H.B. Fuller Company reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year that ended Dec. 2, 2017 and initiated guidance for fiscal 2018. In October 2017, the company acquired Royal Adhesives & Sealants, LLC, which had net revenue of $658 million during the 2017 fiscal year ended Dec. 2, 2017.

Items of Note for 2018 Guidance:

• More than 30 percent revenue growth versus 2017 fiscal year; six to seven percent revenue growth on a pro forma basis;
• Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $465 million, an increase of about 60 percent versus 2017 and approximately 13 percent growth versus 2017 on a pro forma basis;
• Adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $3.10 to $3.40, an increase of 24 percent to 36 percent versus 2017;
• Core tax rate of between 25 and 27 percent, reflecting an estimate based on the recently passed legislation;
• Cash flow from operating activities of approximately $290 million. Capital expenditures planned at approximately $90 million;
• Free cash flow of approximately $200 million of which approximately $170 million will be used to repay debt.

Items of Note for the Fourth Quarter of 2017:

• Acquisition of Royal has expanded the company's position in markets that require highly specified adhesive solutions;
• Net revenue growth of 18 percent versus the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusting for the Royal acquisition and the extra week in the fourth quarter of 2016, constant currency revenue growth was 12 percent, with organic revenue growth of 10 percent and organic volume growth of 8 percent;
• Net loss was $7.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017; adjusted net income, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, was $38.9 million, or $0.75 per diluted share;
• Adjusted EBITDA margin, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, was up sequentially to 13.1 percent;
• Cash flow from operations for the 2017 fiscal year was $136 million. Excluding the impact of Royal, cash flow from operations was $120 million in the fourth quarter and $197 million for the 2017 fiscal year;
• Adjusting for the extra week in the fourth quarter of 2016, organic volume growth for Engineering Adhesives was 19 percent in the quarter; Asia Pacific and the Americas both grew volume approximately 10 percent versus last year; EIMEA had solid mid-single digit volume growth and Construction Products saw improved top-line trends versus prior periods this year;
• Construction Products adjusted EBITDA margin was up 550 basis points versus the prior year's fourth quarter and back to double digits.

Fiscal 2018 Guidance:

The company is introducing an adjusted EPS guidance range for 2018 of between $3.10 and $3.40. Adjusted EBITDA for fiscal year 2018 is expected to be approximately $465 million. Organic growth on proforma revenue is expected to be 6 to 7 percent for 2018 versus the 2017 fiscal year which reflects good volume growth, favorable foreign currency translation and further pricing to offset continued raw material inflation. The compnay's core tax rate is expected to be between 25 and 27 percent, which reflects the company's current estimate of the impact of the recently passed tax legislation. We expect capital expenditures to be around $90 million, which includes approximately $15 million for integration related capital expenditures.

"Our 2018 guidance reflects a step change in performance as a result of the continuation of the strong underlying growth and profit improvement in our existing business combined with continued success of the Royal business which we acquired in the fourth quarter," said Jim Owens, H.B. Fuller president and CEO. "Integration activities are well under way and are going very smoothly and we are excited about the cost synergy and growth opportunities that combining these two great companies will create. The combined businesses will create solid organic growth, sizable margin improvement and significant increases in free cash flow for H.B. Fuller."

This guidance excludes between $15 and $20 million, pre-tax, of expenses required to integrate the Royal business and other businesses acquired in 2017, between $7 and $10 million of expenses, pre-tax, related to Project ONE ERP development costs as well as other items that cannot reasonably be estimated at this time. A complete reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial information contained in the company's 2018 guidance is not being provided in accordance with the "unreasonable efforts" exception of Item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fourth Quarter 2017 Results: 

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $7.6 million, or a loss of $0.15 per diluted share, versus net income of $39.1 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, in last year's fourth quarter. Adjusted diluted earnings per share in the fourth quarter of 2017, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, were $0.75 versus the prior year's adjusted result of $0.74, which included an extra week. Adjusting for the extra week in 2016, adjusted earnings per share were up nine percent as strong volume growth was offset by higher year-over-year raw material costs.

Net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $678.2 million, up 18 percent versus the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusting for the extra week in 2016 and excluding the impact of Royal, revenue was up 12 percent as higher volume, pricing and acquisitions all positively impacted net revenue growth. Organic revenue, defined as constant currency revenue less the impact from acquisitions, was up 10 percent year-over-year.

Gross profit margin was 24.7 percent. Adjusted gross profit margin, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, was 26.5 percent. Margins remained lower year-over-year due to continued increasing raw material costs relative to the timing of additional price increases. Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expense was $151.1 million. Adjusted SG&A expense, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, was $101.5 million, down versus the prior year, due to one fewer operating week as well as good overall expense control.

"We had continued strong revenue performance and excellent cash flow performance in the fourth quarter as organic growth was again very strong," Owens said. "The pricing actions we implemented early in the year had a positive impact on our margins, however, as a result of Hurricane Harvey and continued environmental controls in China, raw materials continued to increase during the fourth quarter. We have implemented additional pricing actions that will offset inflation in the first half of 2018. Engineering Adhesives, Asia Pacific and Americas all delivered double digit sales growth, with results above our long-term targets. Adjusting for the Royal acquisition, we had by far our strongest cash flow quarter of the year. Most importantly, we completed the transformative and complementary acquisition of Royal Adhesives which is accelerating our strategy by combining their strong presence in specified adhesive applications with our global reach and focus." 

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow:

At the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, cash balances totaled $194 million with total debt of $2,452 million. This compares to third quarter 2017 cash and debt levels of $120 million and $799 million, respectively. Sequentially, net debt was up by approximately $1,579 million dollars, reflecting the purchase price of Royal offset by strong cash flow from operations. Cash flow from operations for the 2017 fiscal year was $136 million. Excluding the impact of Royal, cash flow from operations was $120 million in the fourth quarter and $197 million for the 2017 fiscal year, reflecting strong topline growth and good working capital management, offset by restructuring charges. Capital expenditures were $19 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 and $55 million for the 2017 fiscal year.
Year-To-Date Results:

Net income for the 2017 fiscal year was $58.2 million, or $1.13 per diluted share, versus net income of $124.1 million, or $2.42 per diluted share, in the 2016 fiscal year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share in the 2017 fiscal year, excluding the impact of the Royal transaction, were $2.50. Adjusting for the extra week last year, adjusted diluted earnings per share were up three percent year-over-year.
Net revenue for the 2017 fiscal year was $2,306.0 million, up 10 percent versus the 2016 fiscal year. Adjusting for Royal and the extra week in 2016, constant currency revenue grew by 10.6 percent year-over-year and organic revenue, defined as constant currency revenue less the impact from acquisitions, was up seven percent.
Conference Call:

The company will host an investor conference call to discuss fourth quarter results on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. Central U.S. time (10:30 a.m. Eastern U.S. time). The conference call audio and accompanying presentation slides will be available to all interested parties via a simultaneous webcast under the Investor Relations section of the Company's website. The event is scheduled to last one hour. For those unable to listen live, an audio replay of the event along with the accompanying presentation will be archived on the Company's website.