HF Foods Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Increase in Net Revenue, Gross Profit, Gross Profit Margin, Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA

Pre-Recorded Earnings Call Webcast Available on Investor Relations Website

LAS VEGAS, Aug. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HF Foods Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HFFG) (“HF Foods” or the “Company”), a leading food distributor to Asian restaurants across the United States, reported its unaudited financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

• Net revenue increased 3.4% to $302.3 million compared to $292.3 million in the prior year.
• Gross profit increased 3.6% to $52.5 million compared to $50.7 million in the prior year. Gross profit margin increased to 17.4% from 17.3% in the prior year.
• Net income (loss) improved to net income of $0.2 million compared to net loss of $1.6 million in the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 26.4% to $10.6 million compared to $8.4 million in the prior year.

Six Months 2024 Financial Results

• Net revenue increased 2.0% to $598.0 million compared to $586.2 million in the prior year.
• Gross profit increased 2.0% to $102.9 million compared to $100.8 million in the prior year. Gross profit margin of 17.2% was flat compared to the prior year.
• Net loss improved to $0.3 million compared to $7.4 million in the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 36.6% to $19.3 million compared to $14.1 million in the prior year.

Management Commentary

“We are excited to report our second quarter results, in which we delivered improvements on all our key financial metrics,” said Peter Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of HF Foods. “We believe this is the result of the progress made through our operational transformation plan. For example, we recently restored a cross dock operation in our Northern California market which has enabled us to better serve our customers in the area. In addition, we launched our modern ERP solution at one distribution center, and expect the rest of our scheduled ERP implementation to be completed by the end of the year. We are extremely pleased to have settled the legacy SEC matter related to former HF Foods executives, in which the SEC credited the Company’s collaboration efforts throughout the matter. The management team and our board are fully aligned and excited about what the future holds. Our team’s remarkable execution of our transformation initiative, combined with the strong loyalty of our customers, reinforces our confidence that we are uniquely positioned to benefit from the growing Asian foodservice market in both the near and long term.”

Second Quarter 2024 Results

Net revenue was $302.3 million for the second quarter of 2024 compared to $292.3 million in the prior year period, an increase of $10.0 million, or 3.4%. The increase was primarily attributable to product cost inflation, volume increases and improved pricing in certain categories, such as chicken and seafood, partially offset by deflation in commodities, such as cooking oils, and the $3.1 million loss in revenue resulting from the exit of the Company’s chicken processing businesses in 2023.

Gross profit was $52.5 million compared to $50.7 million in the prior year period, an increase of $1.8 million, or 3.6%. The increase was primarily attributable to increased net revenue. Gross profit margin increased to 17.4% from 17.3% in the prior year period.

Distribution, selling and administrative expenses decreased by $2.4 million to $49.8 million, primarily due to a decrease of $5.5 million in professional fees, partially offset by higher payroll and related labor costs. Distribution, selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenue decreased to 16.5% from 17.9% in the prior year period primarily attributable to increased net revenue and lower professional fees, partially offset by payroll and related labor costs from increased headcount to support growth.

Net income (loss) improved to net income of $0.2 million compared to net loss of $1.6 million in the prior year period. The improvement was primarily driven by an increase in our income from operations of $4.2 million and the $5.3 million reversal of the lease guarantee liability, partially offset by the SEC settlement of $3.9 million, the decrease of the gain related to the fair value of interest rate swap contracts of $2.5 million and the increase of income tax expense of $1.4 million.

Adjusted EBITDA increased $2.2 million to $10.6 million compared to $8.4 million in the prior year, which was primarily due to the increase in income from operations.

Six Months 2024 Results

Net revenue was $598.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 compared to $586.2 million in the prior year, an increase of $11.8 million, or 2.0%. The increase was primarily attributable to product cost inflation and improved pricing in certain categories, partially offset by the $5.8 million loss in revenue resulting from the exit of the Company’s chicken processing businesses in 2023.

Gross profit was $102.9 million compared to $100.8 million in the prior year period, an increase of $2.1 million, or 2.0%. The increase was primarily attributable to increased net revenue. Gross profit margin of 17.2% was flat compared to the prior year period.

Distribution, selling and administrative expenses decreased by $4.8 million to $100.3 million, primarily due to a decrease in professional fees of $8.4 million, partially offset by higher payroll and related labor costs. Distribution, selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenue decreased to 16.8% compared to 17.9% in the prior year period, primarily due to lower professional fees and increased net revenue, partially offset by payroll and related labor costs from increased headcount to support growth.

Net loss decreased to $0.3 million compared to a net loss of $7.4 million in the prior year. The decrease was primarily driven by an increase in income from operations of $6.9 million, the $5.3 million reversal of the lease guarantee liability and the increase of the gain related to the fair value of interest rate swap contracts of $2.2 million, partially offset by the SEC settlement of $3.9 million and the increase of income tax expense of $3.4 million.

Adjusted EBITDA increased $5.2 million to $19.3 million compared to $14.1 million in the prior year, which was primarily due to the increase in income from operations.

Cash Flow and Liquidity

Cash flow from operating activities decreased to $0.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024, compared to $8.7 million in the prior year. The decrease in cash flow from operating activities was primarily due to the timing of working capital outlays and the $3.9 million SEC settlement payment. As of June 30, 2024, the Company had a cash balance of $14.0 million and access to approximately $29.9 million in additional funds through its $100.0 million line of credit, subject to a borrowing base calculation.

Earnings Call and Webcast

A pre-recorded call and webcast with HF Foods’ management team discussing the results is now available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at https://investors.hffoodsgroup.com/.

About HF Foods Group Inc.

HF Foods Group Inc. is a leading marketer and distributor of fresh produce, frozen and dry food, and non-food products to primarily Asian restaurants and other foodservice customers throughout the United States. HF Foods aims to supply the increasing demand for Asian American restaurant cuisine, leveraging its nationwide network of distribution centers and its strong relations with growers and suppliers of fresh, high-quality specialty restaurant food products and supplies in the US, South America, and China. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, HF Foods trades on Nasdaq under the symbol “HFFG”. For more information, please visit www.hffoodsgroup.com.

Investor Relations Contact:

HFFG Investor Relations

hffoodsgroup@icrinc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this news release other than statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and contain our current expectations about our future results. We have attempted to identify any forward-looking statements by using words such as “aims,” “continues,” “expects,” “plans,” “will,” and other similar expressions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in all of our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results, events or financial positions to differ materially from those included within or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, risks relating to our ability to consummate our operational transformation plan as anticipated, risks relating to the impact of our operational plan on our sales and efficiencies, statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing, and other factors including those disclosed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to disclose any revision to these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Discussion of our results includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc., that we believe provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing our financial performance with other companies in the same industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors. The definitions of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies in the industry. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. are not defined under GAAP and are subject to important limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP.

We use non-GAAP financial measures to supplement our GAAP financial results. Management uses EBITDA, defined as net income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization to measure operating performance. In addition, management uses Adjusted EBITDA, defined as net income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude certain unusual, non-cash, or non-recurring expenses. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is less susceptible to variances in actual performance resulting from non-recurring expenses, and other non-cash charges, provides useful information for our investors and is more reflective of other factors that affect our operating performance.

We believe non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. is a useful measure of operating performance because it excludes certain items not reflective of our core operating performance. Non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. is defined as net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. adjusted for amortization of intangibles, change in fair value of interest rate swaps, stock based compensation, transaction related costs, transformational project costs and certain unusual, non-cash, or non-recurring expenses. We believe that non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. facilitates period-over-period comparisons and provides additional clarity for investors to better evaluate our operating results. We present EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to HF Foods Group Inc. in order to provide supplemental information that we consider relevant for the readers of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in its reports filed with the SEC, including its current Quarterly Report on Form 10Q, and such information is not meant to replace or supersede U.S. GAAP measures. Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to their most comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the schedules attached to this press release.

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^{(1)  Represents non-recurring expenses associated with the launch of strategic projects including supply chain management
improvements and technology infrastructure initiatives.
(2)  Includes contested proxy and related legal and consulting costs and facility closure costs.}

________________

^{(1)  Represents non-recurring expenses associated with the launch of strategic projects including supply chain management
improvements and technology infrastructure initiatives.
(2)  Includes contested proxy and related legal and consulting costs and facility closure costs.
(3)  Includes the income tax adjustments related to the business transformation costs and other non-routine expenses described in footnotes (1) and (2) above.}