LUXFER HOLDINGS PLC quarterly report, Q2 FY2021

Luxfer Holdings plc — Q2 2021 Form 10-Q

Reporting period: 13-week quarter ended June 27, 2021; year-to-date figures cover the first half of 2021. Unaudited results are presented in U.S. dollars. Continuing operations exclude aluminum businesses classified as discontinued operations.

Financial performance

MetricQ2 2021Q2 2020First half 2021First half 2020
Net sales$99.0m$76.6m$184.2m$165.0m
Gross profit / margin$25.9m / 26.2%$18.0m / 23.5%$51.1m / 27.7%$42.1m / 25.5%
Operating income / margin$11.5m / 11.6%$5.8m / 7.6%$22.6m / 12.3%$14.8m / 9.0%
Continuing-operations net income$11.9m$4.6m$20.5m$11.8m
Total net income$11.0m$4.1m$25.5m$10.3m
Adjusted EBITDA$17.3m$10.6m$35.0m$26.4m
Operating cash flowNot separately providedNot separately provided$24.4m$9.5m

Q2 diluted EPS was $0.39 ($0.42 from continuing operations), compared with $0.15 total and $0.16 from continuing operations a year earlier. First-half diluted EPS was $0.91 total, including $0.73 from continuing operations; the total included a $7.1m after-tax disposal gain from discontinued operations.

Q2 sales rose 29.2% and first-half sales rose 11.6%, reflecting recovery from pandemic-affected 2020 demand, $4.5m of favorable foreign-exchange impact in Q2 ($7.5m for the first half), and the SCI acquisition. Gross-margin expansion reflected cost-reduction measures and improved volumes. Q2 adjusted EBITDA increased 63% sequentially, according to management; first-half adjusted EBITDA was up 32.6% year over year.

Elektron Q2 sales were $52.5m, up 34.3%, and adjusted EBITDA was $12.0m versus $5.3m. Gas Cylinders sales were $46.5m, up 24.0%, while adjusted EBITDA remained $5.3m; its margin declined to 11.4% from 14.1%, partly due to adverse mix and losses at recently acquired SCI.

Balance sheet, debt and liquidity

  • At June 27, cash was $10.1m and restricted cash was $0.2m, versus $1.5m cash at year-end 2020. Total debt was $49.6m, down from $53.4m; management reported net debt of $39.5m and net debt/EBITDA of 0.6x, versus 1.0x at year-end.
  • The $100m revolving credit facility was undrawn at quarter-end; the company reduced its size from $150m during Q2. The facility expires July 31, 2022, and management expected a replacement facility to be in place by Q3 2021. The company reported compliance with debt covenants.
  • First-half investing cash flow was a net outflow of $2.3m, including $20.6m of proceeds from the U.S. aluminum cylinder business sale, $19.3m for SCI, and $3.6m of capital expenditures. Financing cash outflow was $13.6m, including $6.8m of dividends, $4.4m of net debt repayment and $0.9m for share repurchases.
  • Current assets were $166.3m and current liabilities $78.0m. Receivables and inventories increased from year-end, to $57.5m and $77.3m, respectively.

Material changes, outlook and risks

  • Luxfer acquired Structural Composites Industries on March 15, 2021, for $19.3m cash to expand composite-cylinder offerings for CNG and hydrogen-related opportunities. Purchase-price allocation remained under review.
  • The U.S. aluminum gas cylinder business was sold in Q1; a Q2 working-capital adjustment reduced proceeds to $20.6m and the first-half disposal gain to $7.1m. Management expected sales of the Superform businesses in 2021. These businesses reported first-half discontinued-operation losses of $2.1m.
  • No quantitative earnings or revenue guidance was provided. Management described the recovery as strong but cautioned that COVID-19 remained prevalent in some markets and that raw-material and labor availability, international-travel restrictions, and uncertainty about a return to normal conditions could affect operations and cash flows. Facility suspensions or reduced operations remained possible.
  • The reported first-half effective tax rate was 7.7%, versus 19.0%, primarily reflecting a $2.2m deferred-tax benefit from the enacted U.K. tax-rate increase to 25% from April 2023. The adjusted effective tax rate was 20.1%, versus 18.4%.
  • First-half restructuring charges were $1.6m, including costs related to the planned closure of the French cylinder operation and planned divestiture of a small Canadian Magtech facility. A $1.1m charge related to settlement of a California labor-code class action; payment was expected during 2021 with no further income-statement charge anticipated.
  • The filing describes product-injury and waste-site-explosion lawsuits; management did not expect either matter to have a material impact. It also reported no material subsequent events, no material changes in market risk or previously disclosed risk factors, and effective disclosure controls.

Key facts for investors to verify

  • Progress and final terms of the replacement revolving credit facility, and continued covenant compliance.
  • SCI integration, acquired-business profitability, and Gas Cylinders margins as sales recover.
  • Completion, timing and proceeds from the planned Superform divestitures.
  • Working-capital needs and exposure to raw-material, labor and COVID-related supply or demand disruptions.
  • Cash realization of the California settlement and developments in the other disclosed litigation matters.
  • Whether reported earnings growth is sustained apart from the disposal gain and the deferred-tax benefit.