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Hillman Solutions Corp.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun 29, 2024

Filed with the SEC on Aug 6, 2024 and accepted by EDGAR at Aug 6, 2024, 07:37 ET.

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Management's discussion and analysis

As filed, 41,521 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

The following discussion provides information which the Company’s management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of the Company’s operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in addition to the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This quarterly report contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain disclosures related to acquisitions, refinancing, capital expenditures, resolution of pending litigation, and realization of deferred tax assets, which are not historical facts and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements are made in good faith by the Company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," “target”, “goal”, "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) unfavorable economic conditions that may affect operations, financial condition and cash flows including spending on home renovation or construction projects, inflation, recessions, instability in the financial markets or credit markets; (2) increased supply chain costs, including raw materials, sourcing, transportation and energy; (3) the highly competitive nature of the markets that we serve; (4) the ability to continue to innovate with new products and services; (5) direct and indirect costs associated with the May 2023 ransomware attack, and our receipt of expected insurance receivables associated with that cyber security incident; (6) seasonality; (7) large customer concentration; (8) the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; (9) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (10) adverse changes in currency exchange rates; or (11) regulatory changes and potential legislation that could adversely impact financial results. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should also refer to those risks that are included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 22, 2024. Given these uncertainties, current or prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward looking statements.

Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this communication to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

GENERAL

Hillman Solutions Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman” or “Company”) are one of the largest providers of hardware-related products and related merchandising services to retail markets in North America. Our principal business is operated through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Hillman Solutions Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman Group”), which had net sales of $379.4 million in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 and $729.7 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024. Hillman sells its products to hardware stores, home improvement centers, mass merchants, pet supply stores, and other retail outlets principally in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Product lines include thousands of small hardware parts such as fasteners and related items; threaded rod and metal shapes; keys and accessories; builder's hardware; personal protective equipment, such as gloves and eyewear; and identification items, such as tags and letters, numbers, and signs. We support product sales with services that include design and installation of merchandising systems, maintenance of appropriate in-store inventory levels, and break-fix for our robotics kiosks.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

On January 11, 2024, we completed the acquisition of Koch Industries, Inc. ("Koch"), a provider and merchandiser of rope and twine, chain and wire rope, and related hardware products for a total purchase price of $23.8 million. Koch has business operations throughout North America and its financial results reside in our Hardware and Protective Solutions reportable segment.

On March 26, 2024, we entered into a Repricing Amendment (2024 Repricing Amendment) on our existing Senior Term Loan due July 14, 2028. The 2024 Repricing Amendment (i) reduces the interest rate per annum and (ii) implements a 1% prepayment premium for the existing Term Loan to apply to Repricing Transactions that occur within six months after the effective date of the 2024 Repricing Amendment. In connection with the closing of the 2024 Repricing Amendment, we expensed $3.0 million consisting of $1.6 million of existing fees written off and $1.5 million in new fees expensed. We capitalized an additional $33.0 thousand primarily for the payment of upfront lender fees (original issue discount).

IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ON OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Our business is impacted by general economic conditions in the North American markets, particularly the U.S. and Canadian retail markets, including hardware stores, home improvement centers, mass merchants, and other retailers. Changes in current economic conditions, including inflationary pressures in the cost of inventory, transportation, and employee compensation, foreign currency volatility, housing market trends, and concerns of a potential recession, have impacted consumer discretionary income levels and spending. Consumer discretionary income levels and spending impact the purchasing trends of our products by our retail customers. Any adverse trends in discretionary income and consumer spending could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results.

We are exposed to the risk of unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates for the U.S. dollar versus local currency of our suppliers, particularly those located in China and Taiwan, because we purchase a majority of our products for resale from multiple vendors located in these countries. The purchase price of these products is routinely negotiated in U.S. dollar amounts rather than the local currency of the vendors and our suppliers' profit margins decrease when the U.S. dollar declines in value relative to the local currency. This puts pressure on our suppliers to increase prices to us. The U.S. dollar Increased in value relative to the CNY by approximately 2.4% in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024, increased by 2.9% in 2023, and increased by 8.3% during 2022. The U.S. dollar Increased in value relative to the Taiwan dollar by approximately 6.0% in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024, declined by 0.4% in 2023, and increased by 10.8% in 2022.

We are also exposed to risk of unfavorable changes in the Canadian dollar exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar. Our sales in Canada are denominated in Canadian dollars, while a majority of the products are sourced in U.S. dollars. A weakening of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar results in lower sales in terms of U.S. dollars while the cost of sales remains unchanged. We have a practice of hedging some of our Canadian subsidiary's purchases denominated in U.S. dollars. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the Canadian dollar by approximately 3.5% in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024, declined by 2.4% in 2023, and increased by 5.7% in 2022.

In addition, the negotiated purchase price of our products may be dependent upon market fluctuations in the cost of raw materials (i.e. steel, zinc, and nickel) used by our vendors in their manufacturing processes. The final purchase cost of our products may also be dependent upon inflation or deflation in the local economies of vendors that could impact the cost of labor and materials used in the manufacturing of our products. We identify the directional impact of changes in our product cost, but the quantification of each of these variable impacts cannot be measured as to the individual impact on our product cost with a sufficient level of precision. We may take pricing action, when warranted, in an attempt to offset a portion of product cost increases. The ability of our operating divisions to implement or maintain price increases and seek price concessions, as appropriate, is dependent on competitive market conditions.

We import products, which are subject to customs requirements and to tariffs and quotas set by governments, through mutual agreements and bilateral actions. The U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and other imported goods have increased our product costs and required us to increase prices on the affected products.

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 vs the Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023

FINANCIAL SUMMARY AND OTHER KEY METRICS

  • Net sales for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 were $379.4 million compared to net sales of $380.0 million for the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023, a decrease of approximately $0.6 million or 0.2%.
  • Net income for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 was $12.5 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, compared to net income of $4.5 million, or $0.02 per diluted share for the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023.
  • Adjusted EBITDA(1) totaled $68.4 million versus $58.0 million in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 and in the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023, respectively.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following analysis of results of operations includes a brief discussion of the factors that affected our operating results and a comparative analysis of the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 and the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023.

(dollars in thousands)

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 Amount % of Net Sales Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 Amount % of Net Sales
Net sales $379,432 100.0% $380,019 100.0%
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) 194,672 51.3 216,499 57.0
Selling, warehouse, general and administrative expenses 121,154 31.9 111,452 29.3
Depreciation 16,297 4.3 13,800 3.6
Amortization 15,249 4.0 15,578 4.1
Other expense, net 474 0.1 1,893 0.5
Income from operations 31,586 8.3 20,797 5.5
Interest expense, net 13,937 3.7 18,075 4.8
Income before income taxes 17,649 4.7 2,722 0.7
Income tax expense (benefit) 5,114 1.3 (1,823) (0.5)
Net income $12,535 3.3% $4,545 1.2%
Adjusted EBITDA(1) $68,357 18.0% $57,982 15.3%

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section for additional information, including our definition and our use of Adjusted EBITDA, and for a reconciliation from net income to Adjusted EBITDA.

Net Sales by Segment

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Net Sales Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $278,130 73.3% $268,794 70.7% $9,336 3.5%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 57,483 15.1 62,456 16.4 (4,973) (8.0)
Canada 43,819 11.5 48,769 12.8 (4,950) (10.1)
Consolidated $379,432 $380,019 $(587)

The decrease in total net sales during the second quarter of 2024 was driven primarily driven by the factors described below:

Hardware and Protective Solutions net sales increased by $9.3 million in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 due to the following:

  • Hardware net sales increased by $6.0 million primarily driven by $12.3 million in additional sales related to the Koch acquisition, offset by a decrease in volume.
  • Protective equipment net sales increased by $3.3 million primarily due to an increase in volume driven by new business wins and timing of promotional sales.

Robotics and Digital Solutions net sales in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 decreased by $5.0 million primarily driven by decreased volume of key and engraving sales.

Canada net sales decreased by $5.0 million primarily due to volume decreases of $2.1 million, price decreases of $2.0 million, and an unfavorable impact of the exchange rate from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars.

Cost of Sales (excluding depreciation and amortization)

The following table summarizes cost of sales by segment:

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Segment Net Sales Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Segment Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $152,215 54.7% $168,490 62.7% $(16,275) (9.7)%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 16,890 29.4 17,659 28.3 (769) (4.4)
Canada 25,567 58.3 30,350 62.2 (4,783) (15.8)
Consolidated $194,672 51.3% $216,499 57.0% $(21,827) (10.1)%

Hardware and Protective Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to decreased product and shipping costs.

Robotics and Digital Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales increased primarily due to higher machine maintenance costs.

Canada cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to decreased shipping and product costs.

Selling, Warehouse, and General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes selling, warehouse, and general and administrative expense ("SG&A") by segment:

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Segment Net Sales Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Segment Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $85,905 30.9% $77,295 28.8% $8,610 11.1%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 22,706 39.5 22,862 36.6 (156) (0.7)
Canada 12,543 28.6 11,295 23.2 1,248 11.0
Consolidated $121,154 31.9% $111,452 29.3% $9,702 8.7%

Hardware and Protective Solutions SG&A increased due to the following:

  • Selling expense increased by $4.3 million primarily due to increased compensation and benefit expense.
  • General and administrative (“G&A”) increased $4.8 million. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in compensation and benefit expense and an increased investment into information technology.

Robotics and Digital Solutions SG&A was comparable to the prior year quarter with no significant changes in SG&A.

Canada SG&A increased due to the following:

  • G&A increased by $0.8 million primarily due to costs associated with facility consolidation and increased variable compensation.
  • Selling expense increased by $0.5 million primarily due to increased variable compensation expenses.

Other Operating Expenses

Depreciation expense increased $2.5 million due to capital spend on key duplicating kiosks and merchandising racks.

Amortization expense in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 decreased by $0.3 million primarily due to the write down of the carrying values of intangible assets to their fair value as a result of exiting a specific product line that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024, other income (expense) consisted primarily of a $0.4 million loss on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob (see Note 15 - Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

In the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023, other income (expense) consisted primarily of a $2.5 million loss on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob. In addition, we recorded exchange rate gains of $0.3 million in the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023.

Income from Operations

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $20,043 $4,367 $15,676 359.0%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 7,310 10,374 (3,064) (29.5)
Canada 4,233 6,056 (1,823) (30.1)
Total segment income from operations $31,586 $20,797 $10,789 51.9%

Income from operations in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment increased $15.7 million due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above.

Income from operations in our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment decreased $3.1 million. The $3.1 million decrease is primarily due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above, in addition to an increase in depreciation expense of $1.0 million due to capital spend on engraving and key duplication kiosks and machines and a decrease of $1.9 million in other expense driven by the changes in revaluation of the contingent consideration described above.

Canada's income from operations decreased by $1.8 million primarily due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales and SG&A expenses described above. In the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024, Canada recorded exchange rate losses of $0.2 million and in the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023, Canada recorded exchange rate gains of $0.2 million.

Interest expense, net, decreased $4.1 million in the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 primarily due to a reduction in outstanding debt and a reduction in interest rate spreads driven by the debt repricing in the first quarter of 2024 (see Note 9 - Long-term Debt of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Income Taxes

For the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 and thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023, the effective income tax rate was 29.0% and (67.0)%, respectively. The Company recorded an income tax provision for the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 of $5.1 million based on a pre-tax income of $17.6 million, and an income tax benefit for the thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 of $1.8 million based on a pre-tax income of $2.7 million.

In 2024, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate due to state and foreign income taxes and certain non-deductible expenses. See Note 8 - Income Taxes of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

In 2023, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate primarily due to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income ("GILTI") from the Canadian subsidiary. In addition, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate for 2023 due to state and foreign income taxes and certain non-deductible expenses.

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 vs the Twenty-six Weeks Ended

July 1, 2023

FINANCIAL SUMMARY AND OTHER KEY METRICS

  • Net sales for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 were comparable to the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023.
  • Net income for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 was $11.0 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $4.6 million, or $(0.02) per diluted share for the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023.
  • Adjusted EBITDA(1) totaled $120.7 million versus $98.2 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and in the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, respectively.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following analysis of results of operations includes a brief discussion of the factors that affected our operating results and a comparative analysis of the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023.

(dollars in thousands)

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 Amount % of Net Sales Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 Amount % of Net Sales
Net sales $729,737 100.0% $729,726 100.0%
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below) 378,106 51.8 421,008 57.7
Selling, warehouse, general and administrative expenses 239,719 32.9 222,517 30.5
Depreciation 32,635 4.5 30,505 4.2
Amortization 30,503 4.2 31,150 4.3
Other expense, net 884 0.1 2,660 0.4
Income from operations 47,890 6.6 21,886 3.0
Interest expense, net 29,208 4.0 36,152 5.0
Refinancing charges 3,008 0.4 — —
Income (loss) before income taxes 15,674 2.1 (14,266) (2.0)
Income tax expense (benefit) 4,631 0.6 (9,679) (1.3)
Net income (loss) $11,043 1.5% $(4,587) (0.6)%
Adjusted EBITDA(1) $120,679 16.5% $98,168 13.5%

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section for additional information, including our definition and our use of Adjusted EBITDA, and for a reconciliation from net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA.

Net Sales by Segment

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Net Sales Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $538,004 73.7% $522,645 71.6% $15,359 2.9%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 112,955 15.5 123,522 16.9 (10,567) (8.6)
Canada 78,778 10.8 83,559 11.5 (4,781) (5.7)
Consolidated $729,737 $729,726 $11

The increase in total net sales during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 was driven primarily driven by the factors described below:

Hardware and Protective Solutions net sales increased by $15.4 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 due to the following:

  • Hardware net sales increased by $15.4 million primarily driven by $21.5 million in additional sales related to the Koch acquisition, offset by decreased volume.
  • Protective equipment net sales were comparable to prior year.

Robotics and Digital Solutions net sales in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 decreased by $10.6 million primarily driven by decreased volume of key and engraving sales.

Canada net sales decreased by $4.8 million primarily due to price decreases of $2.9 million, volume decreases of $1.2 million, and an unfavorable impact of the exchange rate from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars.

Cost of Sales (excluding depreciation and amortization)

The following table summarizes cost of sales by segment:

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Segment Net Sales Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Segment Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $299,470 55.7% 332,323 63.6% $(32,853) (9.9)%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 32,624 28.9 36,045 29.2 (3,421) (9.5)
Canada 46,012 58.4 52,640 63.0 (6,628) (12.6)
Consolidated $378,106 51.8% $421,008 57.7% $(42,902) (10.2)%

Hardware and Protective Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to decreased product and shipping costs.

Robotics and Digital Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to decreased product and shipping costs as well as a shift in product mix from full-service to self-service keys.

Canada cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to decreased shipping and product costs.

Selling, Warehouse, and General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes selling, warehouse, and general and administrative expense ("SG&A") by segment:

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 % of Segment Net Sales Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 % of Segment Net Sales $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions 169,675 31.5% 153,556 29.4% $16,119 10.5%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 45,920 40.7 $46,800 37.9 (880) (1.9)
Canada 24,124 30.6 22,161 26.5 1,963 8.9
Consolidated $239,719 32.9% $222,517 30.5% $17,202 7.7%

Hardware and Protective Solutions SG&A increased due to the following:

  • Selling expense increased by $7.3 million primarily due to increased compensation and benefit expense.
  • General and administrative (“G&A”) increased $7.5 million. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in stock-based compensation expense, compensation and benefit expense, and an increased investment into information technology.
  • Warehouse expense increased $1.3 million due to inflation in labor and shipping costs.

Robotics and Digital Solutions SG&A decreased due to the following:

  • Selling expense decreased by $0.8 million primarily due to reduced variable selling expenses.

Canada SG&A increased due to the following:

  • Selling expense increased by $1.0 million primarily due to increased compensation and benefit expense.
  • G&A increased by $0.8 million primarily driven by costs associated with facility consolidation and increased compensation and benefit expense.

Other Operating Expenses

Depreciation expense increased $2.1 million due to capital spend on merchandising racks.

Amortization expense in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 decreased by $0.6 million primarily due to the write down of the carrying values of intangible assets to their fair value as a result of exiting a specific product line that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024, other income (expense) consisted primarily of a $0.8 million loss on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob (see Note

15 - Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

In the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, other income (expense) consisted primarily of a $4.2 million loss on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob. We also received $0.6 million in benefits from the state and local governments associated with our new facilities in the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023. In addition, we recorded exchange rate gains of $0.4 million in the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023.

Income from Operations

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 $ Change % Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions $29,291 $531 $28,760 5416.2%
Robotics and Digital Solutions 13,067 14,836 (1,769) (11.9)
Canada 5,532 6,519 (987) (15.1)
Total segment income from operations $47,890 $21,886 $26,004 118.8%

Income from operations in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment increased $28.8 million due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above.

Income from operations in our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment decreased $1.8 million. The $1.8 million decrease is primarily due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above, including a decrease in depreciation expense of $1.1 million due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated and a decrease of $1.9 million in other expense driven by the changes in revaluation of the contingent consideration described above.

Canada's income from operations decreased by $1.0 million primarily due to the changes in net sales, cost of sales and SG&A expenses described above, in addition to exchange rate losses of $0.5 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and exchange rate gains of $0.2 million in the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023.

Interest expense, net, decreased $6.9 million in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 primarily due to a reduction in outstanding debt and a reduction in interest rate spreads driven by the debt repricing in the first quarter of 2024 (see Note 9 - Long-term Debt of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Income Taxes

For the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, the effective income tax rate was 29.5% and 67.8%, respectively. The Company recorded an income tax provision for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 of $4.6 million based on a pre-tax income of $15.7 million, and an income tax benefit for the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 of $9.7 million based on a pre-tax loss of $14.3 million.

In 2024, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate due to state and foreign income taxes and certain non-deductible expenses (see Note 8 - Income Taxes of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

In 2023, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate primarily due to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income ("GILTI") from the Canadian subsidiary. In addition, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate for 2023 due to state and foreign income taxes and certain non-deductible expenses.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is the primary basis used to measure the operational strength and performance of our businesses, as well as to assist in the evaluation of underlying trends in our businesses. This measure eliminates the significant level of noncash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our businesses and from intangible assets recognized in business combinations. It is also unaffected by our capital and tax structures, as our management excludes these results when evaluating our operating performance. Our management uses this financial measure to evaluate our consolidated operating performance and the operating performance of our operating segments as well as to allocate resources and capital to our operating segments. Additionally, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing our operating performance with that of other companies in our industries, although our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure under GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

(dollars in thousands)

Thirteen Weeks Ended June 29, 2024 Thirteen Weeks Ended July 1, 2023 Twenty-six Weeks Ended June 29, 2024 Twenty-six Weeks Ended July 1, 2023
Net income (loss) $12,535 $4,545 $11,043 $(4,587)
Income tax expense (benefit) 5,114 (1,823) 4,631 (9,679)
Interest expense, net 13,937 18,075 29,208 36,152
Depreciation 16,297 13,800 32,635 30,505
Amortization 15,249 15,578 30,503 31,150
EBITDA $63,132 $50,175 $108,020 $83,541
Stock compensation expense 3,656 3,405 6,485 6,042
Restructuring and other(1) 879 1,440 1,870 2,848
Litigation expense (2) — — — 260
Transaction and integration expense (3) 242 510 516 1,310
Change in fair value of contingent consideration 448 2,452 780 4,167
Refinancing costs (4) — — 3,008 —
Adjusted EBITDA $68,357 $57,982 $120,679 $98,168

(1) Includes consulting and other costs associated with severance related to our distribution center relocations and corporate restructuring activities.

(2) Litigation expense includes legal fees associated with our litigation with Hy-Ko Products Company LLC.

(3) Transaction and integration expense includes professional fees and other costs related to the Koch Industries, Inc. acquisition and the CCMP secondary offerings in 2023.

(4) In the first quarter of 2024, we entered into a Repricing Amendment (2024 Repricing Amendment) on our existing Senior Term Loan due July 14, 2028 (see Note 9 - Long-term Debt of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

The following tables presents a reconciliation of segment operating income, the most directly comparable financial measure under GAAP, to segment Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented.

Thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 Hardware and Protective Solutions Robotics and Digital Solutions Canada Consolidated
Operating income $20,043 $7,310 $4,233 $31,586
Depreciation and amortization 20,244 10,066 1,236 31,546
Stock compensation expense 3,052 333 271 3,656
Restructuring and other 63 100 716 879
Transaction and integration expense 233 9 — 242
Change in fair value of contingent consideration — 448 — 448
Adjusted EBITDA $43,635 $18,266 $6,456 $68,357
Thirteen weeks ended July 1, 2023 Hardware and Protective Solutions Robotics and Digital Solutions Canada Consolidated
Operating income $4,367 $10,374 $6,056 $20,797
Depreciation and amortization 19,028 9,110 1,240 29,378
Stock compensation expense 2,865 329 211 3,405
Restructuring and other 1,128 202 110 1,440
Transaction and integration expense 459 51 — 510
Change in fair value of contingent consideration — 2,452 — 2,452
Adjusted EBITDA $27,847 $22,518 $7,617 $57,982
Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 Hardware and Protective Solutions Robotics and Digital Solutions Canada Consolidated
Operating income $29,291 $13,067 $5,532 $47,890
Depreciation and amortization 40,113 20,442 2,583 63,138
Stock compensation expense 5,389 613 483 6,485
Restructuring and other 612 357 901 1,870
Transaction and integration expense 496 20 — 516
Change in fair value of contingent consideration — 780 — 780
Adjusted EBITDA $75,901 $35,279 $9,499 $120,679
Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 Hardware and Protective Solutions Robotics and Digital Solutions Canada Consolidated
Operating income $531 $14,836 $6,519 $21,886
Depreciation and amortization 37,571 21,675 2,409 61,655
Stock compensation expense 5,070 611 361 6,042
Restructuring and other 2,385 353 110 2,848
Litigation expense — 260 — 260
Transaction and integration expense 1,169 141 — 1,310
Change in fair value of contingent consideration — 4,167 — 4,167
Adjusted EBITDA $46,726 $42,043 $9,399 $98,168

31 | June 29, 2024 Form 10-Q

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our working capital position, which we define as current assets minus current liabilities, of $351.2 million as of June 29, 2024 represents an increase of $26.3 million from the December 30, 2023 level of $324.9 million. $18.3 million of the increase is related the acquisition of Koch Industries Inc. that occurred in January 2024. We expect to generate sufficient operating cash flows to meet our short-term liquidity needs, and we expect to maintain access to the capital markets, although there can be no assurance of our ability to do so. However, disruption and volatility in the global capital markets, could impact our capital resources and liquidity in the future.

The following table presents the key categories of our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:

Twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 Twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 $ Change
Net cash provided by operating activities $76,476 $115,046 $(38,570)
Net cash used for investing activities (64,014) (37,554) (26,460)
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities 770 (69,963) 70,733
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 15,463 6,575 8,888

Operating Cash Flows:

Net cash provided by operating activities for the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 was unfavorably impacted by increases in accounts receivable due to the seasonality of our business, and increased inventory driven by demand as we normalize our inventory levels. Additionally, we saw increased accounts payable due to the timing of inventory purchases and payments.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 was favorably impacted by reduced inventory as part of the company's ongoing strategic initiative to lower inventory on hand during 2023 following the build up of inventory in prior years due to inflation and supply chain challenges. Additionally, we saw increased accounts payable due to the timing of inventory purchases and payments.

Investing Cash Flows:

Capital Expenditures:

Cash of $40.1 million and $37.0 million was used in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, respectively, to invest in new key duplicating and engraving kiosks and merchandising racks.

Acquisitions:

On January 11, 2024, we completed the acquisition of Koch Industries, Inc. ("Koch"), a premier provider and merchandiser of rope and twine, chain and wire rope, and related hardware products for a total purchase price of $23.8 million. See Note 4 - Acquisitions of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Financing Cash Flows:

Term Loan:

The Company used $4.3 million of cash for principal payments on the senior term loan. As of June 29, 2024, we have outstanding borrowings of $747.6 million on the term loan. See Note 9 - Long-term Debt of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

ABL Revolver:

We drew approximately $65.0 million on our revolver, in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024, primarily to fund seasonal inventory purchases along with the acquisition of Koch referenced above. We were able to fully repay the draws during the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 using cash generated from our operations. On a net basis, the activity on the revolver had no impact to our cash flows used for financing activities in the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024.

In the twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023, revolver repayments, net of draws, used $64.0 million of cash.

Stock Option Exercises:

In the twenty-six weeks ended June 29, 2024 and twenty-six weeks ended July 1, 2023 the Company received $6.4 million and $0.6 million from the exercise of stock options, respectfully.

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Significant accounting policies and estimates are summarized in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Some accounting policies require management to exercise significant judgment in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. Such judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. These judgments are based on our historical experience, known trends in our industry, terms of existing contracts, and other information from outside sources, as appropriate. Management believes that these estimates and assumptions are reasonable based on the facts and circumstances as of June 29, 2024, however, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and circumstances.

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates which are discussed in the “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” section of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 22, 2024.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See “Note 3 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements” of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Market risk

As filed, 1,700 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

INTEREST RATE EXPOSURE

We are exposed to the impact of interest rate changes as borrowings under the Senior Facilities bear interest at variable interest rates. It is our policy to enter into interest rate swaps only to the extent considered necessary to meet our objectives.

Based on our exposure to variable rate borrowings at June 29, 2024, after consideration of our SOFR floor rate and interest rate swap agreements, a one percent (1%) change in the weighted average interest rate for a period of one year would change the annual interest expense by approximately $3.9 million.

FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE

We are exposed to foreign exchange rate changes of the Canadian and Mexican currencies as they impact the $149.5 million tangible and intangible net asset value of our Canadian and Mexican subsidiaries as of June 29, 2024. The foreign subsidiaries' net tangible assets were $94.2 million and the net intangible assets were $55.3 million as of June 29, 2024.

We utilize foreign exchange forward contracts to manage the exposure to currency fluctuations in the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. Dollar. See Note 14 - Derivatives and Hedging of the Condensed Notes to the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

COMMODITY PRICE RISK

Our transportation costs are exposed to fluctuations in the price of fuel and some of our products contain commodity-priced materials. The Company regularly monitors commodity trends and works to mitigate any material exposure to commodity price risk by having alternative sourcing plans in place, limiting supplier concentrations, passing commodity-related inflation to customers, and continuing to scale its distribution networks.

Controls and procedures

As filed, 1,821 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of June 29, 2024, in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the thirteen weeks ended June 29, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

On January 11, 2024, the Company completed the acquisition of Koch Industries, Inc. ("Koch"). SEC guidance permits management to omit an assessment of an acquired business’ internal control over financial reporting from management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting for a period not to exceed one year from the date of the acquisition. Accordingly, management has not assessed Koch's internal control over financial reporting as of June 29, 2024.

Risk factors

As filed, 166 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

There have been no material changes to the risks from those disclosed in the Form 10-K filed on February 22, 2024 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

Figures reported in this filing

Standardized line items from the XBRL in this filing, for the period ended 2024-06-29. Comparative periods it repeats are left out.

Figures reported in this filing
Line itemPeriodValueXBRL concept
Revenue3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$379.4mus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax
Revenue6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$729.7mus-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax
Selling, general and administrative3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$121.2mus-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense
Selling, general and administrative6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$239.7mus-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense
Operating income3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$31.6mus-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss
Operating income6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$47.9mus-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss
Income tax3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$5.1mus-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
Income tax6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$4.6mus-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
Net income3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$12.5mus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Net income6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$11.0mus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Diluted EPS3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$0.06us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted
Diluted EPS6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$0.06us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted
Basic EPS3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29$0.06us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic
Basic EPS6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$0.06us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic
Diluted shares (weighted)3 months2024-03-31 to 2024-06-29198,420,000 sharesus-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding
Diluted shares (weighted)6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29198,037,000 sharesus-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding
Operating cash flow6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$76.5mus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities
Capital expenditure6 months2023-12-31 to 2024-06-29$40.1mus-gaap:PaymentsToAcquireProductiveAssets
Cash and equivalentsAt period end2024-06-29$54.0mus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue
Current assetsAt period end2024-06-29$617.8mus-gaap:AssetsCurrent
Total assetsAt period end2024-06-29$2.39bnus-gaap:Assets
Current liabilitiesAt period end2024-06-29$266.6mus-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent
Total liabilitiesAt period end2024-06-29$1.21bnus-gaap:Liabilities
Long-term debtAt period end2024-06-29$732.1mus-gaap:LongTermDebtNoncurrent
Shareholders' equityAt period end2024-06-29$1.17bnus-gaap:StockholdersEquity

Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001822492-24-000140. Last ingested by Listed: Nov 6, 2026, 12:41 ET. Listed shows no prices and gives no investment advice.