BEAZER HOMES USA INC - 10-Q - 20060510 - MANAGEMENT_ANALYSIS
Item 2. Managements Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
OVERVIEW:
Homebuilding:
We design, sell and build single-family homes
in the following geographic regions:
Southeast
West
Central
Mid-Atlantic
Midwest
Florida
Arizona
Texas
Maryland / Delaware
Indiana
Georgia
California
New Jersey
Kentucky
Mississippi
Colorado
New
York
Ohio
North
Carolina
Nevada
Pennsylvania
South
Carolina
New
Mexico
Virginia
/ West Virginia
Tennessee
We intend, subject to market conditions, to expand in our
current markets through focused product expansion and price point
diversification and to consider entering new markets either through expansion
from existing markets or through acquisitions of established homebuilders. Our
business strategy emphasizes further increasing our market penetration in those
markets in which we currently operate most profitably, while continuously reviewing
opportunities to curtail or limit investment in less profitable markets.
Our homes are designed to appeal to homeowners at various
price points across various demographic segments, and are generally offered for
sale in advance of their construction. Our objective is to provide our
customers at each price-point with homes that incorporate exceptional value and
quality while seeking to maximize our return on invested capital. To achieve
this objective, we have developed a business strategy which focuses on
geographic diversity and growth markets, leveraging our national brand,
leveraging our size, scale and capabilities in order to optimize efficiencies
and providing quality homes at various price points to meet the needs of
diverse home buyers.
Our product strategy entails addressing the needs of an
increasingly diverse profile of buyers as evidenced by demographic trends
including, among others, increased immigration, changing profiles of
households, the aging of the baby-boomers, and the rise of the echo-boomers
(children of the baby-boomers) into the ranks of homeownership. Our product
offering is broken down into three product categories: economy, value and
style.
In addition, we also offer homes in all three categories to
the active adult segment which are targeted to buyers over 55 years of age,
in communities with special amenities. Within each product category, we seek to
provide exceptional value and to ensure an enjoyable customer experience.
Seasonal and Quarterly
Variability:
Our homebuilding
operating cycle generally reflects escalating new order activity in the second
and third fiscal quarters and increased closings in the third and fourth fiscal
quarters.
Financial Services:
Recognizing the homebuyers
desire to simplify the financing process, we originate mortgages on behalf of
our customers through our subsidiary Beazer Mortgage Corporation, or Beazer
Mortgage. Beazer Mortgage originates, processes and brokers mortgages to third
party investors. Beginning in the second quarter of fiscal year 2006, Beazer
Mortgage financed certain of our mortgage lending activities under its warehouse
line of credit or from general corporate funds prior to selling the loans and
their servicing rights to third-party investors.
25
Additional Products and Services
for Homebuyers:
In order to maximize our
profitability and provide our customers with the additional products and
services that they desire, we have incorporated design centers into our business.
Recognizing that our customers want to choose certain components of their new
home, we offer limited customization through the use of design studios in most
of our markets. These design studios allow the customer to select certain
non-structural customizations for their homes such as cabinetry, flooring,
fixtures, appliances and wall coverings. We also provide title services to our
customers in many of our markets.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
In December 2004, the
FASB issued SFAS 123R,
Share Based Payment,
which we adopted in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. This statement eliminated
the ability to account for share-based compensation transactions using APB
Opinion 25,
Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees
,
and requires instead that compensation expense be recognized based on the fair
value on the date of the grant. The recognition of compensation expense for
stock options reduced net income by approximately $1.1 million and $1.8 million
for the quarter and six months ended March 31, 2006, respectively. We
elected the modified prospective method for our adoption of SFAS 123R. SFAS
123R also requires the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized
compensation cost to be reported as both a financing cash flow and an operating
cash outflow. This requirement reduced net operating cash flows and increased
net financing cash flows beginning with its adoption in the quarter ended December 31,
2005.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS:
The following presents certain operating and financial data
for Beazer Homes by region (dollars in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31,
Six Months Ended March 31,
2006
Change
2005
2006
Change
2005
Total homebuilding revenue:
Southeast
$
362,947
50.7
%
$
240,893
$
692,926
45.2
%
$
477,151
West
503,337
11.1
452,888
910,826
4.6
870,377
Central
61,416
42.6
43,076
114,202
52.4
74,919
Mid-Atlantic
233,108
48.0
157,514
432,614
51.2
286,185
Midwest
88,783
34.2
66,167
172,450
11.4
154,780
Total
$
1,249,591
30.1
$
960,538
$
2,323,018
24.7
$
1,863,412
26
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
March 31,
March 31,
2006
Change
2005
2006
Change
2005
Number of new orders, net of cancellations:
Southeast
1,616
(5.0
)%
1,701
3,180
10.0
%
2,892
West
1,035
(46.3
)
1,927
2,241
(31.2
)
3,256
Central
518
27.6
406
875
36.1
643
Mid-Atlantic
517
(7.8
)
561
800
(25.1
)
1,068
Midwest
538
(16.5
)
644
1,000
8.1
925
Total
4,224
(19.4
)
5,239
8,096
(7.8
)
8,784
Number of closings
Southeast
1,491
24.7
%
1,196
2,874
18.0
%
2,435
West
1,356
(0.1
)
1,358
2,496
(2.1
)
2,550
Central
371
39.0
267
707
54.7
457
Mid-Atlantic
502
37.2
366
955
29.8
736
Midwest
553
33.3
415
1,070
7.2
998
Total
4,273
18.6
3,602
8,102
12.9
7,176
Average sales price per home closed
Southeast
243.4
20.9
%
201.4
241.1
23.0
%
196.0
West
371.2
11.3
333.5
364.9
6.9
341.3
Central
165.5
2.6
161.3
161.5
(1.5
)
163.9
Mid-Atlantic
464.4
7.9
430.4
453.0
16.5
388.8
Midwest
160.5
0.7
159.4
161.2
3.9
155.1
Company average
292.4
9.6
266.7
286.7
10.4
259.7
As of March 31,
2006
Change
2005
Backlog units:
Southeast
3,380
9.5
%
3,086
West
2,862
(25.6
)
3,846
Central
683
11.1
615
Mid-Atlantic
1,038
(24.7
)
1,379
Midwest
1,264
11.1
1,138
Total
9,227
(8.3
)
10,064
Aggregate sales value of homes in backlog as of:
March 31, 2006
$
2,793,519
March 31, 2005
$
2,898,247
27
New Orders and Backlog:
New orders decreased by 19.4% during the three month period ended March 31,
2006, compared to the same period in the prior year. The decrease in new home
orders for the quarter resulted from decreases in almost all of the markets in our
West, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions offset slightly by increases in several
markets in our Southeast and Central regions. These decreases were driven by moderating
demand coupled with higher cancellations compared to the extremely high number
of new orders received in the second quarter of last fiscal year in many of our
markets. Specifically, the declines in Arizona, Nevada and Northern California
resulted from delays in community openings and moderating incremental demand. The
decrease in the Midwest new orders and backlog was also due in part to our
decision to exit two sub-markets in Indiana.
New
orders decreased by 7.8% during the six month period ended March 31, 2006,
compared to the same period in the prior year. Orders decreased by 25.1% in our
Mid-Atlantic region and 31.2% in our West region compared to the same six-month
period a year ago due to lower demand and higher cancellations compared to the
extremely high number of new orders received in the first six months of fiscal year
2005. These decreases were partially offset by increased orders of 10.0% in our
Southeast region, 36.1% in our Central region and 8.1% in our Midwest region,
primarily attributable to strong new orders in the first quarter of the fiscal
year.
The aggregate dollar value of homes in backlog at March 31,
2006 decreased 3.6% from March 31, 2005, reflecting an 8.3
%
decrease in the number of homes in backlog offset partially
by a 5.1
%
increase in the average
price of homes in backlog, from $288,000 at March 31, 2005 to $302,800 at March 31,
2006. The decrease in the number of homes in backlog is driven primarily by
decreased order trends in the majority of states in our West and Mid-Atlantic regions
partially driven by timing issues associated with community openings in
Arizona, Nevada and Northern California. The increase in average price of homes
in backlog is due to the success we are experiencing in diversifying our
product offerings and relatively favorable pricing year-over-year in most of
our major markets offset slightly by a decrease in the relative percentage of
backlog in our higher-priced markets.
The following table provides additional details of revenues
and certain expenses (in thousands) and certain items expressed as a percentage
of revenues:
28
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
March 31,
March 31,
2006
2005
2006
2005
Revenues:
Homebuilding (a)
$
1,239,859
$
960,538
$
2,313,286
$
1,863,412
Land and lot
20,596
7,763
45,551
8,978
Mortgage origination
13,135
11,310
24,113
22,164
Intercompany elimination - mortgage
(4,499
)
(3,363
)
(8,243
)
(6,479
)
Total
$
1,269,091
$
976,248
$
2,374,707
$
1,888,075
Gross profit
Homebuilding
$
299,226
$
166,083
$
561,376
$
370,658
Land and lot
2,134
2,798
1,836
2,841
Mortgage origination
13,135
11,310
24,113
22,164
Total
$
314,495
$
180,191
$
587,325
$
395,663
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses:
Homebuilding
$
139,605
$
99,436
$
262,000
$
196,249
Mortgage origination
10,188
8,634
20,871
16,415
Total
$
149,793
$
108,070
$
282,871
$
212,664
As a percentage of total
revenue:
Gross profit
24.8
%
18.5
%
24.7
%
21.0
%
SG&A - homebuilding
11.0
%
10.2
%
11.0
%
10.4
%
SG&A - mortgage origination
0.8
%
0.9
%
0.9
%
0.9
%
As a percentage of homebuilding
revenue:
Gross profit - homebuilding
24.1
%
17.3
%
24.3
%
19.9
%
(a) Homebuilding revenues for the three and six months ended March 31,
2006 exclude $9.7 million of revenue
deferred in accordance with SFAS 66
for certain homes with mortgages originated
by Beazer Mortgage for which the sale of the related mortgage loan to a
third-party investor had not been completed as of March 31, 2006.
Revenues:
Revenues increased by 30.0% for the three months
ended March 31, 2006 compared to the same period in the prior year as the
number of homes closed and the average sales price of homes closed increased by
18.6% and 9.6%, respectively. Home closings increased in our Central, Mid-Atlantic
and Midwest regions, in the majority of our Southeast markets and in Arizona
and Nevada in our West region. These increases were partially offset by
declines in closings in certain of our California markets in our West region. Prior
quarter community opening delays and moderation of demand compared to last year
contributed to decreased closings in California. Average sales price increased
in most of our regions due to product mix and continued constraints on the
supply of available housing in many of our markets. Prices increased most
significantly in our Southeast region.
29
In
addition, we had approximately $20.6 million of land and lot sales in the second
quarter of fiscal 2006 as we continued to review opportunities to minimize
underperforming investments and reallocate funds to investments that will
optimize overall returns.
Revenues
increased by
25.8%
for the six months ended March 31,
2006 compared to the same period in the prior year. Homes closed increased by 12.9%
and the average sales price of homes closed increased by
10.4%.
Home closings increased in the Companys Midwest, Mid-Atlantic
and Central regions and in parts of the Southeast, including South Carolina, Georgia
and Florida and in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada in our West region. These increases
were partially offset by declines in many of our California markets in the West
region, and parts of Tennessee and North Carolina in the Southeast region. Average
sales price increased in all but our Central region due primarily to product
mix and constraints on the supply of available housing in many of our markets. Year
to date, prices increased most significantly in our Southeast region, and
particularly in our Florida markets.
Gross Profit:
Our gross profit margin
was 24.8% in the second quarter, an improvement both from the first quarter,
and year over year. Our gross profit margin in the second quarter of fiscal
year 2005 was negatively impacted by both $45 million of expenses associated
with the Trinity class action settlement and $14 million of other warranty
costs (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). Excluding
these factors, our gross profit margin still improved year over year due primarily
to our successful national accounts program, which generated current rebates
per home, prior to savings on categories where we buy direct, of approximately $2,000
per home, compared to approximately $1,000 per home in the comparable period last
year.
Our gross profit margin was 24.7% for the first six
months of fiscal year 2006 compared to 21.0% for the comparable period of
fiscal year 2005. Our gross profit margin for the six months ending March 31,
2005 was negatively impacted by both $55 million of expenses associated with
the Trinity class action settlement and $14 million of other warranty
costs.
Selling, General and
Administrative Expense:
Selling,
general and administrative expense (SG&A) totaled $149.8 million and $282.9
million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2006 and $108.1 million
and $212.7 million for the three and six months ended March 31, 2005,
respectively. The increase in SG&A expense during the periods presented is
primarily related to a number of strategic company-wide programs, an increase
in sales commissions and incentive compensation as a result of increased
revenues and the cost of a larger infrastructure necessary to meet the demands
related to the growth in our business.
Income Taxes:
Our effective tax rate was 37.37% and 37.50%
for the three and six months ended March 31, 2006 and -49.61% and 125.70%
for the three and six months ended March 31, 2005, respectively. The
effective tax rate for 2005 was impacted by a $130.2 million non-cash, non-tax
deductible goodwill impairment charge to write-off substantially all of the
goodwill allocated to certain underperforming markets in Indiana, Ohio,
Kentucky and Charlotte, North Carolina. The following table reconciles our
effective tax rate reported in accordance with GAAP and our adjusted effective
tax rate without this goodwill impairment charge:
30
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
March 31,
March 31,
2006
2005
2006
2005
Effective tax rate
37.37
%
(49.61
)%
37.50
%
125.70
%
Impact of non-cash,
non-deductible goodwill impairment
87.48
%
(87.45
)%
Adjusted effective tax rate
37.37
%
37.87
%
37.50
%
38.25
%
The adjusted effective tax rate presented above is a
non-GAAP financial measure. Management believes that this non-GAAP measure is
useful to both management and investors in the analysis of the Companys
financial performance when comparing it to prior periods and that it provides
investors with an important perspective on the current underlying effective tax
rate of the business by isolating the impact of the non-cash, non-tax
deductible goodwill impairment charge. The decrease in adjusted effective tax
rate between years is primarily due to changes in income concentrations in the
various states and the timing of certain state tax initiatives. The principal
difference between our effective rate and the U.S. federal statutory rate is
due to state income taxes incurred.
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY:
Our sources of cash liquidity
include, but are not limited to, cash from operations, amounts available under our
revolving credit facility, proceeds from senior notes and other bank
borrowings, the issuance of equity securities and other external sources of
funds. Our short-term and long-term liquidity depend primarily upon our level
of net income, working capital management (accounts receivable, accounts
payable and other liabilities) and bank borrowings. We believe that available
short-term and long-term capital resources are sufficient to fund capital
expenditures and working capital requirements, scheduled debt and dividend
payments, and interest and tax obligations for the next twelve months. However,
any material variance of our operating results or land acquisitions from our
projections or investments in or acquisitions of businesses, could require us
to obtain additional equity or debt financing. We plan to use cash generated to
invest in growing the business, to fund land acquisitions and operations, pay
dividends and to repurchase our common stock. We have targeted using $200-$250
million for repurchases of our common stock in fiscal 2006, subject to market
conditions and other factors. We will fund this share repurchase program
(discussed further below) by limiting or curtailing operations in
underperforming markets, reinvesting in higher margin markets and accelerating
cash generation through increased profitability. During the quarter, we
formally curtailed operations in Memphis, Tennessee and certain Indiana
sub-markets, with the expectation of redeploying capital related to these
operations into higher returning opportunities prospectively.
At March 31, 2006, we
had cash of $15.2 million, compared to $297.1 million at September 30,
2005. The decrease in cash was primarily due to fiscal year-to-date stock
repurchases of approximately $133.2 million and the increase in inventory
related to an increased land bank. Our net cash used in operating activities
for the six months ended March 31, 2006 was $345.7 million compared to $251.4
million in the same period of fiscal 2005, as increased inventory supply and
options for future growth and payments of income taxes and incentive
compensation more than offset increased net income.
Net cash used in investing
activities was $41.1 million for the six months ended March 31, 2006
compared to $39.8 million for the same period of fiscal 2005, as we invested in
unconsolidated joint ventures to support our land acquisition strategy. Net
cash provided by financing activities was $104.9 million for the six months
ended
31
March 31, 2006 as increased
book overdrafts and net borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and
warehouse line of credit more than offset $133.2 million of common stock
repurchases. Net cash used in financing activities of $13.7 million for the six
months ended March 31, 2005 related primarily to dividend and other debt
repayments.
At March 31, 2006 we had the following borrowings
(in
thousands)
:
Maturity
Date
Amount
Warehouse Line
January 2007
$
28,057
Revolving Credit Facility
August 2009
136,600
8 5/8% Senior Notes*
May 2011
200,000
8 3/8% Senior Notes*
April 2012
350,000
6 1/2% Senior Notes*
November 2013
200,000
6 7/8% Senior Notes*
July 2015
350,000
4 5/8% Convertible Senior Notes*
June 2024
180,000
Other Notes Payable
Various Dates
73,295
Unamortized debt discounts
(3,883
)
Total
$
1,514,069
*Collectively, the Senior Notes
Warehouse Line:
Effective January 11,
2006, Beazer Mortgage entered into a 364-day credit agreement with a number of
banks to fund the origination of residential mortgage loans (the Warehouse
Line). The Warehouse Line provides for a maximum available borrowing capacity
of $250 million to $350 million based on commitment periods as defined in the
Warehouse Line and is secured by certain mortgage loan sales and related
property. The Warehouse Line is not guaranteed by Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
or any of its subsidiaries that are guarantors of the Senior Notes or Revolving
Credit Facility. Beginning in the current quarter, Beazer Mortgage finances
certain of its mortgage lending activities with borrowings under the Warehouse
Line. Beazer Mortgage had a pipeline of loans in process of $1.6 billion, and
borrowings under the Warehouse Line were $28.1 million as of March 31,
2006 which may be financed either through the Warehouse Line or third party
investors.
The Warehouse Line contains various operating and financial
covenants. The Company was in compliance with such covenants at March 31,
2006.
Revolving Credit
Facility:
In August 2005 we
entered into a new $750 million (expandable up to $1 billion), four-year
unsecured revolving credit facility (the Revolving Credit Facility) with a
group of banks, which matures in August 2009. The Revolving Credit
Facility replaced our former $550 million revolving credit facility and $200
million term loan. The Revolving Credit Facility includes a $50 million swing
line commitment and has a $350 million sublimit for the issuance of standby
letters of credit. Substantially all of the Companys significant subsidiaries
are guarantors of the obligations under the Revolving Credit Facility (see Note
11 of the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). The Revolving
Credit Facility contains various operating and financial covenants. The Company
was in compliance with such covenants at March 31, 2006. The Company has
the option to elect two types of loans under the Revolving Credit Facility
which incur interest as applicable based on either the Alternative Base Rate or
the Applicable Eurodollar Margin (both as defined in the Revolving Credit
Facility).
32
Available borrowings under the Revolving Credit
Facility are limited to certain percentages of homes under contract, unsold homes,
substantially improved lots, lots under development, raw land and accounts
receivable. At March 31, 2006, we had $136.6 million of borrowings
outstanding, and had available borrowings of $481.6 million under the Revolving
Credit Facility. The borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility
bore interest at 5.78% as of March 31, 2006. There were no borrowings
outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at September 30, 2005.
Senior Notes:
The Senior Notes are
unsecured obligations ranking pari passu with all other existing and future
senior indebtedness. Substantially all of our significant subsidiaries are full
and unconditional guarantors of the Senior Notes and our obligations under the
Revolving Credit Facility, and are jointly and severally liable for obligations
under the Senior Notes, and the Revolving Credit Facility. Each guarantor
subsidiary is a 100% owned subsidiary of Beazer Homes.
The indentures under which the Senior Notes were issued contain certain
restrictive covenants, including limitations on payment of dividends. At March 31,
2006, under the most restrictive covenants of each indenture, approximately $221.3
million of our retained earnings was available for cash dividends and for share
repurchases. Each indenture provides that, in the event of defined changes in
control or if our consolidated tangible net worth falls below a specified level
or in certain circumstances upon a sale of assets, we are required to offer to
repurchase certain specified amounts of outstanding Senior Notes.
We periodically acquire land through the issuance of notes payable. As of March 31,
2006 and September 30, 2005, we had outstanding notes payable of
$73.3
million and $46.1 million related to land acquisitions and development,
respectively. These notes payable mature at various times through 2010 at
variable rates ranging from 5.0% to 10.3% at March 31, 2006.
The following table illustrates changes to our
contractual obligations related to debt as of March 31, 2006 due
to the new Warehouse Line and additional notes entered into by the Company
:
Payments Due by Period (in Thousands)
Less than 1
More than 5
Total
year
1-3 years
3-5 years
years
Senior Notes, Revolving Credit
Facility, Warehouse Line and Other Notes Payable
$
1,517,952
$
51,081
$
49,901
$
136,970
$
1,280,000
Interest commitments under
interest bearing notes
791,476
112,863
208,753
187,991
281,869
Total contractual cash
obligations relating to debt
$
2,309,428
$
163,944
$
258,654
$
324,961
$
1,561,869
Our long-term debt and other contractual obligations (principally
operating leases) are further described in notes 7, 8 and 10 to our
Consolidated Financial Statements which appear in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended September 30, 2005.
On November 18, 2005, as part of an acceleration of Beazers
comprehensive plan to enhance stockholder value, the Companys Board of
Directors authorized an increase in the Companys stock repurchase plan to ten
million shares of the Companys common stock. The Company has entered into a
plan under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Act of 1934 to execute a portion
of the share repurchase program, and may also make opportunistic purchases
in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. During the six
months ended March 31, 2006, the Company repurchased 2,021,800 shares for
an aggregate purchase price of $133.2 million or approximately $66 per share
pursuant to the plan.
33
We believe that our cash and cash equivalents on hand and current
borrowing capacity, together with anticipated cash flows from operations, is
sufficient to meet liquidity needs for the foreseeable future. There can be no
assurance, however, that amounts available in the future from our sources of
liquidity will be sufficient to meet future capital needs. The amount and types
of indebtedness that we may incur may be limited by the terms of the indentures
governing our Senior Notes and our Revolving Credit Facility. We may consider
expansion opportunities through acquisition of established regional
homebuilders and such opportunities could require us to seek additional capital
in the form of equity or debt financing from a variety of potential
sources, including additional bank financing and/or securities offerings.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS:
We acquire certain lots by means
of option contracts. Option contracts generally require the payment of cash for
the right to acquire lots during a specified period of time at a certain price
and the purchase of the properties is contingent upon satisfaction of certain
requirements by us and the sellers. Our obligation with respect to options with
specific performance provisions is included on our consolidated balance sheets
in other liabilities. Under option contracts without specific performance
obligations, our liability is generally limited to forfeiture of the
non-refundable deposits, letters of credit and other non-refundable amounts
incurred, which aggregated approximately $351.8 million at March 31, 2006.
This amount includes letters of credit of approximately $55.6 million. As of March 31,
2006, the aggregate exercise price of our option contracts, net of cash
deposits, was approximately $3.1 billion.
We expect, subject to market conditions, to exercise
substantially all of our option contracts.
We have historically funded the
exercise of land options through a combination of operating cash flows and
borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility. We expect these sources to
continue to be adequate to fund anticipated future option exercises. Therefore,
we do not anticipate that the exercise of our land options will have a material
adverse effect on our liquidity.
Certain of our option contracts are with sellers who are
deemed to be Variable Interest Entities (VIEs) under FASB Interpretation No. 46,
Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an Interpretation of ARB No. 51
(FIN 46). We have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of certain
of these option contracts. Our risk is generally limited to the option deposits
that we pay, and creditors of the sellers generally have no recourse to the
general credit of the Company. Although we do not have legal title to the
optioned land, for those option contracts for which we are the primary
beneficiary, we are required to consolidate the land under option at fair value.
We believe that the exercise prices of our option contracts approximate their
fair value. Our consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2006 and September 30,
2005 reflect consolidated inventory not owned of $336.5 million and $230.1
million, respectively. Obligations related to consolidated inventory not owned
totaled $244.4 million at March 31, 2006 and $166.2 million at September 30,
2005. The difference between the balances of consolidated inventory not owned
and obligations related to consolidated inventory not owned represents cash
deposits paid under the option agreements.
We participate in a number of land development joint
ventures in which we have less than a controlling interest. We enter into joint
ventures in order to acquire attractive land positions, to manage our risk
profile and to leverage our capital base. Our joint ventures are typically
entered into with developers, other homebuilders and financial partners to
develop finished lots for sale to the joint ventures members and other third
parties. We
34
account for our interest in these joint ventures under the
equity method. Our consolidated balance sheets include investments in joint
ventures totaling $114.6 million and $78.6 million at March 31, 2006 and September 30,
2005 respectively.
Our joint ventures typically obtain secured acquisition and
development financing. In some instances, we and our joint venture partners
have provided varying levels of guarantees of debt of our unconsolidated joint
ventures. At March 31, 2006, we had a repayment guarantee of $10.7 million
related to our portion of debt of one of our unconsolidated joint ventures and
loan-to-value maintenance guarantees of $32.9 million related to certain of our
unconsolidated joint ventures (see Note 4 to the Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements for additional information regarding our joint ventures
and related guarantees).
There
have been no material changes to our aggregate contractual commitments as disclosed
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30,
2005.
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES:
As
discussed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30,
2005, s
ome of our critical accounting policies require the use of judgment in
their application or require estimates of inherently uncertain matters and
relate to inventory valuation, goodwill, homebuilding revenues and costs and
warranty reserves. Although our accounting policies are in compliance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, a
change in the facts and circumstances of the underlying transactions could significantly
change the application of the accounting policies and the resulting financial
statement impact. There have been no material changes to the assumptions and
estimates related to these critical accounting policies other than those
related to revenue recognition and our accounting for stock-based compensation.
Revenue and related profit are generally recognized
at the time of the closing of a sale, when title to and possession of the
property are transferred to the buyer. In situations where the buyers
financing is originated by Beazer Mortgage, our wholly-owned mortgage
subsidiary, and the buyer has not made a sufficient down payment as prescribed
by SFAS No. 66, the gross profit on such sales is deferred until the
sale of the related mortgage loan to a third-party investor has been completed.
We recognize loan origination fees and expenses and gains and losses on
mortgage loans when the related loans are sold.
Effective October 1, 2005, we adopted the provision of
SFAS 123R
,
which requires that compensation
expense be recognized based on the fair value on the date of the grant. We
calculate the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes pricing model
and the fair value of performance-based share awards using the Monte Carlo
valuation method. Determining the fair value of share-based awards at the grant
date requires judgment in developing assumptions, which include, but are not
limited to, estimated forfeiture rates, expected stock price volatility over
the term of the awards, expected dividend yield and expected stock option
exercise behavior. Prior to October 1, 2005, we accounted for stock option
grants in accordance with APB 25 and recognized no compensation expense for
stock options since the exercise price of the options was equal to the market
value of the underlying stock on the date of grant. For the six months ended March 31,
2006, the recognition of compensation expense for stock options reduced net
income by approximately $1.8 million.
35
OUTLOOK:
The
current sales environment in many markets is more difficult than previously
anticipated. In addition, as we proactively optimize our capital base and are
exiting those markets and selling certain land positions returning less than
our overall cost of capital, we do incur some incremental period costs. As
such, we now have broadened our range for fiscal 2006 diluted earnings per
share to $10.00 - $10.50 per share to explicitly address these factors. This
represents growth over adjusted 2005 earnings per share of $8.72 of 15-20%. This
outlook assumes no further deterioration in new order trends during the
remaining spring and summer months of this year.
We
remain committed to our stated goal of enhancing margins and profitability by
executing our Profitable Growth Strategy. As part of this strategy, we
will continue to reallocate capital to those investments which will yield the
highest returns, and return capital to our stockholders through our share
repurchase program while maintaining a sound financial position.
Cautionary Statement Pursuant to
Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995:
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent
our expectations or beliefs concerning future events, and it is possible that
the results described in this quarterly report will not be achieved. These
forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of statements
that include words such as estimate, project, believe, expect, anticipate,
intend, plan, foresee, likely, will, goal, target or other
similar words or phrases. All forward-looking statements are based upon
information available to us on the date of this quarterly report. Except as may be
required under applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.
These forward-looking statements are subject to risks,
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the
forward-looking statements, including, among other things, the matters
discussed in this quarterly report in the sections captioned Outlook and Financial
Condition and Liquidity. Additional
information about factors that could lead to material changes in performance is
contained in Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of
September 30, 2005. Such factors may include:
economic changes
nationally or in local markets;
volatility of mortgage
interest rates and inflation;
increased competition;
shortages of skilled labor
or raw materials used in the production of houses;
increased prices for
labor, land and raw materials used in the production of houses;
increased land development
costs on projects under development;
the cost and availability
of insurance, including the availability of insurance for the presence of mold;
the impact of construction
defect and home warranty claims;
a material failure on the part of
Trinity Homes LLC to satisfy the conditions of the class action
36
settlement agreement;
any delays in reacting to
changing consumer preference in home design;
terrorist acts and other
acts of war;
changes in consumer
confidence;
changes in levels of
demand;
delays or difficulties in
implementing initiatives to reduce production and overhead cost structure;
delays in land development
or home construction resulting from adverse weather conditions;
potential delays or
increased costs in obtaining necessary permits as a result of changes to, or
complying with, laws, regulations, or governmental policies and possible
penalties for failure to comply with such laws, regulations and governmental
policies;
changes in accounting
policies, standards, guidelines or principles, as may be adopted by
regulatory agencies as well as the FASB; or
other factors over which
the Company has little or no control.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on
which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or
circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time and it
is not possible for management to predict all such factors.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We are exposed to a number of market risks in the ordinary
course of business. Our primary market risk exposure relates to fluctuations in
interest rates. We do not believe that our exposure in this area is material to
cash flows or earnings. As of March 31, 2006, we had $233.5 million of
variable rate debt outstanding. Based on our outstanding borrowings under our
variable rate debt at March 31, 2006, a one-percentage point increase in
interest rates would negatively impact our annual pre-tax interest cost by approximately
$2.3 million.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this
report on Form 10-Q, management, including our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and
operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon, and as of the
date of that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective,
in all material respects, to ensure that information required to be disclosed
in the reports we file and submit under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported as and when required. Further our Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure
controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that information required
to be disclosed in reports filed by us under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, is accumulated and communicated to management including the
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, in a manner to allow
timely decisions regarding the required disclosure. There has been no change in
our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal
quarter ended March 31, 2006 that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.