Select Comfort levering up

Select Comfort released their 2^nd quarter results and there isn't anything too surprising there. We already knew sales would be down and they were. Same-store sales dropped 14% from last year, which isn't good any way you look at it. But we've know it was coming for a month now, so that shouldn't be the focus today.

The first thing I notice is that gross profit margin has not suffered. It improved from 60.4% to 61.2% which indicates management has not panicked and slashed prices. Operating margin on the other hand has plummeted because of lower sales and increases in sales, marketing, and R&D. So looking at the Four Factors, profit margin is lower over the last twelve months (4.78%) than in 2006 (5.85%). David Kretzmann points out that the effect is "sacrificing short-term results for the long-term strength of the business." If those ad and research dollars are well spent, Select Comfort ought to reap a good return on investment over the next few quarters.

Moving on to the balance sheet, it's striking how much smaller the asset base has become since the beginning of the year. Select Comfort has shed $77.5 million of cash and marketable securities in that time. As a result, the sales to assets ratio has actually improved from 3.52 to 4.82 despite lower absolute revenue. There didn't seem to be much need for the money on the balance sheet, so most of it was returned to shareholders via a repurchase program. Turning to the liabilities side, management borrowed $10 million to buy even more shares. Altogether, Select Comfort has bought back $94.3 million of shares at an average price of $17.46 a share. As a result, assets to equity has improved from 1.89 to 3.75 which further leverages the business.

Current and prospective investors need to understand what this is—this is a "bet the business" moment by management. If sales pick up over the rest of the year, the boost to Select Comfort's value will be dramatic. But if sales continue to fall, expect share prices plummet even further and there won't be a cash cushion or a buyout offer to ease the pain. So far there is enough cash flow and not enough debt to worry about the price going to zero, but Select Comfort is significantly riskier than it has been in several years.

Is management making a good gamble? There are several reasons to think so. When Select Comfort released their new TV ads, I had high hopes. But since they haven't worked, the company has reverted to the original Sleep Number campaign for most markets. The old ads have worked in the past and there's no reason they won't work again. Next, the bed maker is rolling out some product updates that seem to target customers tempted by foam beds. Finally, the company is close to finishing their SAP integration. I hadn't grasped the full significance of the system until today: it will make international expansion possible. Select Comfort already sells some mattresses in Canada through a partner, but if they can start opening stores in Europe and maybe Asia, the growth will be astronomical.