Tractor Supply - 10-Q quarterly report FY2012 Q3

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 (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, 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.)

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock as of the latest practicable date.

Our business is highly seasonal.  Historically, our sales and profits have been the highest in the second and fourth fiscal quarters due to the sale of seasonal products.  Unseasonable weather, excessive precipitation, drought, and early or late frosts may also affect our sales.  We believe, however, that the impact of extreme weather conditions is somewhat mitigated by the geographic dispersion of our stores and our ability to effectively manage inventory allocation.

We experience our highest inventory and accounts payable balances during the first fiscal quarter for purchases of seasonal products in anticipation of the spring selling season and again during the third fiscal quarter in anticipation of the cold-weather selling season.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The Company uses a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value.  These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

Share-based compensation includes stock options, restricted stock unit awards and certain transactions under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”).   Share-based compensation expense is recognized based on grant date fair value of all options and restricted stock unit awards plus a discount on shares purchased by employees as a part of the ESPP.  The discount under the ESPP represents the difference between the grant date market value and the employee’s purchase price.

Net income per share is calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

It is the present intention of the Board of Directors to continue to pay a quarterly cash dividend; however, the declaration and payment of future dividends will be determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion and will depend upon the earnings, financial condition, and capital needs of the Company, along with other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant.

In August 2012, the Company purchased an undeveloped parcel of land in Brentwood, TN for a new store support center. The Company has no significant contractual commitments related to this project; however, construction is expected to begin by the end of the current year.

We are also involved in various litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of business.  We expect these matters will be resolved without material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.  We believe that any estimated loss related to such matters has been adequately provided in accrued liabilities to the extent probable and reasonably estimable.

In June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-05 which provides new guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and instead requires an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive statements. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company adopted the standard for the interim period ended March 31, 2012.  There are no items of other comprehensive income for the periods presented; thus there was no impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-08, “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment.” The ASU gives an entity the option in its annual goodwill impairment test to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50%) that the fair value of a reporting unit is more than its carrying amount (“qualitative assessment”). If it is more likely than not the fair value of a reporting unit is more than its carrying amount, an entity would not be required to perform the existing two-step impairment test. The amendments to Topic 350 are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company adopted the standard for the interim period ended March 31, 2012.  There was no impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

As with any business, many aspects of our operations are subject to influences outside our control.  These factors include, without limitation, general economic conditions affecting consumer spending, the timing and acceptance of new products in the stores,

 

In addition to normal operating expenses, our primary ongoing cash requirements are for new store expansion, remodeling and relocation programs (including inventory purchases and capital expenditures), distribution center capacity and improvements, information technology, share repurchases and cash dividends.  Our primary ongoing sources of liquidity are existing cash balances, funds provided from operations, borrowings available under our Senior Credit Facility, capital and operating leases and normal trade credit.  Our inventory and accounts payable levels typically build in the first and third fiscal quarters in anticipation of the spring and cold-weather selling seasons, respectively.

 

We believe that existing cash balances, expected cash flow from future operations, borrowings available under the Senior Credit Facility, operating and capital leases and normal trade credit will be sufficient to fund our operations and capital expenditure needs, including new store openings, store acquisitions, relocations and renovations, and distribution center capacity, over the next several years.

It is the present intention of the Board of Directors to continue to pay a quarterly cash dividend; however, the declaration and payment of future dividends will be determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion and will depend upon the earnings, financial condition, and capital needs of the Company, and other factors which the Board of Directors deems relevant.

Our off-balance sheet arrangements are limited to operating leases and outstanding letters of credit. We typically lease buildings for retail stores and offices rather than acquiring these assets which allows us to utilize financial capital to operate the business rather than invest in fixed assets.  Letters of credit allow us to purchase inventory, primarily sourced overseas, in a timely manner and support certain risk management programs.

In August 2012, the Company purchased an undeveloped parcel of land in Brentwood, TN for a new store support center. The Company has no significant contractual commitments related to this project; however, construction is expected to begin by the end of the current year.

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial position and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.  The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make informed estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities.  Our significant accounting policies, including areas of critical management judgments and estimates, have primary impact on the following financial statement areas:

Our business is highly seasonal.  Historically, our sales and profits have been the highest in the second and fourth fiscal quarters due to the sale of seasonal products. In past years, extreme weather conditions, including snow and ice storms, flood and wind damage, hurricanes, tornadoes and droughts in some states have also affected our sales and results of operations. Our strategy is to reduce or mitigate the impact of extreme weather conditions through geographic dispersion of our stores and taking advantage of our ability to effectively manage inventory allocation.

We experience our highest inventory and accounts payable levels during our first fiscal quarter for purchases of seasonal product in anticipation of the spring selling season and again during our third fiscal quarter in anticipation of the cold-weather selling season.

Although we cannot determine the full effect of inflation and deflation on our operations, we believe our sales and results of operations are affected by both.  We are subject to market risk with respect to the pricing of certain products and services, which include, among other items, steel, grain, petroleum, corn, cotton and other commodities as well as transportation services.  Therefore, we may experience both inflationary and deflationary pressures on product cost, which may impact consumer demand and, as a result, sales and gross margin. Our strategy is to reduce or mitigate the effects of purchase price volatility principally by taking advantage of vendor incentive programs, economies of scale from increased volume of purchases, adjusting retail prices and selectively buying from the most competitive vendors without sacrificing quality.  Should our strategy to mitigate purchase price volatility not be effective, our financial performance could be adversely impacted.

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

We are also involved in various litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of business.  We expect these matters will be resolved without material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.  We believe that any estimated loss related to such matters has been adequately provided in accrued liabilities to the extent probable and reasonably estimable.

We expect to implement the balance of the repurchase program through purchases made from time to time either in the open market or through private transactions, in accordance with regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

31.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

31.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

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.