Pioneer Reports First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

FORT LEE, N.J., May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPSI) ("Pioneer" or the "Company"), a company engaged in the manufacture, sale and service of electrical transmission, distribution and on-site power generation equipment, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

First Quarter 2019 Results and Recent Business Highlights:

• Revenue of $24.7 million, down 9.1% compared to $27.2 million in Q1 2018
• Gross margins were 16.6% compared to 19.1% in Q1 2018
• Net income of $5.6 million (which included a gain on sale of a subsidiary of $4.2 million, and $1.6 million in income taxes accrued for on the sale), up from a net loss of $574,000 in Q1 2018. Excluding the gain on sale of the subsidiary, and the associated income taxes, net income would have been nominally positive
• Adjusted EBITDA* of $9.1 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA* of $1.3 million in Q1 2018
• Backlog as of March 31, 2019 was approximately $48.6 million, up 2.4% compared to $47.5 million at December 31, 2018, and up 36.0% compared to $35.7 million at March 31, 2018

Nathan Mazurek, Pioneer's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The first quarter demonstrates the progress we have made in streamlining our cost structure, as we nearly doubled operating income despite lower revenues and reduced gross profit. We expect revenues to grow as we move through the year. Our overall business is enjoying record levels of demand as evidenced by our ever-growing backlog and we have seen a notable uptick in demand for our transformer business."

Summary Financial Results

Revenue

Total revenue for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019 was $24.7 million, down 9.1% compared to $27.2 million for the first quarter of 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, service revenue decreased by $436,000, or 19.7%, as compared to the same period in the prior year.

Gross Margin

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, Pioneer's gross profit was $4.1 million, or 16.6% of revenues, compared to $5.2 million, or 19.1% of revenues, for the year-ago period. The decrease in gross profit was driven primarily by reduced margins on our switchgear sales and generator service business, which are anticipated to normalize during the second and third quarter of 2019.

Operating Income

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, operating income was $0.6 million compared to $0.3 million for the same period last year. These results were favorably impacted by foreign exchange gains in the first quarter of 2019 of $632,000 compared to an unfavorable variance of $74,000 for the same period in the period year.

Income Taxes

Pioneer's effective income tax rate for the first quarter of 2019 was 25.6% of earnings before income tax compared to 4.7% for the same quarter last year.

Net Income (Loss)

The Company's net income was $5.6 million, or $0.65 per basic and diluted share, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to a net loss of $574,000, or $(0.07) per basic and diluted share, during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA* 

For the quarter ended March 31, 2019, there were approximately $122,000 of non-recurring expenses from strategic changes versus $193,000 in the prior-year period.  Non-cash expenses, including depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation, for Q1 2019 were $472,000 and $5,000, respectively.  This compares to depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation of $828,000 and $148,000, respectively, in the year-ago period.

The Company's Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 was $9.1 million compared to $1.3 million in the same quarter last year. Please refer to the financial tables included below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures.

* Note: Pioneer has presented non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA because many of our investors use these non-GAAP measures to monitor the Company's performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP measures as an indicator of the Company's operating performance.

Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a quantitative assessment of a company's performance, financial position or cash flow that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures included in this release, however, should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the financial tables included below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures.

Backlog

Sales backlog at March 31, 2019 was $48.6 million compared to $47.5 million at December 31, 2018. Backlog is based on orders expected to be delivered in the future, most of which is expected to be delivered during the next 12 months.

About Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.

Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. manufactures, sells and services a broad range of specialty electrical transmission, distribution and on-site power generation equipment for applications in the utility, industrial, commercial and backup power markets. The Company's principal products and services include custom-engineered electrical transformers, low and medium voltage switchgear and engine-generator sets and controls, complemented by a national field-service organization to maintain and repair power generation assets. Pioneer is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and operates from 11 additional locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for manufacturing, centralized distribution, engineering, sales, service and administration. To learn more about Pioneer, please visit its website at www.pioneerpowersolutions.com.

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) the Company's ability to expand its business through strategic acquisitions, (ii) the fact that many of the Company's competitors are better established and have significantly greater resources, and may subsidize their competitive offerings, (iii) the Company's dependence on a few large customers for a material portion of its sales, (iv) the potential loss or departure of key personnel, (v) market acceptance of existing and new products, (vi) restrictive loan covenants or the Company's ability to repay or refinance debt under its credit facilities that could limit the Company's future financing options and liquidity position and may limit the Company's ability to grow its business, (vii) general economic and market conditions, (viii) unanticipated increases in raw material prices or disruptions in supply, (ix) the fact that the Company's Chairman controls a majority of the Company's combined voting power, and may have, or may develop in the future, interests that may diverge from yours, and (x) the fact that future sales of large blocks of the Company's common stock may adversely impact the Company's stock price. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:
Brett Maas, Managing Partner
Hayden IR
(646) 536-7331
brett@haydenir.com

Tables Follow

Note: Pioneer has presented non-GAAP measures such as non-GAAP net earnings and Adjusted EBITDA because many of our investors use these non-GAAP measures to monitor the Company's performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP measures as an indicator of the Company's operating performance.

Non-GAAP net earnings is defined by the Company as net earnings before interest, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, non-cash compensation and non-recurring acquisition costs and reorganization expenses and any tax effects related to these items. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as net earnings before interest, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, non-cash compensation and non-recurring acquisition costs and reorganization expenses.

Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position or cash flow that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures included in this release, however, should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP net earnings is set forth in the table above.

Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

SOURCE Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.