Carrier Reports First Quarter 2020 Earnings

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., May 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrier Global Corporation CARR today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2020. Carrier is a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. 

"We moved early to address the COVID-19 pandemic head-on with a focus on protecting our employees, and throughout this, our 53,000 global employees demonstrated resilience and commitment to continuing to provide our critical products," said Carrier President & CEO Dave Gitlin. "At the same time, we remain laser focused on our strategic growth priorities, including growing our base, increasing product extensions and geographic coverage and focusing on services and digital. We are also taking aggressive cost actions, identifying $425 million of savings and a 40-50% reduction in planned capital spending, while preserving investments in those initiatives that are most critical to position Carrier for growth when economic conditions improve. We are a more agile, customer-focused company with a clear roadmap to drive best-in-class organic growth."

First Quarter Results

Carrier's first quarter sales of $3.9 billion were down 10% compared to last year, a 9% decline organically. About half of the sales decline was due to the expected reduction in gas furnace sales, North America truck trailer sales and the wind-down of a residential intrusion business, with the remainder largely related to COVID-19. GAAP operating profit in the quarter of $315 million was down 37%, but adjusted operating profit of $436 million was down 16% helped by the benefit of Carrier's aggressive cost containment and the acceleration of Carrier 600, a program expected to remove $600 million in costs over three years. GAAP EPS was $0.11 and, on an adjusted basis, EPS was $0.35 after excluding net nonrecurring and restructuring charges. Net income in the quarter was $96 million and included $210 million of net nonrecurring and restructuring charges. Net cash flows provided by operating activities was $47 million and capital expenditures were $48 million, resulting in a use of free cash flow of $1 million, a substantial improvement from the negative $224 million of free cash flow in the prior year's first quarter. Importantly, Carrier's cash balance at the time of the spin was approximately $1.3 billion.

Gitlin added, "In light of the essential nature of our products and solutions, I am so proud of the tremendous work our people have done to support our customers during these critical times. We are also focused on delivering new product offerings to support enhanced safety and health needs as societies and communities begin to open. For example, indoor air quality will be critical and we worked rapidly to release OptiClean, a unique system that can filter microscopic-sized contaminants. In our fire and security business, with our touchless solutions, we can eliminate many physical contact points to improve health and safety. And we are essential in helping to preserve and protect food and pharmaceuticals with our cold chain solutions." 

Full-Year 2020 Scenarios  

On April 3, 2020, Carrier withdrew its full year 2020 outlook for sales, adjusted operating profit, and free cash flow due to the impact of COVID-19. Given continued uncertainty, Carrier considered a range of different assumptions and the most reasonable scenarios fall into the following ranges:

• Sales of $15 - $17 billion
• Adjusted operating profit of $1.7 - $2.0 billion
• Free cash flow in excess of $1 billion*

*Note: When we provide expectations for adjusted operating profit and free cash flow on a forward-looking basis, a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP expectations and the corresponding GAAP measures generally is not available without unreasonable effort. See "Use and Definitions of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for additional information.

Conference Call

Carrier will host a live webcast of its earnings conference call today, Friday, May 8, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. ET. To access the webcast, visit the Events & Presentations section of the Carrier Investor Relations site at ir.carrier.com/news-and-events/events-and-presentations or to listen to the earnings call by phone, dial (877) 742-9091.   

About Carrier 

Carrier Global Corporation is a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. Supported by the iconic Carrier name, the company's portfolio includes industry-leading brands such as Carrier, Kidde, Edwards, LenelS2 and Automated Logic. For more information, visit www.corporate.carrier.com or follow Carrier on social media at @Carrier.

Use and Definitions of Non-GAAP Financial Measures 

Carrier Global Corporation ("Carrier") reports its financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP").

We supplement the reporting of our financial information determined under GAAP with certain non-GAAP financial information.  The non-GAAP information presented provides investors with additional useful information, but should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for the related GAAP measures.  Moreover, other companies may define non-GAAP measures differently, which limits the usefulness of these measures for comparisons with such other companies. We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.

Organic sales, adjusted operating profit, adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per share ("EPS"), and the adjusted effective tax rate are non-GAAP financial measures.  Organic sales represents consolidated net sales (a GAAP measure), excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, acquisitions and divestitures completed in the preceding twelve months and other significant items of a non-recurring and/or nonoperational nature (hereinafter referred to as "other significant items"). Adjusted operating profit represents operating profit (a GAAP measure), excluding restructuring costs and other significant items.  Adjusted net income represents net income attributable to common shareowners (a GAAP measure), excluding restructuring costs and other significant items.  Adjusted EPS represents diluted earnings per share (a GAAP measure), excluding restructuring costs and other significant items. The adjusted effective tax rate represents the effective tax rate (a GAAP measure), excluding restructuring costs and other significant items.  For the business segments, when applicable, adjustments of operating profit and margins represent operating profit, excluding restructuring and other significant items.

GAAP financial results include the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates (AFX). We use the non-GAAP measure "at constant currency" or "CFX" to show changes in our financial results without giving effect to period-to-period currency fluctuations. Under U.S. GAAP, income statement results are translated in U.S. dollars at the average exchange rate for the period presented.  Management believes that the non-GAAP measures just mentioned are useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of the Company's ongoing operational performance.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents net cash flows provided by operating activities (a GAAP measure) less capital expenditures.  Management believes free cash flow is a useful measure of liquidity and an additional basis for assessing Carrier's ability to fund its activities, including the financing of acquisitions, debt service, repurchases of Carrier's common stock and distribution of earnings to shareholders.

A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures to the corresponding amounts prepared in accordance with GAAP appears in the tables in this Appendix. The tables provide additional information as to the items and amounts that have been excluded from the adjusted measures.

When we provide our expectations for adjusted EPS, adjusted operating profit, adjusted effective tax rate, organic sales and free cash flow on a forward-looking basis, a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP expectations and the corresponding GAAP measures (expected diluted EPS, operating profit, the effective tax rate, sales and expected net cash flows provided by operating activities) generally is not available without unreasonable effort due to potentially high variability, complexity and low visibility as to the items that would be excluded from the GAAP measure in the relevant future period, such as unusual gains and losses, the ultimate outcome of pending litigation, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, the impact and timing of potential acquisitions and divestitures, and other structural changes or their probable significance.  The variability of the excluded items may have a significant, and potentially unpredictable, impact on our future GAAP results.

Cautionary Statement 

This communication contains statements which, to the extent they are not statements of historical or present fact, constitute "forward-looking statements" under the securities laws.  From time to time, oral or written forward-looking statements may also be included in other information released to the public.  These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid.  Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "expectations," "plans," "strategy," "prospects," "estimate," "project," "target," "anticipate," "will," "should," "see," "guidance," "outlook," "confident," "scenario" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance or the separation from United Technologies (the "Separation"). Forward-looking statements may include, among other things, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flow, results of operations, uses of cash, share repurchases, tax rates and other measures of financial performance or potential future plans, strategies or transactions of Carrier following the Separation, including the estimated costs associated with the Separation and other statements that are not historical facts. All forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation: (1) the effect of economic conditions in the industries and markets in which we and our businesses operate in the U.S. and globally and any changes therein, including financial market conditions, fluctuations in commodity prices, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, levels of end market demand in construction, the impact of weather conditions, pandemic health issues (including COVID-19 and its effects, among other things, on production and on global supply, demand, and distribution disruptions as the outbreak continues and results in an increasingly prolonged period of travel, commercial and/or other similar restrictions and limitations), natural disasters and the financial condition of our customers and suppliers; (2) challenges in the development, production, delivery, support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies and new products and services; (3) future levels of indebtedness, including indebtedness incurred in connection with the Separation, and capital spending and research and development spending; (4) future availability of credit and factors that may affect such availability, including credit market conditions and capital structure and credit ratings; (5) the timing and scope of future repurchases of our common stock, including market conditions and the level of other investing activities and uses of cash; (6) delays and disruption in the delivery of materials and services from suppliers; (7) cost reduction efforts and restructuring costs and savings and other consequences thereof; (8) new business and investment opportunities; (9) the anticipated benefits of moving away from diversification and balance of operations across product lines, regions and industries; (10) the outcome of legal proceedings, investigations and other contingencies; (11) the impact of pension plan assumptions and on future cash contributions and earnings; (12) the impact of the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and labor disputes; (13) the effect of changes in political conditions in the U.S. and other countries in which we and our businesses operate, including the effect of changes in U.S. trade policies or the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, on general market conditions, global trade policies and currency exchange rates in the near term and beyond; (14) the effect of changes in tax, environmental, regulatory (including among other things import/export) and other laws and regulations in the U.S. and other countries in which we and our businesses operate; (15) the ability of Carrier to retain and hire key personnel; (16) the scope, nature, impact or timing of acquisition and divestiture activity, including among other things integration of acquired businesses into existing businesses and realization of synergies and opportunities for growth and innovation and incurrence of related costs; (17) the expected benefits of the Separation; (18) a determination by the IRS and other tax authorities that the Distribution or certain related transactions should be treated as taxable transactions; (19) risks associated with indebtedness incurred as a result of financing transactions undertaken in connection with the Separation; (20) the risk that dis-synergy costs, costs of restructuring transactions and other costs incurred in connection with the Separation will exceed Carrier's estimates; and (21) the impact of the Separation on Carrier's business and Carrier's resources, systems, procedures and controls, diversion of management's attention and the impact on relationships with customers, suppliers, employees and other business counterparties.

The above list of factors is not exhaustive or necessarily in order of importance. For additional information on identifying factors that may cause actual results to vary materially from those stated in forward-looking statements, see Carrier's registration statement on Form 10 and the reports of Carrier on Forms, 10-Q and 8-K filed with or furnished to the SEC from time to time. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and Carrier assumes no obligation to update or revise such statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE Carrier Global Corporation