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8-K - LIVE FILING - LAWSON PRODUCTS INC/NEW/DE/htm_44860.htm

Lawson Products Reports 2012 First Quarter Results

DES PLAINES, Ill. – April 26, 2012 – Lawson Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAWS) (“Lawson” or the “Company”), a distributor of products and services to the MRO marketplace, today announced its 2012 first quarter results for the period ending March 31, 2012.

Thomas Neri, president and chief executive officer, commented, “During the quarter, we continued to face revenue and expense challenges resulting from the operational issues that followed our ERP implementation in the third quarter of 2011 and weakness in the government segment. The effect of our operational issues in the third quarter has had a lagging impact on our customer retention. While the first quarter results were disappointing, I am pleased that we have made progress in resolving many of our ERP-related operational issues. Our focus is now on strengthening our customer relationships and engaging our sales force in restoring sales momentum.”

First Quarter Results

Net sales for the first quarter of 2012 were $76.0 million versus $82.6 million in the first quarter of 2011. The $6.6 million decrease was primarily driven by a decline of $4.4 million in sales within the government segment within bases that support troop deployment. We also generated lower freight revenues and experienced higher customer attrition. The declines were partially offset by one additional selling day and an increase within the strategic account segment. Average daily sales decreased 9.5% from the prior year quarter and 2.2% from the fourth quarter of 2011.

For the first quarter of 2012, gross profit was $41.3 million versus $49.9 million in the prior year period. The decrease as a percentage of sales from 60.5% to 54.4% was driven by lower freight recoveries, an increase in inventory reserves, and additional temporary labor. Additionally, a deliberate strategic shift toward higher volume national customers with lower margins and higher than normal attrition of smaller customers with higher margins negatively affected our results.

Total operating expenses decreased $2.0 million to $44.2 million in the quarter, compared to $46.2 million in the first quarter of 2011. Selling expenses decreased to $20.2 million in the first quarter of 2012 from $22.2 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to lower compensation on reduced sales levels. General and administrative expenses were flat at $24.0 million for the first quarters of both 2012 and 2011.

Net loss for the first quarter of 2012 was $1.8 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, compared to net income of $2.0 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the prior year period.

Commenting on the results, Mr. Neri noted, “We have put programs in place to immediately address the current sales and gross profit trends, while managing our overall operating costs. Many of our recent investments necessarily have been of a long-term, transitional character. We believe the continued investments we are making in our business, including our state-of-the-art distribution center in McCook, Illinois and our revamped Web site will significantly improve our overall customer experience.”

Conference Call

Lawson Products, Inc. will conduct a conference call with investors to discuss first quarter 2012 results at 9:00 a.m. EST on April 26, 2012. A streaming audio of the call and an archived replay will be available on the Lawson Products investor relations section of Lawson’s website through May 10, 2012. The conference call is also available by direct dial at 877-317-6789 in the U.S. or 412-317-6789 from outside of the U.S. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately one hour after completion of the call through May 10, 2012. Callers can access the replay by dialing 877-344-7529 in the U.S. or 412-317-0088 outside the U.S. The PIN access number for the replay is 10013133#.

About Lawson Products, Inc.

Founded in 1952, Lawson Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: LAWS), is an industrial distributor of more than 300,000 different maintenance and repair supplies. Lawson Products serves its customers through a dedicated team of sales representatives and employees. The Company services the industrial, institutional, commercial and government markets in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Puerto Rico. You can learn more about the company on its Website, www.lawsonproducts.com.

This Release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. The terms “may,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continues,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, intentions or beliefs and are subject to a number of factors, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause or contribute to such differences or that might otherwise impact the business and include the risk factors set forth in Item 1A of the December 31, 2011 Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2012. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any such factor or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
    Three Months Ended March 31,
    2012   2011
Net sales
  $ 75,962     $ 82,579  
Cost of goods sold
    34,628       32,640  
 
               
Gross profit
    41,334       49,939  
 
               
Operating expenses
    44,167       46,194  
Operating income (loss)
    (2,833 )     3,745  
Interest expense
    (82 )     (512 )
Other income (expense), net
    (7 )     16  
 
               
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
    (2,922 )     3,249  
 
               
Income tax (benefit) expense
    (1,137 )     1,199  
 
               
Income (loss) from continuing operations
    (1,785 )     2,050  
 
               
Discontinued operations, net of income taxes
    (13 )     (30 )
 
               
Net income (loss)
  $ (1,798 )   $ 2,020  
 
               
Basic income per share of common stock:
               
Continuing operations
  $ (0.21 )   $ 0.24  
Discontinued operations
           
 
               
Net income
  $ (0.21 )   $ 0.24  
 
               
Diluted income per share of common stock:
               
Continuing operations
  $ (0.21 )   $ 0.24  
Discontinued operations
          (0.01 )
 
               
Net income
  $ (0.21 )   $ 0.23  
Cash dividends declared per share of common stock
  $ 0.12     $ 0.12  
 
               
Basic weighted average shares outstanding
    8,574       8,531  
Diluted effect of stock based compensation
          74  
 
               
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding
    8,574       8,605  
 
               
Net comprehensive income (loss)
  $ (1,371 )   $ 2,394  
 
               

 

                 
LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.    
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS    
(Amounts in thousands)    
    March 31,   December 31,
    2012   2011
    (Unaudited)        
ASSETS
               
Current assets:
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 1,213     $ 2,116  
Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts
    39,915       43,239  
Inventories
    58,795       55,498  
Miscellaneous receivables and prepaid expenses
    7,499       7,064  
Deferred income taxes
    5,716       5,716  
Discontinued operations
    428       410  
 
               
Total current assets
    113,566       114,043  
 
               
Property, plant and equipment, net
    59,498       52,702  
Cash value of life insurance
    14,884       15,490  
Deferred income taxes
    11,864       11,864  
Goodwill
    28,306       28,148  
Other assets
    489       501  
 
               
Total assets
  $ 228,607     $ 222,748  
 
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
Current liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 18,793     $ 22,967  
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
    25,941       28,231  
Discontinued operations
    496       681  
Total current liabilities
    45,230       51,879  
 
               
Revolving line of credit
    13,350        
Security bonus plans
    21,046       23,310  
Deferred compensation
    9,542       9,279  
Construction in progress liability
    7,065       3,377  
Other liabilities
    363       731  
 
    51,366       36,697  
 
               
Total Stockholders’ Equity
    132,011       134,172  
 
               
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
  $ 228,607     $ 222,748  
 
               

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            LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.                
            QUARTERLY RESULTS                        
                    (Dollars in thousands)        
                    Three months ended                
 
  Mar. 31, 2012   Dec. 31, 2011           Sep. 30, 2011   Jun. 30, 2011   Mar. 31, 2011
 
                                               
Average daily net sales
  $ 1,187     $ 1,214             $ 1,178     $ 1,315     $ 1,311  
Sequential quarter increase (decrease)
    (2.2 )%     3.1 %             (10.4 )%     0.3 %     (0.1 )%
Net sales
  $ 75,962     $ 72,860             $ 75,366     $ 84,154     $ 82,579  
Gross profit
    41,334       38,993               42,546       48,299       49,939  
Gross profit percentage
    54.4 %     53.5 %             56.5 %     57.4 %     60.5 %
Operating expenses
  $ 44,167     $ 46,755       (1 )   $ 45,617     $ 46,707     $ 46,194  
Operating expense percentage
    58.1 %     64.2 %             60.5 %     55.5 %     55.9 %
Operating income (loss)
  $ (2,833 )   $ (7,762 )           $ (3,071 )   $ 1,592     $ 3,745  
 
                                               

(1)   Operating expense for the three months ended December 31, 2011 includes a non-recurring $1.2 million expense for the estimated cost of settling an employment tax matter and a non-recurring $1.1 million impairment charge related to certain long-lived assets.

Investor Relations:
Lawson Products, Inc.
Ronald J. Knutson
SVP, Chief Financial Officer
847-827-9666, ext. 2665

Media Contact:
Lawson Products, Inc.
Carolyn Ballard
Director, Corporate Communications
847-827-9666, ext. 2251

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