Bel Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results

Impressive Top Line Growth with Solid Q4 Margin Improvement


JERSEY CITY, N.J., Feb. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bel Fuse Inc. (Nasdaq: BELFA and BELFB) today announced preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2021.

Fourth Quarter 2021 Highlights

  • Net sales of $147.1 million, up 26.7% from Q4-20
  • Gross profit margin of 26.7%, up from 25.3% in Q4-20
  • Net earnings of $8.0 million versus $3.6 million in Q4-20
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $15.3 million, representing an increase of 96% compared to Q4-20

Full Year 2021 Highlights

  • Net sales of $543.5 million, up 16.7% from 2020
  • Gross profit margin of 24.7%, down from 25.7% in 2020
  • Net earnings of $24.8 million versus $12.8 million in 2020
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $42.8 million, an improvement of 33% compared to 2020
  • Ended year with backlog of orders of $468 million, an increase of over 200% from the 2020 year-end level

“We closed out 2021 with a fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year sales growth and strong revenue for the quarter," said Daniel Bernstein, President and CEO. "Net sales are up with solid performance across all three business units. Additionally, our backlog continues to build as the demand for eMobility, commercial air, and industrials remain strong. Net earnings more than doubled over last year's fourth quarter and almost doubled for the year as well. Recent acquisitions have been strong contributors to our growth and were highly accretive in 2021. Our CUI power and Circuit Protection products that address a broad array of markets and products that support eMobility and commercial air applications continue to be the growth drivers for revenue.

"Bel will further execute on our strategic initiatives that our CFO Farouq Tuweiq has, and will continue, to put in place and oversee. These initiatives are designed to enhance Bel's margins and drive continued improvement in operational excellence. All parts of the organization will be assessed. Pricing adjustments to offset rising input costs are taking effect in each segment and newly-implemented pricing policies will enable us to react quickly to future cost changes. Despite macroeconomic and global supply chain challenges, we are pleased with our results for the quarter and year,” concluded Mr. Bernstein.

Non-GAAP financial measures, such as Non-GAAP net earnings, Non-GAAP EPS, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, exclude a gain on sale of property, acquisition-related costs, write-off of deferred financing costs and restructuring charges. Please refer to the financial information included with this press release for reconciliations of GAAP financial measures to Non-GAAP financial measures and our explanation of why we present Non-GAAP financial measures.

Conference Call
Bel has scheduled a conference call for 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, February 25, 2022 to discuss these results.  To participate in the conference call, investors should dial 888-204-4368, or 323-994-2093 if dialing internationally. The presentation will additionally be broadcast live over the Internet and will be available at https://ir.belfuse.com/events-and-presentations. The webcast will be available via replay for a period of 20 days at this same Internet address. For those unable to access the live call, a telephone replay will be available at 844-512-2921, or 412-317-6671 if dialing internationally, using access code 8322858 after 11:30am ET, also for 20 days.

About Bel
Bel (www.belfuse.com) designs, manufactures and markets a broad array of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits.  These products are primarily used in the networking, telecommunications, computing, military, aerospace, transportation and broadcasting industries. Bel's portfolio of products also finds application in the automotive, medical and consumer electronics markets.  Bel's product groups include Magnetic Solutions (integrated connector modules, power transformers, power inductors and discrete components), Power Solutions and Protection (front-end, board-mount and industrial power products, module products and circuit protection), and Connectivity Solutions (expanded beam fiber optic, copper-based, RF and RJ connectors and cable assemblies). The Company operates facilities around the world.

Company Contact:
Farouq Tuweiq
Chief Financial Officer
ir@belf.com

Investor Contact:
Three Part Advisors
Jean Marie Young, Managing Director or Steven Hooser, Partner
631-418-4339
jyoung@threepa.com; shooser@threepa.com

Forward-Looking Statements
Non-historical information contained in this press release (including the statements regarding expectations or anticipations regarding future financial performance; trends involving backlog, demand, growth, the effects of acquisitions, and particular product lines or industries; our plans and intentions with respect to strategic initiatives and the desired effects thereof, including on our margin and our revenue; our expectations regarding the effects of pricing adjustments and policies and our ability to react to cost changes; and macroeconomic and global supply chain challenges) are forward-looking statements (as described under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from Bel's projections. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements are: the market concerns facing our customers; the continuing viability of sectors that rely on our products; the effects of business and economic conditions; the impact of public health crises (such as the governmental, social and economic effects of COVID-19); the effects of rising input costs, and cost changes generally; difficulties associated with integrating previously acquired companies; capacity and supply constraints or difficulties, including supply chain constraints or other challenges; product development, commercialization or technological difficulties; the regulatory and trade environment; risks associated with fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates; uncertainties associated with legal proceedings; the market's acceptance of the Company's new products and competitive responses to those new products; the impact of changes to U.S. legal and regulatory requirements, including tax laws, trade and tariff policies; and the risk factors detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports. In light of the risks and uncertainties impacting our business, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement will in fact prove to be correct. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The non-GAAP measures identified in this press release as well as in the supplementary information to this press release (Non-GAAP net earnings, Non-GAAP EPS, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA) are not measures of performance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP").  These measures should not be considered a substitute for, and the reader should also consider, income from operations, net earnings, earnings per share and other measures of performance as defined by GAAP as indicators of our performance or profitability. Our non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to other similarly-titled captions of other companies due to differences in the method of calculation.  We present results adjusted to exclude the effects of certain unusual or special items and their related tax impact that would otherwise be included under U.S. GAAP, to aid in comparisons with other periods.  We may use Non-GAAP financial measures to determine performance-based compensation and management believes that this information may be useful to investors.

Website Information
We routinely post important information for investors on our website, www.belfuse.com, in the "Investor Relations" section. We use our website as a means of disclosing material, otherwise non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations section of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, presentations and webcasts. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this document.

[Financial tables follow]

Bel Fuse Inc.
Supplementary Information(1)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)

  Three Months Ended  Year Ended 
  December 31,  December 31, 
  2021  2020  2021  2020 
                 
Net sales $147,142  $116,130  $543,494  $465,771 
Cost of sales  107,877   86,754   409,111   346,041 
Gross profit  39,265   29,376   134,383   119,730 
As a % of net sales  26.7%  25.3%  24.7%  25.7%
                 
Research and development costs  5,590   5,723   21,891   23,611 
Selling, general and administrative expenses  21,854   19,565   86,612   78,704 
As a % of net sales  14.9%  16.8%  15.9%  16.9%
Restructuring charges  526   318   1,201   601 
Gain on sale of property  -   (1,853)  (6,578)  (1,853)
                 
Income from operations  11,295   5,623   31,257   18,667 
As a % of net sales  7.7%  4.8%  5.8%  4.0%
                 
Interest expense  (528)  (903)  (3,542)  (4,746)
Other income/expense, net  (847)  (395)  (388)  (1,785)
Earnings before income taxes  9,920   4,325   27,327   12,136 
                 
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes  1,912   774   2,506   (659)
Effective tax rate  19.3%  17.9%  9.2%  -5.4%
Net earnings $8,008  $3,551  $24,821  $12,795 
As a % of net sales  5.4%  3.1%  4.6%  2.7%
                 
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:                
Class A common shares - basic and diluted  2,145   2,145   2,145   2,145 
Class B common shares - basic and diluted  10,322   10,213   10,258   10,185 
                 
Net earnings per common share:                
Class A common shares - basic and diluted $0.61  $0.27  $1.90  $0.97 
Class B common shares - basic and diluted $0.65  $0.29  $2.02  $1.05 
                 

(1) The supplementary information included in this press release for 2021 is preliminary and subject to change prior to the filing of our upcoming Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bel Fuse Inc.
Supplementary Information(1)
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, unaudited)

 December 31, 2021  December 31, 2020 
Assets       
Current assets:       
Cash and cash equivalents$61,756  $84,939 
Accounts receivable, net 87,135   71,372 
Inventories 139,383   100,133 
Other current assets 40,742   23,772 
Total current assets 329,016   280,216 
Property, plant and equipment, net 38,210   34,501 
Right-of-use assets 21,252   14,217 
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 87,646   89,755 
Other assets 35,722   35,177 
Total assets$511,846  $453,866 
        
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity       
Current liabilities:       
Accounts payable$65,960  $39,774 
Current portion of long-term debt -   5,286 
Operating lease liability, current 6,880   6,591 
Other current liabilities 39,172   35,885 
Total current liabilities 112,012   87,536 
Long-term debt 112,500   110,294 
Operating lease liability, long-term 14,668   8,064 
Other liabilities 63,923   62,173 
Total liabilities 303,103   268,067 
Stockholders' equity 208,743   185,799 
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity$511,846  $453,866 
        

(1) The supplementary information included in this press release for 2021 is preliminary and subject to change prior to the filing of our upcoming Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bel Fuse Inc.
Supplementary Information(1)
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Earnings to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA(2)
(in thousands, unaudited)

  Three Months Ended  Year Ended 
  December 31,  December 31, 
  2021  2020  2021  2020 
                 
GAAP Net earnings $8,008  $3,551  $24,821  $12,795 
Interest expense  528   903   3,542   4,746 
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes  1,912   774   2,506   (659)
Depreciation and amortization  4,347   4,101   16,861   16,423 
EBITDA $14,795  $9,329  $47,730  $33,305 
% of net sales  10.1%  8.0%  8.8%  7.2%
                 
Unusual or special items:                
Gain on sale of property  -   (1,853)  (6,578)  (1,853)
Restructuring charges  526   318   1,201   601 
Acquisition-related costs  -   25   483   211 
                 
Adjusted EBITDA $15,321  $7,819  $42,836  $32,264 
% of net sales  10.4%  6.7%  7.9%  6.9%
                 

(1) The supplementary information included in this press release for 2021 is preliminary and subject to change prior to the filing of our upcoming Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(2) In this press release and supplemental information, we have included Non-GAAP financial measures, including Non-GAAP net earnings, Non-GAAP EPS, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. We present results adjusted to exclude the effects of certain specified items and their related tax impact that would otherwise be included under GAAP, to aid in comparisons with other periods. We may use Non-GAAP financial measures to determine performance-based compensation and management believes that this information may be useful to investors.

Bel Fuse Inc.
Supplementary Information(1)
Reconciliation of GAAP Measures to Non-GAAP Measures(2)
(in thousands, unaudited)

The following tables detail the impact of certain unusual or special items had on the Company's net earnings (loss) per common Class A and Class B basic and diluted shares ("EPS") and the line items in which these items were included on the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

  Three Months Ended December 31, 2021  Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 
Reconciling Items Earnings before taxes  Provision for income taxes  Net earnings  Class A EPS(3)  Class B EPS(3)  Earnings before taxes  Provision for income taxes  Net earnings  Class A EPS(3)  Class B EPS(3) 
                                         
GAAP measures $9,920  $1,912  $8,008  $0.61  $0.65  $4,325  $774  $3,551  $0.27  $0.29 
Items included in SG&A expenses:                                        
Acquisition-related costs  -   -   -   -   -   25   6   19   -   - 
Gain on sale of property  -   -   -   -   -   (1,853)  (403)  (1,450)  (0.11)  (0.12)
Restructuring charges  526   70   456   0.04   0.04   318   -   318   0.02   0.03 
Non-GAAP measures $10,446  $1,982  $8,464  $0.65  $0.69  $2,815  $377  $2,438  $0.18  $0.20 

  

  Year Ended December 31, 2021  Year Ended December 31, 2020 
Reconciling Items Earnings before taxes  Provision for income taxes  Net earnings  Class A EPS(3)  Class B EPS(3)  Earnings before taxes  Benefit from income taxes  Net earnings  Class A EPS(3)  Class B EPS(3) 
                                         
GAAP measures $27,327  $2,506  $24,821  $1.90  $2.02  $12,136  $(659) $12,795  $0.97  $1.05 
Items included in SG&A expenses:                                        
Acquisition-related costs  483   111   372   0.03   0.03   211   49   162   0.01   0.01 
Gain on sale of property  (6,578)  -   (6,578)  (0.51)  (0.53)  (1,853)  (403)  (1,450)  (0.11)  (0.12)
Restructuring charges  1,201   189   1,012   0.08   0.08   601   62   539   0.04   0.04 
Write-off of deferred financing costs  820   189   631   0.05   0.05   -   -   -   -   - 
Non-GAAP measures $23,253  $2,995  $20,258  $1.55  $1.65  $11,095  $(951) $12,046  $0.92  $0.99 
                                         

(1) The supplementary information included in this press release for 2021 is preliminary and subject to change prior to the filing of our upcoming Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(2) In this press release and supplemental information, we have included Non-GAAP financial measures, including Non-GAAP net earnings, Non-GAAP EPS, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. We present results adjusted to exclude the effects of certain specified items and their related tax impact that would otherwise be included under GAAP, to aid in comparisons with other periods. We may use Non-GAAP financial measures to determine performance-based compensation and management believes that this information may be useful to investors.
(3) Individual amounts of earnings per share may not agree to the total due to rounding.