Sensus Metering Systems, a leading provider of high-value metering system solutions to utilities worldwide, today announced financial results for the fiscal third quarter and nine months ended December 29, 2007.
Highlights
- Adjusted Net Sales(1) (as described below) increased 17% to $170.0
million from the same quarter a year ago.
- Total backlog reached a record high of $92.0 million, up 9% from a year
ago.
- Executed contracts for the deployment of our FlexNet(R) Advanced
Metering Infrastructure ("AMI") solutions covering 6.6 million electric
and gas endpoints, including a contract covering 4.3 million electric
endpoints with Southern Company announced on January 14, 2008.
- Adjusted EBITDA(1) (as described below) reached $16.7 million, an 11%
increase compared with the same quarter a year ago.
- Cash-on-hand totaled $33.2 million as of December 29, 2007 and net debt
amounted to $444.9 million.
During the fiscal third quarter, Sensus Metering Systems began the initial deployment of its new, advanced FlexNet(R) AMI solutions under long-term contracts executed with several North American electric and gas utilities. These contracts, which extend for up to twenty years and cover 6.6 million electric and gas endpoints, contain significant hardware and software components as well as ongoing customer support. As a result of the significant advanced technology and software and the absence of stand-alone customer support sales prices, revenues and incremental direct costs related to these long-term contracts are required to be deferred and recognized ratably over the life of the contracts. This deferral will have no impact on cash flow as billings to customers occur when the network is deployed and the related costs are incurred, generally over the first several years of the contract term.
Fiscal Third Quarter Results
For the fiscal third quarter ended December 29, 2007, Adjusted Net Sales(1) and Adjusted EBITDA(1) (non-GAAP measures), which include $7.8 million of net sales and $1.2 million of EBITDA related to long-term AMI contracts deferred, amounted to $170.0 million and $16.7 million, respectively, representing increases of 17% and 11% compared with the fiscal third quarter ended December 30, 2006.
The strong growth in Adjusted Net Sales(1) and Adjusted EBITDA(1) reflects continued growth in Automatic Meter Reading ("AMR") applications, the initial deployment of AMI solutions, expansion into new markets in Europe and China, strengthening economies in Central Europe and South America and higher sales volumes of residential gas meters. Growth in these products and areas was slightly offset by the weak housing and ailing U.S. automotive markets which impacted our Smith-Blair pipe clamp and coupling and Precision Die Casting businesses. Results for the current quarter also reflect the investment in infrastructure costs, such as sales and marketing as well as engineering and technical personnel to support the rapidly growing AMI business.
The net loss for the quarter was $5.0 million compared to $7.1 million in the same quarter a year ago. The improved results reflect the growth in net sales and EBITDA as well as a higher net income tax benefit in the current fiscal third quarter.
Nine Month Results
For the first nine months of fiscal 2008, Adjusted Net Sales(1) and Adjusted EBITDA(1) (non-GAAP measures), including $11.4 million of net sales and $2.0 million of EBITDA related to long-term AMI contracts deferred, amounted to $520.8 million and $57.5 million, respectively, representing increases of 17% and 10% compared with the same period of fiscal 2007. The strong growth in Adjusted Net Sales(1) and Adjusted EBITDA(1) was driven by the previously mentioned items for the fiscal third quarter.
The net loss for the first nine months of fiscal 2008 was $9.5 million compared to $16.9 million in the same period a year ago. The improved results reflect the growth in net sales and EBITDA as well as a higher net income tax benefit in the current year.
The Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 29, 2007, which includes financial statements for the three and nine months ended December 29, 2007 and related notes together with management's discussion and analysis of such results, is now available.
A conference call with analysts to discuss these results will be held on February 8, 2008 at 11:00 AM (EST). To access the conference call, please dial 800-688-0796 (domestic access) or 617-614-4070 (international access) and reference Passcode: 60716485. It is recommended that you dial in five to ten minutes prior to the call to allow time for processing participant information. A replay of the call will be available until February 15, 2008 by dialing 888-286-8010 (domestic access) or 617-801-6888 (international access) and referencing Passcode: 60716485.
About Sensus Metering Systems
The Sensus Metering Systems companies are leading world-class providers of high-value metering, Automatic Meter Reading ("AMR") and Advanced Metering Infrastructure ("AMI") system solutions for water, gas, electric and heat utilities as well as sub-metering entities globally. Additional linked businesses include Smith-Blair a leading provider of pipe clamp and coupling products for the water, gas and industrial markets, and Sensus Precision Die Casting which produces complex, high quality die-castings. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.sensus.com.
About FlexNet(R)
FlexNet(R) provides the utility industry's most reliable and flexible two- way AMI fixed network. Utility customers benefit from the dependable, mission- critical performance of a dedicated, primary-use, FCC licensed and protected communications network combined with ANSI compliant metering, IP-based wide area communications, open standards home area networking, advanced smart grid products, and IP-based information systems. Sensus delivers timely and accurate AMI communications through crystal-clear and massively redundant RF data paths with double the RF power of competing systems. This empowers utilities to communicate with a complete range of endpoint devices including smart water, gas and electric meters, intelligent home devices, and distribution automation equipment in any mix of rural and urban terrain. Forward-thinking utilities confidently choose FlexNet(R) to provide a single- technology solution that reduces cost, mitigates technology risk, enables pricing flexibility and demand response, and improves operational efficiency through reliable performance, industry standards, cross-vendor compatibility, system scalability and future-proof operation.
No comments:
Post a Comment