Rent to own companies make ownership possible for that portion of the population that doesn't have the cash or credit to just go out and buy things. So they turn to rental companies. Aaron's allows those consumers to lease household items with the potential of ownership at the end of the lease. For many this may be their only option.
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Aaron's, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer of furniture, consumer electronics, computers, appliances, and household accessories in the United States and Canada. It operates through six segments: Sales and Lease Ownership, Progressive, HomeSmart, DAMI, Franchise, and Manufacturing. The company engages in the lease ownership and retail sale of various products, such as televisions, computers, tablets, mobile phones, living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, mattresses, washers, dryers, and refrigerators. It offers products of various brands, such as Samsung, Frigidaire, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Whirlpool, Simmons, Philips, JVC, Sharp, and Magnavox. As of February 29, 2016, the company operated approximately 2,100 company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada; and provided lease-purchase solutions through approximately 16,000 retail locations in 46 states, as well as various second-look financing programs through approximately 1,400 locations. Aaron's, Inc. was founded in 1955 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Summary) (Company) (Chart)
| 2 September 2016 Price $24.47 1yr Target $32.00 Analysts 5 Dividend $0.10 Payout Ratio 5.46% 1yr Cap Gain 30.77% Yield 0.40% 1yr Tot Return 31.17% P/E 13.34 PEG 1.11 Beta 0.27 | EPS (ttm) $1.83 EPS next yr $2.46 Forward P/E 9.94 EPS next 5yr 12.00% 1yr Price Support $29.52 Market Cap $1.81 Bil Revenues $3.23 Bil Earnings $134.10 Mil Profit Margin 4.14% Quick Ratio --- Current Ratio --- Debt/Equity 0.00 | 1yr RevGR 17.95% 3yr RevGR 12.71% 5yr RevGR 11.12% 1yr EarnGR 72.22% 3yr EarnGR -6.09% 5yr EarnGR 5.25% 1yr DivGR 9.30% 3yr DivGR 14.72% 5yr DivGR 13.91% ROA 5.30% ROE 9.60% |
General Development of Business
Established in 1955 and incorporated in 1962 as a Georgia corporation, Aaron’s, Inc., is a leading specialty retailer of furniture, consumer electronics, computers, appliances and household accessories. Our store-based operations engage in the lease ownership and retail sale of a wide variety of products such as televisions, computers, tablets, mobile phones, living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, mattresses, washers, dryers and refrigerators. Our stores carry well-known brands such as Samsung®, Frigidaire®, Hewlett-Packard®, LG®, Whirlpool®, Simmons®, Philips®, JVC®, Sharp® and Magnavox®.
On April 14, 2014, the Company acquired a 100% ownership interest in Progressive Finance Holdings, LLC ("Progressive"), a leading virtual lease-to-own company. Through our Progressive business, we offer lease-purchase solutions to the customers of traditional retailers on a variety of products, including furniture and bedding, mobile phones, consumer electronics, appliances and jewelry. Progressive provides lease-purchase solutions in 46 states.
On October 15, 2015, the Company acquired a 100% ownership interest in Dent-A-Med, Inc., d/b/a the HELPcard®, (collectively, "DAMI") which is based in Springdale, Arkansas. DAMI partners with merchants to provide a variety of revolving credit products originated through a federally insured bank to customers that may not qualify for traditional prime lending. These are commonly referred to as "second-look" credit products. Together with Progressive, DAMI allows the Company to provide retail and merchant partners one source for financing and leasing transactions with below-prime customers. The acquisition of DAMI is expected to drive long-term incremental revenue and earnings growth at Progressive, and DAMI will benefit from Progressive's proprietary technology, infrastructure and financial capacity.
As of December 31, 2015, we had 2,039 stores, comprised of 1,305 Company-operated stores in 28 states, the District of Columbia and Canada, and 734 independently-owned franchised stores in 47 states and Canada. Included in the Company-operated store counts are 1,223 Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores (our monthly and semi-monthly pay concept) and 82 HomeSmart stores (our weekly pay concept).
We own or have rights to various trademarks and trade names used in our business including Aaron’s, Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership, Progressive, HomeSmart, Dent-A-Med, the HELPcard® and Woodhaven Furniture Industries. We intend to file for additional trade name and trademark protection when appropriate.
Business Segments
As of December 31, 2015, the Company had six operating and reportable segments: Sales and Lease Ownership, Progressive, HomeSmart, DAMI, Franchise and Manufacturing. The results of DAMI and Progressive have been included in the Company’s consolidated results and presented as reportable segments from their October 15, 2015 and April 14, 2014 acquisition dates, respectively.
Our Company-operated stores and franchise operations are located in the United States and Canada. Additional information on our six reportable segments may be found in (i) Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (ii) Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Sales & Lease Ownership
Our Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership operation was established in 1987 and employs a monthly and semi-monthly payment model to provide durable household goods to lower to middle income consumers. Its customer base is comprised primarily of customers with limited access to traditional credit sources such as bank financing, installment credit or credit cards. Customers of our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership division take advantage of our services to acquire consumer goods they might not otherwise be able to without incurring additional debt or long-term obligations.
We have developed a distinctive concept for our sales and lease ownership stores including specific merchandising, store layout, pricing and agreement terms all designed to appeal to our target consumer market. We believe these features create a store and a sales and lease ownership concept that is distinct from the operations of the lease-to-own industry generally and from consumer electronics and home furnishings retailers who finance merchandise.
The typical Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership store layout is a combination showroom and warehouse comprising 6,000 to 8,000 square feet, with an average of approximately 7,200 square feet. We select locations for new Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores by focusing on neighborhood shopping centers with good access that are located in established working class communities. In addition to inline space, we also lease and own several free standing buildings in certain markets. We typically locate the stores in centers with retailers who have similar customer demographics.
Each Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership store usually maintains at least two trucks for delivery, service and return of product. We generally offer same or next day delivery for addresses located within approximately ten miles of the store. Our stores provide a broad selection of brand name electronics, computers, appliances and furniture, including furniture manufactured by our Woodhaven Furniture Industries division.
We believe that our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores offer prices that are lower than the prices for similar items offered by traditional lease-to-own operators, and substantially equivalent to the "all-in" contract price of similar items offered by retailers who finance merchandise. Approximately 97% of our Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership agreements have monthly terms and the remaining 3% are semi-monthly. By comparison, weekly agreements are the industry standard.
We may re-lease or sell merchandise that customers return to us prior to the expiration of their agreements. We may also offer up-front purchase options at prices we believe are competitive. At December 31, 2015, we had 1,223 Company-operated Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores in 28 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
Progressive
Established in 1999, Progressive is a leader in the expanding virtual lease-to-own market. Progressive partners with retailers, primarily in the furniture and bedding, mobile phones, consumer electronics, appliances and jewelry industries, to offer a lease-purchase option for customers to acquire goods they might not otherwise have been able to obtain. We serve customers who are credit challenged and are therefore unlikely to have access to traditional credit-based financing options. We offer a technology-based application and approval process that does not require Progressive employees to be staffed in a store. Once a customer is approved, Progressive purchases the merchandise from the retailer and enters into a lease-to-own agreement with the customer. The contract provides early-buyout options or ownership after a contractual number of renewals. Progressive has retail partners in 46 states and operates under state- specific regulations in those states.
HomeSmart
Our HomeSmart operation began in 2010 and was developed to serve customers who prefer the flexibility of weekly payments and renewals. The consumer goods we provide in our HomeSmart division are substantially similar to those available in our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores.
The typical HomeSmart store layout is a combination showroom and warehouse of 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, with an average of approximately 5,000 square feet. Store site selection, delivery capabilities and lease merchandise product mix are generally similar to those described above for our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores.
We believe that our HomeSmart stores offer prices that are lower than the prices for similar items offered by traditional weekly lease-to-own operators. Approximately 71% of our HomeSmart agreements have weekly terms, 4% are semi-monthly and the remaining 25% are monthly. We may also offer an up- front purchase option at prices we believe are competitive. At December 31, 2015, we had 82 Company-operated HomeSmart stores in 11 states.
DAMI
DAMI was founded in 1983 and primarily serves customers that may not qualify for traditional prime lending who desire to purchase goods and services from participating merchants. DAMI, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Progressive, offers customized programs, with services that include revolving loans, private label cards and access to a unique processing platform. DAMI’s current network of merchants includes medical markets, beds and fitness equipment. The Company believes the DAMI product offerings are complementary to those of Progressive and expects to expand the markets and merchants that DAMI serves.
We extend or decline credit to an applicant through our bank partner based upon the customer's credit rating. Our bank partner originates the loan by providing financing to the merchant at the point of sale and acquiring the receivable at a discount from the face value, which represents a pre-negotiated fee between DAMI and the merchant. DAMI then acquires the receivable from the bank.
Qualifying customers receive a credit card to finance their initial purchase and to use in subsequent purchases at the merchant or other participating merchants for an initial two year period, which we will renew if the cardholder remains in good standing. The customer is required to make periodic minimum payments and pay certain annual and other periodic fees.
Franchise
We franchise our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership and HomeSmart stores in markets where we have no immediate plans to enter. Our franchise program adds value to our Company by allowing us to (i) recognize additional revenues from franchise fees and royalties, (ii) strategically grow without incurring direct capital or other expenses, (iii) lower our average costs of purchasing, manufacturing and advertising through economies of scale and (iv) increase customer recognition of our brands.
Franchisees are approved on the basis of the applicant’s business background and financial resources. We enter into agreements with our franchisees to govern the opening and operations of franchised stores. Under our standard agreement, we receive a franchise fee from $15,000 to $50,000 per store depending upon market size. Our standard agreement is for a term of ten years, with one ten-year renewal option. Franchisees are also obligated to remit to us royalty payments of 5% or 6% of the weekly cash revenue collections from their franchised stores. Most franchisees are involved in the day-to-day operations of their stores.
Because of the importance of location to our store strategy, we assist each franchisee in selecting the proper site for each store. We typically will visit the intended market and provide guidance to the franchisee through the site selection process. Once the franchisee selects a site, we provide support in designing the floor plan, including the proper layout of the showroom and warehouse. In addition, we assist the franchisee in the design and decor of the showroom to ensure consistency with our requirements. We also lease the exterior signage to the franchisee and provide support with respect to pre-opening advertising, initial inventory and delivery vehicles.
Qualifying franchisees may take part in a financing arrangement we have established with several financial institutions to assist the franchisee in establishing and operating their store(s). Although an inventory financing plan is the primary component of the financing program, we have also arranged, in certain circumstances, for the franchisee to receive a revolving credit line, allowing them to expand operations. We provide guarantees for amounts outstanding under this franchise financing program.
All franchisees are required to complete a comprehensive training program and to operate their franchised sales and lease ownership stores in compliance with our policies, standards and specifications. Additionally, each franchise is required to represent and warrant its compliance with all applicable federal, state and/or local laws, regulations and ordinances with respect to its business operations. Although franchisees are not generally required to purchase their lease merchandise from our fulfillment centers, many do so in order to take advantage of Company-sponsored financing, bulk purchasing discounts and favorable delivery terms.
Our internal audit department conducts annual financial reviews of each franchisee, as well as annual operational audits of each franchised store. In addition, our proprietary management information system links each Company and franchised store to our corporate headquarters.
Manufacturing
Woodhaven Furniture Industries, our manufacturing division, was established in 1982, and we believe it makes us the largest major furniture lease-to-own company in the United States that manufactures its own furniture. Integrated manufacturing enables us to control critical features such as the quality, cost, delivery, styling, durability and quantity of our furniture products, and we believe this provides an integration advantage over our competitors. Substantially all produced items continue to be leased or sold through Company-operated or franchised stores.
Our Woodhaven Furniture Industries division produces upholstered living-room furniture (including contemporary sofas, chairs and modular sofa and ottoman collections in a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics) and bedding (including standard sizes of mattresses and box springs). The furniture designed and produced by this division incorporates features that we believe result in reduced production costs, enhanced durability and improved shipping processes all relative to furniture we would otherwise purchase from third parties. These features include (i) standardized components, (ii) reduced number of parts and features susceptible to wear or damage, (iii) more resilient foam, (iv) durable fabrics and sturdy frames which translate to longer life and higher residual value and (v) devices that allow sofas to stand on end for easier and more efficient transport. The division also provides replacement covers for all styles and fabrics of its upholstered furniture, as well as other parts, for use in reconditioning leased furniture that has been returned.
The division consists of five furniture manufacturing plants and nine bedding manufacturing facilities totaling approximately 818,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity.
As of December 31, 2015, the Company had six operating and reportable segments: Sales and Lease Ownership, Progressive, HomeSmart, DAMI, Franchise and Manufacturing. The results of DAMI and Progressive have been included in the Company’s consolidated results and presented as reportable segments from their October 15, 2015 and April 14, 2014 acquisition dates, respectively.
Our Company-operated stores and franchise operations are located in the United States and Canada. Additional information on our six reportable segments may be found in (i) Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (ii) Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Sales & Lease Ownership
Our Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership operation was established in 1987 and employs a monthly and semi-monthly payment model to provide durable household goods to lower to middle income consumers. Its customer base is comprised primarily of customers with limited access to traditional credit sources such as bank financing, installment credit or credit cards. Customers of our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership division take advantage of our services to acquire consumer goods they might not otherwise be able to without incurring additional debt or long-term obligations.
We have developed a distinctive concept for our sales and lease ownership stores including specific merchandising, store layout, pricing and agreement terms all designed to appeal to our target consumer market. We believe these features create a store and a sales and lease ownership concept that is distinct from the operations of the lease-to-own industry generally and from consumer electronics and home furnishings retailers who finance merchandise.
The typical Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership store layout is a combination showroom and warehouse comprising 6,000 to 8,000 square feet, with an average of approximately 7,200 square feet. We select locations for new Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores by focusing on neighborhood shopping centers with good access that are located in established working class communities. In addition to inline space, we also lease and own several free standing buildings in certain markets. We typically locate the stores in centers with retailers who have similar customer demographics.
Each Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership store usually maintains at least two trucks for delivery, service and return of product. We generally offer same or next day delivery for addresses located within approximately ten miles of the store. Our stores provide a broad selection of brand name electronics, computers, appliances and furniture, including furniture manufactured by our Woodhaven Furniture Industries division.
We believe that our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores offer prices that are lower than the prices for similar items offered by traditional lease-to-own operators, and substantially equivalent to the "all-in" contract price of similar items offered by retailers who finance merchandise. Approximately 97% of our Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership agreements have monthly terms and the remaining 3% are semi-monthly. By comparison, weekly agreements are the industry standard.
We may re-lease or sell merchandise that customers return to us prior to the expiration of their agreements. We may also offer up-front purchase options at prices we believe are competitive. At December 31, 2015, we had 1,223 Company-operated Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores in 28 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
Progressive
Established in 1999, Progressive is a leader in the expanding virtual lease-to-own market. Progressive partners with retailers, primarily in the furniture and bedding, mobile phones, consumer electronics, appliances and jewelry industries, to offer a lease-purchase option for customers to acquire goods they might not otherwise have been able to obtain. We serve customers who are credit challenged and are therefore unlikely to have access to traditional credit-based financing options. We offer a technology-based application and approval process that does not require Progressive employees to be staffed in a store. Once a customer is approved, Progressive purchases the merchandise from the retailer and enters into a lease-to-own agreement with the customer. The contract provides early-buyout options or ownership after a contractual number of renewals. Progressive has retail partners in 46 states and operates under state- specific regulations in those states.
HomeSmart
Our HomeSmart operation began in 2010 and was developed to serve customers who prefer the flexibility of weekly payments and renewals. The consumer goods we provide in our HomeSmart division are substantially similar to those available in our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores.
The typical HomeSmart store layout is a combination showroom and warehouse of 4,000 to 6,000 square feet, with an average of approximately 5,000 square feet. Store site selection, delivery capabilities and lease merchandise product mix are generally similar to those described above for our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores.
We believe that our HomeSmart stores offer prices that are lower than the prices for similar items offered by traditional weekly lease-to-own operators. Approximately 71% of our HomeSmart agreements have weekly terms, 4% are semi-monthly and the remaining 25% are monthly. We may also offer an up- front purchase option at prices we believe are competitive. At December 31, 2015, we had 82 Company-operated HomeSmart stores in 11 states.
DAMI
DAMI was founded in 1983 and primarily serves customers that may not qualify for traditional prime lending who desire to purchase goods and services from participating merchants. DAMI, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Progressive, offers customized programs, with services that include revolving loans, private label cards and access to a unique processing platform. DAMI’s current network of merchants includes medical markets, beds and fitness equipment. The Company believes the DAMI product offerings are complementary to those of Progressive and expects to expand the markets and merchants that DAMI serves.
We extend or decline credit to an applicant through our bank partner based upon the customer's credit rating. Our bank partner originates the loan by providing financing to the merchant at the point of sale and acquiring the receivable at a discount from the face value, which represents a pre-negotiated fee between DAMI and the merchant. DAMI then acquires the receivable from the bank.
Qualifying customers receive a credit card to finance their initial purchase and to use in subsequent purchases at the merchant or other participating merchants for an initial two year period, which we will renew if the cardholder remains in good standing. The customer is required to make periodic minimum payments and pay certain annual and other periodic fees.
Franchise
We franchise our Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership and HomeSmart stores in markets where we have no immediate plans to enter. Our franchise program adds value to our Company by allowing us to (i) recognize additional revenues from franchise fees and royalties, (ii) strategically grow without incurring direct capital or other expenses, (iii) lower our average costs of purchasing, manufacturing and advertising through economies of scale and (iv) increase customer recognition of our brands.
Franchisees are approved on the basis of the applicant’s business background and financial resources. We enter into agreements with our franchisees to govern the opening and operations of franchised stores. Under our standard agreement, we receive a franchise fee from $15,000 to $50,000 per store depending upon market size. Our standard agreement is for a term of ten years, with one ten-year renewal option. Franchisees are also obligated to remit to us royalty payments of 5% or 6% of the weekly cash revenue collections from their franchised stores. Most franchisees are involved in the day-to-day operations of their stores.
Because of the importance of location to our store strategy, we assist each franchisee in selecting the proper site for each store. We typically will visit the intended market and provide guidance to the franchisee through the site selection process. Once the franchisee selects a site, we provide support in designing the floor plan, including the proper layout of the showroom and warehouse. In addition, we assist the franchisee in the design and decor of the showroom to ensure consistency with our requirements. We also lease the exterior signage to the franchisee and provide support with respect to pre-opening advertising, initial inventory and delivery vehicles.
Qualifying franchisees may take part in a financing arrangement we have established with several financial institutions to assist the franchisee in establishing and operating their store(s). Although an inventory financing plan is the primary component of the financing program, we have also arranged, in certain circumstances, for the franchisee to receive a revolving credit line, allowing them to expand operations. We provide guarantees for amounts outstanding under this franchise financing program.
All franchisees are required to complete a comprehensive training program and to operate their franchised sales and lease ownership stores in compliance with our policies, standards and specifications. Additionally, each franchise is required to represent and warrant its compliance with all applicable federal, state and/or local laws, regulations and ordinances with respect to its business operations. Although franchisees are not generally required to purchase their lease merchandise from our fulfillment centers, many do so in order to take advantage of Company-sponsored financing, bulk purchasing discounts and favorable delivery terms.
Our internal audit department conducts annual financial reviews of each franchisee, as well as annual operational audits of each franchised store. In addition, our proprietary management information system links each Company and franchised store to our corporate headquarters.
Manufacturing
Woodhaven Furniture Industries, our manufacturing division, was established in 1982, and we believe it makes us the largest major furniture lease-to-own company in the United States that manufactures its own furniture. Integrated manufacturing enables us to control critical features such as the quality, cost, delivery, styling, durability and quantity of our furniture products, and we believe this provides an integration advantage over our competitors. Substantially all produced items continue to be leased or sold through Company-operated or franchised stores.
Our Woodhaven Furniture Industries division produces upholstered living-room furniture (including contemporary sofas, chairs and modular sofa and ottoman collections in a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics) and bedding (including standard sizes of mattresses and box springs). The furniture designed and produced by this division incorporates features that we believe result in reduced production costs, enhanced durability and improved shipping processes all relative to furniture we would otherwise purchase from third parties. These features include (i) standardized components, (ii) reduced number of parts and features susceptible to wear or damage, (iii) more resilient foam, (iv) durable fabrics and sturdy frames which translate to longer life and higher residual value and (v) devices that allow sofas to stand on end for easier and more efficient transport. The division also provides replacement covers for all styles and fabrics of its upholstered furniture, as well as other parts, for use in reconditioning leased furniture that has been returned.
The division consists of five furniture manufacturing plants and nine bedding manufacturing facilities totaling approximately 818,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity.
The Way Forward
Aaron's Inc was created to fulfill the needs of a very special segment of the population who wish to rent furniture and/or electronics with the possibility of ownership at some time in the future (usually 12 months). Over time they've gotten pretty good at conducting this business, as evidenced by their fundamentals. With a future EPS growth rate of 12%, a current P/E ratio of 13 and a PEG of 1.11, this is the kind of company that fits well into my investing style.
I expect to start a position in this company in the near future. Ideally I'd like to buy these shares at a price of $22 per share but realistically I'll buy shares in this company anywhere below $24 per share. My expectation would be that the stock would rise to at least $30 per share over the next year.
While the dividend is growing at about 10% per year and the payout ratio is so low that increases are most assured, the yield is currently too low to be a reason to buy these shares.
Aaron's Inc was created to fulfill the needs of a very special segment of the population who wish to rent furniture and/or electronics with the possibility of ownership at some time in the future (usually 12 months). Over time they've gotten pretty good at conducting this business, as evidenced by their fundamentals. With a future EPS growth rate of 12%, a current P/E ratio of 13 and a PEG of 1.11, this is the kind of company that fits well into my investing style.
I expect to start a position in this company in the near future. Ideally I'd like to buy these shares at a price of $22 per share but realistically I'll buy shares in this company anywhere below $24 per share. My expectation would be that the stock would rise to at least $30 per share over the next year.
While the dividend is growing at about 10% per year and the payout ratio is so low that increases are most assured, the yield is currently too low to be a reason to buy these shares.
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