Scholastic Reports Fiscal 2022 First Quarter Results
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) reported its fiscal first quarter results for 2022, showing revenues of $259.8 million, up 21% from $215.2 million in 2021, driven by strong performance in U.S. trade and education channels. Operating loss improved by 44% to $(32.0) million. The Company experienced a net cash inflow of $63.6 million, a significant turnaround from last year’s loss. The outlook for fiscal 2022 remains positive with expected demand growth in school-based channels despite facing inflationary pressures and supply chain challenges.
- Revenues increased 21% to $259.8 million.
- Operating loss improved 44% to $(32.0) million.
- Net cash generated from operations was $63.6 million compared to a loss last year.
- Significant growth in Education Solutions segment revenues by 49% to $80.1 million.
- International revenues decreased by 8% to $63.9 million due to COVID-related disruptions.
- Inflationary pressures and higher labor costs could impact future operating income.
NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today reported financial results for the Company's fiscal first quarter ended August 31, 2021. Scholastic typically reports an operating loss and high cash utilization in its first fiscal quarter when most U.S. schools are not in session, however the Company recorded positive net operating cash flow in the current quarter.
Fiscal First Quarter 2022 Review
(In $ Millions)
First Quarter | $ | % | |||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||
Revenues | $ | 259.8 | $ | 215.2 | $ | 44.6 | 21 | % | |||||
Operating income (loss) | $ | (32.0) | $ | (57.0) | $ | 25.0 | 44 | % | |||||
One-time items | (4.2) | 12.0 | |||||||||||
Operating income (loss), ex. one-time items* | $ | (36.2) | $ | (45.0) | |||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
Company Commentary
"We executed successfully against our annual operating plan in the first fiscal quarter of 2022, leveraging the momentum and strong results achieved in the last three months of the prior fiscal year, with our strategic growth platforms in Trade and Education Solutions performing ahead of plan," said Peter Warwick, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Although the first quarter is typically a quiet quarter with most schools closed for summer recess, all of the Company's major domestic businesses realized solid double-digit top-line growth year-over-year, while the international businesses, primarily Australia and New Zealand, were adversely affected by new COVID restrictions."
"We are seeing increased bookings of our premium case book fairs when compared to both prior year and this past spring season. Although still well below pre-COVID levels, the current back-to-school period looks favorable as students return to in-classroom instruction this fall. With schools re-opening their doors, we also saw higher sales of both curriculum and supplemental reading materials, such as our classroom libraries and leveled bookrooms. Subscriptions to the Company's education digital programs, including BookFlix®, Scholastic Literacy Pro®, and Scholastic F.I.R.S.T.® also continued to grow in the period. In trade publishing, we ended the quarter with 16 of the top 25 children's fiction books on the Publishers' Weekly Bestseller List — a testament to the deep commitment we have to creating titles and series that resonate with children and parents from all backgrounds and with varied interests. And, we are excited about our new fall frontlist that includes Cat Kid Comic Club®: Perspectives, the second title in the bestselling series by Dav Pilkey, as well as J.K. Rowling's The Christmas Pig."
Mr. Warwick concluded, "We remain optimistic for continued growth through the post-COVID recovery and expect strong operating leverage and free cash flow generation given the success of our recent cost savings initiatives and solid execution, even as we are seeing inflationary pressures in our supply chain and labor pools. I am confident that we remain on a path to generate sustainable value for all of our stakeholders in the current fiscal year and beyond."
Revenues
Consolidated revenues increased
Operating Profit / Loss
First quarter operating loss improved
Capital Position and Liquidity
Net cash provided by operating activities was
The higher net cash position and the
During the quarter, the Company paid down
Overall Results
In $ millions | First Quarter | ||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
Earnings (loss) before taxes | $ | (33.3) | $ | (51.8) | |||||||||||||||
One-time items* | (4.2) | 12.0 | |||||||||||||||||
Earnings (loss) ex. one-times | $ | (37.5) | $ | (39.8) | |||||||||||||||
Interest (income) expense | 1.3 | 1.2 | |||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 16.4 | 16.4 | |||||||||||||||||
Prepublication amortization | 6.8 | 6.3 | |||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA* | $ | (13.0) | $ | (15.9) | |||||||||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
Loss before taxes for the first quarter was
Fiscal 2022 Outlook
The Company is currently experiencing strong demand for its products and programs as schools begin to re-open this fall with rising book club sponsorship and increased book fair bookings and expects sequential improvements in its school-based distribution channels in each quarter of the current fiscal year. The Company is well-positioned to meet expected demand in these channels, especially in its book fairs businesses in the U.S., Canada and UK. Scholastic's properties and titles continue to lead the market and occupy spots on the New York Times bestsellers list and are being leveraged for streaming services such as the recent announcement of Puppy Place, a live-action series based on the Company's best-selling books, premiering on October 15th on AppleTV+. In the education solutions channel, the Company continues to closely monitor how federal stimulus funds will impact the overall K‒12 education landscape and expects to benefit from a portion of this new spending. Internationally, the Company expects the lockdowns in Australia to lift and continues to explore growth through the expansion of Scholastic's range of English language learning digital product offerings in Asia.
The Company faces certain headwinds in fiscal 2022 with higher labor costs, the discontinuation of certain COVID-related government subsidies and inflationary pressures that could impact paper, freight and other operating costs. Supply chain issues and potential labor shortages could adversely impact operating income through higher costs and/or revenue shortfalls. The Company is taking actions, when available, to help mitigate these potential increases and still expects stronger operating leverage and positive free cash flows. Additionally, the Company continues to identify further opportunities for incremental cost savings through process improvements and automation, consolidation of functions, and increased utilization of the Company's international shared services resources.
Segment Results
All comparisons detailed in this section refer to operating results for the first quarter ended August 31, 2021 versus the first quarter ended August 31, 2020.
Children's Book Publishing and Distribution (CBP&D)
In $ millions | First Quarter | $ | % | ||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||
Revenues | |||||||||||||
Books Clubs | $ | 6.8 | $ | 5.8 | $ | 1.0 | 17 | % | |||||
Book Fairs | 16.0 | 13.2 | 2.8 | 21 | % | ||||||||
Trade | 93.0 | 73.3 | 19.7 | 27 | % | ||||||||
Total Revenue | $ | 115.8 | $ | 92.3 | $ | 23.5 | 25 | % | |||||
Operating income (loss) | (21.7) | (29.0) | 7.3 | 25 | % | ||||||||
Operating income (loss) ex. one-time items* | (21.7) | (29.0) | |||||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
First quarter segment revenues were
Education Solutions
In $ millions | First Quarter | $ | % | ||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 80.1 | $ | 53.6 | $ | 26.5 | 49 | % | |||||
Operating income (loss) | 7.3 | (2.4) | 9.7 | NM | |||||||||
Operating income (loss) ex. one-time items* | 7.3 | (2.4) | |||||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
NM - Not meaningful |
First quarter segment revenues were
International
In $ millions | First Quarter | $ | % | ||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 63.9 | $ | 69.3 | $ | (5.4) | (8) | % | |||||
Operating income (loss) | (1.7) | 4.8 | (6.5) | NM | |||||||||
Operating income (loss) ex. one-time items* | (1.3) | 5.8 | |||||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
NM - Not meaningful |
First quarter segment revenues were
Overhead
In $ millions | First Quarter | $ | % | ||||||||||||
Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | Change | Change | ||||||||||||
Overhead expense | $ | 15.9 | $ | 30.4 | $ | 14.5 | 48 | % | |||||||
Overhead expense ex. one-time items* | 20.5 | 19.4 | |||||||||||||
* Please refer to the non-GAAP financial tables attached |
First quarter overhead expenses were
Dividends and Other Distributions
As previously announced, the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of
Subsequent to its fiscal quarter-end, the Company's open-market share buy-back program, which was put on hold in March 2020 in the face of COVID-19 uncertainties, was re-instated by the Company's board of directors. The current authorization for share repurchases is
Additional Information
To supplement our financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we include certain non-GAAP calculations and presentations including, as noted above, "Adjusted EBITDA" and "Free Cash Flow". Please refer to the non-GAAP financial table attached to this press release for supporting details on the impact of one-time items on operating income, net income and diluted EPS, and the use of non-GAAP financial measures included in this release. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.
Conference Call
The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its results at 4:30 p.m. ET today, September 23, 2021. Peter Warwick, Scholastic's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Kenneth Cleary, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, will moderate the call.
The conference call and accompanying slides will be webcast and accessible through the Investor Relations section of Scholastic's website, www.scholastic.com. Participation by telephone will be available by dialing (877) 654-5161 from within the U.S. or +1 (678) 894-3064 internationally. Shortly following the call, an archived webcast and accompanying slides from the conference call will also be posted at www.investor.scholastic.com. An audio-only replay of the call will be available by dialing (855) 859-2056 from within the U.S. or +1 (404) 537-3406 internationally, and entering access code 1075330. The recording will be available through Friday, October 1, 2021.
About Scholastic
For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children's learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to future periods. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those arising from the continuing impact of COVID-19 related measures taken by governmental authorities, school administrators, or suppliers or customers which may curtail or otherwise adversely affect certain of the Company's business operations, and the conditions of the children's book and educational materials markets generally and acceptance of the Company's products within those markets, and other risks and factors identified from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated.
SCHL: Financial
Table 1 | ||||||
Scholastic Corporation | ||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||
(In $ Millions, except shares and per share data) | ||||||
THREE MONTHS ENDED | ||||||
08/31/21 | 08/31/20 | |||||
Revenues | ||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | ||||||
Cost of goods sold | 133.3 | 115.0 | ||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses (1) | 143.6 | 141.7 | ||||
Depreciation and amortization | 14.9 | 15.5 | ||||
Total operating costs and expenses | 291.8 | 272.2 | ||||
Operating income (loss) | (32.0) | (57.0) | ||||
Interest income (expense), net | (1.3) | (1.2) | ||||
Other components of net periodic benefit (cost) | 0.0 | (0.2) | ||||
Gain (loss) on sale of assets and other (2) | - | 6.6 | ||||
Earnings (loss) before income taxes | (33.3) | (51.8) | ||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes(3) | (8.9) | (12.0) | ||||
Net income (loss) | (24.4) | (39.8) | ||||
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest | (0.2) | 0.0 | ||||
Net income (loss) attributable to Scholastic Corporation | ( | ( | ||||
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share of Class A and Common Stock (4) | ||||||
Basic | ( | ( | ||||
Diluted | ( | ( | ||||
Basic weighted average shares outstanding | 34,417 | 34,258 | ||||
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding | 35,473 | 34,393 | ||||
(1) | In the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020, the Company recognized pretax severance of | |||||
(2) | In the three months ended August 31, 2020, the Company recognized pretax gain on the sale of its Danbury facility of | |||||
(3) | In the three months ended August 31, 2021 the Company recognized a provision for income taxes in respect to one-time pretax charges of | |||||
(4) | Earnings (loss) per share are calculated on non-rounded net income (loss) and shares outstanding. Recalculating earnings per share based on numbers rounded to millions may not yield the results as presented. | |||||
Table 2 | ||||||||||||
Scholastic Corporation | ||||||||||||
Segment Results | ||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||||
(In $ Millions) | ||||||||||||
THREE MONTHS ENDED | ||||||||||||
08/31/21 | 08/31/20 | Change | ||||||||||
Children's Book Publishing and Distribution | ||||||||||||
Revenues | ||||||||||||
Book Clubs | ||||||||||||
Book Fairs | 16.0 | 13.2 | 2.8 | |||||||||
Consolidated Trade | 93.0 | 73.3 | 19.7 | |||||||||
Total Revenues | 115.8 | 92.3 | 23.5 | |||||||||
Operating income (loss) | (21.7) | (29.0) | 7.3 | |||||||||
Operating margin | - | - | ||||||||||
Education Solutions | ||||||||||||
Revenues | 80.1 | 53.6 | 26.5 | |||||||||
Operating income (loss) | 7.3 | (2.4) | 9.7 | NM | ||||||||
Operating margin | - | |||||||||||
International | ||||||||||||
Revenues | 63.9 | 69.3 | (5.4) | ( | ||||||||
Operating income (loss) | (1.7) | 4.8 | (6.5) | NM | ||||||||
Operating margin | - | |||||||||||
Overhead expense | 15.9 | 30.4 | 14.5 | |||||||||
Operating income (loss) | ( | ( | ||||||||||
Table 3 | |||||||
Scholastic Corporation | |||||||
Supplemental Information | |||||||
(Unaudited) | |||||||
(In $ Millions) | |||||||
Selected Balance Sheet Items | |||||||
08/31/21 | 08/31/20 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | |||||||
Accounts receivable, net | 244.3 | 219.6 | |||||
Inventories, net | 298.1 | 323.2 | |||||
Accounts payable | 185.6 | 168.3 | |||||
Accrued royalties | 65.8 | 56.2 | |||||
Lines of credit and current portion of long-term debt | 89.5 | 19.9 | |||||
Long-term debt | - | 200.0 | |||||
Total debt | 89.5 | 219.9 | |||||
Net debt (cash) (1) | (219.1) | (135.6) | |||||
Total stockholders' equity | 1,149.6 | 1,147.4 | |||||
Selected Cash Flow Items | |||||||
THREE MONTHS ENDED | |||||||
08/31/21 | 08/31/20 | ||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | ( | ||||||
Add: Net proceeds from sale of assets | - | 12.3 | |||||
Less: Additions to property, plant and equipment | 10.2 | 16.0 | |||||
Prepublication expenditures | 4.3 | 5.2 | |||||
Free cash flow (use) (2) | ( | ||||||
(1) | Net debt (cash) is defined by the Company as lines of credit and short-term debt plus long-term-debt, net of cash and cash equivalents. The Company utilizes this non-GAAP financial measure, and believes it is useful to investors, as an indicator of the Company's effective leverage and financing needs. | ||||||
(2) | Free cash flow (use) is defined by the Company as net cash provided by or used in operating activities (which includes royalty advances) and cash acquired through acquisitions and from sale of assets, reduced by spending on property, plant and equipment and prepublication costs. The Company believes that this non-GAAP financial measure is useful to investors as an indicator of cash flow available for debt repayment and other investing activities, such as acquisitions. The Company utilizes free cash flow as a further indicator of operating performance and for planning investing activities. | ||||||
Table 4 | ||||||||||||||
Scholastic Corporation | ||||||||||||||
Supplemental Results | ||||||||||||||
Excluding One-Time Items | ||||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||||||
(In $ Millions, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||
THREE MONTHS ENDED | ||||||||||||||
Reported | One-time | Excluding | Reported | One-time | Excluding | |||||||||
08/31/21 | items | One-time items | 08/31/20 | items | One-time items | |||||||||
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (1) | ( | ( | ( | ( | ( | |||||||||
Net income (loss) (2) | ( | ( | ( | ( | ( | |||||||||
Children's Book Publishing and Distribution | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||||||
Education Solutions | 7.3 | - | 7.3 | (2.4) | - | (2.4) | ||||||||
International(3) | (1.7) | 0.4 | (1.3) | 4.8 | 1.0 | 5.8 | ||||||||
Overhead(4) | (15.9) | (4.6) | (20.5) | (30.4) | 11.0 | (19.4) | ||||||||
Operating income (loss) | ( | ( | ( | ( | ( | |||||||||
(1) | Earnings (loss) per share are calculated on non-rounded net income (loss) and shares outstanding. Recalculating earnings per share based on rounded numbers may not yield the results as presented. | |||||||||||||
(2) | In the three months ended August 31, 2021 the Company recognized a provision for income taxes in respect to one-time pretax charges of | |||||||||||||
(3) | In the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020, the Company recognized pretax severance of | |||||||||||||
(4) | In the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020, the Company recognized pretax severance of | |||||||||||||
Table 5 | ||||||||||
Scholastic Corporation | ||||||||||
Consolidated Statements of Operations - Supplemental | ||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | ||||||||||
(Unaudited) | ||||||||||
(In $ Millions) | ||||||||||
THREE MONTHS ENDED | ||||||||||
08/31/21 | 08/31/20 | |||||||||
Earnings (loss) before income taxes as reported | ( | ( | ||||||||
One-time items before income taxes | (4.2) | 12.0 | ||||||||
Earnings (loss) before income taxes excluding one-time items | (37.5) | (39.8) | ||||||||
Interest (income) expense | 1.3 | 1.2 | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization(1) | 16.4 | 16.4 | ||||||||
Amortization of prepublication costs | 6.8 | 6.3 | ||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(2) | ( | ( | ||||||||
(1) | For the three months ended August 31, 2021 and August 31, 2020, amounts include depreciation of | |||||||||
(2) | Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as earnings (loss), excluding one-time items, before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful measure of operating profitability and useful for measuring returns on capital investments over time as it is not distorted by unusual gains, losses, or other items. | |||||||||
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-reports-fiscal-2022-first-quarter-results-301384263.html
SOURCE Scholastic Corporation
FAQ
What were Scholastic's revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2022?
How much did Scholastic's operating loss improve in the first quarter of fiscal 2022?
What is the outlook for Scholastic in fiscal 2022?
How much cash did Scholastic generate in the first quarter of fiscal 2022?