Helios Technologies Reports Second Quarter 2020

Generates Strong Cash from Operations and Executes Successfully on Cost Containment

• Net sales of $119.3 million; moderate 8% decline from prior quarter during COVID-19 pandemic

• Planned and aggressive cost containment provided for solid margins on lower volume
  • Operating improvements led to gross margin of 37.5%
  • Continued to make investments in organic growth initiatives
• Generated $25.3 million of cash from operations and reduced debt $7 million; successfully maintained net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.1x despite challenging environment

SARASOTA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Helios Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: HLIO) (“Helios” or the “Company”), a global industrial technology leader that develops and manufactures solutions for both the hydraulics and electronics markets, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 27, 2020.

Josef Matosevic, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “I am pleased with our management team’s adaptability and leadership during these challenging times and am excited about the opportunities for advancing our strong pipeline of new product development. We performed very well in the quarter with better than expected sales supported by shipment of past due orders and a relatively resilient global agriculture industry. Due to the agility of our businesses, we adjusted quickly to changing market demands related to COVID-19 in both segments and outperformed in the hydraulics segment, while the electronic segment was able to achieve their plan despite tough market conditions. Our solid profit margins on lower sales were the result of disciplined execution and the cost containment measures rapidly initiated in March and April to address the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic combined with continued efforts to improve productivity. The efforts of both segments enabled us to achieve a better than expected consolidated decremental adjusted operating margin of 32%^*.”

He continued, “We were encouraged to see demand pick up in June, although given the trend of increasing COVID-19 cases in the U.S., we are carefully monitoring our end markets and customers. We expect our third quarter will now be the trough for us this year given lower levels of backlog at the end of June. We believe from there we should see recovery with improving order levels.”

Mr. Matosevic concluded, “Our objectives through this pandemic are to continue generating strong cash flow and, importantly, to navigate into a strategic position for growth as markets recover. We are developing the additional value streams to augment our Vision 2025 strategy that will leverage the strengths and capabilities of the Helios organization, including our well-respected brands, our dedicated global employees and our strong balance sheet. We believe the enhancements to the strategy will also provide greater clarity on the efforts required to accelerate organic growth through new end markets and new products combined with programmatic portfolio expansion through future acquisitions.”

*Consolidated decremental adjusted operating margin is defined as the change in adjusted operating income divided by the change in sales.

Second Quarter 2020 Consolidated Results

See the attached tables for additional important disclosures regarding Helios’s use of non-GAAP adjusted operating income, non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, non-GAAP cash net income, non-GAAP cash earnings per share, adjusted EBITDA (earnings before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and certain non-recurring charges) and adjusted EBITDA margin (adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of sales) as well as reconciliations of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP adjusted operating income and GAAP net income to non-GAAP cash net income and non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, and adjusted EBITDA. Helios believes that, when used in conjunction with measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, the non-GAAP measures described above help improve the understanding of its operating performance.

Sales

• $119.3 million, declined 16% excluding the effect of currency; the majority of the decline was attributable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated macro industrial softness
• Foreign currency translation on sales – $1.7 million unfavorable

Profits and margins

• Gross profit and margin drivers – Gross profit was negatively impacted by lower sales volume and unfavorable currency; gross margin contracted 1.6 points as productivity improvements and ongoing cost management efforts helped to offset the impact of reduced leverage of fixed costs on a lower sales base and COVID-19 related production labor inefficiencies
• Selling, engineering and administrative (“SEA”) expenses – Decreased 7% reflecting aggressive cost containment initiatives which were partially offset by increased cost for safety equipment and cleaning services, restructuring costs and $1.6 million of CEO transition costs
• Amortization of intangible assets – $4.4 million, comparable with the prior-year period

Non-operating items

• Net interest expense – $2.9 million ($4.0 million in prior year), down on lower debt balances
• Effective tax rate – 4.7% (21.3% in prior year); excluding $2.6 million of one-time benefits, the effective tax rate for the period was 22.7%

Net income, earnings per share, non-GAAP cash earnings per share and adjusted EBITDA

• GAAP net income and earnings per share – Decline of $4.4 million and $0.14, respectively, were impacted by lower sales volume and CEO transition costs, partially offset by cost management efforts, lower interest and reduced effective tax rate
• Non-GAAP cash earnings per share – $0.10 lower reflecting the above, adjusted for amortization and other unusual items
• Adjusted EBITDA margin – Decline of 150 basis points on lower sales volume, reflecting the lower global demand environment related to COVID-19

First Half 2020 Consolidated Results

See the attached tables for additional important disclosures regarding Helios’s use of non-GAAP adjusted operating income, non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, non-GAAP cash net income, non-GAAP cash earnings per share, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin as well as reconciliations of GAAP operating income to non-GAAP adjusted operating income and GAAP net income to non-GAAP cash net income and non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, and adjusted EBITDA. Helios believes that, when used in conjunction with measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, non-GAAP measures described above help in the understanding of its operating performance.

Sales

• $38.2 million decline, or 13% excluding the effect of currency; the majority of the decline was attributable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated macro industrial softness
• Foreign currency translation on sales – $3.7 million unfavorable

Profits and margins

• Gross profit and margin drivers – maintained gross margin at 38.8% despite significant decline in sales; production efficiencies, cost management efforts and an $0.9 million non-recurring benefit in Electronics offset lower sales volume
• SEA expenses – Decreased primarily due to cost management efforts, which were partially offset by CEO transition costs and increased cost for safety equipment and cleaning services
• Amortization of intangible assets – $8.8 million compared with $9.1 million in prior year
• Goodwill impairment charge – $31.9 million, resulted from weakened market outlook primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Non-operating items

• Net interest expense – $5.8 million compared with $8.4 million in prior year, declined with lower debt balances
• Effective tax rate – 15.0%, excludes non-taxable goodwill impairment charge, down from 21.7% in prior year, included certain one-time benefits in the second quarter that reduced the effective tax rate for the period

Earnings per share, non-GAAP cash earnings per share and adjusted EBITDA

• GAAP Earnings per share – Impacted by $31.9 million charge for goodwill impairment, as well as lower sales volume, partially offset by cost management efforts, lower interest and one-time tax benefit
• Non-GAAP cash earnings per share – decrease of $0.17 reflects the above, adjusted for amortization, goodwill impairment charge and other unusual items
• Adjusted EBITDA margin – Decline of 80 basis points on lower sales volume, reflecting effective cost management efforts and production efficiencies

Hydraulics Segment Review

(Refer to sales by geographic region and segment data in accompanying tables)

Segment sales of $102.1 million declined 10% compared with the prior-year second quarter, impacted by softer end market demand attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease also included $1.6 million from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Sales declined in the Americas region by 17%. The Europe, Middle East, Africa (“EMEA”) region declined 13.6%, while Asia/Pacific (“APAC”) region sales grew 5.6%, both excluding the combined $1.6 million effect of unfavorable foreign currency exchange rate changes.

Second quarter 2020 gross margin of 36.7% was down from the prior year’s 37.3% due to reduced leverage of fixed costs on lower sales volume and COVID-19 related production labor inefficiencies. Additionally, during the quarter there was a favorable change in sales mix and savings from cost containment efforts such as over-time management, decreased usage of temporary labor and inventory and supplies costs management.

SEA expenses in the 2020 second quarter decreased $2.8 million compared with the prior-year period, benefiting from cost management efforts.

Operating income in the 2020 second quarter was $22.0 million. Operating margin expanded 30 basis points to 21.5%, compared with 21.2% last year.

For the first half, segment sales totaled $205.9 million; excluding the $3.6 million impact of unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, segment sales decreased 9.0%. Gross profit declined $7.9 million, or 9.3%, from the prior year period, while gross margin expanded 60 basis points to 37.5%. The increase was primarily driven by effective cost management efforts and production efficiencies. Operating income for the first half was $43.5 million, or 21.1% of sales.

Electronics Segment Review

(Refer to sales by geographic region and segment data in accompanying tables)

Segment sales were $17.2 million for the 2020 second quarter, compared with $30.1 million in the prior year quarter. The decline was primarily due to decreased demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic including lost revenue from OEM shutdowns, a soft oil and gas end market and our intentional shift in customer base which involved changes in certain contractual obligations. Foreign currency translation had a minimal impact on segment sales in the quarter.

Second quarter 2020 gross margin was 42.1%, down from 45.8% last year. The contraction was attributable to decreased leverage of fixed costs resulting from lower volume partially offset by cost management efforts.

SEA costs in the quarter decreased by $1.0 million as a result of cost saving and restructuring efforts.

Operating income was $0.9 million in the second quarter of 2020, compared with $6.5 million in 2019. 2020 operating margin contracted to 5.5%, from 21.6% last year.

For the first half, segment sales were down 29% to $42.9 million, compared with the 2019 first half. Foreign currency had a $0.1 million unfavorable impact. Despite the significant sales decline, the 2020 first half gross margin declined just 50 basis points to 45.3% from 45.8% last year. Operating income for the period was $5.7 million, or 13.3% of sales.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Review

Total debt was $287.4 million at June 27, 2020, down from $300.4 million at December 28, 2019. Cash and cash equivalents at June 27, 2020 were $37.0 million, up from $22.1 million at December 28, 2019 as the Company focuses on preserving cash. Net debt decreased by $16.7 million from the end of the trailing first quarter and net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA remained unchanged at 2.1x at June 27, 2020, compared the end of the first quarter 2020 and yearend 2019. The Company has $37.0 million in cash and $205.3 million available on its revolving line of credit, which also allows for an accordion of up to an additional $200 million, subject to certain pro forma compliance requirements.

Cash provided by operations was $40.3 million and $25.4 million in the first six months of 2020 and 2019, respectively. The Company generated $25.3 million of cash from operations in the quarter up from $16.3 million in the prior-year period.

Capital expenditures were $5.2 million and $15.4 million for the first halves of 2020 and 2019, respectively, with the decrease in 2020 due to a conscious reduction in light of the impact of COVID-19 on economic conditions. Given the current environment, capital expenditures in 2020 are focused on higher priority and critical projects.

2020 Guidance

Given the uncertainty in outlook due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and end markets, the Company will not be providing financial guidance metrics.

Webcast

The Company will host a conference call and webcast tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to review its financial and operating results and discuss its corporate strategies and outlook. A question-and-answer session will follow.

The conference call can be accessed by calling (201) 689-8573. The audio webcast can be monitored at www.heliostechnologies.com. Participants will have the ability to ask questions on either the teleconference call or the webcast.

A telephonic replay will be available from 12:00 p.m. ET on the day of the call through Tuesday, August 11, 2020. To listen to the archived call, dial (412) 317-6671 and enter conference ID number 13705886. The webcast replay will be available in the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.heliostechnologies.com, where a transcript will also be posted once available.

About Helios Technologies

Helios Technologies is a global industrial technology leader that develops and manufactures hydraulic and electronic control solutions for diverse markets. The Company operates in two business segments, Hydraulics and Electronics. The Hydraulics segment markets and sells products globally under the brands of Sun Hydraulics in relation to cartridge valve technology, Custom Fluidpower with regard to hydraulic system design and Faster in connection with quick release coupling solutions. Global Electronics brands include Enovation Controls and Murphy for fully-tailored solutions with a broad range of rugged and reliable instruments such as displays, controls and instrumentation products. Helios Technologies and information about its associated companies is available online at www.heliostechnologies.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains “forward‐looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward‐looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. They include statements regarding current expectations, estimates, forecasts, projections, our beliefs, and assumptions made by Helios Technologies, Inc. (“Helios” or the “Company”), its directors or its officers about the Company and the industry in which it operates, and assumptions made by management, and include among other items, (i) the Company’s strategies regarding growth, including its intention to develop new products and make acquisitions; (ii) the Company’s financing plans; (iii) trends affecting the Company’s financial condition or results of operations; (iv) the Company’s ability to continue to control costs and to meet its liquidity and other financing needs; (v) the declaration and payment of dividends; and (vi) the Company’s ability to respond to changes in customer demand domestically and internationally, including as a result of standardization. In addition, we may make other written or oral statements, which constitute forward-looking statements, from time to time. Words such as “may,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Similarly, statements that describe our future plans, objectives or goals also are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guaranteeing future performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward‐looking statements include, but are not limited to, (i) conditions in the capital markets, including the interest rate environment and the availability of capital; (ii) changes in the competitive marketplace that could affect the Company’s revenue and/or cost bases, such as increased competition, lack of qualified engineering, marketing, management or other personnel, and increased labor and raw materials costs; and (iii) new product introductions, product sales mix and the geographic mix of sales nationally and internationally. Further information relating to factors that could cause actual results to differ from those anticipated is included but not limited to information under the heading Item 1. “Business” and Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2019 and Part II, Item IA, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 28, 2020 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission..

This news release will discuss some historical non-GAAP financial measures, which the Company believes are useful in evaluating its performance. The determination of the amounts that are excluded from these non-GAAP measures is a matter of management judgment and depends upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income recognized in a given period. You should not consider the inclusion of this additional information in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Financial Tables Follow.

Contacts

Deborah K. Pawlowski / Christopher M. Gordon

Kei Advisors LLC

(716) 843-3908/ (716) 843-3874

dpawlowski@keiadvisors.com / cgordon@keiadvisors.com

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