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Curtiss-Wright Reports Third Quarter 2014 Financial Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance

News Details

CURTISS-WRIGHT REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2014 FINANCIAL RESULTS AND UPDATES FULL-YEAR GUIDANCE

October 29, 2014

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 29, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014.

divestitures

During the third quarter of 2014, the Company reclassified several non-core businesses across its segments as assets held for sale, including:

  • Energy segment - the downstream refining (large projects) and upstream processing businesses serving the oil and gas market;
  • Defense segment - an engineered packaging business serving defense markets and an aviation ground support equipment business serving the commercial aerospace market; and
  • Commercial/Industrial segment - two surface treatment facilities.

The above resulted in:

  • 80 basis point improvement in operating margin
  • 120 basis point improvement in Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)

All figures presented below, unless stated otherwise, reflect results from continuing operations and exclude the impact of second quarter divestitures and the businesses mentioned above.

third quarter 2014 operating highlights from continuing operations

  • Net sales increased 9% to $559 million, from $512 million in 2013;
  • Operating income increased 13% to $74 million, from $66 million in 2013;
  • Operating margin increased 50 basis points to 13.3%, from 12.8% in 2013;
  • Net earnings from continuing operations increased 17% to $44 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, from $38 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, in 2013;
  • New orders totaled $590 million, up 17% from 2013, primarily due to higher demand within the aerospace and ground defense markets;
  • Backlog grew to approximately $1.74 billion, up 9% from December 31, 2013; and
  • Company updates full-year guidance for sales, operating income and diluted EPS, expanding operating margin range to 12.2% - 12.4%.

"We were very pleased with our third quarter results, as we generated solid increases in both organic sales and operating income that well exceeded our expectations," said David C. Adams, President and CEO of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. "Higher sales volume and the benefit of our ongoing margin improvement initiatives, particularly our recently announced divestitures, contributed to increased profitability as we remain keenly focused on executing our long-term strategy.

"As a result, we raised our operating margin guidance range by 110 basis points and now expect to achieve between 12.2% and 12.4% for full-year 2014, reflecting a one-year increase of 300 basis points over 2013 reported results. This continued progress also resulted in an additional 120 basis point improvement in our Return on Invested Capital in the quarter, yielding a one-year increase of 250 basis points from our 2013 results. Overall, these divestiture actions will position Curtiss-Wright as a less complex, leaner, more focused and more profitable enterprise.

"Finally, as we continue to demonstrate, we remain dedicated to enhancing shareholder value through our focus on expanding operating margins, generating strong free cash flow and maintaining a balanced capital allocation strategy. As a sign of confidence in our strategy, the Board of Directors recently authorized a new $300 million share repurchase program to begin in 2015, part of our ongoing commitment to provide significant distributions to our shareholders."

THIRD QUARTER 2014 OPERATING results from continuing operations

(In thousands) 3Q-2014 3Q-2013 % Change
Sales $ 559,494 $ 512,409 9%
Operating income 74,140 65,630 13%
Operating margin 13.3% 12.8% 50 bps

 

SALES

Sales of $559 million in the third quarter increased $47 million, or 9%, compared to the prior year period, driven by a solid combination of organic growth and acquisitions.

From a market perspective, third quarter sales to the commercial markets were up 8% compared to the prior year period, while sales to the defense markets increased 11%. Refer to the table on page 10 for a full breakdown of sales by end market.

OPERATING INCOME

Operating income in the third quarter was $74 million, an increase of 13% compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by solid organic growth (excluding effects of foreign currency translation, acquisitions and divestitures), most notably in the Commercial/Industrial segment. Acquisitions contributed $3 million to operating income in the current quarter.

Operating margin was 13.3%, an increase of 50 basis points over the prior year period. Our results reflect ongoing margin improvement initiatives across each of our segments, which included lower corporate overhead costs resulting from our organizational realignment.

Non-segment operating expense

Non-segment costs were higher by approximately $4 million as compared with the prior year period, primarily due to higher foreign currency exchange losses in the current quarter.

NET EARNINGS

Third quarter net earnings increased 17% from the comparable prior year period. Interest expense of approximately $9 million decreased by nearly $1 million compared to the prior year period, due to lower average debt levels and lower average interest rates. Our effective tax rate for the current quarter was 31.8%, essentially flat compared to the prior year period.

free cash flow

(In thousands) 3Q-2014 3Q-2013
Net cash generated from operating activities $ 68,756 $ 73,585
Capital expenditures (18,484) (25,750)
Free cash flow $ 50,272 $ 47,835

Free cash flow was $50 million for the third quarter of 2014, compared to $48 million in the prior year period, or an increase of approximately $2 million. Net cash generated from operating activities decreased by $5 million from the prior year period as higher net cash earnings of $17 million were offset by the timing of cash collections. Capital expenditures decreased $7 million to $18 million, as the prior year period included investments in several facility expansions that did not recur. Free cash flow is defined as cash flow from operations less capital expenditures.

other items - discontinued operations

As a result of the divestiture actions mentioned on page 1, all of the aforementioned businesses are reflected as discontinued operations, and accordingly have been removed from our prior actual results and future financial guidance. The divestitures resulted in a $0.03 loss to diluted earnings per share, and an after-tax loss on assets held for sale of approximately $13 million, or $0.25 per diluted share in the third quarter, primarily related to its downstream oil and gas and aviation ground support divestitures.

In addition, the Company recorded an after-tax net book loss on the sale of its Vessels business of approximately $5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share in the third quarter.

NET EARNINGS other items - share repurchase

The Company repurchased approximately 308,000 shares of its common stock during the third quarter at an average price of $67.03 for approximately $21 million. Year-to-date, the Company has repurchased 674,800 shares for approximately $45 million.

full-year 2014 guidance

The Company is updating its previously issued full-year 2014 financial guidance primarily as a result of our third quarter discontinued operations:

Total Sales $2.25 - $2.30 billion
Operating income $276 - $286 million
Operating margin 12.2% - 12.4%
Interest Expense $36 - 37 million
Effective Tax Rate 30.5% - 31.5%
Diluted earnings per share $3.40 - $3.50
Diluted Shares Outstanding 49.0 million
Free cash flow $180 - $200 million

 

FULL-YEAR 2014 diluted eps guidance reconciliation

The Company is updating its range for full-year 2014 diluted EPS guidance as follows:

  Full-Year 2014 Guidance
EPS (As of July 30, 2014 guidance) $ 3.50 - $ 3.60
Plus: Operational improvement initiatives 0.07 - 0.07
Plus: Adjusted end market sales and Other P&L adjustments 0.05 - 0.05
Less: Discontinued operations (net full-year impact) (0.22) - (0.22)
Subtotal (0.10) - (0.10)
EPS from Continuing Operations (Oct. 29, 2014) $ 3.40 - $ 3.50

Notes: A more detailed breakdown of our 2014 guidance by segment and by market can be found in the attached accompanying schedules. 

third quarter 2014 segment perfromance

Commercial/Industrial

(In thousands)  3Q-2014  3Q-2013  % Change
Sales $ 273,107 $ 240,184 14%
Operating income 40,096 31,145 29%
Operating margin 14.7% 13.0% 170 bps

Sales for the third quarter were approximately $273 million, an increase of $33 million, or 14%, over the comparable prior year period, aided by the contribution from acquisitions and solid 6% organic growth. Acquisitions contributed approximately $17 million to sales in the current quarter, primarily due to the acquisition of Arens Controls serving the general industrial market, while favorable foreign currency translation added approximately $2 million to current quarter sales. Within the commercial aerospace market, we experienced a solid 9% increase in sales, as our business continues to benefit from the ramp up in OEM production rates, particularly on the Boeing 787 program, as well as solid demand for our sensors and controls products. Growth was also driven by higher sales of shot peening and engineered coatings services to the aerospace and general industrial markets. 

Operating income in the third quarter was $40 million, an increase of $9 million, or 29%, from the comparable prior year period, while operating margin increased 170 basis points to 14.7%. We experienced strong organic growth of 23% in operating income, while acquisitions contributed $2 million, or 6%, to operating income in the current quarter. This improvement in operating income and operating margin was driven by higher sales volumes related to industrial vehicle products, surface treatment services and industrial valve products, as well as improved profitability resulting from our ongoing margin improvement initiatives.

Defense

(In thousands)  3Q-2014  3Q-2013  % Change
Sales $ 182,790 $ 175,728 4%
Operating income 26,974 25,521 6%
Operating margin 14.8% 14.5% 30 bps

Sales for the third quarter were $183 million, an increase of $7 million, or 4%, over the comparable prior year period, as strong growth in the defense markets of 11% was offset by lower sales to the power generation market. Within the defense markets, we experienced strong aerospace sales, primarily due to higher demand on helicopter programs, as well as solid naval sales driven by increased production of pumps and generators on the Virginia-class submarine program. In addition, the Parvus acquisition contributed approximately $6 million to sales in the current quarter, primarily to the aerospace and ground defense markets. Meanwhile, within the power generation market, our results reflect lower revenues on the domestic and China AP1000 programs compared to the prior year period.  

Operating income in the third quarter was $27 million, an increase of approximately $1 million, or 6%, compared to the prior year period, while operating margin increased 30 basis points to 14.8%. Acquisitions contributed $1 million of operating income to the current year quarter.  Higher operating margin was primarily driven by higher sales volumes in our embedded computing business serving the defense market, as well as the benefits of our ongoing margin improvement initiatives. Those increases were partially offset by an increase in costs on the AP1000 program in the current period.  

Energy

(In thousands)  3Q-2014  3Q-2013  % Change
Sales $ 103,597 $ 96,497 7%
Operating income 17,491 15,102 16%
Operating margin 16.9% 15.7% 120 bps

Sales for the third quarter were approximately $104 million, an increase of approximately $7 million, or 7%, compared to the prior year period. Higher sales to the oil and gas market were driven by strong global aftermarket demand for severe-service industrial and pressure relief valves. Within the power generation market, we experienced lower domestic aftermarket sales supporting existing nuclear reactors, as lower demand and increased regulatory requirements have led to deferred spending on maintenance and upgrades.

Operating income in the third quarter was $17 million, a 16% increase from the comparable prior year period, while operating margin increased 120 basis points to 16.9%. This improvement in operating income and operating margin was primarily driven by higher sales volumes in the oil and gas market as well as the benefit of our ongoing margin improvement initiatives.  This growth was partially offset by lower profitability in the power generation market due to the aforementioned slower sales.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2014 results and guidance at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Thursday, October 30, 2014. A live webcast of the call and the accompanying financial presentation will be made available on the internet by visiting the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.curtisswright.com.

(Tables to Follow)

 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (UNAUDITED)
($'s in thousands, except per share data)
                 
                 
  Three Months Ended   Nine Months Ended  
  September 30, Change September 30, Change
  2014 2013 $ % 2014 2013 $ %
Product sales  $ 457,026  $ 417,259  $ 39,767 10%  $ 1,351,126  $ 1,232,336  $ 118,790 10%
Service sales  102,468  95,150  7,318 8%  322,828  301,080  21,748 7%
Total net sales  559,494  512,409  47,085 9%  1,673,954  1,533,416  140,538 9%
                 
Cost of product sales  301,592  270,902  30,690 11%  890,051  809,949  80,102 10%
Cost of service sales  64,474  62,829  1,645 3%  207,430  196,492  10,938 6%
Total cost of sales  366,066  333,731  32,335 10%  1,097,481  1,006,441  91,040 9%
                 
Gross profit 193,428 178,678 14,750 8% 576,473 526,975 49,498 9%
                 
Research and development expenses 16,909 14,693 2,216 15% 51,150 45,395 5,755 13%
Selling expenses 30,659 31,816 (1,157) (4%) 95,504 95,279 225 0%
General and administrative expenses 71,720 66,539 5,181 8% 222,757 221,311 1,446 1%
                 
Operating income 74,140 65,630 8,510 13% 207,062 164,990 42,072 25%
                 
Interest expense (9,013) (9,701) 688 7% (27,054) (27,701) 647 2%
Other income, net (158) 288 (446) NM (64) 852 (916) NM
                 
Earnings before income taxes 64,969 56,217 8,752 16% 179,944 138,141 41,803 30%
Provision for income taxes 20,659 18,282 2,377 13% 56,359 43,801 12,558 29%
Earnings from continuing operations  $ 44,310  $ 37,935  $ 6,375 17%  $ 123,585  $ 94,340  $ 29,245 31%
                 
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax  (19,277)  (1,574)  (17,703) NM  (26,997)  (3,666)  (23,331) NM
                 
Net earnings  $ 25,033  $ 36,361  $ (11,328) (31%)  $ 96,588  $ 90,674  $ 5,914 7%
                 
Basic earnings per share                
Earnings from continuing operations  $ 0.92  $ 0.81      $ 2.57  $ 2.02    
Earnings from discontinued operations  (0.40)  (0.04)      (0.56)  (0.08)    
Total  $ 0.52  $ 0.77      $ 2.01  $ 1.94    
                 
Diluted earnings per share                
Earnings from continuing operations  $ 0.90  $ 0.79      $ 2.52  $ 1.98    
Earnings from discontinued operations  (0.39)  (0.03)      (0.55)  (0.08)    
Total  $ 0.51  $ 0.76      $ 1.97  $ 1.90    
                 
                 
Dividends per share  $ 0.13  $ 0.10      $ 0.39  $ 0.29    
                 
Weighted average shares outstanding:                
Basic 48,067 47,081     48,054 46,839    
Diluted 49,101 48,063     49,136 47,685    
                 
NM- not meaningful                
 
 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
(In thousands, except par value)
       
       
       
  September 30, December 31, Change
  2014 2013 %
Assets      
Current assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents  $ 222,471  $ 175,294 27%
Receivables, net  539,638  603,592 (11%)
Inventories, net  403,924  452,087 (11%)
Deferred tax assets, net  46,707  47,650 (2%)
Assets held for sale  316,211  --  NM
Other current assets  81,731  58,660 39%
Total current assets 1,610,682 1,337,283 20%
 Property, plant, and equipment, net  464,683  515,718 (10%)
 Goodwill  991,487  1,110,429 (11%)
 Other intangible assets, net  364,144  471,379 (23%)
 Other assets  22,827  23,465 (3%)
Total assets  $ 3,453,823  $ 3,458,274 (0%)
       
Liabilities      
Current liabilities:      
Current portion of long-term and short term debt  $ 606  $ 1,334 (55%)
Accounts payable  148,617  186,941 (21%)
Accrued expenses  134,048  142,935 (6%)
Income taxes payable  2,783  789 253%
Deferred revenue  173,065  164,343 5%
Liabilities held for sale  77,303  --  NM
Other current liabilities  39,658  38,251 4%
Total current liabilities 576,080 534,593 8%
 Long-term debt  936,006  958,604 (2%)
 Deferred tax liabilities, net  111,325  123,644 (10%)
 Accrued pension and other postretirement benefit costs  105,826  138,904 (24%)
 Long-term portion of environmental reserves  15,204  15,498 (2%)
 Other liabilities  111,790  134,326 (17%)
Total liabilities 1,856,231 1,905,569 (3%)
       
Stockholders' equity      
Common stock, $1 par value  49,190  49,190 0%
Additional paid in capital  160,037  150,618 6%
Retained earnings  1,458,782  1,380,981 6%
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)  (12,008)  25,259 NM
Less: cost of treasury stock  (58,409)  (53,343) 9%
Total stockholders' equity 1,597,592 1,552,705 3%
       
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity  $ 3,453,823  $ 3,458,274 (0%)
       
NM-not meaningful      
 
 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
SEGMENT INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
($'s In thousands)
             
         
  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30, September 30,
      Change     Change
  2014 2013 % 2014 2013 %
Sales:            
Commercial/Industrial  $ 273,107  $ 240,184 14%  $ 812,724  $ 699,610 16%
Defense  182,790  175,728 4%  537,908  534,622 1%
Energy  103,597  96,497 7%  323,322  299,184 8%
             
Total sales  $ 559,494  $ 512,409 9%  $ 1,673,954  $ 1,533,416 9%
             
Operating income (expense):            
Commercial/Industrial  $ 40,096  $ 31,145 29%  $ 106,615  $ 75,524 41%
Defense  26,974  25,521 6%  73,553  71,808 2%
Energy  17,491  15,102 16%  51,294  45,628 12%
             
Total segments  $ 84,561  $ 71,768 18%  $ 231,462  $ 192,960 20%
Corporate and other  (10,421) (6,138) (70%)  (24,400)  (27,970) 13%
             
Total operating income  $ 74,140  $ 65,630 13%  $ 207,062  $ 164,990 25%
             
             
Operating margins:            
Commercial/Industrial 14.7% 13.0%   13.1% 10.8%  
Defense 14.8% 14.5%   13.7% 13.4%  
Energy 16.9% 15.7%   15.9% 15.3%  
Total Curtiss-Wright 13.3% 12.8%   12.4% 10.8%  
             
Segment margins 15.1% 14.0%   13.8% 12.6%  
 
 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
SALES BY END MARKET (UNAUDITED)
($'s In thousands)
             
         
  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30 September 30,
      Change     Change
  2014 2013 % 2014 2013 %
Defense markets:            
Aerospace  $ 70,670  $ 60,741 16%  $ 208,123  $ 188,720 10%
Ground  23,790  20,276 17%  55,336  58,899 (6%)
Naval  93,581  89,812 4%  281,283  262,753 7%
Other  3,845  2,393 61%  6,121  12,279 (50%)
Total Defense  $ 191,886  $ 173,222 11%  $ 550,863  $ 522,651 5%
             
Commercial markets:            
Commercial Aerospace  $ 106,208  $ 95,811 11%  $ 316,032  $ 282,068 12%
Oil and Gas  56,279  50,782 11%  179,941  140,673 28%
Power Generation  99,022  108,966 (9%)  316,553  342,410 (8%)
General Industrial  106,099  83,628 27%  310,565  245,614 26%
Total Commercial  $ 367,608  $ 339,187 8%  $ 1,123,091  $ 1,010,765 11%
             
Total Curtiss-Wright  $ 559,494  $ 512,409 9%  $ 1,673,954  $ 1,533,416 9%

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

The Corporation supplements our financial information determined under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) with certain non-GAAP financial information. We believe that these non-GAAP measures provide investors with additional insight into the company's ongoing business performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures, and other companies may define such measures differently. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. The following definitions are provided:

Organic Revenue and Organic Operating income              

The Corporation discloses organic revenue and organic operating income because the Corporation believes it provides investors with insight as to the Company's ongoing business performance.  Organic revenue and organic operating income are defined as revenue and operating income excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and contributions from acquisitions made during the last twelve months.

  Three Months Ended
  2014 vs 2013
  Commercial Defense Energy Total Curtiss-Wright
  Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Sales Operating income
Organic 6% 23% (0%) (1%) 4% 16% 4% 7%
Acquisitions 7% 6% 4% 5% 3% (1%) 5% 5%
Foreign Currency 1% (0%) 0% 2% (0%) 1% 0% 1%
Total 14% 29% 4% 6% 7% 16% 9% 13%
                 
  Nine Months Ended
  2014 vs 2013
  Commercial Defense Energy Total Curtiss-Wright
  Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Sales Operating income Sales Operating income
Organic 6% 36% (3%) (4%) 7% 12% 3% 20%
Acquisitions 9% 6% 3% 4% 1% (1%) 5% 4%
Foreign Currency 1% (1%) 1% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1%
Total 16% 41% 1% 2% 8% 12% 9% 25%

Free Cash Flow

The Corporation discloses free cash flow because the Corporation believes it measures cash flow available for investing and financing activities. Free cash flow is defined as net cash flow provided by operating activities less capital expenditures. Free cash flow represents cash generated after paying for interest on borrowings, income taxes, capital expenditures, and working capital requirements, but before repaying outstanding debt and investing cash or utilizing debt credit lines to acquire businesses and make other strategic investments.

 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)
($'s In thousands)
         
         
  Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
  September 30, September 30,
  2014 2013 2014 2013
         
Net cash provided by operating activities  $ 68,756  $ 73,585  $ 153,173  $ 134,386
Capital expenditures  (18,484)  (25,750)  (54,480)  (57,876)
Free cash flow  $ 50,272  $ 47,835  $ 98,693  $ 76,510
         
Cash conversion 201% 132% 102% 84%
 
 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION
2014 Earnings Guidance (from Continuing Operations) 
As of October 29, 2014
($'s in millions, except per share data)
   
   
  2013 2014 Guidance
   Recasted* Low High
Sales:      
Commercial/Industrial  $ 955  $ 1,070  $ 1,090
Defense  768  755  775
Energy  400  425  435
Total sales  $ 2,123  $ 2,250  $ 2,300
       
Operating income:      
Commercial/Industrial  $ 106  $ 140  144
Defense  117  105  109
Energy  55  65  67
Total segments  278  309  319
Corporate and other  (42)  (33)  (34)
Total operating income  $ 236  $ 276  $ 286
       
Interest expense  $ (37)  $ (36)  $ (37)
Earnings before income taxes  200  240  249
Provision for income taxes  61  (73)  (78)
Net earnings  $ 139  $ 167  $ 171
       
Reported diluted earnings per share  $ 2.91  $ 3.40  $ 3.50
Diluted shares outstanding 47.9 49.0 49.0
Effective tax rate 30.4% 30.5% 31.5%
 
       
Operating margins:      
Commercial/Industrial 11.1% 13.1% 13.2%
Defense 15.3% 13.9% 14.0%
Energy 13.8% 15.3% 15.4%
       
       
Note: Full year amounts may not add due to rounding  
* Information has been revised from that previously presented to reflect segment change announced in first quarter 2014 and the discontinued operations announced in the second and third quarters.
 
 
CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION
2014 Sales Guidance by End Market (from Continuing Operations)
As of October 29, 2014
     
  2014 Guidance % Change
  Low High
     
Defense Markets    
Aerospace