Moments ago JCP announced results for Q3 which were atrocious, with Q3 earnings of -$1.81 coming in worse than already numerously lowered expectations of -$1.74. Comp store sales declined 4.8% with total revenues of $2.779 billion in the quarter, even as margins continued contracting, and dipped to 29.5%. The margin chart below says it all: Q3 margins have followed the following path: 2011- 37.4%, 2012 - 32.%5; 2013 - 29.5%... one can figure out what comes next. But most notably, in Q3 the company once again ignited its cash burn afterburners, with total free cash flow of $898 million, bringing the total cash burn for 2013 to a whopping $3 billion! Luckily for the company, in 2013 it has been able to fund all of this cash burn through a combination of cash and stock, amounting to $3.2 billion YTD. At October 31, the company had $1.2 billion in total cash which should allow it to enter 2014 without filing for bankruptcy, although with a total debt load of $5.6 billion compared to $3 billion a year ago, only very foolish people can possibly see how this story has anything but a very unhappy ending.
And with yet another horrible quarter in the books, and the company still hemmorhaging cash, we enter the make or break Q4, where revenues jump as margin crater, but cash flows are expected to increase. Because if JCP can't generate positive FCF in the holiday quarter, it's pretty much game over.
Free Cash Flow:
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Revenues - Q4 will clearly be the liquidation make or break quarter.
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Margins - liquidation comes at a price: if the margin is too low there will be no FCF. Can the company pull it off?
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