Exhibit 99
NEWS RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Steve Albright | or: | Fred Nielson |
Chief Financial Officer | Investor Relations | |
(636) 733-1305 | (636) 733-1314 |
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
RELIV INTERNATIONAL REPORTS FOURTH-QUARTER RESULTS
Reliv reports increase in operating income for the quarter
CHESTERFIELD, Mo., Feb. 25, 2009 – Reliv International, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELV), a nutrition and direct selling company, today reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2008 earnings.
Fourth-quarter results
Net sales for the quarter were $22.1 million compared to net sales of $24.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $250,000 or $0.02 per diluted share, compared to net income of $697,000 or $0.04 per diluted share in the 2007 fourth quarter.
During the fourth-quarter of 2008, U.S. net sales totaled $19.4 million, down 8.0 percent from the 2007 fourth quarter. International sales, or sales outside of the United States, dropped to $2.7 million in the quarter compared to $3.5 million in the prior year quarter. Foreign currency exchange fluctuations accounted for approximately half of the reported sales decline.
Income from operations in the fourth quarter of 2008 rose to $1.3 million compared to $1.1 million the 2007 fourth quarter.
Net income and fully diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter, excluding non-cash investment losses on a private equity fund and other investments, was $850,000, or $0.06 per share. During the quarter, Reliv incurred investment losses totaling $336,000, for which the company does not expect to receive an income tax benefit as it does not anticipate having sufficient future capital gains to offset these current year capital losses. Excluding these charges, Reliv’s net income showed an improvement over the fourth quarter of 2007.
Full-year results
Net sales for the full year of 2008 equaled $98.2 million, down 11.6 percent from 2007 net sales. Sales outside of the U.S. rose 0.8 percent to $12.8 million. U.S. sales for 2008, however, declined 13.2 percent to $85.4 million.
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Net income for 2008 was $2.9 million or $0.19 per diluted share, down from $5.0 million or $0.31 per diluted share in 2007. The 2008 results reflect one-time charges of $0.05 per diluted share from the investment losses and related tax consequences which occurred primarily in the fourth quarter. Excluding the one-time charges, diluted EPS would have been $0.24.
Net cash generated from operating activities was $4.4 million for 2008, down from $4.8 million for 2007, and we had cash and cash-equivalents of $4.5 million as of Dec. 31, 2008.
As of Dec. 31, 2008, Reliv had approximately 67,340 distributors, down 3.8 percent from Dec. 31, 2007.
Robert L. Montgomery, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Reliv, said, “We are pleased by the increase in operating income in the fourth quarter, which we achieved by reducing and controlling costs throughout the company.”
“During the quarter we also had a successful introduction of GlucAffect, a new product that supports blood-sugar management and weight loss,” Montgomery said. “Customers are reporting solid results from the product, and distributors are excited about it as well,” he said.
“U.S. sign-ups in January 2009 were the best in nearly two years, and global sponsoring was also very strong,” Montgomery said. “A successful U.S. National Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, earlier this month generated great excitement among our distributor force. The combination of sponsorship and excitement makes me optimistic as I look forward in 2009,” he said.
“Our major focus in 2009 will be increasing sponsorship levels which should lead to top-line growth. Our business opportunity is a great match for many people who are looking for additional income during this recession. And Reliv makes nutrition simple by providing optimal nutrition with two shakes a day,” Montgomery added.
Reliv will host a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and year-end earnings with investors at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 25th. The dial-in number for investors is 888-680-0860. The participant passcode is 66331036. To register, please call in 15 minutes prior to start of the call. A replay of this call will be available beginning today at 3 p.m. Eastern for one week by telephone calling 888-286-8010 and using the passcode 84174618. A live web cast of this call will be available through the Investor Relations section of Reliv’s Web site: http://www.reliv.com/US/EN/Conference%20Calls%20Presentations.html.
An online archive of the broadcast will be available on Reliv’s Web site in the Investor Relations section 24 hours after the call concludes.
About Reliv
Reliv International, Inc., based in Chesterfield, Mo., is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of a proprietary line of nutritional supplements. Reliv supplements address essential daily nutrition, weight loss and targeted solutions such as energy and performance enhancement, digestive health, women’s health and anti-aging. Reliv sells its products through an international network marketing system of 67,340 independent distributors. Additional information about Reliv International, Inc. can be obtained on the Web at www.reliv.com.
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Reliv International, Inc. and Subsidiaries | ||||||||
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets | ||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2008 | 2007 | |||||||
(Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 4,460,637 | $ | 11,694,699 | ||||
Short-term investments | — | 398,592 | ||||||
Accounts and notes receivable, less allowances of | ||||||||
$10,200 in 2008 and $8,300 in 2007 | 494,689 | 811,634 | ||||||
Accounts due from employees and distributors | 241,532 | 204,705 | ||||||
Inventories | 6,221,954 | 6,179,238 | ||||||
Other current assets | 2,176,802 | 1,798,932 | ||||||
Total current assets | 13,595,614 | 21,087,800 | ||||||
Other assets | 1,220,546 | 2,999,903 | ||||||
Accounts due from employees and distributors | 164,462 | 319,883 | ||||||
Net property, plant and equipment | 8,912,157 | 9,199,185 | ||||||
Total assets | $ | 23,892,779 | $ | 33,606,771 | ||||
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
Total current liabilities | $ | 7,350,199 | $ | 8,574,257 | ||||
Other non-current liabilities | 434,990 | 1,227,313 | ||||||
Total stockholders’ equity | 16,107,590 | 23,805,201 | ||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 23,892,779 | $ | 33,606,771 | ||||
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Consolidated Statements of Operations | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, | Year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2008 | 2007 | 2008 | 2007 | |||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Audited) | |||||||||||||
Product sales | $ | 19,629,188 | $ | 22,014,462 | $ | 87,348,915 | $ | 99,465,246 | ||||||||
Handling & freight income | 2,473,727 | 2,633,702 | 10,845,903 | 11,592,258 | ||||||||||||
Net sales | 22,102,915 | 24,648,164 | 98,194,818 | 111,057,504 | ||||||||||||
Costs and expenses: | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of products sold | 4,026,823 | 4,319,638 | 17,437,133 | 19,100,527 | ||||||||||||
Distributor royalties and commissions | 8,342,155 | 9,840,619 | 38,207,889 | 44,298,744 | ||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative | 8,408,865 | 9,393,401 | 36,881,041 | 40,363,322 | ||||||||||||
Total costs and expenses | 20,777,843 | 23,553,658 | 92,526,063 | 103,762,593 | ||||||||||||
Income from operations | 1,325,072 | 1,094,506 | 5,668,755 | 7,294,911 | ||||||||||||
Other income (expense): | ||||||||||||||||
Interest income | 28,164 | 135,542 | 328,057 | 634,446 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense | (5,922 | ) | (641 | ) | (37,327 | ) | (1,373 | ) | ||||||||
Gain (loss) on limited partnership investment | (335,520 | ) | (14,308 | ) | (595,887 | ) | 52,162 | |||||||||
Other income (expense) | (875 | ) | 59,899 | 30,353 | 261,969 | |||||||||||
Income before income taxes | 1,010,919 | 1,274,998 | 5,393,951 | 8,242,115 | ||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes | 761,000 | 578,000 | 2,513,000 | 3,201,000 | ||||||||||||
Net income | $ | 249,919 | $ | 696,998 | $ | 2,880,951 | $ | 5,041,115 | ||||||||
Earnings per common share - Basic | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.04 | $ | 0.19 | $ | 0.31 | ||||||||
Weighted average shares | 14,367,000 | 15,882,000 | 15,213,000 | 16,094,000 | ||||||||||||
Earnings per common share - Diluted | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.04 | $ | 0.19 | $ | 0.31 | ||||||||
Weighted average shares | 14,369,000 | 15,977,000 | 15,223,000 | 16,303,000 | ||||||||||||
Cash dividends declared per common share | $ | 0.05 | $ | 0.05 | $ | 0.10 | $ | 0.10 | ||||||||
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Net sales by Market | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, | Change From Prior Year | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2008 | 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of sales | Amount | % of sales | Amount | % | |||||||||||||||||||
United States | 19,448 | 88.0 | % | 21,132 | 85.7 | % | (1,684 | ) | -8.0 | % | ||||||||||||||
Australia/New Zealand | 585 | 2.6 | % | 854 | 3.5 | % | (269 | ) | -31.5 | % | ||||||||||||||
Canada | 359 | 1.6 | % | 437 | 1.8 | % | (78 | ) | -17.8 | % | ||||||||||||||
Mexico | 274 | 1.3 | % | 372 | 1.5 | % | (98 | ) | -26.3 | % | ||||||||||||||
United Kingdom/Ireland | 232 | 1.0 | % | 281 | 1.1 | % | (49 | ) | -17.4 | % | ||||||||||||||
Philippines | 618 | 2.8 | % | 834 | 3.4 | % | (216 | ) | -25.9 | % | ||||||||||||||
Malaysia/Singapore | 518 | 2.4 | % | 592 | 2.4 | % | (74 | ) | -12.5 | % | ||||||||||||||
Germany | 69 | 0.3 | % | 146 | 0.6 | % | (77 | ) | -52.7 | % | ||||||||||||||
Consolidated total | 22,103 | 100.0 | % | 24,648 | 100.0 | % | (2,545 | ) | -10.3 | % | ||||||||||||||
Net sales by Market | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year ended December 31, | Change From Prior Year | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2008 | 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amount | % of sales | Amount | % of sales | Amount | % | |||||||||||||||||||
United States | 85,382 | 87.0 | % | 98,348 | 88.5 | % | (12,966 | ) | -13.2 | % | ||||||||||||||
Australia/New Zealand | 2,681 | 2.7 | % | 2,944 | 2.7 | % | (263 | ) | -8.9 | % | ||||||||||||||
Canada | 1,660 | 1.7 | % | 1,634 | 1.5 | % | 26 | 1.6 | % | |||||||||||||||
Mexico | 1,543 | 1.6 | % | 1,526 | 1.4 | % | 17 | 1.1 | % | |||||||||||||||
United Kingdom/Ireland | 1,023 | 1.0 | % | 1,062 | 1.0 | % | (39 | ) | -3.7 | % | ||||||||||||||
Philippines | 2,709 | 2.8 | % | 2,942 | 2.6 | % | (233 | ) | -7.9 | % | ||||||||||||||
Malaysia/Singapore | 2,692 | 2.7 | % | 1,765 | 1.5 | % | 927 | 52.5 | % | |||||||||||||||
Germany | 505 | 0.5 | % | 837 | 0.8 | % | (332 | ) | -39.7 | % | ||||||||||||||
Consolidated total | 98,195 | 100.0 | % | 111,058 | 100.0 | % | (12,863 | ) | -11.6 | % | ||||||||||||||
The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2008 and 2007, the number of our active distributors and Master Affiliates and above.
The total number of active distributors includes Master Affiliates and above. We define an active distributor as one that enrolls as a distributor or renews its distributorship during the prior twelve months. Master Affiliates and above are distributors that have attained the highest level of discount and are eligible for royalties generated by Master Affiliates and above in their downline organization.
Growth in the number of active distributors and Master Affiliates and above is a key factor in continuing the growth of our business.
Active Distributors and Master Affiliates and above by Market | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As of 12/31/2008 | As of 12/31/2007 | Change in % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Active Distributors | Master Affiliates and Above | Active Distributors | Master Affiliates and Above | Active Distributors | Master Affiliates and Above | |||||||||||||||||||
United States | 53,450 | 10,910 | 56,920 | 13,890 | -6.1 | % | -21.5 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Australia/New Zealand | 2,390 | 240 | 2,450 | 280 | -2.4 | % | -14.3 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Canada | 1,260 | 170 | 1,140 | 180 | 10.5 | % | -5.6 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Mexico | 1,480 | 240 | 1,430 | 220 | 3.5 | % | 9.1 | % | ||||||||||||||||
United Kingdom/Ireland | 760 | 120 | 780 | 120 | -2.6 | % | 0.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Philippines | 4,470 | 450 | 4,530 | 400 | -1.3 | % | 12.5 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Malaysia/Singapore | 3,190 | 590 | 2,170 | 350 | 47.0 | % | 68.6 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Germany | 340 | 80 | 550 | 150 | -38.2 | % | -46.7 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Consolidated total | 67,340 | 12,800 | 69,970 | 15,590 | -3.8 | % | -17.9 | % | ||||||||||||||||
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