The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (NYSE:NAPA) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Alex Ryan: Doing great, still trying to still make some notes on your questions. We got a lot in there. Let me just start out by saying, yeah, let me just start out by saying — if I remember correctly, back to your original areas, we’re really happy with our days on hand. We don’t think we’re seeing any destocking issues as it relates to our products and our business. I’m not going to comment about competitors. Our wholesale sales have been very balanced and sustainable. And we’ve gained on accounts sold and average labels per account. So again, we continue to hit on strategy. We’ve made some investments in our sales force. I’m glad we did, and it continues to pay off directly as planned. And again, I think, supports that outcompeting of the competitors.

We talked a little bit about some of the luxury had a couple of tough comps in prior year’s growth. I think our results would speak to prior year growth plus the swapping of the cost of brown was still kind of hit it out of the park. So I’m quite pleased with the trajectory we set ourselves up on. We could probably take the macro environment on some one-on-one calls and talk about what we all think is going to happen there. But I still believe that with our brand strengths, our go-to-market strategy that we’re going to continue to take share even around the macro environment pressures that we’re all aware of. So maybe that give you a little bit of context. Lori, you might be able to address over margin question.

Lori Beaudoin: Sure. Yeah. So Andrea, you mentioned thinking about — a little bit about the SG&A. So in Q3, our adjusted EBITDA and our margin did enjoy some upside from SG&A favorability, which really is a function of timing. And we’re going to see that flow into Q4. So roughly to give you a little more context — a little more than half of the about $7 million in Q3 adjusted EBITDA beat versus consensus. Consensus is due to a timing shift. And that’s, like I said, SG&A shifting from Q3 into Q4. And if you’d like a little more context on that, really, it’s in around outside services and then some timing of selling expenses.

Andrea Teixeira: Yeah. No, I do recall, Lori and thank you for reminding all of us that — there was that time shift. But I think to Peter’s question, I think, was also the gross margin is still struggling because I do believe from at least what I remember that DTC in particular, even though the Appalachian maybe it’s not as — the Appalachian series is not as profitable on a GM level. But two is profitable, right, I mean if I understand like KB carries a higher gross margin. So I’m puzzled to realize that your gross margin on a sequential basis would be lower. Is that just being conservative? Because I do know you have a lot of visibility by now what you’re going to sell. So I just want to find out or you just promos that you’re helping or on the other part of the portfolio?

Lori Beaudoin: No. So you’re correct. The Appalachian series is our largest series of the KB offering, and it does have a nice healthy margin. But when we look at flow through of our other brands and our other products and our demand plan expectation. There’s a bit of offset of some of that upside just part of our normal winery brand margins that will offset. So as we look at how we think it will flow through, that’s really how we think we’ll land in terms of about around that 53% to a little bit higher for the full year rolled up.