WESTFORD, Mass., Oct. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kadant Inc. (NYSE: KAI) reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 26, 2020.

Third Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights

• Operating cash flow was $24 million and free cash flow was $23 million.
• Bookings decreased 16% to $143 million.
• Revenue decreased 11% to $155 million.
• GAAP diluted EPS decreased 9% to $1.28.
• Adjusted diluted EPS decreased 5% to $1.31.
• Net income decreased 8% to $15 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA decreased 7% to $30 million and represented 19.4% of revenue.

Note: Percent changes above are based on comparison to the prior year period. Free cash flow, adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, and changes in organic revenue are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain items as detailed later in this press release under the heading “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Management Commentary
“Despite pandemic-related challenges, our revenue increased sequentially to $155 million in the third quarter and was stronger than expected driven by increased demand in our Industrial Processing and Flow Control segments," said Jeffrey L. Powell, president and chief executive officer of Kadant. "We had our highest quarterly adjusted diluted EPS for the year of $1.31, up 24 percent sequentially, due to excellent operational execution and contributions from government employee retention programs. We were particularly pleased with our cash flow from operations of $24 million and free cash flow of $23 million. We paid down $26 million in debt in the quarter, which combined with our adjusted EBITDA helped drive a reduction in our leverage ratio to 1.88.

“Our parts and consumables revenue increased six percent sequentially to $103 million in the third quarter, representing 66 percent of our third quarter revenue. We have seen an increase in demand for our parts and consumables following the curtailment in spending by our customers in the first half of the year.”

Third Quarter 2020 compared to 2019
Revenue decreased 11 percent to $154.6 million compared to $173.5 million in 2019. Organic revenue was down 12 percent, which excludes an acquisition and an increase from the favorable effect of foreign currency translation. Gross margin was 44.2 percent compared to 42.8 percent in 2019.

GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) decreased nine percent to $1.28 compared to $1.41 in 2019. Adjusted diluted EPS decreased five percent to $1.31 compared to $1.38 in 2019. Adjusted diluted EPS in 2020 excludes $0.03 of restructuring costs, a $0.03 discrete tax benefit, $0.02 of acquired backlog amortization and $0.01 of acquisition costs. Adjusted diluted EPS in 2019 excludes a $0.02 discrete tax benefit. Adjusted EBITDA decreased seven percent to $30.0 million compared to $32.3 million in 2019. Cash flow from operations decreased five percent to $24.4 million compared to $25.7 million in 2019.

Bookings decreased 16 percent to $143.3 million compared to $170.9 million in 2019. Organic bookings were down 17 percent, which excludes an acquisition and an increase from the favorable effect of foreign currency translation.

Summary and Outlook
“Capital projects are showing signs of increasing activity and we expect a solid sequential improvement in our capital bookings in the fourth quarter," Mr. Powell continued. "We also expect demand for our parts and consumables to remain stable as our customers perform year-end maintenance on their equipment. As our business continues to strengthen, we anticipate the benefits we receive from government employee retention programs, primarily in Canada and China, will be lower in the fourth quarter. Our global footprint and the diversity of our product offerings have provided stability as the timing of the market recovery has shown to vary by region and industry. While we have seen a recent strengthening in consumer demand, there is still uncertainty surrounding the timing of the recovery in markets around the world and as a result, we will not be providing guidance at this time.”

About Kadant
Kadant Inc. is a global supplier of high-value, critical components and engineered systems used in process industries worldwide. The Company’s products, technologies, and services play an integral role in enhancing process efficiency, optimizing energy utilization, and maximizing productivity in resource-intensive industries. Kadant is based in Westford, Massachusetts, with approximately 2,700 employees in 20 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.kadant.com.