Paul Mueller Company Announces Its Fourth Quarter Earnings of 2023


SPRINGFIELD, Mo., March 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paul Mueller Company (OTC: MUEL) today announced earnings for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

             
PAUL MUELLER COMPANY
TWELVE-MONTH REPORT
(In thousands)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
             
  Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended
  December 31 December 31
  2023 2022 2023 2022
             
Net Sales $55,786  $59,002  $229,156  $191,520 
Cost of Sales 38,744  50,082  158,625  152,286 
Gross Profit $17,042  $8,920  $70,531  $39,234 
Selling, General and Administrative Expense 51,723  4,679  88,269  35,011 
Operating Income (Loss) $(34,681) $4,241  $(17,738) $4,223 
Interest Expense (91) (87) (350) (697)
Other Income 856  939  2,666  1,115 
Income (Loss) before Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes $(33,916) $5,093  $(15,422) $4,641 
Provision (Benefit) for Income Taxes (10,042) 1,193  (5,532) 1,032 
Net Income (Loss) $(23,874) $3,900  $(9,890) $3,609 
             
Earnings (Loss) per Common Share –– Basic and Diluted ($21.99) $3.59  ($9.11) $3.32 


CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
        
   Twelve Months Ended
   December 31
   2023 2022
        
 Net Income (Loss) $(9,890) $3,609 
 Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax:      
 Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment 677  (1,416)
 Change in Pension Liability 33,322  1,262 
 Comprehensive Income $24,109  $3,455 
        
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
        
   December 31 December 31
   2023 2022
        
 Cash $1,883  $679 
 Marketable Securities 32,042  37,497 
 Accounts Receivable 25,166  20,580 
 Inventories (FIFO) 45,910  48,515 
 LIFO Reserve (21,774) (21,691)
 Inventories (LIFO) 24,136  26,824 
 Current Net Investments in Sales-Type Leases 27  24 
 Other Current Assets 3,537  3,156 
 Current Assets $86,791  $88,760 
        
 Net Property, Plant, and Equipment 42,011  41,511 
 Right of Use Assets 2,421  2,304 
 Other Assets 2,590  5,041 
 Long-Term Net Investments in Sales-Type Leases 456  312 
 Total Assets $134,269  $137,928 
        
 Accounts Payable $11,041  $11,802 
 Current Maturities and Short-Term debt 640  628 
 Current Lease Liabilities 402  448 
 Advance Billings 27,383  41,288 
 Pension Liabilities 32  11,558 
 Other Current Liabilities 19,599  20,062 
 Current Liabilities $59,097  $85,786 
        
 Long-Term Debt 8,880  9,349 
 Long-Term Pension Liabilities 233  236 
 Other Long-Term Liabilities 1,768  1,737 
 Lease Liabilities 775  762 
 Total Liabilities $70,753  $97,870 
 Shareholders' Investment 63,516  40,058 
 Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Investment $134,269  $137,928 


SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
      
   December 31 December 31
   2023 2022
 Book Value per Common Share $58.50  $36.90 
 Total Shares Outstanding  1,085,711   1,085,711 
 Backlog $97,350  $132,829 


 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS' INVESTMENT
                 
  Common
Stock
 Paid-in
Surplus
 Retained
Earnings
 Treasury
Stock
 Accumulated Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
 Total
Balance, December 31, 2022
 $ 1,508  $ 9,708  $ 75,721  $ (10,787) $ (36,092) $ 40,058 
Add (Deduct):
                
Net (Loss)     (9,890)       (9,890)
Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax     2,001     31,998  33,999 
Dividends, $.60 per Common Share     (651)        (651)
Treasury Stock Acquisition                
Balance, December 31, 2023
 $ 1,508  $ 9,708  $ 67,181  $ (10,787)  $ (4,094)  $ 63,516 


 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
       
  Twelve Months
Ended
December 31, 2023
 Twelve Months
Ended
December 31, 2022
Operating Activities:      
       
Net Income (Loss) $ (9,890) $ 3,609 
       
Adjustment to Reconcile Net Income (Loss) to Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities:      
Pension Contributions (Greater) Less than Expense 21,793  (4,980)
Bad Debt Expense 275  81 
Depreciation & Amortization 6,641  6,156 
Deferred Tax (Benefit) Expense (9,230)  831 
Loss (Gain) on Disposal of Equipment 796  (1)
Change in Assets and Liabilities      
(Inc) Dec in Accts and Notes Receivable (4,861)  5,113 
Dec (Inc) in Inventories 2,688  (370)
Dec (Inc) in Prepayments 394  (1,052)
(Inc) in Net Investment in Sales-Type Leases (147)  (149)
Dec in Other Assets 381  347 
Dec in Deferred Taxes 11,550  437 
(Dec) in Accounts Payable (761)  (2,668)
Inc in Accrued Income Tax 1,536  - 
Inc in Accrued Expenses 5,014  414 
(Dec) Inc in Advanced Billings (13,905)  22,693 
(Dec) Inc in Billings in Excess of Costs and Estimated Earnings (7,013)  10,552 
Inc in Lease Liability for Operating -  421 
Inc in Lease Liability for Financing 133  33 
Principal payments on Lease Liability for Operating (85)  (350)
(Dec) in Long Term Liabilities (1,058)  (111)
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities $ 4,251  $ 41,006 
       
Investing Activities      
Proceeds from Sales of Equipment 171  26 
Investments in Marketable Securities 5,455  (29,466)
Additions to Property, Plant, and Equipment (7,704)  (9,067)
Net Cash (Required) for Investing Activities $ (2,078)  $ (38,507)
       
Financing Activities      
Principal payments on Lease Liability for Financing (116)  (201)
(Repayment) of Short-Term Borrowings, Net -  (642)
(Repayment) of Long-Term Debt (634)  (4,045)
Dividends paid (651)  (652)
Treasury Stock Acquisitions -  (38)
Net Cash (Required) for Financing Activities $ (1,401)  $ (5,578)
       
Effect of Exchange Rate Changes  432  508 
       
Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash  $ 1,204  $ (2,571)
       
Cash at Beginning of Year 679  3,250 
       
Cash at End of Year $ 1,883  $ 679 
       


PAUL MUELLER COMPANY
SUMMARIZED NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In thousands)

A.   The chart below depicts the net revenue on a consolidating basis for the three months ended December 31.

 Three Months Ended December 31 
 Revenue2023 2022  
 Domestic$43,082 $47,299  
 Mueller BV$12,967 $12,002  
 Eliminations($263)($299) 
 Net Revenue$55,786 $59,002  
     

The chart below depicts the net revenue on a consolidating basis for the twelve months ended December 31.

 Twelve Months Ended December 31 
 Revenue2023 2022  
 Domestic$183,006 $145,193  
 Mueller BV$47,710 $47,356  
 Eliminations($1,560)($1,029) 
 Net Revenue$229,156 $191,520  
       

The chart below depicts the net income (loss) on a consolidating basis for the three months ended December 31.

 Three Months Ended December 31 
 Net Income2023 2022  
 Domestic($25,561)$3,861  
 Mueller BV$1,711 $52  
 Eliminations($24)($13) 
 Net Income (Loss)($23,874)$3,900  
     

The chart below depicts the net income (loss) on a consolidating basis for the twelve months ended December 31.

 Twelve Months Ended December 31 
 Net Income2023 2022  
 Domestic($11,328)$4,517  
 Mueller BV$1,477 ($903) 
 Eliminations($39)($5) 
 Net Income (Loss)($9,890)$3,609  
     

B.   Please refer to the President’s letter and footnotes in the 2023 Annual Report for relevant management discussion and analysis.

C.   The Company successfully terminated two defined benefit pension plans on December 18, 2023; only a small SERP plan remains. The Company annually contributed an average of $4.7 million to these plans during 2018–2022, a use of cash that will not be required in the future. The 2023 termination of these plans required an additional cash contribution of $11.1 million and resulted in a non-cash reduction of pretax earnings of $41.8 million. This non-cash settlement charge resulted in a 2023 net loss of $9.9 million. Excluding this settlement charge, net income would have been a record of $21.0 million.

D.   The pre-tax results for the three months ended December 31, 2023, were favorably affected by a $0.5 million decrease in the LIFO reserve. The pre-tax results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, were unfavorably affected by a $83,000 increase in the LIFO reserve. The pre-tax results for the three months ended December 31, 2022, were unfavorably affected by a $0.4 million increase in the LIFO reserve. The pre-tax results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, were unfavorably affected by a $4.8 million increase in the LIFO reserve.

E.   The consolidated financials are affected by the euro to dollar exchange rate when consolidating Mueller B.V., the Dutch subsidiary. The month end euro to dollar exchange rate was $1.07 for December, 2022 and $1.10 for December, 2023, respectively.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions. All statements regarding future performance growth, conditions, or developments are forward-looking statements. Actual future results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the factors described in the Company’s Annual Report under “Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements”, which is available at paulmueller.com. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements to reflect any future events or circumstances.

The accounting policies related to this report and additional management discussion and analysis are provided in the 2023 annual report, available at
www.paulmueller.com/investors.


Press Contact: Ken Jeffries | Paul Mueller Company | Springfield, MO 65802 | (417) 575-9346

kjeffries@paulmueller.com | https://paulmueller.com