Investors | News Releases | Beazer Homes Reports Record Third Fiscal Quarter EPS of $4.31, up 43%; Company Raises EPS Outlook for Fiscal Year 2004

INVESTOR
RELATIONS

Investor Relations

News Releases

Beazer Homes Reports Record Third Fiscal Quarter EPS of $4.31, up 43%; Company Raises EPS Outlook for Fiscal Year 2004

July 29, 2004 at 6:15 AM EDT

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 2004--Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE: BZH) (www.beazer.com) today announced results for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2004, reporting an all-time record for quarterly earnings per share. Highlights of the quarter, compared to the same period of the prior year, are as follows:

    Quarter Ended June 30, 2004

    --  Record diluted EPS: $4.31 (up 43.2% vs. $3.01 in prior year)
    --  Home closings: 4,061 (up 12.3%)
    --  Total revenues: $1,009.3 million (up 30.8%)
    --  Gross profit from home construction: $195.1 million (up 37.7%)
    --  Gross margin from home construction: 19.7% (up 70 basis
        points)
    --  Operating income: $96.2 million (up 45.9%)
    --  Operating income margin: 9.5% (up 100 basis points)
    --  Net income: $59.7 million (up 46.7%)
    --  New orders: 4,869 (up 2.9%)
    --  Backlog at 6/30/04: 9,278 homes (up 8.2%), sales value $2.3
        billion (up 29.3%)
    --  Active Subdivisions at 6/30/04: 507 (up 3.7%)

    Record Earnings for June Quarter

Ian J. McCarthy, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are very pleased to announce record financial results for our third quarter of fiscal 2004. Our June quarter home closings and revenues increased 12% and 31%, respectively, indicating continued strength and favorable conditions in the housing industry and Beazer Homes' strong position in the market. Our June quarter net income and earnings per share both represent all-time quarterly records, increasing 47% and 43%, respectively, from the prior year. These strong results illustrate our ongoing commitment to achieving profitable growth by leveraging our size, scale and geographic reach through our national brand."

"Beazer Homes' backlog now stands at an all-time record level of 9,278 homes with a sales value of $2.3 billion, providing excellent visibility as we move forward into the final quarter of fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005," added McCarthy.

Strong Financial Position Continues in June Quarter

"Beazer Homes' financial position remained strong during the third fiscal quarter," said James O'Leary, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "At June 30, 2004, net debt to total capitalization stood at 45%, with a cash position of $199.6 million. Our newly increased bank credit facility and recent successful completion of a convertible senior notes offering provide us with substantially increased liquidity to further capitalize on the significant growth opportunities available to us. We achieved not only record earnings and improved margins this quarter, but also a return on average equity for the twelve months ended June 30, 2004 of 20.6%, representing a 190 basis point improvement from the same period a year ago. These financial results reflect our commitment to improved profitability and sustained growth within our diverse geographic footprint through focused product expansion and price point diversification."

During the third fiscal quarter of 2004, the Company realized increases over the prior year in its home construction gross margin and operating income margin as the Company continued to realize benefits from the execution of its profit improvement initiatives and a strong pricing environment in several markets. These improvements were offset in part by increased marketing expenses of approximately $2.7 million associated with the Company's branding initiative and ongoing costs of approximately $10.0 million for warranty and legal costs associated with construction defect claims from water intrusion at one of its Midwest divisions. In the prior year third fiscal quarter, the Company incurred a $7.6 million pre-tax charge associated with the retirement of $100 million of senior notes completed in June 2003.

Beazer Homes Executes on Share Repurchase Plan

During the quarter ended June 30, 2004, the Company repurchased 179,800 shares of its common stock for approximately $17.5 million. These repurchases were made under the Company's previously announced stock repurchase plan authorized by the Board of Directors in February 2003. To date, 307,800 shares have been repurchased under the one million share authorization.

Beazer Homes Targets EPS of $16.50 - $16.75 in Fiscal 2004

"Our performance for the nine months ended June 30, 2004, combined with record backlog and 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 also drive best practices to achieve optimal efficiencies, will place us in a strong position for continued growth. Absent any unanticipated adverse changes, we are raising our outlook for diluted earnings per share to be in the range of $16.50 - $16.75 in fiscal 2004."

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, West Virginia 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, potential liability as a result of construction defect, product liability and warranty claims, the possibility that the Company's improvement plan for the Midwest will not achieve desired results, and other factors described in the Company's Form S-4/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 9, 2004 and 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         Nine Months Ended
                               June 30,               June 30,
                        ---------------------- -----------------------
                            2004       2003        2004        2003
                        ----------- ---------- ----------- -----------
INCOME STATEMENT
Revenues                $1,009,279   $771,758  $2,695,968  $2,137,485
Costs and expenses:
 Home construction and
  land sales               801,865    612,602   2,145,834   1,704,052
 Selling, general and
  administrative expense   111,176     85,618     300,400     239,342
 Expenses related to
  retirement of debt             -      7,570           -       7,570
                        ----------- ---------- ----------- -----------
Operating income            96,238     65,968     249,734     186,521
Other income                 1,599      1,287       5,551       4,523
                        ----------- ---------- ----------- -----------

Income before income
 taxes                      97,837     67,255     255,285     191,044
Income taxes                38,157     26,566      99,561      75,463
                        ----------- ---------- ----------- -----------
Net income                  59,680     40,689     155,724     115,581
                        =========== ========== =========== ===========

Net income per common
 share:
 Basic                       $4.48      $3.16      $11.70       $9.01
                        =========== ========== =========== ===========
 Diluted                     $4.31      $3.01      $11.25       $8.59
                        =========== ========== =========== ===========


Weighted average shares
 outstanding, in thousands:
 Basic                      13,320     12,857      13,311      12,828
 Diluted                    13,843     13,530      13,845      13,454

Interest incurred          $19,469    $16,120     $54,872     $49,618
Interest amortized to
 cost of sales             $17,309    $14,049     $46,183     $38,149
Depreciation and
 amortization               $4,065     $3,913     $12,100      $9,597

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA     June 30,

                            2004       2003
                        ----------- ----------
Cash                      $199,627    $15,356
Inventory                2,352,869  1,654,356
Total assets             2,976,031  2,040,773
Total debt               1,124,067    741,104
Shareholders' equity     1,137,683    925,966
                        BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.
        CONSOLIDATED OPERATING AND FINANCIAL DATA (Continued)
                        (Dollars in thousands)



OPERATING DATA
------------------------------

                                    Quarter Ended    Nine Months Ended
                                       June 30,          June 30,
                               ----------------------- ---------------
SELECTED OPERATING DATA           2004        2003      2004    2003
                               ----------- ----------- ------- -------
Closings:
    Southeast region                1,340       1,204   3,794   3,390
    West region                     1,562       1,174   4,180   3,309
    Central region                    216         296     664     834
    Mid-Atlantic region               409         261   1,094     789
    Midwest region                    534         681   1,621   2,073
                               ----------- ----------- ------- -------
Total closings                      4,061       3,616  11,353  10,395
                               =========== =========== ======= =======
New orders, net of
 cancellations:
    Southeast region                1,657       1,673   4,336   4,316
    West region                     1,823       1,474   5,162   3,690
    Central region                    297         332     833     860
    Mid-Atlantic region               427         434   1,146   1,382
    Midwest region                    665         821   1,728   2,206
                               ----------- ----------- ------- -------
Total new orders                    4,869       4,734  13,205  12,454
                               =========== =========== ======= =======
Backlog units at end of period:
    Southeast region                2,863       2,793
    West region                     3,269       2,214
    Central region                    565         533
    Mid-Atlantic region             1,169       1,293
    Midwest region                  1,412       1,745
                               ----------- -----------
Total backlog units                 9,278       8,578
                               =========== ===========
Dollar value of backlog at end
 of period                     $2,304,705  $1,781,936
                               =========== ===========
Active subdivisions:
    Southeast region                  189         187
    West region                        93          86
    Central region                     44          42
    Mid-Atlantic region                55          39
    Midwest region                    126         135
                               ----------- -----------
Total active subdivisions             507         489
                               =========== ===========
                        BEAZER HOMES USA, INC.
        CONSOLIDATED OPERATING AND FINANCIAL DATA (Continued)
                        (Dollars in thousands)



                             Quarter Ended        Nine Months Ended
                               June 30,               June 30,
                         --------------------- -----------------------
SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL
 DATA:                       2004      2003        2004        2003
                         ----------- --------- ----------- -----------

Revenues
   Home sales              $989,961  $745,221  $2,636,896  $2,089,605
   Land and lot sales        10,570    16,466      32,136      19,803
   Mortgage origination
    revenue                  11,531    14,941      35,971      40,351
   Intercompany
    elimination -
    mortgage                 (2,783)   (4,870)     (9,035)    (12,274)
                         ----------- --------- ----------- -----------
Total revenues           $1,009,279  $771,758  $2,695,968  $2,137,485
                         =========== ========= =========== ===========
Cost of home construction
 and land sales
   Home sales              $794,875  $603,549  $2,125,202  $1,699,754
   Land and lot sales         9,773    13,923      29,667      16,572
   Intercompany
    elimination -
    mortgage                 (2,783)   (4,870)     (9,035)    (12,274)
                         ----------- --------- ----------- -----------
Total costs of home
 construction and land
 sales                     $801,865  $612,602  $2,145,834  $1,704,052
                         =========== ========= =========== ===========
Selling, general and
 administrative
   Homebuilding
    operations             $103,403   $78,026    $277,510    $217,872
   Mortgage origination
    operations                7,773     7,592      22,890      21,470
                         ----------- --------- ----------- -----------
Total selling, general
 and administrative        $111,176   $85,618    $300,400    $239,342
                         =========== ========= =========== ===========

    CONTACT: Beazer Homes USA, Inc., Atlanta
             Investor Relations
             Leslie H. Kratcoski, 770-829-3764
             lkratcos@beazer.com`

    SOURCE: Beazer Homes USA, Inc.