CHICAGO--Feb. 1, 2022-- Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFUS), an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected, and safer world, today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended January 1, 2022:
Fourth Quarter 2021 Results
- Net sales of $553.1 million were up 38% in total and 23% organically versus the prior year, driven by stronger than expected demand across all segments
- GAAP operating margin was 16.8%; adjusted operating margin was 17.0%
- GAAP diluted EPS was $2.08 and adjusted diluted EPS was $3.16, benefiting from a lower effective tax rate driven by the receipt of a tax holiday, versus the forecasted rate, equating to approximately $0.21 in EPS
- Cash flow from operations was $133 million and free cash flow was $100 million
- On November 30, the company completed its acquisition of Carling Technologies, Inc., a leader in switching, circuit protection, and power distribution technologies with a strong global presence in commercial transportation, communications infrastructure and marine markets
Full Year 2021 Results
- Net sales of $2.1 billion were up 44% in total and 33% organically versus the prior year
- GAAP operating margin was 18.5%; adjusted operating margin was 19.1%
- GAAP diluted EPS was $11.38, up 115% versus the prior year; adjusted diluted EPS of $13.19 increased 106% versus the prior year
- Cash flow from operations was $373 million and free cash flow was $283 million, representing approximately 100% conversion from net income
“We finished the year with remarkable revenue and earnings growth, with more than 30% sales growth across all of our segments,” said
Dave Heinzmann
, Littelfuse President and Chief Executive Officer. “I want to thank our global teams for their tremendous efforts. Their commitment to execution during these challenging times has been outstanding. We achieved these record results while advancing our strategic initiatives, driving content and share gains in high-growth markets, both organically and through acquisition. I am confident our ongoing execution, coupled with our investments in product development, digital presence and eMobility, position us to achieve our long-term growth strategy.”
First Quarter of 2022*
For the first quarter, the company expects net sales in the range of $563 to $577 million, adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $3.14 to $3.30 and an adjusted effective tax rate of approximately 17%.
*Littelfuse provides guidance on a non-GAAP (adjusted) basis. GAAP items excluded from guidance 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 forecast 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 $0.53 per share on March 10, 2022 to shareholders of record as of February 24, 2022
Conference Call and Webcast Information
Littelfuse will host a conference call on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss the results. The call will be broadcast and available for replay at Littelfuse.com. A slide presentation is available in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at Littelfuse.com.
About Littelfuse
Littelfuse (NASDAQ: LFUS) is an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected, and safer world. Across more than 15 countries, and with approximately 17,000 global associates, we partner with customers to design and deliver innovative, reliable solutions. Serving over 100,000 end customers, our products are found in a variety of industrial, transportation and electronics end markets – 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; cybersecurity matters; failure of an indemnification for environmental liability; exchange rate fluctuations; commodity and other raw material 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 26, 2020.
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 26, 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 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 gross debt, consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the private placement senior notes), and ratio of consolidated total gross 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 gross debt, consolidated EBITDA, and ratio of consolidated total gross 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.