Littelfuse Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results For 2019

CHICAGO--()--Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFUS), a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 28, 2019:

Fourth Quarter 2019 Results

  • Net sales of $338.5 million were down 16% versus the prior year period, and down 14% organically, primarily due to ongoing global trade uncertainties, excess electronics channel inventories and declines in global auto production
  • Segment performance versus the prior year period:
    • Electronics sales decreased 21% (down 19% organically)
    • Automotive sales decreased 9% (down 8% organically)
    • Industrial sales increased 7% (up 7% organically)
  • GAAP diluted EPS was $0.92; adjusted diluted EPS was $1.17, which included an $0.11 benefit related to a lower effective tax rate versus the forecasted rate, partially offset by a $0.06 currency headwind

Full Year 2019 Results

  • Net sales of $1.50 billion were down 13% versus the prior year period, and down 11% organically
  • Segment performance versus the prior year:
    • Electronics sales decreased 15% (down 14% organically)
    • Automotive sales decreased 11% (down 8% organically)
    • Industrial sales were flat (up 4% organically)
  • GAAP diluted EPS was $5.60; adjusted diluted EPS was $6.82
  • GAAP effective tax rate was 16.2% and the adjusted effective tax rate was 16.7%
  • During the year, the company repurchased approximately $95.0 million of common stock
  • Cash flow from operations was $245.3 million and free cash flow was $183.4 million, representing a 132% conversion from net income

Our global teams remained focused on driving long-term growth, profitability and cash generation within a challenging 2019 macro environment," said Dave Heinzmann, Littelfuse President and Chief Executive Officer. "We actively managed costs to align to business conditions and advanced several strategic initiatives across the end markets we serve. Looking ahead, we remain confident that our leading technologies, global footprint, close customer relationships, and talented associates position our company for profitable growth through the course of 2020.”

Guidance excludes potential business impacts from the coronavirus beyond the company's known specific impacts.

For the first quarter of 2020*, the company expects:

  • Net sales in the range of $352 to $364 million
  • Adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $1.21 to $1.35
  • Adjusted effective tax rate in the range of 18.5% - 19.5%

*Littelfuse provides guidance on a non-GAAP (adjusted) basis. GAAP items excluded from guidance may include the after-tax impact of items including acquisition and integration costs, restructuring, impairment and other charges, certain purchase accounting adjustments, non-operating foreign exchange adjustments and significant and unusual items. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could be material to results computed in accordance with GAAP. Littelfuse is not able to forecast the excluded items in order to provide the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts.

Dividend

  • The company will pay a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.48 per share on March 5, 2020 to shareholders of record as of February 20, 2020

Conference Call and Webcast Information

Littelfuse will host a conference call today, Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss the results. The call will be broadcast live and available for replay at Littelfuse.com.

About Littelfuse

Littelfuse (NASDAQ: LFUS) is a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing. Serving over 100,000 end customers, our products are found in automotive and commercial vehicles, industrial applications, data and telecommunications, medical devices, consumer electronics and appliances. Our 11,000 worldwide associates partner with customers to design, manufacture and deliver innovative, high-quality solutions, for a safer, greener and increasingly connected world - everywhere, every day. Learn more at Littelfuse.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are intended to constitute "forward-looking statements" entitled to the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks relating to product demand and market acceptance; economic conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing; product quality problems or product recalls; capacity and supply difficulties or constraints; coal mining exposures reserves; failure of an indemnification for environmental liability; exchange rate fluctuations; commodity price fluctuations; the effect of Littelfuse, Inc.'s ("Littelfuse" or the "Company") accounting policies; labor disputes; restructuring costs in excess of expectations; pension plan asset returns less than assumed; integration of acquisitions; uncertainties related to political or regulatory changes and other risks which may be detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements. This release should be read in conjunction with information provided in the financial statements appearing in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2018. For a further discussion of the risk factors of the company, please see Item 1A. "Risk Factors" to the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2018.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The information included in this press release includes the non-GAAP financial measures of organic sales growth, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted effective tax rate, free cash flow, net debt, adjusted gross leverage, and adjusted net leverage. Many of these non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of certain expenses and income not related directly to the underlying performance of our fundamental business operations. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is set forth in the attached schedules.

The company believes that organic sales growth, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share, and adjusted effective tax rate provide useful information to investors regarding its operational performance because they enhance an investor’s overall understanding of our core financial performance and facilitate comparisons to historical results of operations, by excluding items that are not related directly to the underlying performance of our fundamental business operations or were not part of our business operations during a comparable period. The company believes free cash flow is a useful measure of its ability to generate cash. The company believes that net debt, adjusted gross leverage and adjusted net leverage are useful measures of its credit position. The company believes that all of these non-GAAP financial measures are commonly used by financial analysts and others in the industries in which we operate, and thus further provide useful information to investors. Management additionally uses these measures when assessing the performance of the business and for business planning purposes. Note that our definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from those terms as defined or used by other companies.

LFUS-F

LITTELFUSE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

(in thousands)

December 28,
2019

 

December 29,
2018

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

531,139

 

 

$

489,733

 

Short-term investments

44

 

 

34

 

Trade receivables, less allowances of $42,043 and $36,038 at December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018, respectively

202,309

 

 

232,892

 

Inventories

237,507

 

 

258,228

 

Prepaid income taxes and income taxes receivable

4,831

 

 

2,339

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

28,564

 

 

49,291

 

Total current assets

1,004,394

 

 

1,032,517

 

Net property, plant, and equipment

344,617

 

 

339,894

 

Intangible assets, net of amortization

321,247

 

 

361,474

 

Goodwill

820,589

 

 

826,715

 

Investments

24,099

 

 

25,405

 

Deferred income taxes

8,069

 

 

7,330

 

Rights of use lease assets, net

21,918

 

 

 

Other assets

14,965

 

 

20,971

 

Total assets

$

2,559,898

 

 

$

2,614,306

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

117,320

 

 

$

126,323

 

Accrued liabilities

84,120

 

 

138,405

 

Accrued income taxes

14,122

 

 

20,547

 

Current portion of long-term debt

10,000

 

 

10,000

 

Total current liabilities

225,562

 

 

295,275

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

669,158

 

 

684,730

 

Deferred income taxes

49,763

 

 

51,853

 

Accrued post-retirement benefits

38,198

 

 

31,874

 

Non-current operating lease liabilities

17,166

 

 

 

Other long-term liabilities

64,037

 

 

72,232

 

Total equity

1,496,014

 

 

1,478,342

 

Total liabilities and equity

$

2,559,898

 

 

$

2,614,306

 

LITTELFUSE, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF NET INCOME

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

December 28,
2019

 

December 29,
2018

 

December 28,
2019

 

December 29,
2018

Net sales

 

$

338,523

 

 

$

402,281

 

 

$

1,503,873

 

 

$

1,718,468

 

Cost of sales

 

225,056

 

 

247,944

 

 

962,424

 

 

1,065,927

 

Gross profit

 

113,467

 

 

154,337

 

 

541,449

 

 

652,541

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

53,248

 

 

67,461

 

 

228,093

 

 

288,001

 

Research and development expenses

 

17,944

 

 

21,559

 

 

80,539

 

 

87,301

 

Amortization of intangibles

 

9,958

 

 

13,689

 

 

40,026

 

 

52,190

 

Total operating expenses

 

81,150

 

 

102,709

 

 

348,658

 

 

427,492

 

Operating income

 

32,317

 

 

51,628

 

 

192,791

 

 

225,049

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

5,432

 

 

5,589

 

 

22,266

 

 

22,569

 

Foreign exchange (gain) loss

 

(412

)

 

5,509

 

 

5,224

 

 

(863

)

Other expense (income), net

 

2,823

 

 

763

 

 

(583

)

 

(1,599

)

Income before income taxes

 

24,474

 

 

39,767

 

 

165,884

 

 

204,942

 

Income taxes

 

1,820

 

 

7,102

 

 

26,802

 

 

40,377

 

Net income

 

$

22,654

 

 

$

32,665

 

 

$

139,082

 

 

$

164,565

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.93

 

 

$

1.31

 

 

$

5.66

 

 

$

6.62

 

Diluted

 

$

0.92

 

 

$

1.29

 

 

$

5.60

 

 

$

6.52

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares and equivalent shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

24,366

 

 

25,028

 

 

24,576

 

 

24,870

 

Diluted

 

24,598

 

 

25,299

 

 

24,818

 

 

25,235

 

LITTELFUSE, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

 

Year Ended

(in thousands)

December 28,
2019

 

December 29,
2018

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

Net income

$

139,082

 

 

$

164,565

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities, net:

121,898

 

 

169,005

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Trade receivables

28,497

 

 

(3,539

)

Inventories

22,094

 

 

(33,971

)

Accounts payable

(22,574

)

 

13,708

 

Accrued liabilities

(54,242

)

 

29,329

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

10,573

 

 

(7,269

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

245,328

 

 

331,828

 

 

 

 

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired

(775

)

 

(318,474

)

Purchases of property, plant, and equipment

(61,895

)

 

(74,753

)

All other cash provided by investing activities

6,213

 

 

10,979

 

Net cash used in investing activities

(56,457

)

 

(382,248

)

 

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

Net proceeds from credit facility and senior notes

(10,000

)

 

207,500

 

Cash dividends paid

(44,689

)

 

(39,993

)

Purchases of common stock

(99,387

)

 

(63,564

)

All other cash provided by financing activities

7,800

 

 

17,954

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

(146,276

)

 

121,897

 

 

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

(1,189

)

 

(11,420

)

Increase in cash and cash equivalents

41,406

 

 

60,057

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

489,733

 

 

429,676

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

$

531,139

 

$

489,733

 

LITTELFUSE, INC.

NET SALES AND OPERATING INCOME BY SEGMENT

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Quarter

 

Year-to-Date

(in thousands)

 

2019

 

2018

 

%

Growth
/(Decline)

 

2019

 

2018

 

%
Growth
/(Decline)

Net sales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics

 

$

208,881

 

 

$

264,056

 

 

(20.9

)%

 

$

961,080

 

 

$

1,124,296

 

 

(14.5

)%

Automotive

 

101,719

 

 

112,073

 

 

(9.2

)%

 

428,533

 

 

479,791

 

 

(10.7

)%

Industrial

 

27,923

 

 

26,152

 

 

6.8

%

 

114,260

 

 

114,381

 

 

(0.1

)%

Total net sales

 

$

338,523

 

 

$

402,281

 

 

(15.8

)%

 

$

1,503,873

 

 

$

1,718,468

 

 

(12.5

)%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics

 

$

18,361

 

 

$

47,687

 

 

(61.5

)%

 

$

145,594

 

 

$

241,426

 

 

(39.7

)%

Automotive

 

11,732

 

 

10,017

 

 

17.1

%

 

46,719

 

 

54,982

 

 

(15.0

)%

Industrial

 

6,249

 

 

3,212

 

 

94.6

%

 

22,407

 

 

17,335

 

 

29.3

%

Other(a)

 

(4,025

)

 

(9,288

)

 

N.M.

 

(21,929

)

 

(88,694

)

 

N.M.

Total operating income

 

32,317

 

 

51,628

 

 

(37.4

)%

 

192,791

 

 

225,049

 

 

(14.3

)%

Operating Margin

 

9.5

%

 

12.8

%

 

 

 

12.8

%

 

13.1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

5,432

 

 

5,589

 

 

 

 

22,266

 

 

22,569

 

 

 

Foreign exchange (gain) loss

 

(412

)

 

5,509

 

 

 

 

5,224

 

 

(863

)

 

 

Other expense (income), net

 

2,823

 

 

763

 

 

 

 

(583

)

 

(1,599

)

 

 

Income before income taxes

 

$

24,474

 

 

$

39,767

 

 

(38.5

)%

 

$

165,884

 

 

$

204,942

 

 

(19.1

)%

(a) "other" typically includes non-GAAP adjustments such as acquisition-related and integration costs, purchase accounting inventory adjustments and other charges, and restructuring and impairment charges. (See Supplemental Financial Information for details.)

N.M. - Not meaningful

 

 

Fourth Quarter

 

Year-to-Date

(in thousands)

 

2019

 

2018

 

%
Growth
/(Decline)

 

2019

 

2018

 

%
Growth
/(Decline)

Operating Margin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electronics

 

8.8

%

 

18.1

%

 

(9.3

)%

 

15.1

%

 

21.5

%

 

(6.4

)%

Automotive

 

11.5

%

 

8.9

%

 

2.6

%

 

10.9

%

 

11.5

%

 

(0.6

)%

Industrial

 

22.4

%

 

12.3

%

 

10.1

%

 

19.6

%

 

15.2

%

 

4.4

%

LITTELFUSE, INC.

SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

(In millions of USD except per share amounts unaudited)

 

Non-GAAP EPS reconciliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4-19

 

Q4-18

 

YTD-19

 

YTD-18

GAAP diluted EPS

 

$

0.92

 

 

$

1.29

 

 

$

5.60

 

 

$

6.52

 

EPS impact of Non-GAAP adjustments (below)

 

0.25

 

 

0.58

 

 

1.22

 

 

2.92

 

Adjusted diluted EPS

 

$

1.17

 

 

$

1.87

 

 

$

6.82

 

 

$

9.44

 

Non-GAAP adjustments - (income)/expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4-19

 

Q4-18

 

YTD-19

 

YTD-18

Acquisition related and integration costs (a)

 

$

2.0

 

 

$

3.2

 

 

$

8.9

 

 

$

20.2

 

Restructuring, impairment and other charges (b)

 

2.0

 

 

2.4

 

 

13.0

 

 

12.6

 

Amortization backlog - IXYS (c)

 

 

 

3.7

 

 

 

 

12.4

 

Change in control - IXYS (d)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.1

 

Acquisition related stock-based compensation charge (e)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.5

 

Purchase accounting inventory adjustments (f)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

36.9

 

Non-GAAP adjustments to operating income

 

4.0

 

 

9.3

 

 

21.9

 

 

88.7

 

Other expense, net (g)

 

4.2

 

 

0.9

 

 

10.0

 

 

0.9

 

Non-operating foreign exchange (gain) loss

 

(0.4

)

 

5.5

 

 

5.2

 

 

(0.9

)

Non-GAAP adjustments to income before income taxes

 

7.8

 

 

15.7

 

 

37.1

 

 

88.7

 

Income taxes (h)

 

2.0

 

 

1.0

 

 

7.1

 

 

15.1

 

Non-GAAP adjustments to net income

 

$

5.8

 

 

$

14.7

 

 

$

30.0

 

 

$

73.6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total EPS impact

 

$

0.25

 

 

$

0.58

 

 

$

1.22

 

 

$

2.92

 

Adjusted operating margin /Adjusted EBITDA reconciliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4-19

 

Q4-18

 

YTD-19

 

YTD-18

Net sales

 

$

338.5

 

 

$

402.3

 

 

$

1,503.9

 

 

$

1,718.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAAP operating income

 

$

32.3

 

 

$

51.6

 

 

$

192.8

 

 

$

225.0

 

Add back non-GAAP adjustments

 

4.0

 

 

9.3

 

 

21.9

 

 

88.7

 

Adjusted operating income

 

$

36.3

 

 

$

60.9

 

 

$

214.7

 

 

$

313.7

 

Adjusted operating margin

 

10.7

%

 

15.1

%

 

14.3

%

 

18.3

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add back amortization

 

9.9

 

 

10.0

 

 

40.0

 

 

39.8

 

Add back depreciation

 

13.5

 

 

13.4

 

 

52.5

 

 

51.0

 

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

59.7

 

 

$

84.3

 

 

$

307.2

 

 

$

404.5

 

Adjusted EBITDA margin

 

17.6

%

 

21.0

%

 

20.4

%

 

23.5

%

Net sales reconciliation

 

Q4-19 vs. Q4-18

 

 

Electronics

 

Automotive

 

Industrial

 

Total

Net sales growth

 

(21

)%

 

(9

)%

 

7

%

 

(16

)%

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Divestitures

 

(1

)%

 

 

 

%

 

(1

)%

FX impact

 

(1

)%

 

(1

)%

 

%

 

(1

)%

Organic net sales growth

 

(19

)%

 

(8

)%

 

7

%

 

(14

)%

Net sales reconciliation

 

YTD-19 vs. YTD-18

 

 

Electronics

 

Automotive

 

Industrial

 

Total

Net sales growth

 

(15

)%

 

(11

)%

 

%

 

(13

)%

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acquisitions

 

1

%

 

 

 

 

 

1

%

Divestitures

 

(1

)%

 

 

 

(4

)%

 

(1

)%

FX impact

 

(1

)%

 

(3

)%

 

%

 

(2

)%

Organic net sales growth

 

(14

)%

 

(8

)%

 

4

%

 

(11

)%

Income tax reconciliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4-19

 

Q4-18

 

YTD-19

 

YTD-18

Income taxes

 

$

1.8

 

 

$

7.1

 

 

$

26.8

 

 

$

40.4

 

Effective rate

 

7.4

%

 

17.9

%

 

16.2

%

 

19.7

%

Non-GAAP adjustments - income taxes

 

2.0

 

 

1.0

 

 

7.1

 

 

15.1

 

Adjusted income taxes

 

$

3.8

 

 

$

8.1

 

 

$

33.9

 

 

$

55.5

 

Adjusted effective rate

 

11.9

%

 

14.6

%

 

16.7

%

 

18.9

%

Free cash flow reconciliation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q4-19

 

Q4-18

 

YTD-19

 

YTD-18

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

$

84.4

 

 

$

79.7

 

 

$

245.3

 

 

$

331.8

 

Less: Purchases of property, plant and equipment

 

(23.5

)

 

(18.8

)

 

(61.9

)

 

(74.8

)

Free cash flow

 

$

60.9

 

 

$

60.9

 

 

$

183.4

 

 

$

257.0

 

 

 

Q1-19

 

Q2-19

 

Q3-19

 

Q4-19

 

For the Twelve Months
Ended December 28, 2019

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

89.1

 

 

$

82.5

 

 

$

76.0

 

 

$

59.7

 

 

$

307.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 28, 2019

Current portion of long-term debt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

10.0

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

669.2

 

Total debt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

679.2

 

Less: Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

531.1

 

Net debt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

148.1

 

Adjusted Gross Leverage (defined as total debt divided by adjusted EBITDA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.2

Adjusted Net Leverage (defined as net debt divided by adjusted EBITDA)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.5

Note: Totals will not always foot due to rounding.

(a) reflected in selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A").

(b) $1.8 million and $0.2 million and $2.3 million and $0.1 million reflected in SG&A and cost of sales for three months ended December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018, respectively. $8.2 million and $4.8 million and $11.7 million and $0.9 million reflected in SG&A and cost of sales, respectively for the twelve months ended December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018.

(c) reflected in amortization of intangibles.

(d) reflected in SG&A.

(e) $2.4 million, $1.6 million and $0.5 million reflected in SG&A, research and development expenses and cost of sales, respectively.

(f) reflected in cost of sales.

(g) 2019 quarter-to-date amount included $4.2 million impairment charges related to certain other investments. 2019 year-to-date primarily consisted of $7.3 million impairment charges related to certain other investments and $2.6 million loss on the disposal of a business. The three and twelve months ended December 29, 2018 included $2.2 million gain on the sale of a building, $1.1 million loss on the sale of a business, $1.0 million of charges associated with the remediation of certain coal mines and $1.0 million contingent consideration expense for the acquisition of Monolith.

(h) reflected the tax impact associated with the non-GAAP adjustments. The three and twelve months ended December 28, 2019 reflected $3.3 million of tax benefits for previously unrecognized tax benefits in respect of which the statute of limitations has expired. The three and twelve months ended December 29, 2018 reflected $3.2 million tax expense related to the finalization of 2017 provisional reasonable estimate in connection with the legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Job Act (the "Tax Act"), partially offset by a $1.5 million benefit for previously unrecognized tax benefits in respect of which the statute of limitations has expired.

Contacts

Trisha Tuntland
Head of Investor Relations
(773) 628-2163

Contacts

Trisha Tuntland
Head of Investor Relations
(773) 628-2163