TE Connectivity announces first quarter results for fiscal year 2024

EPS above guidance driven by significant margin expansion; first quarter record cash flow

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland, Jan. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) today reported results for the fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 29, 2023.

First Quarter Highlights

• Net sales were $3.83 billion, in line with guidance, essentially flat on a reported basis year over year and down 1% organically.
• GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations were $5.76, including a one-time tax-related benefit, and adjusted EPS were $1.84, up 20% year over year.
• Orders were $3.8 billion, up 4% year over year, with year-over-year growth in all segments.
• Operating margins were 18.2% and adjusted operating margins were 19.1%, up 290 basis points year over year.
• Cash flow from operating activities was $719 million and free cash flow was $570 million, both first quarter records.
• Deployed approximately $1 billion of capital in the quarter, including approximately $600 million returned to shareholders and approximately $350 million used for the acquisition of Schaffner.
• Company named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 12^th consecutive year.

"I'm pleased with our strong performance in our first quarter, as our teams delivered earnings above guidance driven by significant margin expansion, along with record free cash flow, in what remains a dynamic market environment," said TE Connectivity CEO Terrence Curtin. "Our industry-leading innovations and global position in automotive connectivity, including a strong presence in Asia, once again allowed us to outperform the market and deliver year-over-year growth in our Transportation segment. In our Industrial segment, we continued to benefit from growth in renewable energy, commercial air and medical applications. Our Communications segment delivered margins in the high teens, and we anticipate revenue growth in artificial intelligence applications as we move through the year. We expect to deliver strong margin performance at the company level throughout fiscal year 2024 as we continue to execute on operational levers, while benefiting from the diversity and positioning of our portfolio around key long-term growth trends."

Second Quarter FY24 Outlook
For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the company expects net sales of approximately $3.95 billion. GAAP EPS from continuing operations are expected to be approximately $1.75, up 31% year over year, with adjusted EPS of approximately $1.82, up 10% year over year.

Information about TE Connectivity's use of non-GAAP financial measures is provided below. For reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures, see the attached tables.

Conference Call and Webcast
The company will hold a conference call for investors today beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The conference call may be accessed in the following ways:

• At TE Connectivity's website: investors.te.com
• By telephone: For both "listen-only" participants and those participants who wish to take part in the question-and-answer portion of the call, the dial-in number in the United States is (888) 330-3417 and for international callers, the dial-in number is (646) 960-0804 
• A replay of the conference call will be available on TE Connectivity's investor website at investors.te.com at 11:30 a.m. ET on Jan. 24, 2024.

About TE Connectivity
TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, renewable energy, automated factories, data centers, medical technology and more. With more than 85,000 employees, including 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We present non-GAAP performance and liquidity measures as we believe it is appropriate for investors to consider adjusted financial measures in addition to results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP"). These non-GAAP financial measures provide supplemental information and should not be considered replacements for results in accordance with GAAP. Management uses non-GAAP financial measures internally for planning and forecasting purposes and in its decision-making processes related to the operations of our company. We believe these measures provide meaningful information to us and investors because they enhance the understanding of our operating performance, ability to generate cash, and the trends of our business. Additionally, we believe that investors benefit from having access to the same financial measures that management uses in evaluating our operations. The primary limitation of these measures is that they exclude the financial impact of items that would otherwise either increase or decrease our reported results. This limitation is best addressed by using these non-GAAP financial measures in combination with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in order to better understand the amounts, character, and impact of any increase or decrease in reported amounts. These non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures reported by other companies.

The following provides additional information regarding our non-GAAP financial measures:

• Organic Net Sales Growth (Decline) – represents net sales growth (decline) (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates, and acquisitions and divestitures that occurred in the preceding twelve months, if any. Organic Net Sales Growth (Decline) is a useful measure of our performance because it excludes items that are not completely under management's control, such as the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and items that do not reflect the underlying growth of the company, such as acquisition and divestiture activity. This measure is a significant component in our incentive compensation plans.
    
• Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Margin – represent operating income and operating margin, respectively, (the most comparable GAAP financial measures) before special items including restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, impairment of goodwill, and other income or charges, if any. We utilize these adjusted measures in combination with operating income and operating margin to assess segment level operating performance and to provide insight to management in evaluating segment operating plan execution and market conditions. Adjusted Operating Income is a significant component in our incentive compensation plans.
    
• Adjusted Other Income (Expense), Net – represents net other income (expense) (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) before special items.
    
• Adjusted Income Tax (Expense) Benefit and Adjusted Effective Tax Rate – represent income tax (expense) benefit and effective tax rate, respectively, (the most comparable GAAP financial measures) after adjusting for the tax effect of special items including restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, impairment of goodwill, other income or charges, and certain significant tax items, if any.
    
• Adjusted Income from Continuing Operations – represents income from continuing operations (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) before special items including restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, impairment of goodwill, other income or charges, and certain significant tax items, if any, and, if applicable, the related tax effects.
    
• Adjusted Earnings Per Share – represents diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) before special items including restructuring and other charges, acquisition-related charges, impairment of goodwill, other income or charges, and certain significant tax items, if any, and, if applicable, the related tax effects. This measure is a significant component in our incentive compensation plans.
    
• Free Cash Flow (FCF) – is a useful measure of our ability to generate cash. The difference between net cash provided by operating activities (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) and Free Cash Flow consists mainly of significant cash outflows and inflows that we believe are useful to identify. We believe Free Cash Flow provides useful information to investors as it provides insight into the primary cash flow metric used by management to monitor and evaluate cash flows generated from our operations. Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities excluding voluntary pension contributions and the cash impact of special items, if any, minus net capital expenditures. Voluntary pension contributions are excluded from the GAAP financial measure because this activity is driven by economic financing decisions rather than operating activity. Certain special items, including cash paid (collected) pursuant to collateral requirements related to cross-currency swap contracts, are also excluded by management in evaluating Free Cash Flow. Net capital expenditures consist of capital expenditures less proceeds from the sale of property, plant, and equipment. These items are subtracted because they represent long-term commitments. In the calculation of Free Cash Flow, we subtract certain cash items that are ultimately within management's and the Board of Directors' discretion to direct and may imply that there is less or more cash available for our programs than the most comparable GAAP financial measure indicates. It should not be inferred that the entire Free Cash Flow amount is available for future discretionary expenditures, as our definition of Free Cash Flow does not consider certain non-discretionary expenditures, such as debt payments. In addition, we may have other discretionary expenditures, such as discretionary dividends, share repurchases, and business acquisitions, that are not considered in the calculation of Free Cash Flow.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainty and changes in circumstances, which may cause actual results, performance, financial condition or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, financial condition or achievements. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking and the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have no intention and are under no obligation to update or alter (and expressly disclaim any such intention or obligation to do so) our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. The forward-looking statements in this release include statements addressing our future financial condition and operating results. Examples of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the extent, severity and duration of business interruptions, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") negatively affecting our business operations; business, economic, competitive and regulatory risks, such as conditions affecting demand for products in the automotive and other industries we serve; competition and pricing pressure; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and commodity prices; natural disasters and political, economic and military instability in countries in which we operate, including continuing military conflict in certain parts of the world; developments in the credit markets; future goodwill impairment; compliance with current and future environmental and other laws and regulations; and the possible effects on us of changes in tax laws, tax treaties and other legislation, including the effects of Swiss tax reform. In addition, the extent to which COVID-19 will impact our business and our financial results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. More detailed information about these and other factors is set forth in TE Connectivity Ltd.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Sept 29, 2023, as well as in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other reports filed by us with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE TE Connectivity, LTD