CARSON, Calif., Oct. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTS), one of the largest online providers of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories, is reporting results for the third quarter ended September 29, 2018. All information and data are from continuing operations, which exclude the AutoMD operating segment unless specifically noted.

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Summary vs. Year-Ago Quarter

• Net sales were $69.5 million compared to $73.8 million.
• Gross margin was 27.4% compared to 29.6%.
• Net income was $0.4 million, or $0.01 per share, compared to $0.9 million or $0.02 per diluted share.
• Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure defined below) was $2.5 million compared to $3.6 million.
• Ended the quarter with no revolver debt.

Third Quarter 2018 Operational Highlights vs. Year-Ago Quarter

• Conversion rate increased 70 basis points to 2.7%.
• Average order value increased 4% to $85.
• Revenue capture increased 190 basis points to 87.5%.

Management Commentary

"Earlier this month, the board and I mutually agreed upon a succession plan that will have me stepping down as CEO during the next several months," said Aaron Coleman, CEO of U.S. Auto Parts. "It's been an honor and a privilege to lead such a hard-working group through this dynamic period in our company's lifecycle. I look forward to what's in store for the next chapter of my career, as well as the many opportunities ahead for U.S. Auto Parts.

"Turning to the quarterly commentary, during Q3, we continued our work to enhance the customer experience on our e-commerce sites, as reflected by the improvements in conversion and revenue capture. Although we continued to experience lower traffic to our sites, we remain keenly focus on improving our traffic acquisition to return to growth.

"During the quarter, we also experienced lower marketplace sales with one of our channel partners due to a reduction in search presence on their platform. We've gone through similar cycles in the past where a marketplace partner makes an update to their platform that adversely affects our business over the short-term, and we expect this situation to be no different. Ultimately, our marketplace partners reward companies that focus on a quality customer experience and broad product assortment, and we remain very well-positioned in both regards.

"As we exit the year, we will continue to focus on our key initiatives of revitalizing traffic growth to our e-commerce sites and expanding our marketplace channel partnerships. Despite the recent challenges with e-commerce traffic and the platform updates from one of our marketplace partners, we believe U.S. Auto Parts remains in a strong market position and we will continue to focus on returning to growth."

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results
Net sales in the third quarter of 2018 were $69.5 million compared to $73.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The decline was largely driven by a decrease in marketplace sales with one of the company's channel partners, as well as a 4% decrease in e-commerce sales attributable to a reduction of traffic and lower in-stock rates resulting from the company's previously disclosed customs issue.

Gross profit in the third quarter of 2018 was $19.0 million compared to $21.9 million in the year-ago quarter. As a percentage of net sales, gross profit was 27.4% compared to 29.6%. The decrease was primarily driven by costs associated with port and carrier fees from the customs issue as well as increased freight costs. As a result of the amortization treatment of port and carrier fees, the company continues to expect gross margin to range between 27% to 28% over the next two quarters.

Total operating expenses in the third quarter were $19.6 million compared to $20.5 million in the third quarter of last year. As a percentage of net sales, operating expenses increased to 28.3% compared to 27.9% in the year ago quarter.

Net income in the third quarter was $0.4 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net income of $0.9 million or $0.02 per diluted share in the year-ago period.

Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter of 2018 was $2.5 million compared to $3.6 million in the year-ago quarter, with the decrease driven by the aforementioned lower net sales resulting from a decrease in marketplace sales and lower traffic to its e-commerce sites, as well as lower in-stock rates due to the customs issue.

At September 29, 2018, cash and cash equivalents totaled $8.3 million compared to $2.9 million at December 30, 2017.  The increase was driven by timing of payments with one of the company's shipping vendors. U.S. Auto Parts also continued to carry no revolver debt at September 29, 2018.

2018 Outlook
U.S. Auto Parts has updated its 2018 outlook and now expects net sales to decrease mid-single digits on a percentage basis compared to 2017 (previously expected low single digit percentage decrease compare to 2017). The company also expects adjusted EBITDA to be at the low-end of its previously disclosed guidance range of $12.0 to $14.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA excludes the costs incurred from the customs issue and costs associated with the CEO transition given their unusual nature. Adjusted EBITDA also excludes proceeds received from the sale of AutoMD due to the non-recurring nature of the transaction. The company believes these exclusions provide a more accurate representation of its core business results.

U.S. Auto Parts is not including a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA guidance to projected net income due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate long-term forecasts and projections of net operating loss carryforwards which have a significant impact on future net income results.  As a result, U.S. Auto Parts is unable to quantify its projected net income without unreasonable efforts.

Conference Call

U.S. Auto Parts will conduct a conference call today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time) to discuss its financial results for the third quarter ended September 29, 2018.

The Company's CEO Aaron Coleman and CFO Neil Watanabe will host the conference call, followed by a question and answer period.

Date: Monday October 29, 2018
Time: 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (2:00 p.m. Pacific time)
Toll-free dial-in number: 877-407-9039
International dial-in number: 201-689-8470
Conference ID: 13683100

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Liolios at 1-949-574-3860.

The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay via the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.usautoparts.net.

A telephone replay of the conference call will also be available on the same day through November 12, 2018.

Toll-free replay number: 844-512-2921
International replay number: 412-317-6671
Replay ID: 13683100

About U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.
Established in 1995, U.S. Auto Parts is a leading online provider of automotive aftermarket parts, including collision, engine, and performance parts and accessories. Through the Company's network of websites, U.S. Auto Parts provides consumers with a broad selection of competitively priced products, all mapped by a proprietary database with applications based on vehicle makes, models and years. U.S. Auto Parts' flagship websites include www.autopartswarehouse.com, www.carparts.com, and www.jcwhitney.com, as well as the Company's corporate website at www.usautoparts.net.

U.S. Auto Parts is headquartered in Carson, California.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Regulation G, and other provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, define and prescribe the conditions for use of certain non-GAAP financial information. We provide "Adjusted EBITDA," which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA consists of net income before (a) interest expense, net; (b) income tax provision; (c) depreciation and amortization expense; (d) amortization of intangible assets; (e) share-based compensation expense; (f) costs associated with our customs issue; (g) costs associated with the CEO transition; and (h) proceeds related to the sale of AutoMD assets.

The Company believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides important supplemental information to management and investors. This non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Company's operations that, when viewed with the GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Company's business and results of operations.

Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as one measure of the Company's operating performance because it assists in comparing the Company's operating performance on a consistent basis by removing the impact of stock compensation expense and the costs associated with the customs issue, as well as items that are not expected to be recurring. Internally, this non-GAAP measure is also used by management for planning purposes, including the preparation of internal budgets; for allocating resources to enhance financial performance; and for evaluating the effectiveness of operational strategies. The Company also believes that analysts and investors use Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to evaluate the ongoing operations of companies in our industry.

This non-GAAP financial measure is used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and should not be relied upon to the exclusion of GAAP financial measures. Management strongly encourages investors to review the Company's consolidated financial statements in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names. In addition, the Company expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments described above, and exclusion of these items from the Company's non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that these costs are all unusual, infrequent or non-recurring.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements which are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business and its industry, as well as certain assumptions made by the Company. These statements are forward looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Words such as "anticipates," "could," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "believes," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "would," "will likely continue" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's expectations regarding its succession plan for a new Chief Executive Officer, its future operating results and financial condition, impact of changes in our key operating metrics, our potential growth and our liquidity requirements, and the Company's expectations regarding the customs litigation and related trademark issues. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Important factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, competitive pressures, our dependence on search engines to attract customers, demand for the Company's products, the online market and channel mix for aftermarket auto parts, the economy in general, increases in commodity and component pricing that would increase the Company's product costs, the operating restrictions in its credit agreement, the weather, the impact of the customs issues and any other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the Risk Factors contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available at www.usautoparts.net and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.  You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements in this release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact:
Neil T. Watanabe, Chief Financial Officer
U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.
(424) 702-1455 x127
nwatanabe@usautoparts.com

Investor Relations:
Sean Mansouri or Cody Slach
Liolios
949-574-3860
PRTS@liolios.com

Summarized information for our continuing operations for the periods presented is as follows (in millions):

The table below reconciles income from continuing operations to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (in thousands):

U.S. Auto Parts is not including a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA guidance to projected net income due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate long-term forecasts and projections of net operating loss carryforwards which have a significant impact on future net income results. As a result, U.S. Auto Parts is unable to quantify its projected net income without unreasonable efforts.

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SOURCE U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc.