A. O. Smith Reports Record Sales in the Second Quarter

Second Quarter 2024 Highlights

(Comparisons are year-over-year ("YoY"), unless otherwise noted)

• Record sales of $1 billion, an increase of 7%, driven by higher water heater volumes
• Diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.06, a YoY increase of 2% and an increase of 5% compared to prior year adjusted EPS 
• Reaffirm 2024 sales outlook of an increase of 3% to 5%
• Narrow EPS guidance to a range of between $3.95 and $4.10
• Recently announced Pureit acquisition expected to close by the end of 2024

MILWAUKEE, July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global water technology company A. O. Smith Corporation ("the Company") (NYSE:AOS) today announced its second quarter 2024 results.

 

"A. O. Smith achieved record sales in the second quarter on higher residential and commercial water heater volumes in North America, including sales of our recently launched gas-tankless products, which we began shipping in the quarter. Additionally, we are pleased to see our North American boiler business resume its growth trajectory," noted Kevin J. Wheeler, chairman and chief executive officer. "I continue to be impressed by our global team's commitment to execution and meeting our customers' needs to generate record topline performance. I also look forward to welcoming the Pureit team to the A. O. Smith family before the end of the year."

Second Quarter 2024 Segment-level Performance

North America

2024 sales of $790.7 million improved 9% over 2023, primarily driven by higher water heater and commercial boilers volumes. 2024 sales also benefited from pricing actions.

Segment earnings were $198.4 million and segment margin was 25.1% in 2024 compared to segment earnings of $199.1 million and segment margin of 27.6% in 2023. The year-over-year decreases in segment earnings and segment margin were in line with expectations and were largely a result of higher material costs, primarily steel, and higher selling expenses to support our sales growth initiatives including the launch of gas-tankless products. 2023 adjusted segment earnings and adjusted segment margin were $194.1 million and 26.9%, respectively.

Rest of World

Sales of $244.8 million were essentially flat to prior year sales and included inter-segment sales related to our recently launched tankless water heaters which are manufactured in China for the North America market. Additionally, there was an unfavorable currency translation impact of approximately $7 million primarily related to sales in China. Local currency third party sales in China increased 2% in 2024, primarily driven by higher volumes of kitchen products and combi boilers, partially offset by lower sales of residential water treatment products in China. Sales in India increased 16% in local currency in 2024 driven by continued strong demand.

Segment earnings were $25.9 million and segment margin was 10.6% in 2024 compared to segment earnings of $28.3 million and segment margin of 11.6% in the prior year. 2024 segment margin attributed to third party sales was 11.5%. The lower segment earnings and segment margin in 2024 compared to segment earnings and segment margin in 2023, were primarily driven by an unfavorable product mix and sales promotions in China.

Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Capital Allocation

As of June 30, 2024, cash and marketable securities balances totaled $233.3 million and debt totaled $140.4 million, resulting in a leverage ratio of 6.8% as measured by total debt-to-total capitalization.

Cash provided by operations was $164.0 million and free cash flow was $119.1 million in the first half of 2024, which decreased year-over-year primarily as a result of higher inventory and accounts receivable balances, higher incentive payments associated with record sales and profits earned in 2023, which more than offset higher earnings and higher trade accounts payable balances.

Consistent with its long-standing strategy to grow through acquisitions and further penetrate high potential markets, the Company signed an agreement earlier this month to acquire Pureit from Unilever for $120 million, subject to customary adjustments. Pureit, a leading water purification business in South Asia, offers a broad range of residential water purification solutions and has annual sales of approximately USD $60 million, primarily in India. The acquisition fits squarely in the Company's core capabilities and doubles the Company's market penetration in South Asia. For full release, click here.  

As part of its commitment to return capital to shareholders, the Company repurchased 1.8 million shares at a cost of $153.2 million in the first half of 2024. As of June 30, 2024, authority remained to repurchase approximately 3.7 million additional shares. The Company expects to spend $300 million repurchasing shares in 2024.

On July 8, 2024, the Company's board of directors approved a $0.32 per share dividend for shareholders of record on July 31, payable on August 15. For the full release, click here.

Outlook

"North American water heater industry shipments were resilient in the first half of the year buoyed by stable replacement demand and prebuy ahead of our March 1^st price increase. We are pleased with our performance in China in the quarter; however we see continued economic headwinds and remain cautious about the second half of the year. As we consider these and other factors, we reaffirm our 2024 sales projection of an increase between 3% and 5% year-over-year and narrow our full-year EPS guidance of a range of between $3.95 and $4.10, a 6% year-over-year increase over adjusted EPS, at the mid-point," stated Wheeler.

The Company's guidance excludes the potential impacts from future acquisitions.

A. O. Smith will host a webcasted conference call at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) today. The call can be heard live on the Company's website click here. An audio replay of the call will be available on the Company's website after the live event. To access the archived audio replay, go to the "Investors" page and select the Second Quarter 2024 Earnings Call link.

To provide improved transparency into the operating results of its business, the Company is providing non-GAAP measures. Free cash flow is defined as cash provided by operations less capital expenditures. Adjusted earnings, adjusted EPS, adjusted segment earnings and adjusted corporate expenses exclude the impact of pension settlement income and impairment expenses. Reconciliations from GAAP measures to non-GAAP measures are provided in the financial information included in this news release.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains statements that the Company believes are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "forecast," "continue," "guidance," "outlook" or words of similar meaning. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include, among other things, the following: softening in U.S. residential water heater demand; negative impacts to the Company, particularly the demand for its products, resulting from global inflationary pressures or a potential recession in one or more of the markets in which the Company participates; the Company's ability to continue to obtain commodities, components, parts and accessories on a timely basis through its supply chain and at expected costs; negative impacts to demand for the Company's products, particularly commercial products, as a result of changes in commercial property usage that followed the COVID-19 pandemic; further weakening in U.S. residential or commercial construction or instability in the Company's replacement markets; inability of the Company to implement or maintain pricing actions; inconsistent recovery of the Chinese economy or a further decline in the growth rate of consumer spending or housing sales in China; negative impact to the Company's businesses from international tariffs, trade disputes and geopolitical differences, including the conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea; potential further weakening in the high-efficiency gas boiler segment in the U.S.; substantial defaults in payment by, material reduction in purchases by or the loss, bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer; foreign currency fluctuations; the Company's inability to successfully integrate or achieve its strategic objectives resulting from acquisitions; the possibility that the parties will fail to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to satisfy any of the other conditions to the proposed acquisition; failure to realize the expected benefits of acquisitions or expected synergies; competitive pressures on the Company's businesses, including new technologies and new competitors; the impact of potential information technology or data security breaches; changes in government regulations or regulatory requirements; the inability to respond to secular trends toward decarbonization and energy efficiency; and adverse developments in general economic, political and business conditions in key regions of the world. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's filings with Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements included in this news release are made only as of the date of this release, and the Company is under no obligation to update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributed to the Company, or persons acting on its behalf, are qualified entirely by these cautionary statements. 

About A. O. Smith

Celebrating its 150^th year of business, A. O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a global leader applying innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:AOS), the Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as water treatment products. For more information, visit www.aosmith.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOURCE: A. O. Smith Corporation

 

 

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SOURCE A. O. Smith Corporation