Twin Disc Announces First Quarter Results

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twin Disc, Inc. (NASDAQ: TWIN), today reported results for the fiscal 2024 first quarter ended September 29, 2023.

Fiscal First Quarter 2024 Highlights

• Sales increased 13.7% year-over-year to $63.6 million
• Gross margin of 26.2%, expanded 240 basis points despite one-time noncash charge of $3.1 million
• Net loss attributable to Twin Disc was ($1.2) million and EBITDA* of $2.3 million
• Significantly improved operating cash flow of $9.8 million compared to ($0.7) million in the year-ago period
• Free cash flow* of $6.1 million compared to ($2.9) million in the year-ago period
• Robust six-month backlog of $122.5 million supported by healthy ongoing demand
• Board reinstates quarterly cash dividend of $0.04 per share

CEO Perspective
“We delivered impressive results in the first quarter, highlighted by double-digit revenue growth, robust margin expansion, and solid cash generation, giving us the confidence to reinstate our quarterly dividend. Thanks to the hard work of our global teams, we are capturing stable demand across product groups, boosted by increased activity in oil and gas markets in what is seasonally our slowest quarter,” commented John H. Batten, President and Chief Executive Officer of Twin Disc. “We are encouraged by our strong performance and upward trend in backlog this far in the fiscal year; however, the broader macroeconomic environment remains volatile, which has somewhat impacted our visibility. That said, our results have further strengthened our overall financial profile, enabling us to navigate through potential challenges while putting us on a path for sustained growth. We look forward to keeping this momentum up as the year moves on to create long-term value for all stakeholders,” concluded Mr. Batten.

First Quarter Results
Sales for the fiscal 2024 first quarter increased 13.7% year-over-year to $63.6 million, driven by demand for the Company’s Marine and Propulsion Systems and Land-Based Transmissions markets, and favorable product mix.

Sales by product group:

The company delivered 19% growth year-over-year in the Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific regions. The proportion of total sales increased in the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions, with a relative decrease in North America.

Gross profit increased 25.1% to $16.6 million compared to $13.3 million for the first fiscal quarter of 2023. First quarter gross margin increased approximately 240 basis points sequentially to 26.2%, despite a one-time non-cash charge of $3.1 million related to the sale of our boat management system product line. This improvement reflects the benefit of prior pricing actions, continued easing of supply chain headwinds, a favorable product mix and successfully executing our operational playbook.

Marketing, engineering and administrative (ME&A) expense increased by $1.8 million, or 12.2%, to $16.9 million, compared to $15.1 million in the prior year quarter. The increased ME&A expense was primarily driven by the investment in resources to drive our hybrid electric strategy, the impact of inflation and currency translation.

Net loss attributable to Twin Disc for the quarter was ($1.2) million, or ($0.09) per diluted share, compared to net loss attributable to Twin Disc of ($1.4) million, or ($0.11) per share, for the first fiscal quarter of 2023. The year-over-year improvement was driven by favorable operating results, partially offset by the one-time non-cash charge related to the sale of a product line.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased by $1.7 million to $2.3 million in the first quarter, compared to $0.6 million in the first fiscal quarter of 2023.

On a consolidated basis, the backlog of orders to be shipped over the next six months is approximately $122.5 million, compared to $119.2 million at the end of the fourth fiscal quarter of 2023. As a percentage of six-month backlog, inventory decreased from 111.0% at the end of the fourth quarter to 103% at the end of the first fiscal quarter of 2024. Compared to the first fiscal quarter of 2023, cash increased 54.6% to $20.4 million and net debt* decreased $22.7 million to $1.2 million. The decrease was primarily attributable to net payoff of long-term debt.

CFO Perspective
Jeffrey S. Knutson, Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary stated, “Commercial strength, along with disciplined management of inventory and backlog levels by our teams, helped contribute to our results this quarter, underscored by strong gross margin expansion despite the $3.1 million one-time noncash charge related to an asset sale. As supply chain headwinds have largely subsided and end market demand remains solid, we are well-positioned to continue driving profitable growth for Twin Disc, keeping us on track to meet our medium-term financial targets. The reinstatement of the cash dividend this quarter is a testament to the significant progress we have made toward those objectives. Looking ahead, we remain focused on leveraging our consistent free cash generation to advance our capital allocation priorities while driving our business forward.”

Discussion of Results
Twin Disc will host a conference call to discuss these results and to answer questions at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on November 2, 2023. The live audio webcast will be available on Twin Disc’s website at https://ir.twindisc.com. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 715-9871 approximately ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. A replay of the webcast will be available at https://ir.twindisc.com shortly after the call until November 1, 2024.

About Twin Disc
Twin Disc, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells marine and heavy-duty off-highway power transmission equipment. Products offered include marine transmissions, azimuth drives, surface drives, propellers and boat management systems, as well as power-shift transmissions, hydraulic torque converters, power take-offs, industrial clutches and control systems. The Company sells its products to customers primarily in the pleasure craft, commercial and military marine markets, as well as in the energy and natural resources, government and industrial markets. The Company’s worldwide sales to both domestic and foreign customers are transacted through a direct sales force and a distributor network. For more information, please visit www.twindisc.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that are forward looking as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission in its rules, regulations and releases. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” and “expects,” or similar anticipatory expressions, usually identify forward-looking statements. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include the impact of general economic conditions and the cyclical nature of many of the Company’s product markets; foreign currency risks and other risks associated with the Company’s international sales and operations; the ability of the Company to successfully implement price increases to offset increasing commodity costs; the ability of the Company to generate sufficient cash to pay its indebtedness as it becomes due; and the possibility of unforeseen tax consequences and the impact of tax reform in the U.S. or other jurisdictions. These and other risks are described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of the Company’s most recent Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as supplemented in subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, the making of such statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the results expressed therein will be achieved. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events, new information, or otherwise.

*Non-GAAP Financial Information
Financial information excluding the impact of asset impairments, restructuring charges, foreign currency exchange rate changes and the impact of acquisitions, if any, in this press release are not measures that are defined in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). These items are measures that management believes are important to adjust for in order to have a meaningful comparison to prior and future periods and to provide a basis for future projections and for estimating our earnings growth prospects. Non-GAAP measures are used by management as a performance measure to judge profitability of our business absent the impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes and acquisitions. Management analyzes the company’s business performance and trends excluding these amounts. These measures, as well as EBITDA, provide a more consistent view of performance than the closest GAAP equivalent for management and investors. Management compensates for this by using these measures in combination with the GAAP measures. The presentation of the non-GAAP measures in this press release are made alongside the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Definitions
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is calculated as net earnings or loss excluding interest expense, the provision or benefit for income taxes, depreciation and amortization expenses.

Net debt is calculated as total debt less cash.

Free cash flow is calculated as net cash provided (used) by operating activities less acquisition of fixed assets.

Investors:
Riveron
TwinDiscIR@riveron.com

Source: Twin Disc, Incorporated