Reliv International 2018 Revenue Down 14% To $36 Million

Reliv International, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELV), a maker of nutritional supplements that promote optimal health, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2018.

Fourth-Quarter Results

Reliv reported net sales of $9.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with net sales of $9.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2017. U.S. net sales decreased by 6.7 percent for the quarter compared with the same quarter in 2017.   Net sales outside of the United States decreased by 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the prior-year quarter.  Net sales in Asia and Mexico were up 35.5 percent and 35.1 percent, respectively, in the fourth quarter; however, sales in Europe decreased by 17.7 percent.

Reliv reported a net loss of $145,000, or loss of $0.08 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2018 compared with a net loss of $382,000, or a loss of $0.21 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2017.

The loss from operations for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $169,000 compared to income from operations of $141,000 in the same period in 2017.  Income tax expense was $517,000 for the fourth quarter of 2017 primarily the result of non-cash adjustments to our deferred tax assets, including a $509,000 valuation allowance recorded against the value of net operating loss carryforwards in our European subsidiary.

Full-Year Results

Reliv reported net sales of $36.1 million for 2018 compared with net sales of $41.8 million in 2017. U.S. net sales decreased to $27.7 million from $32.5 million, a decline of 14.8 percent.

Net sales in Reliv’s foreign markets for 2018 decreased 9.4 percent compared with net sales for 2017.   The decline in net sales in Europe represented a significant portion of the decrease in foreign sales.  Net sales in Europe declined by 13.2 percent in 2018 compared to the prior year.  Net sales in Asia increased by 3.8 percent in 2018 compared to the prior year.

The net loss for 2018 was $1.9 million (loss per diluted share of $1.03) compared to a net loss of $697,000 (loss per diluted share of $0.38) in 2017.  The loss from operations for 2018 was $1.9 million compared to a loss from operations of $183,000 in 2017.  Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $16.5 million versus $17.9 million in 2017.  Income tax expense for 2018 was $98,000 compared to $545,000 in 2017, with the 2017 income tax expense primarily the result of the deferred tax adjustments made in the fourth quarter of 2017.

“We continue the work from 2018 to grow sales through improved business development support to our distributors coupled with incentive programs that reward those that develop new business,”

said Ryan A. Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer.

Business development support includes the development of web-based training for onboarding new distributors and regular updates to online tools such as the corporate website, replicating websites for distributor, and the mobile app.  “We also have incentives and promotions in place to reward ‘new business volume’ development throughout much of 2019, culminating in an incentive trip later this fall,” Montgomery commented.   “In addition to the new business development tools and support, we continue to focus on building a loyal and repeat customer base.  Free shipping incentives for Preferred Customers recurring orders have led to increased sponsoring at the customer level,” added Montgomery.

“From a product development perspective, we are pursuing exciting concepts and new developments to be announced throughout 2019.”

Another feature recently added to the Reliv compensation plan is to pay wholesale profit to distributors on a weekly basis. “This puts a portion of the rewards of our compensation plan back into a distributor’s pocket quicker, which can have a positive impact on the success of a distributor and improve retention,” said Montgomery.

In international operations, Montgomery noted the growth in the Philippines and Mexico, especially in the latter half of 2018.  “We are very pleased with the results in these markets, and we will provide them with the resources needed to continue that trend.”

Reliv had cash and cash equivalents of $2.0 million as of December 31, 2018, compared to $3.3 million as of December 31, 2017.  Net cash used in operating activities was $1.2 million in 2018 compared to $157,000 of cash used in operations in the prior-year period.

As of December 31, 2018, Reliv had 30,370 Distributors and Preferred Customers – a decrease of 9.7 percent from December 31, 2017 – of which 3,370 are Master Affiliate level and above.  The number of Master Affiliates decreased by 13.8 percent compared to the year-ago total.  Master Affiliate is the level at which Distributors are eligible to earn generation royalties.

About Reliv International, Inc.

Reliv International, based in Chesterfield, MO, produces nutritional supplements that promote optimal nutrition. Reliv supplements address core nutrition and targeted solutions.Reliv is the exclusive provider of LunaRich® products, which optimize levels of lunasin, a soy peptide that works at the epigenetic level to promote optimal health. The company sells its products through an international network marketing system of independent distributors in 14 countries. Learn more about Reliv at reliv.com, or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.