Astronics Corporation Reports 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results

Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO) (“Astronics” or the “Company”), a leading supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace, defense, and other mission-critical industries, today reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

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Astronics Segment Sales and Bookings (Graphic: Business Wire)

Peter J. Gundermann, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Our business continues to strengthen, driven by consistent demand and an improving supply chain. Our manufacturing processes are building momentum but progress is somewhat lumpy, with light third quarter results followed by a significant step up expected in the fourth quarter. We are increasing our 2023 revenue guidance range to $680 million to $690 million from our previous range of $640 million to $680 million. At the midpoint of our updated guidance, we would record 28% growth for the year. Our expectations for a very strong fourth quarter promise an exciting end to the year, and a return in average quarterly sales volume to pre-pandemic levels.”

Third Quarter Results

Third Quarter 2023 Results (compared with the prior-year period, unless noted otherwise)

Consolidated sales were up $31.5 million, or 24.0%. Aerospace sales increased $29.9 million, or 26.7%, driven primarily by higher sales to the commercial transport market. Test Systems sales increased $1.6 million on higher defense revenue.

Consolidated operating loss was $14.5 million, which includes the impact of an $11.1 million non-cash reserve. In November 2023, a non-core contract manufacturing customer declared bankruptcy, and as a result, a reserve of $7.5 million was recorded for outstanding receivables, which impacted selling, general and administrative expenses, and a reserve of $3.6 million was recorded for inventory, which impacted cost of goods sold. The customer was classified within the “Other” product category of the Aerospace segment. Excluding the non-cash reserve, operating income was positively impacted by higher volume.

Interest expense was $6.0 million in the current period, compared with $2.5 million in the prior-year period, primarily driven by higher interest rates on the Company’s credit facilities which were refinanced in January of this year. Interest expense included approximately $0.8 million of non-cash amortization of capitalized financing-related fees.

Tax benefit in the quarter was $3.8 million. Tax expense for the year is expected to be $1 million to $2 million, down from $5.6 million year-to-date.

Consolidated net loss was $17.0 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, compared with net loss of $14.9 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, in the prior year. The reserve for the customer bankruptcy on a per share basis was $0.33.

Consolidated adjusted EBITDA increased to $8.8 million, or 5.4% of consolidated sales, compared with adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million, or 0.4% of consolidated sales, in the prior year period primarily as a result of higher sales.

Bookings were $176.0 million in the quarter resulting in a book-to-bill ratio of 1.08:1. For the trailing twelve months, bookings totaled $723.3 million. Backlog at the end of the third quarter was a record $604.3 million and excludes $19.9 million of backlog that was associated with the customer bankruptcy referred to previously. Approximately $505.3 million of backlog is expected to ship over the next twelve months.

Aerospace Segment Review (refer to sales by market and segment data in accompanying tables)

Aerospace Third Quarter 2023 Results (compared with the prior-year period, unless noted otherwise)

Aerospace segment sales increased $29.9 million, or 26.7%, to $142.1 million. The increase was driven by a 29.8% increase, or $23.3 million, in commercial transport sales. Sales to this market were $101.7 million, or 62.5% of consolidated sales in the quarter, compared with $78.4 million, or 59.6% of consolidated sales in the third quarter of 2022. Higher airline spending and increasing OEM build rates drove the increased demand.

Military aircraft sales increased $4.2 million, or 33.9%, to $16.7 million. General Aviation sales increased $1.4 million, or 9.8%, to $16.2 million.

Aerospace segment operating loss of $7.5 million, which includes the impact of $11.1 million in reserves related to accounts receivable and inventory, compares with operating loss of $6.9 million in the same period last year.

Aerospace bookings were $153.3 million for a book-to-bill ratio of 1.08:1. Backlog for the Aerospace segment was a record $513.9 million at quarter end.

Mr. Gundermann commented, “Our Aerospace business continues to accelerate. Demand for air travel is driving the recovery, both in terms of OEM production rates and retrofit activity. All of our major strategic Aerospace thrusts, including passenger entertainment, flight critical power and aircraft lighting are benefiting from these tailwinds. Our Aerospace bookings during the last four quarters were $644 million against sales of $574 million, for a book-to-bill of 1.12:1, confirming strong demand for our products and the opportunity for continued growth.”

Test Systems Segment Review (refer to sales by market and segment data in accompanying tables)

Test Systems Third Quarter 2023 Results (compared with the prior-year period, unless noted otherwise)

Test Systems segment sales were $20.8 million, up $1.6 million primarily as a result of higher defense revenue.

Test Systems segment operating loss was $1.8 million, an improvement over operating loss of $2.3 million in the third quarter of 2022, despite a $1.5 million increase in litigation-related legal expenses. The improvement reflects cost savings resulting from the second quarter 2023 realignment of staffing. Test Systems’ operating loss for both periods was negatively affected by mix, and under absorption of fixed costs due to volume.

Bookings for the Test Systems segment were $22.7 million for a book-to-bill ratio of 1.09:1 for the quarter. Backlog was $90.4 million at the end of the third quarter of 2023 compared with a backlog of $82.8 million at the end of the third quarter of 2022.

Mr. Gundermann commented, “Our Test business continues to tread water, awaiting significant new orders that have been in the pipeline for some time. Until those orders are booked, the Company will continue to contend with lower-than-expected revenue. We expect 2024 to be a much better year, but we need to receive the orders first.”

Liquidity and Financing

Cash on hand at the end of the quarter was $7.7 million. Capital expenditures in the quarter were $2.2 million. Net debt was $166.1 million.

Cash used for operations was $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2023, improving from cash used of $2.0 million in the second quarter. During the quarter, higher inventory and accounts receivable were partially offset by increased accounts payable and accrued expenses.

During the quarter, under its at-the-market offering, the Company sold 834,000 shares at an average price of $16.70 per share for net proceeds after offering expenses of $13.6 million.

David Burney, the Company’s CFO, said, “Liquidity was tight during the quarter as investment in net working capital remained at elevated levels in advance of what we expect will be a very strong fourth quarter and entry into 2024. We leveraged our at-the-market offering, which we initiated for just these purposes, to close liquidity requirements until we realize the cash generated from growing sales.”

He continued, “The customer bankruptcy reserves relate to some contract design and manufacturing work we did for a non-aerospace customer that started in 2021. The customer filed Chapter 11 just days ago so it is too early to predict a path to resolution, but we will be working to maximize our recovery through their reorganization process. The non-cash adjustment results in a very minor impact on our banking covenants and there are no other balances associated with this account on our balance sheet. We do not expect any further impacts to our balance sheet, nor any impact on our forecasted results for the fourth quarter or beyond.”

2023 and 2024 Outlook

The Company expects fourth quarter revenue to be in the range of $185 million to $195 million, and 2023 revenue to be approximately $680 million to $690 million. The midpoint of this range would be a 28% increase over 2022 sales.

The range for planned capital expenditures in 2023 has been reduced to $7 million to $9 million from previous expectations of $7 million to $12 million.

Peter Gundermann commented, “We expect our fourth quarter to be a very strong close to 2023, with revenue at pre-pandemic levels. This will be a big improvement over any other quarter we have seen since 2019, both for top and bottom line results.”

He concluded, “While we are not yet ready to issue revenue guidance for 2024, we expect the fourth quarter to be indicative of our activity level throughout the year. We will enter the year with significant tailwinds, including a record backlog, a stabilized labor force, moderating inflation, substantial new program awards, increasing OEM production rates and higher retrofit demand. Our sales increased 20% in 2022 and are projected to increase 28% in 2023. We anticipate yet another year of strong growth in 2024.”

Third Quarter 2023 Webcast and Conference Call

The Company will host a teleconference today at 4:45 p.m. ET. During the teleconference, management will review the financial and operating results for the period and discuss Astronics’ corporate strategy and outlook. A question-and-answer session will follow.

The Astronics conference call can be accessed by calling (412) 317-0518. The listen-only audio webcast can be monitored at investors.astronics.com. To listen to the archived call, dial (412) 317-6671 and enter replay pin number 10182544. The telephonic replay will be available from 8:00 p.m. on the day of the call through Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The webcast replay can be accessed via the investor relations section of the Company’s website where a transcript will also be posted once available.

About Astronics Corporation

Astronics Corporation (Nasdaq: ATRO) serves the world’s aerospace, defense, and other mission-critical industries with proven innovative technology solutions. Astronics works side-by-side with customers, integrating its array of power, connectivity, lighting, structures, interiors, and test technologies to solve complex challenges. For over 50 years, Astronics has delivered creative, customer-focused solutions with exceptional responsiveness. Today, global airframe manufacturers, airlines, military branches, completion centers, and Fortune 500 companies rely on the collaborative spirit and innovation of Astronics. The Company’s strategy is to increase its value by developing technologies and capabilities that provide innovative solutions to its targeted markets.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. One can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “estimate” or other similar expressions and include all statements with regard to achieving any revenue or profitability expectations, the rate of recovery of the commercial aerospace widebody/long haul markets, the improvement in the supply chain and reduction of spot buys, the timing of pricing and impact of inflation on margins, the effectiveness on profitability of cost reduction efforts, the timing of receipt of task orders or future orders, and the expectations of demand by customers and markets. Because such statements apply to future events, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what may be stated here include the continued global impact of COVID-19 and related governmental and other actions taken in response, the trend in growth with passenger power and connectivity on airplanes, the state of the aerospace and defense industries, the market acceptance of newly developed products, internal production capabilities, the timing of orders received, the status of customer certification processes and delivery schedules, the demand for and market acceptance of new or existing aircraft which contain the Company’s products, the need for new and advanced test and simulation equipment, customer preferences and relationships, the effectiveness of the Company’s supply chain, and other factors which are described in filings by Astronics with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information in this news release whether to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results, financial conditions or prospects, or otherwise.

FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW

Reconciliation to Non-GAAP Performance Measures

In addition to reporting net income, a U.S. generally accepted accounting principle (“GAAP”) measure, we present Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash equity-based compensation expense, goodwill, intangible and long-lived asset impairment charges, equity investment income or loss, legal reserves, settlements and recoveries, restructuring charges, gains or losses associated with the sale of businesses and grant benefits recorded related to the AMJP program), which is a non-GAAP measure. The Company’s management believes Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure of operating performance because it allows management, investors and others to evaluate and compare the performance of its core operations from period to period by removing the impact of the capital structure (interest), tangible and intangible asset base (depreciation and amortization), taxes, equity-based compensation expense, goodwill, intangible and long-lived asset impairment charges, equity investment income or loss, non-cash reserves related to customer bankruptcy filings, legal reserves, settlements and recoveries, litigation-related expenses, restructuring charges, gains or losses associated with the sale of businesses and grant benefits recorded related to the AMJP program, which is not commensurate with the core activities of the reporting period in which it is included. As such, the Company uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of performance when evaluating its business and as a basis for planning and forecasting. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and is not calculated through the application of GAAP. As such, it should not be considered as a substitute for the GAAP measure of net income and, therefore, should not be used in isolation of, but in conjunction with, the GAAP measure. Adjusted EBITDA, as presented, may produce results that vary from the GAAP measure and may not be comparable to a similarly defined non-GAAP measure used by other companies.

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