Hendrikus P. C. Derksen
Analyst · Longbow Research
Thank you, John. I will start my comments with results for the quarter, followed by a review of our operations and segment results, a discussion of the balance sheet and close with our cash flow performance. Please turn to Slide 6. I'd like to begin by discussing the impact of our inorganic activity to our income statement. First, as a consequence of the divestiture of the Thermax and Raydex cable business in December, results of this business have been excluded from continuing operations for 2012 and 2011. Please refer to the 8-K issued in December for prior quarter figures. Second, the acquisition of PPC closed on December 10. And therefore, the results have been included for the remainder of the fourth quarter. Third, the sale of the consumer electronics assets was not treated as a discontinued operation for accounting purposes. Therefore, those results are included in continuing operations in all prior periods up through the date of the sale in late December. And finally, Miranda is included for the full fourth quarter. The combined treatment of these strategic actions is consistent with the information presented at our Investor Day in December. Fourth quarter adjusted revenues were $481.2 million. Adjusted income from continuing operations per diluted share was $0.78 and included $0.10 from favorable discrete tax items during the quarter. Adjusted revenues for the quarter grew 9% year-over-year on $441.3 million in the prior year. Copper-adjusted organic growth declined 40 basis points year-over-year. Revenues were favorably impacted year-over-year by lower copper prices and currency translation of $9 million and $3.4 million, respectively. On a sequential basis, we experienced a larger-than-anticipated channel and customer inventory reduction with an impact of approximately $13 million or 280 basis points. Adjusted gross profit margins at 33.2% increased 450 basis points year-over-year and declined 20 basis points sequentially. On a year-over-year basis, we benefited from acquisitions, which added 330 basis points, leverage and productivity gains of 50 basis points and mix of 30 basis points. Fourth quarter SG&A expenses were $88.5 million or 18.4% of revenue. R&D expenses for the quarter were $18.4 million. SG&A and R&D expenses increased sequentially and year-over-year as a result of the acquisitions of Miranda and PPC with a combined impact of $18.5 million year-over-year. After adjusting for the impact of currency and acquisitions, SG&A and R&D expenses, combined, were down more than $3 million sequentially. We continue to benefit from leverage and productivity gains. For the fourth quarter 2012, we recognized $2.5 million in operating income from the equity method investment in our Hirschmann joint venture that services the Chinese crane manufacturing market. I'm pleased with the fourth quarter adjusted operating profit margins of 11.5%, up 260 basis points year-over-year. Our ability to expand margins through acquisitions of attractive companies, like Miranda and PPC, coupled with productivity gains and leverage on growth, validates that the business model is solid and is delivering results. I'd like to remind everyone that the operating profit margin includes the results of our consumer electronics assets, which were sold in December. As a result, consolidated operating profit margins will be favorably impacted by approximately 60 to 70 basis points going forward. The adjusted effective tax rate for the fourth quarter was 15.9%. This was lower than the 27% rate estimated in the company's guidance, primarily due to the recognition of favorable discrete tax items. Our guidance now includes the impact of the extension of the research and development credit for the year 2012 on the American Taxpayer Relief Act. For financial modeling purposes for the first quarter, we suggest using a 25% effective tax rate, and for the full year 2013 we suggest using a 27% effective tax rate. These rates are incorporated in our guidance that John will share with you in a few moments. Turning to Slide 7 for segment results. Looking at revenue by geography for the quarter, in our Asia Pacific segment, active portfolio management within our consumer electronics business impacted our results. Fourth quarter external revenues totaled $77.1 million, affiliate sales were approximately $400,000 and total revenues were $77.5 million. Fourth quarter external revenues were down 7.2% year-over-year and down 7% sequentially. After adjusting for currency and copper, revenues declined approximately 4.4% year-over-year. When excluding the impact of our consumer electronics business and adjusting for currency and copper, revenues was up 4.3% year-over-year. Within the segment, our industrial networking business did particularly well with growth of 18% year-over-year. We are encouraged by recent spending patterns in key end markets within China and remain committed to share capture programs in the region. We also saw strength from our Global Accounts Program, and general management initiatives showed solid gains in countries like Indonesia with growth of 76% year-over-year. Fourth quarter operating income was $9.6 million or 12.4%, an increase of 740 basis points year-over-year, driven by the portfolio management mentioned earlier, productivity gains and a stable product mix. Operating profit margins in the Asia Pacific segment, excluding consumer electronics, is now approximately 18%. I am proud of the significant progress made in this segment in 2012. We now begin the new year with a stronger product offering and a focused management team. Results from our EMEA segment were in line with our expectations. Fourth quarter 2012 external revenues totaled $81.9 million, affiliate sales were $33.9 million and total revenues were $115.8 dollars (sic) [million]. After adjusting for currency and copper, external revenues decreased 3.6% year-over-year and decreased approximately 90 basis points sequentially, mainly as a result of continued economic contraction seen in the region. Operating income in the fourth quarter 2012 was $18.8 million or 16.3%, down 160 basis points year-over-year when adjusting for currency and copper, driven largely by lower volume. Sequentially, operating profit margin improved 30 basis points on a similar basis, driven primarily by productivity. I'm pleased with the margin levels despite the contraction in the market. And finally, given the state of the U.S. economy in the fourth quarter, I'm pleased with the 1.9% copper-adjusted organic growth that we experienced in our Americas segment. Here, external revenues totaled $322.2 million, affiliate sales were approximately $8.3 million and total revenues were $330.5 million. The industrial end markets within the Americas segments performed very well with growth of almost 14% for the fourth quarter and 11% for the full year. Our Market Delivery System, which allows Belden to identify and capture attractive opportunities, is working well as evidenced by this performance. Fourth quarter 2012 operating income was $44.3 million or 13.4% of revenue, up 200 basis points year-over-year, driven largely by the addition of Miranda. The team is making solid progress against our long-term goal of achieving operating margins of 14% to 16%. If you will please turn to Slide 8, I will begin with our balance sheet highlights. I'm pleased with our cash and cash equivalent balance of $395.1 million at the end of the fourth quarter. This is an increase of $9.5 million from the third quarter. Inventory turns were 7.4, an improvement of 0.8 turns both year-over-year and sequentially. Days sales outstanding was 57 days in the fourth quarter, a 1-day decrease year-over-year and a 1-day increase sequentially. Working capital turnover was 9.1, down 1.4 turns year-over-year and 0.5 turns sequentially. The decline was driven primarily by the sale of our consumer electronics assets and its impact to our balance sheet. Total outstanding debt principal increased to $1.15 billion as a result of financing activities taken in 2012, including a $255 million term loan used to facilitate the Miranda transaction, $700 million of newly issued debt in the third quarter and $198 million on the revolver used to facilitate the acquisition of PPC and $5.2 million of remaining 2019 notes. I'm pleased that we were able to extend maturity while reducing our current weighted average cost of debt by over 300 basis points from almost 8.7% 1 year ago to 5.5% today. I'd like to point out that for modeling purposes, interest expense will amount to approximately $16 million per quarter. Based upon our strong current cash position and liquidity available under our unused credit facility, at the end of the fourth quarter, the company had $450 million of dry powder, which allows us to continue our M&A strategy in combination with our share repurchase program. Please turn to Slide 9 for a few cash flow highlights. Cash from operations for 2012 was $176.6 million compared to $184.5 million in the year-ago period. Net capital expenditures for the year totaled $31.4 million compared to $38.8 million in 2011. Free cash flow of $145.2 million or 13% of net income, was at similar levels in the year-ago period. As John mentioned, we announced in November an additional $200 million share purchase program. This is in addition to the previously authorized $150 million program. These programs are open ended. For the full year, we purchased 2.1 million shares of Belden common stock for $75 million under the previous authorization, totaling 3.71 million shares repurchased under this program at an average price of $33.72 per share. We still have $25 million remaining available under that program. In the fourth quarter, because of numerous material events that occurred and the SEC-required blackout periods, we were unable to repurchase any Belden stock. We expect to resume this program going forward. That completes my prepared remarks. I would now like to turn this call back to our CEO, John Stroup, for the outlook and his closing comments. John?