H.B. Fuller Reports Third Quarter 2021 Results

Net revenue up 20% and organic revenue up 16% driven by strong volume growth and pricing

Net income of $32 million and EPS of $0.58; adjusted EPS of $0.79

Adjusted EBITDA of $111 million, up 5% year-on-year despite significant raw materials headwinds

H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) today reported financial results for its third quarter ended August 28, 2021.

Items of Note

• Net revenue increased 20% versus the third quarter of last year. Organic revenue increased 16%, with 10% from volume growth and 6% from pricing.
• Organic revenue was up 13% when compared with the non-COVID-impacted third quarter of 2019.
• Net income increased to $32 million; volume leverage, pricing and operating expense efficiencies offset higher raw material costs and drove a 5% year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA to $111 million, ahead of our expectations.
• Earnings per diluted share (EPS) were $0.58; adjusted EPS of $0.79 increased 4% year over year.
• Strategic supply chain management enabled the company to secure raw materials to meet increasing demand, and pricing actions have been implemented that are expected to restore margins in the fourth quarter and into 2022.
• Year-to-date debt paydown of $110 million keeps the company on track to its $200 million debt reduction target for the full year.

Summary of Third Quarter 2021 Results

Net revenue of $827 million increased 20% compared with the third quarter of 2020. Foreign currency exchange rates favorably impacted revenue by 3%. Organic revenue, which excludes impacts from foreign currency translation, increased 16% versus last year, with double-digit organic growth in all three Global Business Units (GBUs). Organic revenue also significantly increased by 13% when compared with the non-COVID impacted third quarter of 2019, with strong organic growth in all three GBUs.

Gross profit was $194 million. Adjusted gross profit of $196 million increased 4% versus the same period last year. Adjusted gross profit margin declined year over year, as expected, as higher sales volume and pricing gains were offset by elevated raw material and freight costs. Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expense was $135 million. Adjusted SG&A expense of $129 million improved by 220 basis points as a percent of revenue versus the third quarter last year, resulting from strong volume leverage and general expense controls.

As a result of these factors, net income attributable to H.B. Fuller in the quarter was $32 million, or $0.58 per diluted share. Adjusted net income attributable to H.B. Fuller of $43 million and adjusted EPS of $0.79 increased by 7% and 4%, respectively, compared with $40 million and $0.76 in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA of $111 million increased 5% compared with $106 million in the prior year.

“H.B. Fuller delivered another strong quarter with double-digit organic revenue growth as we gained share in key market segments through innovative solutions, improved pricing and took decisive actions to secure raw materials and meet customer demand,” said Jim Owens, H.B. Fuller’s president and chief executive officer. “Throughout the quarter, we took strategic steps to serve customers in the face of ongoing raw material and packaging shortages as well as increasing inflationary pressures on logistics, freight, and labor. We have implemented $225 million of annualized pricing adjustments this year and recently announced additional price increases and a surcharge on global shipments effective September 1, 2021. We anticipate a significant improvement in margins in the fourth quarter as a result of these actions. As our business continues to demonstrate resilience, we are increasingly confident in our ability to create and deliver significant value for shareholders in any market environment. The actions that we have taken over the last nine months in support of our customers enables us to exit the year with strong margin momentum.”

Other Financial Metrics

At the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2021, the company had cash and equivalents of $68 million and total debt equal to $1,664 million. This compares to cash and debt levels equal to $75 million and $1,869 million, respectively, at the end of the third quarter of 2020. Capital expenditures for the nine-month period were $77 million compared with $72 million in the same period last year.

Planning Assumptions

• Based on current assumptions, we have increased our estimated full-year revenue guidance. Full-year revenue growth is now anticipated to be 17% to 18% compared with fiscal 2020, resulting in anticipated fourth quarter revenue growth of 15% to 17% versus the fourth quarter of 2020.
• For the fiscal year 2021, adjusted EBITDA is anticipated to be approximately $460 million to $470 million, an increase of 13% to 16% versus 2020, which is supported by 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 September 23, 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 September 23, 2021 through October 1, 2021. To access the telephone replay dial (800) 585-8367 or (416) 621-4642 and enter Conference ID: 1786575.

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.