Barnes Reports First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Delivers Strong Orders and Organic Sales, Improved Adjusted Operating Profit Margin

• Sales of $335 million, up 7% versus prior year period; Organic Sales up 9%
• Operating Margin of 6.9%; Adjusted Operating Margin of 11.1%, up 90 bps from a year ago
• GAAP EPS of $0.26; Adjusted EPS of $0.47, up 15% versus prior year period
• Forecasts 2023 Organic Sales Growth of +6% to +8%
• 2023 Adjusted EPS of $2.15 to $2.30; Up 9% to 16% from 2022 Adjusted EPS of $1.98

Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE: B), a global provider of highly engineered products, differentiated industrial technologies, and innovative solutions, today reported financial results for the first quarter 2023.

“Our ‘Top line, Bottom line, Pipeline’ focus is delivering improved financial performance with solid orders, organic sales growth, and improved adjusted operating margin in the first quarter,” said Thomas J. Hook, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barnes. “Progress on our previously announced restructuring and transformation efforts continues as anticipated, and today we are announcing a meaningful new phase to round out our program. As we achieve full-run rate expense savings from our multi-phase initiative, we expect our adjusted operating margins and free cash flow to increase at an accelerated pace,” added Hook.

First Quarter 2023 Highlights

First quarter 2023 net sales of $335 million were up 7% compared to the prior year period, with organic sales ⁽¹⁾ increasing 9%. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 2%. Operating income was $23.3 million versus $31.1 million a year ago. Operating margin was 6.9%. Excluding restructuring and transformation related charges, adjusted operating income was $37.2 million, up 17%, and adjusted operating margin was 11.1%, up 90 bps from a year ago.

Interest expense in the first quarter of 2023 was $5.3 million, an increase of $1.7 million from the prior year due to the impact of higher average interest rates. Other Expense was $1.3 million, a decrease of $0.3 million from last year, primarily driven by an increase in non-operating pension income offset in part by foreign exchange losses.

The Company’s effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2023 was 20.9% compared with 21.0% in the year ago period and 64.7% for the full year 2022. The decrease in the first quarter 2023 effective tax rate from the full year 2022 rate is primarily due to the absence of a goodwill impairment charge incurred in 2022, which is not tax deductible for book purposes.

Net income for the first quarter was $13.2 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $20.5 million, or $0.40 per share, a year ago. On an adjusted basis, net income per share of $0.47 was up 15% from $0.41 a year ago. Adjusted net income per share in the first quarter of 2023 excludes $0.21 of restructuring and transformation related charges.

First quarter cash provided by operating activities was $32.2 million versus a use of $9.3 million a year ago primarily due to lower paid incentive compensation and a lower increase in working capital compared to a year ago. Free cash flow was $21.3 million compared to negative $16.7 million last year. Capital expenditures were $10.9 million, an increase of $3.5 million.

A table reconciling non-GAAP to GAAP financial measures, including forward looking outlook information, is presented at the end of this press release.

Restructuring and Strategic Transformation Related Activities

With a focus on driving Core Business Execution, the Company announced in mid-2022 a significant multi-phase transformation initiative. This comprehensive program targets improved global competitiveness, accelerated revenue growth, institutionalized operational efficiencies, enhanced cash flow, and reduced organizational complexity. Solid progress on previously announced phases is being made and we continue to anticipate $26 million of annual run rate savings in 2024. Today, the Company is announcing the third and final phase of its transformation initiative. Phase 3 activities are expected to occur over the next 24 months and impact both the Industrial and Aerospace segments, as well as functional efficiencies globally. The total investment for Phase 3 is forecast to be $58 million, including $28 million of restructuring charges, $16M of external transformation related charges, most of which were incurred in the first quarter, and $14 million of capital investment. For Phase 3 we expect run rate savings of approximately $27 million in 2025.

Segment Performance

Industrial

First quarter sales were $218 million, up 3% from $212 million in the prior year period. Organic sales increased 6% while unfavorable foreign exchange lowered sales by 3%. Operating profit was $4.5 million versus $14.7 million in the prior year period. Excluding restructuring and transformation related charges of $12.1 million, adjusted operating profit of $16.6 million was up 11% and adjusted operating margin of 7.6% was up 50 bps. Adjusted operating profit was impacted by lingering inflationary pressure and unfavorable mix, offset in part by positive pricing.

Aerospace

First quarter sales were $117 million, up 16% from $101 million last year. Aerospace original equipment manufacturing (“OEM”) sales increased 11%, while aftermarket sales increased 27%. Operating profit was $18.8 million, up 14% from $16.4 million in the prior year period. Excluding restructuring and transformation related charges of $1.8 million, adjusted operating profit of $20.5 million was up 23% from a year ago. The increase in adjusted operating profit was driven by the contribution of higher aftermarket sales volumes. Adjusted operating margin was 17.5%, up 90 bps from a year ago.

Aerospace OEM backlog ended the year at $793 million, up 6% sequentially from December 2022 and up 11% from a year ago. The Company expects to convert approximately 45% of this backlog to revenue over the next 12 months.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

Barnes’ balance sheet and liquidity profile remain well-positioned. The Company has liquidity of $79 million in cash and $539 million available under the revolving credit facility, subject to covenants which would have allowed $204 million under our current credit agreements. With respect to the balance sheet, our “Debt to EBITDA” ratio, as defined in our credit agreements, was approximately 2.39 times at quarter end.

2023 Full Year Outlook

Barnes continues to expect organic sales growth of 6% to 8% for 2023 with adjusted operating margin in the range of 12.5% to 13.5%. Adjusted earnings are now expected to be in the range of $2.15 to $2.30 per share, up 9% to 16% from 2022’s adjusted earnings of $1.98 per share. Our updated adjusted earnings range reflects an increase of $0.05 from our previous outlook at the low end given the performance achieved in the first quarter. 2023 adjusted earnings per share are anticipated to exclude a $0.56 impact related to the significant restructuring and transformation related activities announced to date. While the Company continuously evaluates opportunities to drive improved operational performance, the complete program of its restructuring and transformation related activities has been announced and no further major actions are being contemplated. Capital expenditures are anticipated to be approximately $50 million and cash conversion to be approximately 100% of net income. The adjusted effective tax rate for 2023 is expected to be between 24.5% and 25.5%, unchanged from our prior view.

Conference Call Information

Barnes will conduct a conference call with investors to discuss the first quarter 2023 results at 8:30 a.m. ET today, April 27, 2023. The public may access the conference through a live audio webcast available on the Investor Relations section of Barnes’ website at www.onebarnes.com.

The conference is also available by direct dial at (888) 510-2379 in the U.S. or (646) 960-0691 outside of the U.S.; Conference ID 1137078. Supplemental materials will be posted to the Investor Relations section of the Company's website prior to the conference call.

In addition, the call will be recorded and available for playback from 12:00 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 27, 2023, until 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, May 4, 2023, by dialing (647) 362-9199; Conference ID 1137078.

Note:

⁽¹⁾ Organic sales growth represents the total reported sales increase within the Company’s ongoing business less the impact of foreign currency translation and acquisition and divestitures completed in the preceding twelve months.

About Barnes

Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE: B) pioneers technologies to help change the world. Leveraging world-class manufacturing capabilities and market-leading engineering, we develop advanced processes, automation solutions and applied technologies for industries ranging from medical and personal care to mobility, packaging and aerospace. Customers benefit from our integrated hardware and software capabilities focused on improving the processing, control, service and sustainability of engineered plastics, factory automation technologies and precision components. For more information, please visit www.onebarnes.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often address our expected future operating and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "plan," "estimate," "project," "continue," "will," "should," "may," and similar terms. These forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These include, among others: the Company’s ability to manage economic, business and geopolitical conditions, including rising interest rates, global price inflation, and shortages impacting the availability of materials; the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and governments’ responses to the pandemic such as regional lockdowns, including their impacts across our business on demand, supply chains, operations and liquidity; failure to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements or potential strikes, work stoppages or other similar events; changes in market demand for our products and services; rapid technological and market change; the ability to protect and avoid infringing upon intellectual property rights; challenges associated with the introduction or development of new products or transfer of work; higher risks in global operations and markets; the impact of intense competition; the physical and operational risks from natural disasters, severe weather events, climate change which may limit accessibility to sufficient water resources, outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments; acts of war, terrorism and other international conflicts; the failure to achieve anticipated cost savings and benefits associated with workforce reductions and restructuring actions; currency fluctuations and foreign currency exposure; impacts from goodwill impairment and related charges; our dependence upon revenues and earnings from a small number of significant customers; a major loss of customers; inability to realize expected sales or profits from existing backlog due to a range of factors, including changes in customer sourcing decisions, material changes, production schedules and volumes of specific programs; the impact of government budget and funding decisions; government-imposed sanctions, tariffs, trade agreements and trade policies; changes or uncertainties in laws, regulations, rates, policies or interpretations that impact the Company’s business operations or tax status, including those that address climate change, environmental, health and safety matters, and the materials processed by our products or their end markets; fluctuations in the pricing or availability of raw materials, freight, transportation, energy, utilities and other items required by our operations; labor shortages or other business interruptions at transportation centers, shipping ports, our suppliers’ facilities or our facilities; disruptions in information technology systems, including as a result of cybersecurity attacks or data security breaches; the ability to hire and retain senior management and qualified personnel; the continuing impact of prior acquisitions and divestitures, and any other future strategic actions, and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such actions; the ability to achieve social and environmental performance goals; the outcome of pending and future litigation and governmental proceedings; the impact of actual, potential or alleged defects or failures of our products or third-party products within which our products are integrated, including product liabilities, product recall costs and uninsured claims; future repurchases of common stock; future levels of indebtedness; the impact of shareholder activism; and other risks and uncertainties described in documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") by the Company, including, among others, those in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Risk Factors sections of the Company's filings. The Company assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements.

Category: Earnings

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