H.B. Fuller Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2021 Results

Net revenue growth of 23% and organic revenue growth of 19% driven by share gains and strong demand

Net income of $49 million and EPS of $0.90; adjusted EPS of $0.94 up 38% year over year

Adjusted EBITDA of $122 million up 21% year over year

H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) today reported financial results for its second quarter ended May 29, 2021.

Items of Note for Second Quarter 2021

• Strong operational execution, benefits from restructuring efficiencies and improved global industrial demand drove significant revenue and earnings growth versus the second quarter of fiscal 2020.
• Revenue was up 22.7% versus the second quarter of last year. Organic revenue increased 18.8% versus the second quarter last year. Organic revenue was up 9.5% when compared with the non-COVID-impacted second quarter of 2019.
• Net income increased to $49 million; volume leverage, pricing and operational efficiencies offset higher raw material costs and drove a 21% year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA to $122 million.
• Earnings per diluted share (EPS) were $0.90; adjusted EPS of $0.94 increased 38% year over year, driven primarily by strong operating income growth and lower interest expense associated with reduced debt.
• Year-to-date debt paydown of $61.5 million was 20% higher than the same period last year. The company remains on track to its $200 million debt reduction target for the full year.

Summary of Second Quarter 2021 Results

Net revenue of $828 million increased 22.7% compared with the second quarter of 2020. Foreign currency exchange rates favorably impacted revenue by 3.9%. Organic revenue, which excludes impacts from foreign currency translation, increased 18.8% versus last year, with organic growth in all three Global Business Units (GBUs) including strong, double-digit growth in Engineering Adhesives and Construction Adhesives. Organic revenue also significantly increased by 9.5% when compared with the non-COVID impacted second quarter of 2019, with strong organic growth in all three GBUs.

Gross profit was $218 million. Adjusted gross profit of $219 million increased 18% versus the same period last year. Adjusted gross profit margin declined by 120 basis points year over year as higher sales volume and pricing gains were offset by higher raw material costs. Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expense was $148 million. Adjusted SG&A expense of $142 million improved by 130 basis points as a percent of revenue versus the second quarter last year, resulting from strong volume leverage and savings related to the business reorganization to our three GBUs.

As a result of these factors, net income attributable to H.B. Fuller in the quarter was $49 million, or $0.90 per diluted share. Adjusted net income attributable to H.B. Fuller of $51 million and adjusted EPS of $0.94 increased by 45% and 38%, respectively, compared with $35 million and $0.68 in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA of $122 million increased 21% compared with $101 million in the prior year.

“H.B. Fuller did an outstanding job supporting customers during the quarter, and we delivered another quarter of strong sales and earnings growth,” said Jim Owens, H.B. Fuller president and chief executive officer. “Despite considerable raw material and packaging shortages, H.B. Fuller was able to meet a sizeable increase in demand by leveraging our extensive global network and partnering with customers and suppliers. Raw material costs increased substantially in the second quarter, exacerbated by shortages and impacts from Storm Uri earlier this year. We have implemented significant price adjustments and delivered efficiencies through our streamlined global business unit structure and operational excellence programs. These actions are enabling us to seamlessly serve our customers, achieve our profit targets, and increase our debt paydown over last year’s level, in line with our target for $200 million of debt reduction in 2021. Our effective sourcing strategies, market-driven innovation and operational agility are supporting H.B. Fuller’s profitable business growth in the current supply-constrained environment. We continue to demonstrate the resiliency of our business, and our ability to grow, gain share and deliver value for shareholders.”

Other Financial Metrics

At the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2021, the company had cash and equivalents of $70 million and total debt equal to $1,712 million. This compares to cash and debt levels equal to $70 million and $1,928 million, respectively, at the end of the second quarter of 2020. Capital expenditures for the six-month period were $51 million compared with $55 million in the same period last year.

2021 Planning Assumptions

• Based on current assumptions, full year 2021 revenue growth is anticipated to be in the low double-digits versus 2020.
• The company expects raw material cost increases to exceed 10% on a full year basis versus 2020, with the most significant margin head winds expected in the third quarter. The company has implemented annualized price adjustments of $150 million effective March 1 through July 15 and is planning additional increases of $75 million in August and September to offset higher raw material costs. The company is prepared to implement further increases as necessary.
• Given these assumptions, the company’s prior outlook for full year adjusted EBITDA in the range of $455 million to $475 million remains unchanged. This reflects adjusted EBTIDA growth of 12% to 17% versus 2020, which is supported by share gains, on-going recovery in global industrial production, pricing actions balancing higher input costs, and benefits from the company’s operational improvement projects.

Conference Call

The company will hold a conference call on June 24, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. CDT (10:30 a.m. EDT) to discuss its results. Interested parties may listen to the conference call on a live webcast. The webcast, along with a supplemental presentation, may be accessed from the company’s website at https://investors.hbfuller.com. Participants should access the webcast 10 minutes prior to the start of the call to install and test any necessary audio software. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available from 12:30 p.m. CDT on June 24, 2021 through July 1, 2021. To access the telephone replay dial (800) 585-8367 or (416) 621-4642 and enter Conference ID: 9378807.

Regulation G

The information presented in this earnings release regarding consolidated and segment organic revenue growth, operating income, adjusted gross profit, adjusted gross profit margin, adjusted selling, general and administrative expense, adjusted income before income taxes and income from equity investments, adjusted income taxes, adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) does not conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) and should not be construed as an alternative to the reported results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Management has included this non-GAAP information to assist in understanding the operating performance of the company and its operating segments as well as the comparability of results to the results of other companies. The non-GAAP information provided may not be consistent with the methodologies used by other companies. All non-GAAP information is reconciled with reported U.S. GAAP results in the “Regulation G Reconciliation” tables in this press release with the exception of our forward-looking non-GAAP measures contained above in our fiscal 2021 Planning Assumptions, which the company cannot reconcile to forward-looking GAAP results without unreasonable effort.

About H.B. Fuller

Since 1887, H.B. Fuller has been a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products to improve products and lives. With fiscal 2020 net revenue of $2.8 billion, H.B. Fuller’s commitment to innovation brings together people, products and processes that answer and solve some of the world's biggest challenges. Our reliable, responsive service creates lasting, rewarding connections with customers in electronics, disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, aerospace, clean energy, packaging, construction, woodworking, general industries and other consumer businesses. And, our promise to our people connects them with opportunities to innovate and thrive. For more information, visit us at https://www.hbfuller.com/.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements often address expected future business and financial performance, financial condition, and other matters, and often contain words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “opportunity,” “outlook,” “plan,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” "target," “will,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” “would” and similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words or phrases. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the following: the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak and other pandemics on our operations and financial results; the substantial amount of debt we have incurred to finance our acquisition of Royal, our ability to repay or refinance our debt or to incur additional debt in the future, our need for a significant amount of cash to service and repay the debt and to pay dividends on our common stock, the effect of debt covenants that limit the discretion of management in operating the business or in paying dividends; our ability to pay dividends and to pursue growth opportunities if we continue to pay dividends according to the current dividend policy; our ability to achieve expected synergies, cost savings and operating efficiencies from our restructuring initiatives and operational improvement projects within the expected time frames or at all; our ability to effectively implement Project ONE; uncertain political and economic conditions; fluctuations in product demand; competing products and pricing; our geographic and product mix; availability and price of raw materials; disruptions to our relationships with our major customers and suppliers; failures in our information technology systems; regulatory compliance across our global footprint; trade policies and economic sanctions impacting our markets; changes in tax laws and tariffs; devaluations and other foreign exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of litigation and investigations, including for product liability and environmental matters; impairment charges on our goodwill or long-lived assets; the effect of new accounting pronouncements and accounting charges and credits; and similar matters. Many of the foregoing risks and uncertainties are, and will be, exacerbated by COVID-19 and resulting deterioration of the global business and economic environment.

Additional information about these various risks and uncertainties can be found in the “Risk Factors” section of our Form 10-K filings, and any updates to the risk factors in our Form 10-Q and 8-K filings with the SEC, but there may be other risks and uncertainties that we are unable to identify at this time or that we do not currently expect to have a material impact on the business. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.