Strong Liquidity and Debt-Free Balance Sheet
Total cash and investments of $179.3 million with no debt at quarter end; continued payment of regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.39 per share (~$10 million) and Board-declared dividend to be paid in February.
Robust Gross Margin Expansion
Consolidated gross margin of 60.9%, up 60 basis points year-over-year, driven by favorable sales mix, reduced headcount, higher average ticket, and lower inbound freight.
Improved Operating Profitability
Adjusted operating income of $13.5 million and adjusted operating margin of 9.0% (360 basis points higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 Q2 operating margin of 5.4%).
Adjusted EPS and Backlog
Adjusted diluted EPS of $0.44 for the quarter; ended the quarter with a wholesale backlog of $49.8 million (backlog reduced by lower contract volume and improved customer lead times).
Headcount Reduction and Productivity Gains
Total associates of 3,149, a 5.1% decrease year-over-year, reflecting productivity improvements from technology and talent (cited as a contributor to margin strength).
Marketing Investment and Early Demand Recovery
Marketing spend increased ~25%, mostly in digital channels; company reported stronger traffic and positive written sales in January (start of Q3), indicating early demand improvement following the quarter.
Targeted Price Actions and Sourcing Mitigation
Selective retail price increases averaging ~5% implemented in October and ongoing supplier/vendor cost-sharing and sourcing diversification efforts to mitigate recently enacted tariffs; North American manufacturing (~75% of product) cited as structural tariff mitigation.