SPRINGFIELD, Mass., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC), a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, today announced record financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 30, 2012.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012 Financial Highlights

• Net sales from continuing operations for the fourth quarter were a record $129.8 million, up 27.7% from the fourth quarter last year.  The increase was driven by strong sales of M&P™ polymer pistols and M&P modern sporting rifles.  
• Gross profit for the fourth quarter was $46.9 million, or 36.1% of net sales, compared with gross profit of $31.2 million, or 30.7% of net sales, for the comparable quarter last year.  Gross profit was positively impacted in the quarter by significant one-time benefits relating to reductions in inventory and legal reserves.  In addition, the higher production volume allowed for increased overhead absorption.  Higher sales volume, cost savings efforts, reduced promotion costs, and a favorable product mix also contributed to the improvement.
• Operating expense for the fourth quarter totaled $21.2 million, or 16.3% of net sales, compared with operating expense of $23.2 million, or 22.9% of net sales, for the fourth quarter last year.  The decrease in operating expense reflected cost-savings efforts, including reduced legal expenses, and the impact of the consolidation of the Thompson/Center Arms operations to Springfield, Massachusetts.
• Net income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter was $17.8 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared with net income from continuing operations of $4.4 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter last year.
• Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDAS from continuing operations for the fourth quarter increased to $31.2 million compared with $14.9 million for the fourth quarter last year.
• At April 30, 2012, firearm backlog was $439.0 million, an increase of $252.3 million, or 135.1%, compared with the end of the fourth quarter last year, and an increase of $240.5 million, or 121.1%, from the most recent sequential quarter.  
• Operating cash flow of $29.6 million and net capital spending of $3.7 million resulted in free cash flow of $25.8 million from continuing operations. Cash at year end was $56.7 million.

Full Year Fiscal 2012 Financial Highlights

• Net sales from continuing operations for the full fiscal year were a record $412.0 million compared with $342.2 million for the prior fiscal year, an increase of 20.4%. 
• Gross profit was 31.1% compared with 30.6% for the prior fiscal year.
• Operating expenses were $83.1 million for fiscal 2012, or 20.2% of net sales, compared with operating expenses of $86.9 million, or 25.4% of net sales, for fiscal 2011.
• Income from continuing operations was a record $26.4 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, compared with income from continuing operations of $8.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, a year ago. 
• Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDAS from continuing operations for the full fiscal year totaled $68.4 million compared with $42.1 million for fiscal 2011.

James Debney, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our objective in fiscal 2012 was to streamline the company and focus on our position as a leading, pure-play firearm company.  We are very pleased with our results, which include record annual and fourth quarter net sales and profits.  In the fourth quarter, we continued to deliver strong sales growth with our world-class products, including our M&P polymer pistols and our M&P modern sporting rifles.  We continued to increase our manufacturing capacity and outsourcing capabilities, and our rapid acceleration of those efforts, combined with outstanding execution by our operations team, allowed us to capture incremental sales.  Our M&P brand continues to be well accepted by consumers.  We added a new member to the M&P family in the quarter with the highly successful launch of our new M&P Shield™.  The M&P Shield offers consumers a polymer pistol with an easily concealed one-inch profile, combined with professional-grade features, simple operation, and reliable performance.  Acceptance of the M&P Shield in the market has been fantastic."   

Jeffrey D. Buchanan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, stated, "In fiscal 2012, our growing cash position allowed us to pay down $30.0 million of debt and increase our manufacturing capacity without accessing our line of credit. As we move into fiscal 2013, we will use the strength of our balance sheet to continue investing in our business.  Recently, and after the end of the fiscal year, our strong cash position provided us the opportunity to enter the bond market and begin to repurchase our senior notes.  Thus far, we have purchased $6.4 million of the notes.  Overall, our growth in fiscal 2012 helped lay a solid fiscal foundation for the further expected improvement that is reflected in our financial guidance for fiscal 2013."

Financial Outlook for Continuing Operations

The company expects net sales from continuing operations for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 to be between $125.0 million and $130.0 million, which would represent year-over-year growth from continuing operations of over 36.0%. The company anticipates GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations of between $0.16 and $0.19 for the first quarter of fiscal 2013.

The company anticipates net sales from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 of between $485.0 million and $505.0 million, which would represent year-over-year growth from continuing operations of over 17.0%. The company anticipates GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations of between $0.60 and $0.65 for fiscal 2013.

Conference Call and Webcast

The company will host a conference call and webcast today, June 28, 2012, to discuss its fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2012 financial and operational results. Speakers on the conference call will include James Debney, President and CEO, and Jeffrey D. Buchanan, Executive Vice President and CFO. The conference call may include forward-looking statements. The conference call and webcast will begin at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time). Those interested in listening to the call via telephone may call directly at 617-847-8709 and reference conference code 52713609. No RSVP is necessary.  The conference call audio webcast can also be accessed live and for replay on the company's website at www.smith-wesson.com, under the Investor Relations section. The company will maintain an audio replay of this conference call on its website for a period of time after the call. No other audio replay will be available. 

Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDAS

In this press release, a non-GAAP financial measure known as "Adjusted EBITDAS" is presented.  From time-to-time, the company considers and uses Adjusted EBITDAS as a supplemental measure of operating performance in order to provide the reader with an improved understanding of underlying performance trends. Adjusted EBITDAS excludes the effects of interest expense, income taxes, depreciation of tangible fixed assets, amortization of intangible assets, stock-based employee compensation expense, impairment charge to goodwill and indefinite lived long-lived intangible assets related to the acquisition of Smith & Wesson Security Solutions™ (SWSS), DOJ and SEC investigation costs, and certain other transactions.  See the attached "Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income/(Loss) to Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDAS" for a detailed explanation of the amounts excluded from and included in net income to arrive at Adjusted EBITDAS for the three-month and twelve-month periods ended April 30, 2012 and April 30, 2011.  Adjusted or non-GAAP financial measures provide investors and the company with supplemental measures of operating performance and trends that facilitate comparisons between periods before, during, and after certain items that would not otherwise be apparent on a GAAP basis. Adjusted financial measures are not, and should not be viewed as, a substitute for GAAP results. The company's definition of these adjusted financial measures may differ from similarly named measures used by others.

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: SWHC) is a U.S.-based leader in firearm manufacturing and design, delivering a broad portfolio of quality firearms, related products, and training to the global military, law enforcement, and consumer markets. The company's brands include Smith & Wesson®, M&P™ and Thompson/Center Arms. Smith & Wesson facilities are located in Massachusetts and Maine. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.

Safe Harbor Statement                    

Certain statements contained in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements under federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor created thereby.  Such forward-looking statements include our continued strong sales growth with our world-class products, including our M&P polymer pistols and our M&P modern sporting rifles; our continued increase in manufacturing capacity and outsourcing capabilities; our belief that our M&P brand continues to be well accepted by consumers; our belief regarding what our M&P Shield offers consumers and the market acceptance of the M&P Shield; our expectation that we will use the strength of our balance sheet to continue investing in our business in fiscal 2013; our expectation that we may repurchase some of our bonds; our belief that we have a solid fiscal foundation for the further expected improvement, which is reflected in our financial guidance for fiscal 2013; and our outlook for net sales from continuing operations, year-over-year growth from continuing operations, and GAAP earnings per share from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 and the first quarter of fiscal 2013.  We caution that these statements are qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected by such forward-looking statements.  Such factors include the demand for our products; the costs and ultimate conclusion of certain legal matters, including the DOJ and SEC matters; the state of the U.S. economy; general economic conditions, and consumer spending patterns; the potential for increased gun control; speculation surrounding fears of terrorism and crime; our growth opportunities; our anticipated growth; our ability to increase demand for our products in various markets, including consumer, law enforcement, and military channels, domestically and internationally; the position of our hunting products in the consumer discretionary marketplace and distribution channel; our penetration rates in new and existing markets; our strategies; our ability to introduce new products; the success of new products; our ability to expand our markets; the potential for cancellation of orders from our backlog; the success of the divestiture of our security solutions business and its effects on our core firearm business; and other risks detailed from time to time in our reports filed with the SEC, including our Form 10-K Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012.

Contacts:
Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
(413) 747-3304
lsharp@smith-wesson.com

SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation