Albany International Reports Fourth-Quarter 2022 Results

Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN) today reported operating results for its fourth quarter of 2022, which ended December 31, 2022.

"We are pleased to report another strong quarter to close 2022," said Bill Higgins, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our teams successfully addressed multiple challenges throughout the past year. We overcame supply chain challenges and managed inflationary pressures while serving customers, winning new business, and developing new products. Full year Revenue, Gross profit, Operating income, and Adjusted EBITDA all moved higher compared to 2021's results.

"Our Engineered Composites segment grew its top line 37%, the result of recovering LEAP production and new business wins, headlined by expanded content on the CH-53K helicopter program.

"Our Machine Clothing segment's execution and financial results continued to be impressive. The segment delivered excellent profitability in 2022 with Adjusted EBITDA margins exceeding 37% despite the inflationary environment."

For the fourth-quarter ended December 31, 2022:

• Net sales were $268.8 million, up 12.0%, or 15.5% after adjusting for currency translation, when compared to the prior year, driven by growth in the Engineered Composites segment.
• Gross profit of $97.1 million was 1.1% higher than the $96.1 million reported for the same period of 2021, mainly due to higher net sales in the lower margin Engineered Composites segment.
• Selling, Technical, General, and Research (STG&R) expenses were $59.3 million, compared to $53.2 million in the same period of 2021. The increase was driven by higher foreign currency revaluation expense, incentive compensation costs, and investments in sales and marketing activities.
• Operating income was $37.9 million, compared to $41.7 million in the prior year, a decrease of 9.2%.
• The effective tax rate for the quarter was 42.1% compared to a 27.3% effective tax rate in the fourth quarter of 2021, due to a shift in taxable income to higher tax rate jurisdictions and unfavorable effects of discrete items.
• Net income attributable to the Company was $18.1 million ($0.58 per share), compared to $28.6 million ($0.89 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2021. Adjusted earnings per share (or Adjusted EPS, a non-GAAP measure) was $0.75 per share, compared to $0.86 per share for the same period of last year.
• Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP measure) was $58.4 million, compared to $60.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of 3.6%.

Please see the tables below for a reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to their comparable GAAP measures.

"We are in a solid position as we enter 2023 with a strong balance sheet and healthy order books," said Stephen Nolan, Chief Financial Officer. "We expect to sustain strong results consistent with our long-term goals for both of our businesses in the coming year."

Outlook for Full-Year 2023

Albany International announces its initial financial guidance for the full-year 2023:

• Total company revenue between $1.01 and $1.05 billion;
• Effective income tax rate, including tax adjustments, between 28% and 30%;
• Total company depreciation and amortization between $70 and $75 million;
• Capital expenditures in the range of $90 to $100 million;
• GAAP and Adjusted earnings per share between $3.10 and $3.60;
• Total company Adjusted EBITDA between $225 to $255 million;
• Machine Clothing revenue between $590 to $610 million;
• Machine Clothing Adjusted EBITDA between $205 and $225 million;
• Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) revenue between $420 to $440 million; and
• Albany Engineered Composites Adjusted EBITDA between $80 to $90 million.

Financial tables and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures

The following tables present Net sales and the effect of changes in currency translation rates:

The following tables present Gross profit and Gross profit margin:

A reconciliation from Net income/(loss) (GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) for the current-year and comparable prior-year periods has been calculated as follows:

Per share impact of the adjustments to earnings per share are as follows:

The following table provides a reconciliation of Earnings per share to Adjusted Earnings per share:

The calculations of net debt are as follows:

The calculation of net leverage ratio as of December 31, 2022 is as follows:

The tables below provide a reconciliation of initial outlook for the full-year 2023 Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS (non-GAAP measures) to the comparable GAAP measures:

About Albany International Corp.

Albany International is a leading developer and manufacturer of engineered components, using advanced materials processing and automation capabilities, with two core businesses. Machine Clothing is the world’s leading producer of custom-designed, consumable fabrics and process belts essential for the manufacture of all grades of paper products. Albany Engineered Composites is a growing designer and manufacturer of advanced materials-based engineered components for demanding aerospace applications, supporting both commercial and military platforms. Albany International is headquartered in Rochester, New Hampshire, operates 23 facilities in 11 countries, employs approximately 4,200 people worldwide, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol AIN). Additional information about the Company and its products and services can be found at www.albint.com.

Non-GAAP Measures

This release, including the conference call commentary associated with this release, contains certain non-GAAP measures, that should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related GAAP measures. Such non-GAAP measures include net sales and percent change in net sales, excluding the impact of currency translation effects ; EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin; Net debt; Net leverage ratio; and Adjusted earnings per share (or Adjusted EPS). Management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide additional useful information to investors regarding the Company’s operational performance.

Presenting Net sales and change in Net sales, after currency effects are excluded, provides management and investors insight into underlying sales trends. Net sales, or percent changes in net sales, excluding currency rate effects, are calculated by converting amounts reported in local currencies into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of a prior period. These amounts are then compared to the U.S. dollar amount as reported in the current period.

EBITDA (calculated as net income excluding interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization), Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EPS are performance measures that relate to the Company’s continuing operations. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA excluding costs or benefits that are not reflective of the Company’s ongoing or expected future operational performance. Such excluded costs or benefits do not consist of normal, recurring cash items necessary to generate revenues or operate our business. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA expressed as a percentage of net sales.

The Company defines Adjusted EPS as basic earnings per share (GAAP), adjusted by the after tax per share amount of costs or benefits not reflective of the Company’s ongoing or expected future operational performance. The income tax effects are calculated using the applicable statutory income tax rate of the jurisdictions where such costs or benefits were incurred or the effective tax rate applicable to total company results.

The Company’s Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and Adjusted EPS may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

Net debt aids investors in understanding the Company’s debt position if all available cash were applied to pay down indebtedness.

Net leverage ratio informs the investors of the Company's financial leverage at the end of the reporting period, providing an indicator of the Company's ability to repay its debt.

We encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain statements, estimates, guidance or projections that constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “will,” “should,” “look for,” “guidance,” “guide,” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Because forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties (including, without limitation, those set forth in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q), actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements in this release or in the webcast include, without limitation, statements about macroeconomic conditions, including inflationary cost pressures, as well as global events, which include but are not limited to, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine military conflicts; paper-industry trends and conditions during 2022 and in future years; expectations in 2022 and in future periods of sales, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA (both in dollars and as a percentage of net sales), Adjusted EPS, income, gross profit, gross margin, cash flows and other financial items in each of the Company’s businesses, and for the Company as a whole; the timing and impact of production and development programs in the Company’s AEC business segment and the sales growth potential of key AEC programs, as well as AEC as a whole; the amount and timing of capital expenditures, future tax rates and cash paid for taxes, depreciation and amortization; future debt and net debt levels and debt covenant ratios; and changes in currency rates and their impact on future revaluation gains and losses. Furthermore, a change in any one or more of the foregoing factors could have a material effect on the Company’s financial results in any period. Such statements are based on current expectations, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Statements expressing management’s assessments of the growth potential of its businesses, or referring to earlier assessments of such potential, are not intended as forecasts of actual future growth, and should not be relied on as such. While management believes such assessments to have a reasonable basis, such assessments are, by their nature, inherently uncertain. This release and earlier releases set forth a number of assumptions regarding these assessments, including historical results, independent forecasts regarding the markets in which these businesses operate, and the timing and magnitude of orders for our customers’ products. Historical growth rates are no guarantee of future growth, and such independent forecasts and assumptions could prove materially incorrect in some cases.

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