Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 Results

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE:MTD) today announced fourth quarter results for 2023. Provided below are the highlights:

• Reported sales declined 12% compared with the prior year. In local currency, sales decreased 13% in the quarter as currency increased sales growth by 1%.
• Net earnings per diluted share as reported (EPS) were $8.52, compared with $11.86 in the prior-year period. Adjusted EPS was $9.40, a decrease of 22% over the prior-year amount of $12.10. Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP measure, and a reconciliation to EPS is included on the last page of the attached schedules.

Fourth Quarter Results

Patrick Kaltenbach, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our sales and Adjusted EPS were unfortunately negatively impacted by the previously disclosed shipping delays from our external European logistics provider that we expect to largely recover in Q1 2024. Excluding these delays, our results came in as we had expected as we continued to face challenging market conditions in the fourth quarter. Our team executed very well on our cost control initiatives, and cash flow generation for the quarter and the year was strong."

GAAP Results

EPS in the quarter was $8.52, compared with the prior-year amount of $11.86.

Compared with the prior year, total reported sales declined 12% to $935.0 million, and were impacted by shipping delays of approximately $58 million with a new external European logistics service provider. By region, reported sales decreased 6% in the Americas, decreased 11% in Europe, and decreased 19% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $232.6 million, compared with $325.0 million in the prior year.

Non-GAAP Results

Adjusted EPS was $9.40, a decrease of 22% over the prior-year amount of $12.10.

Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency decreased 13% as currency increased sales growth by 1%. By region, local currency sales declined 7% in the Americas, declined 16% in Europe, and declined 18% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $281.8 million, a 21% decrease from the prior-year amount of $358.6 million.

Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Operating Profit are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules.

Full Year Results

GAAP Results

EPS was $35.90, compared with the prior-year amount of $38.41.

Compared with the prior year, total reported sales declined 3% to $3.788 billion. By region, reported sales were flat in Europe, decreased 1% in the Americas, and decreased 9% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $973.7 million, compared with $1.071 billion in the prior year.

Non-GAAP Results

Adjusted EPS was $38.03, a decrease of 4% over the prior-year amount of $39.65.

Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency decreased 3% as currency was neutral for the year. By region, local currency sales decreased 1% in the Americas, decreased 2% in Europe, and decreased 5% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $1.152 billion, a 3% decrease from the prior-year amount of $1.192 billion.

Outlook

The Company stated that forecasting remains difficult. Management cautions that market conditions are uncertain and changes to the business environment can occur quickly. There is increased uncertainty in the economic environment today, including the risk of recession in many countries.

Based on today's assessment of market conditions, management anticipates local currency sales for the first quarter of 2024 will decline approximately 4% to 6%, and Adjusted EPS is forecast to be $7.35 to $7.75, a decline of 11% to 15%. Included in the first quarter guidance is an estimated 4% headwind to Adjusted EPS growth due to adverse currency.

For the full year, management anticipates local currency sales in 2024 will increase approximately 1% to 2%, and Adjusted EPS is forecast to be in the range of $39.60 to $40.30, representing growth of approximately 4% to 6%. Included in the full year guidance is an estimated 2% headwind to Adjusted EPS growth due to adverse currency. This compares with previous local currency sales growth guidance of approximately flat and Adjusted EPS guidance of $39.10 to $39.80.

The Company does not provide GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty and without unreasonable effort the timing and amount of future restructuring and other non-recurring items.

Conclusion

Kaltenbach concluded, "We are preparing for challenging market conditions to persist in the first half of 2024, while also remaining agile to quickly capitalize on growth opportunities and trends towards automation and digitalization, as well as customer investments in faster growth segments. Over the past couple years, we have continued to invest strongly in next-generation products and solutions and have also enhanced our best-in-class corporate programs by launching the next waves of Spinnaker and SternDrive. This will help us further increase our competitiveness and put us in an even more favorable position, especially once our markets pick up again."

Other Matters

The Company will host a conference call to discuss its quarterly results tomorrow morning (Friday, February 9^th) at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. To listen to a live webcast or replay of the call, visit the investor relations page on the Company's website at investor.mt.com. The presentation referenced on the conference call will be located on the website prior to the call.

METTLER TOLEDO (NYSE:MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control, and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food, and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

You should not rely on forward-looking statements to predict our actual results. Our actual results or performance may be materially different than reflected in forward-looking statements because of various risks and uncertainties, including statements about expected revenue growth, inflation, ongoing developments related to Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war. You can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," or "continue."

We make forward-looking statements about future events or our future financial performance, including earnings and sales growth, earnings per share, strategic plans and contingency plans, growth opportunities or economic downturns, our ability to respond to changes in market conditions, planned research and development efforts and product introductions, adequacy of facilities, access to and the costs of raw materials, shipping and supplier costs, gross margins, customer demand, our competitive position, pricing, capital expenditures, cash flow, tax-related matters, the impact of foreign currencies, compliance with laws, effects of acquisitions, and the impact of inflation, ongoing developments related to Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war on our business.

Our forward-looking statements may not be accurate or complete, and we do not intend to update or revise them in light of actual results. New risks also periodically arise. Please consider the risks and factors that could cause our results to differ materially from what is described in our forward-looking statements, including inflation, ongoing developments related to Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas war. See in particular "Factors Affecting Our Future Operating Results" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

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