Advance Auto Parts (AAP) 8-KAdvance Auto Parts Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results

Exhibit 99.1

Advance Auto Parts Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results

"As we closed out 2023, we continued to act with a sense of urgency to stabilize the business and position the company to return to profitable growth,” said Shane O'Kelly, president and chief executive officer. "Our full year results are well below our expectations, and we are focused on instilling greater discipline and accountability both in the fundamental business and in how the organization executes across the board. In addition to the operational improvements we are implementing, we are strengthening internal controls and enhancing the quality of our accounting information to help better inform how we drive the business forward.

“We continue to advance our ongoing operational and strategic review of the business, including the separate sales processes for Worldpac and our Canadian business. We have streamlined and reorganized the company’s leadership structure and have made several important new hires, including the appointments of Ryan Grimsland as Chief Financial Officer and Elizabeth Dreyer as Chief Accounting Officer. Building on the $150 million in annualized SG&A reductions our team executed in the fourth quarter, we recently launched an initiative to eliminate costs related to our indirect spend by an additional $50 million on an annualized basis. We are also moving forward with the consolidation of our supply chain to a single, unified network to create efficiencies and better serve customers. Looking ahead, we are committed to driving enhanced value for shareholders by executing on the fundamentals of our business – focusing on the customer, investing in our frontline and strengthening our competitive position.”

Fourth quarter 2023 Net sales totaled $2.5 billion, a 0.4% decrease compared with the prior year. Comparable store sales for the fourth quarter 2023 decreased 1.4%. For full year 2023, Net sales of $11.3 billion increased 1.2% from 2022. Comparable store sales for the full year decreased 0.3%.

The company's Gross profit decreased 11.9% from the fourth quarter of the prior year to $950.8 million or 38.6% of Net sales compared with 43.6% in the prior year quarter. This result reflects both business performance and atypical drivers, primarily attributable to a change in inventory related items and elevated supply chain costs. The company's full year Gross profit was $4.5 billion, or 40.1% of Net sales, representing a 414 basis points decrease from the prior year primarily driven by inventory related items and costs not fully covered by pricing actions.

The company's SG&A was $999.4 million in the fourth quarter, or 40.6% of Net sales compared with 38.8% for the prior year quarter. This was primarily driven by a year-over-year increase in occupancy costs and store labor. The company's full year SG&A was $4.4 billion, or 39.1% of Net sales compared with 38.2% in the prior year.

The company's fourth quarter Operating loss was $48.6 million, or (2.0)% of Net sales compared with the fourth quarter of the prior year Operating income of $119.3 million or 4.8% of Net sales. The company's full year Operating income was $114.4 million, or 1.0% of Net sales, compared with $670.3 million, or 6.0%, of Net sales in the prior year.

The company's effective tax rate in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 42.3%. The company's Diluted loss per share was $0.59 compared with Diluted earnings per share of $1.39 in the fourth quarter of the prior year. The company's effective tax rate for full year 2023 was 6.6%. The company's 2023 Diluted earnings per share was $0.50 compared with $7.65 in the prior year.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $0.3 billion for the full year 2023 versus $0.7 billion for the prior year. The decrease was primarily driven by lower Net income and working capital. Free cash flow for the full year 2023 was $43.7 million, compared with $312.5 million for the prior year.

During management’s review, the company identified issues with certain previously reported financials. All comparisons are based on the corrected historical results as depicted in the financial tables herein, which include the correction of non-material errors in previously reported results.

The company filed a Form 12b-25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission and disclosed that it expects to file its Form 10-K prior to the expiration of the extension period.

On February 13, 2024, the company declared a regular cash dividend of $0.25 per share to be paid on April 26, 2024 to all common stockholders of record as of April 12, 2024.

On February 26, 2024, the company entered into an amendment to its revolving credit facility to enable certain addbacks to financial covenants for specific write-downs of inventory and vendor receivables. As of December 30, 2023, considering the amendment, the company was in compliance with the credit facility’s financial covenants.

"In 2024, we are refining our operational improvement plans and building on the decisive actions we have taken to turn around the company’s performance. We are committed to improving overall productivity and taking a disciplined approach to reducing expenses, which will support our focus on investing in our team members. Our 2024 full year guidance is reflective of the steps we must take to reset the business and solidify our foundation for the long-term," said Ryan Grimsland, executive vice president and chief financial officer.

To join by phone, please pre-register online for dial-in and passcode information. Upon registering, participants will receive a confirmation with call details and a registrant ID. While registration is open through the live call, the company suggests registering a minimum 10 minutes before the start of the call. A replay of the conference call will be available on the company's Investor Relations website for one year.

Certain statements herein are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are usually identifiable by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “position,” “possible,” “potential,” “probable,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “will,” or similar language. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about our strategic initiatives, operational plans and objectives, our ability to complete the potential divestiture of Worldpac and the company’s Canada business, the timing of the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, improvements to our internal controls and expectations for economic conditions, future business results and future financial performance, as well as statements regarding underlying assumptions related thereto. Forward-looking statements reflect our views based on historical results, current information and assumptions related to future developments. Except as may be required by law, the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made herein. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied by the forward-looking statements. They include, among others, factors related to the company’s leadership transition, the timing and implementation of our initiatives, our potential divestiture of Worldpac and the company's Canada business, our ability to hire, train and retain qualified employees, deterioration of general macroeconomic conditions, the highly competitive nature of our industry, demand for our products and services, complexities in our inventory and supply chain and challenges with transforming and growing our business. Please refer to “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), as updated by our subsequent filings with the SEC, for a description of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied by the forward-looking statements.

During the fifty-two weeks ended December 30, 2023, 61 stores and branches were opened and 40 were closed or consolidated, resulting in a total of 5,107 stores and branches as of December 30, 2023, compared with a total of 5,086 stores and branches as of December 31, 2022.

The below table summarizes the changes in the number of company-operated stores and branches during the twelve and fifty-two weeks ended December 30, 2023: