Pioneer Reports First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

5/14/19

Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPSI), a company engaged in the manufacture, sale and service of electrical transmission, distribution and on-site power generation equipment, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019.

First Quarter 2019 Results and Recent Business Highlights:

  • Revenue of $24.7 million, down 9.1% compared to $27.2 million in Q1 2018
  • Gross margins were 16.6% compared to 19.1% in Q1 2018
  • Net income of $5.6 million (which included a gain on sale of a subsidiary of $4.2 million, and $1.6 million in income taxes accrued for on the sale), up from a net loss of $574,000 in Q1 2018. Excluding the gain on sale of the subsidiary, and the associated income taxes, net income would have been nominally positive
  • Adjusted EBITDA* of $9.1 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA* of $1.3 million in Q1 2018
  • Backlog as of March 31, 2019 was approximately $48.6 million, up 2.4% compared to $47.5 million at December 31, 2018, and up 36.0% compared to $35.7 million at March 31, 2018

Nathan Mazurek, Pioneer's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The first quarter demonstrates the progress we have made in streamlining our cost structure, as we nearly doubled operating income despite lower revenues and reduced gross profit. We expect revenues to grow as we move through the year. Our overall business is enjoying record levels of demand as evidenced by our ever-growing backlog and we have seen a notable uptick in demand for our transformer business."

Summary Financial Results

Revenue

Total revenue for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019 was $24.7 million, down 9.1% compared to $27.2 millionfor the first quarter of 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, service revenue decreased by $436,000, or 19.7%, as compared to the same period in the prior year.

Gross Margin

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, Pioneer's gross profit was $4.1 million, or 16.6% of revenues, compared to $5.2 million, or 19.1% of revenues, for the year-ago period. The decrease in gross profit was driven primarily by reduced margins on our switchgear sales and generator service business, which are anticipated to normalize during the second and third quarter of 2019.

Operating Income

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, operating income was $0.6 million compared to $0.3 million for the same period last year. These results were favorably impacted by foreign exchange gains in the first quarter of 2019 of $632,000compared to an unfavorable variance of $74,000 for the same period in the period year.

Income Taxes

Pioneer's effective income tax rate for the first quarter of 2019 was 25.6% of earnings before income tax compared to 4.7% for the same quarter last year.

Net Income (Loss)

The Company's net income was $5.6 million, or $0.65 per basic and diluted share, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to a net loss of $574,000, or $(0.07) per basic and diluted share, during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA*

For the quarter ended March 31, 2019, there were approximately $122,000 of non-recurring expenses from strategic changes versus $193,000 in the prior-year period. Non-cash expenses, including depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation, for Q1 2019 were $472,000 and $5,000, respectively. This compares to depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation of $828,000 and $148,000, respectively, in the year-ago period.

The Company's Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 was $9.1 million compared to $1.3 million in the same quarter last year. Please refer to the financial tables included below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures.

* Note: Pioneer has presented non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA because many of our investors use these non-GAAP measures to monitor the Company's performance. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP measures as an indicator of the Company's operating performance.

Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a quantitative assessment of a company's performance, financial position or cash flow that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures included in this release, however, should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the financial tables included below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures.

Backlog

Sales backlog at March 31, 2019 was $48.6 million compared to $47.5 million at December 31, 2018. Backlog is based on orders expected to be delivered in the future, most of which is expected to be delivered during the next 12 months.

About Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc.

Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. manufactures, sells and services a broad range of specialty electrical transmission, distribution and on-site power generation equipment for applications in the utility, industrial, commercial and backup power markets. The Company's principal products and services include custom-engineered electrical transformers, low and medium voltage switchgear and engine-generator sets and controls, complemented by a national field-service organization to maintain and repair power generation assets. Pioneer is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and operates from 11 additional locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for manufacturing, centralized distribution, engineering, sales, service and administration. To learn more about Pioneer, please visit its website at www.pioneerpowersolutions.com.