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Curtiss-Wright Corporation Reports Third-Quarter Financial Results Including 51% Increase in Sales and 30% Increase in Net Earnings

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CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION REPORTS THIRD-QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS INCLUDING 51% INCREASE IN SALES AND 30% INCREASE IN NET EARNINGS

October 29, 2002

LYNDHURST, N.J., Oct 29, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW CW.B) today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2002.

THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE THIRD QUARTER ARE AS FOLLOWS:

  • Sales increased 51% to $119,641,000 in the third quarter of this year from $79,420,000 in 2001.
  • Operating income of $12,551,000 for the third quarter of 2002 increased 13% from operating income of $11,098,000 a year ago.
  • Net earnings for the third quarter of $11,312,000 or $1.08 per diluted share were 30% above net earnings last year of $8,723,000 or $0.85 per diluted share. Normalized net earnings for the third quarter of 2002 were $9,157,000 or $0.87 per diluted share. An increase in the number of diluted shares outstanding has caused a $0.03 decrease in EPS for the third quarter as compared to last year.
  • Backlog increased 17% to $283,406,000 from $242,257,000 at December 31, 2001.

Sales of $119,641,000 for the third quarter of 2002 represented a 51% increase from sales of the same period last year of $79,420,000. This increase was due primarily to the acquisitions made during the last fifteen months, which contributed $41,301,000 to sales in the quarter. In addition, foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on sales of approximately $1,466,000 for the third quarter.

Curtiss-Wright's 2002 performance continues to reflect a deliberate shift in the components of earnings from non-operating to operating elements. Increased business segment operating income (before Corporate and Other) in 2002 more than offset the decrease in 2001 non-operating net rental and net investment income. Operating income from our business segments increased $2,721,000 and $6,597,000 for the third quarter and first nine months of 2002, respectively, over the comparable prior-year periods. The increase in business segment operating income after tax equates to $0.16 per diluted share and $0.39 per diluted share for the third quarter and first nine months of 2002, respectively.

Last year's performance included rental income associated with a property that was sold in December 2001 and higher investment income generated from cash resources which have since been utilized for acquisitions. These non-operating items contributed to higher net earnings in 2001 of $790,000 or $0.08 per diluted share and $2,790,000 or $0.27 per diluted share for the three months and nine months, respectively, as compared to the comparable periods this year.

Curtiss-Wright's third quarter 2002 performance included several non-recurring non-operating items. A reserve associated with an indemnification provided to the purchaser of the Company's Wood-Ridge rental property, which was sold last December, was no longer required and reversed during the quarter. In addition, the Company recorded a net gain associated with the sale of property that closed in the third quarter. Lastly, the Company recorded a net gain relating to the reallocation of postretirement medical benefits for certain active employees to our over funded pension plan resulting in a benefit to the employees, the Company and our shareholders. These items are presented in the table below, but the total effect was to increase pre-tax income for the third quarter by $3.5 million with an after tax impact of $2.2 million or $0.21 per diluted share.

NORMALIZED NET EARNINGS:

 
                                 Three Months Ended         Nine Months Ended
                                 September 30,              September 30,
    (In thousands except
     per share figures)       2002          2001         2002          2001
    Net earnings          $ 11,312        $8,723      $31,444       $28,407
    Release of
     indemnification
     reserve                  (800)           --         (800)           --
    Postretirement
     medical benefits, net    (984)           --         (984)           --
    Realized loss on
     demutualization            --            --           49            --
    Facility consolidation
     costs                      --            --          277            --
    Gain on sale of
     non-operating property   (371)           --         (435)           --
    Normalized net earnings $9,157        $8,723      $29,551       $28,407
    Normalized net earnings
     per diluted share       $0.87         $0.85        $2.83         $2.78

Sales of $339,205,000 for the first nine months of 2002 represented a 38% increase from sales of the same period last year of $245,941,000. This increase was due primarily to the acquisitions made during the last fifteen months, which contributed $94,704,000 to sales during the first nine months of 2002. In addition, foreign currency translation had a favorable impact on sales of approximately $1,651,000 for the year to date 2002 period. Operating income of $40,543,000 for the first nine months of 2002 was 14% higher than operating income of $35,429,000 for the comparable period last year. The first nine months net earnings of $31,444,000 or $3.01 per diluted share for 2002 were 11% above net earnings for the comparable period last year of $28,407,000 or $2.78 per diluted share.

Operating income for the third quarter and first nine months of 2001 included goodwill amortization in the amounts of $455,000 and $1,338,000, respectively, which amounted to $0.03 and $0.08 per diluted share, respectively. With the implementation of SFAS Nos. 141 and 142, goodwill amortization was discontinued effective January 1, 2002.

Martin Benante, Chairman and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation stated, "We are pleased to report that the integration of our recent acquisitions continues to progress as planned. In addition to having improved operating margins for almost all of our recent acquisitions, we have initiated cross marketing of products and the sharing of new technologies from our new businesses. We have been extremely pleased with the businesses we have added to our portfolio.

"We continue to experience strong overall performance in our Flow Control and Motion Control segments. In the Motion Control segment, margins in our aerospace component overhaul and repair services, which have been pressured by lower demand from commercial airlines, continue to show improvement over last year. Although operating margins have been somewhat impacted by the lower sales volume for aerospace OEM commercial products, increased shipments of aerospace defense products helped to partially offset this decline. Although operating margins for our Metal Treatment segment are still below those levels of a year ago, we have seen a steady improvement in the profitability of this business segment as we have progressed through the year."

SEGMENT PERFORMANCE:

Motion Control -- Third quarter sales more than doubled, reflecting an increase of 106% over the comparable period last year and 4% from the second quarter of 2002. While acquisitions accounted for $33,852,000 of the sales increase from the prior year, sales for most of those business units we have acquired since last November have shown a strong improvement in the third quarter compared to the second quarter of this year. However, as expected, commercial OEM sales related to Boeing declined offsetting the favorable impact of acquisitions. In addition, sales to the F-22 program and military spares increased when compared to the third quarter of 2001. Foreign currency translation favorably impacted sales by approximately $690,000 and $1,074,000 for the third quarter and year to date periods of 2002, respectively.

The third quarter operating income results for 2002 improved over the same period last year due primarily to higher sales levels. Operating income in the third quarter of 2001 included $152,000 of goodwill amortization. Operating margin percentages as compared to last year were lower primarily due to reduced activity for commercial OEM products and the effect of recent acquisitions. While we have seen quarter over quarter margin improvement for our recent acquisitions, as we have previously explained, their margin levels are below that of our traditional businesses, which has an effect on the overall segment margins when comparing operating margins to last year's third quarter. Our overhaul and repair operations have returned to profitability compared to last year's third quarter when they were at breakeven.

Metal Treatment -- The third quarter sales, when compared to the same period last year, were up 2% as the result of the addition of three new facilities. Sales in the automotive sector have increased as the result of the addition of new programs. Sales also benefited from the advancement of the commercialization of our laser-peening technology. These gains were offset by a decline in the aerospace sector. In addition, foreign currency translation favorably impacted sales by approximately $655,000 and $640,000 for the 2002 third quarter and year to date periods, respectively.

While profit margins continue to be below prior year's level, the third quarter has seen continued improvement from the first and second quarters of this year.

Flow Control -- Sales for the third quarter of 2002 were up 34% from the same period last year due to acquisitions, which contributed $5,635,000 to sales in the quarter, and strength in our commercial areas. Most notably, higher sales in commercial nuclear power generation due to a major project, increased sales to the oil and gas market, increased activity in the heavy truck OEM market and cross marketing activities all have contributed to the strong sales performance.

Third quarter operating margins in the Flow Control segment were consistent with those of the same period last year. Operating income in the third quarter of 2001 included $248,000 of goodwill amortization. For the third quarter of 2002, strong performance in commercial nuclear power generation and heavy truck markets and from our acquisitions offset lower margins in the quarter for sales to the commercial nuclear and oil and gas markets which were negatively impacted by unfavorable sales mix.

Mr. Benante stated, "As previously indicated, although the new acquisitions continue to have an effect on the operating margins of the overall Company because their margins are below those of our traditional businesses, we consider this to be a short-term cost that will be more than offset by the benefits of diversification and increased future profitability. Our shareholders have and will continue to see the benefits of our activities to diversify and broaden our customer and product bases."

Benante concluded, "As we announced last Friday, for the fourth consecutive year Forbes magazine has listed Curtiss-Wright as one of America's 200 best small companies. Forbes also recognized our corporate governance profile and our Board of Directors as receiving very high marks in their survey. We are proud of these acknowledgements of our successful long-term strategy. We are also enthusiastic about our recently announced teaming agreement with Advanced Biometric Security to deliver a full suite of integrated software security solutions incorporating fingerprints, voice patterns, facial recognition, iris scanning, and hand geometry into a single networked solution with a continuously updated database.

"Finally, we are excited about our most recent acquisition announced yesterday of the Electro-Mechanical Division of Westinghouse Government Services Company, a major designer and manufacturer of highly engineered critical function components for the U.S. Navy and commercial nuclear utility markets. We strongly believe that this acquisition will provide us with unique, significant, and state-of-the-art products for the U.S. Navy, commercial nuclear power, petrochemical and hazardous waste industries, thereby expanding our future growth opportunities."

 
                             CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
                                 (UNAUDITED)
                     (In thousands except per share data)


                            Three Months Ended          Nine Months Ended
                               September 30,               September 30,
                             2002         2001(1)       2002        2001(1)


    Net sales             $119,641       $79,420     $339,205      $245,941
    Cost of sales           78,442        49,233      218,152       152,906
     Gross profit           41,199        30,187      121,053        93,035


    Research & development
     expenses                3,092         1,257        7,604         3,179
    Selling expenses         8,245         4,375       21,131        13,455
    General and
     administrative
     expenses               16,312        13,403       50,529        40,875
    Environmental
     remediation and
     administrative
     expenses, net of
     recoveries                999            54        1,246            97


     Operating income       12,551        11,098       40,543        35,429


    Investment income, net     118           834          629         2,327
    Rental income, net          49           608          148         2,950
    Pension income, net      2,254         2,864        6,762         7,551
    Other income (expenses),
     net                     3,641          (381)       3,551          (908)
    Interest expense          (380)         (272)      (1,039)         (917)


    Earnings before income
     taxes                  18,233        14,751       50,594        46,432
    Provision for income
     taxes                   6,921         6,028       19,150        18,025


    Net earnings           $11,312        $8,723      $31,444       $28,407


    Basic earnings per
     share                   $1.10         $0.87        $3.09         $2.82
    Diluted earnings per
     share                   $1.08         $0.85        $3.01         $2.78


    Dividends per share      $0.15         $0.13        $0.45         $0.39


    Weighted average shares
     outstanding:


     Basic                  10,238        10,073       10,188        10,057


     Diluted                10,470        10,224       10,430        10,208


     (1) Certain prior year information has been reclassified to conform to
         current presentation




                 CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                         CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                  (In thousands)


                         (Unaudited)
                        September 30,  December 31,           Change
                            2002         2001(1)         $              %
    Assets
     Current Assets:
      Cash and cash
       equivalents         $37,486       $25,495      $11,991         47.0%
      Short-term
       investments             164        41,658      (41,494)       -99.6%
      Receivables, net      99,610        86,354       13,256         15.4%
      Inventories, net      66,481        57,115        9,366         16.4%
      Deferred income taxes  8,964         9,565         (601)        -6.3%
      Other current assets   8,193         5,770        2,423         42.0%
     Total current assets  220,898       225,957       (5,059)        -2.2%


    Property, plant and
     equipment, at cost    276,314       226,435       49,879         22.0%
     Accumulated
      depreciation         149,430       121,914       27,516         22.6%
    Property, plant and
     equipment, net        126,884       104,521       22,363         21.4%
    Prepaid pension costs   75,437        70,796        4,641          6.6%
    Goodwill and other
     intangible assets,
     net                   136,541        92,630       43,911         47.4%
    Other assets             6,036         6,524        (488)         -7.5%


     Total Assets         $565,796      $500,428      $65,368         13.1%


    Liabilities
     Current Liabilities:
       Current portion of
        long-term debt         $36           $--          $36           n/a
       Accounts payable     25,427        19,362        6,065         31.3%
       Accrued expenses     29,544        23,163        6,381         27.5%
       Income taxes
        payable              7,378        17,704      (10,326)       -58.3%
       Other current
        liabilities         13,689        15,867       (2,178)       -13.7%
      Total current
       liabilities          76,074        76,096          (22)         0.0%


     Long-term debt         47,036        21,361       25,675        120.2%
     Deferred income taxes  28,912        26,043        2,869         11.0%
     Other liabilities      22,469        26,974       (4,505)       -16.7%


      Total Liabilities    174,491       150,474       24,017         16.0%


    Stockholders' Equity
     Common stock, $1 par
      value                 10,618        10,618           --          0.0%
     Class B common stock,
      $1 par value           4,382         4,382           --          0.0%
     Capital surplus        49,796        52,532       (2,736)        -5.2%
     Retained earnings     496,146       469,303       26,843          5.7%
     Unearned portion of
      restricted stock         (64)          (78)          14        -17.9%
     Accumulated other
      comprehensive
      income                 2,326        (6,831)       9,157       -134.1%
                           563,204       529,926       33,278          6.3%
     Less: cost of
      treasury stock       171,899       179,972       (8,073)        -4.5%
      Total Stockholders'
       Equity              391,305       349,954       41,351         11.8%
      Total Liabilities
       and Stockholders'
       Equity            $ 565,796      $500,428      $65,368         13.1%


     (1) Certain prior year information has been reclassified to conform to
         current presentation




                 CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                             SEGMENT INFORMATION
                                 (UNAUDITED)
                                (In thousands)


                        Three Months Ended             Nine Months Ended
                            September 30,                 September 30,


                                           %                           %
                       2002       2001   Change      2002      2001    Change
    Sales:
    Motion Control   $61,895    $30,006  106.3%   $163,918   $95,691    71.3%
    Metal Treatment   27,067     26,501    2.1%     79,738    81,422    -2.1%
    Flow Control      30,679     22,913   33.9%     95,549    68,828    38.8%


    Total Segments  $119,641    $79,420   50.6%   $339,205  $245,941    37.9%


    Operating Income:
    Motion Control    $6,325     $4,076   55.2%    $20,439   $14,658    39.4%
    Metal Treatment    4,234      4,605   -8.1%     10,570    14,985   -29.5%
    Flow Control       3,267      2,424   34.8%     11,557     6,326    82.7%


    Total Segments    13,826     11,105   24.5%     42,566    35,969    18.3%
    Corporate & Other (1,275)        (7)   N/A      (2,023)     (540)    N/A


    Total Operating
     income          $12,551    $11,098   13.1%    $40,543   $35,429    14.4%



    Operating Margins:
    Motion Control     10.2%      13.6%              12.5%     15.3%
    Metal Treatment    15.6%      17.4%              13.3%     18.4%
    Flow Control       10.6%      10.6%              12.1%      9.2%


    Total
     Curtiss-Wright    10.5%      14.0%              12.0%     14.4%

Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: a reduction in anticipated orders; an economic downturn; changes in the need for additional machinery and equipment and/or in the cost for the expansion of the Corporation's operations; changes in the competitive marketplace and/or customer requirements; a change in government spending; an inability to perform customer contracts at anticipated cost levels; and other factors that generally affect the business of aerospace, defense, marine, and industrial companies. Please refer to the Company's SEC filings under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for further information.

SOURCE Curtiss-Wright Corporation