EX-99.1 2 a07-27973_1ex99d1.htm EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

OCTOBER 31, 2007

 

SAUER-DANFOSS INC. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2007 RESULTS

 

                  Record Sales Continue, Driven by Strong European Demand

                  Third Quarter Earnings from Operations Improved by 40%

                  New Orders and Backlog Remain Strong

 

CHICAGO, Illinois, USA, October 31, 2007—Sauer-Danfoss Inc. (NYSE: SHS) today announced net sales rose 18 percent to $451.8 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007, compared to net sales of $381.9 million for the third quarter 2006. Net income for the quarter was $5.5 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to net income of $7.1 million, or $0.15 per share for the third quarter 2006.

 

Strong Operational Growth

 

David Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We were pleased that we continued to grow revenues significantly and while several factors, including an uncommonly high tax rate, impacted net income in the quarter, our operating income improved 40 percent over the previous year’s period. Our operational strength is evidence that our strategy of investing in future profitable growth and increasing capacity to meet the high demand is producing meaningful results. The increase in operating income was largely due to a margin improvement of 2.7 percentage points in our Propel segment to 11.8 percent. This increase was driven by particularly strong demand in Europe during the holiday months of July and August. Our Work Function and Controls segments are starting to make progress; however, we continue to experience margin pressures as a result of the continued strong European currencies and capacity constraints. We are on track with the restructuring and SAP implementation initiatives and these costs are declining quarter to quarter which is in line with our expectations.”

 

Third quarter 2007 earnings were negatively impacted by an unusually high income tax rate of 60 percent compared to last year’s unusually low rate of 18 percent. The impact between the comparable quarters was $4.9 million, or $0.10 per share. The increase in third quarter 2007 taxes was the result of an increase in deferred tax expense in Germany due to a legislative statutory tax rate change impacting deferred tax assets. The lower 2006 tax resulted from income tax

 

Executive Offices: 250 Parkway Drive, Suite 270, Lincolnshire, IL 60069

Krokamp 35, 24539 Neumünster, Germany

 

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benefits related primarily to prior years’ foreign tax credits. In addition, third quarter 2007 earnings reflect ongoing plant restructuring costs of $2.4 million pre-tax, or $0.05 per share, and implementation costs of the common business system platform of $2.2 million pre-tax, or $0.03 per share, both level with 2006.

 

Net sales for the third quarter 2007 increased 18 percent to $451.8 million, compared to net sales of $381.9 million for third quarter 2006. Excluding currency translation rate changes and divestitures, sales increased a very strong 17 percent over the prior year period. Sales in Europe increased an impressive 21 percent, 28 percent in the Asia-Pacific region, and a relatively strong 10 percent in the Americas.

 

Excluding currency translation rate changes and divestitures, sales in the Propel segment increased 20 percent, while sales in the Controls and Work Function segments increased 22 percent and 8 percent, respectively, compared with the prior year’s period.

 

 “We continue to win new business across all product divisions which is a testament to the high demand for our proprietary industry-leading technology, and this is driving tremendous long-term growth to our backlog,” Anderson commented. “Our record organic double-digit sales growth is noteworthy because no one customer or product application accounts for more than 10 percent of our business. As sales remain very strong in Europe, we are encouraged by the increase in sales in the Americas.”

 

New Orders and Backlog Supports Growth

 

Orders received for the third quarter 2007 were $487.2 million, up 20 percent from the same period last year. Excluding currency translation rate changes, orders were up 14 percent.

 

Total backlog at the end of third quarter 2007 was $758.1 million, a 33 percent increase from the end of third quarter 2006. Excluding currency impact, backlog was up 26 percent.

 

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NINE MONTH RESULTS

 

Net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2007, were $1,478.4 million, an increase of 11 percent compared to $1,335.7 million for the first nine months of 2006. On a comparable basis, excluding the impact of currency translation rate changes and divestitures, net sales were up 8 percent over last year.

 

Net income for the first nine months of 2007 was $38.5 million, or $0.80 per share, compared to net income for the same period last year of $55.8 million, or $1.16 per share. Earnings for 2007 were negatively impacted by plant restructuring costs of $17.8 million pre-tax, or $0.31 per share, compared to costs of $10.3 million pre-tax, or $0.14 per share, for 2006. Implementation costs of the common business system platform were $8.8 million pre-tax, or $0.12 per share, in 2007, compared to costs of $10.5 million pre-tax, or $0.14 per share, for 2006. Prior year results also include income tax benefits of $6.0 million, or $0.13 per share, related primarily to prior years’ foreign tax credits not able to be previously recognized.

 

Strong Cash Flow, Continued Investments for Capacity in Europe

 

Cash flow from operations for the first nine months of 2007 was $99.0 million, down from the record $154.0 million for the same period last year. Capital expenditures for the nine-month period were $83.0 million, up from $65.2 million for the comparable period in 2006. Debt to total capital ratio, or leverage ratio, was 40 percent at the end of the third quarter, level with prior quarter and the end of last year.

 

2007 Outlook

 

“We reaffirm our earnings per share expectations for the full year 2007 of $0.95 to $1.05, after deducting restructuring costs,” Anderson continued. “We are updating our restructuring cost to $0.32 to $0.33 per share from the previous expectation of $0.28 to $0.29. With the continued strong sales in Europe, and the pick-up in the U.S., we are increasing our outlook for sales growth to 10 percent to 12 percent, up from 8 percent to 9 percent. Capital expenditures expectations for 2007 will be approximately 6 percent to 7 percent of sales.”

 

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Webcast Information

 

Members of Sauer-Danfoss’ management team will host a Webcast on November 1, 2007, at 10 AM Eastern Time to discuss third quarter 2007 results. The call is open to all interested parties on listen-only mode via an audio webcast and can be accessed through the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at http://ir.sauer-danfoss.com. A replay of the call will be available at that site through December 1, 2007.

 

About Sauer-Danfoss

 

Sauer-Danfoss Inc. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of engineered hydraulic, electric and electronic systems and components, for use primarily in applications of mobile equipment. Sauer-Danfoss, with approximately 9,000 employees worldwide and revenue of more than $1.7 billion, has sales, manufacturing, and engineering capabilities in Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region. The Company’s executive offices are located near Chicago in Lincolnshire, Illinois and in Neumünster, Germany. More details online at www.sauer-danfoss.com.

 

This press release contains certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. All statements regarding future performance, growth, sales and earnings projections, conditions or developments are forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipates,” “in the opinion,” “believes,” “intends,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “plans,” “forecasts,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions may be intended to identify forward-looking statements.

 

Actual future results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. It is difficult to determine if past experience is a good guide to the future. While the economy in the U.S. remains unstable due to the uncertainty surrounding continued job creation, interest rates, crude oil prices, and the U.S. government’s stance on the weaker dollar, the economic situation in Europe has been improving in recent months. Any downturn in the Company’s business segments could adversely affect the Company’s revenues and results of operations. Other factors affecting forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: specific economic conditions in the

 

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agriculture, construction, road building, turf care, material handling and specialty vehicle markets and the impact of such conditions on the Company’s customers in such markets; the cyclical nature of some of the Company’s businesses; the ability of the Company to win new programs and maintain existing programs with its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers; the highly competitive nature of the markets for the Company’s products as well as pricing pressures that may result from such competitive conditions; the continued operation and viability of the Company’s significant customers; the Company’s execution of internal performance plans; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; cost-reduction and productivity efforts; competing technologies and difficulties entering new markets, both domestic and foreign; changes in the Company’s product mix; future levels of indebtedness and capital spending; claims, including, without limitation, warranty claims, field retrofit claims, product liability claims, charges or dispute resolutions; ability of suppliers to provide materials as needed and the Company’s ability to recover any price increases for materials in product pricing; the Company’s ability to attract and retain key technical and other personnel; labor relations; the failure of customers to make timely payment; any inadequacy of the Company’s intellectual property protection or the potential for third-party claims of infringement; global economic factors, including currency exchange rates; general economic conditions, including interest rates, the rate of inflation, and commercial and consumer confidence; energy prices; governmental laws and regulations affecting  operations, including tax obligations; changes in accounting standards; worldwide political stability; the effects of terrorist activities and resulting political or economic instability; natural catastrophes; U.S. military action overseas; and the effect of acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, product withdrawals, and other unusual events.

 

The Company cautions the reader that these lists of cautionary statements and risk factors may not be exhaustive. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or changes to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances. The foregoing risks and uncertainties are further described in Item 1A (Risk Factors) in the Company’s latest annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, which should be reviewed in considering the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

 

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For further information please contact:

Sauer-Danfoss Inc. – Investor Relations

 

Kenneth D. McCuskey

Sauer-Danfoss Inc.

Phone:

(515) 239-6364

 

Vice President and

2800 East 13th Street

    Fax:

(515) 956-5364

 

Chief Accounting Officer

Ames, Iowa, USA, 50010

kmccuskey@sauer-danfoss.com

 

 

 

 

 

John N. Langrick

Sauer-Danfoss Inc.

Phone:

+49-4321-871-190

 

Director of Finance Europe

Krokamp 35

    Fax:

+49-4321-871-121

 

 

24539 Neumünster, Germany

jlangrick@sauer-danfoss.com

 

 

Internet: http://www.sauer-danfoss.com

 

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

(Dollars in thousands

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

except per share data)

 

2007

 

2006

 

2007

 

2006

 

Net sales

 

451,771

 

381,895

 

1,478,376

 

1,335,710

 

Cost of sales

 

357,550

 

299,395

 

1,147,275

 

1,018,763

 

Gross profit

 

94,221

 

82,500

 

331,101

 

316,947

 

Research and development

 

16,492

 

15,647

 

50,538

 

45,659

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

54,926

 

50,988

 

177,122

 

163,007

 

Loss on sale of business

 

662

 

 

8,702

 

 

Total operating expenses

 

72,080

 

66,635

 

236,362

 

208,666

 

Income from operations

 

22,141

 

15,865

 

94,739

 

108,281

 

Nonoperating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

(5,600

)

(4,293

)

(16,720

)

(13,323

)

Minority interest in income of consolidated companies

 

(869

)

(1,949

)

(15,512

)

(18,094

)

Other, net

 

(2,029

)

(1,009

)

(3,449

)

(3,572

)

Income before income taxes

 

13,643

 

8,614

 

59,058

 

73,292

 

Income taxes

 

(8,144

)

(1,536

)

(20,557

)

(17,486

)

Net income

 

5,499

 

7,078

 

38,501

 

55,806

 

Net income per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic net income per common share

 

0.11

 

0.15

 

0.80

 

1.17

 

Diluted net income per common share

 

0.11

 

0.15

 

0.80

 

1.16

 

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

48,099

 

47,706

 

48,093

 

47,698

 

Diluted

 

48,275

 

48,439

 

48,271

 

48,147

 

Cash dividends declared per common share

 

0.18

 

0.16

 

0.54

 

0.44

 

 

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BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

2007

 

2006

 

2007

 

2006

 

Net sales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propel

 

207,637

 

166,627

 

707,366

 

655,435

 

Work Function

 

124,479

 

113,178

 

399,343

 

359,292

 

Controls

 

119,655

 

102,090

 

371,667

 

320,983

 

Total

 

451,771

 

381,895

 

1,478,376

 

1,335,710

 

Segment Income (Loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propel

 

24,530

 

15,156

 

111,237

 

94,583

 

Work Function

 

880

 

6,311

 

2,254

 

18,233

 

Controls

 

6,837

 

8,657

 

16,737

 

37,851

 

Global Services and Other Expenses, net

 

(12,135

)

(15,268

)

(38,938

)

(45,958

)

Total

 

20,112

 

14,856

 

91,290

 

104,709

 

 

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

September 30,

 

September 30,

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

2007

 

2006

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

38,501

 

55,806

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

75,193

 

67,711

 

Minority interest in income of consolidated companies

 

15,512

 

18,094

 

Net change in receivables, inventories, and payables

 

(44,026

)

(19,130

)

Other, net

 

13,822

 

31,555

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

99,002

 

154,036

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

 

(83,036

)

(65,209

)

Proceeds from sales of property, plant and equipment

 

5,111

 

4,382

 

Proceeds from sales of businesses

 

7,006

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(70,919

)

(60,827

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net borrowings on notes payable and debt instruments

 

5,745

 

(56,743

)

Cash dividends

 

(24,968

)

(19,066

)

Distribution to minority interest partners

 

(7,987

)

(5,984

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(27,210

)

(81,793

)

Effect of exchange rate changes

 

750

 

(693

)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

1,623

 

10,723

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

29,112

 

14,194

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

30,735

 

24,917

 

 

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

2007

 

2006

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

30,735

 

29,112

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

314,247

 

259,976

 

Inventories

 

282,764

 

272,286

 

Other current assets

 

53,701

 

43,931

 

Total current assets

 

681,447

 

605,305

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

529,363

 

503,977

 

Other assets

 

203,945

 

199,873

 

Total assets

 

1,414,755

 

1,309,155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Notes payable and bank overdrafts

 

59,147

 

46,952

 

Long-term debt due within one year

 

131,680

 

120,243

 

Accounts payable

 

153,435

 

142,234

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

145,302

 

128,533

 

Total current liabilities

 

489,564

 

437,962

 

Long-term debt

 

182,379

 

182,388

 

Long-term pension liability

 

83,012

 

80,607

 

Deferred income taxes

 

30,304

 

30,590

 

Other liabilities

 

62,446

 

58,169

 

Minority interest in net assets of consolidated companies

 

62,069

 

53,448

 

Stockholders’ equity

 

504,981

 

465,991

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

1,414,755

 

1,309,155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of employees at end of period

 

9,360

 

9,178

 

Debt to total capital ratio (1)

 

40

%

40

%

 


(1) The debt to total capital ratio is calculated by dividing total interest bearing debt by total capital. Total interest bearing debt is the sum of notes payable and bank overdrafts, long-term debt due within one year, and long-term debt. Total capital is the sum of total interest bearing debt, minority interest in net assets of consolidated companies, and stockholders’ equity.

 

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