Nortech Systems Announces 2022 Second Quarter Results

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Nortech Systems Incorporated, a leading provider of engineering and manufacturing solutions for complex electromedical and electromechanical products serving the medical, industrial and defense markets, reported 2022 second quarter results for the period ended June 30, 2022.

2022 Second Quarter Highlights

• Revenue of $32.5 million, up nearly 8% compared to the second quarter of 2021.
• Gross margin of 15.4%, up 3.5 percentage points compared to the second quarter of 2021.
• Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $1.5 million, up over 70% from the second quarter of 2021.
• Quarter-end shipping backlog of $106.2 million up nearly 50% compared to the backlog as of June 30, 2021, with strong growth across all markets.
• Launched Active Optical Xtreme (AOX™) cable solutions in April 2022.
• Industry veteran David Graff was elected to the Board of Directors in May 2022.

Management Commentary

"Our strong second quarter improvements are significant, particularly in light of healthy 2021 comparisons," said Jay D. Miller, Chief Executive Officer and President. "These solid results are a credit to all our Nortech team members. We are focused on supporting our strategic medical, industrial, and defense customers with mission-critical solutions in a very complex business environment.

"We are encouraged by continued demand growth across these markets, evidenced by our record backlog," added Miller. "Currently the dominant concern of many customers is supply-chain reliability, so our end-to-end fulfillment solutions and collaborative supplier relationships combine to offer a particularly strong value proposition. We are fortunate to have many long-term, loyal customers and responsive suppliers. Many of these relationships have endured for decades through various economic cycles."

In the second quarter of 2022, revenue totaled $32.5 million. This represents a 7.7% increase from revenue of $30.2 million in the second quarter of 2021. For the first half of 2022, revenue totaled $63.2 million, a 21.0% increase from the first half of 2021. Net income totaled $0.7 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022, up from net income of $0.2 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021. Through the first six months of 2022, net income totaled $0.9 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, up from a net loss of ($1.4) million, or ($0.52) per diluted share, through the same period in 2021.

In the second quarter of 2022, gross profit totaled $5.0 million, or 15.4%, compared to gross profit of $3.6 million, or 11.9%, in the prior-year quarter. Through the first six months of 2022, gross profit of $9 million, or 14.3%, was up from gross profit of $5.1 million, or 9.8%, in the first half of 2021. Gross profit improvement was primarily due to pricing increases implemented to overcome inflationary cost pressures coupled with higher plant volume and improved operating efficiencies.

Second quarter 2022 operating expenses totaled $4.0 million, unchanged from the previous quarter and a 25.1% increase from second quarter 2021 operating expenses of $3.2 million. The $0.8 million increase in year-over-year operating expense was driven primarily by investments in research & development, sales & marketing, and upgrading essential IT, HR, and analytical capabilities. For the first six months of 2022, operating expenses totaled $7.9 million, up 13.6% from operating expenses of $6.9 million in the first half of 2021.

Second quarter 2022 EBITDA totaled $1.5 million, up over 70% from EBITDA of $0.9 million in the second quarter of 2021. For the first six months of 2022, EBITDA totaled $2.1 million, a significant improvement from an EBITDA loss of ($0.6) million through the first six months of 2021. Increased EBITDA resulted from previously discussed revenue and margin improvements during the periods.

Business Outlook

"Looking ahead, we are optimistic about the second half of the year," explained Miller. "Our healthy backlog indicates demand well past December and shows no signs of diminishing. Sales growth and selective pricing actions should drive modest margin expansion for the remainder of 2022. We also expect improved, positive cash flow in the third and fourth quarters. Finally, we anticipate contributions from new cable technologies as we move into 2023.

"Our employees, management team, and board of directors have built a solid foundation for growth in 2022 and beyond. Everyone is committed to executing on our fundamentals: continuous improvement and operational excellence in all facets of our global business, striving to provide world-class quality, on-time delivery, and competitive pricing.

"We continue to strengthen our core business through various initiatives, including leveraging our team members' customer-specific expertise to provide innovative fulfillment solutions for sophisticated low-volume/high-mix contract manufacturing services. Our program management, engineering support, and innovation capabilities are also valuable to both established customers and start-ups," concluded Miller.