Plexus Announces Fiscal First Quarter Financial Results


  • Record quarterly revenue of $852 million during the fiscal first quarter of 2020

  • GAAP diluted EPS of $1.03

  • Non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS of $1.00, excluding a net benefit of $0.03 per share related to special tax items

  • Initiates fiscal second quarter 2020 revenue guidance of $790 to $830 million with GAAP diluted EPS of $0.80 to $0.90, excluding any non-recurring charges

NEENAH, Wis., Jan. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plexus (NASDAQ: PLXS) today announced financial results for its fiscal first quarter ended January 4, 2020, and guidance for its fiscal second quarter ending April 4, 2020.

  Three Months Ended
  Jan 4, 2020 Jan 4, 2020 Apr 4, 2020
  Q1F20 Results Q1F20 Guidance Q2F20 Guidance
Summary GAAP Items     
Revenue (in millions)$852   $780 to $820 $790 to $830
Operating margin   4.7%  4.5% to 4.9% 4.0% to 4.5%
Diluted EPS (1)$1.03   $0.87 to $0.97 $0.80 to $0.90
       
Summary Non-GAAP Items (2)     
Adjusted diluted EPS (1)$1.00      
Return on invested capital (ROIC) 14.7%     
Economic return 5.9%     
       
(1Includes stock-based compensation expense of $0.17 for Q1F20 results, $0.18 for Q1F20 guidance and $0.21 for Q2F20 guidance.  Q2F20 guidance excludes any non-recurring charges. 
(2Refer to Non-GAAP Supplemental Information in Tables 1 and 2 for non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to GAAP.

Fiscal First Quarter 2020 Information

  • Won 30 manufacturing programs during the quarter, representing $167 million in annualized revenue when fully ramped into production
  • Trailing four quarter wins total $843 million in annualized revenue when fully ramped into production
  • Purchased $6.3 million of our shares at an average price of $69.82 per share under our existing share repurchase program

Todd Kelsey, President and CEO, commented, “I am pleased with our strong performance in the fiscal first quarter, during which we delivered record quarterly revenue of $852 million and adjusted diluted EPS of $1.00, each result exceeding the high end of our expectations entering the quarter.  This revenue represents 11% growth over the comparable period in fiscal 2019 and 5% growth sequentially.  Our Healthcare/Life Sciences sector exceeded our expectations coming into the quarter as our team responded to increased demand from several of our customers.  The Industrial/Commercial sector was exceptionally strong as we capitalized on further strengthening in the semiconductor capital equipment sub-sector.  Our global teams continue to prioritize operational excellence, and through that focus delivered fiscal first quarter operating margin of 4.7%."

Patrick Jermain, Executive Vice President and CFO, commented, “During the fiscal first quarter, we generated $61 million in free cash flow, a result that was above our projections.  Compared to the prior year fiscal first quarter during which we had cash outflows of $58 million, this quarter’s strong result positions us well to generate over $100 million in free cash flow for fiscal 2020.  Fiscal first quarter cash cycle of 71 days was favorable to our expectations and sequentially lower by 9 days, as we benefited from continued progress on our working capital initiatives.  Over the past two quarters we have reduced our cash cycle by 18 days, largely due to our success with these initiatives.”

Mr. Kelsey continued, “As we look ahead to the fiscal second quarter, we expect revenue to moderate from the exceptionally strong fiscal first quarter.  As such, we are guiding revenue in the range of $790 to $830 million.  We anticipate revenue at this level will lead to GAAP diluted EPS in the range of $0.80 to $0.90, excluding any non-recurring charges, a projection that is impacted by seasonal payroll costs and the pause of two larger programs in our engineering organization. We are proactively responding to these program pauses by strategically repositioning our Boulder Design Center to co-locate with our existing manufacturing facility in Boise, ID, creating an Aerospace and Defense Center of Excellence.  This combination of engineering and manufacturing services will provide the synergies and cost advantages of a campus environment while delivering a compelling service offering for our customers in the Aerospace and Defense sector.”

Mr. Kelsey concluded, “Our outlook for fiscal 2020 remains generally unchanged from previous expectations as we anticipate sequentially increasing revenue during the second half of the fiscal year.  Coupling this with our largely stable end-markets, a talented work force focused on delighting our customers, and our comprehensive service offerings, we anticipate solid operating performance with a return to operating margin within our target range of 4.7% to 5.0%.  This would lead to robust EPS expansion for the fiscal year.”

  
Quarterly ComparisonThree Months Ended
 Jan 4, 2020 Sept 28, 2019 Dec 29, 2018
(in thousands, except EPS)Q1F20 Q4F19 Q1F19
Revenue$852,409  $810,195  $765,544 
Gross profit79,190  77,789  72,383 
Operating income39,934  37,527  36,951 
Net income31,006  36,831  22,226 
Diluted EPS1.03  1.23  0.69 
Adjusted net income (1)30,192  27,788  29,261 
Adjusted diluted EPS (1)1.00  0.93  0.91 
      
Gross margin9.3% 9.6% 9.5%
Operating margin4.7% 4.6% 4.8%
Adjusted operating margin (1)4.7% 4.8% 4.8%
      
ROIC (1)14.7% 13.1% 14.6%
Economic return (1)5.9% 4.1% 5.6%
      
(1) Refer to Non-GAAP Supplemental Information in Tables 1 and 2 for non-GAAP financial measures discussed and/or disclosed in this release, such as adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, ROIC and economic return, and a reconciliation of these measures to GAAP.
 

Business Segment and Market Sector Revenue
The Company measures operational performance and allocates resources on a geographic segment basis.  Plexus also reports revenue based on the market sector breakout set forth in the table below, which reflects the Company’s market sector focused strategy.  Top 10 customers comprised 54% of revenue during the fiscal first quarter, up three percentage points from the fiscal fourth quarter of 2019.

  
Business Segments ($ in millions)Three Months Ended
 Jan 4, 2020 Sept 28, 2019 Dec 29, 2018
 Q1F20 Q4F19 Q1F19
Americas$353  $344  $354 
Asia-Pacific451  416  378 
Europe, Middle East, and Africa85  81  73 
Elimination of inter-segment sales(37) (31) (39)
Total Revenue$852  $810  $766 


  
Market Sectors ($ in millions)Three Months Ended
 Jan 4, 2020 Sept 28, 2019 Dec 29, 2018
 Q1F20 Q4F19 Q1F19
Healthcare/Life Sciences$312 37% $311 38% $301 39%
Industrial/Commercial310 36% 264 33% 219 29%
Aerospace/Defense172 20% 174 21% 123 16%
Communications58 7% 61 8% 123 16%
Total Revenue$852   $810   $766  
         

Non-GAAP Supplemental Information
Plexus provides non-GAAP supplemental information, such as ROIC, economic return, and free cash flow, because such measures are used for internal management goals and decision making, and because they provide management and investors with additional insight into financial performance.  In addition, management uses these and other non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, to provide a better understanding of core performance for purposes of period-to-period comparisons.  Plexus believes that these measures are also useful to investors because they provide further insight by eliminating the effect of non-recurring items that are not reflective of continuing operations.  For a full reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures, please refer to the attached Non-GAAP Supplemental Information Tables.

ROIC and Economic Return
ROIC for the fiscal first quarter was 14.7%.  The Company defines ROIC as tax-effected annualized adjusted operating income divided by average invested capital over a two-quarter period for the fiscal first quarter.  Invested capital is defined as equity plus debt and operating lease liabilities, less cash and cash equivalents.  The Company’s weighted average cost of capital for fiscal 2020 is 8.8%.  ROIC for the fiscal first quarter less the Company’s weighted average cost of capital resulted in an economic return of 5.9%.

Free Cash Flow
The Company defines free cash flow as cash flows provided by operations less capital expenditures.  For the three months ended January 4, 2020, cash flows provided by operations was $74.7 million, less capital expenditures of $13.7 million, resulting in free cash flow of $61.0 million.

  
Cash Cycle DaysThree Months Ended
 Jan 4, 2020
Q1F20
 Sept 28, 2019
Q4F19
 Dec 29, 2018
Q1F19
Days in Accounts Receivable49  55  51 
Days in Contract Assets12  10  10 
Days in Inventory87  87  105 
Days in Accounts Payable(61) (55) (68)
Days in Cash Deposits(16) (17) (15)
Annualized Cash Cycle *71  80  83 
         
* We calculate cash cycle as the sum of days in accounts receivable, days in contract assets and days in inventory, less days in accounts payable and days in cash deposits.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

What:Plexus Fiscal 2020 Q1 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast
When:Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Where: Participants are encouraged to join the live webcast at the investor relations section of the Plexus website, https://plexus.gcs-web.com/events-and-presentations/upcoming-events, where a slide presentation reviewing fiscal first quarter 2020 results will also be made available ahead of the conference call.

 
Conference call at +1.800.708.4540 with passcode: 49281293

Replay:The webcast will be archived on the Plexus website and available via telephone replay at
+1.888.843.7419 or +1.630.652.3042 with passcode: 49281293

Investor and Media Contact
Heather Beresford
+1.920.751.3612
heather.beresford@plexus.com

About Plexus
Since 1979, Plexus has been partnering with companies to create the products that build a better world.  We are a team of over 19,000 individuals who are dedicated to providing global Design and Development, Supply Chain Solutions, New Product Introduction, Manufacturing, and Aftermarket Services.  Plexus is a global leader that specializes in serving customers in industries with highly complex products and demanding regulatory environments.  Plexus delivers customer service excellence to leading global companies by providing innovative, comprehensive solutions throughout the product’s lifecycle.  For more information about Plexus, visit our website at www.plexus.com.

Safe Harbor and Fair Disclosure Statement
The statements contained in this press release that are guidance or which are not historical facts (such as statements in the future tense and statements including believe, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, goal, target and similar terms and concepts), including all discussions of periods which are not yet completed, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk of customer delays, changes, cancellations or forecast inaccuracies in both ongoing and new programs; the lack of visibility of future orders, particularly in view of changing economic conditions; the economic performance of the industries, sectors and customers we serve; the effects of shortages and delays in obtaining components as a result of economic cycles, natural disasters or otherwise; the effects of tariffs, trade disputes, trade agreements and other trade protection measures; the effects of the volume of revenue from certain sectors or programs on our margins in particular periods; our ability to secure new customers, maintain our current customer base and deliver product on a timely basis; the risks of concentration of work for certain customers;  the particular risks relative to new or recent customers, programs or services, which risks include customer and other delays, start-up costs, potential inability to execute, the establishment of appropriate terms of agreements, and the lack of a track record of order volume and timing; the effects of start-up costs of new programs and facilities or the costs associated with the closure or consolidation of facilities; possible unexpected costs and operating disruption in transitioning programs, including transitions between Company facilities; the risk that new program wins and/or customer demand may not result in the expected revenue or profitability; the fact that customer orders may not lead to long-term relationships; our ability to manage successfully and execute a complex business model characterized by high product mix and demanding quality, regulatory, and other requirements; the risks associated with excess and obsolete inventory, including the risk that inventory purchased on behalf of our customers may not be consumed or otherwise paid for by the customer, resulting in an inventory write-off; risks related to information technology systems and data security; the ability to realize anticipated savings from restructuring or similar actions, as well as the adequacy of related charges as compared to actual expenses; increasing regulatory and compliance requirements; the effects of U.S. Tax Reform and of related foreign jurisdiction tax developments; current or potential future barriers to the repatriation of funds that are currently held outside of the United States as a result of actions taken by other countries or otherwise; the potential effects of jurisdictional results on our taxes, tax rates, and our ability to use deferred tax assets and net operating losses; the weakness of areas of the global economy; the effect of changes in the pricing and margins of products; raw materials and component cost fluctuations; the potential effect of fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which we transact business; the effects of changes in economic conditions, political conditions and tax matters in the United States and in the other countries in which we do business (including as a result of the United Kingdom’s pending exit from the European Union); the potential effect of other world or local events or other events outside our control (such as changes in energy prices, terrorism and weather events); the impact of increased competition; an inability to successfully manage human capital; changes in financial accounting standards; and other risks detailed herein and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings, particularly in Risk Factors in our fiscal 2019 Form 10-K.

 
PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
  
 Three Months Ended
 Jan 4, Dec 29,
 2020 2018
Net sales$852,409  $765,544 
Cost of sales773,219  693,161 
Gross profit79,190  72,383 
Selling and administrative expenses39,256  35,432 
Operating income39,934  36,951 
Other income (expense):   
Interest expense(4,132) (2,249)
Interest income645  525 
Miscellaneous(2,173) (1,112)
Income before income taxes34,274  34,115 
Income tax expense3,268  11,889 
Net income$31,006  $22,226 
Earnings per share:   
Basic$1.06  $0.71 
Diluted$1.03  $0.69 
Weighted average shares outstanding:   
Basic29,147  31,403 
Diluted30,065  32,286 


 
PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
    
 Jan 4, Sept 28,
 2020 2019
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$252,914  $223,761 
Restricted cash2,208  2,493 
Accounts receivable461,705  488,284 
Contract assets107,040  90,841 
Inventories735,803  700,938 
Prepaid expenses and other33,719  31,974 
Total current assets1,593,389  1,538,291 
Property, plant and equipment, net387,509  384,224 
Operating lease right-of-use asset74,111   
Deferred income taxes14,127  13,654 
Other35,761  64,714 
Total non-current assets511,508  462,592 
Total assets$2,104,897  $2,000,883 
    
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Current portion of long-term debt and finance lease obligations$67,847  $100,702 
Accounts payable515,484  444,944 
Customer deposits137,014  139,841 
Accrued salaries and wages52,527  73,555 
Other accrued liabilities117,063  106,461 
Total current liabilities889,935  865,503 
Long-term debt and finance lease obligations, net of current portion186,827  187,278 
Accrued income taxes payable59,572  59,572 
Long-term operating lease liabilities36,473   
Deferred income taxes6,463  5,305 
Other liabilities17,255  17,649 
Total non-current liabilities306,590  269,804 
Total liabilities1,196,525  1,135,307 
Shareholders’ equity:   
Common stock, $.01 par value, 200,000 shares authorized,   
53,226 and 52,917 shares issued, respectively,   
and 29,222 and 29,004 shares outstanding, respectively532  529 
Additional paid-in-capital609,168  597,401 
Common stock held in treasury, at cost, 24,004 and 23,913, respectively(899,577) (893,247)
Retained earnings1,208,606  1,178,677 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(10,357) (17,784)
Total shareholders’ equity908,372  865,576 
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$2,104,897  $2,000,883 
    


PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NON-GAAP SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Table 1
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
       
  Three Months Ended
  Jan 4, Sept 28, Dec 29,
  2020 2019 2018
Operating income, as reported39,934  $37,527  $36,951 
Operating margin, as reported4.7% 4.6% 4.8%
       
Non-GAAP adjustments:     
Restructuring costs (1)  1,678   
Adjusted operating income$39,934  $39,205  $36,951 
Adjusted operating margin4.7% 4.8% 4.8%
       
Net income, as reported$31,006  $36,831  $22,226 
       
Non-GAAP adjustments:     
Special tax impacts (2)(814)   7,035 
Restructuring costs, net of tax (1)  1,502   
Accumulated foreign earnings assertion (3)  (10,545)  
Adjusted net income$30,192  $27,788  $29,261 
       
Diluted earnings per share, as reported$1.03  $1.23  $0.69 
       
Non-GAAP per share adjustments:     
Special tax impacts (2)(0.03)   0.22 
Restructuring costs, net of tax (1)  0.05   
Accumulated foreign earnings assertion (3)  (0.35)  
Adjusted diluted earnings per share$1.00  $0.93  $0.91 
       
(1 During the three months ended September 28, 2019, restructuring costs of $1.7 million, $1.5 million net of taxes, were incurred.
 
(2During the three months ended January 4, 2020, there was $1.9M in tax benefits related to US foreign tax credit regulations issued during the quarter, partially offset by $1.1M of tax expense as a result of special tax items.

During the three months ended December 29, 2018, special tax expense of $7.0 million was recorded in accordance with new regulations issued in November 2018 under U.S. Tax Reform. These regulations impacted the treatment of foreign taxes paid.


(3During the three and twelve months ended September 28, 2019, the Company reasserted that certain historical undistributed earnings of two foreign subsidiaries will be permanently reinvested, which resulted in a $10.5 million benefit.


 
PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NON-GAAP SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Table 2
 (in thousands)
(unaudited)
      
ROIC and Economic Return CalculationsThree Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Three Months Ended
 Jan 4, Sept 28, Dec 29,
 2020 2019 2018
Operating income, as reported $39,934    $142,055    $36,951  
Restructuring costs+   +1,678   +  
Adjusted operating income $39,934    $143,733    $36,951  
 x4      x4  
         
         
Adjusted annualized operating income $159,736    $143,733    $147,804  
Adjusted effective tax ratex  13%  x  16%  x  15% 
Tax impact 20,766    22,997    22,171  
Adjusted operating income (tax effected) $138,970    $120,736    $125,633  
         
Average invested capital÷$942,793   ÷$923,107   ÷$862,528  
         
ROIC   14.7%     13.1%     14.6% 
Weighted average cost of capital-  8.8%  -  9.0%  -  9.0% 
Economic return   5.9%     4.1%     5.6% 


 Three Months Ended
Average Invested CapitalJan 4, Sept 28, Jun 29, Mar 30, Dec 29, Sept 29,
Calculations2020  2019  2019  2019  2018  2018 
Equity$908,372  $865,576  $860,791  $875,444  $905,163  $921,143 
Plus:           
Debt and finance leases - current67,847  100,702  138,976  93,197  8,633  5,532 
Operating leases - current (1) (2)9,185           
Debt and finance leases - long-term186,827  187,278  187,581  187,120  187,567  183,085 
Operating leases - long-term (2)36,473           
Less:           
Cash and cash equivalents(252,914) (223,761) (198,395) (184,028) (188,799) (297,269)
 $955,790  $929,795  $988,953  $971,733  $912,564  $812,491 

                                               

(1)Included in Other accrued liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(2)In the fiscal first quarter of 2020, the Company adopted and applied Topic 842 to all leases using the modified retrospective method of adoption. The prior year comparative information has not been restated and continued to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for fiscal 2019 and 2018.