Sypris Reports 15% Revenue Growth in Q4

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Sypris Solutions, Inc. reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2022.

Highlights: 

• Consolidated revenue for the quarter increased 15.2% year-over-year and 17.9% sequentially driven by continued expansion across the business.
• Gross profit rose 4.3% from the prior-year period and 133.0% sequentially.
• Earnings for the period of $0.01 per diluted share represented an $0.11 per share increase sequentially from the third quarter of 2022.
• Orders increased 102.7% year-over-year and 71.3% sequentially, while backlog jumped 117.3% and 16.9%, respectively.
• Quarterly revenue for Sypris Electronics increased 13.2% year-over-year and 52.9% sequentially. Gross profit rose 14.4% and 164.1%, respectively, while backlog increased 119.5%, or $64.5 million, to $118.5 million from the prior year end.
• Quarterly revenue for Sypris Technologies increased 16.6% year-over-year and 1.0% sequentially. Orders for energy products rose 71.4% when compared to the prior-year period, while backlog increased 75.6% from the prior year end.
• During the quarter, Sypris Electronics announced an amendment to an existing multi-year supply agreement to increase deliveries for a large, mission-critical Navy program. The amended contract, including options, now provides for the purchase of up to $77.0 million of assemblies, representing a 39.5% increase in potential volume compared to the original base contract. Sypris also received releases for the first year of production with shipments scheduled to begin in 2023.
• Sypris Electronics also announced a follow-on award from a U.S. DOD prime contractor for a secure communications infrastructure program. Sypris will produce and test the embedded circuit card assemblies that will perform certain cryptographic functions for the Army Key Management System. Production is expected to begin in 2023.
• Subsequent to quarter end, Sypris Electronics announced that it had received an award to produce and test electronic interface modules for a U.S. Department of Defense missile weapons system as part of an ongoing modernization program. Production is expected to begin in 2023.
• On March 7, Sypris Technologies announced that it had entered into an amendment to its existing supply agreement with Detroit Diesel Corporation, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, to produce a new series of part numbers for driveline components for use in Detroit® Diesel-branded drive axles. The components to be produced by Sypris will be essential to the performance of the drive axles of Freightliner’s heavy-duty trucks. Production is expected to begin in 2023.
• The Company raised its outlook for 2023, with revenue now expected to increase 25-30% year-over-year, reflecting the continued momentum of new contract awards and strong backlog across many of the Company’s markets. We expect margins to expand 175-225 basis points year-over-year and cash flow from operations to be solid, reflecting the positive impact of earnings growth.

“We were pleased with our fourth quarter performance, as we continued to expand across all segments of our business. Material shortages and supply chain disruptions are abating, and our focus is clearly on meeting the growing demand of our customers. We have reached the inflection point, with future shipments now expected to reflect the impact of our growing backlog,” commented Jeffrey T. Gill, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Backlog for Sypris Electronics continued to increase on both a year-over-year and sequential basis, resulting in our largest book of business in over a decade. The record $118 million backlog is expected to support revenue growth through 2024. Customer funding has already been secured for a portion of these key programs, which enables us to procure inventory under multi-year purchase orders to mitigate future supply chain issues.

“Overall demand from customers serving the automotive, commercial vehicle, sport utility and off-highway markets has remained somewhat stable, with new product line shipments offsetting headwinds for automotive and commercial vehicle components as our customers adjust inventory levels to align with OEM build schedules. While we continue to experience volatility within this market, current forecasts are predicting that 2023-2027 will be the strongest five years ever experienced by the North American Class 8 truck market.

“We continue to invest in new equipment, maintain or upgrade existing assets, and drive continuous improvement initiatives to add capacity and support more cost-efficient operations in the future. The successful extension of long-term contracts with two of our key Sypris Technologies’ customers during the year supports our revenue base and provides opportunities to expand these relationships in the coming years.

“Orders for our energy products during the fourth quarter increased 71% year-over-year, with open quotes outstanding on several large projects. Additional opportunities for growth may exist with new projects in support of increasing rig counts over pre-pandemic levels. We are also actively pursuing applications for our products in adjacent markets to further diversify our industry and customer portfolios.”

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results

The Company reported revenue of $29.7 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to $25.8 million for the prior-year period. Net income was $0.1 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to $0.4 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, for the prior-year period.

For the full-year 2022, the Company reported revenue of $110.1 million compared with $97.4 million for the prior-year period. The Company reported a net loss of $2.5 million, or $0.11 per share, for 2022 compared with net income of $2.9 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, for the prior-year period. Results for 2021 include the recognition of a $3.6 million gain on the forgiveness of the Company’s PPP loan.

Sypris Technologies

Revenue for Sypris Technologies increased to $17.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to $14.7 million for the prior-year period. Increased shipments of energy components and steel price increase pass-throughs contributed to the increase. These increases were partially offset by lower shipment volume to the commercial vehicle market due to inventory rebalancing at year-end. Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $2.2 million, or 12.9% of revenue, compared to $2.3 million, or 15.8% of revenue, for the same period in 2021. In addition to the change in revenue mix, gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2022 was impacted by production inefficiencies driven by volatile customer demand schedules and inflation.

Sypris Electronics

Revenue for Sypris Electronics increased to $12.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to $11.1 million for the prior-year period. The increase in revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2022, was primarily due to the ramping of production under a follow-on program along with increased shipments for a communications program. Supply chain constraints partially offset these gains, limiting shipments on certain other programs during the period. Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $2.4 million, or 18.9% of revenue, compared to $2.1 million, or 18.7% of revenue, for the same period in 2021 due to the higher volumes.

Outlook

Commenting on the future, Mr. Gill added, “While challenging supply chain conditions impacted our 2022 results, demand from customers serving the automotive, commercial vehicle and sport utility markets has remained at high levels. Similarly, demand from customers in the defense and communications sector remains robust, while the outlook for the energy market continues to move in the right direction.

“Our record backlog, new program wins and long-term contract extensions are expected to support continued revenue and earnings growth during 2023. We now expect revenue to increase 25-30% year-over-year as a result of the combined strength of our backlog for Sypris Electronics, increasing orders for our energy products and anticipated new program wins for Sypris Technologies’ commercial vehicle product line. We also continue to expect to achieve gross margin expansion in the range of 175 to 225 basis points and cash flow from operations is expected to remain positive for the year.