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8-K - 8-K - STURM RUGER & CO INCform8k-19500_rgr.htm

EXHIBIT 99.1

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC. REPORTS 2017

DILUTED EARNINGS OF $2.91 PER SHARE

AND DECLARES DIVIDEND OF 23¢ PER SHARE

 

SOUTHPORT, CONNECTICUT, February 21, 2018--Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) announced today that for 2017 the Company reported net sales of $522.3 million and diluted earnings of $2.91 per share, compared with net sales of $664.3 million and diluted earnings of $4.59 per share in 2016.

For the fourth quarter of 2017, net sales were $118.2 million and diluted earnings were $0.59 per share. The recently enacted “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” positively impacted earnings by $0.03 per share. For the corresponding period in 2016, net sales were $161.8 million and diluted earnings were $1.10 per share.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of 23¢ per share for the fourth quarter, for shareholders of record as of March 15, 2018, payable on March 30, 2018. This dividend varies every quarter because the Company pays a percentage of earnings rather than a fixed amount per share. This dividend is approximately 40% of net income.

Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Killoy made the following observations related to the Company’s 2017 results:

·In 2017, net sales decreased 21% and earnings per share decreased 37% from 2016. The decrease in earnings is attributable to the sales decline and the unfavorable de-leveraging of fixed manufacturing costs due to the decline in production volumes.

 

·The estimated sell-through of the Company’s products from the independent distributors to retailers decreased 17% in 2017 from 2016. For the same period, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System background checks (as adjusted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation) decreased 11%. The decrease in estimated sell-through of the Company’s products from the independent distributors to retailers is attributable to:

 

§Decreased overall consumer demand in 2017 due to stronger-than-normal demand during most of 2016, likely bolstered by the political campaigns for the November 2016 elections,
§Reduced purchasing by retailers in an effort to reduce their inventories and generate cash,
§Aggressive price discounting and lucrative consumer rebates offered by many of our competitors, and
§Excess industry manufacturing capacity, which exacerbated the above factors.

 

·New products represented $137.8 million or 27% of firearms sales in 2017, compared to $192.6 million or 29% of firearms sales in 2016. New product sales include only major new products that were introduced in the past two years. In 2017, new products included the Precision Rifle, the Mark IV pistols, the LCP II pistol, and the American pistol. In December 2017, the Company introduced the Pistol Caliber Carbine, the Security-9 pistol, and the EC9s pistol. Due to the timing of these launches, these new products had only a minimal impact on the 2017 financial results.

 

·Cash generated from operations during 2017 was $101 million. At December 31, 2017, our cash totaled $63 million. Our current ratio is 3.2 to 1 and we have no debt.

 

·In 2017, capital expenditures totaled $34 million. We expect our 2018 capital expenditures to total approximately $15 million.

 

·In 2017, the Company returned $89 million to its shareholders through:

 

§The payment of $24 million of dividends, and
§The repurchase of 1.3 million shares of our common stock in the open market at an average price of $49.10 per share, for a total of $65 million.

 

·At December 31, 2017, stockholders’ equity was $230.1 million, which equates to a book value of $13.21 per share, of which $3.64 per share was cash.

 

Today, the Company filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2017. The financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are attached to this press release.

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Tomorrow, February 22, 2018, Sturm, Ruger will host a webcast at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss the 2017 operating results. Interested parties can access the webcast at Ruger.com/corporate or by dialing 855-871-7398, participant code 9195594.

The Annual Report on Form 10-K is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and the Ruger website at Ruger.com/corporate. Investors are urged to read the complete Annual Report on Form 10-K to ensure that they have adequate information to make informed investment judgments.

 

About Sturm, Ruger

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. As a full-line manufacturer of American-made firearms, Ruger offers consumers over 400 variations of more than 30 product lines. For more than 60 years, Ruger has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. Our motto, “Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens,” echoes the importance of these principles as we work hard to deliver quality and innovative firearms.

 

 

The Company may, from time to time, make forward-looking statements and projections concerning future expectations. Such statements are based on current expectations and are subject to certain qualifying risks and uncertainties, such as market demand, sales levels of firearms, anticipated castings sales and earnings, the need for external financing for operations or capital expenditures, the results of pending litigation against the Company, the impact of future firearms control and environmental legislation, and accounting estimates, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date such forward-looking statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of subsequent unanticipated events.

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STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC.

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

December 31,  2017   2016 
         

Assets

 

          
Current Assets          
Cash and cash equivalents  $63,487   $87,126 
Trade receivables, net   60,082    69,442 
           
Gross inventories   87,592    99,417 
Less LIFO reserve   (45,180)   (42,542)
Less excess and obsolescence reserve   (2,698)   (2,340)
Net inventories   39,714    54,535 
           
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   3,501    3,660 
Total Current Assets   166,784    214,763 
           
Property, Plant, and Equipment   365,013    331,639 
Less allowances for depreciation   (261,218)   (227,398)
Net property, plant and equipment   103,795    104,241 
           
Deferred income taxes       334 
Other assets   13,739    27,541 
Total Assets  $284,318   $346,879 

 

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STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC.

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Continued)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

December 31,  2017   2016 
         

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

 

          
Current Liabilities          
           
Trade accounts payable and accrued expenses  $32,422   $48,493 
Product liability   729    1,733 
Employee compensation and benefits   14,315    25,467 
Workers’ compensation   5,211    5,200 
Total Current Liabilities   52,677    80,893 
           
Product liability   90    86 
Deferred income taxes   1,402     
           
Contingent liabilities        
           
Stockholders’ Equity          
Common stock, non-voting, par value $1:
     Authorized shares – 50,000; none issued
          
Common stock, par value $1:
     Authorized shares – 40,000,000
     2017 – 24,092,488 issued,
                 17,427,090 outstanding
     2016 – 24,034,201 issued,
                 18,688,511 outstanding
   24,092    24,034 
Additional paid-in capital   28,329    27,211 
Retained earnings   321,323    293,400 
Less: Treasury stock – at cost
     2017 – 6,665,398 shares
     2016 – 5,345,690 shares
   (143,595)   (78,745)
Total Stockholders’ Equity   230,149    265,900 
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity  $284,318   $346,879 

 

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STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC.

 

Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

Year ended December 31,  2017   2016   2015 
             
Net firearms sales  $517,701   $658,433   $544,850 
Net castings sales   4,555    5,895    6,244 
Total net sales   522,256    664,328    551,094 
                
Cost of products sold   368,248    444,774    378,934 
                
Gross profit   154,008    219,554    172,160 
                
Operating Expenses:               
Selling   49,232    56,146    49,864 
General and administrative   28,396    29,004    27,864 
Other operating income, net   31    (5)   (113)
Total operating expenses   77,659    85,145    77,615 
                
Operating income   76,349    134,409    94,545 
                
Other income:               
Royalty income   506    1,142    1,084 
Interest income   27    14    5 
Interest expense   (152)   (186)   (156)
Other income, net   916    542    622 
Total other income, net   1,297    1,512    1,555 
                
Income before income taxes   77,646    135,921    96,100 
                
Income taxes   25,504    48,449    33,974 
                
Net income and comprehensive income  $52,142   $87,472   $62,126 
                
                
Basic Earnings Per Share  $2.94   $4.62   $3.32 
                
Diluted Earnings Per Share  $2.91   $4.59   $3.21 
                
Cash Dividends Per Share  $1.36   $1.73   $1.10 

 

 

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STURM, RUGER & COMPANY, INC.

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In thousands)

 

Year ended December 31,  2017   2016   2015 
             

Operating Activities

 

               
Net income  $52,142   $87,472   $62,126 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash
provided by operating activities:
               
Depreciation and amortization   34,264    35,355    36,235 
Stock-based compensation   3,659    3,054    4,530 
Excess and obsolescence inventory reserve   358    522    (1,468)
Loss (gain) on sale of assets   31    59    (113)
Deferred income taxes   1,736    1,836    (3,257)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:               
Trade receivables   9,360    2,279    (21,986)
Inventories   14,463    (17,958)   9,058 
Trade accounts payable and accrued expenses   (16,060)   5,602    6,808 
Employee compensation and benefits   (11,466)   (3,186)   9,378 
Product liability   (1,000)   1,075    (101)
Prepaid expenses, other assets and other liabilities   13,704    (6,348)   6,553 
Income taxes payable       (4,962)   4,806 
Cash provided by operating activities   101,191    104,800    112,569 
                

Investing Activities

 

               
Property, plant, and equipment additions   (33,596)   (35,215)   (28,705)
Net proceeds from sale of assets   3    325    222 
Cash used for investing activities   (33,593)   (34,890)   (28,483)
                

Financing Activities

 

               
Dividends paid   (23,905)   (32,815)   (20,569)
Tax benefit from share-based compensation       8,825    436 
Repurchase of common stock   (64,850)   (14,018)   (2,841)
Payment of employee withholding tax related to share-based compensation   (2,482)   (14,001)   (999)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options           211 
Cash used for financing activities   (91,237)   (52,009)   (23,762)
                
(Decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents   (23,639)   17,901    60,324 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year   87,126    69,225    8,901 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year  $63,487   $87,126   $69,225 

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Non-GAAP Financial Measure

 

In an effort to provide investors with additional information regarding its results, the Company refers to various United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) financial measures and one non-GAAP financial measure, EBITDA, which management believes provides useful information to investors. This non-GAAP measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures being disclosed by other companies. In addition, the Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measure should be considered in addition to, and not in lieu of, GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that EBITDA is useful to understanding its operating results and the ongoing performance of its underlying business, as EBITDA provides information on the Company’s ability to meet its capital expenditure and working capital requirements, and is also an indicator of profitability. The Company believes that this reporting provides better transparency and comparability to its operating results. The Company uses both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate the Company’s financial performance.

 

Non-GAAP Reconciliation – EBITDA

EBITDA

(Unaudited, dollars in thousands)

 

Year ended December 31,  2017   2016 
         
Net income  $52,142   $87,472 
           
Income tax expense   25,504    48,449 
Depreciation and amortization expense   34,264    35,355 
Interest expense   152    186 
Interest income   (27)   (14)
EBITDA  $112,035   $171,448 

 

EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization. The Company calculates this by adding the amount of interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization expenses that have been deducted from net income back into net income, and subtracting the amount of interest income that was included in net income from net income to arrive at EBITDA. The Company’s EBITDA calculation also excludes any one-time non-cash, non-operating expense.

 

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