Ennis, Inc. Reports Results for the Quarter Ended November 30, 2022 and Declares Quarterly Dividend

Ennis, Inc. (the “Company”), (NYSE: EBF), today reported financial results for the third quarter ended November 30, 2022. Highlights include:

  • Revenues were $110.2 million for the quarter compared to $103.0 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of $7.3 million or 7.1%.
  • Earnings per diluted share for the current quarter were $0.44 compared to $0.29 for the comparative quarter last year, an increase of 50.2%.
  • Our gross profit margin for the quarter was 30.4% compared to 28.4% for the comparative quarter last year.

Financial Overview

The Company’s revenues for the third quarter ended November 30, 2022 were $110.2 million compared to $103.0 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of $7.3 million, or 7.1%. Gross profit margin was $33.5 million, or 30.4%, as compared to $29.2 million, or 28.4%, for the same quarter last year. Net earnings for the quarter were $11.3 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, as compared to $7.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, for the same quarter last year.

The Company’s revenues for the nine-month period ended November 30, 2022 were $329.1 million compared to $300.3 million for the same period last year, an increase of $28.8 million or 9.6%. Gross profit margin was $102.7 million, or 31.2%, as compared to $87.3 million, or 29.1% for the nine-month periods ended November 30, 2022 and November 30, 2021, respectively. Net earnings for the nine-month period ended November 30, 2022 were $35.1 million, or $1.36 per diluted share compared to $22.3 million, or $0.86 per diluted share for the same period last year.

Keith Walters, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, commented by stating, "We are pleased with our performance for the third quarter. For the seventh consecutive quarter, revenues and operating income improved on a year-over-year basis due to continued strong customer demand for our products and our disciplined cost management and pricing strategies. Our gross profit margin increased to 30.4% for the current quarter from 28.4% for the same prior year quarter, an increase of 2.0%. Our prior year gross profit margin was impacted by inflationary factors and the transitional increase in expense from the consolidation of a few of our underperforming manufacturing facilities. Our EBITDA increased from $15.4 million to $20.8 million over the same prior year quarter. The demand for paper remains solid but we are beginning to see import competition in the North American Paper and Writing market. We continue to monitor incoming order volumes as well as rising raw material and other input costs so that we can proactively adjust our pricing and costs accordingly. At the end of the current quarter, we completed the acquisition of School Photo Marketing. School Photo Marketing provides printing, yearbook publishing and marketing related services to over 1,400 school and sports photographers around the country. This addition brings with it many exciting possibilities to service this new channel with products produced through Ennis manufacturing operations. We believe we have one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry, with no debt and significant cash. Our profitability and strong financial condition will allow us to continue operations and fund acquisitions without incurring debt. Given those strengths, we also anticipate timely access to credit should larger acquisition opportunities materialize as we continue to explore strategic opportunities in the acquisition arena to increase profitability."

Non-GAAP Reconciliations

To provide important supplemental information to both management and investors regarding financial and business trends used in assessing its results of operations, from time to time the Company reports the non-GAAP financial measure of EBITDA (EBITDA is calculated as net earnings before interest expense, tax expense, depreciation, and amortization). The Company may also report adjusted gross profit margin, adjusted earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share, each of which is a non-GAAP financial measure.

Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors as a supplement to reported GAAP financial information. Management reviews these non-GAAP financial measures on a regular basis and uses them to evaluate and manage the performance of the Company’s operations. Other companies may calculate non-GAAP financial measures differently than the Company, which limits the usefulness of the Company’s non-GAAP measures for comparison with these other companies. While management believes the Company’s non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating the Company, when this information is reported it should be considered as supplemental in nature and not as a substitute or an alternative for, or superior to, the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures should be evaluated only in conjunction with the Company’s comparable GAAP financial measures.

The following table reconciles EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, for the three and nine months ended November 30, 2022 to the most comparable GAAP measure, net earnings (dollars in thousands).

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

Nine months ended

 

 

 

November 30,

 

 

November 30,

 

 

November 30,

 

 

November 30,

 

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2021

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2021

 

Net earnings

 

$

11,286

 

 

$

7,563

 

 

$

35,107

 

 

$

22,327

 

Income tax expense

 

 

4,388

 

 

 

3,242

 

 

 

13,652

 

 

 

9,569

 

Interest expense

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

5,128

 

 

 

4,593

 

 

 

13,835

 

 

 

13,889

 

EBITDA (non-GAAP)

 

$

20,802

 

 

$

15,401

 

 

$

62,594

 

 

$

45,792

 

% of sales

 

 

18.9

%

 

 

15.0

%

 

 

19.0

%

 

 

15.2

%

In Other News

On December 15, 2022 the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 25.0 cents per share on the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on February 2, 2023 to shareholders of record on January 5, 2023.

About Ennis

Founded in 1909, the Company is one of the largest private-label printed business product suppliers in the United States. Headquartered in Midlothian, Texas, Ennis has production and distribution facilities strategically located throughout the USA to serve the Company’s national network of distributors. Ennis manufactures and sells business forms, other printed business products, printed and electronic media, integrated forms and labels, presentation products, flex-o-graphic printing, advertising specialties and Post-it® Notes, internal bank forms, plastic cards, secure and negotiable documents, specialty packaging, direct mail, envelopes, tags and labels and other custom products. For more information, visit www.ennis.com.

Safe Harbor under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Certain statements that may be contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “preliminary,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, the Company notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to numerous uncertainties, which include, but are not limited to, the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic repercussions, the erosion of demand for our printer business documents as the result of digital technologies, risk or uncertainties related to the completion and integration of acquisitions, the limited number of available suppliers and variability in the prices of paper and other raw materials, and operational challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, including logistical challenges, protecting the health and well-being of our employees and potential plant closures. Other important information regarding factors that may affect the Company’s future performance is included in the public reports that the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending February 28, 2022. The Company does not undertake, and hereby disclaims, any duty or obligation to update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, although its situation and circumstances may change in the future. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The inclusion of any statement in this release does not constitute an admission by the Company or any other person that the events or circumstances described in such statement are material.

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

Nine months ended

 

Condensed Consolidated Operating Results

 

November 30,

 

 

November 30,

 

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2021

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2021

 

Revenues

 

$

110,245

 

 

$

102,968

 

 

$

329,145

 

 

$

300,349

 

Cost of goods sold

 

 

76,768

 

 

 

73,768

 

 

 

226,445

 

 

 

213,062

 

Gross profit margin

 

 

33,477

 

 

 

29,200

 

 

 

102,700

 

 

 

87,287

 

Operating expenses

 

 

17,307

 

 

 

17,514

 

 

 

52,931

 

 

 

54,248

 

Operating income

 

 

16,170

 

 

 

11,686

 

 

 

49,769

 

 

 

33,039

 

Other expense

 

 

496

 

 

 

881

 

 

 

1,010

 

 

 

1,143

 

Earnings before income taxes

 

 

15,674

 

 

 

10,805

 

 

 

48,759

 

 

 

31,896

 

Income tax expense

 

 

4,388

 

 

 

3,242

 

 

 

13,652

 

 

 

9,569

 

Net earnings

 

$

11,286

 

 

$

7,563

 

 

$

35,107

 

 

$

22,327

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

25,809,581

 

 

 

26,020,210

 

 

 

25,812,216

 

 

 

26,053,898

 

Diluted

 

 

25,888,815

 

 

 

26,020,210

 

 

 

25,892,873

 

 

 

26,151,480

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.44

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

1.36

 

 

$

0.86

 

Diluted

 

$

0.44

 

 

$

0.29

 

 

$

1.36

 

 

$

0.85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 30,

 

 

February 28,

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Information

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2022

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

 

$

87,000

 

 

$

85,606

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

 

45,738

 

 

 

39,022

 

Inventories, net

 

 

 

49,922

 

 

 

38,538

 

Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,434

 

 

 

1,863

 

Total Current Assets

 

 

 

185,094

 

 

 

165,029

 

Property, plant & equipment, net

 

 

 

49,440

 

 

 

53,633

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

 

14,214

 

 

 

15,544

 

Goodwill and intangible assets

 

 

 

137,516

 

 

 

134,246

 

Other

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

386

 

 

 

392

 

Total Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

386,650

 

 

$

368,844

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

 

$

15,361

 

 

$

16,678

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

 

19,117

 

 

 

15,422

 

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 

 

 

4,914

 

 

 

5,090

 

Total Current Liabilities

 

 

 

39,392

 

 

 

37,190

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

 

25,836

 

 

 

27,839

 

Total liabilities

 

 

 

65,228

 

 

 

65,029

 

Shareholders' Equity

 

 

 

321,422

 

 

 

303,815

 

Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity

 

 

$

386,650

 

 

$

368,844

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nine months ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 30,

 

Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Information

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

2021

 

Cash provided by operating activities

 

 

$

33,997

 

 

$

34,295

 

Cash used in investing activities

 

 

 

(12,105

)

 

 

(7,658

)

Cash used in financing activities

 

 

 

(20,498

)

 

 

(20,858

)

Change in cash

 

 

 

1,394

 

 

 

5,779

 

Cash at beginning of period

 

 

 

85,606

 

 

 

75,190

 

Cash at end of period

 

 

$

87,000

 

 

$

80,969