Plexus Announces Fiscal Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results

• Fiscal third quarter 2016 revenue of $668 million
  
• GAAP diluted EPS of $0.76, non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.82, excluding $0.06 per share of restructuring charges
  
• Initiates fiscal fourth quarter 2016 revenue guidance of $655 - $685 million with non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.76 to $0.84, excluding any restructuring or other special items

NEENAH, Wis., July 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plexus PLXS today announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended July 2, 2016, and guidance for its fiscal fourth quarter ending October 1, 2016.

Additional Fiscal Third Quarter 2016 Information

• Won 46 programs during the quarter representing approximately $194 million in annualized revenue when fully ramped into production
  
• Trailing four quarter wins total approximately $714 million in annualized revenue
  
• Purchased $7.2 million of our shares at an average price of $42.13 per share

Dean Foate, Chairman, President and CEO, commented, "We delivered a solid fiscal third quarter with revenue up 8% sequentially and operating margin nicely in our target range.  Relative to our guidance, revenue was at the high-end while our strong margin performance pushed our non-GAAP diluted EPS result a penny above the range.  Improved operating performance and efficient management of working capital enabled us to deliver ROIC performance of 13%, or 200 basis points above our weighted average cost of capital."

Patrick Jermain, Senior Vice President and CFO, commented, "We improved our cash cycle sequentially by 3 days during the fiscal third quarter and generated strong cash flows from operations.  The improved cash cycle, in addition to a modest level of capital spending, drove free cash flow above our guidance to $24 million during the quarter."  Mr. Jermain continued, "In anticipation of future growth, and in part to support our previously announced $150 million share repurchase program, on July 5, 2016, we amended our credit agreement.  We increased the maximum commitment under the unsecured credit facility to $300 million and extended the maturity to July 2021.  These modifications extend our favorable pricing structure and support our overall strategic capital allocation plans."

Todd Kelsey, Executive Vice President and COO, commented, "Looking forward to our fiscal fourth quarter of 2016, we are guiding revenue of $655 to $685 million as we anticipate new program ramps in our Industrial/Commercial and Defense/Security/Aerospace market sectors will offset end-market weakness in our Networking/Communications sector.  At this revenue level, with continuing strong operating performance, we expect diluted EPS in the range of $0.76 to $0.84 for the fiscal fourth quarter, before any restructuring or special items."

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Plexus provides non-GAAP supplemental information, such as ROIC, Economic Return, and free cash flow, because such measures are used for internal management goals and decision making, and because they provide management and investors additional insight into financial performance.  In addition, management uses these and other non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted net income and adjusted operating margin, to provide a better understanding of core performance for purposes of period-to-period comparisons.  Plexus believes that these measures are also useful to investors because they provide further insight by eliminating the effect of items that are not reflective of continuing operations. For a full reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures, please refer to the attached non-GAAP supplemental data.  As noted above, because potential restructuring charges or special items are not known at this time, the Company cannot provide a reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS guidance to GAAP diluted EPS without unreasonable efforts.

Market Sector Breakout
Plexus reports revenue based on the market sector breakout set forth in the table below, which reflects the Company's global market sector focused business development strategy.  The Company measures operational performance and allocates resources on a geographic segment basis.  Please refer to the attached supplemental information for a breakout of revenue by reportable geographic segments.  Top 10 customers comprised 60% of revenue during the quarter, up two percentage points from the prior quarter.

Fiscal Third Quarter 2016 Non-GAAP Supplemental Information

ROIC and Economic Return
ROIC for the fiscal third quarter of 2016 was 13.0%.  The Company defines ROIC as tax-effected annualized adjusted operating profit, divided by average invested capital over a four-quarter period for the third quarter.  Invested capital is defined as equity plus debt, less cash and cash equivalents.  The Company's fiscal 2016 weighted average cost of capital was 11.0%.  ROIC for the third quarter less the Company's weighted average cost of capital resulted in an economic return of 2.0%.

Free Cash Flow Calculation
The Company defines free cash flow as cash flows provided by operations less capital expenditures.  For the three months ended July 2, 2016, cash flows provided by operations was $31.3 million, less capital expenditures of $7.0 million, resulting in free cash flow of $24.3 million.  For the nine months ended July 2, 2016, cash flows provided by operations was $122.6 million, less capital expenditures of $23.8 million, resulting in free cash flow of $98.8 million.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

About Plexus – The Product Realization Company
Plexus (www.plexus.com) delivers optimized Product Realization solutions through a unique Product Realization Value Stream service model.  This customer-focused services model seamlessly integrates innovative product conceptualization, design, commercialization, manufacturing, fulfillment and sustaining services to deliver comprehensive end-to-end solutions for customers in the America, European and Asia-Pacific regions.

Plexus is the industry leader in servicing mid-to-low volume, higher complexity customer programs characterized by unique flexibility, technology, quality and regulatory requirements. Award-winning customer service is provided to over 140 branded product companies in the Networking/ Communications, Healthcare/Life Sciences, Industrial/Commercial and Defense/Security/Aerospace market sectors.

Safe Harbor and Fair Disclosure Statement
The statements contained in this press release that are guidance or which are not historical facts (such as statements in the future tense and statements including believe, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, goal, target and similar terms and concepts), including all discussions of periods which are not yet completed, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk of customer delays, changes, cancellations or forecast inaccuracies in both ongoing and new programs; the lack of visibility of future orders, particularly in view of changing economic conditions; the economic performance of the industries, sectors and customers we serve; the effects of the volume of revenue from certain sectors or programs on our margins in particular periods; our ability to secure new customers, maintain our current customer base and deliver product on a timely basis; the particular risks relative to new or recent customers, programs or services, which risks include customer and other delays, start-up costs, potential inability to execute, the establishment of appropriate terms of agreements, and the lack of a track record of order volume and timing; the risks of concentration of work for certain customers; the effect of start-up costs of new programs and facilities; possible unexpected costs and operating disruption in transitioning programs, including as a result of a facility closure; the risk that new program wins and/or customer demand may not result in the expected revenue or profitability; the fact that customer orders may not lead to long-term relationships; our ability to manage successfully and execute a complex business model characterized by high product mix, low volumes and demanding quality, regulatory, and other requirements; the ability to realize anticipated savings from restructuring or similar actions, as well as the adequacy of related charges as compared to actual expenses; increasing regulatory and compliance requirements; the potential effects of regional results on our taxes and ability to use deferred tax assets and net operating losses; risks related to information technology systems and data security; the effects of shortages and delays in obtaining components as a result of economic cycles or natural disasters; the risks associated with excess and obsolete inventory, including the risk that inventory purchased on behalf of our customers may not be consumed or otherwise paid for by the customer, resulting in an inventory write-off; the weakness of areas of the global economy; the effect of changes in the pricing and margins of products; raw materials and component cost fluctuations; the potential effect of fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which we transact business; potential economic weakness and other effects resulting from the June 2016 vote of the United Kingdom to exit the European Union; the potential effect of other world or local events or other events outside our control (such as changes in energy prices, terrorism and weather events); the impact of increased competition; and other risks detailed in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings (particularly in "Risk Factors" in our fiscal 2015 Form 10-K).