Hamilton Beach Brands Holding (HBB) 8-KAnnounces Third Quarter 2024 Results

Glen Allen, Virginia - Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company (NYSE: HBB) (the Company) today announced third quarter 2024 results.

Total revenue of $156.7 million increased 2.0% compared to $153.6 million in the third quarter of 2023, when the Company saw the post-pandemic normalization of business conditions and trends. The revenue increase reflected a favorable product mix and higher volume. In the Company’s Consumer markets, revenue increased in the U.S. and Mexican markets and decreased in the Latin American and Canadian markets. In the Company’s Global Commercial market, revenue decreased due to softness in international markets. The acquisition of HealthBeacon on February 2, 2024 added $1.2 million of new revenue in the current quarter.

Gross profit was $43.9 million, or 28.0% of total revenue, compared to $40.1 million, or 26.1%. The 190 basis point expansion in gross profit margin was primarily due to a favorable product mix and lower product costs.

Operating profit was $10.6 million compared to $14.4 million.

Interest expense, net decreased to $0.1 million compared to $0.6 million, primarily due to lower average borrowings outstanding under the Company’s revolving credit facility and lower interest rates.

Pension termination expense in 2024 was a one-time non-cash charge of $7.6 million, related to the reclassification of historical unrecognized losses from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The Company finalized the termination of its over-funded U.S. defined benefit pension plan in the third quarter of 2024. The resulting surplus assets, estimated at $13.3 million, will be used to fund other existing employee retirement benefits over the next few years. The Company expects this planned use of the surplus assets will free cash that otherwise would have been used for this purpose, thereby increasing free cash flow in 2025 and 2026.

Income tax expense was $0.7 million compared to $2.8 million.

Net income was $1.9 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to net income of $10.3 million, or $0.74 per diluted share.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was $35.2 million, representing more normalized post-pandemic working capital, compared to net cash provided of $68.7 million, which benefited from significant excess inventory reduction activities. Net working capital in the current period provided $20.3 million compared to $64.3 million. The 2024 period benefited from the Company's continued focus on working capital management which led to improvements in days sales outstanding and days payable outstanding. The change in net cash provided by operating activities reflects the net working capital changes partially offset by adjustments to net income for the non-cash stock compensation and pension termination expenses. Capital expenditures were $2.3 million in the current and prior-year periods.

On September 30, 2024, net debt, or total debt minus cash and cash equivalents and highly liquid short-term investments, was $22.5 million compared to $49.7 million on September 30, 2023.

The Company allocated its cash flow primarily to fund the acquisition of HealthBeacon and to return value to shareholders through the quarterly dividend and share repurchases. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company paid $4.7 million in dividends and repurchased 441,741 shares of its Class A common stock, including the repurchase of 221,529 shares in the third quarter of this year, at prevailing market prices for an aggregate purchase price of $9.3 million.

In 2024, the retail marketplace for small kitchen appliances is expected to be modestly below 2023. The Company expects that continued progress with its strategic initiatives will enable it to deliver above market revenue performance. For the full year 2024 compared to the full year 2023, the Company expects revenue to increase modestly, Operating profit to increase significantly based on an expansion of gross profit margin, and Cash Flow from operating activities less cash used for investing activities to be at the high end of its normalized range of $25 million to $35 million per year.

Progress with the Company’s six strategic initiatives is expected to drive revenue growth, expand margins, and generate strong cash flow over time. The initiatives are focused on increasing sales of innovative, higher priced, higher margin products in the Company’s core North American market. The following is a summary of each initiative.

The statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are made subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those presented. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: (1) uncertain or unfavorable global economic conditions and impacts from global military conflicts; (2) the Company’s ability to source and ship products to meet anticipated demand; (3) the Company’s ability to successfully manage constraints throughout the global transportation supply chain; (4) changes in the sales prices, product mix or levels of consumer purchases of small electric and specialty housewares appliances; (5) changes in consumer retail and credit markets, including the increasing volume of transactions made through third-party internet sellers; (6) bankruptcy of or loss of major retail customers or suppliers; (7) changes in costs, including transportation costs, of sourced products; (8) delays in delivery of sourced products; (9) changes in or unavailability of quality or cost effective suppliers; (10) exchange rate fluctuations, changes in the import tariffs and monetary policies and other changes in the regulatory climate in the countries in which the Company operates or buys and/or sells products; (11) the impact of tariffs on customer purchasing patterns; (12) product liability, regulatory actions or other litigation, warranty claims or returns of products; (13) customer acceptance of, changes in costs of or delays in the development of new products; (14) increased competition, including consolidation within the industry; (15) changes in customers’ inventory management strategies; (16) shifts in consumer shopping patterns, gasoline prices, weather conditions, the level of consumer confidence and disposable income as a result of economic conditions, unemployment rates or other events or conditions that may adversely affect the level of customer purchases of the Company’s products; (17) changes mandated by federal, state and other regulation, including tax, health, safety or environmental legislation; (18) the Company’s ability to identify, acquire or develop, and successfully integrate, new businesses or new product lines; and (19) other risk factors, including those described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Furthermore, the future impact of unfavorable economic conditions, including inflation, changing interest rates, availability of capital markets and consumer spending rates remains uncertain. In uncertain economic environments, we cannot predict whether or when such circumstances may improve or worsen, or what impact, if any, such circumstances could have on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.