Lower costs a plus, but sales remain weak

Article Excerpt

LA-Z-BOY INC. $11 (New York symbol LZB; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 51.6 million; Market cap: $567.6 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.5; No dividends paid since March 2009; WSSF Rating: Speculative) makes upholstered reclining chairs and sofas. It also imports wooden furniture, such as tables and entertainment centres. The company sells its products through both large department stores and 311 La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery stores. The company owns 68 of these outlets. Franchisees own the remaining 243. Weak U.S. housing markets have hurt new-furniture demand. The company responded with an aggressive cost-cutting plan that included laying off 25% of its workforce, shifting production to low-cost countries, such as Mexico, and closing unprofitable stores. La-Z-Boy is now starting to see the benefits of this plan: In its second quarter, which ended October 24, 2009, the company earned $0.12 a share. A year earlier, it lost $0.27 a share. These figures exclude costs related to La-Z-Boy’s restructuring. The savings generated by the plan were…