Washington, D.C. 20549
Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of theSecurities Exchange Act of 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 28, 2008
Commission File Number: 001-9249
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months, and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
60,571,000 shares of the Registrants Common Stock, $1.00 par value were outstanding as of April 17, 2008.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
GRACO INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESNOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
Net sales, net earnings and earnings per share were as follows (in thousands except per share amounts and percentages):
Foreign currency translation rates had a favorable impact on first quarter sales and net earnings. Translated at consistent exchange rates, sales were flat compared to 2007 and net earnings decreased 4 percent.
Results include sales of $1.5 million from GlasCraft, which was acquired in late February 2008.
Earnings per share increased at a higher rate than net earnings due to purchases and retirement of approximately 1.7 million shares of Company common stock.
Sales by geographic area were as follows (in thousands):
North and South America, including the U.S.
Europe, Africa and Middle East
The decrease in the Americas, driven by weakness in the Contractor business, was more than offset by the increase in Europe, where net sales were 21 percent higher than last year. Translated at consistent exchange rates, net sales in Europe increased 9 percent. In the Asia Pacific region, net sales were 4 percent higher than last year, with half of the increase from favorable currency translation.
Gross profit margin, expressed as a percentage of sales, was 54.8 percent versus 53.1 percent for the same period last year. The increase was due mainly to favorable currency translation rates. The benefits of integrating Lubriquip and consolidating the Lubrication Equipment operations in the Companys Anoka facility are also beginning to be reflected in the gross profit margin percentage.
Operating profit margin, expressed as a percentage of sales, was 25.6 percent for the first quarter versus 26.4 percent last year. Operating expenses in 2008 include approximately $1 million related to the rollout of the new sprayer line in the home center channel, approximately $1 million from GlasCraft operations and a $1 million contribution to the Companys charitable foundation. The effects of currency translation increased operating expenses by approximately $2 million.
The $1.3 million increase in interest expense resulted from borrowings used to purchase and retire Company shares and for the acquisition of GlasCraft.
The Companys effective tax rate for the first quarter was 30 percent, down from 35 percent for the first quarter last year. The decrease resulted from the completion of the examination of the Companys income tax returns.
Certain measurements of segment operations compared to the first quarter of last year are summarized below:
Industrial
Net sales in the Industrial segment were up 6 percent in the Americas and 22 percent in Europe. Approximately half of the percentage increase in Europe came from currency translation.
Contractor
In the Contractor segment, net sales increases in Europe and Asia Pacific were not enough to offset a 16 percent decrease in the Americas, where sales were down in both the paint store and home center channels. Operating earnings in this segment were affected by $2.5 million related to the launch and production of new paint sprayer units in the home center channel.
Lubrication
Most sales, and sales growth, in the Lubrication segment came from the Americas. The improvement in operating profitability is related to the integration and consolidation of Lubrication operations completed in 2007.
The Company used cash and borrowings under its long-term line of credit to purchase and retire $60 million of Company shares. Other significant uses of cash in the first quarter of 2008 included $35 million to acquire GlasCraft and $11 million for payment of dividends. Significant uses of cash in the first quarter of 2007 included $24 million for purchases and retirement of Company common stock, $13 million for capital additions and $11 million for payment of dividends.
At March 28, 2008, the Company had various lines of credit totaling $295 million, of which $101 million was unused. Internally generated funds and unused financing sources provide the Company with the financial flexibility to meet liquidity needs.
Management is encouraged by the gains in the Companys Industrial and Lubrication segments in North America and by the continued strength of its international business, including the Asia Pacific region, where orders were 15 percent higher than last year. Based on continuing weakness in the U.S. housing market, management remains cautious about the outlook for the Contractor business in North America and will manage the business accordingly. The Company will continue to make long-term investments in key growth strategies including new product development, expanding distribution, entering new markets and pursuing strategic acquisitions.
A forward-looking statement is any statement made in this report and other reports that the Company files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in press or earnings releases, analyst briefings and conference calls, which reflects the Companys current thinking on market trends and the Companys future financial performance at the time they are made. All forecasts and projections are forward-looking statements.
The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 by making cautionary statements concerning any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. The Company cannot give any assurance that the results forecasted in any forward-looking statement will actually be achieved. Future results could differ materially from those expressed, due to the impact of changes in various factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to: economic conditions in the United States and other major world economies, currency fluctuations, political instability, changes in laws and regulations, and changes in product demand. Please refer to Item 1A of, and Exhibit 99 to, the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2007 for a more comprehensive discussion of these and other risk factors.
Investors should realize that factors other than those identified above and in Item 1A and Exhibit 99 might prove important to the Companys future results. It is not possible for management to identify each and every factor that may have an impact on the Companys operations in the future as new factors can develop from time to time.
There have been no material changes related to market risk from the disclosures made in the Companys 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
As of the end of the fiscal quarter covered by this report, the Company carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures. This evaluation was done under the supervision and with the participation of the Companys President and Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, the Vice President and Controller, and the Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Based upon that evaluation, they concluded that the Companys disclosure controls and procedures are effective in gathering, analyzing and disclosing information needed to satisfy the Companys disclosure obligations under the Exchange Act.
During the quarter, there was no change in the Companys internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect the Companys internal control over financial reporting.
There have been no material changes to the Companys risk factors from those disclosed in the Companys 2007 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
On September 28, 2007, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to purchase up to a total of 7,000,000 shares of its outstanding common stock, primarily through open-market transactions. This authorization expires on September 30, 2009.
In addition to shares purchased under the Board authorizations, the Company purchases shares of common stock held by employees who wish to tender owned shares to satisfy the exercise price or tax withholding on option exercises.
Information on issuer purchases of equity securities follows:
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.