MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Twin Disc, Inc. (NASDAQ:TWIN), today reported results for the fiscal 2024 third quarter ended March 29, 2024. Fiscal Third Quarter 2024 Highlights Sales increased 50 basis points year-over-year to $74.2 million Gross margin of 28.2%, expanded 210 basis points on a year-over-year basis Net income attributable to Twin Disc was $3.8 million and EBITDA* of $7.0 million Robust operating cash flow year to date of $22.3 million compared to $6.9 million in the year-ago period Free cash flow* year to date of $14.7 million compared to breakeven in the year-ago period Solid six-month backlog of $130.5 million bolstered by healthy ongoing demand CEO Perspective "We continued our trend of solid performance in the third quarter as we captured healthy end market demand in an evolving environment. Through our focus on operational discipline and working capital management, we delivered margin expansion, strong EBITDA generation, and impressive free cash generation despite lingering macroeconomic headwinds. Critically, these results highlight the impact of improvements we have made throughout our business in recent years, which we expect to serve as a tailwind well into the future," commented John H. Batten, President and Chief Executive Officer of Twin Disc. "We are also pleased to have announced an agreement to acquire Katsa Oy earlier in the quarter, which will expand our global footprint and broaden our offerings within the industrial, marine and hybrid/electrification space. With our strong balance sheet and flexible financial profile, we will continue to explore similar opportunities to drive sustainable growth for Twin Disc while enabling long-term value creation for our stakeholders." Third Quarter Results Sales for the fiscal 2024 third quarter increased 50 basis points year-over-year to $74.2 million, driven by continued demand for the Company's Marine and Propulsion Systems market and favorable product mix. The Company saw total sales increase in Europe, decrease in North America, and remain flat in Asia-Pacific. Sales by product group: Product Group(Thousands of $):   Q3 FY24 Sales      Q3 FY23 Sales      Change (%)    Marine and Propulsion Systems $ 45,244     $ 43,854       3.20 %   Land-Based Transmissions   19,089       19,574       -2.50 %   Industrial   6,232       7,303       -14.70 %   Other   3,596       3,041       18.30 %   Total $ 74,161     $ 73,772       0.50 %                             Gross profit increased 8.7% to $20.9 million compared to $19.3 million for the third fiscal quarter of 2023. Third quarter gross margin increased approximately 210 basis points sequentially to 28.2%. This improvement reflects the benefit of prior pricing actions, continued easing of supply chain headwinds, a favorable product mix and successfully executing our operational playbook. Marketing, engineering and administrative (ME&A) expense increased by $2.6 million, or 17.6%, to $17.2 million, compared to $14.6 million in the prior year quarter. The increased ME&A expense was primarily driven by the investment in resources to drive our hybrid electric strategy, the impact of inflation and currency translation. Net income attributable to Twin Disc for the quarter was $3.8 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to Twin Disc of $3.3 million, or $0.24 per share, for the third fiscal quarter of 2023. The year-over-year increase was driven by favorable operating results. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) remained strong at $7.0 million in the third quarter, compared to $7.0 million in the third fiscal quarter of 2023. On a consolidated basis, the backlog of orders to be shipped over the next six months is approximately $130.5 million, compared to $125.2 million at the end of the second fiscal quarter of 2024. As a percentage of six-month backlog, inventory decreased from 105.3% at the end of the second quarter to 99.5% at the end of the third fiscal quarter of 2024. Compared to the third fiscal quarter of 2023, cash increased 70.0% to $23.8 million, total debt decreased 45.5% to $17.0 million and net debt* decreased $24.1 million to $(6.8) million. The improvement was primarily attributable to net payoff of long-term debt as a result of our strong cash from operations. CFO PerspectiveJeffrey S. Knutson, Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Secretary stated, "Our solid results, underscored by profitable growth and healthy free cash flow, have continued to strengthen our balance sheet. We are seeing ongoing improvements in backlog, and believe there is even more runway for enhanced cash generation as we target additional inventory reductions in the fourth quarter. As we near the end of the fiscal year, we remain well-positioned to keep advancing our capital allocation priorities while making progress towards our strategic and financial goals." Discussion of ResultsTwin Disc will host a conference call to discuss these results and to answer questions at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on April 30, 2024. The live audio webcast will be available on Twin Disc's website at https://ir.twindisc.com. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 715-9871 approximately ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. A replay of the webcast will be available at https://ir.twindisc.com shortly after the call until April 29, 2025. About Twin DiscTwin Disc, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells marine and heavy-duty off-highway power transmission equipment. Products offered include marine transmissions, azimuth drives, surface drives, propellers and boat management systems, as well as power-shift transmissions, hydraulic torque converters, power take-offs, industrial clutches and control systems. The Company sells its products to customers primarily in the pleasure craft, commercial and military marine markets, as well as in the energy and natural resources, government and industrial markets. The Company's worldwide sales to both domestic and foreign customers are transacted through a direct sales force and a distributor network. For more information, please visit www.twindisc.com. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release may contain statements that are forward looking as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission in its rules, regulations and releases. The words "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," and "expects," or similar anticipatory expressions, usually identify forward-looking statements. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include the impact of general economic conditions and the cyclical nature of many of the Company's product markets; foreign currency risks and other risks associated with the Company's international sales and operations; the ability of the Company to successfully implement price increases to offset increasing commodity costs; the ability of the Company to generate sufficient cash to pay its indebtedness as it becomes due; and the possibility of unforeseen tax consequences and the impact of tax reform in the U.S. or other jurisdictions. These and other risks are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of the Company's most recent Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as supplemented in subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, the making of such statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the results expressed therein will be achieved. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events, new information, or otherwise. *Non-GAAP Financial InformationFinancial information excluding the impact of asset impairments, restructuring charges, foreign currency exchange rate changes and the impact of acquisitions, if any, in this press release are not measures that are defined in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). These items are measures that management believes are important to adjust for in order to have a meaningful comparison to prior and future periods and to provide a basis for future projections and for estimating our earnings growth prospects. Non-GAAP measures are used by management as a performance measure to judge profitability of our business absent the impact of foreign currency exchange rate changes and acquisitions. Management analyzes the company's business performance and trends excluding these amounts. These measures, as well as EBITDA, provide a more consistent view of performance than the closest GAAP equivalent for management and investors. Management compensates for this by using these measures in combination with the GAAP measures. The presentation of the non-GAAP measures in this press release are made alongside the most directly comparable GAAP measures. DefinitionsEarnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is calculated as net earnings or loss excluding interest expense, the provision or benefit for income taxes, depreciation and amortization expenses. Net debt is calculated as total debt less cash. Free cash flow is calculated as net cash provided (used) by operating activities less acquisition of fixed assets. Investors: Source: Twin Disc, Incorporated CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (In thousands, except per-share data; unaudited)           For the Quarter Ended       For the Three Quarters Ended                 As Adjusted               As Adjusted         March 29, 2024       March 31, 2023       March 29, 2024       March 31, 2023     Net sales $ 74,161     $ 73,772     $ 210,709     $ 193,036     Cost of goods sold   53,221       54,507       149,377       143,451     Cost of goods sold - Sale of boat management system product line and related inventory   -       -       3,099       -     Gross profit   20,940       19,265       58,233       49,585                                       Marketing, engineering, and administrative expenses   17,199       14,626       51,268       45,688     Restructuring expenses   139       33       207       208     Other operating income   -       1       -       (4,149 )   Income from operations   3,602       4,605       6,758       7,838                                       Other expense (income):                                 Interest expense   263       522       1,049       1,682     Other expense (income), net   (959 )     178       (649 )     13         (696 )     700       400       1,695     Income before income taxes and noncontrolling interest   4,298       3,905       6,358       6,143                                       Income tax expense   398       548       2,606