Investors | News Releases | Beazer Homes Reports Record First Fiscal Quarter EPS of $3.41, Up 24%

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Beazer Homes Reports Record First Fiscal Quarter EPS of $3.41, Up 24%

January 27, 2004 at 6:31 AM EST

ATLANTA, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE: BZH) ( www.beazer.com ) today announced results for the quarter ended December 31, 2003, reporting record earnings for the quarter. Highlights of the quarter, compared to the same period of the prior year, are as follows:

    Quarter Ended December 31, 2003
     - Record diluted EPS: $3.41 (up 24% vs. $2.75 in prior year)
     - Home closings: 3,608 (up 4%)
     - Total revenues: $810.1 million (up 16%)
     - Gross Profit: $165.2 million (up 21%)
     - Gross margin: 20.4% (up 90 basis points)
     - Operating Income:  $75.7 million (up 28%)
     - Operating Income margin:  9.3% (up 90 basis points)
     - Net income: $47.2 million (up 28%)
     - New orders: 3,304 (up 5%)
     - Backlog at 12/31/03: 7,122 homes (up 15%), sales value $1.65 billion
       (up 34%)
     - Active Subdivisions at 12/31/03:  506 (up 8%)

    Record Earnings for December Quarter

"We are pleased to announce strong financial results for our first quarter of fiscal 2004," said President and Chief Executive Officer Ian J. McCarthy. "Our home closings, revenues and new orders were all December quarter records, indicating continued strength in the housing industry and Beazer Homes' position in the market. This was accompanied by record earnings for the quarter, illustrating our ongoing commitment to achieving profitable growth by leveraging our size, scale and geographic reach, and continuing to execute specific growth and profitability initiatives."

"Beazer Homes' backlog now stands at 7,122 homes with a sales value of $1.65 billion, up 15% and 34%, respectively, from the backlog homes and sales value at December 31, 2002. This sizable backlog increase provides excellent visibility as we move forward in fiscal 2004," added McCarthy.

Strong Financial Position; Profit Margin Expansion in December Quarter

"Beazer Homes' financial position remained strong during the first fiscal quarter," said James O'Leary, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "At December 31, 2003, debt to total capitalization and net debt to total capitalization stood at 48% and 45%, respectively, with a cash balance of $102.2 million. Furthermore, we achieved continued profit margin improvement as we continue to execute on our profit improvement initiatives."

During the first fiscal quarter of 2004, the Company increased both its gross margin and operating margin by 90 basis points compared to the same period a year ago, inclusive of increased marketing expenses associated with the Company's initiative to strengthen and leverage its brand identity. This improvement reflects continued strong industry fundamentals and continued emphasis on improved profitability. These gains were achieved despite weaker performance in the Company's Midwest operations and the inclusion of additional warranty expenses associated with construction defect claims from water intrusion at one of its Midwest divisions. The Company intends to focus efforts on improving performance in the Midwest operations and is commencing a strategic and financial review of these operations to develop an improvement plan. At this time the elements and any related costs or financial impact of such improvement plan can not be determined or estimated.

Beazer Homes Reiterates Target EPS Growth of 10-15% in Fiscal 2004

"Our strong backlog coupled with our expectations of continued strength in the housing market provide us confidence in our future growth opportunities," said McCarthy. "In addition, we expect continued execution on our strategic initiatives that leverage our national brand, capitalize on our broad geographic profile through focused product expansion and price-point diversification, and drive best practices to achieve optimal efficiencies, will place us in a strong position for continued growth. As such, we reiterate our expectation of generating diluted earnings per share in the range of $14.00 - $14.75 in fiscal 2004, representing approximately 10-15% growth over fiscal 2003."

Beazer Homes USA, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta is one of the country's ten largest single-family homebuilders with operations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Beazer Homes also provides mortgage origination and title services to its homebuyers.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to changes in general economic conditions, fluctuations in interest rates, increases in raw materials and labor costs, levels of competition, the possibility that the Company's improvement plan for the Midwest will not achieve desired results, and other factors described in the Company's Annual Report and Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2003.


                             BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.
                    CONSOLIDATED OPERATING AND FINANCIAL DATA
                (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

    FINANCIAL DATA
                                                        Quarter Ended
                                                         December 31,
                                                    2003              2002
    INCOME STATEMENT
    Revenues                                      $810,108          $700,160
    Costs and expenses:
       Home construction and land sales            644,949           563,717
       Selling, general and
        administrative expense                      89,507            77,377
    Operating income                                75,652            59,066
    Other income                                     1,702             1,959

    Income before income taxes and
     extraordinary item                             77,354            61,025
    Income taxes                                    30,168            24,105
    Net income                                     $47,186           $36,920

    Net income per common share:
       Basic                                         $3.55             $2.88
       Diluted                                       $3.41             $2.75

    Weighted average shares outstanding,
     in thousands:
       Basic                                        13,281            12,811
       Diluted                                      13,829            13,424

    Interest incurred                              $16,871           $16,582
    Interest amortized to cost of sales            $13,687           $11,900
    Depreciation and amortization                   $4,014            $2,731

    SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA                           December 31,
                                                    2003              2002
    Cash                                          $102,267           $80,830
    Inventory                                    1,960,408         1,418,280
    Total assets                                 2,450,391         1,889,507
    Total debt                                     948,465           739,417
    Shareholders' equity                         1,043,254           837,516


                             BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.
              CONSOLIDATED OPERATING AND FINANCIAL DATA (Continued)
                             (Dollars in thousands)

    OPERATING DATA
                                                          Quarter Ended
                                                           December 31,
    SELECTED OPERATING DATA                          2003              2002
    Closings:
       Southeast region                              1,257             1,093
       West region                                   1,214             1,040
       Central region                                  240               266
       Mid-Atlantic region                             318               295
       Midwest region                                  579               788
    Total closings                                   3,608             3,482
    New orders, net of cancellations:
       Southeast region                              1,043             1,015
       West region                                   1,454               939
       Central region                                  185               232
       Mid-Atlantic region                             316               452
       Midwest region                                  306               503
    Total new orders                                 3,304             3,141
    Backlog at end of period                         7,122             6,178
    Dollar value of backlog at end of
     period                                     $1,651,319        $1,234,479
    Active subdivisions:
       Southeast region                                178               179
       West region                                     105                84
       Central region                                   40                31
       Mid-Atlantic region                              48                39
       Midwest region                                  135               135
    Total active subdivisions                          506               468


                                                         Quarter Ended
                                                          December 31,
    SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL DATA:                     2003              2002

    Revenues
       Home sales                                  $793,297          $688,770
       Land and lot sales                             7,735             2,495
       Mortgage origination revenue                  12,146            12,484
       Intercompany elimination - mortgage           (3,070)           (3,589)
    Total revenues                                 $810,108          $700,160
    Cost of home construction and land
     sales
       Home sales                                  $640,117          $565,364
       Land and lot sales                             7,902             1,942
       Intercompany elimination - mortgage           (3,070)           (3,589)
    Total costs of home construction and
     land sales                                    $644,949          $563,717
    Selling, general and administrative
       Homebuilding operations                      $82,113           $70,516
       Mortgage origination operations                7,394             6,861
    Total selling, general and
     administrative                                 $89,507           $77,377
SOURCE  Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
CONTACT:  Leslie H. Kratcoski, Director, Investor Relations of Beazer
Homes USA, Inc., +1-770-829-3764, or lkratcos@beazer.com