Plexus Announces Fiscal Second Quarter Financial Results

Fiscal Second Quarter 2024 Information

Todd Kelsey, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Plexus delivered fiscal second quarter revenue of $967 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.94, each of which met the top end of our guidance. Non-GAAP operating margin of 4.2% met our expectation entering the quarter. In addition, we generated free cash flow of $65 million, a particularly strong result.”

Mr. Kelsey continued, “For the fiscal second quarter, our team won 32 new manufacturing programs worth $255 million in annualized revenue. Capitalizing on the value created by our differentiated service offering and superior execution, our go-to-market organization is winning significant new outsourcing opportunities and capturing market share in support of sustaining our industry-leading revenue growth.”

Mr. Kelsey commented, “We are guiding fiscal third quarter revenue of $960 million to $1.00 billion, non-GAAP operating margin of 5.2% to 5.6% and non-GAAP EPS of $1.22 to $1.37. We believe our revenue growth is in the early stages of inflecting higher, benefiting from robust demand within our Aerospace and Defense market sector, gradually recovering semiconductor capital equipment demand and new program ramps that are mitigating inventory correction headwinds in our Healthcare/Lifesciences and Industrial market sectors. For the fiscal third quarter, our non-GAAP operating margin excludes approximately $6.5 million of restructuring charges associated with realigning manufacturing capabilities to best support long-term customer needs and also excludes approximately $6.2 million of stock-based compensation expense.”

Patrick Jermain, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, commented, “The $65 million of free cash flow generated during the fiscal second quarter significantly exceeded our net income and our expectations. Continued progress on our working capital initiatives contributed to this strong performance, resulting in fiscal second quarter cash cycle of 91 days, 10 days favorable to our expectations and sequentially lower by four days. Aided by the improvements in our cash cycle, return on invested capital for the fiscal second quarter was 9.9%, or 170 basis points above our weighted average cost of capital. We have generated $33 million of free cash flow through the first six months of fiscal 2024 and, with further progress expected on our working capital initiatives, we now anticipate delivering approximately $100 million of free cash flow in fiscal 2024. Finally, we repurchased $17.6 million of our shares during the fiscal second quarter. We expect to execute the remaining $38.1 million of our current authorization during the second half of fiscal 2024, creating additional shareholder value.”

Mr. Kelsey concluded, “We continue to anticipate a strong finish to fiscal 2024 with expansion in revenue and non-GAAP operating margin each quarter as well as robust free cash flow generation, positioning us for further momentum into fiscal 2025. Supporting this outlook is the previously highlighted strength in certain market sectors and subsectors, new program ramps, improving utilization of our engineering team and the benefits from recent restructuring actions.”

Business Segment and Market Sector Revenue

Non-GAAP Supplemental Information

ROIC and Economic Return

Free Cash Flow

Conference Call and Webcast Information

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Safe Harbor and Fair Disclosure Statement

The statements contained in this press release that are guidance or which are not historical facts (such as statements in the future tense and statements including believe, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, goal, target and similar terms and concepts), including all discussions of periods which are not yet completed, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the ability to realize anticipated savings from restructuring or similar actions, as well as the adequacy of related charges as compared to actual expenses; the effect of inflationary pressures on our costs of production, profitability, and on the economic outlook of our markets; the effects of shortages and delays in obtaining components as a result of economic cycles, natural disasters or otherwise; the risk of customer delays, changes, cancellations or forecast inaccuracies in both ongoing and new programs; the lack of visibility of future orders, particularly in view of changing economic conditions; the economic performance of the industries, sectors and customers we serve; the outcome of litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings, including the results of any challenges with regard to such outcomes; the effects of tariffs, trade disputes, trade agreements and other trade protection measures; the effects of the volume of revenue from certain sectors or programs on our margins in particular periods; our ability to secure new customers, maintain our current customer base and deliver product on a timely basis; the risks of concentration of work for certain customers; the particular risks relative to new or recent customers, programs or services, which risks include customer and other delays, start-up costs, potential inability to execute, the establishment of appropriate terms of agreements, and the lack of a track record of order volume and timing; the effects of start-up costs of new programs and facilities or the costs associated with the closure or consolidation of facilities; possible unexpected costs and operating disruption in transitioning programs, including transitions between Company facilities; the risk that new program wins and/or customer demand may not result in the expected revenue or profitability; the fact that customer orders may not lead to long-term relationships; our ability to manage successfully and execute a complex business model characterized by high product mix and demanding quality, regulatory, and other requirements; the risks associated with excess and obsolete inventory, including the risk that inventory purchased on behalf of our customers may not be consumed or otherwise paid for by the customer, resulting in an inventory write-off; risks related to information technology systems and data security; increasing regulatory and compliance requirements; any tax law changes and related foreign jurisdiction tax developments; current or potential future barriers to the repatriation of funds that are currently held outside of the United States as a result of actions taken by other countries or otherwise; the potential effects of jurisdictional results on our taxes, tax rates, and our ability to use deferred tax assets and net operating losses; the weakness of areas of the global economy; the effect of changes in the pricing and margins of products; raw materials and component cost fluctuations; the potential effect of fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which we transact business; the effects of changes in economic conditions, political conditions and tax matters in the United States and in the other countries in which we do business; the potential effect of other world or local events or other events outside our control (such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, escalating tensions between China and Taiwan or China and the United States, changes in energy prices, terrorism, global health epidemics and weather events); the impact of increased competition; an inability to successfully manage human capital; changes in financial accounting standards; and other risks detailed herein and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings, particularly in Risk Factors contained in our fiscal 2023 Form 10-K.