Orthofix Medical Inc. annual report, FY2019

Orthofix Medical Inc. — 2019 Form 10-K

Reporting period: Fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. This is an annual filing, not a standalone fourth-quarter report. The company is a global musculoskeletal medical-device business with two reporting segments: Global Spine and Global Extremities. Amounts below are in U.S. dollars.

Financial performance and liquidity

Metric20192018
Net sales$460.0 million$453.0 million
Gross profit / margin$359.3 million / 78.1%$356.4 million / 78.7%
Operating income (loss)$(18.8) million$30.1 million
Net income (loss)$(28.5) million; $(1.51) per diluted share$13.8 million; $0.72 per diluted share
Net cash from operating activities$32.0 million$49.9 million
Free cash flow (non-GAAP)$11.5 million$34.7 million
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$70.4 million$72.2 million
  • Sales grew 1.5% reported and 2.6% at constant currency. Global Spine sales rose 3.1% to $357.2 million; Global Extremities fell 3.5% reported to $102.7 million, but increased 0.3% at constant currency.
  • By product category, Bone Growth Therapies sales grew 1.0% to $197.2 million, Spinal Implants grew 3.1% to $94.5 million, and Biologics grew 9.7% to $65.5 million.
  • Operating cash flow declined $17.9 million year over year; capital expenditures increased to $20.5 million from $15.3 million. Management cited higher receivables and inventory as working-capital pressures. Days sales outstanding rose to 66 from 59; inventory turns declined to 1.2 from 1.3.
  • Current assets were $260.6 million and current liabilities $84.9 million. The company reported no borrowings under its credit facility and no long-term debt, but had $21.0 million of finance-lease liabilities.
  • A new $300 million secured revolving facility matures October 2024. It is secured by substantially all personal property assets and includes leverage and interest-coverage covenants. The company reported compliance at year-end.

Material changes and unusual items

  • Net results swung from $13.8 million of income in 2018 to a $28.5 million loss in 2019. Acquisition-related amortization and remeasurement increased to $34.2 million from $4.3 million, including a $29.1 million increase in the fair value of Spinal Kinetics revenue-based milestone consideration. The remaining milestone liability was $42.7 million at year-end; actual payments may differ.
  • Sales and marketing expense rose 8.8% to $223.7 million, reflecting higher headcount, training, marketing and support for the U.S. launch of the M6-C artificial cervical disc. Gross margin declined 0.6 percentage points.
  • The company recorded a $6.5 million impairment associated with its eNeura debt security and settled it for $4.0 million cash in October 2019. Other expense also reflected foreign-currency and investment-related items.
  • Fourth-quarter sales were $121.5 million versus $121.1 million in 2018. Fourth-quarter operating income was $4.1 million and net income was $11.7 million, compared with $12.4 million and $8.9 million, respectively, in the prior-year quarter. Third-quarter 2019 included a $40.5 million net loss.
  • In February 2019, the FDA approved M6-C; U.S. motion-preservation sales were $4.1 million for the year. The company paid the related $15 million FDA milestone in February 2019.

Outlook, risks and contingencies

  • The filing provides no formal revenue or earnings guidance. Management highlighted product development, physician education, expanding sales channels, and growth in Biologics and spinal implants as strategic priorities.
  • On February 3, 2020, the company agreed to acquire FITBONE assets for $18 million in cash, with closing anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2020, subject to customary conditions.
  • Key risks include reimbursement and pricing pressure, competition and adoption of new products, regulatory approvals and compliance (including new EU medical-device rules), foreign-exchange exposure, and reliance on third-party distributors and suppliers. MTF is the sole supplier of Trinity ELITE and Trinity Evolution tissues; marketing service fees were $62.9 million in 2019.
  • Other disclosed exposures include a Brazilian legal dispute with a former distributor, for which $1.7 million was accrued and $0.7 million of cash was restricted; an Italian medical-device payback accrual of $4.9 million whose ultimate amount remains uncertain; and $23.5 million of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest and penalties, excluded from contractual obligations because settlement timing could not be estimated.
  • The company cited historical FCPA matters, healthcare fraud-and-abuse regulation, product liability, cybersecurity and data privacy, and the risk of changes in reimbursement policy. It reported effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting; the auditor issued unqualified opinions on the financial statements and internal controls.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether sales growth and the M6-C launch can translate into sustained operating profitability as sales, marketing and acquisition-related costs evolve.
  • The assumptions underlying the $42.7 million contingent-consideration valuation and the timing and amount of future milestone payments.
  • Cash conversion, receivables collection, inventory levels and capital spending, given the year-over-year declines in operating and free cash flow.
  • Progress on FITBONE closing and integration, and the funding implications alongside the secured credit facility and lease commitments.
  • Developments in the Brazil dispute, Italian payback rules, tax positions and medical-device regulatory requirements.