Esterline Reports Fiscal 2017 Third Quarter Results

• Sales of $503.8 million in the third fiscal quarter; $1.47 billion year-to-date
• Third fiscal quarter earnings from continuing operations of $31.3 million; adjusted earnings from continuing operations of $32.5 million
• Third fiscal quarter GAAP earnings from continuing operations of $1.04 per diluted share; adjusted earnings per diluted share of $1.08
• Free cash flow of $96.7 million year-to-date
• Company updates full-year guidance

BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Esterline Corporation ESL (www.esterline.com), a leading specialty manufacturer serving the global aerospace and defense markets, today reported results for the third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2017. The company reported consolidated revenue of $503.8 million during the quarter compared with $517.1 million in the year-ago period. Lower sales volume in the company's Avionics & Controls segment primarily contributed to the lower year-over-year quarterly revenue result. The company reported year-to-date (YTD) fiscal 2017 revenues of $1.47 billion, slightly ahead of the prior-year result of $1.45 billion.

Earnings from continuing operations in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were $31.3 million, or $1.04 per diluted share, compared with prior-year earnings from continuing operations of $38.0 million, or $1.28 per diluted share. Earnings from continuing operations in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were affected by higher research, development and engineering (R&D) spending and a higher effective tax rate. U.S. GAAP earnings from continuing operations YTD in fiscal 2017 were $88.0 million, or $2.94 per diluted share, compared with $64.9 million, or $2.18 per diluted share, in the 2016 period.

Adjusted earnings from continuing operations for the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were $32.5 million, or $1.08 per diluted share (see Table 1 below). In the comparable period of the prior year, adjusted earnings from continuing operations were $40.9 million, or $1.38 per diluted share. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations YTD in fiscal 2017 were $93.0 million, or $3.11 per diluted share, compared with $86.6 million, or $2.91 per diluted share, in the prior year (see Table 2 below). 

Curtis Reusser, Esterline's Chief Executive Officer, said, "We delivered modest year-to-date revenue growth over last year and improved operating profit across our business through the third quarter of fiscal 2017. The cadence of our earnings has evolved from our original expectation and we expect to achieve results within our original full-year guidance. Our global facilities are focused on execution as our integration and compliance enhancement efforts near completion, and we are generating strong cash returns."

Full-Year Outlook

The company noted that its fiscal 2017 full-year expectation for sales is approximately $2.0 billion. For GAAP earnings from continuing operations, the company narrowed its guidance range to $4.30 to $4.50 per diluted share, from $4.30 to $4.70 per diluted share. The expectation for full-year adjusted earnings from continuing operations, which exclude certain compliance and integration costs, was adjusted similarly to a range of $4.50 to $4.70 per diluted share, from the prior range of $4.50 to $4.90 per diluted share. The company also updated its guidance for fiscal 2017 full-year EBITDA to a range of $300 million to $310 million. Full-year free cash flow is expected to be in excess of 100% of net income and in a range of $130 million to $150 million.  

Results of Operations

Including discontinued operations, net earnings for the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were $30.5 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, compared with $29.4 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, in the comparable period in fiscal 2016. Net earnings in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 and 2016 included losses from discontinued operations of $0.8 million and $8.7 million, respectively.

New orders in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were $532.0 million, compared with $569.7 million in the comparable prior-year period. Fiscal 2016 benefited from large defense orders booked in the Avionics & Controls segment in the third quarter. Backlog at the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2017 was $1.24 billion, compared with $1.36 billion at the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2016.

Gross profit in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 was $170.6 million, compared with $173.6 million in the prior-year period. Gross margin as a percentage of sales in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 was 33.9% compared with 33.6% in the prior-year period. Improved gross margin performance on lower sales is the result of favorable product mix in Avionics & Controls and recovery of defense countermeasure volumes in Advanced Materials.

Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses during the third fiscal quarter of 2017 were $93.6 million, compared with $96.8 million in the prior year. Fiscal 2017 third quarter SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales were 18.6%, compared with the prior-year level of 18.7%.

R&D spending in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 was $27.9 million, or 5.5% of sales, compared with $22.2 million, or 4.3% of sales, in the prior-year period. Year-to-date fiscal 2017 R&D spending was $75.7 million, or 5.1% of sales. Full-year R&D expense for fiscal 2017 is expected to be 5.1%.  

The company's income tax rate in the third fiscal quarter of 2017 was 24.8% compared with 17.2% in the prior-year period. The company expects a tax rate in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017 of approximately 27% to 28% and a full-year tax rate in a range of 24% to 25%. This will move to a normalized rate of 27% to 28% in fiscal 2018 and beyond. U.K. tax law changes implemented in 2017 are driving the tax rate increase from prior years.

Year-to-Date Results of Operations

For the nine months of fiscal 2017 ended June 30, 2017, sales were $1.47 billion, compared with $1.45 billion in the prior-year period. Fiscal 2017 YTD GAAP earnings from continuing operations were $88.0 million, or $2.94 per diluted share, compared with the prior-year period results of $64.9 million, or $2.18 per diluted share. Excluding the discrete costs described in Table 2 below, adjusted earnings from continuing operations in the first nine months of fiscal 2017 were $93.0 million, or $3.11 per diluted share. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations for the first nine months of 2016 were $86.6 million, or $2.91 per diluted share.

Cash flow from operations through the nine months ended June 30, 2017, was $138.9 million, compared with $118.6 million through the nine months ended July 1, 2016. Free cash flow was $96.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2017 and capital expenditures were $42.2 million. Free cash flow was $60.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2016 and capital expenditures were $58.5 million.

Conference Call Information

Esterline will host a conference call to discuss this announcement today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time). The U.S. dial-in number is 877-307-0078; outside the U.S., use 531-289-2890. The pass code for the call is: 51662751. The company has posted a presentation on its website (www.esterline.com) under "Presentations" in the Investor Relations section to provide additional information about its third fiscal quarter operational and financial results. The presentation is also included as Exhibit 99.2 to the company's report on Form 8-K, which is being submitted today to the SEC.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release and the related presentation providing supplemental financial information include non-GAAP financial measures—adjusted earnings from continuing operations, adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share, adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT), operating earnings from continuing operations adjusted to exclude depreciation and amortization expense (EBITDA), adjusted gross margin, and free cash flow—that have not been calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP). Adjusted earnings from continuing operations consist of earnings from continuing operations attributable to Esterline less the costs associated with certain integration activities—including restructuring charges—and incremental compliance costs as well as discrete items associated with our acquisition of the Advanced Displays business in January 2015, in each case, as further detailed in the tables below. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share divides each element of adjusted earnings from continuing operations by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, diluted for the periods presented. EBIT is defined as operating earnings from continuing operations. Adjusted EBIT and adjusted gross margin exclude the same costs excluded from adjusted earnings from continuing operations. EBITDA consists of EBIT plus depreciation and amortization of $25.5 million in the third quarter and $76.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2017, and $24.2 million in the third quarter and $72.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2016. In accordance with the SEC's requirements, below is the reconciliation of the non-GAAP adjusted earnings from continuing operations to the comparable GAAP earnings from continuing operations. Additional relevant reconciliations are included in the presentation providing supplemental financial information.

The company provides these non-GAAP financial measures as supplemental information to the GAAP financial measures. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to (a) evaluate the company's historical and prospective financial performance and its performance relative to the performance of its competitors, (b) allocate resources, and (c) measure the operational performance of the company's business units.

In addition, management believes investors' and financial analysts' understanding of the company's performance is enhanced by including these non-GAAP financial measures as a reasonable basis for comparing the company's historical results of operations.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the comparable GAAP measures, and free cash flow is not necessarily indicative of amounts available for discretionary use. There are limitations to these non-GAAP financial measures because they are not prepared in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential differences in methods of calculation and items that comprise the calculation. The company compensates for these limitations by using these non-GAAP financial measures as a supplement to the GAAP measures and by providing reconciliations of the non-GAAP and comparable GAAP financial measures. The non-GAAP financial measures should be read only in conjunction with the company's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Contact:
John Hobbs
+1 425-453-9400