Lear Corporation Form 10-Q Summary
Business Context and Reporting Period
Lear Corporation is a global Tier 1 automotive supplier of seating systems and components, electrical distribution systems, electronic modules, software and related technologies. The unaudited Form 10-Q covers the 13-week quarter and six months ended July 1, 2017, compared with the periods ended July 2, 2016.
Global light-vehicle production increased 3% year over year in the first half of 2017 to 46.4 million units. Lear operates primarily through its Seating and E-Systems segments and serves major global automotive manufacturers.
Financial Performance and Metrics
| Metric | Q2 2017 | Q2 2016 | First Half 2017 | First Half 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales | $5,123.2 million | $4,724.8 million | $10,121.7 million | $9,387.7 million |
| Gross profit | $577.8 million | $540.4 million | $1,160.3 million | $1,076.1 million |
| Gross margin | 11.3% | 11.4% | 11.5% | 11.5% |
| Net income attributable to Lear | $311.9 million | $282.4 million | $617.7 million | $530.8 million |
| Diluted earnings per share | $4.49 | $3.82 | $8.84 | $7.11 |
| Effective tax rate | 19.2% | 26.9% | 21.0% | 27.7% |
- Q2 sales increased 8%, while first-half sales increased 8%. Management attributed growth primarily to new business and the Antolin Seating acquisition.
- Q2 net income attributable to Lear increased 10%; first-half net income increased 16%. Diluted EPS benefited from higher earnings and lower average shares outstanding.
- Q2 and first-half gross margins were broadly stable year over year. Favorable operating performance and restructuring benefits were offset by customer price reductions and foreign-exchange effects.
- Q2 Seating sales increased 11% to $4.0 billion, with an 8.0% segment margin versus 7.9%. First-half Seating sales increased 9% to $7.9 billion, with an 8.1% margin versus 8.0%.
- Q2 E-Systems sales increased 1% to $1.1 billion, with a 14.2% segment margin versus 14.0%. First-half sales increased 4% to $2.2 billion, with a 14.4% margin versus 14.0%.
Cash Flow, Balance Sheet, Debt and Liquidity
- First-half operating cash flow was $845.3 million, compared with $817.6 million in the prior-year period.
- Investing cash outflows were $566.3 million, including $274.0 million of capital expenditures and $286.8 million paid for the Antolin Seating acquisition. Management estimated 2017 capital spending of approximately $560 million.
- Financing cash outflows were $416.9 million, including $239.7 million of share repurchases, $70.7 million of dividends paid to Lear stockholders and $15.6 million of term-loan repayments.
- Cash and cash equivalents were $1,166.7 million at July 1, 2017, down from $1,271.6 million at December 31, 2016. Approximately $812 million was held in foreign subsidiaries and was generally available for repatriation without additional income tax expense.
- Total debt, including current and long-term portions and before certain presentation adjustments, was approximately $1.92 billion at July 1, 2017. The company had $453.1 million outstanding under its term loan, no borrowings under its $1.25 billion revolving facility, and $3.9 million of short-term borrowings.
- Lear reported approximately $1.25 billion of available revolving-credit capacity and stated that liquidity was sufficient for ordinary business needs, debt service, dividends and authorized repurchases.
- Accounts receivable increased to $3,357.7 million and inventories increased to $1,127.4 million from December 31, 2016, reflecting higher sales and operating requirements.
Material Changes Versus the Prior Comparable Period
- Lear completed the $291.5 million acquisition of Grupo Antolin’s automotive seating business on April 28, 2017. The business generated approximately $370 million of annual sales before acquisition and contributed less than 2% of Lear’s Q2 consolidated sales because it was included only from the acquisition date.
- Goodwill increased to $1,272.1 million from $1,121.3 million, primarily because of $121.1 million of goodwill recognized in the Antolin Seating acquisition and foreign-currency translation.
- First-half restructuring charges were $31.6 million, compared with approximately $40 million in the first half of 2016. Lear expects approximately $50 million of additional restructuring costs related to actions initiated as of July 1, 2017.
- The effective tax rate declined substantially due to $54.4 million of net tax benefits in the first half of 2017, including the reversal of foreign deferred-tax valuation allowances and benefits from share-based compensation accounting. Lear adopted ASU 2016-09 and recorded a $54.5 million deferred-tax asset and retained-earnings credit.
- Other income in the prior-year period included a $30.3 million gain from consolidation of an affiliate. The absence of that gain caused other income/expense to move from $23.5 million of income in Q2 2016 to $5.8 million of expense in Q2 2017.
- Lear repurchased $254.3 million of common stock during the first half of 2017, compared with $405.0 million in the prior-year period, and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.50 per share from $0.30.
Guidance, Outlook, Commentary and Risks
- Management did not provide a consolidated revenue or earnings guidance range in the filing. It estimated 2017 capital spending at approximately $560 million and pension contributions at approximately $10 million to $15 million.
- Management identified connectivity, safety, efficiency, electrification, increasing vehicle electronic content, global platforms and growth in Asia as key long-term opportunities.
- Key operating risks include vehicle-production volatility, loss or underperformance of major vehicle platforms, customer-imposed price reductions, supplier disruptions, labor disputes, raw-material and commodity inflation, foreign-exchange movements, program-launch costs, restructuring execution, cybersecurity, legal claims, product recalls and customer or supplier financial distress.
- Legal, product-liability and environmental reserves were approximately $9 million, $58 million and $9 million, respectively, at July 1, 2017. The filing states that ultimate outcomes remain uncertain and actual costs could differ materially from recorded reserves.
- Lear was in compliance with its debt covenants. The senior notes mature in 2023, 2024 and 2025; the revolving facility matures in 2019 and the term loan in 2020.
- Disclosure controls were considered effective. Antolin Seating was excluded from management’s internal-control evaluation as permitted by SEC rules while integration continued.
Important Facts for Investors to Verify
- Whether Antolin Seating integration, synergies and preliminary purchase-price allocations develop as expected.
- The timing and total cost of the approximately $50 million of remaining restructuring actions and their effect on margins and cash flow.
- Whether operating cash flow can support approximately $560 million of annual capital spending, dividends, share repurchases and debt service without materially reducing liquidity.
- The sustainability of the unusually low 2017 effective tax rate after the identified valuation-allowance and share-based-compensation benefits.
- Exposure to customer price reductions, raw-material costs, foreign-exchange movements and production changes across major vehicle platforms.
- Potential changes in warranty, recall, product-liability, environmental and commercial-dispute reserves.
- The remaining $745.7 million share-repurchase authorization and the limitations imposed by the credit agreement.