ESCO Announces Fiscal 2019 Results
On
The financial results presented include certain non-GAAP financial measures such as EBIT, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS, as defined within the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” described below. Any non-GAAP financial measures presented are reconciled to their respective GAAP equivalents.
Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in assessing the ongoing operational profitability of the Company’s business segments, and therefore, allow shareholders better visibility into the Company’s underlying operations. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” described below.
Earnings Summary – Full Year
2019 GAAP EPS of
2018 GAAP EPS of
2019 Adjusted EPS topped Management expectations and increased 13 percent over 2018 Adjusted EPS.
2019 Adjusted EBITDA was
Earnings Summary – Q4
Q4 2019 GAAP EPS was
Q4 2018 GAAP EPS was
Q4 2019 Adjusted EBITDA was
Operating Highlights
- Net sales increased
$41 million (5.4 percent) to$813 million in 2019 compared to$772 million in 2018. - On a segment basis, 2019 Filtration sales increased 14 percent from 2018 (10.5 percent excluding Globe). Aerospace sales (PTI, Crissair, and Mayday) increased
$32 million (19 percent) in 2019 driven by higher OEM build rates and strong after-market demand, partially offset by lower navy sales at VACCO due to revenue recognition timing on several large programs. Test sales increased$6 million (3 percent) in 2019 resulting from strong orders throughout 2019 and the completion of several large projects. USG sales from Doble increased$8 million (6 percent), while NRG’s sales to renewable energy customers decreased nearly$10 million , resulting in a net decrease in USG sales. Technical Packaging sales decreased nominally resulting from solid growth in domestic medical / pharm sales, offset by delayed new product introductions inEurope . - SG&A expenses increased in 2019 as a result of higher spending on R&D / new product development, additional sales commissions, normal cost of living adjustments, and the addition of Globe. Both periods’ SG&A spending represents approximately 21 percent of net sales.
- Entered orders were
$905 million in 2019 (book-to-bill of 1.11x) and were$279 million during Q4 2019 (book-to-bill of 1.18x) which resulted in an ending backlog of$475 million atSeptember 30, 2019 , an increase of$92 million , or 24 percent, fromSeptember 30, 2018 . - The effective income tax rate (GAAP and Adjusted) was 21 percent in 2019 and was favorably impacted by certain tax strategies implemented during 2019.
- 2019 net cash provided by operating activities was
$105 million resulting in$224 million of net debt outstanding (total borrowings, less cash on hand) atSeptember 30, 2019 with a 1.68x leverage ratio. Q4 2019 net cash provided by operating activities was$68 million resulting from strong earnings and favorable working capital management.
Chairman’s Commentary – 2019
“We improved our 2019 Adjusted EBITDA by 9 percent and increased our margins from 2018, while generating record cash flow from operations. Our entered orders were another bright spot as we booked over
“The Globe acquisition announced in early July is off to a great start as they performed better than we projected. I’m very happy with the early stages of the integration, and I’m looking forward to Globe’s continuing growth as part of
“On the M&A front we continue to evaluate a robust pipeline of opportunities and continue to work these aggressively, and I remain hopeful that we will be able to add to our portfolio. Consistent with our history, we will remain prudent and committed to our disciplined approach of balancing ROIC and protecting our balance sheet.
“The Doble headquarters relocation from
“I’m pleased with the way we wrapped up 2019, and we plan to build on the successes we achieved this year and expect to continue benefitting from our disciplined operating culture heading into 2020. Our solid market positions and tangible growth opportunities across the Company provide us with a favorable view of the future with our goal remaining unchanged – to increase long-term shareholder value.”
Dividend Payment
The next quarterly cash dividend of
Board of Directors
Effective
Ms. Valdez retired in 2018 after 32 years of civilian service with the
Ms. Valdez holds a Master of Science degree in Management from
Adding a new director further enhances Corporate Governance, facilitates board refreshment, and adds new and relevant experience supplementing existing independent director oversight.
Business Outlook – 2020 Adjusted Basis
Given the pending sale of the Technical Packaging business, beginning with the Q1 2020 results of operations, the segment’s operating results, balance sheet and cash flows will be reported as Discontinued Operations, and therefore, will be excluded from the Business Outlook comparisons to 2019 described below.
The Discontinued Operations impact, as well as the expected after-tax gain on the sale of Technical Packaging will be excluded from the calculation of Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS in the reporting of the 2020 and 2019 results.
The net proceeds from the sale will be used to pay down debt, thereby significantly increasing liquidity and enhancing the Company’s ability to complete future acquisitions.
Additionally, later in 2020, Management plans to use a portion of the net proceeds to fully fund, terminate, and annuitize the defined benefit pension plan currently maintained by the Company. Annuitizing this non-strategic liability through an insurance company will eliminate both equity market risk and interest rate volatility, thereby reducing our costs and eliminating future cash payments. The defined benefit plan was frozen in 2003 and no additional benefits have been accrued since that date. The accounting impact of terminating and annuitizing the pension will also be excluded from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS.
Management continues to see meaningful net sales, Adjusted EBIT, and Adjusted EBITDA growth across each of the Company’s business segments and anticipates growth rates in 2020 and beyond that will generally exceed the broader industrial market. The growth described below is expected to be enhanced by additional M&A contributions throughout the year.
Management’s expectations for growth in 2020 compared to 2019, excluding the results of Technical Packaging in both periods, are as follows:
- Net sales from continuing operations are expected to increase 9 to 10 percent on a consolidated basis, with Filtration growing 13.5 to 14.5 percent, USG growing 7 to 8 percent and Test growing 4 to 5 percent;
- Adjusted EBIT is expected to increase approximately 11 to 12 percent with Adjusted EBIT margins at 14 to 15 percent of sales;
- Adjusted EBITDA is expected to increase approximately 12 to 13 percent with Adjusted EBITDA margins increasing nearly a full point;
- Interest expense is expected to be lower than 2019, and will be impacted by the timing (date) of closing and the amount of the final after-tax cash proceeds received on the sale of Technical Packaging;
- Non-cash depreciation and amortization of intangible assets is expected to increase approximately
$5 million , or$0.15 per share after-tax, related to previous acquisitions and capital spending; - Income tax expense is expected to increase in 2020 as Management is projecting a 23 to 24 percent effective tax rate calculated on higher pretax earnings, compared to the 20.3 percent effective tax rate used in calculating 2019 Adjusted EPS (excluding Technical Packaging). The higher effective tax rate negatively impacts 2020 Adjusted EPS by approximately
($0.10) per share; - In summary, and excluding Technical Packaging, Management projects 2020 Adjusted EPS to be in the range of
$3.20 to $3.30 per share (compared to 2019 Adjusted EPS of$2.95 per share, excluding the 2019 results of Technical Packaging). This increase reflects meaningful sales, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS growth, partially offset by the additional depreciation and amortization charges and incremental tax expense as noted above.
On a quarterly basis and consistent with prior years, Management expects 2020 revenues and Adjusted EPS to be more back half weighted resulting in the second half of the year being stronger than the first half.
Management expects Q1 2020 Adjusted EPS to be in the range of
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call today,
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release regarding the timing and amounts of the Company’s expected quarterly, 2020 full year and beyond results, revenue and sales growth, sales, EPS, Adjusted EPS, EPS growth, cash, EBIT, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBIT margins, Adjusted EBITDA margins, Adjusted EBITDA, interest expense, income tax expense, effective tax rate, non-cash depreciation and amortization of intangible assets, liquidity, actions in regard to the Company’s frozen defined benefit plan, the realization of operational efficiencies, the Company’s competitiveness, the Company’s ability to increase operating margins, realize financial goals and increase shareholder value, the success of acquisition efforts, the sale of and expected proceeds from the pending divestiture and use of those proceeds, the long-term success of the Company, and any other statements which are not strictly historical are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws.
Investors are cautioned that such statements are only predictions and speak only as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update them except as may be required by applicable laws or regulations. The Company’s actual results in the future may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the Company’s operations and business environment including but not limited to those described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The financial measures EBIT, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are presented in this press release. The Company defines “EBIT” as earnings before interest and taxes, “EBITDA” as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, “Adjusted EBITDA” as EBITDA excluding certain defined charges, and “Adjusted EPS” as GAAP earnings per share (EPS) excluding the net impact of the items described above which were
EBIT, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS are not recognized in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). However, Management believes that EBIT, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful in assessing the operational profitability of the Company’s business segments because they exclude interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which are generally accounted for across the entire Company on a consolidated basis. EBIT is also one of the measures used by Management in determining resource allocations within the Company as well as incentive compensation. The presentation of EBIT, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS provides important supplemental information to investors by facilitating comparisons with other companies, many of which use similar non-GAAP financial measures to supplement their GAAP results. The use of non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to replace any measures of performance determined in accordance with GAAP.
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) | ||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) | ||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 |
Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 |
|||||||||||
Net Sales | $ | 236,658 | 231,086 | |||||||||
Cost and Expenses: | ||||||||||||
Cost of sales | 145,495 | 143,486 | ||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses | 46,043 | 39,618 | ||||||||||
Amortization of intangible assets | 5,523 | 4,713 | ||||||||||
Interest expense | 2,608 | 2,284 | ||||||||||
Other expenses (income), net | 4,277 | 2,663 | ||||||||||
Total costs and expenses | 203,946 | 192,764 | ||||||||||
Earnings before income taxes | 32,712 | 38,322 | ||||||||||
Income taxes | 7,854 | 9,870 | ||||||||||
Net earnings | $ | 24,858 | 28,452 | |||||||||
Diluted EPS - GAAP | $ | 0.95 | 1.09 | |||||||||
Diluted EPS - As Adjusted | $ | 1.09 | (1 | ) | 1.22 | (2 | ) | |||||
Diluted average common shares O/S: | 26,146 | 26,103 | ||||||||||
(1 | ) | Q4 2019 Adjusted EPS excluded $0.14 per share net impact of purchase accounting charges related to the Globe acquisition and restructuring charges incurred primarily at Plastique, Doble and PTI/VACCO during the fourth quarter of 2019. | ||||||||||
(2 | ) | Q4 2018 Adjusted EPS excluded $0.13 per share of after-tax charges incurred related to the Q4 2018 restructuring actions and the true-up of tax expense recorded resulting from the implementation of U.S. Tax Reform. |
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) | |||||||||||||
Year Ended September 30, 2019 |
Year Ended September 30, 2018 |
||||||||||||
Net Sales | $ | 812,970 | 771,582 | ||||||||||
Cost and Expenses: | |||||||||||||
Cost of sales | 508,521 | 490,397 | |||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses | 172,109 | 162,431 | |||||||||||
Amortization of intangible assets | 19,488 | 18,328 | |||||||||||
Interest expense | 8,396 | 8,748 | |||||||||||
Other expenses (income), net | 2,240 | 3,655 | |||||||||||
Total costs and expenses | 710,754 | 683,559 | |||||||||||
Earnings before income taxes | 102,216 | 88,023 | |||||||||||
Income taxes | 21,177 | (4,113 | ) | ||||||||||
Net earnings | $ | 81,039 | 92,136 | ||||||||||
Diluted EPS - GAAP | $ | 3.10 | 3.54 | ||||||||||
Diluted EPS - As Adjusted | $ | 3.13 | (1 | ) | 2.77 | (2 | ) | ||||||
Diluted average common shares O/S: | 26,097 | 26,058 | |||||||||||
(1 | ) | 2019 Adjusted EPS excluded $0.03 per share net impact mainly from the purchase accounting charges related to the Globe acquisition and restructuring charges primarily at Plastique, PTI/VACCO & Doble partially offset by the gain on the sale of the Doble Watertown property. | |||||||||||
(2 | ) | 2018 Adjusted EPS excluded $0.17 per share of after-tax charges incurred related to the 2018 restructuring actions, and excluded a $0.94 net tax benefit recorded resulting from the implementation of U.S. Tax Reform. |
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||||
Condensed Business Segment Information (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
GAAP | As Adjusted | ||||||||||||||
Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | ||||||||||||
Net Sales | |||||||||||||||
Filtration | $ | 96,966 | 91,274 | 96,966 | 91,274 | ||||||||||
USG | 54,276 | 56,013 | 54,276 | 56,013 | |||||||||||
Test | 61,935 | 59,523 | 61,935 | 59,523 | |||||||||||
Technical Packaging | 23,481 | 24,276 | 23,481 | 24,276 | |||||||||||
Totals | $ | 236,658 | 231,086 | 236,658 | 231,086 | ||||||||||
EBIT | |||||||||||||||
Filtration | $ | 23,050 | 23,615 | 23,459 | 23,961 | ||||||||||
USG | 11,708 | 15,364 | 12,715 | 16,399 | |||||||||||
Test | 10,849 | 10,029 | 10,849 | 10,029 | |||||||||||
Technical Packaging | 2,532 | 2,721 | 2,635 | 2,721 | |||||||||||
Corporate | (12,819 | ) | (11,123 | ) | (9,659 | ) | (10,252 | ) | |||||||
Consolidated EBIT | 35,320 | 40,606 | 39,999 | 42,858 | |||||||||||
Less: Interest expense | (2,608 | ) | (2,284 | ) | (2,608 | ) | (2,284 | ) | |||||||
Less: Income tax expense | (7,854 | ) | (9,870 | ) | (8,941 | ) | (8,582 | ) | |||||||
Net earnings | $ | 24,858 | 28,452 | 28,450 | 31,992 | ||||||||||
Note 1: Adjusted net earnings were $28.5 million in Q4 2019 which excluded the $0.14 per share net impact of the purchase accounting charges related to the Globe acquisition and the restructuring charges incurred at Doble, Plastique, PTI and VACCO during Q4 2019. | |||||||||||||||
Note 2: Adjusted net earnings were $32.0 million in Q4 2018 which excluded the $0.13 per share of after-tax charges incurred related to the Q4 2018 restructuring actions, and the true-up of tax expense recorded resulting from the implementation of U.S. Tax Reform. | |||||||||||||||
EBITDA Reconciliation to Net earnings: | |||||||||||||||
Adjusted | Adjusted | ||||||||||||||
Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | Q4 2019 | Q4 2018 | ||||||||||||
Consolidated EBITDA | $ | 46,607 | 50,011 | 51,286 | 52,263 | ||||||||||
Less: Depr & Amort | (11,287 | ) | (9,405 | ) | (11,287 | ) | (9,405 | ) | |||||||
Consolidated EBIT | 35,320 | 40,606 | 39,999 | 42,858 | |||||||||||
Less: Interest expense | (2,608 | ) | (2,284 | ) | (2,608 | ) | (2,284 | ) | |||||||
Less: Income tax expense | (7,854 | ) | (9,870 | ) | (8,941 | ) | (8,582 | ) | |||||||
Net earnings | $ | 24,858 | 28,452 | 28,450 | 31,992 | ||||||||||
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||||
Condensed Business Segment Information (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
GAAP | As Adjusted | ||||||||||||||
FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | ||||||||||||
Net Sales | |||||||||||||||
Filtration | $ | 325,735 | 286,805 | 325,735 | 286,805 | ||||||||||
USG | 211,915 | 213,953 | 211,915 | 213,953 | |||||||||||
Test | 188,394 | 182,892 | 188,394 | 182,892 | |||||||||||
Technical Packaging | 86,926 | 87,932 | 86,926 | 87,932 | |||||||||||
Totals | $ | 812,970 | 771,582 | 812,970 | 771,582 | ||||||||||
EBIT | |||||||||||||||
Filtration | $ | 70,142 | 58,670 | 71,316 | 59,464 | ||||||||||
USG | 52,169 | 43,169 | 46,282 | 46,121 | |||||||||||
Test | 25,640 | 23,826 | 25,640 | 23,826 | |||||||||||
Technical Packaging | 5,865 | 8,075 | 7,299 | 8,075 | |||||||||||
Corporate | (43,204 | ) | (36,969 | ) | (39,375 | ) | (35,875 | ) | |||||||
Consolidated EBIT | 110,612 | 96,771 | 111,162 | 101,611 | |||||||||||
Less: Interest expense | (8,396 | ) | (8,748 | ) | (8,396 | ) | (8,748 | ) | |||||||
Less: Income tax | (21,177 | ) | 4,113 | (20,965 | ) | (20,665 | ) | ||||||||
Net earnings | $ | 81,039 | 92,136 | 81,801 | 72,198 | ||||||||||
Note 1: Adjusted net earnings were $81.8 million in 2019 which excluded the $0.03 per share net impact of the purchase accounting charges related to the Globe acquisition and the restructuring charges incurred at Doble, Plastique, PTI and VACCO during 2019, partially offset by the gain on the sale of the Doble Watertown property. | |||||||||||||||
Note 2: Adjusted net earnings were $72.2 million in 2018 which excluded $0.17 per share of after-tax charges incurred related to the 2018 restructuring actions, and excluded a $0.94 net tax benefit recorded resulting from the implementation of U.S. Tax Reform. | |||||||||||||||
EBITDA Reconciliation to Net earnings: | |||||||||||||||
Adjusted | Adjusted | ||||||||||||||
FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | ||||||||||||
Consolidated EBITDA | $ | 150,662 | 134,526 | 151,212 | 139,366 | ||||||||||
Less: Depr & Amort | (40,050 | ) | (37,755 | ) | (40,050 | ) | (37,755 | ) | |||||||
Consolidated EBIT | 110,612 | 96,771 | 111,162 | 101,611 | |||||||||||
Less: Interest expense | (8,396 | ) | (8,748 | ) | (8,396 | ) | (8,748 | ) | |||||||
(Less) Plus: Income tax | (21,177 | ) | 4,113 | (20,965 | ) | (20,665 | ) | ||||||||
Net earnings | $ | 81,039 | 92,136 | 81,801 | 72,198 | ||||||||||
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||||||
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) | ||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | ||||||
September 30, 2019 |
September 30, 2018 |
|||||
Assets | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 61,808 | 30,477 | |||
Accounts receivable, net | 174,427 | 163,740 | ||||
Contract assets | 115,310 | 53,034 | ||||
Inventories | 128,825 | 135,416 | ||||
Other current assets | 14,824 | 13,356 | ||||
Total current assets | 495,194 | 396,023 | ||||
Property, plant and equipment, net | 161,470 | 134,954 | ||||
Intangible assets, net | 393,047 | 345,353 | ||||
Goodwill | 409,215 | 381,652 | ||||
Other assets | 7,794 | 7,140 | ||||
$ | 1,466,720 | 1,265,122 | ||||
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity | ||||||
Short-term borrowings and current | $ | 21,261 | 20,000 | |||
maturities of long-term debt | ||||||
Accounts payable | 71,370 | 63,033 | ||||
Contract liabilities | 81,177 | 49,035 | ||||
Other current liabilities | 77,827 | 68,462 | ||||
Total current liabilities | 251,635 | 200,530 | ||||
Deferred tax liabilities | 64,855 | 64,794 | ||||
Other liabilities | 59,008 | 40,388 | ||||
Long-term debt | 265,000 | 200,000 | ||||
Shareholders' equity | 826,222 | 759,410 | ||||
$ | 1,466,720 | 1,265,122 |
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) | |||
(Dollars in thousands) | |||
Year Ended September 30, 2019 |
|||
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||
Net earnings | $ | 81,039 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings | |||
to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 40,050 | ||
Stock compensation expense | 5,353 | ||
Changes in assets and liabilities | (9,944 | ) | |
Change in PP&E from gain on building sale | (8,922 | ) | |
Pension contributions | (2,500 | ) | |
Effect of deferred taxes | 61 | ||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 105,137 | ||
Cash flows from investing activities: | |||
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired | (96,777 | ) | |
Capital expenditures | (37,183 | ) | |
Additions to capitalized software | (8,386 | ) | |
Proceeds from sale of building and land | 17,201 | ||
Net cash used by investing activities | (125,145 | ) | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | |||
Proceeds from long-term debt and short-term borrowings | 131,261 | ||
Principal payments on long-term debt | (65,000 | ) | |
Dividends paid | (8,302 | ) | |
Debt issuance costs | (1,071 | ) | |
Other | (3,371 | ) | |
Net cash provided by financing activities | 53,517 | ||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (2,178 | ) | |
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | 31,331 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 30,477 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | 61,808 |
ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES | |||||||||||||||||
Other Selected Financial Data (Unaudited) | |||||||||||||||||
(Dollars in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||
Backlog And Entered Orders - Q4 FY 2019 | Filtration | USG | Test | Technical Packaging | Total | ||||||||||||
Beginning Backlog - 7/1/19 | $ | 231,150 | 41,529 | 143,035 | 16,737 | 432,451 | |||||||||||
Entered Orders | 154,256 | 54,461 | 52,477 | 18,146 | 279,340 | ||||||||||||
Sales | (96,966 | ) | (54,276 | ) | (61,935 | ) | (23,481 | ) | (236,658 | ) | |||||||
Ending Backlog - 9/30/19 | $ | 288,440 | 41,714 | 133,577 | 11,402 | 475,133 | |||||||||||
Backlog And Entered Orders - YTD Q4 FY 2019 | Filtration | USG | Test | Technical Packaging | Total | ||||||||||||
Beginning Backlog - 10/1/18 | $ | 204,227 | 40,727 | 122,350 | 15,467 | 382,771 | |||||||||||
Entered Orders | 409,948 | 212,902 | 199,621 | 82,861 | 905,332 | ||||||||||||
Sales | (325,735 | ) | (211,915 | ) | (188,394 | ) | (86,926 | ) | (812,970 | ) | |||||||
Ending Backlog - 9/30/19 | $ | 288,440 | 41,714 | 133,577 | 11,402 | 475,133 |
SOURCE
Source: ESCO Technologies Inc.