SIFCO INDUSTRIES INC quarterly report, Q3 FY2018

SIFCO Industries, Inc. — Q3 FY2018 Form 10-Q

Reporting period: Quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2018; fiscal year ends September 30. SIFCO manufactures forgings and machined components, primarily for aerospace and energy markets.

Financial performance

MetricQ3 FY2018Q3 FY2017Nine months FY2018Nine months FY2017
Net sales$28.7 million$30.2 million$80.7 million$92.9 million
Gross profit / margin$3.3 million / 11.4%$3.6 million / 11.8%$7.8 million / 9.7%$11.4 million / 12.3%
Operating loss$1.4 million$5.3 million$4.2 million$8.3 million
Net loss$1.5 million$6.2 million$4.5 million$10.5 million
Net loss per diluted share$0.28$1.13$0.81$1.91
Adjusted EBITDA$1.7 million$2.1 million$2.1 million$6.4 million

For the nine months, operating cash flow was $0.7 million, versus $7.7 million a year earlier. Investing activities provided $1.2 million, including $3.0 million of proceeds from the Cork building sale, while capital expenditures were $1.8 million. Cash and cash equivalents were $1.7 million at June 30, including approximately $1.2 million held by non-U.S. subsidiaries.

Total debt was $29.8 million, compared with $31.3 million at September 30, 2017. The balance sheet showed $19.5 million drawn on the revolver and $6.1 million of current maturities of long-term debt. The revolver’s weighted-average rate was 5.7% at June 30; the term loan rate was 6.3%. Management reported compliance with loan covenants at quarter-end and said it believed operating cash flow and available credit would provide adequate liquidity.

Changes and drivers

  • Nine-month sales fell 13.1%. Energy power-generation sales declined $9.7 million, reflecting a soft market, reduced demand from a major customer and the Alliance closure. Commercial and other revenue fell $3.4 million, partly due to timing on the Hellfire II program.
  • Q3 sales declined 4.9%; a $5.8 million decline in energy sales was partly offset by stronger fixed-wing and rotorcraft sales. Military sales increased in Q3, while commercial sales decreased.
  • Nine-month gross margin fell to 9.7% from 12.3%, mainly due to lower volume and mix and an Alliance inventory write-down. Lower SG&A, including the absence of $2.2 million of prior-year plant expansion costs, and lower amortization helped reduce the reported net loss.
  • The smaller year-over-year net losses also reflect comparison with the prior-year $4.4 million long-lived-asset impairment. Current-period results included a $1.5 million gain on the Cork property sale and a $0.4 million charge to remeasure Alliance assets held for sale.

Outlook, risks and notable items

  • Management expected FY2018 capital expenditures of $2.0 million to $3.5 million, principally for production capabilities and cost reductions; $1.4 million was committed for future capital expenditures at June 30. The filing does not provide revenue or earnings guidance.
  • On August 8, 2018, after quarter-end, SIFCO entered a new asset-based revolving credit agreement with a $30 million maximum commitment, an accordion feature of up to $10 million subject to lender conditions, and maturity in August 2021. The agreement includes a 1.1:1.0 fixed-charge-coverage requirement when availability is at or below 12.5% of the commitment; substantially all U.S. assets secure the facility.
  • Disclosure controls were assessed as ineffective at June 30 due to continuing material weaknesses: domestic IT controls, business and IT controls at the Maniago location, and insufficient accounting resources for timely evaluation of a complex accounting matter. Management described remediation efforts but could not estimate completion timing or costs.
  • Risks cited include aerospace and energy demand, reliance on major customers and military spending, commodity-cost recovery, fixed-cost exposure to lower production volumes, pension funding, foreign-market conditions and access to credit. Revenue-standard adoption was planned for October 1, 2018; management anticipated that some contracts may require revenue recognition over time and said the impact remained under evaluation.
  • The Cork sale generated approximately $3.1 million in proceeds; $2.4 million of net proceeds was applied to debt. The July 2018 Alliance auction generated approximately $0.5 million net proceeds for assets sold; results were preliminary, and approximately $0.1 million of assets remained to be sold.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether sales, gross margins and operating cash generation recover, particularly in energy markets and after the Alliance closure.
  • Available borrowing capacity, covenant headroom, interest costs and the terms and borrowing-base mechanics of the new August 2021 credit facility.
  • Progress and effectiveness of remediation for the disclosed material weaknesses in internal control.
  • Final Alliance auction proceeds and remaining asset-sale timing, as well as the final accounting effects of tax-law changes and adoption of the new revenue standard.
  • Whether the reported improvement in net loss is sustainable apart from prior-period impairment comparisons, property-sale gains and discrete tax benefits.