Business transformation continues to accelerate, raising expected annual benefit to $20 million Company reduced debt by $32.5 million
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., November 11, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Vanguard® Company, a diversified specialty and agricultural products company that develops, manufactures, and markets solutions for crop protection and nutrition, turf and ornamental management and commercial pest control, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.
Third Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Highlights – versus Third Quarter 2023:
Net sales of $118.3 million ($130.7 million when excluding Dacthal product recall impact) v. $149.5 million;
Adjusted EBITDA1 of $1.8 million v. $11.4 million;
Maintaining full-year 2024 Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $40 million to $50 million
EPS of $(0.92) v. ($0.01)
Decreased debt by $32.5 million from $211.3 million in the previous quarter
First nine months 2024 Financial and Operational Highlights – versus first nine months 2023:
Net sales of $381.7 million ($394.1 million when excluding Dacthal product recall impact) v. $407.2 million;
Adjusted EBITDA of $23.3 million v. $33.5 million;
EPS of $(1.28) v. $0.02
Other Highlights:
Raising expected full-year transformation related benefits to $20 million from $15 million
The Board is actively engaged in recruiting a CEO to build upon the transformation momentum
Timothy J. Donnelly, Acting CEO of American Vanguard, stated "We remain focused on transforming our Company into an efficient, reliable and profitable supplier to the Ag industry. We are pleased with the results that we are beginning to see from our business transformation. While we continue to manage through macroeconomic headwinds, we are seeing pockets of strength. For example, our non-crop business grew 17% as compared to the year ago period, and our green solutions portfolio grew 18% as compared to the year ago period. The growth in these areas was offset by pressure from generics, but the single biggest factor was a significant drop in Aztec sales year over year. Sales in 2023 were unusually high as a result of a previous supply shortage."
Mr. Donnelly continued, "As we transform the business, we are incurring one-time charges associated with positioning American Vanguard for longer-term growth. During the quarter we incurred a $8.1 million transformation charge. Additionally, during the quarter we recorded a $16.2 million charge associated with the collection and disposal of Dacthal. The Company benefitted from this profitable product for many years, and we are now taking the necessary steps to safely recall and dispose of it."
David T. Johnson, Vice President, CFO and Treasurer, stated "Despite the macro headwinds, the Company remains steadfast in its transformation roadmap, which presents a clear path towards achieving a 15% adjusted-EBITDA margin across the ag-cycle. We are pleased to have been able to pay down a material amount of debt during the quarter, decreasing our long-term debt to $179 million from $211 million at the end of the previous quarter. We expect to further improve our liquidity as we decrease our inventory in our seasonally strong 4th quarter. We remain optimistic that we can decrease inventory to 34% of sales by year end, down $25 million versus last year. We are pleased with the hard work of our employees in pursuing the business transformation projects. Furthermore, through their hard work we were able to reduce operating expenses, excluding transformation costs, for both the three month and nine month periods ended September 30, 2024, as compared to the prior year period."
Mark Bassett, a board member who is temporarily working with the Company’s Office of the CEO commented, "Within our transformation, we are encouraged by the initial progress that we have made and see an opportunity for even greater benefits than we had originally calculated. We now expect to achieve $20 million in transformation related benefits instead of our previous estimate of $15 million."
Dr. Bassett concluded, "I want to reiterate our full year 2024 revenue (down 2% to flat, excluding the product recall charge) and adjusted EBITDA ($40 - $50 million) targets. I view this achievement as a testament to the resiliency of this Company, especially in the wake of the current market conditions. We are focused on returning American Vanguard to a position of consistent free cash flow generation, which in the near-term will be allocated towards further deleveraging, but over the medium to long-term we expect to be able to apply these cash flows to growth opportunities."
About American Vanguard American Vanguard Corporation is a diversified specialty and agricultural products company that develops and markets products for crop protection and management, turf and ornamentals management, and public and animal health. Over the past 20 years, through product and business acquisitions, the Company has expanded its operations into 21 countries and now has more than 1,000 product registrations in 56 nations worldwide. Its strategy rests on two growth initiatives – i) Core Business through innovation of conventional products and ii) Green Solutions with more than 120 biorational products – including fertilizers, microbials, nutritionals and non-conventional products. American Vanguard is included on the Russell 2000® and Russell 3000® Indexes. To learn more about the Company, please reference www.american-vanguard.com.
The Company, from time to time, may discuss forward-looking information. Except for the historical information contained in this release, all forward-looking statements are estimates by the Company’s management and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ from management’s current expectations. Such factors include weather conditions, changes in regulatory policy and other risks as detailed from time-to-time in the Company’s SEC reports and filings. All forward-looking statements, if any, in this release represent the Company’s judgment as of the date of this release.
AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share data)
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Current assets:
Cash
$
11,880
$
11,416
Receivables:
Trade, net of allowance for credit losses of $8,661 and $7,107, respectively
146,145
182,613
Other
5,852
8,356
Total receivables, net
151,997
190,969
Inventories
246,037
219,551
Prepaid expenses
7,501
6,261
Income taxes receivable
7,690
3,824
Total current assets
425,105
432,021
Property, plant and equipment, net
73,494
74,560
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net
21,448
22,417
Intangible assets, net of amortization
164,480
172,508
Goodwill
48,012
51,199
Deferred income tax assets
12,218
2,849
Other assets
14,701
11,994
Total assets
$
759,458
$
767,548
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$
73,557
$
68,833
Customer prepayments
27,183
65,560
Accrued program costs
85,665
68,076
Accrued expenses and other payables
29,066
16,354
Operating lease liabilities, current
6,604
6,081
Income taxes payable
3,229
5,591
Total current liabilities
225,304
230,495
Long-term debt
178,749
138,900
Operating lease liabilities, long term
15,574
17,113
Deferred income tax liabilities
9,167
7,892
Other liabilities
2,756
3,138
Total liabilities
431,550
397,538
Commitments and contingent liabilities (Note 12)
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $0.10 par value per share; authorized 400,000 shares; none issued
—
—
Common stock, $0.10 par value per share; authorized 40,000,000 shares; issued 34,525,983 shares at September 30, 2024 and 34,676,787 shares at December 31, 2023
3,452
3,467
Additional paid-in capital
114,196
110,810
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(13,849
)
(5,963
)
Retained earnings
295,310
332,897
Less treasury stock at cost, 5,915,182 shares at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023
(71,201
)
(71,201
)
Total stockholders’ equity
327,908
370,010
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
759,458
$
767,548
AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)
For the Three Months Ended September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net sales
$
118,307
$
149,516
$
381,659
$
407,191
Cost of sales
(101,014
)
(106,432
)
(284,185
)
(282,662
)
Gross profit
17,293
43,084
97,474
124,529
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative
(26,365
)
(29,813
)
(86,885
)
(85,954
)
Research, product development and regulatory
(11,177
)
(9,080
)
(25,482
)
(27,363
)
Transformation
(8,139
)
—
(16,636
)
—
Operating (loss) income
(28,388
)
4,191
(31,529
)
11,212
Change in fair value of equity investment
—
(247
)
513
(324
)
Interest expense, net
(4,378
)
(3,384
)
(11,988
)
(8,282
)
(Loss) income before income tax benefit (expense)
(32,766
)
560
(43,004
)
2,606
Income tax benefit (expense)
7,024
(885
)
7,093
(2,066
)
Net (loss) income
$
(25,742
)
$
(325
)
$
(35,911
)
$
540
Net (loss) income per common share—basic
$
(0.92
)
$
(0.01
)
$
(1.28
)
$
0.02
Net (loss) income per common share—assuming dilution
$
(0.92
)
$
(0.01
)
$
(1.28
)
$
0.02
Weighted average shares outstanding—basic
28,009
27,919
28,015
28,236
Weighted average shares outstanding—assuming dilution
28,009
27,919
28,015
28,656
AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
ANALYSIS OF SALES
(In thousands), (Unaudited)
For the three months
ended September 30,
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Net sales:
U.S. crop
$
35,533
$
67,749
$
(32,216
)
-48
%
U.S. non-crop
22,454
19,250
3,204
17
%
U.S. total
57,987
86,999
(29,012
)
-33
%
International
60,320
62,517
(2,197
)
-4
%
Total net sales
$
118,307
$
149,516
$
(31,209
)
-21
%
Total cost of sales
$
(101,014
)
$
(106,432
)
$
5,418
-5
%
Total gross profit
$
17,293
$
43,084
$
(25,791
)
-60
%
Gross margin
15
%
29
%
Impact of Dacthal Recall
2024
2023
Change
Net sales:
U.S. crop
$
(11,783
)
$
—
$
(11,783
)
U.S. non-crop
—
—
—
Total U.S.
(11,783
)
—
(11,783
)
International
(620
)
—
(620
)
Total net sales
$
(12,403
)
$
—
$
(12,403
)
Total cost of sales
(3,788
)
—
(3,788
)
Total gross profit
$
(16,191
)
$
—
$
(16,191
)
For the nine months
ended September 30,
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Net sales:
U.S. crop
$
155,075
$
185,823
$
(30,748
)
-17
%
U.S. non-crop
59,241
50,041
9,200
18
%
U.S. total
214,316
235,864
(21,548
)
-9
%
International
167,343
171,327
(3,984
)
-2
%
Total net sales
$
381,659
$
407,191
$
(25,532
)
-6
%
Total cost of sales
$
(284,185
)
$
(282,662
)
$
(1,523
)
1
%
Total gross profit
$
97,474
$
124,529
$
(27,055
)
-22
%
26
%
31
%
Impact of Dacthal Recall
2024
2023
Change
Net sales:
U.S. crop
$
(11,783
)
$
—
$
(11,783
)
U.S. non-crop
—
—
—
Total U.S.
(11,783
)
—
(11,783
)
International
(620
)
—
(620
)
Total net sales
$
(12,403
)
$
—
$
(12,403
)
Total cost of sales
(3,788
)
—
(3,788
)
Total gross profit
$
(16,191
)
$
—
$
(16,191
)
AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income
$
(35,911
)
$
540
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
6,655
6,396
Amortization of intangibles assets
9,947
10,009
Amortization of other long-term assets
199
1,445
Amortization of deferred loan fees
342
174
Provision for bad debts
1,278
952
Stock-based compensation
3,887
4,257
Change in deferred income taxes
(9,110
)
(977
)
Changes in liabilities for uncertain tax positions or unrecognized tax benefits
106
467
Change in equity investment fair value
(513
)
324
Other
110
7
Foreign currency transaction losses
121
199
Changes in assets and liabilities associated with operations:
Decrease (increase) in net receivables
33,475
(29,055
)
Increase in inventories
(29,429
)
(58,163
)
Increase in prepaid expenses and other assets
(4,107
)
(633
)
Change in income tax receivable/payable, net
(6,216
)
(4,046
)
Increase (decrease) in net operating lease liability
(48
)
227
Increase in accounts payable
6,141
1,240
Decrease in customer prepayments
(38,375
)
(104,590
)
Increase in accrued program costs
17,721
29,779
Increase (decrease) in other payables and accrued expenses
13,878
(4,406
)
Net cash used in operating activities
(29,849
)
(145,854
)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures
(6,106
)
(8,589
)
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment
66
200
Intangible assets
(341
)
(759
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(6,381
)
(9,148
)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Payments under line of credit agreement
(168,188
)
(62,800
)
Borrowings under line of credit agreement
208,037
228,500
Receipt from the issuance of common stock under ESPP
901
980
Net receipt from the exercise of stock options
—
46
Net payment for tax withholding on stock-based compensation awards
(1,416
)
(1,957
)
Repurchase of common stock
—
(15,539
)
Payment of cash dividends
(2,510
)
(2,550
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
36,824
146,680
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
594
(8,322
)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
(130
)
(477
)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
11,416
20,328
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
$
11,880
$
11,529
AMERICAN VANGUARD CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME (LOSS) TO ADJUSTED EBITDA
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net (loss) income
$
(25,742
)
$
(325
)
$
(35,911
)
$
540
Income tax (benefit) expense
(7,024
)
885
(7,093
)
2,066
Interest expense, net
4,378
3,384
11,988
8,282
Depreciation and amortization
5,703
5,704
16,801
17,850
Stock-based compensation
1,135
1,716
3,887
4,257
Transformation costs & legal reserves
7,159
—
17,402
—
Dacthal returns
16,191
—
16,191
—
Proxy contest activities
—
—
—
541
Adjusted EBITDA2
$
1,800
$
11,364
$
23,265
$
33,536
______________________________ 1 Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is not a financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other financial measure so calculated and presented, nor as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. The items excluded from adjusted EBITDA are detailed in the reconciliation attached to this news release. Other companies (including the Company’s competitors) may define adjusted EBITDA differently. 2 Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is not a financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), operating income (loss) or any other financial measure so calculated and presented, nor as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. The items excluded from adjusted EBITDA are detailed in the reconciliation attached to this news release. Other companies (including the Company’s competitors) may define adjusted EBITDA differently.
