Quanex Building Products Announces First Quarter 2024 Results and Provides Full Year 2024 Guidance

Margin Expansion on a Consolidated Basis 
Repaid $5 Million in Bank Debt 
Balance Sheet and Liquidity Remain Strong 
Cautiously Optimistic on Second Half of 2024 
Positive Long-Term View on Residential Housing Market Remains Intact

HOUSTON, March 07, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE:NX) (“Quanex” or the “Company”) today announced its results for the three months ended January 31, 2024.  

The Company reported the following selected financial results:

(See Non-GAAP Terminology Definitions and Disclaimers section, Non-GAAP Financial Measure Disclosure table, Selected Segment Data table and reconciliation tables for additional information)

George Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We were able to realize margin expansion on a consolidated basis for the first quarter of 2024 despite market volume softness related to normal seasonality combined with ongoing macroeconomic challenges, and some pricing pressure. Our focus on generating cash and managing working capital enabled us to pay down our bank debt by $5 million during the quarter, which is encouraging considering we have historically been a net borrower during the first quarter of our fiscal year due to the seasonality of our business. Our balance sheet remains strong, and we continue to be positioned well to explore and evaluate both organic and inorganic growth opportunities.”

First Quarter 2024 Results Summary   

Quanex reported net sales of $239.2 million during the three months ended January 31, 2024, which represents a decrease of 8.7% compared to $261.9 million for the same period of 2023. The decrease was largely attributable to softer market demand and lower pricing in North America. Quanex reported a 3.3% decline in net sales for the first quarter of 2024 in its North American Fenestration segment. In its North American Cabinet Components segment, Quanex reported a decline of 21.1% in net sales for the first quarter. Excluding foreign exchange impact, the Company realized a decrease in net sales of 8.4% for the first quarter in its European Fenestration segment. (See Sales Analysis table for additional information)

The increase in earnings for the three months ended January 31, 2024 was mostly attributable to a decline in raw material costs, a decrease in stock-based compensation expense and lower interest expense.  

Balance Sheet Update

As of January 31, 2024, Quanex had total debt of $65.2 million ($13.5 million excluding real-estate leases that are considered “finance” leases under U.S. GAAP) and the Company’s leverage ratio of Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA was unchanged at 0.1x (Net Debt free excluding these real-estate leases). As of January 31, 2024, Quanex’s LTM Adjusted EBITDA was $158.4 million and LTM Net Income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, was $86.8 million.   (See Non-GAAP Terminology Definitions and Disclaimers section, Net Debt Reconciliation table and Last Twelve Months Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation table for additional information)

Outlook        

Mr. Wilson commented, “As mentioned on our December call, we entered this year with a somewhat cautious outlook for the first half due to the ongoing macroeconomic challenges, but we remain optimistic that demand for our products will improve in the second half as consumer confidence is restored over time. Based on conversations with our customers, recent demand trends, and the latest macro data, we are now comfortable providing guidance for fiscal 2024. Overall, on a consolidated basis, we estimate we will generate net sales of approximately $1.1 billion, which we expect will yield approximately $145 million to $150 million in Adjusted EBITDA* in fiscal 2024. While the near-term outlook for our business remains somewhat cautious, our long-term view has not changed, and we believe the underlying fundamentals for the residential housing market remain positive.”

*When Quanex provides expectations for Adjusted EBITDA on a forward-looking basis, a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP expectations and corresponding GAAP measures is generally not available without unreasonable effort. Certain items required for such a reconciliation are outside of the Company’s control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted or estimated, such as the provision for income taxes.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

The Company has also scheduled a conference call for Friday, March 8, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT) to discuss the release. A link to the live audio webcast will be available on Quanex’s website at http://www.quanex.com in the Investors section under Presentations & Events.

Participants can pre-register for the conference call using the following link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BI8100cd976cdb4a18aa0a5bcef75a89d8

Registered participants will receive an email containing conference call details for dial-in options. To avoid delays, it is recommended that participants dial into the conference call ten minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. A replay will be available for a limited time on the Company’s website at http://www.quanex.com in the Investors section under Presentations & Events.

About Quanex

Quanex is a global manufacturer with core capabilities and broad applications across various end markets. The Company currently collaborates and partners with leading OEMs to provide innovative solutions in the window, door, vinyl fencing, solar, refrigeration, custom mixing and cabinetry markets.  Looking ahead, Quanex plans to leverage its material science expertise and process engineering to expand into adjacent markets.

For more information contact Scott Zuehlke, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer, at 713-877-5327 or scott.zuehlke@quanex.com.

Non-GAAP Terminology Definitions and Disclaimers

Adjusted Net Income (defined as net income further adjusted to exclude purchase price accounting inventory step-ups, transaction costs, certain severance charges, gain/loss on the sale of certain fixed assets, restructuring charges, asset impairment charges, other net adjustments related to foreign currency transaction gain/loss and effective tax rates reflecting impacts of adjustments on a with and without basis) and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures that Quanex believes provide a consistent basis for comparison between periods and more accurately reflects operational performance, as they are not influenced by certain income or expense items not affecting ongoing operations. EBITDA (defined as net income or loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and other, net) and Adjusted EBITDA (defined as EBITDA further adjusted to exclude purchase price accounting inventory step-ups, transaction costs, certain severance charges, gain/loss on the sale of certain fixed assets, restructuring charges and asset impairment charges) are non-GAAP financial measures that the Company uses to measure operational performance and assist with financial decision-making.  Net Debt is defined as total debt (outstanding balance on the revolving credit facility plus financial lease obligations) less cash and cash equivalents. The leverage ratio of Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that the Company believes is useful to investors and financial analysts in evaluating Quanex’s leverage. In addition, with certain limited adjustments, this leverage ratio is the basis for a key covenant in the Company’s credit agreement.

Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP measure calculated using cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Quanex uses the Free Cash Flow metric to measure operational and cash management performance and assist with financial decision-making.   Free Cash Flow is measured before application of certain contractual commitments (including capital lease obligations), and accordingly is not a true measure of the Company’s residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. Quanex believes Free Cash Flow is useful to investors in understanding and evaluating the Company’s financial and cash management performance.

Quanex believes that the presented non-GAAP measures provide a consistent basis for comparison between periods and will assist investors in understanding the Company’s financial performance when comparing results to other investment opportunities.  The presented non-GAAP measures may not be the same as those used by other companies. Quanex does not intend for this information to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for other measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements that use the words “estimated,” “expect,” “could,” “should,” “believe,” “will,” “might,” or similar words reflecting future expectations or beliefs are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: impacts from public health issues (including pandemics, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic) on the economy and the demand for Quanex’s products, the Company’s future operating results, future financial condition, future uses of cash and other expenditures, expenses and tax rates, expectations relating to Quanex’s industry, and the Company’s future growth, including any guidance discussed in this press release. The statements and guidance set forth in this release are based on current expectations. Actual results or events may differ materially from this release. For a complete discussion of factors that may affect Quanex’s future performance, please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the sections entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors”. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and Quanex undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events.