Crane NXT, Co. quarterly report, Q2 FY2022

Business Context and Reporting Period

Crane Holdings, Co. filed this unaudited Form 10-Q for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2022. The company reported four segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Process Flow Technologies, Payment & Merchandising Technologies, and Engineered Materials. The filing follows a May 2022 holding-company reorganization; the company subsequently adopted the Crane Co. name for future use. The filing is the predecessor reporting entity associated with the later Crane NXT structure.

Key Financial Metrics

MetricQ2 2022Q2 2021Six months 2022Six months 2021
Net sales$864.3 million$855.5 million$1,735.7 million$1,688.9 million
Operating profit$124.4 million$144.6 million$271.4 million$291.0 million
Operating margin14.4%16.9%15.6%17.2%
Net income$258.2 million$138.3 million$363.2 million$246.7 million
Diluted EPS$4.54$2.33$6.32$4.17
Operating cash flowNot separately providedNot separately provided$49.0 million$206.7 million
  • Q2 sales increased 1.0%; six-month sales increased 2.8%. Core sales grew 7.1% in Q2 and 6.6% year to date, offset by unfavorable currency translation and the Crane Supply divestiture.
  • Net income included a $228.7 million pretax gain on the sale of Crane Supply. Excluding this unusual item, reported earnings growth was substantially lower than the headline increase.
  • Q2 cost of sales rose to 62.0% of sales from 61.2%, while selling, general and administrative expense rose to 23.6% from 21.9%. Higher transaction costs, inflation, unfavorable mix, and material and labor costs pressured margins.
  • Cash and cash equivalents were $650.6 million at June 30, 2022, compared with $478.6 million at December 31, 2021. Total debt was approximately $962.3 million, comprising $119.4 million of commercial paper and $842.9 million of long-term debt; calculated net debt was approximately $311.7 million.
  • Six-month investing cash flow was $289.2 million, principally reflecting $314.3 million of proceeds from the Crane Supply sale. Financing cash flow used $135.6 million, including $53.1 million of dividends and $203.7 million of share repurchases.
  • Backlog was $1,387.0 million at June 30, 2022; management expected to recognize approximately 69% in 2022 and 29% in 2023.

Material Changes Versus the Prior Comparable Period

  • Process Flow Technologies Q2 sales declined 4.7% and operating profit declined 12.7%, primarily because of the Crane Supply divestiture, currency effects, and unfavorable mix.
  • Aerospace & Electronics sales increased 2.5%, but operating profit declined 8.4% because of unfavorable mix, material availability, and higher engineering costs. Commercial OEM and aftermarket demand improved, while military sales declined.
  • Payment & Merchandising Technologies sales increased 1.8% and operating profit increased 3.6%; payment acceptance products grew, while banknote and security-product sales declined.
  • Engineered Materials sales increased 23.2%, but Q2 operating profit declined 5.2% as raw-material inflation outpaced pricing benefits. Six-month operating profit increased 43.3%.
  • Six-month operating cash flow fell $157.7 million year over year, mainly because of working-capital investment and higher income-tax payments.
  • Shares outstanding declined following approximately $203.7 million of six-month repurchases. The quarterly dividend increased to $0.47 per share from $0.43.

Guidance, Outlook, Risks, and Unusual Items

  • Management projected 2022 sales to decline approximately 1% to 2%, reflecting the Crane Supply divestiture and unfavorable foreign exchange, partially offset by 5% to 6% core growth. It expected slight operating-profit improvement, with pricing and productivity offsetting inflation, but with pressure from transaction costs, mix, and the divestiture.
  • Management expected high-single-digit Aerospace & Electronics core sales growth, approximately 10% Process Flow Technologies sales decline, low-single-digit Payment & Merchandising Technologies sales growth, and mid-single-digit Engineered Materials sales growth.
  • The company planned a tax-free separation into two publicly traded companies within approximately 12 months, subject to customary conditions and final board approval. Completion, timing, costs, and expected benefits remained uncertain.
  • Supply-chain disruption, inflation, raw-material costs, foreign exchange, cyclical demand, geopolitical and COVID-19 effects, cybersecurity, customer concentration and execution of the separation were identified as risks.
  • Asbestos liabilities totaled $580.0 million at June 30, 2022, partially offset by $65.0 million of estimated insurance receivables. The company had approximately 30,099 pending asbestos claims and paid $23.5 million of net asbestos settlement and defense costs in the first six months. Management estimated approximately $45 million of 2022 net asbestos payments, but noted significant uncertainty.
  • Environmental liabilities included a $27.1 million gross Goodyear Site liability, with a $6.6 million expected U.S. government reimbursement receivable. Additional environmental obligations at the Crab Orchard Site could not be reasonably estimated.
  • The Engineered Materials sale agreement from 2021 was terminated in May 2022, and the segment was presented as continuing operations. The buyer paid a $7.5 million termination fee.

Most Important Facts to Verify

  • Reconcile reported EPS and net income with the $228.7 million Crane Supply gain, related taxes, and other transaction expenses.
  • Confirm the final scope, timing, separation costs, capital structure, and allocation of asbestos and environmental liabilities for the planned separation.
  • Assess whether pricing and productivity will continue to offset inflation, supply-chain constraints, unfavorable mix, and foreign-exchange pressure.
  • Monitor operating cash conversion, working-capital requirements, commercial-paper borrowings, and the effect of continued share repurchases on liquidity.
  • Review assumptions underlying the $580.0 million asbestos liability and $65.0 million insurance receivable, including claim trends, insurer recoveries, and potential changes in litigation or legislation.