Nov. 07, 2018
The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD), a leading worldwide manufacturer of equipment for the commercial foodservice, food processing, and residential kitchen industries, today reported net sales and earnings for the third quarter ended September 29, 2018. Net earnings for the third quarter were $72.9 million or $1.31 diluted earnings per share on net sales of $713.3 million as compared to the prior year third quarter net earnings of $74.7 million or $1.31 diluted earnings per share on net sales of $593.0 million. Excluding the impact of restructuring expenses and the dilutive impact of the Taylor acquisition, adjusted earnings per share was $1.56 for the third quarter ended September 29, 2018. Excluding the impact of restructuring expenses, adjusted earnings per share was $1.36 in the prior year third quarter.
2018 Third Quarter Financial Highlights
Selim A. Bassoul, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “At the Commercial Foodservice Equipment Group, we had solid growth with improving sales to restaurant chains in the domestic market. We continue to develop a pipeline of business opportunities with customers adopting our new technologies. Our kitchen equipment advancements provide operators solutions for labor savings, faster service speed, menu flexibility and space-saving, ventless solutions. International markets remained soft; however we anticipate improving conditions internationally as we end the year and enter 2019. We are starting to see the benefits of our consolidated sales representatives initiative and are pleased with the positive momentum in this area. Having now completed the in-depth training of these representatives, we expect them to continue to strengthen our sales and customer relationships. Our alignment with the most well-respected and proven sales representatives in the industry, who now carry our broad portfolio of leading brands, has positioned Middleby to execute on long-term growth strategies.”
Mr. Bassoul continued, “At our Residential Kitchen Equipment Group, Viking continued to grow at double-digit rates. The innovative, new lineup of Viking products introduced under our ownership continues to gain momentum. We continue to make investments to promote the brand and its new, innovative equipment through updated product displays at our dealer partners. Additionally, we are excited to announce the opening of a second Viking showroom in the Architects and Designers Building in New York City. Throughout 2018 we have entertained thousands of guests including dealers, designers, builders and influencers in our award-winning, first showroom located in the Chicago Merchandise Mart. We also recognized solid growth domestically from the Marvel, Lynx, LaCornue, AGA and U-Line brands and are realizing the benefits of our consolidation strategy for sales and distribution of these premium brands. Domestic growth was offset by the AGA Rangemaster businesses which continued to be negatively impacted by challenging market conditions in the UK with the uncertainty of Brexit. Sales also reflect the impact of disruption at non-core businesses, which should lessen as we complete the closure of the Grange furniture business.”
“At the Food Processing Equipment Group, the decline in revenues reflects the absence of large projects at this business segment, particularly impacting the meat processing business. Although we have realized order growth in 2018, the order rate has been lower than anticipated and certain expected projects have been deferred. We do anticipate gradual improvement in upcoming quarters and remain optimistic about current projects in the pipeline and an improved backlog as we enter 2019.”
Mr. Bassoul added, “During the third quarter, we also focused on the integration of our acquisition of Taylor. The efforts are well underway and we are pleased with the progress of initiatives to improve profitability. We are excited about the strategic benefits of this acquisition, as it significantly enhances our market position and opportunities in the beverage and frozen dessert categories.”
Conference Call
A conference call will be held at 10 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 and can be accessed by dialing (888) 391-6937 or (315) 625-3077 and providing conference code 5636989#. The conference call is also accessible through the Investor Relations section of the company website at www.middleby.com. A replay of the conference call will be available two hours after the conclusion of the call by dialing (855) 859-2056 and entering conference code 5636989#.
Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to the company regarding the company's business which are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The company cautions investors that such statements are estimates of future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. Such factors include variability in financing costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the timely development and market acceptance of the company's products; the availability and cost of raw materials; and other risks detailed herein and from time-to-time in the company's SEC filings. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used in the commercial foodservice, food processing, and residential kitchen equipment industries. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Anets®, Bear Varimixer®, Beech®, Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Britannia®, Carter-Hoffmann®, Celfrost®, Concordia®, CookTek®, CTX®, Desmon®, Doyon®, Eswood®, frifri®, Firex®, Follett®, Giga®, Globe®, Goldstein®, Holman®, Houno®, IMC®, Induc®, Jade®, JoeTap®, Josper®, L2F®, Lang®, Lincat®, MagiKitch'n®, Market Forge®, Marsal®, Middleby Marshall®, MPC®, Nieco®, Nu-Vu®, PerfectFry®, Pitco Frialator®, QualServ®, Southbend®, Star®, Sveba Dahlen®, Taylor®, Toastmaster®, TurboChef®, Wells® and Wunder-Bar®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, Armor Inox®, Auto-Bake®, Baker Thermal Solutions®, Burford®, Cozzini®, CVP Systems®, Danfotech®, Drake®, Emico®, Glimek®, Hinds-Bock®, Maurer-Atmos®, MP Equipment®, M-TEK®, RapidPak®, Scanico®, Spooner Vicars®, Stewart Systems®, Thurne® and Ve.Ma.C.®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the residential kitchen industry include AGA®, AGA Cookshop®, Brigade®, Fired Earth®, Grange®, Heartland®, La Cornue®, Leisure Sinks®, Lynx®, Marvel®, Mercury®, Rangemaster®, Rayburn®, Redfyre®, Sedona®, Stanley®, TurboChef®, U-Line® and Viking®.
For more information about The Middleby Corporation and the company brands, please visit www.middleby.com.