Target Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2020 Earnings

MINNEAPOLIS, March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Q4 2020 Highlights     

• Comparable sales grew 20.5 percent, reflecting comparable traffic growth of 6.5 percent and a 13.1 percent increase in average ticket.
• Store comparable sales increased 6.9 percent. Digital comparable sales grew 118 percent, accounting for two-thirds of the Company's overall comp growth.
• Same-day services (Order Pick Up, Drive Up and Shipt) grew 212 percent, led by more than 500 percent growth in Drive Up.
• More than 95 percent of Target's fourth quarter sales were fulfilled by its stores.
• EPS established an all-time high with GAAP EPS of $2.73 and Adjusted EPS of $2.67.
• The Company continued to gain market share across all five of its core merchandising categories.

Full-Year 2020 Highlights

• Target's 2020 sales growth of more than $15 billion was greater than the Company's total sales growth over the prior 11 years.
• Comparable sales grew 19.3 percent, reflecting 7.2 percent growth in store comparable sales, and 145 percent growth in digital comparable sales.
• Target's digital sales grew by nearly $10 billion in 2020, driven by 235% growth in the Company's same-day services.
• GAAP EPS from continuing operations of $8.64 was 36.3 percent higher than last year, while Adjusted EPS of $9.42 grew 47.4 percent compared with last year.
• The Company gained approximately $9 billion in market share.

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https://corporate.target.com/article/2021/03/q4-fy2020

Target Corporation TGT today announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results.  The company reported GAAP earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations of $2.73 in fourth quarter and $8.64 for full-year 2020, compared with $1.63 and $6.34 in 2019, respectively.  Adjusted EPS was $2.67 for the fourth quarter and $9.42 for the full-year, compared with $1.69 and $6.39 in 2019, respectively. Full-year GAAP EPS included a $0.75 loss on debt extinguishment, which was excluded from Adjusted EPS.  The attached tables provide a reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP measures. All earnings per share figures refer to diluted EPS.

"Following years of investment to build a durable, scalable and sustainable business model, we saw record growth in 2020, as our guests turned to Target to safely provide for their families throughout the pandemic," said Brian Cornell, chairman and chief executive officer of Target Corporation. "With the strength of our unique, multi-category assortment and the flexibility we offer through our reliable and convenient fulfillment options, we gained nearly $9 billion in market share in 2020, and grew our revenue by $15 billion, which is more than the 11 prior years combined. As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, we see continued opportunity to invest in our business and our team, building on the strong foundation we've established to drive market share gains and deliver profitable growth for years to come."

Fiscal 2021 Guidance

In the first quarter of 2020, the Company withdrew its guidance, in light of the highly fluid and uncertain outlook for consumer shopping patterns and the impact of COVID-19.  In the face of continued uncertainty, the company is not providing sales and EPS guidance for Fiscal 2021 and beyond.

Operating Results

The Company's total comparable sales grew 20.5 percent in the fourth quarter, reflecting comparable stores sales growth of 6.9 percent and digital sales growth of 118 percent. Total revenue of $28.3 billion grew 21.1 percent compared with last year, driven by sales growth of 21.0 percent and a 28.7 percent increase in other revenue. Operating income was $1.8 billion in fourth quarter 2020, up 53.2 percent from $1.2 billion in 2019.

Fourth quarter operating income margin rate was 6.5 percent in 2020 compared with 5.1 percent in 2019. Fourth quarter gross margin rate was 26.8 percent, compared with 26.3 percent in 2019, reflecting the benefit of merchandising actions, most notably the unusually low markdown rates, partially offset by the impact of higher digital fulfillment and supply chain costs, along with the impact of category mix. Fourth quarter SG&A expense rate was 19.2 percent in 2020, in line with 19.3 percent in 2019, as investments in safety and team member pay and benefits were offset by leverage resulting from strong revenue growth.

Full-year sales increased 19.8 percent to $92.4 billion from $77.1 billion last year, reflecting a 19.3 percent increase in comparable sales combined with sales from non-mature stores. Full-year revenue of $93.6 billion grew 19.8 percent compared with 2019, reflecting sales growth of 19.8 percent and an 18.2 percent increase in other revenue.

Full-year operating income was $6.5 billion in 2020, an increase of 40.4 percent from $4.7 billion last year. Full-year gross margin rate was 28.4 percent, compared with 28.9 percent in 2019. This rate decline reflects unfavorable category sales mix and higher supply chain and fulfillment costs from channel mix, partially offset by markdown favorability. Full-year SG&A expense rate was 19.9 percent in 2020, compared with 20.8 percent in 2019, reflecting significant leverage on fixed costs that offset investments in team member pay, benefits, and safety.

Interest Expense and Taxes

The Company's fourth quarter 2020 net interest expense was $106 million, compared with $118 million last year. The decrease was primarily due to a $10 million charge recognized for the early retirement of debt in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Full-year 2020 net interest expense was $977 million, compared with $477 million in 2019.  The increase was driven primarily by a $512 million charge related to the early retirement of debt in third quarter 2020.

Fourth quarter 2020 effective income tax rate was 20.2 percent, a decrease from 20.7 percent last year. The Company's full-year 2020 effective income tax rate from continuing operations was 21.2 percent compared with 22.0 percent in 2019, which reflects a larger rate benefit from discrete items, primarily related to share-based payments and resolution of certain income tax matters, partially offset by the rate impact of higher earnings, compared with the prior year.

Capital Deployment and Return on Invested Capital

The Company paid dividends of $341 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $334 million last year, reflecting a 3.0 percent increase in the dividend per share, partially offset by a decline in average share count.

Target did not repurchase any of its shares in the fourth quarter. The Company has resumed share repurchases in fiscal 2021, consistent with its long-standing capital deployment policies and within the limits of its strong, middle-A credit ratings.  As of the end of the fourth quarter, the Company had approximately $4.5 billion of remaining capacity under the repurchase program approved by Target's Board of Directors in September 2019.

For the trailing twelve months through fourth quarter 2020, after-tax return on invested capital (ROIC) was 23.5 percent, compared with 16.0 percent for the twelve months through fourth quarter 2019. This increase was driven primarily by higher profitability combined with a decrease in the base of invested capital. The tables in this release provide additional information about the Company's ROIC calculation.

Webcast Details

Target will webcast its financial community meeting, including a Q&A session, beginning at 8:00 a.m. CST today. Investors and the media are invited to listen to the meeting at Investors.Target.com (hover over "investors" then click on "events & presentations"). A replay of the webcast will be available within four hours of the meeting's conclusion.

Miscellaneous

Statements in this release regarding the Company's future financial performance are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actions to differ materially.  The most important risks and uncertainties are described in Item 1A of the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Feb. 1, 2020 and Item 1A of the Company's Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended May 2, 2020. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation TGT serves guests at nearly 1,900 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. For the latest store count or for more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.

For more on the Target Foundation, click here.

Common Stock Authorized 6,000,000,000 shares, $0.0833 par value; 500,877,129 and 504,198,962 shares issued and outstanding as of January 30, 2021, and February 1, 2020, respectively.

Preferred Stock Authorized 5,000,000 shares, $0.01 par value; no shares were issued or outstanding during any period presented.

TARGET CORPORATION

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To provide additional transparency, we have disclosed non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (Adjusted EPS). This metric excludes certain items presented below. We believe this information is useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of our continuing operations. This measure is not in accordance with, or an alternative to, generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). The most comparable GAAP measure is diluted earnings per share from continuing operations. Adjusted EPS should not be considered in isolation or as a substitution for analysis of our results as reported in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate Adjusted EPS differently, limiting the usefulness of the measure for comparisons with other companies.

Earnings from continuing operations before interest expense and income taxes (EBIT) and earnings from continuing operations before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) are non-GAAP financial measures. We believe these measures provide meaningful information about our operational efficiency compared with our competitors by excluding the impact of differences in tax jurisdictions and structures, debt levels, and, for EBITDA, capital investment. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for, GAAP. The most comparable GAAP measure is net earnings from continuing operations. EBIT and EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitution for analysis of our results as reported in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate EBIT and EBITDA differently, limiting the usefulness of the measures for comparisons with other companies.

We have also disclosed after-tax ROIC, which is a ratio based on GAAP information, with the exception of the add-back of operating lease interest to operating income. We believe this metric is useful in assessing the effectiveness of our capital allocation over time. Other companies may calculate ROIC differently, limiting the usefulness of the measure for comparisons with other companies.

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SOURCE Target Corporation