Hostess Brands, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2017 Financial Results

First Quarter 2017 Net Revenue Increased 15.2% to $184.5 million from Pro Forma First Quarter 2016

Company Reaffirms Full Year 2017 Outlook

KANSAS CITY, Mo--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hostess Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: TWNK, TWNKW) (the “Company”), a leading manufacturer and marketer in the United States of sweet baked goods, including Hostess®, Twinkies®, Ding Dongs®, Ho Hos®, Donettes® and a variety of other new and classic treats, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.

Hostess® is the second leading brand by market share within the Sweet Baked Goods ("SBG") category. For the 52-week period ended March 25, 2017 the Company's market share was 17% per Nielsen’s U.S. SBG category data. The Company has a #1 leading market position within the two largest SBG Segments: Donut Segment and Snack Cake Segment, and have a #2 leading market position in total Sweet Baked Goods, according to Nielsen U.S. total universe for the 52 weeks ended March 25, 2017. The Donut and Snack Cake Segments together account for 49% of the Sweet Baked Goods category's total dollar sales.

The Company's results include those of Superior Cake Products, Inc. ("Superior"), which was acquired by the Company on May 10, 2016. Through Superior, the Company competes in the in-store bakery section of retailers.

On November 4, 2016, the Company completed the acquisition of a controlling interest in Hostess Holdings, L.P. ("Hostess Holdings") and changed its name from Gores Holdings, Inc. to Hostess Brands, Inc. (the "Business Combination"). As a result, the Company's consolidated financial results are presented: (i) as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 (Successor); (ii) for the three months ended March 31, 2017 (Successor); and (iii) for the three months ended March 31, 2016 (Predecessor).

The Company has also presented supplemental unaudited pro forma financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2016, giving effect to the Business Combination as if it had occurred on January 1, 2016. All references in this press release to results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, refer to such unaudited pro forma results. The Company believes this pro forma information provides helpful supplemental information with respect to the performance of the Hostess business during this period.

The Company also has supplemented its discussion with a presentation of adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure. Please refer to the schedules in this press release for explanations and reconciliations of this and other non-GAAP financial measures.

First Quarter 2017 Financial Highlights

• Net revenue for the first quarter 2017 increased 15.2%, or $24.3 million from pro forma first quarter of 2016 (net revenue increased 9.1%, excluding revenue from the Company's In-Store Bakery segment)
• Net income for the first quarter 2017 was $24.2 million, an increase of $11.9 million, compared to $12.3 million for the pro forma first quarter of 2016
• EPS on a fully diluted basis was $0.15 per share
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 13.3%, or $6.4 million, to $54.5 million for the first quarter of 2017 from $48.1 million for the pro forma first quarter of 2016

“We are pleased with our strong start to the year and continued ability to gain market share,” commented Bill Toler, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “Our 2017 new product initiatives and our holiday and seasonal programs provided solid growth in the first quarter and we are optimistic about their potential for the year."

First Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Net revenue was $184.5 million for the first quarter of 2017, an increase of $24.3 million, or 15.2%, compared to pro forma net revenue of $160.2 million for the first quarter of 2016. The increase was primarily due to $9.7 million of revenue from In-Store Bakery; the initial launch of the Company's 2017 new product initiatives, including Chocolate Cake Twinkies®, Golden Cupcakes, and White Fudge Ding Dongs®, among others; continued growth from the Company's 2016 new product initiatives; and increased distribution.

Gross profit was $79.3 million for the first quarter of 2017, an increase of $9.2 million, or 13.2%, compared to pro forma gross profit of $70.1 million for the first quarter of 2016, driven by the increase in revenue.

Gross margin was 43.0% for the first quarter of 2017, compared to 43.7% for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. The decrease in gross margin was primarily due to a shift in product mix to include the Company's In-Store Bakery segment.

Advertising, selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $28.6 million for the first quarter of 2017, or 15.5% of net revenue, compared to $23.6 million, or 14.7% of net revenue, for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. This increase was primarily attributable to increased professional service expenses, the addition of Superior's operations, increased non-cash share based compensation and increased brokerage costs.

The effective tax rate was 29.2% for the first quarter of 2017, giving effect to the non-controlling interest which represents an ownership interest in a partnership for income tax purposes. The pro forma first quarter 2016 effective tax rate was 28.5%. The increase in the effective tax rate is attributed to the acquisition of Superior.

Net income was $24.2 million, or $0.15 per share, for the first quarter of 2017, compared to net income of $12.3 million, or $0.08 per share, for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. The increase in net income was primarily attributed to revenue and gross profit growth. Other factors causing the increase in net income included the $7.3 million impairment loss recognized during the first quarter of 2016 and a decrease in first quarter 2017 interest expense. Net income of $15.8 million was allocated to Class A common stockholders for the first quarter of 2017, while the remaining $8.4 million was allocated to the non-controlling interest.

Adjusted EBITDA was $54.5 million for the first quarter of 2017, an increase of $6.4 million, or 13.3%, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $48.1 million for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. As a percentage of net revenue, adjusted EBITDA was 29.5% for the first quarter of 2017, compared to 30.0% in the same period last year. The decrease is primarily due to a shift in product mix to include the Company's In-Store Bakery segment. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Please refer to the schedules in this press release for reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures.

First Quarter 2017 Segment Results

The Company has two reportable segments: Sweet Baked Goods and Other. The Sweet Baked Goods segment consists of sweet baked goods and the Other segment consists of branded bread and buns, in-store bakery products, frozen retail and licensing.

Sweet Baked Goods Segment: Net revenue for the first quarter of 2017 was $168.4 million, an increase of $13.7 million, or 8.9%, compared to pro forma net revenue of $154.7 million for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. Gross profit for the first quarter of 2017 was $74.9 million, or 44.5% of net revenue, compared to gross profit of $68.1 million, or 44.0% of net revenue, for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. Gross margin increases were due to favorable commodity pricing.

Other Segment: Net revenue for the first quarter of 2017 was $16.1 million, an increase of $10.6 million, or 193.4%, compared to net revenue of $5.5 million for the pro forma first quarter of 2016. This increase is primarily due to the impact of the Superior acquisition completed May 10, 2016. Gross profit for the first quarter of 2017 was $4.4 million, or 27.4% of net revenue, compared to gross profit of $1.9 million, or 35.2% of net revenue for the pro forma first quarter of 2016.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of March 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $45.7 million and approximately $97.2 million available for borrowing, net of letters of credit, under its revolving line of credit. The Company had outstanding term loan debt of $996.3 million and net debt of $950.6 million as of March 31, 2017, resulting in a total pro forma combined leverage ratio of 4.29x based on pro forma combined adjusted EBITDA of $221.7 million for the twelve months ended March 31, 2017. (See the schedules in the press release for the calculation of the pro forma combined leverage ratio and a reconciliation of pro forma combined adjusted EBITDA to pro forma combined net income of $94.4 million for the twelve months ended March 31, 2017.)

Outlook

The Company expects to continue to grow above the sweet baked goods category in 2017. The Company reaffirms anticipated net revenue of $781 million and adjusted EBITDA of $235 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. (See the schedules in the press release for a reconciliation of anticipated 2017 adjusted EBITDA to anticipated net income of $98 million for 2017)

Based upon the Company's anticipated net income of $98 million for 2017, $33 million is expected to be allocated to the non-controlling interest based on the current ownership percentage in Hostess Holdings. The remaining $65 million allocated to Class A Common stockholders is expected to result in $0.66 basic earnings per share and $0.61 diluted earnings per share for the full year based on expected basic and diluted shares outstanding of approximately 98.7 million and 106.8 million, respectively.

Income tax related payments to be made by the Company relating to 2017 activity include: (i) tax payments between $20 million and $23 million during 2017 to cover the Company's current federal and state income tax liabilities, (ii) between $16 million and $19 million of distributions to the holders of the non-controlling interest to reimburse their income tax liability, and (iii) between $13 million and $15 million of payments to the selling equityholders of Hostess Holdings for 2017 activity under the terms of the tax receivable agreement. The tax receivable agreement payment is expected to be made in 2018.

The Company believes that it is well positioned to grow and enhance shareholder value through the execution of its strategic initiatives. These key strategic initiatives are focused on further core distribution expansion, continued new product initiatives and line extensions, the pursuit of white space opportunities and serving as a platform for future acquisitions.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a conference call and webcast today, May 9, 2017 at 4:30 pm EDT to discuss the results for the first quarter.

Investors interested in participating in the live call can dial 877-451-6152 from the U.S. and 201-389-0879 internationally. A telephone replay will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes through Tuesday, May 23, 2017, by dialing 844-512-2921 from the U.S., or 412-317-6671 from international locations, and entering confirmation code 13660965.

There will also be a simultaneous, live webcast available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.hostessbrands.com. The webcast will be archived for 30 days.

About Hostess Brands, Inc.

The Company is one of the leading packaged food companies focused on developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and distributing fresh baked sweet goods in the United States. The brand's history dates back to 1919, when the Hostess® CupCake was introduced to the public, followed by Twinkies® in 1930. Today, the Company produces a variety of new and classic treats including Ding Dongs®, Ho Hos®, Donettes®, SweetShop™ and Fruit Pies, in addition to Twinkies® and CupCakes.

For more information about Hostess products and Hostess Brands, please visit hostesscakes.com. Follow Hostess on Twitter: @Hostess_Snacks; on Facebook: facebook.com/Hostess; on Instagram: Hostess_Snacks; and on Pinterest: pinterest.com/hostesscakes.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements reflecting our views about our future performance that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are generally identified through the inclusion of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “will,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” or similar language. Statements addressing our future operating performance and statements addressing events and developments that we expect or anticipate will occur are also considered as forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

These statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, maintaining, extending and expanding our reputation and brand image; protecting our intellectual property rights; leveraging our brand value to compete against lower-priced alternative brands; correctly predicting, identifying and interpreting changes in consumer preferences and demand and offering new products to meet those changes; operating in a highly competitive industry; our continued ability to produce and successfully market products with extended shelf life; our ability to drive revenue growth in our key products or add products that are faster-growing and more profitable; volatility in commodity, energy, and other input prices; our dependence on our major customers; our geographic focus could make us particularly vulnerable to economic and other events and trends in North America; increased costs in order to comply with governmental regulation; general political, social and economic conditions; a portion of our workforce belongs to unions and strikes or work stoppages could cause our business to suffer; product liability claims, product recalls, or regulatory enforcement actions; unanticipated business disruptions; dependence on third parties for significant services; our insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims; failures, unavailability, or disruptions of our information technology systems; our ability to achieve expected synergies and benefits and performance from our strategic acquisitions; dependence on key personnel or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; and our ability to finance our indebtedness on terms favorable to us; and other risks as set forth from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

SUPPLEMENTAL UNAUDITED PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The unaudited pro forma statements of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 present our consolidated results of operations giving pro forma effect as if the Business Combination (as defined below) had occurred as of January 1, 2016. The pro forma adjustments are based on available information and upon assumptions that our management believes are reasonable in order to reflect, on a pro forma basis, the impact of these transactions on the historical financial information of our Predecessor entity.

On November 4, 2016 (the “Closing Date”), in a transaction referred to as the “Business Combination,” the Company, then known as Gores Holdings, Inc. acquired a controlling interest in Hostess Holdings, L.P. (“Hostess Holdings”), an entity owned indirectly by C. Dean Metropoulos and certain equity funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (the “Apollo Funds”). Hostess Holdings had acquired the Hostess brand and certain strategic assets out of the bankruptcy liquidation proceedings of its prior owner (“Old Hostess”), free and clear of all past liabilities, in April 2013, and relaunched the Hostess brand later that year.

The Business Combination was accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting. The initial estimated fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities as of the Closing Date, which are based on the consideration paid and estimates and our assumptions, are reflected herein. The total purchase price of approximately $2.4 billion to acquire Hostess Holdings, has been allocated to the assets acquired and assumed liabilities of Hostess Holdings based upon estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. Third party valuation specialists conducted analyses in order to assist our management in determining the fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities assumed. The Company has estimated the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information is included for informational purposes only and does not purport to reflect the results of operations of Hostess Brands, Inc. that would have occurred had the Business Combination occurred as of January 1, 2016.

The unaudited pro forma financial information contains a variety of adjustments, assumptions and estimates, is subject to numerous other uncertainties and the assumptions and adjustments as described in the accompanying notes hereto and should not be relied upon as being indicative of our results of operations had the Business Combination occurred on January 1, 2016. The unaudited pro forma financial information also does not project our results of operations for any future period or date. The acquisition of Superior Cake Products, Inc. (“Superior”) occurred in May 2016. The unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2016 does not include the results of the Superior acquisition and its related operations. We evaluated the impact of the Superior acquisition on the Company’s financial statements and concluded that the impact was not significant and did not require nor separately warrant the inclusion of pro forma financial results assuming the acquisition of Superior at January 1, 2016 under applicable SEC rules and regulations or under GAAP.

On November 18, 2016, we refinanced our first and second lien term loans (the “Former First and Second Lien Term Loans”) into one new first lien term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $998.8 million and with a maturity date of August 3, 2022 (the “New First Lien Term Loan”). We evaluated the impact of the refinancing of existing debt pursuant to the New First Lien Term Loan, completed on November 18, 2016, and concluded that the impact was not significant and did not require nor separately warrant the inclusion of pro forma financial results assuming the completion of the refinancing on January 1, 2016.

The pro forma adjustments give effect to the items identified in the pro forma table below in connection with the Business Combination.

*Included for comparison purposes

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure commonly used in the Company's industry and should not be construed as an alternative to net income as an indicator of operating performance or as an alternative to cash flow provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity (each as determined in accordance with GAAP). Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. The Company has included adjusted EBITDA because it believes it provides management and investors with additional information to measure the Company's performance and liquidity, estimate the Company's value and evaluate the Company's ability to service debt.

We define adjusted EBITDA as net income adjusted to exclude (i) interest expense, net, (ii) depreciation and amortization and (iii) income taxes and (iv) as further adjusted to eliminate the impact of certain items that the Company does not consider indicative of its ongoing operating performance. These further adjustments are itemized below. You are encouraged to evaluate these adjustments and the reasons the Company considers them appropriate for supplemental analysis. In evaluating adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future the Company may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments set forth below. The Company's presentation of adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

Adjusted EBITDA has important limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of the Company's results as reported under GAAP. For example, adjusted EBITDA:

• does not reflect the Company's capital expenditures, future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
• does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, the Company's working capital needs;
• does not reflect the significant interest expenses, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on the Company's debt;
• does not reflect any cash requirements for the assets being depreciated and amortized that may have to be replaced in the future; and
• does not reflect payments related to income taxes, the tax receivable agreement or distributions to the non-controlling interest to reimburse its tax liability.

The Company's presentation of adjusted EBITDA does not exclude the normal annual cash payments associated with its employment agreement with Mr. Metropoulos as the Chief Executive Officer and/or Executive Chairman. These amounts were $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. Following completion of the Business Combination, these expenses will be approximately $0.1 million quarterly.

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA-Guidance for the year ended December 31, 2017

Reconciliation of our 2017 adjusted EBITDA guidance to net income presents inherent difficulty in forecasting certain amounts that are necessary for a full reconciliation to net income. Our outlook for 2017 adjusted EBITDA is based on the same methodology used to present adjusted EBITDA for completed historical and pro forma periods. However, the amounts, if any, of the non-recurring items that are excluded from adjusted EBITDA are highly uncertain and incapable of estimation, and have not been included in the table above. Such non-recurring items may include non-cash expenses for earn out liabilities under the terms of the Business Combination, non-cash expense relating to the tax receivable agreement and/or other items. As such items are excluded from adjusted EBITDA, the occurrence and magnitude thereof, while impacting net income and the reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income, would have no impact on adjusted EBITDA for 2017. In addition, the below reconciliation assumes that the overall capital structure of the Company and effective income tax rates are consistent with the structure at March 31, 2017. Changes to these assumptions could significantly impact our net income for 2017 and accordingly, the reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to net income, but not adjusted EBITDA itself. For additional information regarding our adjusted EBITDA, refer to the related explanations presented above under “Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA”.

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Source: Hostess Brands, Inc.

Released May 9, 2017