Grainger Reports Record EPS of $2.18 for the 2011 First Quarter

CHICAGO, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Grainger (NYSE: GWW) today reported results for the 2011 first quarter ended March 31, 2011.  Sales of $1.9 billion increased 13 percent versus $1.7 billion in the first quarter 2010.  Sales on a daily basis increased 11 percent as the 2011 first quarter had one more selling day (64) than first quarter of 2010 (63).  Net earnings for the quarter increased 59 percent to $158 million versus $99 million in 2010.  Earnings per share increased 66 percent to $2.18 versus $1.31 for the first quarter 2010.  

"This was an exceptionally strong quarter for Grainger.  Our investment in growth is paying off as demonstrated by our strong sales and earnings performance.  Expanding product lines, providing new services that complement our products, investing further in eCommerce and increasing our sales force, are all contributing to gaining market share in North America.  In addition, we're continuing to push into high-growth, emerging markets and the yield on these investments is improving," said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan.  "Given our position of strength and MRO market leadership, we intend to more aggressively fund similar investments during the remainder of the year to further accelerate our ability to gain share in this consolidating market." Ryan added, "As a result of our outstanding first quarter performance and continued economic strengthening, we are raising our 2011 sales growth guidance to a range of 7 to 10 percent and our earnings per share guidance to a range of $8.10 to $8.60."  In November 2010, the company issued 2011 guidance of 5 to 9 percent sales growth and earnings per share of $7.15 to $7.90.

The first quarter of 2010 included two unusual non-cash items, which resulted in a net negative impact of 7 cents per share. These included a 15 cents per share expense related to the tax treatment of retiree healthcare benefits following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and a $10 million, or 8 cents per share, benefit from changes to the company's paid time off policy.  Excluding the impact of these items, earnings per share increased 58 percent in 2011 versus the 2010 first quarter.

During the quarter, daily sales for the company increased 11 percent; 10 percent in January, 11 percent in February and 12 percent in March.  Volume increased 7 percent while price contributed 2 percentage points for the quarter.  Foreign exchange and acquisitions each contributed 1 percentage point to the daily increase.  

In the quarter, company operating earnings of $263 million increased 44 percent, driven by higher gross profit margins and positive expense leverage.  Excluding the $10 million benefit from the change in paid time off policy in 2010, company operating earnings were up 52 percent.

The company has two reportable business segments, the United States and Canada, which represent approximately 94 percent of company sales.  The remaining operating units (Japan, Mexico, India, Puerto Rico, China, Colombia and Panama) are included in Other Businesses and are not considered a reportable segment.

United States

Sales for the United States segment increased 9 percent in the 2011 first quarter.  On a daily basis, sales increased 7 percent, driven by a 5 percentage point contribution from volume and 2 percentage points from price.  Daily sales increased 6 percent in January, 8 percent in February and 8 percent in March.  Sales to all customer end-markets were up in the quarter, led by heavy manufacturing, which increased in the high teens.

Operating earnings in the United States segment increased 27 percent versus the 2010 first quarter.  Excluding the 2010 paid time off benefit, operating earnings for the United States segment increased 33 percent. The operating earnings increase was the result of higher sales, improved gross profit margins and operating expenses increasing at a slower rate than sales.  Gross profit margins for the quarter were up 180 basis points driven by price increases exceeding product cost increases.  Operating expenses for the U.S. segment grew at a slower rate than sales, although benefits-related expenses increased at a faster rate than the sales increase due to higher profit sharing and healthcare costs.

Canada

Sales for the Acklands-Grainger business in the quarter increased 25 percent in U.S. dollars versus the 2010 first quarter, 23 percent on a daily basis.  In local currency, daily sales increased 17 percent for the quarter, driven by 10 percentage points from volume, 4 percentage points from acquisitions, 2 percentage points from price and 1 percentage point from sales of seasonal products. Daily sales were up 18 percent in January, up 16 percent in February and up 16 percent in March in local currency. Sales in Canada benefited from strength in the heavy manufacturing, agriculture and mining, forestry, oil and gas, transportation and government customer end-markets.  

Operating earnings in Canada increased 279 percent for the 2011 first quarter, 260 percent in local currency.  The increase in operating earnings was primarily due to strong sales and a 380 basis point improvement in gross margin.  The improvement in gross profit margin was driven by less price discounting and better customer mix.  In addition, product cost deflation tied to the strength of the Canadian dollar, along with price increases, contributed to this expansion.  Positive operating expense leverage due to tight cost controls also contributed to the improvement in operating performance.

Other Businesses

Sales for the Other Businesses, which include Japan, Mexico, India, Puerto Rico, China, Colombia and Panama, increased 44 percent versus prior year, due primarily to strong growth in Japan and Mexico, along with the business in Colombia, which was acquired in June 2010.  Although smaller in size, the remaining four businesses also posted strong sales growth in the quarter.

Operating earnings for Other Businesses were $6.4 million for the first quarter of 2011 compared to breakeven a year ago.  The improvement was primarily driven by strong earnings growth in Japan and Mexico, coupled with lower operating losses in China and India.

Other

Interest expense net of interest income was $1.4 million versus $1.8 million the prior year.  The effective tax rate was 39.1 and 45.1 percent in the 2011 and 2010 first quarters, respectively.  Excluding the one-time impact from the healthcare legislation, the first quarter 2010 effective tax rate was 39.3 percent.  The 0.2 percentage point decrease in the effective tax rate in 2011 was primarily due to higher 2011 earnings reported in the foreign jurisdictions with lower tax rates, partially offset by a higher income tax rate adopted in the state of Illinois in the first quarter of 2011.

Cash Flow

Operating cash flow was $118 million for the 2011 first quarter versus $113 million in the first quarter of 2010.  The quarter included cash payments for the company's annual contribution to the profit sharing trust (the company's retirement plan) and management incentive program.  Minimal management incentive compensation payments were made in 2010 due to 2009 sales performance.  Capital expenditures were $33 million in the quarter compared to $14 million in the quarter a year ago.  Dividends paid in the 2011 first quarter were approximately $38 million.  In addition, Grainger bought back 376,000 shares of stock in the 2011 first quarter. The company has approximately 7.7 million shares remaining under the current repurchase authorization. In total, the company returned $89 million in cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

W.W. Grainger, Inc., with 2010 sales of $7.2 billion, is North America's leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products, with an expanding presence in Asia and Latin America.

Visit www.grainger.com/investor to access a podcast describing Grainger's performance in more detail.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements under the federal securities law.  Forward-looking statements relate to the company's expected future financial results and business plans, strategies and objectives and are not historical facts.  They are generally identified by qualifiers such as "continuing to push", "contributing to gaining market share",  "earnings per share guidance", "gain share", "intend", "range", "sales growth guidance", "yield is improving", or similar expressions. There are risks and uncertainties, the outcome of which could cause the company's results to differ materially from what is projected.  The forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the company's most recent annual report, as well as the company's Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, containing a discussion of the company's business and various factors that may affect it.

*The GAAP financial statements are the source for all amounts used in the Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) calculation.  ROIC is calculated using operating earnings (annualized based on sales days) divided by net working assets (a 2-point average for the quarter).  Net working assets are working assets minus working liabilities defined as follows: working assets equal total assets less cash equivalents (2-point average of $283.5 million), deferred taxes, and investments in unconsolidated entities, plus the LIFO reserve (2-point average of $339.0 million).  Working liabilities are the sum of trade payables, accrued compensation and benefits, accrued contributions to employees' profit sharing plans, and accrued expenses.

SOURCE W.W. Grainger, Inc.