ITEM 2. | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Quarterly Report”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that represent our current expectations and beliefs. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws and include, but are not limited to, statements of management’s expectations regarding our performance, initiatives, strategies, product introductions and offerings, growth, opportunities and risks; statements of projections regarding future sales, expenses, operating results, taxes and duties, capital expenditures, sources and uses of cash, foreign-currency fluctuations or devaluations, repatriation of undistributed earnings, and other financial items; statements of management’s expectations and beliefs regarding our markets and global economic conditions; statements regarding the payment of future dividends and stock repurchases; statements regarding the outcome of litigation, audits, investigations or other regulatory actions; statements regarding government policies and regulations relating to our industry, including government policies and regulations in Mainland China; accounting estimates and assumptions; statements of belief; and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “expect,” “optimistic,” “project,” “anticipate,” “determine,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “objective,” “targets,” “become,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “may,” “might,” the negative of these words and other similar words. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution and advise readers that these statements are based on assumptions that may not be realized and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations and beliefs contained herein. For a summary of these risks, see the risk factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 2021 fiscal year and in our subsequent quarterly and other reports, including this Quarterly Report.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 2021 fiscal year, and our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission through the date of this Quarterly Report.
Overview
Revenue for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 decreased 11% to $604.9 million, compared to $677.0 million in the prior-year period. Our revenue in the first quarter of 2022 was negatively impacted 3% from foreign-currency fluctuations. Our Customers, Paid Affiliates and Sales Leaders declined 13%, 14% and 22%, respectively, on a year-over-year basis.
The declines for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 were largely driven by COVID-related lockdowns and other factors in our eastern markets along with the continued softening in EMEA. We are looking forward to our product launches, specifically the expected launch of the ageLOC LumiSpa iO in the back half of the year.
Earnings per share for the first quarter of 2022 decreased 16% to $0.76, compared to $0.91 in the prior-year period. The decrease in earnings per share for the quarter is primarily driven by the decline in revenue along with decline in gross margin from sales promotions.
Segment Results
We report our business in nine segments to reflect our current management approach. These segments consist of our seven geographic Nu Skin segments—Mainland China, Americas, Southeast Asia/Pacific, South Korea, Japan, EMEA and Hong Kong/Taiwan —and our Rhyz Investment segments—Manufacturing and Rhyz other. The Nu Skin Other category includes miscellaneous corporate revenue and related adjustments.
The following table sets forth revenue for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 for each of our reportable segments (U.S. dollars in thousands):
| | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | | | Constant-Currency | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | Change(1) | |
Nu Skin | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Mainland China | | $ | 124,495 | | | $ | 149,593 | | | | (17 | )% | | | (18 | )% |
Americas | | | 123,580 | | | | 133,761 | | | | (8 | )% | | | (6 | )% |
Southeast Asia/Pacific | | | 90,236 | | | | 83,289 | | | | 8 | % | | | 11 | % |
South Korea | | | 72,133 | | | | 81,131 | | | | (11 | )% | | | (4 | )% |
Japan | | | 61,791 | | | | 69,864 | | | | (12 | )% | | | (3 | )% |
EMEA | | | 52,968 | | | | 76,180 | | | | (30 | )% | | | (25 | )% |
Hong Kong/Taiwan | | | 38,494 | | | | 36,345 | | | | 6 | % | | | 6 | % |
Other | | | 620 | | | | 878 | | | | (29 | )% | | | (29 | )% |
Total Nu Skin | | | 564,317 | | | | 631,041 | | | | (11 | )% | | | (8 | )% |
Rhyz Investments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Manufacturing | | | 40,341 | | | | 45,985 | | | | (12 | )% | | | (12 | )% |
Rhyz other | | | 241 | | | | — | | | | | | | | | |
Total Rhyz Investments | | | 40,582 | | | | 45,985 | | | | (12 | )% | | | (12 | )% |
Total | | $ | 604,899 | | | $ | 677,026 | | | | (11 | )% | | | (8 | )% |
(1) | Constant-currency revenue change is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures,” below. |
The following table sets forth segment contribution for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 for each of our reportable segments (U.S. dollars in thousands). Segment contribution excludes certain intercompany charges, specifically royalties, license fees, transfer pricing and other miscellaneous items. We use segment contribution to measure the portion of profitability that the segment managers have the ability to control for their respective segments. Prior year segment contribution has been recast for the fourth quarter of 2021 exit of the Grow Tech segment, the $6.1 million of expense has been recast to Corporate and other. For additional information regarding our segments and the calculation of segment contribution, see Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements contained in this report.
| | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
Nu Skin | | | | | | | | | |
Mainland China | | $ | 28,995 | | | $ | 39,439 | | | | (26 | )% |
Americas | | | 25,123 | | | | 28,745 | | | | (13 | )% |
Southeast Asia/Pacific | | | 23,406 | | | | 19,648 | | | | 19 | % |
South Korea | | | 22,743 | | | | 26,525 | | | | (14 | )% |
Japan | | | 15,313 | | | | 17,981 | | | | (15 | )% |
EMEA | | | 3,836 | | | | 8,896 | | | | (57 | )% |
Hong Kong/Taiwan | | | 8,690 | | | | 7,348 | | | | 18 | % |
Total Nu Skin | | | 128,106 | | | | 148,582 | | | | (14 | )% |
Rhyz Investments | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Manufacturing | | | 3,292 | | | | 5,826 | | | | (43 | )% |
Rhyz other | | | (1,046 | ) | | | — | | | | | |
Total Rhyz Investments | | | 2,246 | | | | 5,826 | | | | (61 | )% |
The following table provides information concerning the number of Customers, Paid Affiliates and Sales Leaders in our core Nu Skin business for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021. As we continue to focus on customer acquisition, our Paid Affiliates, who primarily share products, are a bridge to attracting new customers and nurturing relationships and community. Paid Affiliates power our social commerce model and this is an important indicator of consumer purchasing activity in our business. During the first quarter of 2022, in connection with the introduction of the new metric Paid Affiliates, we reviewed how we currently present Sales Leaders and adjusted that metric’s definition to what we believe provides a better insight into the trends of our business. The definition of our Customer metric remained unchanged. We have recast the 2021 Sales Leaders to the new definition. Except as discussed below regarding our Southeast Asia/Pacific segment, the trends under the new definition were materially consistent with those under the previous definition.
| ● | “Customers” are persons who have purchased directly from the Company during the three months ended as of the date indicated. Our Customer numbers include members of our sales force who made such a purchase, including Paid Affiliates and those who qualify as Sales Leaders, but they do not include consumers who purchase products directly from members of our sales force. |
| ● | “Paid Affiliates” are any Brand Affiliates, as well as sales employees and independent marketers in Mainland China, who earned sales compensation during the three-month period. In all of our markets besides Mainland China, we refer to members of our independent sales force as “Brand Affiliates” because their primary role is to promote our brand and products through their personal social networks. |
| ● | “Sales Leaders” are the three-month average of our monthly Brand Affiliates, as well as sales employees and independent marketers in Mainland China, who had achieved certain qualification requirements as of the end of each month of the quarter. |
| | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | |
Customers | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
Mainland China | |
| 289,060 | | | | 316,000 | | | | (9 | )% |
Americas | | | 318,458 | | | | 374,867 | | | | (15 | )% |
Southeast Asia/Pacific | | | 165,657 | | | | 185,435 | | | | (11 | )% |
South Korea | | | 140,648 | | | | 152,390 | | | | (8 | )% |
Japan | | | 122,616 | | | | 126,525 | | | | (3 | )% |
EMEA | | | 216,037 | | | | 296,001 | | | | (27 | )% |
Hong Kong/Taiwan | | | 68,975 | | | | 66,042 | | | | 4 | % |
Total | | | 1,321,451 | | | | 1,517,260 | | | | (13 | )% |
| | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | |
Paid Affiliates | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
Mainland China | |
| 22,762 | | | | 41,944 | | | | (46 | )% |
Americas | | | 46,281 | | | | 52,767 | | | | (12 | )% |
Southeast Asia/Pacific | | | 43,262 | | | | 45,871 | | | | (6 | )% |
South Korea | | | 49,328 | | | | 51,006 | | | | (3 | )% |
Japan | | | 38,059 | | | | 38,283 | | | | (1 | )% |
EMEA | | | 33,834 | | | | 43,696 | | | | (23 | )% |
Hong Kong/Taiwan | | | 17,910 | | | | 17,885 | | | | — | |
Total | | | 251,436 | | | | 291,452 | | | | (14 | )% |
| | Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | |
Sales Leaders | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
Mainland China | |
| 14,146 | | | | 23,013 | | | | (39 | )% |
Americas | | | 9,547 | | | | 11,394 | | | | (16 | )% |
Southeast Asia/Pacific | | | 8,012 | | | | 8,446 | | | | (5 | )% |
South Korea | | | 6,072 | | | | 6,682 | | | | (9 | )% |
Japan | | | 5,977 | | | | 6,135 | | | | (3 | )% |
EMEA | | | 5,455 | | | | 7,479 | | | | (27 | )% |
Hong Kong/Taiwan | | | 3,253 | | | | 3,755 | | | | (13 | )% |
Total | | | 52,462 | | | | 66,904 | | | | (22 | )% |
The following is a narrative discussion of our results in each segment, which supplements the tables above.
Mainland China. Our Mainland China market continued to be challenged during the first quarter of 2022, with COVID-related lockdowns and other factors negatively impacting our selling and promotional activities.
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, the government implemented more significant lockdowns that precluded gatherings and meetings for the general population in Shanghai and other areas. Revenue in this market benefited from our recently launched products, which generated approximately $18.0 million in revenue during the quarter, and from utilizing discounted product promotions. As previously disclosed, we anticipate that COVID-related challenges will persist throughout 2022.
In addition, in February 2022, we learned of reports in the Chinese media of COVID-19 cases that were reportedly traced back to a meeting in a hotel in Wuhan, Hubei Province organized by an independent marketer of Nu Skin China. The meeting was not authorized by Nu Skin China and was not registered with the applicable government authorities. After learning of the incident, we suspended all Sales Leader meetings in the Hubei Province, ceased operations in our Hubei Province branch office and conducted PCR tests on employees in that branch office. After the Wuhan meeting incident, various offices of Mainland China’s Administration for Market Regulation (the “AMRs”) began inquiries into our Nu Skin China business activities since early 2020. We were also later asked to provide information to Mainland China’s Ministry of Commerce, which we did. We cooperated with the government, and we believe these matters are nearly resolved.
Upon receiving the inquiries from the AMRs, we proactively suspended all Sales Leader meetings throughout the Mainland China market. Shortly thereafter, as noted above, the government instituted more significant lockdowns in Shanghai and other areas in Mainland China due to rising COVID-19 cases. We believe the meeting restrictions negatively impacted our business momentum in this market. While we currently anticipate resuming Sales Leader meetings when the government-imposed lockdowns are lifted, we believe the loss of momentum will impact this market’s performance through the rest of this year. As we continue to invest in new social commerce technologies in this market, our focus is to decrease dependence on in-person meetings.
The year-over-year decrease in segment contribution for the first quarter of 2022 primarily reflects lower revenue, the fixed nature of general and administrative expenses and a 2.7 percentage point decrease in gross margin attributable to increased product promotions and an unfavorable sales mix, which was partially offset by a 1.7 percentage point improvement in selling expenses as a percentage of revenue.
Americas. The decline in revenue, Customers, Paid Affiliates and Sales Leaders in our Americas segment is predominately attributable to continued economic challenges in our Latin America markets. Our U.S. market’s revenue increased 15% for the first quarter of 2022 from continued momentum, specifically from the launch of Beauty Focus Collagen+ during the second half of 2021 and continued social adoption.
The year-over-year decline in segment contribution for the first quarter of 2022 primarily reflects the decrease in revenue, a 1.8 percentage point decrease in gross margin, primarily attributable to higher sales promotions and an unfavorable product mix in the first quarter. Our Americas segment contribution was also negatively impacted by the fixed nature of general and administrative expenses.
Southeast Asia/Pacific. Our Southeast Asia/Pacific segment revenue increased 8% for the first quarter of 2022, with a 3% negative impact from unfavorable foreign-currency fluctuations. The increase in revenue was partially driven by a strong product launch of ageLOC Meta (locally referred to as ageLOC Reset in the Southeast Asia markets), which generated approximately $13.2 million in revenue along with the loosening of COVID restrictions in the markets. Our product launches and promotions during the quarter were focused on re-energizing our existing Sales Leaders, which led to a decline in our Customers and Paid Affiliates. Under our previous Sales Leaders definition, Sales Leaders increased 10% for the first quarter of 2022, this was driven by an increase of Sales Leaders in March from the launch of ageLOC Meta, while with the new definition being calculated as the average Sales Leaders for the three-months in the quarter, the March increase from the ageLOC Meta launch does not fully offset the decline in Sales Leaders for January and February. In addition, the March launch of ageLOC Meta in Maylasia and Indonesia was a preview sale, which is only available to members of our sales force who achieve certain qualifications. This typically leads to an increase in Sales Leaders during the preview period.
The year-over-year increase in segment contribution is primarily attributable to higher revenue, along with a decline in general and administrative expenses.
South Korea. Our first quarter of 2022 constant-currency revenue was a decline of 4% compared to 2021; our reported revenue reflects a 7% negative impact from foreign-currency fluctuations. Our South Korea segment remained challenged from the ongoing COVID-19 spikes in cases during the first quarter of 2022, leading to declines in revenue and Customers, Paid Affiliates, and Sales Leaders.
The year-over-year decline in segment contribution primarily reflects the decreased revenue, along with a 1.0 percentage point increase in selling expenses as a percentage of revenue, from growth in the number of Sales Leaders qualifying for increased sales compensation.
Japan. The decline in revenue is primarily attributable to a 9% negative impact from unfavorable foreign-currency fluctuations. In addition, our revenue, Customers, Paid Affiliates, and Sales Leaders were negatively impacted by the continued COVID restrictions in the beginning of the quarter, which loosened as the quarter progressed.
The year-over-year decline in segment contribution reflects the decreased revenue.
EMEA. The continued softening of momentum in our EMEA segment, further driven by the current geopolitical Russian/Ukraine conflict which has caused disruption to our sales force, especially in Eastern Europe, led to a 30% decline in revenue for the quarter. Our reported revenue was negatively impacted 5% from foreign-currency fluctuations. We have suspended business operations in Russia and Ukraine. The Russia and Ukraine markets have historically accounted for less than 1% of our consolidated revenue.
The year-over-year decline in segment contribution reflects the decline in revenue along with a 1.8 percentage point increase in selling expenses as a percentage of revenue from higher cost associated with the incentive trips, and the fixed nature of general and administrative expenses with a decline in revenue.
Hong Kong/Taiwan. Our Hong Kong/Taiwan segment revenue increased 6% for the quarter, primarily from revenue growth in our Taiwan market. Revenue from our ageLOC Meta and Beauty Focus Collagen + product launches was approximately $4.9 million. Our Hong Kong market continues to be challenged from the ongoing pressures from COVID-19, which led to decline in Sales Leaders.
The increase in segment contribution was primarily driven by revenue growth, with general and administrative expenses remaining flat on slightly improved revenue.
Manufacturing. Our Manufacturing segment revenue declined 12% for the first quarter of 2022, primarily from a majority of their customers increasing their inventory levels during 2021, which reduced demand for the first quarter of 2022.
The 43% decline in segment contribution is attributed to the lower revenue on fixed costs, along with the revenue mix between our manufacturing entities with different profitability.
Consolidated Results
Revenue
Revenue for the three-month period ended March 31, 2022 decreased 11% to $604.9 million, compared to $677.0 million in the prior-year period. For a discussion and analysis of this decrease in revenue, see “Overview” and “Segment Results,” above.
Gross profit
Gross profit as a percentage of revenue was 73.3% for the first quarter of 2022 compared to 74.8% for the prior-year period. The gross margin of our core Nu Skin business declined 1.3 percentage points to 76.5%. The decline in our gross margin is predominately attributed to an increase in sales promotions during the period.
Selling expenses
Selling expenses as a percentage of revenue was 40.1% for the first quarter of 2022, compared to 40.8% for the prior-year period. Selling expenses for our core Nu Skin business as a percentage of revenue decreased 0.7 percentage points to 43.0% for the first quarter of 2022. Selling expenses for our core Nu Skin business are driven by the specific performance of our individual Sales Leaders. Given the size of our sales force and the various components of our compensation and incentive programs, selling expenses as a percentage of revenue typically fluctuates plus or minus approximately 100 basis points from period to period.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses decreased to $148.6 million in the first quarter of 2022, compared to $167.6 million in the prior-year period. The $19.0 million decline is primarily from a $12.4 million contraction in labor expenses from lower employee performance incentive compensation, along with our fourth quarter 2021 exit of the Grow Tech segment, which led to $6.1 million less expense for the first quarter of 2022. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue declined to 24.6% for the first quarter of 2022 from 24.8% for the prior-year period.
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net for the first quarter of 2022, was $1.5 million in expense compared to $1.6 million of income for the same period in 2021. The increase in other expense is largely attributable to unrealized investment income for the first quarter of 2021.
Provision for income taxes
Provision for income taxes for the first quarter of 2022 was $12.0 million, compared to $17.1 million for the prior-year period. The effective tax rate was 23.6% of pre-tax book income during the first quarter of 2022 compared to 26.5% in the prior-year period. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2022 primarily reflects the strong growth in the U.S. market, which enabled us to utilize additional foreign tax credits to offset U.S. income taxes.
Net income
As a result of the foregoing factors, net income for the first quarter of 2022 was $38.7 million compared to $47.4 million in the prior-year period.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Historically, our principal uses of cash have included operating expenses (particularly selling expenses) and working capital (principally inventory purchases), as well as capital expenditures, stock repurchases, dividends, and debt repayment. We have at times incurred long-term debt, or drawn on our revolving line of credit, to fund strategic transactions, stock repurchases, capital investments and short-term operating needs. We typically generate positive cash flow from operations due to favorable margins and have generally relied on cash from operations to fund operating activities. In the first three months of 2022, we generated $7.5 million in cash from operations, compared to $18.9 million of cash used in operations during the prior-year period. The increase in cash flow from operations primarily reflects an approximate $17.2 million decline in inventory during the period, compared to an inventory increase of $53.8 million in the prior year period, partially offset by the lower revenue and an increase in our accounts receivable from higher sales during the backend of the quarter. Cash and cash equivalents, including current investments, as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were $317.5 million and $354.8 million, respectively, with the decrease being driven by purchases of property and equipment, as discussed below, our quarterly dividend payments, stock repurchases and payment on liabilities associated with our fourth quarter restructuring.
Working capital. As of March 31, 2022, working capital was $354.8 million, compared to $343.3 million as of December 31, 2021. The increase in working capital is primarily attributable to a $21.0 million increase in prepaid expenses and other, primarily from an increase in prepaid income tax, and a $28.5 million decrease in accrued expenses from the first quarter pay-out of restructuring cost and employee incentive accruals, partially offset by declines in cash and cash equivalents and inventory.
Capital expenditures. Capital expenditures for the three months ended March 31, 2022 were $10.3 million. We expect that our capital expenditures in 2022 will be primarily related to:
| ● | purchases and expenditures for computer systems and equipment, software, and application development; |
| ● | the expansion and upgrade of facilities in our various markets; and |
| ● | a new manufacturing plant in Mainland China. |
We estimate that capital expenditures for the uses listed above will total approximately $85–105 million for 2022. We are currently expecting to complete construction of the new manufacturing plant in Mainland China in the back half of 2022. As of March 31, 2022, we have spent approximately $40.3 million on this project, with $3.0 million in the first quarter of 2022, and expect that our expenditures for this project will total approximately $52-57 million, including approximately $15-20 million during 2022.
Credit Agreement. In April 2018, we entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with various financial institutions as lenders and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent. The Credit Agreement provides for a $400.0 million term loan facility and a $350.0 million revolving credit facility, each with a term of five years. We used the proceeds of the term loan and the draw on the revolving facility to pay off the previous credit agreement, and the outstanding balance on the convertible notes. The interest rate applicable to the facilities is subject to adjustments based on our consolidated leverage ratio. The term loan facility amortizes in quarterly installments in amounts resulting in an annual amortization of 5.0% during the first and second years, 7.5% during the third and fourth years and 10.0% during the fifth year after the closing date of the Credit Agreement, with the remainder payable at final maturity. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had $70.0 million and $70.0 million outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility, and $300.0 million and $307.5 million remaining balance on our term loan facility. The carrying value of the debt also reflects debt issuance costs of $(1.0) million and $(1.2) million as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, related to the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement requires us to maintain a consolidated leverage ratio not exceeding 2.25 to 1.00 and a consolidated interest coverage ratio of no less than 3.00 to 1.00. As of March 31, 2022, we were in compliance with all debt covenants under the Credit Agreement. In addition, as previously disclosed, we currently plan to refinance our credit facility during 2022.
Derivative Instruments. As of March 31, 2022, we had four interest rate swaps, with a total notional principal amount of $200 million and a maturity date of July 31, 2025. We entered into these interest rate swap arrangements during the third quarter of 2020 to hedge the variable cash flows associated with our variable-rate debt under the Credit Agreement.
Stock repurchase plan. In 2018, our board of directors approved a stock repurchase plan authorizing us to repurchase up to $500.0 million of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock on the open market or in private transactions. During the first three months of 2022, we repurchased approximately 0.2 million shares of our Class A common stock under the plan for $10.0 million. As of March 31, 2022, $235.4 million was available for repurchases under the plan. Our stock repurchases are used primarily to offset dilution from our equity incentive plans and for strategic initiatives.
Dividends. In February 2022, our board of directors declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.385 per share. This quarterly cash dividend of $19.3 million was paid on March 9, 2022 to stockholders of record on February 28, 2022. In May 2022, our board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.385 per share to be paid on June 8, 2022 to stockholders of record on May 27, 2022. Currently, we anticipate that our board of directors will continue to declare quarterly cash dividends and that the cash flows from operations will be sufficient to fund our future dividend payments. However, the continued declaration of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors, including our net earnings, financial condition, cash requirements, future prospects and other relevant factors.
Cash from foreign subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we held $317.5 million and $354.8 million, respectively, in cash and cash equivalents, including current investments. These amounts include $263.2 million and $274.9 million as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, held in our operations outside of the U.S. Substantially all of our non-U.S. cash and cash equivalents are readily convertible into U.S. dollars or other currencies, subject to procedural or other requirements in certain markets, as well as an indefinite-reinvestment designation, as described below.
We typically fund the cash requirements of our operations in the U.S. through intercompany dividends, intercompany loans and intercompany charges for products, use of intangible property, and corporate services. However, some markets impose government-approval or other requirements for the repatriation of dividends. For example, in Mainland China, we are unable to repatriate cash from current operations in the form of dividends until we file the necessary statutory financial statements for the relevant period. As of March 31, 2022, we had $62.7 million in cash denominated in Chinese RMB. We also have experienced delays in repatriating cash from Argentina. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had $12.1 million and $11.3 million, respectively, in intercompany receivables with our Argentina subsidiary. We also have intercompany loan arrangements in some of our markets, including Mainland China, that allow us to access available cash, subject to certain limits in Mainland China and other jurisdictions. We also have drawn on our revolving line of credit to address cash needs until we can repatriate cash from Mainland China or other markets, and we may continue to do so. Except for $60.0 million of earnings in Mainland China that we designated as indefinitely reinvested during the second quarter of 2018, we currently plan to repatriate undistributed earnings from our non-U.S. operations as necessary, considering the cash needs of our non-U.S. operations and the cash needs of our U.S. operations for dividends, stock repurchases, capital investments, debt repayment and strategic transactions. Repatriation of non-U.S. earnings is subject to withholding taxes in certain foreign jurisdictions. Accordingly, we have accrued the necessary withholding taxes related to the non-U.S. earnings.
We currently believe that existing cash balances, future cash flows from operations and existing lines of credit will be adequate to fund our cash needs on both a short- and long-term basis. The majority of our historical expenses have been variable in nature, and as such, a potential reduction in the level of revenue would reduce our cash flow needs. In the event that our current cash balances, future cash flow from operations and current lines of credit are not sufficient to meet our obligations or strategic needs, we would consider raising additional funds in the debt or equity markets or restructuring our current debt obligations. Additionally, we would consider realigning our strategic plans, including a reduction in capital spending, stock repurchases or dividend payments.
Contingent Liabilities
Please refer to Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements contained in this Quarterly Report for information regarding our contingent liabilities.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
There were no significant changes in our critical accounting policies or estimates during the first quarter of 2022.
Seasonality and Cyclicality
In addition to general economic factors, we are impacted by seasonal factors and trends such as major cultural events and vacation patterns. For example, most Asian markets celebrate their respective local New Year in the first quarter, which generally has a negative impact on that quarter. We believe that direct selling is also generally negatively impacted during the third quarter, when many individuals, including our sales force, traditionally take vacations.
Prior to making a key product generally available for purchase, we may do one or more introductory offerings of the product, such as a preview of the product to our Sales Leaders, a limited-time offer, or other product introduction or promotion. These offerings may generate significant activity and a high level of purchasing, which can result in a higher-than-normal increase in revenue, Sales Leaders and/or Customers during the quarter and can skew year-over-year and sequential comparisons.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Constant-currency revenue change is a non-GAAP financial measure that removes the impact of fluctuations in foreign-currency exchange rates, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of the Company’s performance. It is calculated by translating the current period’s revenue at the same average exchange rates in effect during the applicable prior-year period and then comparing that amount to the prior-year period’s revenue. We believe that constant-currency revenue change is useful to investors, lenders and analysts because such information enables them to gauge the impact of foreign-currency fluctuations on our revenue from period to period.
Available Information
Our website address is www.nuskin.com. We make available, free of charge on our Investor Relations website, ir.nuskin.com, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
We also use our Investor Relations website, ir.nuskin.com, as a channel of distribution of additional Company information that may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor this channel, in addition to following our press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The contents of our website shall not be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference.
ITEM 3. | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK |
Currency Risk and Exchange Rate Information
A majority of our revenue and many of our expenses are recognized outside of the United States, except for inventory purchases, a significant portion of which are primarily transacted in U.S. dollars from vendors in the United States. The local currency of each of our Subsidiaries’ primary markets is considered the functional currency with the exception of our Asia product-distribution subsidiary in Singapore and, as discussed below, our subsidiary in Argentina. All revenue and expenses are translated at weighted-average exchange rates for the periods reported. Therefore, our reported revenue and earnings will be positively impacted by a weakening of the U.S. dollar and will be negatively impacted by a strengthening of the U.S. dollar. These impacts may be significant because a large portion of our business is derived from outside of the United States. Given the uncertainty of exchange rate fluctuations, it is difficult to predict the effect of these fluctuations on our future business, product pricing and results of operations or financial condition.
In the second quarter of 2018, published inflation indices indicated that the three-year cumulative inflation in Argentina exceeded 100 percent, and as of July 1, 2018, we elected to adopt highly inflationary accounting for our subsidiary in Argentina. Under highly inflationary accounting, the functional currency for our subsidiary in Argentina became the U.S. dollar, and the income statement and balance sheet for this subsidiary have been measured in U.S. dollars using both current and historical rates of exchange. The effect of changes in exchange rates on peso-denominated monetary assets and liabilities has been reflected in earnings in Other income (expense), net and was not material. As of March 31, 2022, our subsidiary in Argentina had a small net peso monetary position. Net sales of our subsidiary in Argentina were less than 2% of our consolidated net sales for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.
We may seek to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates through the use of foreign currency exchange contracts and through intercompany loans of foreign currency. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. We regularly monitor our foreign currency risks and periodically take measures to reduce the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on our operating results. As of March 31, 2022 and 2021, we did not hold material non-designated mark-to-market forward derivative contracts to hedge foreign denominated intercompany positions or third party foreign debt. As of March 31, 2022, and 2021 we did not hold any forward contracts designated as foreign currency cash flow hedges. We continue to evaluate our foreign currency hedging policy.
For additional information about our market risk see Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements contained in this Quarterly Report.
ITEM 4. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on that evaluation, our CEO and our CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2022.
Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting.
We made no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
There have been no material developments concerning the matters discussed in the “Legal Proceedings” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 2021 fiscal year.
There have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 2021 fiscal year.
ITEM 2. | UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS |
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
| | (a) | | | (b) | | | (c) | | | (d) | |
Period | | Total Number of Shares Purchased | | | Average Price Paid per Share | | | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | | | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (in millions)(1) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
January 1 - 31, 2022 | | | 68,636 | | | $ | 52.14 | | | | 68,636 | | | $ | 241.8 | |
February 1 - 28, 2022 | | | 74,732 | | | | 50.88 | | | | 74,732 | | | $ | 238.0 | |
March 1 - 31, 2022 | | | 57,120 | | | | 45.97 | | | | 57,120 | | | $ | 235.4 | |
Total | | | 200,488 | | | $ | 49.91 | | | | 200,488 | | | | | |
(1) | In August 2018, we announced that our board of directors approved a stock repurchase plan. Under this plan, our board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of our outstanding Class A common stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. |
ITEM 3. | DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES |
None.
ITEM 4. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES |
Not Applicable.
None.
Exhibits Regulation S-K Number | | Description |
| | |
| | Certification by Ryan S. Napierski, Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | Certification by Mark H. Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | Certification by Ryan S. Napierski, Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 1350, Chapter 63 of Title 18, United States Code, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | Certification by Mark H. Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Section 1350, Chapter 63 of Title 18, United States Code, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
101.INS | | Inline XBRL Instance Document (the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
101.SCH | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
101.CAL | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document |
101.DEF | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
101.LAB | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document |
101.PRE | | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
May 4, 2022
NU SKIN ENTERPRISES, INC. |
| |
By: | /s/ Mark H. Lawrence | |
| Mark H. Lawrence | |
| Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Duly Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer) | |