Terry McNew
Analyst · SunTrust. Your line is open
Thanks, Tim. I'd also like to thank everyone for joining us today. As you saw from today's press release, MasterCraft Boat Holdings delivered strong operational results in the fourth quarter closing out our fiscal 2019 on a strong note.For the year, net sales increased more than 40% to $466.4 million, adjusted EBITDA increased nearly 24% to $79.3 million, and fully diluted adjusted net income per share grew nearly 31% to $2.81 per share.Despite many headwinds faced throughout the year including import tariffs, adverse weather, throughout the country during the selling season, especially in June, and the macroeconomic uncertainty, our team once again generated record levels of net sales and adjusted earnings. Moreover, our strong cash management practices enabled us to significantly reduce our total debt with pro forma net leverage at 1.3 times adjusted EBITDA at year end versus 2.1 times when we acquired Crest in October 2018.Our MasterCraft brand gained market share in the towboat segment over the last 12 months driven in large part with several highly successful product launches over the course of the past year including the X24 and X22.MasterCraft continued its run as the undisputed industry innovator in the towboat category according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, and Boating Riders International receiving its sixth consecutive innovation award in a row and eight in the last 10 years. This is a remarkable achievement when you consider no other towboat manufacturers received the innovation award more than once.Our continued investments and tireless dedication towards innovation have created a legacy that's unrivaled in the industry. As we transition to model year 2020, MasterCraft’s entry level series, the NXT was completely redesigned with the NXT20 and the NXT22, offering our customers even more value, performance, and features, including an upgraded base engine, a new helm experience, an enhanced seating layout, and an optional cool feel interior.Our NXT series has been a breakthrough success for the company since it was introduced in 2015 and continues to be a growth avenue for the brand. A third product launch at MasterCraft will be announced later this month in September rounding out our model year 2020 introductions and complementing our balanced product portfolio. Fresh models and new innovations are the lifeblood of the MasterCraft brand, and we are excited about this year's model lineup.Turning to Crest, since we acquired the business in October of 2018, the brand has continued its market share gains finishing the fiscal year with number eight market share in the highly fragmented Pontoon segment. As we develop a similar product development and innovation process at Crest that we have at MasterCraft, we believe we can drive Crest to a top five market share spot in the Pontoons segment over the course of the next two years.The past nine months, we've been focused on rationalizing Crest’s current product portfolio and anticipate bringing new models to market in the near future. In addition, we've made significant progress on several operational initiatives begun after acquisition having increased production capacity with minimal capital expenditures required. While still early, we believe Crest can grow its gross margin profile from the mid-teen percentage at the time of acquisition to the low 20% range over the next few years, driven by volume gains and the implementation of our operational excellence playbook.NauticStar continues to be a top six market share player in the highly fragmented saltwater fish and deck boat segments despite a contraction in the overall saltwater fish market. We remain committed to the growth strategy we developed at the time of the acquisition, which consisted of dealer growth, new product development, and operational improvements.However, NauticStar has continued to experience market wide challenges that have impacted the business’ ability to grow at the rate that was originally estimated when it was acquired in 2017. Specifically, NauticStar’s core market, the saltwater fish boat market has seen slowing retail demand, especially for boats less than 25 feet in length. These models represent a significant percentage of the brand's current model mix. In response, we’ve pulled back production on smaller boats to ensure wholesale shipments align with retail demand, which has impacted operating margins.These company and market specific headwinds, combined with lower valuation multiples of peer group companies contributed to the company recording a goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charge of $31 million in fiscal fourth quarter.To be clear, we continue to be bullish about the NauticStar brand and its long-term prospects. Our dealer pipeline at NauticStar ended the year at healthy levels, given our prudent decision to pull back on wholesale production earlier in the year in both the 251 Hybrid and 32 foot XS center console will help mitigate the declines in the smaller boat market.In the near term, this market slowdown has delayed the initial growth projections developed at the time of the acquisition, but NauticStar remains a leading brand in the market it serves, combined with a new product development strategies we're deploying, including the introduction of larger in-demand models and the early stages of several operating initiatives in progress, we believe the brand will be positioned better than ever to take advantage of the market recovery leading to greater operating efficiencies and long-term profitable growth.Looking at our newest brand Aviara, beginning in fiscal 2020, we began shipping the AV32 to MarineMax dealers across the country. We are extremely excited about the response the brand has received from MarineMax, consumers and industry experts alike. After years of consumer insight study, design and engineering and product validation work, Aviara is truly a modern luxury Day Boat unlike anything else on the water.The AV32 model began shipping in July of 2019 and the new AV36 and AV40 models are scheduled to begin shipping in the second half of fiscal 2020.Now I'd like to turn the call back over to Tim to go over our financial results.