Stoneridge Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2020 Results

NOVI, Mich., Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Fourth-Quarter 2020 Results

• Earnings per diluted share ("EPS") of $0.13
• Adjusted EPS of $0.14
• Sales of $189.7 million
• Gross profit of $49.6 million
• Adjusted gross profit of $50.0 million (26.4% of sales)
• Operating income of $5.7 million
• Adjusted operating income of $7.0 million (3.7% of sales)
• Adjusted EBITDA of $16.2 million (8.6% of sales)

Full-Year 2020 Results

• Loss per share of ($0.29)
• Adjusted loss per share of ($0.03)
• Sales of $648.0 million
• Gross profit of $154.2 million
• Adjusted gross profit of $158.1 million (24.4% of sales)
• Operating loss of ($7.7) million
• Adjusted operating income of $2.1 million (0.3% of sales)
• Adjusted EBITDA of $37.9 million (5.8% of sales)

2021 Guidance

• Adjusted EPS of $0.60 - $0.75 including the expected adverse impact of global supply chain disruptions and unfavorable forecasted currency rates totaling approximately ($0.13) in 2021
• Sales of $770.0 - $790.0 million   
• Adjusted gross margin of 25.75% - 26.75%
• Adjusted operating margin of 3.5% - 4.25%
• Adjusted EBITDA margin of 8.0% - 8.75%
• Effective tax rate of 22.5% - 27.5%

Stoneridge, Inc. (NYSE: SRI) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2020, with fourth quarter sales of $189.7 million and EPS of $0.13 and full-year sales of $648.0 million and loss per share of ($0.29).  Adjusted EPS was $0.14 for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020 and adjusted loss per share was ($0.03) for the full-year 2020.  The exhibits attached hereto provide reconciliation detail on the normalizing adjustments.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020, Stoneridge reported gross profit of $49.6 million and adjusted gross profit of $50.0 million (26.4% of sales). Fourth quarter 2020 operating income was $5.7 million and adjusted operating income was $7.0 million (3.7% of sales).  Fourth quarter 2020 adjusted EBITDA was $16.2 million (8.6% of sales).

For the full-year ended December 31, 2020, Stoneridge reported gross profit of $154.2 million and adjusted gross profit of $158.1 million (24.4% of sales).  2020 operating loss was ($7.7) million and adjusted operating income was $2.1 million (0.3% of sales).  2020 adjusted EBITDA was $37.9 million (5.8% of sales).

Jon DeGaynor, president and chief executive officer, commented, "As a company, despite the obvious external challenges, we delivered strong financial performance in 2020 by adapting our cost structure to current market conditions and managing our cash position throughout the year.  By continuing to focus on reducing material costs and the efficient ramp-up of production facilities as volumes increased, we were able to capture strong incremental margins in the second half of the year, which has created good momentum as we head into 2021.  Furthermore, the transformation of the company continued in 2020 as we focused on rationalizing our product portfolio and optimizing our manufacturing footprint to drive long-term profitable growth.  MirrorEye® continued to progress throughout the year as we expanded retrofit programs, announced pre-wire availability with Daimler Trucks North America in the third quarter and prepared for the launches of our first OEM programs in 2021.  Finally, we continued to invest the necessary capital and resources to ensure the successful launch of our strong backlog¹ of new business and continue to build upon the technologies and platforms that will support future growth."   

Fourth Quarter in Review
Control Devices' fourth quarter 2020 sales totaled $100.4 million, a decrease of $0.5 million, or (0.5%), relative to the third quarter of 2020. Control Devices adjusted gross margin decreased compared to the third quarter of 2020 as a result of slightly reduced sales as well as an increase in expediting costs associated with a significant ramp-up in sales in the second half of the year. The segment's adjusted operating income decreased relative to the third quarter as a result of lower sales and gross margin slightly offset by lower D&D expenses as a percentage of sales, resulting in an adjusted operating margin of 12.6%.  Fourth quarter sales increased by approximately 7.3% relative to the fourth quarter 2019 adjusted sales excluding the impact of divested non-core products business.  Fourth quarter adjusted operating margin increased by 190 basis points relative to the fourth quarter 2019  adjusted operating margin excluding the impact of divested non-core products business.

Electronics' fourth quarter sales totaled $84.1 million, an increase of $13.7 million, or 19.5%, relative to the third quarter of 2020 primarily as a result of continued strong production volumes primarily in the North American and European commercial vehicle markets. Electronics adjusted gross margin increased due to favorable product mix, cost improvements in electronic components and fixed overhead leverage on incremental sales compared to the third quarter of 2020. The segment's adjusted operating income increased relative to the third quarter as a result of increased sales and gross margin as well as lower SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales, slightly offset by higher D&D expenses as a percentage of sales, resulting in an adjusted operating margin of 5.2%. Fourth quarter sales increased by approximately 4.5% and adjusted operating margin increased by 390 basis points compared to the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019.

Stoneridge Brazil's fourth quarter sales totaled $13.3 million, an increase of $0.5 million, or 3.4% relative to the third quarter. Stoneridge Brazil's adjusted gross margin declined due to the increase in direct material costs due to the impact of foreign currency and global supply chain disruptions on material purchases, partially offset by fixed cost leverage as compared to the third quarter. The segment's adjusted operating income decreased relative to the third quarter as a result of decreased adjusted gross margin and higher SG&A and D&D expenses as a percentage of sales, resulting in an adjusted operating margin of 1.1%. Fourth quarter sales decreased by 22.2% and adjusted operating margin decreased by 100 basis points compared to the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019.

DeGaynor continued, "We believe the actions taken in 2020 positioned each of our segments for continued long-term success. Control Devices is increasingly well positioned with a focus on the continued development and commercialization of actuation and electrified powertrain applications that will drive future growth for the segment. In Electronics, we expect strong revenue growth in 2021 as our end markets continue to recover and we launch and ramp-up several large programs during the year, including our first two MirrorEye® OEM programs. Stoneridge Brazil continues to integrate into our global Electronics strategy as we leverage our global engineering footprint and prepare for continued expansion of our local OEM presence. Overall, we will continue to focus our resources on the areas of largest opportunity for the Company and drive long-term value creation for our shareholders."

Cash and Debt Balances
During the quarter, the Company reduced net debt by approximately $13.5 million relative to the prior quarter and repaid $8.0 million on its existing credit facility. As of December 31, 2020, Stoneridge had cash and cash equivalent balances totaling $73.9 million.  Total debt as of December 31, 2020 was $143.7 million. Total debt less cash and cash equivalents yields a current net debt to trailing-twelve-month adjusted EBITDA ratio of approximately 1.8x. The Company had approximately $262.3 million of undrawn commitments under the existing credit facility as of December 31, 2020, which resulted in total undrawn commitments and cash balances of $336.2 million.

2021 Outlook
The Company announced 2021 sales guidance of $770.0 - $790.0 million. The Company noted that 2021 guidance also includes certain assumptions regarding the potential adverse impact of global supply chain disruptions.

Bob Krakowiak, executive vice president and chief financial officer, commented, "We are expecting increased 2021 revenue relative to 2020, with midpoint revenue guidance of $780 million driven primarily by several significant program launches during the year and increased end market production forecasts.  Our midpoint revenue guidance implies approximately 20% growth relative to 2020 which implies growth over market of approximately 5%.  While we don't expect a significant annual revenue impact as a result of global supply chain disruptions, we have included an expected adverse margin impact in our guidance due to increased material and logistics costs, which are expected to primarily impact the first half of the year.  Moving forward, we expect that the impact of new program launches will drive significant growth, and we have updated our long-term targeted revenue to reflect a compound annual growth rate of at least 10% through 2025, resulting in targeted 2023 revenue of at least $925 million and 2025 revenue of over $1.1 billion.  Driven by our strong five-year backlog¹, we expect that approximately 85% of our 2025 targeted revenue will be drivetrain agnostic."   

Further, the Company announced guidance for 2021 adjusted gross margin of 25.75% - 26.75%, adjusted operating margin of 3.5% - 4.25% and adjusted EBITDA margin of 8.0% - 8.75% which includes assumptions regarding the impact of the potential global supply chain disruptions. 

The Company also announced adjusted earnings per share guidance of $0.60 - $0.75 and an effective tax rate of 22.5% - 27.5%.       

Krakowiak continued, "With respect to adjusted earnings per share, we are expecting continued strong incremental contribution on revenue, which will be partially offset by continued investment in engineering resources to support program launches and new technology development.  Additionally, we expect external factors, including adverse foreign currency exchange rates, material costs related to global supply chain disruptions and a slight increase to our tax rate, to reduce adjusted EPS by approximately $0.16 in 2021.  This results in adjusted EPS guidance of $0.60 to $0.75 in 2021."

Conference Call on the Web
A live Internet broadcast of Stoneridge's conference call regarding 2020 fourth quarter and full-year results can be accessed at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, February 25, 2021, at www.stoneridge.com, which will also offer a webcast replay.

About Stoneridge, Inc.
Stoneridge, Inc., headquartered in Novi, Michigan, is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, commercial, off-highway, motorcycle and agricultural vehicle markets.  Additional information about Stoneridge can be found at www.stoneridge.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this release contain "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements appear in a number of places in this report and may include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company, with respect to, among other things, our (i) future product and facility expansion, (ii) acquisition strategy, (iii) investments and new product development, (iv) growth opportunities related to awarded business, and (v) operational expectations.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "will," "may," "should," "designed to," "believes," "plans," "projects," "intends," "expects," "estimates," "anticipates," "continue," and similar words and expressions.  The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among other factors:

• the impact of COVID-19, or other future pandemics, on the global economy, and on our customers, suppliers, employees, business and cash flows;
• the reduced purchases, loss or bankruptcy of a major customer or supplier;
• the costs and timing of business realignment, facility closures or similar actions;
• a significant change in automotive, commercial, off-highway, motorcycle or agricultural vehicle production;
• competitive market conditions and resulting effects on sales and pricing;
• the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on sales, costs and results, particularly the Argentinian peso, Brazilian real, Chinese renminbi, euro, Mexican peso and Swedish krona;
• our ability to achieve cost reductions that offset or exceed customer-mandated selling price reductions;
• customer acceptance of new products;
• our ability to successfully launch/produce products for awarded business;
• adverse changes in laws, government regulations or market conditions, including tariffs, affecting our products or our customers' products;
• our ability to protect our intellectual property and successfully defend against assertions made against us;
• liabilities arising from warranty claims, product recall or field actions, product liability and legal proceedings to which we are or may become a party, or the impact of product recall or field actions on our customers;
• labor disruptions at our facilities or at any of our significant customers or suppliers;
• business disruption due to natural disasters or other disasters outside of our control, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak;
• the ability of our suppliers to supply us with parts and components at competitive prices on a timely basis, including the impact of potential tariffs and trade considerations on their operations and output;
• the amount of our indebtedness and the restrictive covenants contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness, including our revolving credit facility;
• capital availability or costs, including changes in interest rates or market perceptions;
• the failure to achieve the successful integration of any acquired company or business;
• risks related to a failure of our information technology systems and networks, and risks associated with current and emerging technology threats and damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, cyber-attack and other similar disruptions; and
• the items described in Part I, Item IA ("Risk Factors") of our 10-K filed with the SEC.

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent our estimates only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date.  While we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, whether to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information
This press release contains information about the Company's financial results which is not presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). Such non-GAAP financial measures are reconciled to their closest GAAP financial measures at the end of this press release. The provision of these non-GAAP financial measures for 2020 and 2019 is not intended to indicate that Stoneridge is explicitly or implicitly providing projections on those non-GAAP financial measures, and actual results for such measures are likely to vary from those presented. The reconciliations include all information reasonably available to the Company at the date of this press release and the adjustments that management can reasonably predict.

Management believes the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release are useful to both management and investors in their analysis of the Company's financial position and results of operations.  In particular, management believes that adjusted sales, adjusted gross profit and margin, adjusted operating income (loss) and margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted contribution margin, net debt, adjusted income (loss) before tax, adjusted income tax benefit and adjusted tax rate are useful measures in assessing the Company's financial performance by excluding certain items that are not indicative of the Company's core operating performance or that may obscure trends useful in evaluating the Company's continuing operating activities.  Management also believes that these measures are useful to both management and investors in their analysis of the Company's results of operations and provide improved comparability between fiscal periods.

Adjusted sales, adjusted gross profit and margin, adjusted operating income (loss) and margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share and adjusted EBITDA, adjusted contribution margin, net debt, adjusted income (loss) before tax and adjusted tax rate should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for gross profit, operating income (loss), net income (loss), earnings (loss) per share, debt, income (loss) before tax, income tax benefit or tax rate, cash provided by operating activities or other income statement or cash flow statement data prepared in accordance with GAAP.        

SOURCE Stoneridge, Inc.