Starbucks Reports Q3 Fiscal 2019 Results

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) today reported financial results for its 13-week fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2019. GAAP results in fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2018 include items which are excluded from non-GAAP results. Please refer to the reconciliation of GAAP measures to non-GAAP measures at the end of this release for more information.

“Starbucks delivered strong operating performance in the third quarter, further demonstrating that our ‘Growth at Scale’ agenda is working,” says Kevin Johnson, president and ceo. “Our two targeted long-term growth markets, the U.S. and China, performed extremely well across a number of measures as a result of our focus on enhancing the customer experience, driving new beverage innovation and accelerating the expansion of our digital customer relationships. Given the strong momentum across our business, we are raising our full-year financial outlook.”

“Starbucks continues to be focused and disciplined in the execution of our three key strategic priorities that we established last year: accelerating growth in the U.S. and China, expanding the global reach of the Starbucks brand through our Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, and increasing shareholder returns. With our efforts to streamline the company and elevate the Starbucks brand, we are positioning the company to deliver predictable and sustainable operating results while building an enduring company that creates meaningful long-term value for Starbucks shareholders,” concluded Johnson.

Q3 Fiscal 2019 Highlights

• Global comparable store sales increased 6%, driven by a 3% increase in average ticket and a 3% increase in comparable transactions
  • Americas comparable store sales increased 7%, driven by a 4% increase in average ticket and a 3% increase in transactions; U.S. comparable store sales increased 7%, with transactions up 3%
  • China/Asia Pacific comparable store sales increased 5%, driven by a 3% increase in average ticket and a 2% increase in transactions; China comparable store sales increased 6%, with transactions up 2%
• The company opened 442 net new stores in Q3, yielding 30,626 stores at the end of the quarter, a 7% increase over the prior year. Nearly one-third of net new store openings were in China and 48% were in other international markets
• Consolidated net revenues of $6.8 billion grew 8% over the prior year
  • Consolidated net revenues grew 11% over the prior year adjusted for unfavorable impacts of approximately 2% from Streamline-driven activities and 1% from foreign currency translation
  • Streamline-driven activities include the licensing of our CPG and foodservice businesses to Nestlé following the close of the transaction on August 26, 2018, and the conversion of certain international retail operations from company-operated to licensed models
• GAAP operating margin, inclusive of restructuring and impairment charges, declined 10 basis points year-over-year to 16.4%, primarily due to partner (employee) investments, largely in the Americas segment, licensing of our CPG and foodservice businesses to Nestlé, product mix and higher inventory reserves, partially offset by sales leverage, cost savings initiatives and the adoption of new revenue recognition accounting for stored value card (SVC) breakage
  • Non-GAAP operating margin of 18.3% declined 20 basis points compared to the prior year. Excluding a 70-basis point unfavorable impact from Streamline-related activities, non-GAAP operating margin expanded by approximately 50 basis points
• GAAP Earnings Per Share of $1.12, up 84% over the prior year
  • Non-GAAP EPS of $0.78, up 26% over the prior year, inclusive of a $0.03 benefit from discrete income tax items
• The company returned $581 million to shareholders through a combination of share repurchases and dividends
• Starbucks® Rewards loyalty program grew to 17.2 million active members in the U.S., up 14% year-over-year

Net revenues for the Americas segment grew 11% over Q3 FY18 to $4.7 billion in Q3 FY19, primarily driven by 7% growth in comparable store sales and 641 net new store openings, or 4% store growth, over the past 12 months, and the impact of the adoption of new revenue recognition accounting for SVC breakage.

Operating income grew 18% to $1,067.1 million in Q3 FY19, up from $906.8 million in Q3 FY18. Operating margin of 22.8% expanded 130 basis points, primarily due to sales leverage and cost savings initiatives, partially offset by growth in wages and higher inventory reserves.

Net revenues for the China/Asia Pacific segment grew 9% over Q3 FY18 to $1.3 billion in Q3 FY19, primarily driven by 994 net new store openings, or 12% store growth, over the past 12 months, and a 5% increase in comparable store sales. The conversion of the Thailand retail business from company-operated to fully licensed occurred toward the end of Q3 FY19 and did not have a significant impact on revenue growth.

Q3 FY19 operating income of $269.8 million grew 15% over Q3 FY18 operating income of $234.1 million. Operating margin expanded 120 basis points to 20.2%, primarily due to sales leverage and cost savings initiatives, partially offset by product mix and strategic investments.

Net revenues for the EMEA segment declined 11% from Q3 FY18 to $231.7 million in Q3 FY19 due to the conversion of our France and Netherlands retail businesses to fully licensed operations in Q2 FY19 and the closure of certain company-operated stores, partially offset by 286 net new store openings, or 9% store growth, over the past 12 months.

Operating income of $16.6 million in Q3 FY19 declined 43% compared to $29.2 million in Q3 FY18. Operating margin declined 400 basis points to 7.2%, primarily due to higher restructuring costs associated with the closure of certain company-operated stores, partially offset by the shift in portfolio towards more licensed stores.

Net revenues for the Channel Development segment declined 6% from Q3 FY18 to $533.3 million in Q3 FY19, primarily due to licensing our CPG and foodservice businesses to Nestlé.

Operating income of $181.9 million in Q3 FY19 declined 22% compared to Q3 FY18. Operating margin declined 690 basis points to 34.1%, primarily due to licensing our CPG and foodservice businesses to Nestlé, partially offset by lower costs related to the Global Coffee Alliance.

Fiscal 2019 Guidance

The company updates the following fiscal year 2019 guidance (all growth targets are relative to fiscal year 2018 non-GAAP measures unless specified):

• Global comparable store sales growth of approximately 4% (previously 3% to 4%)
• Consolidated GAAP revenue growth of approximately 7% (previously 5% to 7%)
  • Includes approximately 2% of net unfavorable impact from Streamline-driven activities and approximately 1% of unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation
• Approximately 2,000 net new Starbucks stores globally (previously approximately 2,100 net new stores)
  • Americas over 600
  • CAP ~1,100 (nearly 600 in China)
  • EMEA ~300 (virtually all licensed; previously ~400)
• GAAP tax rate in the range of 19% to 20% (previously 20% to 22%) and non-GAAP tax rate also in the range of 19% to 20% (previously 19% to 21%)
• GAAP EPS in the range of $2.86 to $2.88 (previously $2.40 to $2.44)
• Non-GAAP EPS in the range of $2.80 to $2.82 (previously $2.75 to $2.79)

The company introduces the following fiscal year 2019 guidance:

• Interest expense of approximately $330 million, reflecting our latest $2 billion debt offering

The company reiterates the following fiscal year 2019 guidance (all growth targets are relative to fiscal year 2018 non-GAAP measures unless specified):

• Consolidated operating margin down moderately
  • Americas operating margin up slightly
  • CAP operating margin roughly flat
  • EMEA operating margin improving over the course of 2019
  • Channel Development operating margin in mid-30% range
• Capital expenditures ~$2.0 billion

Long-term General and Administrative Expense (G&A) Guidance

The company reiterates its commitment to G&A reduction:

• Non-GAAP G&A as a percentage of system sales down 100 basis points over a three-year period, resulting in FY21 non-GAAP G&A at approximately $1.7 billion
  • GAAP G&A in FY18 was $1.76 billion and non-GAAP G&A was $1.65 billion

Please refer to the reconciliation of GAAP measures to non-GAAP measures at the end of this release.

The company will provide additional information regarding its business outlook during its regularly scheduled quarterly earnings conference call; this information will also be available following the call on the company's website at http://investor.starbucks.com.

Company Updates

1. In April, Starbucks announced its partnership with Cypress Creek Renewables and U.S. Bank to develop a portfolio of solar farms across Texas, providing enough energy to supply 360 Starbucks stores in Texas. Investing in green energy is one way that Starbucks supports its aspiration of sustainable coffee served sustainably.
2. In April, Starbucks partnered with 25 other U.S. employers in the Employers for Pay Equity consortium to help eliminate the gender pay gap. The Pay Equity Principles signed by all consortium participants seek to help businesses eradicate the pay gap through equal footing, transparency, and accountability.
3. In May, Starbucks completed the issuance of a $1 billion sustainability bond, which will support Starbucks ethical coffee sourcing, Greener Retail initiatives, and the Starbucks Global Farmer Fund. The 30-year Sustainability Bond was part of a larger bond offering of $2 billion, with another $1 billion bond issued for general corporate purposes including the repurchase of common stock as part of the previously communicated $25 billion shareholder return target. This is the largest sustainability bond the company has issued to date and follows two previously issued sustainability bonds in 2016 and 2017.
4. In May, Starbucks opened its first signing store in China. The signing store located in Guangzhou is dedicated to offering employment and career advancement opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing community as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and diversity. This is Starbucks third signing store globally.
5. During Q3, Starbucks celebrated its first stores in Serbia and Malta; the company now operates in 80 markets globally.
6. The company repurchased 6.8 million shares of common stock in Q3 FY19; approximately 52.7 million shares remain available for purchase under the current authorization.
7. The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.36 per share, payable on August 23, 2019, to shareholders of record as of August 8, 2019.

Conference Call

Starbucks will hold a conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, which will be hosted by Kevin Johnson, president and ceo, and Patrick Grismer, cfo. The call will be webcast and can be accessed at http://investor.starbucks.com. A replay of the webcast will be available until end of day Friday, August 23, 2019.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 30,000 stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or www.starbucks.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the applicable securities laws and regulations. Generally, these statements can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “feel,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements include statements relating to certain company initiatives, strategies and plans, as well as trends in or expectations regarding our diversified business model, the strength, resilience, momentum, and potential of our business, operations, and brand, the impacts, benefits, goals and expectations of our Streamline initiatives, the execution and anticipated impact of our Growth-at-Scale agenda, with a focus on our long-term growth markets of the U.S. and China, expanding the global reach of the Starbucks brand through our Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, increasing shareholder returns, the company's position to deliver predictable and sustainable results, building an enduring company, and the creation of meaningful long-term value for shareholders, the estimated impact of the changes in U.S. tax law, net new stores, outlook, guidance and projections for revenues, earnings per share, operating margins, comparable store sales, capital expenditures, interest expense, G&A expenses, tax rates, and our fiscal 2019 financial targets, fiscal 2019 guidance and long-term G&A expense guidance. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties. Actual future results may differ materially depending on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, fluctuations in U.S. and international economies and currencies, our ability to preserve, grow, and leverage our brands, potential negative effects of incidents involving food or beverage-borne illnesses, tampering, adulteration, contamination, or mislabeling, potential negative effects of material breaches of our information technology systems to the extent we experience a material breach, material failures of our information technology systems, costs associated with, and the successful execution of the company’s initiatives and plans, including the integration the East China business and successful execution of our Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, the acceptance of the company’s products by our customers, our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, the impact of competition, the prices and availability of coffee, dairy, and other raw materials, the effect of legal proceedings, the effects of changes in U.S. tax law and related guidance and regulations that may be implemented, and other risks detailed in the company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section of Starbucks Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The company assumes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain non‐GAAP measures included in our press release were not reconciled to the comparable GAAP financial measures because the GAAP measures are not accessible on a forward‐looking basis. The Company is unable to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable efforts because the Company is currently unable to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty the type and extent of certain items that would be expected to impact GAAP measures for these periods but would not impact the non-GAAP measures. Such items may include acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring and other items. The unavailable information could have a significant impact on the Company’s GAAP financial results.

Segment Results (in millions)

Corporate and Other primarily consists of our unallocated corporate operating expenses, the results from Starbucks ReserveTM Roastery & Tasting Rooms, Starbucks Reserve brand and products and Princi operations, Evolution Fresh and formerly, the Teavana retail business.

Supplemental Information

The following supplemental information is provided for historical and comparative purposes.