Earnings Labs

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP)

Q1 2012 Earnings Call· Thu, May 3, 2012

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good day. And welcome to today’s Standard Motor Products First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note this call may be recorded. It is now my pleasure to turn the conference over to Mr. Jim Burke.

James J. Burke

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Okay. Thank you. Good morning. And welcome to Standard Motor Products first quarter 2012 conference call. In attendance from the company are Larry Sills, Chief Executive Officer; and myself, Jim Burke, Chief Financial Officer. As a preliminary note, I would like to point out that some of the material we will be discussing today may include forward-looking statements regarding our business and expected financial results. When we use words like anticipate, believe, estimate or expect these are generally forward-looking statements. Although, we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they are based on information currently available to us and certain assumptions made by us, and we cannot assure that they will prove correct. You should also read our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements. I’ll begin with the review with financial highlights and then turn it over to Larry followed by Q&A. Our sales were behind in the first quarter as we predicted in our last earnings call, primarily for 2 reasons. First Q1 ‘11 sales growth was up 23% due to customer pipeline orders in both engine management and temperature control, and second, a large temperature control customer elected to source some products direct from China. While discussing top line revenues, we are pleased to have completed our CompressorWorks acquisition earlier this week, which will add $60 million annualized volume to our temp business. Larry will discuss this acquisition in more detail and after I review the financial highlights. Consolidated net sales in Q1 ‘12 were $211.7 million. As a comparison against 2011, consolidated net sales were down $8.5 million or 3.9%. By segment, Engine Management net sales were $163 million, off $1.2 million…

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Good morning. Jim has reviewed the numbers. I’m just going to cover a few key points and then we’ll open for questions. The first is sales. Now, I think the main thing to keep in mind is that in the short-run, our sales are impacted by customer buying patterns. Their plans for their inventory, do they want to increase or decrease it, or so on. It’s really a short run. But over the course of the year, it balances out and the main factor is how well the business as a whole is doing and how well our customers are doing. Last year, as Jim said we were up 23% in the first quarter. Though we wound up the year, 8% ahead basically in line with customer sales. Now this year, our customers continue to do well. Industry demographics are favorable. The average age of vehicles are now over 11 years. Customers are reporting sales increases in our lines. So we are confident that by the end of the year, our sales will mirror our customer’s sales. And we expect our industry to do well. So that’s the issue on sales. Now I’d like to talk about our recent news which is the acquisition of CompressorWorks. CompressorWorks is a relatively young company, roughly 10 years old. But they have been very successful. They sell to some of the top accounts in the industry. They are the unquestioned leader in the U.S. of the manufacturer of new compressors, which is the fastest growing part of the business. And we’ve been pleased to see they have some very talented people and we are happy to welcome them to our company. Now we see some substantial benefits in this merger. First of all, it’s going to give us a very strong product offering.…

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] We will take our first question from the line of Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company.

Brian Sponheimer

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Congratulations on the CompressorWorks acquisitions. It looks like a great one here. Speaking about acquisitions and just how active you’ve been over the course of the last year, what do you think has changed within the marketplace where you’re getting to prices that you find attractive? Have multiples compressed, have you guys decided to pay more. What’s going on?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

One thing I haven’t changed Brian, our target -- as we sell products we buy and sell. There’s many businesses that are for sale. Our point at sweet spot to what we look for, as Larry said our bolt-on acquisitions and the last 3 that we did are right in our engine management temperature control programs what we believe to be fairly priced. And again, products we sell to the customers we know and we look to get the combined sourcing and leverage on new products, so we can bring the market with it. So no change, the health of our balance sheet force us the ability to do these types of acquisitions and we’re very pleased to be able to grow the top line.

Brian Sponheimer

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Okay. So that’s the good news. The bad news is it looks like, you said you lost a temperature control customer to some direct sourcing. Can you talk about that for a second, what were the circumstances that led to that decision for the customer to leave and maybe how big that was?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Okay. We really talked about that at the previous call, but what led the customer to make that decision, we believe or what they told us is they saw the opportunity to buy cheaper. So our response to that has to be that we have to minimize the price differential between buying from us and buying from China and we are working very diligently to do that. We are confident that we can do that. The acquisition of CompressorWorks, because that’s the big one as new compressors, will help us do that. And we believe that as long, as we can remain price competitive with China, all the benefits that we offer, the quality, the customer service, returns, sales support, et cetera will help us keep that business and the proof of that is that no one has followed them. So that’s the story there.

Brian Sponheimer

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Okay. Great. And if I can ask just one more, we’ve seen a pretty strong shift at some of the after-market manufacturers towards value-added products, which you guys have obviously talked about for a while now. What does a new compressor itself or relative to a reman one?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Brian Sponheimer from Gabelli & Company

Well, that’s a very good question. As the gap is narrowing, which is why new compressors are rising and rebuilt compressors are flowing. The sort of a rule of some in the industry is that rebuilt needs to be least 30% below the price of the new otherwise people are going to go to the new. That is diminishing now. It’s 15% to 20%. I guess it varies by part obviously, but the gap is narrowing, which means the ratio of new to rebuilt is switching in favor of the new. This is an area where CompressorWorks will help us, because they are the leader in that. They have very low cost manufacturing. And as the market tends to switch to new away from the rebuilt is going to put us in a much stronger position that we would have been. Does that answer your question?

Operator

Operator

And we’ll take our next question from the side of Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

What are the opportunities for expansion of CompressorWorks? Are they geographically limited the opportunities or….?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Well, they happen to be very conveniently located. They are about a half hour from Four Seasons. So we anticipate a lot of help as we go back and forth with each other, and again, we have very high hopes for this combination.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

What’s going to be approximately growth rate, Larry, over the last few years?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

I don’t know it’s been the last few years.

James J. Burke

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

It has been significant. As Larry had said, they are a young company. They started from scratch only about 10 years ago.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Where are they coming from?

James J. Burke

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

$60 million now.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Growth from zero to 60?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

That’s the use of car phrase. They’ve gone from zero to 60 pretty fast.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

All right. Okay. I guess, when you look at the dividend, what will you have to see to kick the dividend level?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Well, we just raised it from $0.07 to $0.09 and we will continue to look at it with our Board of Directors.

Robert Smith

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

All right. So you have a target of about a third of a payout, a third payout. So what will you have to see this be comfortable to say go to a $0.40 annual rate.

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Well, actually we hope to continue to grow the earnings and we will and as I say we will continue to monitor that with our Board. Yes, that remains our target, one third. We’ve been under that. We like being a little under that but yes, that is our stated target.

Operator

Operator

Thank you and our next question comes from the side of Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Just a few quick questions here. With CompressorWorks, can you talk about the margins maybe comparing it to your Temperature Control segment right now?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Yes, you can look at the margins, gross margin, SG&A that it will be mirroring our existing Temperature Control business.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Okay. And then if we look at SG&A as a whole, is it fair to assume that core SG&A remain flattish year-over-year for the remaining 3 quarters or is it something that could cause that to pick up?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

The only thing we’ve pointed out in our earnings call at the end of the year was that there were 2 items that were increased in there.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Right.

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

One was a onetime curtailment of $3.2 million in post-retirement expense and then the other amortization costs were going up about $2 million on an annual basis. So you need to adjust for those 2 facts when you look at the SG&A. And then the volume related, as we have factoring fees with our customers that is charged in SG&A. Other than that, we continuously work on the core expenses with them. We will get increase for the acquisition related expenses that we did again. Forecast trading didn’t happen till the end of October last year. So that’s incremental for this year and now CompressorWorks will be incremental.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

And if we talk about the value-line products for a second, I know you made a recent acquisition to kind of expand its outline. There is another aftermarket competitor that talked about a negative product mix being more value lines hurting them on the margin side. You guys talked of being pretty similar. Did it really break down to different product lines, there is a different margin differential from the premium to the value for you guys is a pretty much net neutral, whether it’s be the value line or the premium line?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Well, the trend is there, there is no question. The trend is there, as I believe the car population continues to get older, so you’re driving a 13-year-old car, you want to save money on your parts. So that trend will continue we believe and yes, we think that this 2 of our most recent acquisitions are helping us in that field. Our forecast in the Engine Management and compressive works for Temp are both proving successful and competing in this economy line lower margin area. So, a lower price area I should say. So yes, the trend is there and that is really one of our motivations for these acquisitions, it’s going to be there, we want to do well with it. And these 2 acquisitions will help us.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

And just, if I guess need one more before I hop in the queue. Can you maybe give us a sense for what year-over-year revenue comp would look like in 2Q maybe by segment?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Yes. We -- Adam, we don’t put out specific guidance on that. Again, I think what we’re looking to hopefully improve the balance of the year, mirror our customers and then it’s just adjusting to the acquisitions that we had.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Okay. So, 2Q will look more on a normalized basis versus the negative impact from the kind of inventory build last year?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks from Sidoti & Company

Yes.

Operator

Operator

Our next question comes from the side of Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs.

Aditya Oberoi

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

I just had a follow-up question on the CompressorWorks acquisition. You guys said that you guys will benefit from lower manufacturing cost after the -- after you fully integrate the businesses. Is it primarily like just achieving synergies in the business or you will probably think of manufacturing footprint change as well and making it more in sync with your footprint of shifting stuff towards low cost countries?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

Well, we really have not formalized our plans as yet. We’re just getting started with these people. But what we see immediately is that they are more basic than we are in new compressor manufacture and that is going to be a help. And how much of that help will be achieved in the year 2012, as Jim says, the seasons here up already, so I think there are some important benefits and from the cost side. But we will not -- we will see them but we’ll see them in 2013.

Aditya Oberoi

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

Got it. And I just wanted to go down little bit on the mix shift towards more value products. I know part of your SG&A is tied to the revenue of -- the revenue that your distributors or your selling associates generate. Is it somehow to tie to the mix of the product to sell or no?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

In our SG&A expenses?

Aditya Oberoi

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

Yes. Yes.

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Aditya Oberoi from Goldman Sachs

No. No. Virtually a very little. Again, a large part of our SG&A I would understand is sales and marketing. So there will be a little bit of variable expense and there are distribution costs, which is in different as the part sales at the center 20% premium or discount and then our G&A costs.

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] And we will take a follow-up question from the side of Adam Brooks.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks

Yes. Real quick, I think last quarter you talked about $15 million to $20 million impact from that customer leaving for direct source. And can you tell us how much of that hit in 1Q?

James J. Burke

Analyst · Adam Brooks

You can figure out roughly half of the -- we are figuring in targeting $20 million now and figure half of it. And Adam, I just want to point out, I was going to call you afterwards, you asked me on the SG&A expenses, the incremental I pointed out was the post retirement.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks

Right.

James J. Burke

Analyst · Adam Brooks

The other item that I want to mention that came back to me will be the intangibles amortization from our acquisitions, so well have an increase in that area also within SG&A expenses. Both being non-cash.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks

Right. And just to kind of summarize. What was the -- what will be the quarterly run rate for those non-amortization charges?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks

There’re probably somewhere with the latest acquisition will probably be in the $500,000 range per quarter.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks

Okay.

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks

I think a little on the high side.

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] And we have another follow-up from the side of Adam Brooks.

Adam Brooks

Analyst · Adam Brooks

I guess could you talk maybe about possible international expansion long-term, the aftermarket seems to be very tough in Europe because of the scrappage programs. Is there any opportunity to maybe pick up an asset on the cheap end of the market or was that not something that you’ve considered?

Lawrence I. Sills

Analyst · Adam Brooks

Well, we look at everything and we will continue to look at everything. We’ve been in Europe, we have a company called Intermotor and we were there for I guess 10 years. We did well for a while, but then we sold it and we think that we do best in markets that we really know and understand. And that’s more important to us than the fact that the initial purchase price is low. It’s what really matters is how well you do with it. But I don’t want to say no to anything at this point. We will continue to look.

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] And it appears gentlemen we have no further questions at this time.

James J. Burke

Analyst · Robert Smith from the Center for Performance Investing

Okay. With that, I’d like to thank everyone for joining our call today. Good bye.

Operator

Operator

This does indeed conclude today’s teleconference. Thank you for your participation. You may now…