Transcat reports 86% increase in net income on record quarterly net
revenue for fiscal 2011 third quarter
Rochester, n.y.--(business wire)--transcat, inc. (nasdaq: trns) (“transcat” or the “company”), a leading distributor of professional grade handheld test and measurement instruments and accredited provider of calibration, repair and weighing system services, today reported financial results for its fiscal 2011 third quarter ended december 25, 2010. reported results include those of united scale & engineering corporation (“united”), a wisconsin-based supplier and servicer of industrial scales and weighing systems, which the company acquired on january 27, 2010. also included are the results of the calibration and repair services business of aca tmetrix inc. (“tmetrix”), based in mississauga, ontario, which the company acquired on november 1, 2010. net revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $23.9 million, an increase of 9.4%, or $2.1 million compared with net revenue of $21.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. united contributed $1.0 million to net revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2011. product segment net sales were $16.6 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2011, an increase of $1.4 million, or 9.1%, compared with $15.2 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. service segment net revenue, which represented 30.6% of total net revenue, increased 10.3% to $7.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with $6.6 million in the prior fiscal year third quarter. the contribution of tmetrix in the quarter was not material. net income was $0.9 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2011, up 85.7%, or $0.4 million, from net income of $0.5 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, in the same period of the prior fiscal year. charles p. hadeed, president, ceo and coo of transcat, commented, “our strategy to continue to build our presence, gain market share and grow the company, both organically and through acquisitions, is being demonstrated through our solid results. both segments posted strong top-line growth in the third quarter, which led to record third quarter net revenue, as well as significant operating and net income gains. while our service segment net revenue growth was strong, it was lifted by recent acquisitions. our organic growth was less than our long-term expectation in the low double digit range and continues to be a primary focus. we broadened our presence in canada with the acquisition of tmetrix’s service business, which is located just outside of toronto. we will continue to pursue our acquisition strategy, looking to penetrate markets that complement our existing infrastructure where we can leverage our strong brand and quality service.” subsequent to the close of the third quarter, transcat acquired wind turbine tools, inc., a lincoln, montana-based provider of unique product tool kit solutions, technical assistance, torque calibration and hydraulic services for the wind energy industry. mr. hadeed commented, “we believe the addition of this well-known and highly-knowledgeable team will accelerate and further strengthen our market position in the wind energy industry.” stronger sales, improved pricing environment and enhanced mix drive strong margin expansion in third quarter fiscal 2011 total gross profit increased to $6.1 million, or 25.3% of net revenue, compared with $4.8 million, or 22.0% of net revenue, in the third quarter of fiscal 2010, reflecting increases in gross profit from both the product and service segments of 32.9% and 10.0%, respectively. included in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $0.3 million in incremental gross profit from united. driving margin expansion was a $0.3 million increase in volume-based manufacturer rebates and a $0.2 million increase in cooperative advertising income reflecting stronger product sales. total operating expenses increased $0.6 million, or 14.9%, to $4.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2010. the increase was primarily due to higher employee-related expenses, including the addition of united personnel, and increased direct marketing expenses, which were mostly funded by the aforementioned increase in cooperative advertising income. as a percentage of net revenue, operating expenses in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 were 19.3%, up from 18.4% in the prior fiscal year third quarter. operating income for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $1.4 million, an increase of $0.6 million, or 82.0%, compared with $0.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. operating margin was 6.0% in the third quarter of fiscal 2011, up 240 basis points from the prior fiscal year period. during the third quarter of fiscal 2011, the company generated $2.0 million of ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), compared with $1.3 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. the company believes ebitda, which is a non-gaap financial measure, allows investors to view its performance in a manner similar to the methods used by management and provides additional insight to its operating results. see attached ebitda reconciliation table on page 9. the effective tax rate in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was 37.1% compared with 37.7% in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. product and service segment review product segment: (69.4% of total net revenue) represents the distribution of professional grade handheld test and measurement instruments business product segment net sales increased $1.4 million, or 9.1%, to $16.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with $15.2 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year, which reflects the modest improvement in the economy, a better pricing environment and the success of the company’s sales and marketing efforts. net sales growth of $1.2 million in the industries the company traditionally serves was complemented by $0.5 million in incremental revenue from united, but partially offset by a $0.3 million decline in net sales to wind energy customers attributed to the timing of projects and customers having inventory on hand. sales to wind energy customers accounted for 4.7% and 7.3% of product segment sales in the third quarters of fiscal 2011 and 2010, respectively. mr. hadeed noted, “although still a small component of our overall business, we believe we can capitalize on the growth of this industry, which is expected to increase significantly. new wind energy construction projects, however, are often influenced by external factors and can tend to come in waves, as reflected in the lower level of wind energy product sales in this quarter.” average product segment sales per day were $267 thousand in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with $249 thousand in the same period of the prior fiscal year. sales of the company’s products through its website increased 25.9% to $1.5 million, or 9.1% of product sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with $1.2 million, or 7.9% of product sales, in the same period of the prior fiscal year. focused sales efforts with specific product groups continued to drive the increase in online sales. product segment gross profit in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $4.4 million, or 26.8% of net product sales, compared with $3.3 million, or 22.0% of net product sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. gross margin for the product segment is a function of a number of factors including volume, market channel mix, manufacturers’ rebates, product mix and discounts to customers. the 480 basis point increase in gross margin was primarily due to improved pricing and $0.2 million in cooperative advertising income from key vendors in support of increased direct marketing efforts. in addition, a point-of-sale rebate program with a key vendor that is based on product segment sales growth on a year-over-year basis contributed $0.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011. the company did not qualify for this type of rebate in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. product segment operating income was $1.6 million, or 9.8% of net product sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with $0.9 million, or 5.8% of net product sales, in the same period of the prior fiscal year. service segment: (30.6% of total net revenue) represents the accredited calibration, repair and weighing system services business service segment net revenue was $7.3 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2011, a $0.7 million, or 10.3% increase from the $6.6 million reported in the same period of the prior fiscal year. services provided to wind energy customers were consistent year-over-year and represented 6.3% of total service revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with 7.3% of total service revenue in the same period of the prior fiscal year. the third quarter of fiscal 2011 included $0.4 million in incremental revenue from united. service revenue growth in the traditional industries the company serves was $0.3 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2011, a 4.5% increase from the third quarter of fiscal 2010. the company’s strategy has been to focus its capital and marketing investments in the electrical, temperature, pressure and dimensional disciplines. historically, within the traditional industries the company serves, 15% to 20% of service segment revenue has been generated from outsourcing customer equipment to third-party vendors for calibration beyond the company’s chosen scope of capabilities. in the third quarter of fiscal 2011, 20.0% of the company’s service segment revenue was subcontracted to third-party vendors. the company continues to evaluate the need for capital investments that could provide more in-house capabilities as it deems appropriate. service segment gross profit in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $1.6 million, an increase of 10.0% from $1.5 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. gross margin remained consistent year-over-year, as service-related costs grew in line with revenue growth. the company expects to experience considerable leverage with organic revenue growth within its service segment, however, the primary driver of service revenue growth during the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was acquisition related, which was accompanied by incremental service costs. service segment had an operating loss of $0.2 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2011 compared with an operating loss of $0.1 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. nine-month review net revenue increased $7.9 million, or 13.7%, to $65.4 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2011, from net revenue of $57.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2010. organic growth was 9.0%, while united contributed $2.8 million to net revenue for the first nine months of fiscal 2011. product segment net sales were $43.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011, an increase of 11.9%, compared with $38.4 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. net sales growth of $5.0 million in the industries the company traditionally serves was complemented by $1.4 million in incremental sales from united, but partially offset by a $1.8 million decline in sales to wind energy customers. sales to wind energy customers accounted for 4.8% and 10.1% of product segment sales in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively. online product sales were $4.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011, up 30.5%, when compared with $3.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2010. service segment net revenue was $22.4 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011, up 17.4%, compared with $19.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2010. services provided to wind energy customers increased $0.5 million to $1.6 million and represented 7.0% of total service revenue for the first nine months of fiscal 2011, compared with 5.6% of total service revenue in the same period of the prior fiscal year. the first nine months of fiscal 2011 included $1.4 million in incremental revenue from united. gross margin improved to 25.0% for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with 22.4% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. product segment gross margin was 25.9% and 22.5% for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 and 2010, respectively. the year-over-year increase was primarily a result of an improved pricing environment and increased manufacturer rebate income. service segment gross margin was 23.3% for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with 22.0% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. operating expenses increased $1.7 million to $13.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with the same period of the prior fiscal year. as a percentage of net revenue, operating expenses during the first nine months of fiscal 2011 were 20.7%, compared with 20.6% in the first nine months of fiscal 2010. the primary drivers of increased operating expenses were higher employee-related expenses, including incremental costs for united personnel, and investments in sales and marketing to drive organic growth in the service segment and increase market share in the product segment. operating income in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 was $2.8 million, or 4.3% of net revenue, compared with $1.0 million, or 1.8% of net revenue, in the first nine months of fiscal 2010. net income was $1.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with $0.6 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for the same period of the prior fiscal year. ebitda was $4.4 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2011, compared with $2.5 million for the same period of the prior fiscal year. see attached ebitda reconciliation table on page 9. balance sheet and cash management net cash generated from operations was $2.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with $4.0 million in the same period of the prior fiscal year. the change was primarily due to timing associated with payables and receivables and a $1.5 million increase in inventory during the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared with a $0.7 million increase in inventory levels during the first nine months of fiscal 2010. inventory at the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2011 was $7.4 million, up from $5.9 million at the end of fiscal 2010, due to the company’s strategic decision to increase inventory levels of specific, higher-volume products in support of greater sales growth and to maintain high levels of customer service in response to increased lead times from manufacturers. capital expenditures in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 were $1.1 million compared with $0.9 million in the prior fiscal year period and were primarily used for additional service capabilities and infrastructure improvements that included facility expansion and investment in information technology. transcat expects capital spending for fiscal 2011 to be approximately $1.8 million. during the first nine months of fiscal 2011, the company also spent $0.5 million to acquire tmetrix and an additional $0.6 million for the repurchase of 80,000 common shares in a private transaction at $6.90 per share. on january 15, 2011, transcat entered into an amendment to its credit agreement with jpmorgan chase bank, n.a., which provides for a revolving credit line of $15 million. the credit agreement was extended for 3 years on similar financial terms and conditions. the agreement allows for acquisitions totaling up to $10 million in any 12 month period and dividends and stock repurchases up to $2 million in any 12 month period. outlook mr. hadeed concluded, “we believe we can continue to develop our product and service businesses through organic efforts and through acquisitions with the greatest growth potential being realized in the services business. our goal remains to increase our service business over time through double digit sales growth and realize the significant leverage inherent in that business in order to have more rapid growth in earnings.” about transcat transcat, inc. is a leading distributor of professional grade handheld test and measurement instruments and accredited provider of calibration, repair and weighing system services primarily for the pharmaceutical and fda-regulated, industrial manufacturing, energy and utilities, chemical manufacturing, and other industries. through its distribution products segment, transcat markets and distributes national and proprietary brand instruments to nearly 14,000 customers. the company offers access to more than 25,000 test and measurement instruments. transcat delivers precise, reliable, fast calibration, and repair services across the united states, canada and puerto rico through its 14 strategically located calibration centers of excellence. transcat’s calibration laboratories are iso-9001 registered and the scope of accreditation to iso/iec 17025 is believed to be one of the broadest in the industry. transcat’s growth strategy is to expand both its distribution products and calibration services in markets that value product breadth and availability and rely on accredited calibration services to maintain the integrity of their processes. more information about transcat can be found on its website at: transcat.com safe harbor statement this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the private securities litigation reform act of 1995. forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” and other similar words. all statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that transcat, inc. expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including but not limited to statements relating to anticipated revenue, profit margins, sales operations, its strategy to build its sales representative channel, customer preferences and changes in market conditions in the industries in which transcat operates are forward-looking statements. because they are forward-looking, they should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. these risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in transcat’s annual and quarterly reports filed with the securities and exchange commission, including under the heading entitled “risk factors.” should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the company’s underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those currently anticipated. in addition, undue reliance should not be placed on the company’s forward-looking statements. except as required by law, the company disclaims any obligation to update or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. financial tables follow $ 18 $ 37,450 $ 9,252 $ 37,450 $ 1,702 $ 18 transcat, inc. fiscal 2011 third quarter and nine months additional information ebitda reconciliation (dollars in thousands) (unaudited) transcat, inc. fiscal 2011 third quarter additional information business segment data (dollars in thousands) $ change % change product service consolidated transcat, inc. fiscal 2011 nine months additional information business segment data (dollars in thousands) $ change % change product margin service consolidated transcat, inc. additional information in the following tables, certain customers have been reclassified in prior periods to conform to the current period presentation fy 2011ytd total % oftotal fy 2010ytd total % oftotal fy 2011ytd total fy 2010ytd total fy 2011ytd total % oftotal fy 2010ytd total % oftotal fy 2011ytd total % oftotal fy 2010ytd total % oftotal
