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The year-over-year improvement in fourth quarter net income was primarily due to the reversal of certain deferred tax valuation allowances, lower non-cash asset impairment charges, savings generated from lean manufacturing and purchasing initiatives, normalized incentive compensation, restructuring savings, and lower raw material costs. These positive factors were partially offset by higher wages and general inflation, higher net interest expense and unfavorable foreign exchange.

The year-over-year improvement in fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA was driven by savings generated from lean manufacturing and purchasing initiatives, normalized incentive compensation, restructuring savings, and lower raw material costs. These positive factors were partially offset by higher wages and general inflation, unfavorable foreign exchange, and unfavorable volume and mix.

For the full year 2024, the change in sales was primarily due to unfavorable volume and mix, including price adjustments, the deconsolidation or divestiture of non-core businesses, and unfavorable foreign exchange. The year-over-year improvement in full year net loss was primarily driven by the reversal of certain deferred tax valuation allowances, the non-recurrence of refinancing and debt extinguishment expense, savings generated from lean manufacturing and purchasing initiatives, the non-recurrence of pension settlement expense, restructuring savings, normalized incentive compensation and lower interest expense. These positive factors were partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange, unfavorable volume and mix, higher wages and general inflation, and increased restructuring expense. The year-over-year improvement in full year adjusted EBITDA was driven primarily by savings generated from lean manufacturing and purchasing initiatives, restructuring savings, and normalized incentive compensation. These positive factors were partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange, higher wages and general inflation, and unfavorable volume and mix.

Cash Flow and Liquidity

Cash provided by operating activities in the fourth quarter of 2024 was $74.7 million. Free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures) in the fourth quarter of 2024 was $63.2 million, an increase of $1.1 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. The increase was driven primarily by improved operating earnings, collections on trade and tooling receivables, and inventory conversion, partially offset by higher cash interest payments.

For the full year 2024, cash provided by operating activities was $76.4 million and free cash flow was $25.9 million. This compared to cash provided by operating activities of $117.3 million and free cash flow of $36.5 million in 2023.

As of December 31, 2024, Cooper Standard had cash and cash equivalents totaling $170.0 million. Total liquidity, including availability on the Company's undrawn revolving credit facility, was $339.2 million at year end. Based on current expectations for light vehicle production and customer demand for our products, the Company believes it has sufficient financial resources to support ongoing operations, execute planned strategic initiatives and service cash interest requirements on our debt for the foreseeable future. These financial resources include current cash on hand, continuing access to flexible credit facilities, and expected future positive cash generation.

Adjusted net loss, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted loss per diluted share and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable financial measures, calculated and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"), are provided in the attached supplemental schedules.

Automotive New Business Awards

The Company continues to leverage its world-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities, its innovation programs and its reputation for quality and service to win new business awards with its customers and capitalize on positive trends associated with electric vehicles. For the full year 2024, the Company received total net new business awards representing $181.4 million in incremental anticipated future annualized sales. The total included $105.8 million in net new business awards on electric vehicle platforms.

Segment Results of Operations

Sales

Adjusted EBITDA

Outlook

Industry projections anticipate global light vehicle production will be lower in 2025 compared to 2024. Inflationary headwinds are expected to continue. The Company expects to continue driving operating efficiencies to offset the production volume and inflation headwinds. As a result, Company management expects to deliver improved financial results in 2025 vs. 2024. Initial full year 2025 guidance ranges for key financial measures are as follows:

Conference Call Details

Cooper Standard management will host a conference call and webcast on February 14, 2025 at 9 a.m. ET to discuss its fourth quarter 2024 results, provide a general business update and respond to investor questions. Investors and other interested parties may listen to the call by accessing the online, real-time webcast at https://ir.cooperstandard.com/events.

To participate by phone, callers in the United States and Canada can dial toll-free at 800-836-8184 (international callers dial 646-357-8785) and ask to be connected to the Cooper Standard conference call. Representatives of the investment community will have the opportunity to ask questions during Q&A. Participants should dial-in at least five minutes prior to the start of the call.

A replay of the webcast will be available on the investors' portion of the Cooper Standard website (https://ir.cooperstandard.com) shortly after the live event.

About Cooper Standard

Cooper Standard, headquartered in Northville, Mich., with locations in 20 countries, is a leading global supplier of sealing and fluid handling systems and components. Utilizing our materials science and manufacturing expertise, we create innovative and sustainable engineered solutions for diverse transportation and industrial markets. Cooper Standard's approximately 22,000 team members (including contingent workers) are at the heart of our success, continuously improving our business and surrounding communities. Learn more at https://www.cooperstandard.com/or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Our use of words "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "plan," "intend," "believe," "outlook," "guidance," "forecast," or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could," "would," or "may," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions. Our expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, we cannot assure you that these expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Among other items, such factors may include: volatility or decline of the Company's stock price, or absence of stock price appreciation; impacts and disruptions related to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East; our ability to achieve commercial recoveries and to offset the adverse impact of higher commodity and other costs through pricing and other negotiations with our customers; work stoppages or other labor disruptions with our employees or our customers' employees; prolonged or material contractions in automotive sales and production volumes; our inability to realize sales represented by awarded business; escalating pricing pressures; loss of large customers or significant platforms; our ability to successfully compete in the automotive parts industry; availability and increasing volatility in costs of manufactured components and raw materials; disruption in our supply base; competitive threats and commercial risks associated with our diversification strategy; possible variability of our working capital requirements; risks associated with our international operations, including changes in laws, regulations, and policies governing the terms of foreign trade such as increased trade restrictions and tariffs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; our ability to control the operations of our joint ventures for our sole benefit; our substantial amount of indebtedness and rates of interest; our ability to obtain adequate financing sources in the future; operating and financial restrictions imposed on us under our debt instruments; the underfunding of our pension plans; significant changes in discount rates and the actual return on pension assets; effectiveness of continuous improvement programs and other cost savings plans; significant costs related to manufacturing facility closings or consolidation; our ability to execute new program launches; our ability to meet customers' needs for new and improved products; the possibility that our acquisitions and divestitures may not be successful; product liability, warranty and recall claims brought against us; laws and regulations, including environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; legal and regulatory proceedings, claims or investigations against us; the potential impact of any future public health events on our financial condition and results of operations; the ability of our intellectual property to withstand legal challenges; cyber-attacks, data privacy concerns, other disruptions in, or the inability to implement upgrades to, our information technology systems; the possible volatility of our annual effective tax rate; the possibility of a failure to maintain effective controls and procedures; the possibility of future impairment charges to our goodwill and long-lived assets; our ability to identify, attract, develop and retain a skilled, engaged and diverse workforce; our ability to procure insurance at reasonable rates; and our dependence on our subsidiaries for cash to satisfy our obligations; and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except where we are expressly required to do so by law.

This press release also contains estimates and other information that is based on industry publications, surveys and forecasts. This information involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the information.

Financial statements and related notes follow:

Non-GAAP Measures

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share and free cash flow are measures not recognized under U.S. GAAP and which exclude certain non-cash and special items that may obscure trends and operating performance not indicative of the Company's core financial activities. Net new business is a measure not recognized under U.S. GAAP which is a representation of potential incremental future revenue but which may not fully reflect all external impacts to future revenue. Management considers EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, free cash flow and net new business to be key indicators of the Company's operating performance and believes that these and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating the Company's performance. In addition, similar measures are utilized in the calculation of the financial covenants and ratios contained in the Company's financing arrangements and management uses these measures for developing internal budgets and forecasting purposes. EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) adjusted to reflect income tax expense (benefit), interest expense net of interest income, depreciation and amortization, and adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA further adjusted to reflect certain items that management does not consider to be reflective of the Company's core operating performance. Adjusted net income (loss) is defined as net income (loss) adjusted to reflect certain items that management does not consider to be reflective of the Company's core operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of sales. Adjusted basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share is defined as adjusted net income (loss) divided by the weighted average number of basic and diluted shares, respectively, outstanding during the period. Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures and is useful to both management and investors in evaluating the Company's ability to service and repay its debt. Net new business reflects anticipated sales from formally awarded programs, less lost business, discontinued programs and replacement programs and is based on S&P Global (IHS Markit) forecast production volumes. The calculation of "net new business" does not reflect customer price reductions on existing programs and may be impacted by various assumptions embedded in the respective calculation, including actual vehicle production levels on new programs, foreign exchange rates and the timing of major program launches.

When analyzing the Company's operating performance, investors should use EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, free cash flow and net new business as supplements to, and not as alternatives for, net income (loss), operating income, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and not as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of the Company's liquidity. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, free cash flow and net new business have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of the Company's results of operations as reported under U.S. GAAP. Other companies may report EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted earnings (loss) per share, free cash flow and net new business differently and therefore the Company's results may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. In addition, in evaluating adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss), it should be noted that in the future the Company may incur expenses similar to or in excess of the adjustments in the below presentation. This presentation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) should not be construed as an inference that the Company's future results will be unaffected by special items. Reconciliations of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss) and free cash flow follow.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures 

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SOURCE Cooper Standard