Littelfuse Reports Third Quarter Results for 2020

CHICAGO, October 28, 2020 — Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFUS), a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 26, 2020:

  • Net sales of $391.6 million were up 8% versus the prior year period, and up 7% organically; sequentially, net sales were up 27% largely due to higher than expected demand in automotive end markets, and strength in several electronics and industrial end markets
  • Segment performance versus the prior year period:
    • Electronics sales grew 12% (up 13% organically)
    • Automotive sales were flat (down 2% organically)
    • Industrial sales grew 5% (down 3% organically)
  • GAAP diluted EPS was $2.25; adjusted diluted EPS was $2.16, which benefited from a lower effective tax rate versus the forecasted rate equating to approximately $0.22 in EPS
  • GAAP effective tax rate was 17.9% and the adjusted effective tax rate was 15.7%
  • Year-to-date, cash flow from operations was $164.3 million and free cash flow was $122.7 million

  • “I am extremely proud of the extraordinary leadership demonstrated by our global associates and business partners amidst these challenging times,” said  Dave HeinzmannLittelfuse President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our commitment to operational execution enabled us to meet stronger than expected demand from our customers, driving year-over-year growth. We continued to capitalize on robust design activity with several strategic wins in high-growth industrial, electronics and transportation applications. As we near the end of 2020, we are confident the actions we have taken this year position us well for sustained profitable growth.”

    Fourth Quarter 2020 Outlook*:

    • The company expects year-over-year sales growth of 7% to 10%, with an adjusted operating income flow-through of approximately 40%. The forecast assumes no new material disruptions from the pandemic

    *Littelfuse provides an estimate regarding operating income on a non-GAAP (adjusted) basis. GAAP items excluded may include the after-tax impact of items including acquisition and integration costs, restructuring, impairment and other charges, certain purchase accounting adjustments, non-operating foreign exchange adjustments and significant and unusual items. These items are uncertain, depend on various factors, and could be material to results computed in accordance with GAAP.  Littelfuse  is not able to estimate the excluded items in order to provide the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts.

    Dividend

    • The company will pay a cash dividend on its common stock of $0.48 per share on December 3, 2020 to shareholders of record as of November 19, 2020

    Conference Call and Webcast Information

    Littelfuse will host a conference call today, October 28, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss the results. The call will be broadcast live and available for replay at Littelfuse.com.

    About Littelfuse

    Littelfuse (NASDAQ: LFUS) is a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing. Serving over 100,000 end customers, our products are found in automotive and commercial vehicles, industrial applications, data and telecommunications, medical devices, consumer electronics and appliances. Our 11,000 worldwide associates partner with customers to design, manufacture and deliver innovative, high-quality solutions, for a safer, greener and increasingly connected world - everywhere, every day. Learn more at Littelfuse.com.

    “Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

    The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are intended to constitute "forward-looking statements" entitled to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to general economic conditions; the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken in response thereto and the effects of those items on the company’s business; product demand and market acceptance; the impact of competitive products and pricing; product quality problems or product recalls; capacity and supply difficulties or constraints; coal mining exposures reserves; failure of an indemnification for environmental liability; exchange rate fluctuations; commodity price fluctuations; the effect of Littelfuse, Inc.'s ("Littelfuse" or the "Company") accounting policies; labor disputes; restructuring costs in excess of expectations; pension plan asset returns less than assumed; integration of acquisitions; uncertainties related to political or regulatory changes and other risks which may be detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and outcomes may differ materially from those indicated or implied in the forward-looking statements. This release should be read in conjunction with information provided in the financial statements appearing in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2019.Further discussion of the risk factors of the company can be found under the caption "Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2019, under the caption "Risk Factors" in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 27, 2020, and in other filings and submissions with the SEC, each of which are available free of charge on the company’s investor relations website at investor.littelfuse.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

    These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof. The company does not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the availability of new information.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    The information included in this press release includes the non-GAAP financial measures of organic net sales growth (decline), adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted income taxes, adjusted effective tax rate, free cash flow, consolidated total debt, consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the private placement senior notes), and ratio of consolidated total debt to consolidated EBITDA. Many of these non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of certain expenses and income not related directly to the underlying performance of our fundamental business operations.

    A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is set forth in the attached schedules.

    The company believes that organic net sales growth (decline), adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share, adjusted income taxes, and adjusted effective tax rate provide useful information to investors regarding its operational performance because they enhance an investor’s overall understanding of our core financial performance and facilitate comparisons to historical results of operations, by excluding items that are not related directly to the underlying performance of our fundamental business operations or were not part of our business operations during a comparable period. The company believes that free cash flow is a useful measure of its ability to generate cash. The company believes that consolidated total debt, consolidated EBITDA, and ratio of consolidated total debt to consolidated EBITDA are useful measures of its credit position. The company believes that all of these non-GAAP financial measures are commonly used by financial analysts and others in the industries in which we operate, and thus further provide useful information to investors. Management additionally uses these measures when assessing the performance of the business and for business planning purposes. Note that our definitions of these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from those terms as defined or used by other companies.

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