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Text: We certainly hope you and your family continue to remain safe and healthy, in what remains a challenging environment.
As usual, we have a few reminders before we go into results.
These statements are based on management's current expectation, but may differ from actual results or outcomes.
In addition, we may refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures.
Turning to today's discussion of our results.
I'll start by covering our usual top line commentary, with highlights in each of our segments.
Kevin will then address our total company results, as well as our FY '21 outlook.
Finally, Linda will offer her perspective and we'll close with Q&A.
For the total company, Q1 sales increased 27%, reflecting about a point of benefit from the acquisition of majority interest in our joint venture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and about a point of headwinds from unfavorable foreign exchange impact.
This quarter's 27% organic sales growth is supported by double digit sales growth in eight of our 10 businesses.
I'll now go through our results by segment.
In our Health and Wellness segment, Q1 sales were up 28%, reflecting double digit growth in all three businesses.
Our Cleaning business had another quarter of double digit growth behind continued strong demand, for our disinfecting products.
While we continue to make progress expanding supply, we're still not at a point where we can fully meet ongoing elevated demand.
Despite those constraints, our Clorox brand continues to see increases in both household penetration and repeat rates.
We've been investing behind this momentum to convert new users to loyal consumers, and we've been seeing very strong return on our investment.
On the innovation front, our bleach complexion effort is now complete.
The Clorox fabric sanitizer platform and Clorox disinfecting wet mopping cloth, both continue to show strong growth.
On a related note, our wet mopping cloth, along with our Clorox and Clorox Scentiva branded disinfecting wipes and Pine-Sol multi-surface cleaner, all recently received approval from the EPA, for kill claims against the virus that causes COVID-19 on hard non-porous surfaces.
Our professional products business also had double-digit sales growth behind strong shipments across all of our disinfecting product lines.
A key driver of growth this quarter was the total Clorox Total 360 system, which uses an electrostatic technology to deliver disinfectants to large, hard to reach areas.
To support sales and continued momentum in this business, we're bringing online, new production capacity this month, for the disinfectant used in these devices.
In addition, we've created a dedicated out of home team, that focuses on growth opportunities in new channels and spaces, to further build on strategic alliances with already established, with Uber Technologies, United Airlines, AMC Theaters and Cleveland Clinic.
Lastly, within this segment, our Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements business grew sales by double digits this quarter.
This strong growth was driven by shipments to replenish retail inventories, following the recent supply disruptions, and by shipments in support of our RenewLife brand relaunch.
Our priorities this year are, to continue to improve service levels, in order to capture the strong consumption trend; execute the RenewLife brand relaunch with excellence; and deliver consumer meaningful innovation.
Turning to the Household segment; Q1 sales were up 39% with growth in all three businesses.
Grilling sales more than doubled this quarter, due mainly to strong consumption behind the grilling occasions and increased household penetration.
Sales growth this quarter was also driven partly by customer replenishment of inventory.
We've been very pleased to see the strong turnaround of this business, reflected in our continued share growth, strong collaboration with the retailers, and successful entry into the pellet category, with our Kingsford pellets continuing to build distribution and share.
With recent increases in grilling occasions and new households, including millennials, we're optimistic about the prospects of this business, and will invest behind this momentum to drive long-term profitable category growth.
Glad sales were up by double-digits in Q1, behind ongoing strong demand for our products, as consumers continue to spend more time at home.
We're building on this momentum with a consistent stream of innovation, including our new Glad ForceFlex with Clorox trash bags, which launched in September.
This product eliminates Food and bacterial odors throughout the trash bags, and has already earned more than 1,000 five star ratings online from consumers.
Our Glad ForceFlex trash bags with unique fragrances and colors, which launched in Q3, also continue to perform well, and are among top selling new items at major retailers.
Cat Litter sales grew in Q1, driven mainly by strong online shipments in innovation, supported by higher advertising investments.
We're encouraged by our return to share growth in Fresh Step, behind the continued strong performance of Fresh Step Clean Paws innovation platform and the strong start of Fresh Step with Gain Original Scented Litter with the power of Febreze.
In our Lifestyle segment, Q1 sales increased 17% with double-digit growth in two of three businesses.
Brita sales were up by double-digits for the third consecutive quarter.
The growth is driven by -- mainly by continued strong consumption, especially in larger sized systems and long last systems and filters.
Sales growth was also driven partly by customer replenishment of inventory, an effort our team has been very focused on.
Household penetration for Brita continues to grow, which gives us more reason to invest further.
We'll be introducing a new and improved LongLast Plus filter, that allows water to flow faster and captures more contaminants, along with a new pitcher.
The Food business also saw double-digit sales growth, behind ongoing strong consumption of our Hidden Valley Ranch products, which continues to benefit from more at-home eating occasions.
This is another business where we're seeing household penetration growth.
We will continue to invest in innovation, and are encouraged to see a strong start to our new Hidden Valley Ranch secret sauce dressing.
Finally Burt's Bees sales decreased this quarter.
As the business continued to be impacted by lower store traffic, especially in parts of the store, where Burt's Bees products are typically found.
We've since accelerated our online strategy and strengthened our presence in the fast growing cough and cold category, with the launch of a new line of Rescue Balm with turmeric.
While we expect the categorywide challenges to persist in the short term, we have strong confidence in the Burt's Bees brand and its long-term growth prospects, supported by a robust innovation platform.
Now turning to International; Q1 sales grew 18%, driven by ongoing elevated demand for our products, disinfecting products, and essential household products across nearly every geography.
Organic sales grew 17%, reflecting about 9 points of benefit from the Saudi JV acquisition and about 8 points of unfavorable foreign currency headwinds.
Our international business has very strong momentum and we're looking to build on that through investments that accelerate our IGNITE Strategy.
Increasing the stake in our Saudi JV is just an example of that.
Another example is the international expansion of our Clorox disinfecting wipes, which are now being supported by a dedicated supply chain, separate from that in the U.S.
This will allow us to better meet ongoing elevated demand in our existing international markets where we currently offer wipes, and to launch this consumer preferred form into new geographies.
I sincerely hope you and your families are well.
I'm pleased with our very strong start to the fiscal year, reflecting broad based strength across our portfolio, with double-digit volume, sales and profit growth in each of our reporting segments.
Additionally, each reporting segment delivered gross margin expansion, contributing to our eighth consecutive quarter of gross margin expansion for the company.
Turning to our first quarter results; first quarter sales were up 27%, driven by 22 points of organic volume growth and 5 points of favorable price mix.
Sales results also included one point of growth from acquiring majority control of our Saudi joint venture, offset by one point of FX headwinds.
On an organic basis, sales grew 27%.
Gross margin for the quarter increased 400 basis points to 48% compared to 44% in the year ago quarter.
First quarter gross margin included the benefit of strong volume growth, as well as 170 basis points of cost savings and 150 basis points of favorable mix.
These factors were partially offset by 300 basis points of higher manufacturing and logistics costs, which were similar to last quarter, included temporary COVID-19 spending.
Selling and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales came in at 12% compared to 14% in the year ago quarter.
Primarily from increased operating leverage.
advertising and sales promotion investment levels as a percentage of sales, came in at about 9%, equal to the year ago quarter.
We're spending for our U.S. retail business coming in at 11% of sales.
Importantly, this represented about a 30% increase in advertising support this quarter, compared to the year ago period, reflecting stronger investments to support our ambition to accelerate long-term profitable growth.
Our first quarter effective tax rate was 21%, compared to 22% in the year ago quarter, primarily driven by the impact of our increased ownership of our Saudi joint venture.
Net of all these factors, we delivered diluted net earnings per share of $3.22 versus $1.59 in the year ago quarter, an increase of 103%.
Excluding the contribution from our Saudi joint venture acquisition, Q1 diluted earnings per share grew 66%.
Our strong cash flow, was due to profitable sales growth, partially offset by higher employee incentive compensation payments made in the first quarter, which were related to our fiscal year '20 performance.
Turning to our fiscal year outlook; we now anticipate fiscal year sales to grow between 5% to 9%, reflecting our strong Q1 results, as well as our raised expectations for the balance of the fiscal year, including double-digit growth in Q2.
And as we noted last quarter, we continue to anticipate deceleration in the back half of fiscal year '21, as we lap double-digit growth in the same period in fiscal year '20, when we saw the initial spike in COVID-19.
Importantly we continue to assume or back half sales results will be significantly stronger relative to pre-pandemic sales levels.
We also continue to anticipate about one point of contribution from our Saudi joint venture, offset by one point of foreign exchange headwinds.
On an organic sales basis, our outlook assumes 5% to 9% growth.
We expect fiscal year gross margin to be about flat, reflecting the benefit of strong cost savings and higher sales, offset by rising commodity and transportation costs, as well as temporary costs related to COVID-19.
For perspective, we expect gross margin expansion in the front half, followed by a contraction over the balance of the fiscal year, as we lap gross margin expansion of 250 basis points delivered in the back half of fiscal year '20, driven by strong operating leverage from robust shipment growth during the initial phase of the pandemic.
We continue to expect fiscal year selling and administrative expenses to be about 14% of sales, as we continue to invest aggressively in long-term growth initiatives.
Additionally, we continue to anticipate fiscal year advertising spending to be about 11% of sales, spending closer to 10% in the front half of the year and 12% in the back half, in support of our robust innovation program.
We now expect our fiscal year tax rate to be between 21% to 22%.
Net of these factors, we now expect fiscal year '21 diluted earnings per share to increase between 5% to 8% or $7.70 to $7.95 reflecting our assumption for stronger top line performance, partially offset by a rising cost environment.
As we shared last quarter, our fiscal year diluted earnings per share outlook continues to include a contribution of $0.45 to $0.53 from our increased stake in our Saudi Arabia joint venture, primarily driven by a one-time non-cash gain.
Excluding the impact of the Saudi acquisition, our fiscal year diluted earnings per share reflects strong investments behind the robust momentum we're seeing broadly in our portfolio.
We're engaging new consumers, supporting back half innovation plans and expanding our portfolio into new channels and markets, all in support of our ambition to accelerate long-term profitable growth.
In closing, I'm pleased with our very strong start to fiscal year '21, [Indecipherable] both top and bottom line performance across our reporting segments.
This provides a strong foundation for a continued momentum, which we plan to drive through aggressive investments in our IGNITE Strategy, in support of creating long-term shareholder value.
I hope you are well and in good spirits, as we continue to navigate this pandemic.
It's great to be joining you on my first call as CEO, especially after the tremendous first quarter we delivered.
Our results show what Clorox does best.
We serve people who count on our brands, especially during a time when they need to feel safe, and when their home is the center of their world.
This reinforces my first message; our outstanding results are a reflection of our team's dedication to serving consumers and communities.
I am incredibly proud to see the broad based strength in our portfolio, with double-digit sales and profit growth in all reporting segments.
In the last eight months, all eyes have been on Clorox disinfecting products, and our brands delivered once again this quarter, with double-digit sales growth in our Cleaning and Professional Products businesses, reflecting continued higher usage of products in homes, businesses and healthcare settings.
And now, we're also shining a brighter light on the terrific performance delivered by other parts of our portfolio, with double-digit sales growth in eight of 10 businesses, demonstrating the important role our brands play in addressing people's everyday needs.
It's particularly gratifying to see great results from our Grilling and Glad businesses, as the team has been relentless in driving progress on our business plans, including meaningful innovation.
Based on double-digit top line increases and significant margin expansion in our first quarter, we delivered very strong earnings growth for our shareholders and I'm happy we were able to raise our fiscal year outlook.
These results would not be possible without the passion and commitment of our Clorox teammates around the world.
While I feel good about our financial performance for the quarter, there is one thing that continues to keep me up at night.
Our ongoing focus to meet unprecedented demand for much of our portfolio.
We're certainly encouraged by the progress we're making in a number of businesses, including having Clorox Bleach mostly back on store shelves, but there is more work to be done.
I can assure you that our teams are leaving no stone unturned across all businesses experiencing elevated demand.
We're continuing to focus on products that can be made faster, and investing significantly in third party supply sources in an efforts to expedite our products to retailers.
Our consumers, retail partners and communities are counting on us, and I want people to know that maximizing supply continues to be top priority.
Next the Clorox team and I will play 1% offense behind our strong portfolio of leading brands consumers love, in support of our ambition to accelerate long-term profitable growth.
I feel privileged to be CEO of this special company and I have my sights set on extending our momentum longer term.
In this uncertain environment, people are turning to brands they trust, and we're proud to have trusted brands in our categories.
We're seeing this play out in strong helpful penetration, not just in our disinfecting products, but in many parts of our portfolio.
For perspective, the percentage of our total portfolio was stable or growing household penetration has more than doubled year-over-year, and as I look beyond the pandemic and try to answer the question of whether or not we can sustain our strong results, I'm encouraged by the trends we're seeing, particularly consumer behaviors formed during the last seven months.
They are good indicators our brands will continue to play a meaningful role in people's daily life.
For example, people are prioritizing Health and Wellness, drinking more water and taking vitamins and supplements.
Focusing on safety and hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting, in and out of their homes.
Staying home more, including cooking, grilling, spending time with family and adopting a pet.
Spending more time online with about 90% of people saying they've shopped online since the pandemic.
There are strong signs these behaviors will stick over the long term, as people have been building these habits for three times longer than it normally takes routines to form.
And while early, we're encouraged by the strong repeat rates we're seeing across our portfolio, among core and new consumers.
This is the time for 100% offense and that means investing significantly behind our global portfolio, including through advertising and market leading innovation.
Increasing capital spending to expand production capacity in the near and long term and partnering with retailers, to enhance shopping experiences and grow our categories.
With the strength of our global portfolio, the sustained consumer behaviors we're seeing and our significant investments to drive growth, Clorox is in a great position to keep winning with consumers.
And finally the defining opportunity for Clorox is simple, to serve even more people around the world, with the strategy that helps us make the most of who we are and where we have strategic advantage.
Our IGNITE Strategy puts people at the center of everything we do, and fundamentally we will address consumer needs and follow them in the most meaningful ways we can.
Here's what I would highlight; Clorox is a Health and Wellness company at heart.
With the strength of our brands and capabilities in disinfecting, we're in a great position to extend our role in public health.
We'll continue to lean into the strategic alliances we've established with leading brands to keep their customers safe, and we'll certainly pursue more of these types of relationships with other organizations, to increase our support for people outside of their homes.
I'm also excited about expanding Clorox disinfecting wipes in International, supported by a dedicated supply chain that will allow us to scale this business in our existing markets and enter new geographies.
More than ever, people are online and we believe digital behavior is here to stay.
Clorox has leaned into e-commerce and digital marketing early, so that people can engage with our brands, in a more personal and relevant way.
As people navigate a tough economy with pressures from unemployment and less discretionary spending, they'll continue to turn to brands they trust, and we'll continue to earn their trust and loyalty by focusing on superior value.
And what's also important to me, is that we continue to be committed to growing the right way, guided by our values and with ESG embedded into our business.
It's how we help our people, our communities and our planet thrive, now and in the future.

user
compname reports q1 earnings per share $3.22.
q1 earnings per share $3.22.
in q1, sales increased 27%, driven by double-digit growth in eight of 10 business units due to covid-19.
first-quarter gross margin increased 400 basis points to 48% from 44% in year-ago quarter.
sees 5% to 9% sales growth in 2021.
sees $7.70 to $7.95 diluted earnings per share range in 2021.

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