Delivers fourth quarter revenue growth of 4.6% and 8.4% on a constant currency basis, and improves inventory by over $90 million versus the third quarter

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2022.

"Despite a challenging year in 2022, we've taken important steps to become a more disciplined and agile company while focusing on long-term growth. Encouraging results from our 100-day action plan, initiated in the fourth quarter, include a reduction in inventory and debt levels, the sale of Keds, and the establishment of a new Profit Improvement Office to unlock savings to support growth acceleration in our highest potential brands,” stated Brendan Hoffman, Wolverine Worldwide’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our priorities for 2023 are to fuel growth in our Active Group, sustain positive momentum in our Work Group, and address underperforming brands while we further strengthen our financial position. We expect to grow 2023 revenue from our ongoing business by approximately 0% to 2.0% and 1.0% to 3.0% on a constant currency basis, and deliver approximately 8.5% operating margin. We remain confident in our ability to deliver a 12% operating margin in 2024."

FOURTH-QUARTER 2022 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue of $665.0 million represents growth of 4.6% versus the prior year and growth of 8.4% on a constant currency basis. The Company's international business was especially strong, up 22.2% or 31.9% on a constant currency basis to $281.5 million. Direct-to-Consumer revenue of $224.4 million was flat compared to the prior year and up 4.8% on a constant currency basis.

Gross margin of 33.7% versus 41.3% in the prior year reflects the acceleration of end-of-life inventory liquidation, increased promotions, and a higher mix of international distributor sales that carry relatively lower gross margin.

Selling, General & Administrative expenses were $678.9 million including $428.7 million for the non-cash impairment of Sperry and Sweaty Betty intangible assets primarily driven by an increase in discount rates used in the valuation. Adjusted SG&A expenses of $238.3 million or 35.8% of revenue, was 50 basis points higher than the prior year primarily due to higher storage and handling costs as a result of elevated inventory levels.

Inventory at the end of the quarter was $745.2 million which does not include $43.1 million from held-for-sale businesses. Inventory was down approximately $90 million versus the previous quarter.

Net Debt at the end of the quarter was $1.02 billion, down from $1.35 billion at the end of the third quarter, and liquidity was approximately $685 million. The Company's bank-defined leverage ratio was 2.7x.

FULL-YEAR 2022 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue of $2,684.8 million represents growth of 11.2% versus the prior year and growth of 14.1% on a constant currency basis.

Gross margin was 39.9% versus 42.6% in the prior year and reflects the acceleration of end-of-life inventory liquidation, increased promotions, and a higher mix of international distributor sales that carry relatively lower gross margin.

Selling, General & Administrative expenses were $1,278.8 million including $428.7 million for a non-cash impairment of Sperry and Sweaty Betty intangible assets. Adjusted SG&A expenses of $894.5 million or 33.3% of revenue, was 20 basis points lower than the prior year.

FULL-YEAR 2023 OUTLOOK

"We are encouraged by the progress made to simplify the business and improve the balance sheet in the fourth quarter," said Mike Stornant, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "We enter 2023 with excellent visibility to costs savings and operational efficiencies that we believe will benefit the year. We expect that during the first half of the year, gross margin will continue to be impacted by expense timing of higher transitory supply chain costs from 2022 and the sell-off of end-of-life inventory. As a result of the proactive work started several months ago, we expect profitability to improve meaningfully in the second half of the year as supply chain costs and inventory levels normalize, and the Profit Improvement Office initiatives deliver benefits."

The following guidance reflects the performance of the Company's ongoing business operations. As such, all financial expectations for 2023 and comparable results from 2022 exclude the full-year impact of Keds, which was sold in February 2023, and Wolverine Leathers, which is the subject of a sale process, and reflect an adjustment for the transition of our Hush Puppies North America business to a licensing model in the second half of 2023. Tables have been provided in the back of this release showing the impact of these adjustments on operating results for 2022 and 2021 assuming these events occurred on the first day of the relevant period. For visibility regarding this impact on our 2023 operating results, we will report actual results reflecting our ongoing businesses and separately report results for Keds, which will be limited to one month, and Wolverine Leathers to the extent we own and operate the business.

• Revenue from our ongoing business is expected to be in the range of $2.53 billion to $2.58 billion, representing growth of approximately 0.0% to 2.0% and constant currency growth of approximately 1.0% to 3.0%.
• Gross margin is expected to be approximately 41.2% and adjusted gross margin is expected to be approximately 42.0%
• Operating margin is expected to be approximately 8.7%, and adjusted operating margin is expected to be approximately 8.5%
• The effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 21.0%.
• Diluted earnings per share are expected to be between $1.50 to $1.70 and adjusted diluted earnings per share are expected to be between $1.40 to $1.60. These full-year EPS expectations include an approximate $0.14 negative impact from foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
• Diluted weighted average shares are expected to be approximately 79.3 million.

This outlook assumes no meaningful deterioration of current market conditions related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, changes in consumer behavior and confidence and geopolitical tensions.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Measures referred to in this release as “adjusted” financial results are non-GAAP measures that exclude environmental and other related costs net of recoveries, costs associated with Sweaty Betty® integration, reorganization costs, receivables securitization transaction costs, non-cash impairment of the Sperry® trade name and the Sweaty Betty® trade name and goodwill, costs associated with the acquisition of the Sweaty Betty® brand, debt extinguishment costs, non-cash impairment related to one of the Company's joint ventures and gain on the sale of the Champion trademark. The Company also presents constant currency information, which is a non-GAAP measure that excludes the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The Company calculates constant currency basis by converting the current-period local currency financial results using the prior period exchange rates and comparing these adjusted amounts to the Company's current period reported results. The Company believes providing each of these non-GAAP measures provides valuable supplemental information regarding its results of operations, consistent with how the Company evaluates performance.

The Company has provided a reconciliation of each of the above non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The Company believes these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and investors because they increase the comparability of current period results to prior period results by adjusting for certain items that may not be indicative of core operating results and enable better identification of trends in our business. The adjusted financial results are used by management to, and allow investors to, evaluate the operating performance of the Company on a comparable basis. Management does not, nor should investors, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.

EARNINGS CALL INFORMATION

The Company will host a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. EST to discuss these results and current business trends. The conference call will be broadcast live and accessible under the “Investor Relations” tab at www.wolverineworldwide.com. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website for a period of approximately 30 days.

ABOUT WOLVERINE WORLDWIDE

Founded in 1883 on the belief in the possibility of opportunity, Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE:WWW) is one of the world’s leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform footwear and apparel. Through a diverse portfolio of highly recognized brands, our products are designed to empower, engage and inspire our consumers every step of the way. The company’s portfolio includes Merrell®, Saucony®, Sweaty Betty®, Sperry®, Hush Puppies®, Wolverine®, Chaco®, Bates®, HYTEST®, and Stride Rite®. Wolverine Worldwide is also the global footwear licensee of the popular brands Cat® and Harley-Davidson®. Based in Rockford, Michigan, for more than 130 years, the company's products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in approximately 170 countries and territories. For additional information, please visit our website, www.wolverineworldwide.com or visit us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company’s outlook for 2023 including revenue, reported gross margin, reported and adjusted operating margin, effective tax rate and reported and adjusted diluted earnings per share, and the Company’s expectations regarding: its ability to deliver 12% operating margin in 2024; priorities for 2023; visibility regarding cost savings and operational efficiencies; factors that will impact gross margin and profitability and the timing of such impacts in 2023; and that there will not be any meaningful deterioration of current market conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing inflationary pressures, supply chain disruption, changes in consumer behavior and confidence and geopolitical tensions in 2023. In addition, words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “forecasts,” “step,” “plans,” “predicts,” “focused,” “projects,” “outlook,” “is likely,” “expects,” “intends,” “should,” “will,” “confident,” variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions (“Risk Factors”) that are difficult to predict with regard to timing, extent, likelihood, and degree of occurrence. Risk Factors include, among others: changes in general economic conditions, employment rates, business conditions, interest rates, tax policies, inflationary pressures and other factors affecting consumer spending in the markets and regions in which the Company’s products are sold; the inability for any reason to effectively compete in global footwear, apparel and consumer-direct markets; the inability to maintain positive brand images and anticipate, understand and respond to changing footwear and apparel trends and consumer preferences; the inability to effectively manage inventory levels; increases or changes in duties, tariffs, quotas or applicable assessments in countries of import and export; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; currency restrictions; supply chain or other capacity constraints, production disruptions, quality issues, price increases or other risks associated with foreign sourcing; the cost and availability of raw materials, inventories, services and labor for contract manufacturers; the effects of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on the Company’s business, operations, financial results and liquidity, including the duration and magnitude of such effects, and numerous factors that the Company cannot accurately predict, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic, the negative impact on global and regional markets, unemployment rates, consumer confidence and discretionary spending, governmental action, and the effects of the pandemic on the Company’s supply chain and customers; labor disruptions; changes in relationships with, including the loss of, significant wholesale customers; risks related to the significant investment in, and performance of, the Company’s consumer-direct operations; risks related to expansion into new markets and complementary product categories; the impact of seasonality and unpredictable weather conditions; increases in the Company’s effective tax rates; failure of licensees or distributors to meet planned annual sales goals or to make timely payments to the Company; the risks of doing business in developing countries, and politically or economically volatile areas; the ability to secure and protect owned intellectual property or use licensed intellectual property; the impact of regulation, regulatory and legal proceedings and legal compliance risks, including compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, environmental remediation and other related costs, and litigation or other legal proceedings relating to the protection of the environment or environmental effects on human health; the potential breach of the Company’s databases or other systems, or those of its vendors, which contain certain personal information, payment card data or proprietary information, due to cyberattack or other similar events; strategic actions, including new initiatives and ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, and the Company’s success in integrating acquired businesses, and implementing new initiatives and ventures; the risk of impairment to goodwill and other intangibles; changes in future pension funding requirements and pension expenses; and additional factors discussed in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and exhibits thereto. The foregoing Risk Factors, as well as other existing Risk Factors and new Risk Factors that emerge from time to time, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these or other risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Furthermore, the Company undertakes no obligation to update, amend, or clarify forward-looking statements.

The following tables contain information regarding the non-GAAP financial measures used by the Company in the presentation of its financial results:

DIVESTITURE

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

(Unaudited)

(In millions, except per share amounts)

In order to provide visibility regarding the anticipated financial impact of the divestitures, the Company has provided additional information within the supplemental table below. The items included in the tables represent amounts that are reflected in the fiscal 2022 and 2021 results that we do not expect to reoccur in following fiscal years. The Company believes providing the following information is helpful to better understand the impact to the Company's go forward business.

The supplemental information included below about transitory supply chain expenses and profit improvement initiative savings are intended to show the quarterly timing of the impact of these items. The transitory costs are more prominent in the first half of the year and the cost savings are more prominent in the back half the year.

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