Brady Corporation Reports Fiscal 2020 Fourth Quarter Results

Income before income taxes and losses of unconsolidated affiliate was $34.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 compared to $47.1 million in the same quarter of the prior year. Diluted EPS was $0.53 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 compared to $0.68 in the same quarter of the prior year. Sales for the quarter declined 14.7 percent.  Organic sales declined 13.7 percent and the impact of foreign currency translation decreased sales by 1.0 percent.MILWAUKEE, Sept. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) (“Brady” or “Company”), a world leader in identification solutions, today reported its financial results for its fiscal 2020 fourth quarter ended July 31, 2020.Quarter Ended July 31, 2020 Financial Results:Income before income taxes and losses of unconsolidated affiliate declined 26.0 percent to $34.9 million for the quarter ended July 31, 2020, compared to $47.1 million in the same quarter last year.Net income for the quarter ended July 31, 2020 declined 24.4 percent to $27.7 million compared to $36.6 million in the same quarter last year.  Earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share were $0.53 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, compared to $0.68 in the same quarter last year.Sales for the quarter ended July 31, 2020 declined 14.7 percent, which consisted of an organic sales decline of 13.7 percent and a decline of 1.0 percent from foreign currency translation.  Sales for the quarter ended July 31, 2020 were $251.7 million compared to $295.3 million in the same quarter last year.  By segment, sales declined 22.8 percent in Identification Solutions and increased 9.7 percent in Workplace Safety, which consisted of an organic sales decline of 21.7 percent in Identification Solutions and organic sales growth of 10.8 percent in Workplace Safety.Year Ended July 31, 2020 Financial Results:Income before income taxes and losses of unconsolidated affiliate declined 14.4 percent to $140.9 million for the year ended July 31, 2020, compared to $164.6 million for the year ended July 31, 2019.  Income before income taxes and losses of unconsolidated affiliate was reduced by non-cash impairment charges of $13.8 million for the year ended July 31, 2020.Net income for the year ended July 31, 2020 declined 14.4 percent to $112.4 million compared to $131.3 million last year.  Earnings per diluted Class A Nonvoting Common Share were $2.11 for the year ended July 31, 2020, compared to $2.46 last year.  Diluted EPS was reduced by non-cash impairment charges of approximately $0.21 for the year ended July 31, 2020.Sales for the year ended July 31, 2020 declined 6.8 percent, which consisted of an organic sales decline of 5.4 percent and a decline of 1.4 percent from foreign currency translation.  Fiscal 2020 sales were $1.08 billion compared to $1.16 billion last year.  By segment, sales declined 9.1 percent in Identification Solutions and declined 0.3 percent in Workplace Safety, which consisted of an organic sales decline of 8.0 percent in Identification Solutions and organic sales growth of 2.3 percent in Workplace Safety.Commentary:“We are more focused than ever on doing our part to serve the front-line workers and other essential companies with the products and services they need to help fight this global pandemic.  Our foremost focus has been on the safety of our employees and supporting the needs of our customers with the high-quality products and services that they have come to expect from Brady,” said Brady’s President and Chief Executive Officer, J. Michael Nauman.  “This quarter, we saw demand in our Identification Solutions business begin to improve in June and July from the lows experienced in April and May; while our Workplace Safety business had a strong quarter with organic sales increasing more than 10% compared to last year.  Growth in our Workplace Safety business was primarily driven by increased sales of safety and identification products directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including social distancing and personal hygiene signage.  We remain focused on investing in new products, building on our positive momentum, and executing sustainable efficiencies throughout Brady.  We believe that our ongoing investments in new product development combined with the much improved financial results in our Workplace Safety business and the improving sequential sales trends in our Identification Solutions business will make Brady an even stronger company when industrial end-market demand returns.”
“Brady is financially strong.  As of July 31, 2020, we had $217.6 million of cash and no outstanding debt,” said Brady’s Chief Financial Officer, Aaron Pearce.  “We generated $141.0 million of cash flow from operating activities this year, we invested $27.3 million in capital expenditures, we returned $45.8 million to our shareholders in the form of dividends, and we returned $64.5 million to our shareholders in the form of share buybacks.  Our strong cash generation and balance sheet allow us to continue to execute our capital allocation strategy which involves investing to grow our organic business, paying a strong dividend, buying back our shares in an opportunistic manner, and investing in acquisitions that are consistent with our strategies.  Brady’s strong balance sheet and cash generation positions us well for future financial success.”A webcast regarding Brady’s fiscal 2020 fourth quarter financial results will be available at www.bradycorp.com/investors beginning at 9:30 a.m. central time today.