Central Garden & Pet(CENT) - 2019 Q3 - Quarterly Report

Financial Performance - Consolidated net sales for fiscal 2018 were $2,215 million, with the Pet segment contributing approximately$1,341 million and the Garden segment approximately $874 million[152]. - In Q3 fiscal 2019, net sales increased by$48.7 million, or 7.4%, to $706.6 million, driven by acquisitions; Pet segment sales decreased by$4.5 million while Garden segment sales increased by $53.2 million[154]. - Organic net sales in Q3 fiscal 2019 increased by 0.6$46.2 million, or $0.80 per diluted share, compared to$41.5 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, in Q3 fiscal 2018, reflecting an increase of over 11.1$129.3 million, or 7.5%, to $1,842.3 million, with organic net sales increasing by$9.8 million, or 0.6%[178]. - Net income for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, was $90.3 million, or$1.56 per diluted share, compared to $113.0 million, or$2.15 per diluted share, for the same period in 2018[198]. - GAAP diluted net income per share for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, was $1.56, down from$2.15 in the previous year[205]. Profitability Metrics - Gross profit for Q3 fiscal 2019 increased by $17.2 million, or 8.5$219.3 million, with gross margin improving by 30 basis points to 31.0%[161]. - Operating income for Q3 fiscal 2019 improved by $8.1 million to$68.9 million, with operating margin increasing from 9.2% to 9.7%[167]. - Gross profit for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, increased by $27.1 million, or 5.1$555.5 million, while gross margin decreased by 60 basis points to 30.2%[181]. - Operating income decreased by $7.9 million to$141.2 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, with an operating margin decline to 7.7%[189]. - Pet operating income declined by $16.4 million, or 15.2$91.8 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[190]. - Garden operating income increased by $7.8 million, or 8.3$101.8 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[191]. Segment Performance - The Garden segment's operating income increased by $12.2 million, or 29.7$53.1 million in Q3 fiscal 2019, driven by increased sales and improved gross profit[169]. - Pet net sales increased by $27.3 million, or 2.7$1,028.8 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, compared to $1,001.5 million for the same period in 2018[179]. - Garden net sales increased by$102.0 million, or 14.3%, to $813.5 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, from$711.5 million for the same period in 2018[180]. - The Pet segment reported a GAAP operating income of $91.805 million, down from$108.202 million, a decrease of approximately 15.1%[205]. - The Garden segment's GAAP operating income increased to $101.821 million from$93.975 million, representing a growth of approximately 8.8%[205]. Expenses and Taxation - Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $35.1 million, or 9.3$414.3 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[186]. - Net interest expense decreased by $1.5 million, or 15.1$8.5 million in Q3 fiscal 2019, attributed to higher interest income from increased cash balances[171]. - Net interest expense decreased by $2.1 million, or 7.9$25.0 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[194]. - The effective income tax rate increased to 22.3% for the nine months ended June 29, 2019, compared to 7.2% for the same period in 2018[197]. - The company recorded a provisional tax benefit of $16.3 million due to the U.S. Tax Reform Act in the first quarter of fiscal 2018[202]. Cash Flow and Investments - Net cash provided by operating activities increased by$75.0 million, from $17.8 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2018, to$92.8 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[220]. - Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $59.5 million, from$124.5 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2018, to $65.0 million for the nine months ended June 29, 2019[221]. - Total debt outstanding as of June 29, 2019, was$693.1 million, compared to $691.9 million at June 30, 2018[226]. - The company expects capital expenditures to be between$35 million to 40 million in fiscal 2019[224]. Acquisitions and Strategic Actions - The company acquired C&S Products for approximately 30.0 million in May 2019 to enhance its wild bird product offerings[157]. - The company acquired the remaining 55% interest in Arden Companies for approximately $11 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2019[221]. - The company plans to take pricing actions in 2019 to offset inflationary pressures on raw materials and labor costs[214]. Compliance and Risk Management - The company was in compliance with all financial covenants as of June 29, 2019[230]. - No material changes to critical accounting policies, estimates, and assumptions since the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018[240]. - No material change in exposure to market risk from that discussed in the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended September 29, 2018[241].