleansing or no matter or you probably have a mechanical drawback, it’s the tiny stops, the 10-, 15-, 20-, 30-second, 1-minute stops that construct up day-to-day, week by week, month by month all year long that change into a giant expense as nicely. So all this knowledge that we’re in a position to collect goes to assist us alongside of management capabilities and course of enhancements, issues like that assist us achieve these efficiencies within the bakeries that we wanted for a while now.”

Flowers additionally intends to make important investments in reference to the national rollout of Dave’s Killer Bread bars, introduced in December. Mr. McMullian mentioned it was too early to share preliminary outcomes however mentioned he was excited in regards to the product’s potential, noting that “suggestions from retailers and customers alike has been optimistic.”

“To assist what we imagine is step one within the institution of a DKB snack portfolio, we’re inserting important advertising and marketing assist behind the introduction,” he mentioned. “That expense will contribute to the headwinds for 2023 I discussed earlier. Along with the bars, we’ve got an thrilling pipeline of different revolutionary merchandise, together with DKB Crunchy Snack Bites and Nature’s Personal Breakfast Pastries.”

The latter merchandise already can be found for trial on the corporate’s creationsbyflowersfoods.com web site.

Within the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, Flowers web revenue was $48.6 million, equal to 23¢ per share, up 24% from $39.3 million, or 18¢, a yr earlier. Gross sales had been $1.08 billion, up 10% from $983 million. Adjusted earnings per share in the course of the quarter rose 15%. EBITDA margins in the course of the quarter had been 8.9%, down 10 foundation factors from the fourth quarter of 2021.

“Nature’s Personal, Dave’s Killer Bread, and Canyon Bakehouse all maintained unit share within the fourth quarter as customers continued to acknowledge their differentiated attributes,” Mr. McMullian mentioned. “That efficiency got here regardless of a difficult atmosphere the place non-public label gained 90 foundation factors of share.”

From a macroeconomic perspective, Mr. McMullian mentioned inflationary pressures and recessionary fears have eaten into shopper spending.

“Though unemployment stays low, latest indicators level to a rise in layoffs, as increased rates of interest could also be taking a toll on financial progress,” he mentioned. “Then again, because the Fed famous this week, stronger-than-expected job progress might trigger inflation to be tougher to tamp down.”

The developments have translated into customers buying and selling right down to lower-priced merchandise and a shift towards value-focused retailers, Mr. McMullian mentioned. Through the fourth quarter, specialty premium bread misplaced 50 foundation factors of unit share, greater than another class inside contemporary packaged bread. White and mushy selection loaf classes had been giant gainers, up 40 and 30 foundation factors, respectively. The mass channel gained 130 foundation factors of unit share within the second half of 2022, whereas the grocery channel misplaced 170 foundation factors.

Non-public label continued to carry out extra strongly in mass channels than in grocery, which Mr. McMullian attributed to a wider worth unfold versus branded product within the mass channel.

“It’s necessary to notice that starting in January we’ve got begun to see the mass channel implement worth will increase in non-public label,” he mentioned. “Worth gaps stay wider than in grocery, however we interpret the transfer as a optimistic first step for the well being of branded merchandise.”

Including extra colour to steering for 2023, Mr. Kinsey mentioned the primary quarter can be the corporate’s “most troublesome” when it comes to year-to-year comparisons due to significantly robust leads to the primary quarter of 2022 on account of extreme storms and a COVID-19 surge.

Mr. McMullian briefly referenced the corporate’s December announcement it could be acquiring Papa Pita Bakery, including that Flowers continues to “actively search potential acquisitions and investments” and that its robust stability sheet leaves the corporate poised to maneuver “when we’ve got monetary, industrial and operational conviction.”