Hardinge Inc. Reports Net Sales of $82.3 Million in Third Quarter 2013

• Reported third quarter EPS of $0.13 included $0.07 of non-recurring expenses
• Strong cash from operations of $6.5 million in third quarter
• Expect fourth quarter revenue of approximately $95 million

ELMIRA, N.Y., Nov. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hardinge Inc. HDNG, a leading international provider of advanced metal-cutting solutions, reported financial results for its third quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2013. Results for the quarter included the operations of Usach Technologies, Inc. ("Usach"), acquired on December 20, 2012, and the Forkardt operations ("Forkardt"), acquired on May 9, 2013.

Third Quarter Review

Net sales ("sales") for the quarter were $82.3 million, comparable with sales of $82.9 million in the prior year's third quarter. Acquisitions contributed $10.5 million of sales. When compared with the trailing second quarter, sales were up $1.4 million, or 1.8%. The sequential improvement was primarily due to the addition of the Forkardt operations. 

Net income was $1.5 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared with net income of $4.0 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, in the prior year's third quarter. Net income when adjusted to exclude acquisition related items and a discrete tax charge was $2.4 million, or $0.20 per diluted share. Earnings per diluted share included $0.03 of acquisition related expenses, $0.02 of valuation adjustments for the step-up of acquired inventory and $0.02 for a discrete tax charge in Switzerland. Management believes that the use of non-GAAP measures helps in the understanding of its operating performance. See the reconciliation tables on page 8 of this release.

Richard L. Simons, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Results for the quarter were as we expected. Organic sales reflect the general weakness that we have seen over the last year, but were favorably offset by our acquisitions. Sequentially, organic sales in Europe trended higher as that economy seems to be slightly better.  Of note, we are generating strong cash from operations and are making solid strides at reducing debt, providing us the financial flexibility to continue our acquisition strategy."

Fluctuations in Hardinge's consolidated sales among geographic locations and industries can vary from quarter to quarter based on the timing and magnitude of orders and projects. Hardinge does not believe that such quarter-to-quarter fluctuations are necessarily indicative of larger business trends.  Rather, the Company believes that such business trends can be discerned from the Company's performance during a longer period of time, such as a trailing twelve-month period.  

Compared with the prior-year period, sales improved in North America and Europe, offsetting lower sales in Asia. The 2013 third quarter included the acquisitions, which offset lower organic sales in North America. Compared with the trailing second quarter, stronger sales in Europe and Asia more than offset lower sales in North America.  Driving the improvement was the contribution from the full quarter of the Forkardt operations. 

Gross profit was $23.0 million, compared with $24.0 million in the prior-year period. As a percentage of sales, gross margins were 28.0% and 28.9% for the third quarters of 2013 and 2012, respectively. Gross profit for the reported period was unfavorably impacted by approximately $0.4 million, or 0.5 points on margin, due to the valuation adjustment for the step-up of acquired inventory associated with the Forkardt acquisition.

Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expense was up by $1.5 million to $20.1 million, or 24.5% of sales compared with the prior-year period. The increase included $0.3 million of acquisition related expenses as well as $3.7 million of incremental SG&A associated with the acquisitions. This was partially offset by savings of approximately $1.5 million resulting from the realignment of the Company's sales structure in the United Kingdom. 

Income from operations was $3.0 million, down $2.4 million from the prior year's third quarter. As a percentage of sales, income from operations was 3.6%, a 2.8 point decrease from the same period of the prior year. The 2013 third quarter tax rate was atypically high at 44%.  The quarter was impacted by jurisdictional mix as well as a change in the effective tax rate in Switzerland requiring the revaluation of a deferred tax liability, impacting the effective tax rate by 7%. The 2013 full year effective tax rate is expected to be approximately 18% to 20%. The heavy weighting of U.S. derived income in the fourth quarter is expected to result in a lower effective tax rate for that period.

First Nine-Months of 2013 Review 

Sales for period were $230.3 million, down by $13.6 million, or 6%, from the prior-year period. Reduced sales were the result of recessionary conditions in Europe and the slowing growth in Asia during the second half of 2012, which impacted 2013 shipments.

Gross profit was $65.4 million, compared with $69.2 million in the prior-year period. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was unchanged from the prior year. Gross profit was unfavorably impacted by approximately $1.2 million of inventory valuation step-up adjustments related to the acquisitions, which impacted gross margin by 0.5 points. SG&A expense was $58.6 million, up $3.4 million, when compared with the prior-year period. Incremental SG&A associated with the acquired operations was $6.6 million, partially offset by $3.9 million of savings from the realignment of the Company's U.K. sales organization.  Additionally, SG&A for the reported period included $1.9 million in acquisition related expenses. 

Income from operations of $6.3 million, or 2.7% of sales, was down $7.2 million from the prior-year period. Adjusted income from operations was $9.5 million, or 4.1% of sales, for the first nine months of 2013, excluding acquisition related expenses and inventory valuation charges associated with the acquisitions.

Net income was $3.8 million, a decline of $6.3 million when compared with the prior-year period. Adjusted net income was $7.1 million, which excludes acquisition related inventory charges and expenses of $3.1 million as well as a discrete tax charge of $0.2 million. The $3.0 million decline in adjusted net income was the result of lower global demand for machine tools over approximately the last twelve months. Earnings per diluted share were $0.32 compared with $0.87 for the same period in 2012.  Adjusted earnings per diluted share were $0.60. 

Solid Cash Generation and Strong Balance Sheet

Cash generated by operations was $6.4 million in the third quarter of 2013. For the nine month period, cash from operations was $8.4 million.  Capital expenditures were $0.6 million in the third quarter and were $2.2 million for the first nine months of 2013. Full year 2013 capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $4.0 million.

Net debt, consisting of notes payable and term debt (current and long-term portions) less cash and cash equivalents was $21.4 million at September 30, 2013, a reduction of $6.9 million compared with the $28.3 million balance at June 30, 2013.  Year-to-date, net debt increased by $28.3 million primarily as a result of the $24.3 million of borrowings and $10.0 million in cash used for the Forkardt acquisition.

Net orders ("orders") during the quarter were $72.9 million and included $10.6 million in orders associated with the acquired operations. Compared with the prior-year period, orders improved $4.6 million primarily due to improvements in Europe. When compared with the trailing second quarter, orders were down $5.6 million. The Company's order backlog at September 30, 2013 was $123.0 million. 

Outlook

The Company continues to expect that full year sales in 2013, including the acquired operations, will be slightly lower than 2012 sales of $334 million.

Mr. Simons noted, "Sales for 2013 are in line with our original expectations, as sales from acquisitions are offsetting weakness in our organic business. The fourth quarter will be unusually strong for the year, as over $20 million of backlog from our acquired Usach operation is expected to ship. As a result, sales should be in excess of $95 million. This, of course, is subject to final acceptance and logistics related to certain large orders."

He concluded, "As we look toward 2014, economists who follow our industry are projecting world-wide growth driven by macroeconomic factors impacting the industries that require our products.  We also think the worst is behind us in Europe and expect improving business conditions in that market. Over the long term, we expect that our improved business model and efforts to drive operational excellence will enhance our earnings power and improve the leverage inherent in our business as volume grows. Strategically, we believe Hardinge is well positioned to take market share and capitalize on the growth of the machine tool industry."

Webcast and Conference Call

Hardinge will host a conference call and webcast today at 11:00 a.m. ET. During the conference call and webcast, Richard L. Simons, Chairman, President and CEO, and Edward J. Gaio, Vice President and CFO, will review the financial and operating results for the quarter, as well as the Company's strategy and outlook. A question and answer session will follow the formal discussion. Their review will be accompanied by a slide presentation which will be available on Hardinge's website at www.hardinge.com/ir/events.

The conference call can be accessed by calling (201) 689-8560. The listen-only audio webcast can be monitored at www.hardinge.com/ir/events.

A telephonic replay will be available from 2:00 p.m. ET the day of the call through Thursday, November 14, 2013. To listen to the archived call, dial (858) 384-5517 and enter conference ID number 420951. Alternatively, the archive can be heard on the Company's website at www.hardinge.com. A transcript will also be posted to the website, once available.

About Hardinge

Hardinge is a leading global designer and manufacturer of high precision, computer-controlled machine tool solutions developed for critical, hard to machine metal parts and of technologically advanced workholding accessories.  The Company's strategy is to leverage its global brand strength to further penetrate global market opportunities where customers will benefit from the technologically advanced, high quality, reliable products Hardinge produces.  With approximately 75% of its sales outside of North America, Hardinge serves the worldwide metal working market.  Hardinge's machine tool and accessory solutions can also be found in a broad base of industries to include aerospace, agricultural, automotive, construction, consumer products, defense, energy, medical, technology and transportation. 

Hardinge applies its engineering design and manufacturing expertise in high performance machining centers, high-end cylindrical and jig grinding machines, SUPER-PRECISION^® and precision CNC lathes and technologically advanced workholding accessories.  Hardinge has manufacturing operations in China, France, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.   

The Company regularly posts information on its website: http://www.hardinge.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Such statements are based on management's current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact or that are about future events may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. For example, words such as "may," "will," "should," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "strategy," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The Company's actual results or outcomes and the timing of certain events may differ significantly from those discussed in any forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW.

Hardinge believes that providing non-GAAP financial measures such as adjusted operating income, adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per diluted share is important for investors and other readers of Hardinge's financial statements, as they are used as an analytical indicator by Hardinge's management to better understand its operating performance.