Lippert’s Q1 Reflects General Economic Headwinds

Jason Lippert

“Despite challenging wholesale and OEM environments, we delivered solid results in the first quarter of 2023, underscored by robust content growth and strong sequential margin expansion given current market conditions. Steadfast focus on our diversification strategy and continued operational improvements have positioned us to deliver sustained profitability, with performance in our adjacent industries and aftermarket businesses helping to partially offset the impact of lower RV OEM shipments. Despite wholesale RV declines, revenue and content per unit are substantially above pre-COVID levels. By leveraging our strong R&D capabilities, we are aggressively working to expand market share through product innovations to meet consumer demand for high-quality, sophisticated content,” commented Jason Lippert, LCI Industries’ President and Chief Executive Officer.

“As we navigate through this down cycle, largely driven by recent overproduction within the industry, we remain confident in the underlying strength of the outdoor lifestyle and are seeing continued retail demand coming out of spring shows. We are continuing to fortify our financial profile and have made significant progress towards our plan to reduce inventories by $300 million this year, supporting enhanced cash generation. With the efficiencies we’ve captured, combined with the continued performance of our diversified portfolio, we believe we are poised to continue our trajectory of strong performance and deliver substantial margin growth when RV OEM production recovers,” Lippert continued. “Our strong cultural foundation, veteran operational leadership, and dedicated team members keep us on track in our efforts to create long-term value for all stakeholders throughout 2023.”

First Quarter 2023 Results

Consolidated net sales for the first quarter of 2023 were $973.3 million, a decrease of 41 percent from 2022 first quarter net sales of $1.6 billion. Net income in the first quarter of 2023 was $7.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared to net income of $196.2 million, or $7.71 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2022. EBITDA in the first quarter of 2023 was $52.5 million, compared to EBITDA of $301.5 million in the first quarter of 2022. Additional information regarding EBITDA, as well as a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure of net income, is provided in the “Supplementary Information – Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures” section below.

The decrease in year-over-year net sales for the first quarter of 2023 was primarily driven by decreased North American RV wholesale shipments and decreased selling prices which are indexed to select commodities, partially offset by acquisitions. Net sales from acquisitions completed in the twelve months ended March 31, 2023 contributed approximately $28.5 million in the first quarter of 2023.

The Company’s average product content per travel trailer and fifth-wheel RV for the twelve months ended March 31, 2023, increased $1,027 to $5,881, compared to $4,854 for the twelve months ended March 31, 2022. The content increase in towables was primarily a result of organic growth, including pricing and new product introductions, market share gains, and acquisitions.

April 2023 Results

April 2023 consolidated net sales were approximately $338 million, down 37 percent from April 2022, primarily due to an approximate 51 percent decline in North American RV wholesale shipments compared to April 2022. April 2023 results were favorably impacted by our diversification efforts outside of the North American RV market, which made up approximately 40 percent of April 2023 consolidated net sales.

Income Taxes

The Company’s effective tax rate was 24.8 percent for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to 25.5 percent for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. The rate was benefited by an increase in the benefit related to the cash surrender value of life insurance.

Balance Sheet and Other Items

At March 31, 2023, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents balance was $23.5 million, compared to $47.5 million at December 31, 2022. The Company used $26.6 million for dividend payments to shareholders, $17.2 million for capital expenditures, and $6.3 million for acquisitions in the three months ended March 31, 2023. The Company also made $36.1 million in net repayments under its revolving credit facility and $5.3 million in repayments under its term loan and other borrowings in the three months ended March 31, 2023.

The Company’s outstanding long-term indebtedness, including current maturities, was $1.1 billion at March 31, 2023, and the Company remained in compliance with its debt covenants. The Company believes its current liquidity is adequate to meet operating needs for the foreseeable future.

Conference Call & Webcast

LCI Industries will host a conference call to discuss its first quarter results on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, which may be accessed by dialing (833) 470-1428 for participants in the U.S. and (404) 975-4839 for participants outside the U.S. using the required conference ID 489509. Due to the high volume of companies reporting earnings at this time, please be prepared for hold times of up to 15 minutes when dialing in to the call. In addition, an online, real-time webcast, as well as a supplemental earnings presentation, can be accessed on the Company’s website, www.investors.lci1.com.

A replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks by dialing (866) 813-9403 for participants in the U.S. and (929) 458-6194 for participants outside the U.S. and referencing access code 129639. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website immediately following the conclusion of the call.

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/lipperts-q1-reflects-general-economic-headwinds/