UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Irvine, CA 92618

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and, “smaller reporting company” or an “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

As of August 31, 2016,25, 2017 the registrant had the following shares of common stock outstanding:

TILLY’S, INC.

FORM 10-Q

Part I. Financial Information

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

TILLY’S, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME (LOSS)

TILLY’S, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME (LOSS)

TILLY’S, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

TILLY’S, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

TILLY’S, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Tillys concept began in 1982, when our co-founders, Hezy Shaked and Tilly Levine, opened their first store in Orange County, California. Since 1984, the business has been conducted through World of Jeans & Tops, a California corporation or “WOJT”("WOJT"), which operates under the name “Tillys”. In May 2011, Tilly’s, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was formed solely for the purpose of reorganizing the corporate structure of WOJT in preparation for an initial public offering.

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), for interim financial reporting. These consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been omitted from this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as is permitted by SEC rules and regulations.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the threesecond quarters and six monthsfirst halves ended July 29, 2017 and July 30, 2016, and August 1, 2015respectively, are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full fiscal year. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016.28, 2017 ("fiscal 2016").

Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. References to fiscal 2017 refer to the fiscal year ending February 3, 2018. References to the fiscal quarters or halves ended July 29, 2017, and July 30, 2016, and August 1, 2015 refer to the three and six months ended, respectively, as of those dates.

Information regarding significant accounting policies is contained in Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”, of the consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016.28, 2017.

Marketable securities areas of July 29, 2017 consisted of commercial paper classified as available-for-sale and fixed income securities classified as of July 30, 2016 and January 30, 2016, consisted entirely ofheld-to-maturity. Our investments in commercial paper alland fixed income securities are recorded at fair value and amortized cost, which approximates fair value, respectively. All of which wasour marketable securities are less than one year from maturity.

The following table summarizes our investments in marketable securities at July 30, 201629, 2017, January 28, 2017 and JanuaryJuly 30, 2016 (in thousands):

We recognized gains on investments for commercial paper that matured during the threesecond quarter and six monthsfirst half ended July 30, 2016 and August 1, 2015.29, 2017. Upon recognition of the gains, we reclassified these amounts out of accumulated other comprehensive income and into “Other income, net” on the Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss). Income.

The following table summarizes our gains on investments for commercial paper (in thousands):

Our amended and restated credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ("Bank"(the "Bank") provides for a $25.0 million revolving line of credit with a maturity date of May 31, 2017.June 26, 2020. The interest rate charged on borrowings is selected at our discretion at the time of draw between the London Interbank Offered Rate, plus 1.00%0.75%, or at the Bank’s prime rate. The agreement allows for the declaration and payment of dividends or distributions to stockholders. On January 31, 2017, our Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $0.70 per share to all holders of record of issued and outstanding shares of both Class A and Class B common stock as of the close of business on February 15, 2017. Payment of the dividend was made on February 24, 2017. The line of credit agreement is secured by substantially all of our assets. As a sub-feature under the credit agreement, the Bank may also issue stand-by and/or commercial letters of credit up to $15.0 million.

We are required to maintain certain financial and non-financial covenants in accordance with the credit agreement.line of credit. The financial covenants require certain levels of leverage and profitability, such as (i) an aggregate maximum net loss afterincome before income taxes not to exceed $5.0be less than $1.0 million (measured(calculated at the end of each fiscal quarter), with no more than one annual net loss after taxes for any fiscal year (in either case, excluding all charges for impairment of goodwill, other intangibles and store assets impairmentquarter on the balance sheet, in an aggregate amount of up to $2.0 million for the relevant period)a trailing 12-month basis), and (ii) a maximum ratio of 2.004.00 to 1.00 as of each quarter end for “balance sheet leverage”“Funded Debt to EBITDAR”, defined as the sum of total liabilitiesdebt, capital leases and annual rent expense multiplied by six divided by total tangiblethe sum of net worth.income, interest expense, taxes, depreciation, amortization and annual rent expense on a trailing 12-month basis, and (iii) requires minimum eligible inventory, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $50.0 million as of the end of each quarter. In addition, maximum investment in fixed assets in any fiscal year of $50.0 million.

From time to time, we may become involved in lawsuits and other claims arising from our ordinary course of business. We have established loss provisions of approximately $2.2$6.9 million for matters in which losses are probable and can be reasonably estimated. For some matters, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate outcome, determine whether a liability has been incurred or make an estimate of the reasonably possible liability that could result from an unfavorable outcome because of the uncertainties related to the incurrence, amount and range of loss on any pending litigation or claim. Because of the unpredictable nature of these matters, we cannot provide any assurances regarding the outcome of any litigation or claim to which we are a party or that the ultimate outcome of any of the matters threatened or pending against us, including those disclosed below, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

violations of California’sCalifornia's wage and hour meal break and rest break rules and regulations and unfair competition law.  Specifically, the complaint asserted a violation of the applicable California Wage Order for alleged failure to pay reporting time pay, as well as several derivative claims.  The complaint sought certification of a class, unspecified damages, unpaid wages, penalties, restitution, and attorneys' fees.  In June 2016, the court granted our demurrer to the plaintiff's complaint, on the grounds that the plaintiff failed to state a cause of action against Tilly's.  Specifically, the court agreed with us that the plaintiff's cause of action for reporting-time pay fails as a matter of law amongas the plaintiff and other things. Anputative class members did not "report for work" with respect to certain shifts on which the plaintiff's claims are based.  At the hearing on the plaintiff's demurrer, the court granted the plaintiff leave to amend her complaint.  The plaintiff filed an amended complaint was filed on February 22, 2013, to add a claim for penalties underin July 2016, which brought the California Private Attorneys General Act of 2004.same claims as her original complaint but added various factual allegations.  In March 2013,August 2016, we filed a motiondemurrer as to compel arbitration, which was denied in June 2013the plaintiff's amended complaint, on the grounds that the plaintiff's amended complaint still failed to state a cause of action against Tilly's, for the same reasons that the court granted our demurrer as to the plaintiff's original complaint. In November 2016, the court entered a written order sustaining our demurrer, and later affirmed on appeal.dismissing all of plaintiff’s causes of action with prejudice.  In October 2014, weJanuary 2017, the plaintiff filed an answerappeal of the order to the amended complaint. The parties attended a mediation proceedingCalifornia Court of Appeal, and reached a resolution that willthe plaintiff’s opening brief was most recently due to be presentedfiled on July 31, 2017, pursuant to the courtparties’ stipulation, but it was not filed on that date. On August 16, 2017, the clerk of the California Court of Appeal sent a letter to the parties advising of plaintiff’s default in filing the opening brief, and setting the deadline for approval. A final approval hearingplaintiffs to do so within 15 days, per California Rule of Court Rule 8.220.  Accordingly, the plaintiff’s opening brief is scheduled with the courtnow due to be filed on November 4, 2016.August 31, 2017. We have defended this case vigorously and will continue to do so.

On June 10, 2015, we and one of our vendors entered into a settlement arrangement with a plaintiff who filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against us and the vendor related to certain vendor products we sell. The settlement requires that the vendor pay $2.0 million to the plaintiff over three years and we have agreed to guarantee such payments. In the event of the vendor's default, the current estimated range of a reasonably possible loss is zero to $1.5$0.7 million. If required to perform under this settlement, we wouldWe will utilize all available rights of offset to reduce our potential loss, including application of amounts owed by us to the vendor from our ongoing purchases of the vendor's merchandise and/or the enforcement of a security interest we have in the vendor's intellectual property.

We determine fair value based on a three-level valuation hierarchy as described below. Fair value is defined as the exit price associated with the sale of an asset or transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The three-level hierarchy of inputs used to determine fair value is as follows:

We measure certain financial assets at fair value on a recurring basis, including our marketable securities, which are classified as either available-for-sale or held-to-maturity securities, and certain cash equivalents, specifically money market accounts.securities, commercial paper and bonds. The money market accounts are valued based on quoted market prices in active markets. The marketable securities are valued based on other observable inputs for those securities (including market corroborated pricing or other models that utilize observable inputs such as interest rates and yield curves) based on information provided by independent third party entities.

During the threesecond quarters ended July 29, 2017 and six months ended July 30, 2016, and August 1, 2015, we did not make any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 financial assets. Furthermore, as of July 30, 201629, 2017, January 28, 2017 and JanuaryJuly 30, 2016, we did not have any Level 3 financial assets. We conduct reviews on a quarterly basis to verify pricing, assess liquidity and determine if significant inputs have changed that would impact the fair value hierarchy disclosure.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

An impairment is recorded on a long-lived asset used in operations whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net carrying amounts for such asset may not be recoverable. Factors considered importantImportant factors that could result in an impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant under-performance relative to historical or planned operating results, significant changes in the manner of use of the assets or significant changes in our business strategies. An evaluation is performed using estimated undiscounted future cash flows from operating activities compared to the carrying value of related assets for the individual stores. If the undiscounted future cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between the carrying value and the estimated fair value of the assets based on the discounted cash flows of the assets using a rate that approximates our weighted average cost of capital. With regard to retail store assets, which are comprised of leasehold improvements, fixtures and computer hardware and software, we consider the assets at each individual retail store to represent an asset group. In addition, we have considered the relevant valuation techniques that could be applied without undue cost and effort and have determined that the discounted estimated future cash flow approach provides the most relevant and reliable means by which to determine fair value in this circumstance.

On a quarterly basis, we assess whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that potentially indicate the carrying value of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. BasedDuring the second quarter of fiscal 2017, based on Level 3 inputs of historical operating performance, including sales trends, gross margin rates, current cash flows from operations and the projected outlook for each of our stores, we determined that sixtwo of our stores would not be able to generate sufficient cash flows over the remaining term of the related leases to recover our investment in the respective stores. As a result, we recorded non-cash impairment charges during the three and six months ended July 30, 201629, 2017 of approximately $0.8$0.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, to write-down the carrying value of certain long-lived store assets to their estimated fair values.

The TillysTilly's, Inc. 2012 Amended and Restated Equity and Incentive Plan, as amended in June 2014 (the "2012 Plan"), authorizes up to 4,413,900 shares for issuance of options, shares or rights to acquire our Class A common stock and allows for, among other things, operating income and comparable store sales growth targets as additional performance goals that may be used in connection with performance-based awards granted under the 2012 Plan. As of July 30, 2016,29, 2017, there were 2,561,6561,723,764 shares still available for future issuance under the 2012 Plan.

We grant stock options to certain employees that give them the right to acquire our Class A common stock under the 2012 Plan. The exercise price of options granted is equal to the closing price per share of our stock at the date of grant. The nonqualified options vest at a rate of 25% on each of the first four anniversaries of the grant date provided that the award recipient continues to be employed by us through each of those vesting dates, and expire ten years from the date of grant.

The following table summarizes the stock option activity for the six months ended July 30, 201629, 2017 (aggregate intrinsic value in thousands):

The stock option awards were measured at fair value on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Key input assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock options include the exercise price of the award, the expected option term, expected volatility of our stock over the option’s expected term, the risk-free interest rate over the option’s expected term and our expected annual dividend yield, if any. We estimateaccount for forfeitures based on an analysis of the award recipients’ positions and the vesting period of the awards.as they occur. We will issue shares of Class A common stock when the options are exercised.

Restricted stock awards ("RSAs") represent restricted shares of our common stock issued upon the date of grant in which the recipient's rights in the stock are restricted until the shares are vested, and restricted stock units ("RSUs") represent a commitment to issue shares of our common stock in the future upon vesting. Under the 2012 Plan, we may grant RSAs to

A summary of the status of non-vested restricted stock changes during the six months ended July 30, 201629, 2017 are presented below:

Stock-based compensation expense associated with stock options and restricted stock is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. The following table summarizes stock-based compensation recorded in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income (Loss) (in thousands):

At July 30, 2016,29, 2017, there was $5.2$4.9 million of total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested stock options and restricted stock. This cost has a weighted average remaining recognition of 2.7 years2.5 years.

The components of basic and diluted (loss) income per share are as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 The following stock options and restricted stock have been excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings (loss) income per share as the effect of including these stock options and restricted stock would have been anti-dilutive:anti-dilutive (in thousands):

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of our operations should be read together with the financial statements and related notes of Tilly’s, Inc. included in Part II Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016.28, 2017. As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, except where the context otherwise requires or where otherwise indicated, the terms “company”, “World of Jeans & Tops”, “we”, “our”, “us”, "Tillys" and “Tilly’s” refer to Tilly’s, Inc. and its subsidiary.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, “anticipate”, “believe”, “can”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “project”, “seek”, “should”, “target”, “will”, “would” and similar expressions or variations intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of our management based on information currently available to management. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016,28, 2017, those identified in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and in other filings we may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Tillys is a destination youth culture specialty retailer of West Coast inspiredcasual apparel, footwear and accessories.accessories for young men, young women, boys and girls. We believe we bring together an unparalleled selection of the most sought-after brands rooted in the action sports, team sports, music, art and fashion.fashion inherent in the active and outdoor West Coast lifestyle. Our West Coast heritage dates back to 1982, when Hezy Shaked and Tilly Levine opened our first store in Orange County, California. As of July 30, 2016,29, 2017, we operated 225221 stores, averaging 7,600 square feet, in 3231 states. We also sell our products through our e-commerce website, www.tillys.com.

We, and teenThe retail in general, haveindustry has experienced a general downward trend in traffic to brick-and-mortarphysical stores for an extended period of time. Conversely, online shopping has generally increased and resulted in sustained online sales growth. We believe these trafficmarket trends and shopping behaviors will continue, despite the improvement in store traffic that we have experienced during the remainderfirst half of fiscal 2016. As a result, we2017. There can be no guarantee that our recent improvement in store traffic will continue given the broader industry trends.

We expect to slowopen two new stores during the pacefourth quarter of fiscal 2017. Rather than open a significant number of new store openings during the remainder of fiscal 2016stores, we will continue to focus our efforts on improving the performance of our existing stores, and expanding our online/digital capabilities through omni-channel initiatives designed to provide a seamless shopping experience for our customers, whether in-store or online.

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures. The key indicators of the financial condition and operating performance of our business are net sales, comparable store sales, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses and operating (loss) income.

Net Sales

Net sales reflect revenue from the sale of our merchandise at store locations as well as sales of merchandise through our e-commerce platform, which is reflected in sales when the merchandise is received by the customer. Net sales also include shipping and handling fees for e-commerce shipments that have been delivered to the customer. Net sales are net of returns on sales during the period as well as an estimate of returns expected in the future stemming from current period sales. Net sales are adjusted for the unredeemed awards and accumulated partial points on our customer loyalty program. Revenue from the sale of gift cards is deferred and not included in net sales until the gift cards are used to purchase merchandise. However, over time, the redemption of some gift cards becomes remote (referred to as gift"gift card breakage)breakage"). Revenue from estimated gift card breakage is also included in net sales.

Our business is seasonal and as a result our revenues fluctuate from quarter to quarter. In addition, our revenues in any given quarter can be affected by a number of factors including the timing of holidays and weather patterns. The third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year, which include the back-to-school and holiday sales seasons, have historically produced stronger sales and disproportionately stronger operating results than have the first two quarters of the fiscal year.

Comparable Store Sales

Comparable store sales is a measure that indicates the change in year-over-year comparable store sales which allows us to evaluate how our store base is performing. Numerous factors affect our comparable store sales, including:

Comparable store sales are sales from our e-commerce platform and stores open at least 12 full fiscal months as of the end of the current reporting period. A remodeled, relocated or refreshed store is included in comparable store sales, both during and after construction, if the square footage of the store was not changed by more than 20% and the store was not closed for more than five days in any fiscal month. We include sales from our e-commerce platform as part of comparable store sales as we manage and analyze our business on a single omni-channel and have substantially integrated our investments and operations for our stores and e-commerce platform to give our customers seamless access and increased ease of shopping. Comparable store sales exclude gift card breakage income and e-commerce shipping and handling fee revenue. Some of our competitors and other retailers may calculate comparable or “same store” sales differently than we do. As a result, data in this report regarding our comparable store sales may not be comparable to similar data made available by other retailers.

Gross Profit

Gross profit is equal to our net sales less our cost of goods sold. Cost of goods sold reflects the direct cost of purchased merchandise as well as buying, distribution and occupancy costs. Buying costs include compensation and benefit expense for our internal buying organization. Distribution costs include costs for receiving, processing and warehousing our store merchandise, and shipping of merchandise to or from our distribution and e-commerce fulfillment centers and to our e-commerce customers and between store locations. Occupancy costs include the rent, common area maintenance, utilities, property taxes, security and depreciation costs of all store locations. These costs are significant and can be expected to continue to increase as our company grows. The components of our reported cost of goods sold may not be comparable to those of other retail companies.

We regularly analyze the components of gross profit as well as gross profit as a percentage of net sales. Specifically we look at the initial markup on purchases, markdowns and reserves, shrinkage, buying costs, distribution costs and occupancy costs. Any inability to obtain acceptable levels of initial markups, a significant increase in our use of markdowns or a significant increase in inventory shrinkage or inability to generate sufficient sales leverage on the buying, distribution and occupancy components of cost of goods sold could have an adverse impact on our gross profit and results of operations.

Gross profit is also impacted by shifts in the proportion of sales of proprietary branded products compared to third-party branded products, as well as by sales mix shifts within and between brands and between major product departments such as 'young men's and 'women's apparel,women's apparel', footwear or accessories. A substantial shift in the mix of products could have a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, gross profit and gross profit as a percent of sales have historically been higher in the third and fourth quarters of the fiscal year, as these periods include the back-to-school and winter holiday selling seasons. In those periods, various costs, such as occupancy costs, generally do not increase in proportion to the seasonal sales increase.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Our selling, general and administrative, or SG&A, expenses are composed of store selling expenses and corporate-level general and administrative expenses. Store selling expenses include store and regional support costs, including personnel, advertising and debit and credit card processing costs, e-commerce receiving and processing costs and store supplies costs. General and administrative expenses include the payroll and support costs of corporate functions such as executive management, legal, accounting, information systems, human resources, impairment charges and other centralized services. Store selling expenses generally vary proportionately with net sales and store growth. In contrast, general and administrative expenses are generally not directly proportional to net sales and store growth, but will be expected to increase over time to support the needs of our growing company. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales are usually higher in lower volume periods and lower in higher volume periods.

Operating (Loss) Income

Operating (loss) income equals gross profit less SG&A expenses. Operating (loss) income excludes interest income, interest expense and income taxes. Operating (loss) income percentage measures operating (loss) income as a percentage of our net sales.

The following tables summarize key components of our unaudited results of operations for the periods indicated, both in dollars (in thousands) and as a percentage of our net sales.

The following table presents store operating data for the periods indicated:

Net Sales

Gross Profit  �� 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Operating (Loss) Income

Operating loss was $(1.2) million, or (0.9)% of net sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2017 compared to operating income of $2.2 million, or 1.7% of net sales, for the second quarter of fiscal 2016. The operating loss was $2.2primarily due to the $6.2 million legal provision recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2017.

Income tax benefit was $(0.4) million in the second quarter of fiscal 20162017 compared to $1.1income tax expense of $0.9 million forin the second quarter of fiscal 2015, an increase2016. Our effective tax rates were 42.8% and 38.3% for second quarter of $1.1 million, or 102.2%. As a percentage of net sales, operating income was 1.7%fiscal 2017 and 0.8% for the second quarter of fiscal 2016, and fiscal 2015, respectively. The increase was attributable to higher gross profit and the lower SG&A as a percentage of net sales as discussed above.

Net Sales

Gross Profit

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Operating (Loss) IncomeLoss

Operating loss was $1.7$(1.6) million, or (0.6)% of net sales, for the first half of fiscal 20162017 compared to $(1.7) million, or (0.7)% of net income of $3.2 millionsales, for the first half of fiscal 2015, a decrease2016.

Income tax benefit was $(0.4) million, or 33.2% of $5.0 million. As a percentage of net sales, operating loss was 0.7%before taxes, for the first half of fiscal 20162017 compared to operating income$(0.3) million, or 16.3% of 1.3%loss before taxes, for the first half of fiscal 2015. These decreases were2016. The increase in our effective tax rate for the first half of fiscal 2017 was primarily attributabledue to discrete items related to the decrease in gross profitexpiration of stock options, exercises of stock options and settlement of restricted stock during the increase in SG&A as discussed above.first half of 2017.

Income tax benefitNet loss was $0.3$(0.8) million for the first half of fiscal 2017 compared to $(1.3) million for the first half of fiscal 2016, compareddue to income tax expense of $1.4 millionthe factors discussed above. Basic and diluted loss per share was $(0.03) for the first half of fiscal 2015. Our effective tax rates were 16% and 43%2017 compared to $(0.05) for the first half of fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, respectively. The decrease in our effective tax rate in the first half of fiscal 2016 was primarily due to discrete items related to expiration of stock options and the settlement of restricted stock units.

Our primary cash needs are for merchandise inventories, payroll, store rent and capital expenditures. We have historically provided for these needs from internally generated cash flows. In addition, we have access to additional liquidity through a $25.0 million revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, NA. We expect to continue to finance our operations from cash and marketable securities on hand as well as cash flows from operations without borrowing under our revolving credit facility over the next twelve months.

Cash Flow Analysis

A summary of operating, investing and financing activities is shown in the following table:table (in thousands):

Net Cash Provided byBy Operating Activities

Operating activities consist primarily of net (loss) income adjusted for non-cash items that include depreciation, asset impairment write-downs, deferred income taxes and share-based compensation expense, plus the effect on cash of changes during the year in our assets and liabilities.

Net cash flows provided by operating activities were $6.2$2.9 million during the first half of fiscal 20162017 compared to $0.6$6.2 million in the first half of fiscal 2015. This $5.62016. The $3.3 million increasedecrease in cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to the timing of vendor payments partially offset by lower operating results.payments.

Net Cash Used inIn Investing Activities

Cash flows from investing activities consist primarily of capital expenditures and maturities and purchases of marketable securities.

Net Cash (Used in) Provided ByUsed in Financing Activities

Cash flows fromused in financing activities consist primarily of cash dividend payments, payments on our capital lease obligation and proceeds from employee exercises of stock options.

Net cash used in financing activities was $20.5 million during the first half of fiscal 2017 compared to $0.5 million during the first half of fiscal 2016 compared to net cash provided by financing2016. Financing activities of $2.8 million duringin the first half of fiscal 2015.2017 primarily consisted of dividends paid of $20.1 million and cash payments on our capital lease obligation of $0.4 million. Financing activities in the first half of fiscal 2016 primarily consisted of cash payments on our capital lease obligation of $0.4 million and employee taxes paid of $0.1 million as a result of a net settlement of issued restricted stock. Financing activities in the first half of fiscal 2015 primarily consisted of proceeds from employee exercises of stock options and excess tax benefits of stock-based compensation totaling $3.2 million and cash payments on our capital lease obligation of $0.4 million.

Our amended and restated credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. ("Bank"(the "Bank") provides for a $25.0 million revolving line of credit with a maturity date of May 31, 2017.June 26, 2020. The interest rate charged on borrowings is selected at our discretion at the time of draw between the London Interbank Offered Rate, plus 1.00%0.75%, or at the Bank’s prime rate. The agreement allows for the declaration and payment of dividends or distributions to stockholders. On January 31, 2017, our Board of Directors declared a special cash dividend of $0.70 per share to all holders of record of issued and outstanding shares of both Class A and Class B common stock as of the close of business on February 15, 2017. Payment of the dividend was made on February 24, 2017. The line of credit agreement is secured by substantially all of our assets. As a sub-feature under the credit agreement, the Bank may also issue stand-by and/or commercial letters of credit up to $15.0 million.

We are required to maintain certain financial and non-financial covenants in accordance with the credit agreement.line of credit. The financial covenants require certain levels of leverage and profitability, such as (i) an aggregate maximum net loss afterincome before income taxes not to exceed $5.0be less than $1.0 million (measured(calculated at the end of each fiscal quarter), with no more than one annual net loss after taxes for any fiscal year (in either case, excluding all charges for impairment of goodwill, other intangibles and store assets impairmentquarter on the balance sheet, in an aggregate amount of up to $2.0 million for the relevant period)a trailing 12-month basis), and (ii) a maximum ratio of 2.004.00 to 1.00 as of each quarter end for “balance sheet leverage”“Funded Debt to EBITDAR”, defined as the sum of total liabilitiesdebt, capital leases and annual rent expense multiplied by six divided by total tangiblethe sum of net worth.income, interest expense, taxes, depreciation, amortization and annual rent expense on a trailing 12-month basis, and (iii) requires minimum eligible inventory, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $50.0 million as of the end of each quarter. In addition, maximum investment in fixed assets in any fiscal year of $50.0 million.

As of July 30, 2016,29, 2017, there were no material changes to our contractual obligations as described in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2016.28, 2017.