Fiscal 2024 Third Quarter Financial Highlights:

• Outstanding debt reduced by $12.6 million during the quarter

• 3^rd Quarter GAAP EPS of $0.06; non-GAAP adjusted EPS of $0.56

• SGK Brand Solutions segment reports sales growth for the quarter

• Energy storage sales impacted by customer delays

• Company announces cost reduction initiatives

• Webcast: Friday, August 2, 2024, 9:00 a.m., (201) 689-8471

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: MATW) today announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal 2024.

In discussing the results for the Company’s fiscal 2024 third quarter, Joseph C. Bartolacci, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated:

“Our consolidated financial results continue to be underpinned by the strength of our core businesses, particularly from our Memorialization and SGK Brand Solutions segments, which generated another quarter of solid performance. The Memorialization segment reported sales relatively consistent with the same quarter last year, despite a decline in U.S. casketed deaths. The impact of unit volume declines in cemetery memorials and caskets related to the lower deaths was substantially offset by improved pricing and higher sales of mausoleums.

“Sales for the SGK Brand Solutions segment were modestly higher for the current quarter. The segment’s improvement primarily reflected growth in the private label market and in its European packaging business. The pricing environment to mitigate inflationary cost increases in this business also continues to improve.

“With respect to the Industrial Technologies segment, sales for our product identification business also remained relatively consistent with a year ago. However, further customer delays of shipments and related installations for our energy storage business unfavorably impacted the segment’s sales compared to a year ago. Additionally, slow conditions in the general warehouse automation market contributed to the year-over-year decline in sales for this segment.

“For the three months ended June 30, 2024, we reported another quarter of solid cash flow which facilitated further reduction of $12.6 million in our outstanding debt. We are currently projecting further debt reduction in the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter. With respect to our outstanding bonds, which are scheduled to mature on December 1, 2025, we expect this refinancing to be completed in advance of December 1, 2024.

“Looking forward to our fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, we currently project adjusted EBITDA to be relatively consistent with a year ago. The Memorialization segment is expected to be generally in line with last year despite lower projected deaths, and the SGK Brand Solutions segment is expected to finish fiscal 2024 relatively consistent as well. We expect energy storage shipments and installations to pick up in the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, and into fiscal 2025. Also, order rates for the warehouse automation business began to improve in the third quarter, which has continued into the early part of our fourth quarter. As a result, we are currently projecting adjusted EBITDA for fiscal 2024 to be in the range of $205 million to $210 million.

“As we have previously indicated, our proprietary dry battery electrode equipment technology significantly reduces the production cost of batteries. As you are aware, Tesla recently filed a suit attempting to restrict us from offering our innovative solutions to others. We remain confident in our ability to sell our equipment solutions into the growing electric vehicle market as our experienced global engineering talent brings a unique and valuable knowledge base to this market. Battery and automobile equipment manufacturers from around the world continue to solicit us for an opportunity to work with our Company and we have continued to receive orders. We do not currently believe Tesla's suit will have a material impact on the Company and we continue to strongly believe that there is no merit to the claims against the Company.

“Lastly, beginning in our fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, we are initiating cost reduction programs which will span several of our business units as well as our corporate functions. We are targeting annual consolidated savings from these programs of up to $50 million, with the most significant portion from our engineering and tooling operations in Europe. These initiatives are designed to position these businesses to capitalize on future growth opportunities. We currently estimate our one-time costs to achieve these savings to approximate $40 million.”

Third Quarter Fiscal 2024 Consolidated Results (Unaudited)

Consolidated sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 were $427.8 million, compared to $471.9 million for the same quarter a year ago, representing a decrease of $44.1 million, or 9.3%. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates were estimated to have an unfavorable impact of $4.1 million on fiscal 2024 third quarter sales compared to the prior year.

Net income attributable to the Company for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 was $1.8 million, or $0.06 per share, compared to $8.7 million, or $0.28 per share in the prior year. On a non-GAAP adjusted basis, earnings for the fiscal 2024 third quarter were $0.56 per share, compared to $0.74 per share a year ago. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower consolidated adjusted EBITDA and higher interest expense for the current quarter compared to a year ago, partially offset by income tax benefits. Adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal 2024 third quarter was $44.7 million, compared to $56.2 million a year ago, primarily reflecting lower adjusted EBITDA in the Industrial Technologies segment, partially offset by lower corporate and non-operating costs.

Fiscal 2024 Year-to-Date Consolidated Results (Unaudited)

Consolidated sales for the nine months ended June 30, 2024 were $1.35 billion, compared to $1.40 billion a year ago, representing an decrease of $51.7 million, or 3.7%. Changes in foreign currency rates were estimated to have a favorable impact of $660,000 on fiscal 2024 consolidated sales compared to last year.

Net income attributable to the Company for the nine months ended June 30, 2024 was $8.5 million, or $0.27 per share, compared to $21.6 million, or $0.69 per share in the prior year. On a non-GAAP adjusted basis, earnings for the nine months ended June 30, 2024 were $1.62 per share, compared to $1.92 per share a year ago. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower consolidated adjusted EBITDA and higher interest expense for the current period compared to a year ago, partially offset by income tax benefits. Adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was $147.0 million, compared to $163.9 million a year ago, reflecting lower adjusted EBITDA in the Industrial Technologies and Memorialization segments, partially offset by higher adjusted EBITDA in the SGK Brand Solutions segment and lower corporate and non-operating costs.

Webcast

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Friday, August 2, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to review its financial and operating results and discuss its corporate strategies and outlook. A question-and-answer session will follow. The conference call can be accessed by dialing (201) 689-8471. The audio webcast can be monitored at www.matw.com. As soon as available after the call, a transcript of the call will be posted on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.matw.com.

About Matthews International Corporation

Matthews International Corporation is a global provider of memorialization products, industrial technologies, and brand solutions. The Memorialization segment is a leading provider of memorialization products, including memorials, caskets, cremation-related products, and cremation and incineration equipment, primarily to cemetery and funeral home customers that help families move from grief to remembrance. The Industrial Technologies segment includes the design, manufacturing, service and distribution of high-tech custom energy storage solutions; product identification and warehouse automation technologies and solutions, including order fulfillment systems for identifying, tracking, picking and conveying consumer and industrial products; and coating and converting lines for the packaging, pharma, foil, décor and tissue industries. The SGK Brand Solutions segment is a leading provider of packaging solutions and brand experiences, helping companies simplify their marketing, amplify their brands and provide value. The Company has approximately 12,000 employees in more than 30 countries on six continents that are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services.

Forward-looking Information

Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are included pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies of the Company regarding the future, and may be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “objective,” “targets,” “potential,” “outlook,” “may,” “will,” “could” or the negative of these terms, other comparable terminology and variations thereof. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to be materially different from management’s expectations, and no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove correct. Factors that could cause the Company's results to differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements principally include changes in domestic or international economic conditions, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in interest rates, changes in the cost of materials used in the manufacture of the Company's products, any impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, environmental liability and limitations on the Company’s operations due to environmental laws and regulations, disruptions to certain services, such as telecommunications, network server maintenance, cloud computing or transaction processing services, provided to the Company by third-parties, changes in mortality and cremation rates, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of consolidation in the industries in which the Company operates, or other factors such as supply chain disruptions, labor shortages or labor cost increases, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of domestic or international competitive pressures, ability to achieve cost-reduction objectives, unknown risks in connection with the Company's acquisitions and divestitures, cybersecurity concerns and costs arising with management of cybersecurity threats, effectiveness of the Company's internal controls, compliance with domestic and foreign laws and regulations, technological factors beyond the Company's control, impact of pandemics or similar outbreaks, or other disruptions to our industries, customers, or supply chains, the impact of global conflicts, such as the current war between Russia and Ukraine, the outcome of the Company's dispute with Tesla, Inc. ("Tesla"), and other factors described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Included in this report are measures of financial performance that are not defined by GAAP, including, without limitation, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and EPS, constant currency sales, constant currency adjusted EBITDA, net debt and net debt leverage ratio. The Company defines net debt leverage ratio as outstanding debt (net of cash) relative to adjusted EBITDA. The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures to assist in comparing its performance on a consistent basis for purposes of business decision-making by removing the impact of certain items that management believes do not directly reflect the Company’s core operations including acquisition and divestiture costs, ERP integration costs, strategic initiative and other charges (which includes non-recurring charges related to certain commercial and operational initiatives and exit activities), stock-based compensation and the non-service portion of pension and postretirement expense. Constant currency sales and constant currency adjusted EBITDA remove the impact of changes due to foreign exchange translation rates. To calculate sales and adjusted EBITDA on a constant currency basis, amounts for periods in the current fiscal year are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates applicable to the comparable periods of the prior fiscal year. Management believes that presenting non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because it (i) provides investors with meaningful supplemental information regarding financial performance by excluding certain items that management believes do not directly reflect the Company's core operations, (ii) permits investors to view performance using the same tools that management uses to budget, forecast, make operating and strategic decisions, and evaluate historical performance, and (iii) otherwise provides supplemental information that may be useful to investors in evaluating the Company’s results. The Company's calculations of its non-GAAP financial measures, however, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. The Company believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures, when considered together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures and the reconciliations to those measures, provided herein, provide investors with an additional understanding of the factors and trends affecting the Company’s business that could not be obtained absent these disclosures.

* Depreciation and amortization was $7,073 and $5,807 for the Memorialization segment, $5,796 and $5,815 for the Industrial Technologies segment, $9,702 and $11,164 for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $1,086 and $1,150 for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Depreciation and amortization was $20,400 and $17,092 for the Memorialization segment, $17,744 and $17,584 for the Industrial Technologies segment, $28,943 and $33,543 for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $3,354 and $3,594 for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the nine months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
** Acquisition costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other charges were $1,108 and $270 for the Memorialization segment, $4,490 and $120 for the Industrial Technologies segment, $1,473 and $3,897 for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $1,441 and $715 for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Acquisition costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other charges were $2,204 and $981 for the Memorialization segment, $14,288 and $3,494 for the Industrial Technologies segment, $2,694 and $7,028 for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, and $3,507 and $697 for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the nine months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Matthews International Corporation
Corporate Office
Two NorthShore Center
Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5851
Phone: (412) 442-8200