Kewaunee Scientific Reports Improved Results for Third Quarter

STATESVILLE, N.C. - Kewaunee Scientific Corporation (Nasdaq: KEQU) today reported sales and earnings for its third quarter ended January 31, 2013.

Sales for the quarter were $27,450,000, up 27% from sales of $21,574,000 in the third quarter last year. Net earnings for the quarter were $544,000, or $0.21 per diluted share, as compared to a net loss of $122,000, or $0.05 per diluted share, in the third quarter last year. Earnings for the quarter were favorably impacted by the increase in sales, continued strong results from International operations, and reduced manufacturing, overhead, and administrative costs. The order backlog was $84.5 million at January 31, 2013, up from $77.1 million at January 31, 2012.

Domestic sales for the quarter were $20,445,000, up 19% from sales of $17,142,000 in the third quarter last year. The Company continues to make excellent progress in winning projects through its strengthened dealer network. The marketplace for privately-funded projects continued to hold up relatively well during the quarter, while opportunities for publicly-funded wood educational projects remained well below pre-recession levels, as state and local governments continued to receive significantly lower funding for capital projects.

International sales for the quarter were $7,005,000, up 58% from sales of $4,432,000 in the third quarter last year. The Company has a strong backlog of international orders and continues to see increased opportunities for sales and orders in the growing Asia and Middle East laboratory markets.

Sales for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 were $85,318,000, up 16% over sales of $73,857,000, in the comparable period last year. Domestic sales were $68,757,000, up 7% over sales of $64,364,000 in the same period last year. International sales were $16,561,000, up 74% from sales of $9,493,000 in the same period last year. Net earnings for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 were $1,827,000, or $0.71 per diluted share, as compared to a net loss of $225,000, or $0.09 per diluted share, in the comparable period last year.

The Company's balance sheet continues to be strong. Cash on hand was $4.9 million at the end of the quarter, as compared to $4.6 million at January 31, 2012. Working capital was $24.3 million, as compared to $21.5 million at the end of the same period last year. Short-term borrowings under the Company's $15 million bank line of credit were $2.7 million, as compared to $6.4 million at January 31, 2012. Total bank borrowings and capital lease obligations were $6.2 million, as compared to $10.2 million at the end of the third quarter last year, and the debt-to-equity ratio was .20-to-1, as compared to .34-to-1.

"We continued to make excellent progress during the quarter," said William A. Shumaker, Kewaunee's Chief Executive Officer. "I am pleased with sales and earnings, particularly since the third quarter is historically our slowest due to normal construction cycles and the large number of holidays. We continue to see positive results from our strengthened domestic dealer network and our broadened international dealer network. When combined with our lower manufacturing costs, this is providing us with more opportunities to close orders in both of these geographic markets.

"Looking forward, we expect to have a strong finish to our year. Incoming orders and customer delivery requirements for our metal furniture, fume hoods, and epoxy resin products have provided us a strong backlog of orders scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter. This increased demand and our lower costs are expected to more than offset the continuing lower demand for publicly-funded wood educational projects. It should be mentioned that results for the fourth quarter of last year were unusually strong, as results were favorably impacted by several large international projects that were manufactured and shipped during the quarter."

Kewaunee Scientific Corporation is a recognized leader in the design, manufacture, and installation of laboratory, healthcare, and technical furniture products. Laboratory furniture products include both steel and wood cabinetry, fume hoods, adaptable modular systems, moveable workstations, biological safety cabinets, and epoxy resin counters and sinks. Healthcare furniture products include laminate casework, storage systems, and related products for healthcare applications. Technical furniture products include column systems, slotted-post systems, pedestal systems, and stand-alone benches.

The Company's corporate headquarters are located in Statesville, North Carolina. Three manufacturing facilities are located in Statesville, NC serving the domestic and international markets. One manufacturing facility is located in Bangalore, India serving the local and Asian markets. The Company has subsidiaries in Singapore and India. Kewaunee Scientific's website is located at http://www.kewaunee.com.

 

Kewaunee Scientific Corporation


Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)


(in thousands, except per share data)
















Three months ended


Nine months ended





January 31,


January 31,





2013


2012


2013


2012


Net sales



$ 27,450


$ 21,574


$ 85,318


$ 73,857


Cost of products sold


22,441


17,803


69,839


62,053


Gross profit



5,009


3,771


15,479


11,804


Operating expenses


4,054


3,990


12,205


11,950


Operating earnings (loss)


955


(219)


3,274


(146)


Other income


84


193


260


228


Interest expense


(80)


(110)


(295)


(333)


Earnings (loss) before income taxes


959


(136)


3,239


(251)


Income tax expense (benefit)


177


(170)


962


(237)


Net earnings (loss)


782


34


2,277


(14)


Less: net earnings attributable to










the noncontrolling interest


238


156


450


211


Net earnings (loss) attributable to










Kewaunee Scientific Corporation


$ 544


$ (122)


$ 1,827


$ (225)













Net earnings (loss) per share attributable to










Kewaunee Scientific Corporation stockholders








Basic



$ 0.21


$ (0.05)


$ 0.71


$ (0.09)


Diluted



$ 0.21


$ (0.05)


$ 0.71


$ (0.09)













Weighted average number of common










shares outstanding










Basic



2,590


2,579


2,586


2,579


Diluted



2,604


2,579


2,596


2,579












 

 



Kewaunee Scientific Corporation



Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets



(in thousands)
















January 31,


April 30,







2013


2012


Assets





(Unaudited)




Cash and cash equivalents




$ 4,202


$ 6,188


Restricted Cash




692


704


Receivables, less allowances




20,064


23,244


Inventories





12,888


11,760


Prepaid expenses and other current assets




2,269


1,702


Total Current Assets




40,115


43,598


Net property, plant and equipment




14,890


15,346


Other assets





5,618


5,192


Total Assets





$ 60,623


$ 64,136











Liabilities and Equity








Short-term borrowings




$ 2,707


$ 6,816


Current obligations under capital leases and long-term debt


200


236


Accounts payable




8,562


8,848


Other current liabilities




4,360


4,340


Total Current Liabilities




15,829


20,240


Other non-current liabilities




12,095


12,238


Total Liabilities




27,924


32,478


Noncontrolling interest




1,845


2,147


Kewaunee Scientific Corporation equity




30,854


29,511


Total Equity




32,699


31,658


Total Liabilities and Equity




$ 60,623


$ 64,136










 

Source: Kewaunee Scientific Corporation

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