Second Quarter Financial Highlights
Second quarter 2022 performance relative to second quarter 2021
● | Sales of $527 million increased 13% on a reported basis and 16% organically due primarily to double-digit organic growth in the Americas. Sales from acquisitions totaled approximately $2 million and were more than offset by unfavorable foreign exchange movements, which reduced sales by $18 million. |
● | Operating margin increased 690 basis points on a reported basis and 360 basis points on an adjusted basis, benefiting from price, volume, productivity and cost savings, which more than offset inflation, incremental investments and business normalization costs. GAAP operating margin benefited from reduced restructuring charges year-over-year. |
Regional Performance
Americas
| o | Sales of $376 million increased 22% on both a reported and an organic basis. Sales from acquisitions and unfavorable foreign exchange offset each other. The majority of product lines grew by double-digits. |
| o | Operating margin increased 470 basis points on a GAAP basis and 510 basis points on an adjusted basis as benefits from price realization, volume and productivity more than offset inflation, incremental growth investments and business normalization costs. GAAP operating margin in 2022 was negatively impacted by restructuring charges. |
Europe
| o | Sales of $128 million decreased 7% on a reported basis and increased 5% on an organic basis, with growth in both Fluid Solutions and Drains platforms. Unfavorable foreign exchange movements totaled 12%. Sales growth in the quarter was negatively impacted by approximately 2% due to our decision to exit all direct sales into Russia effective April 1, 2022. |
| o | Operating margin increased 1140 basis points on a GAAP basis and decreased 80 basis points on an adjusted basis. Adjusted operating margin benefited from increased price and productivity, but was more than offset by inflation and growth investments. GAAP operating margin in 2021 was negatively impacted by $18 million of restructuring charges related to exit activities in France. |
Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (“APMEA”)
| o | Sales of $23 million decreased 1% on a reported basis and increased 3% on an organic basis, driven by growth in China and Australia. Unfavorable foreign exchange movements totaled 4%. |
| o | Operating margin decreased 330 basis points on a GAAP basis and 220 basis points on an adjusted basis. GAAP and adjusted margins both benefited from increased price and productivity, which were more than offset by inflation and reduced affiliate volume. |
Cash Flow and Capital Allocation
● | For the first six months of 2022, operating cash flow was $45 million and net capital expenditures were $12 million, resulting in free cash flow of $33 million. In the comparable period last year, operating cash flow was $73 million and net capital expenditures were $8 million, resulting in free cash flow of $65 million. The year-over-year cash from operations and free cash flow decrease was primarily due to a proactive decision to increase inventories in response to strong market demand and continued supply chain disruptions, in addition to increased payments related to restructuring as well as employee and customer incentives. We expect improvement in free cash flow throughout 2022 due to normal seasonality. |
● | The Company repurchased approximately 140,000 shares of Class A common stock at a cost of $18.2 million during the second quarter. For the first six months of 2022, the Company repurchased approximately 434,000 shares at a cost of approximately $61 million. |
For a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP items and a statement regarding the usefulness of these measures to investors and management in evaluating our operating performance, please see the tables attached to this press release.
Watts Water Technologies, Inc. will hold a live webcast of its conference call to discuss second quarter 2022 results on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. EDT. This press release and the live webcast can be accessed by visiting the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.wattswater.com. Following the webcast, the call recording will be available at the same address until August 4, 2023.
Watts Water Technologies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a world leader in the manufacture of innovative products to control the efficiency, safety, and quality of water within residential, commercial, and institutional applications. Watts’ expertise in a wide variety of water technologies enables us to be a comprehensive supplier to the water industry.