Itron Announces Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, announced today financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2023. Key results for the quarter include (compared with the third quarter of 2022):

  • Revenue of $561 million, increased 33%;
  • Gross profit of $187 million, increased 56%;
  • GAAP net income of $40 million, increased $36 million;
  • GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.87, increased $0.78 per share;
  • Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.98, increased $0.75 per share;
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $68 million, increased 181%;
  • Free cash flow of $28 million, increased $18 million; and
  • Total backlog of $4.3 billion increased 3%.

“Our third quarter results demonstrate broad-based and strong team execution on customer deliveries that drove acceleration in revenue, gross margin, EBITDA, EPS, and cash flow,” said Tom Deitrich, Itron’s president and CEO. “Our quarter end cash balance of $255 million provides ample liquidity and flexibility as we continue to execute our strategic objectives.

“The dramatically changing utility landscape and the electrification of everything is exposing a variety of growing challenges for the utilities, municipalities, and cities that we serve. Itron’s capabilities to provide visibility and control at scale are essential in managing rapidly increasing demand, while ensuring reliable and sustainable access to energy and water for consumers. Our investments in new solutions directly address these critical customer needs and are delivering returns as our third quarter results demonstrate.”

Summary of Third Quarter Consolidated Financial Results

(All comparisons made are against the prior year period unless otherwise noted)

Revenue

Total third quarter revenue increased 33%, to $561 million. The increase was due to improving supply chain conditions and strong operational execution.

Device Solutions revenue increased 18%, or 13% in constant currency, due primarily to growth in water meter sales.

Networked Solutions revenue increased 43%, due to improving supply conditions which enabled higher customer deliveries.

Outcomes revenue increased 14%, or 13% in constant currency, due primarily to an increase in recurring services.

Gross Margin

Consolidated company gross margin of 33.4% increased 490 basis points from the prior year due to very favorable product mix and operational efficiencies.

Operating Expenses and Operating Income

GAAP operating expenses of $132 million increased $19 million from the prior year, and Non-GAAP operating expenses of $128 million increased $23 million from the prior year. Both GAAP and Non-GAAP increases were due to increased labor costs, including variable compensation.

GAAP operating income of $55 million was $48 million higher than the prior year, and Non-GAAP operating income of $59 million was $44 million higher than the prior year. Both GAAP and Non-GAAP increases were due to higher gross profit, partially offset by higher operating expenses.

Net Income and Earnings per Share

Net income attributable to Itron, Inc. for the quarter was $40 million, or $0.87 per diluted share, compared with a net income of $4 million, or $0.09 per diluted share in 2022. The increase was driven by higher GAAP operating income, partially offset by higher tax expense.

Non-GAAP net income, which excludes the expenses associated with amortization of intangible assets, amortization of debt placement fees, restructuring, loss on sale of business, strategic initiative expenses, currency translation write-off, goodwill impairment, acquisition and integration, and the tax effect of excluding these expenses, was $45 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, compared with $11 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in 2022. The increase was due to higher non-GAAP operating income, partially offset by higher tax expense.

Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was $34 million in the third quarter compared with $15 million in the prior year. Free cash flow was $28 million in the third quarter compared with $11 million in the prior year. The increase in cash flow was due to higher earnings, partially offset by growth in working capital.

Other Measures

Total backlog at quarter end was $4.3 billion compared with $4.2 billion in the prior year. Bookings in the quarter totaled $413 million.

Q4 2023 Outlook and Full Year 2023 Guidance Update

Outlook for the fourth quarter of 2023 is as follows:

  • Revenue between $565 and $575 million
  • Non-GAAP diluted EPS between $0.70 and $0.80

Itron’s guidance for the full year 2023 has been updated as follows:

  • Revenue between $2.16 to $2.17 billion vs. previous guidance of $2.11 to $2.14 billion
  • Non-GAAP diluted EPS between $2.83 to $2.93 vs. previous guidance of $2.03 to $2.28

Earnings Conference Call

Itron will host a conference call to discuss the financial results contained in this release at 10 a.m. EDT on November 2, 2023. Interested parties may listen to the conference call on a live webcast. The webcast, along with a supplemental presentation, may be accessed from the company’s website at https://investors.itron.com/events.cfm. Participants should access the webcast 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. A webcast replay of the conference call will be available through November 7, 2023 and may be accessed on the company’s website at http://investors.itron.com/events.cfm.

About Itron

Itron enables utilities and cities to safely, securely and reliably deliver critical infrastructure solutions to communities in more than 100 countries. Our portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters and sensors helps our customers better manage electricity, gas and water resources for the people they serve. By working with our customers to ensure their success, we help improve the quality of life, ensure the safety and promote the well-being of millions of people around the globe. Itron is dedicated to creating a more resourceful world. Join us: www.itron.com.

Itron® is a registered trademark of Itron, Inc. All third-party trademarks are property of their respective owners and any usage herein does not suggest or imply any relationship between Itron and the third party unless expressly stated.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This release contains, and our officers and representatives may from time to time make, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither historical factors nor assurances of future performance. These statements are based on our expectations about, among others, revenues, operations, financial performance, earnings, liquidity, earnings per share, cash flows and restructuring activities including headcount reductions and other cost savings initiatives. This document reflects our current strategy, plans and expectations and is based on information currently available as of the date of this release. When we use words such as “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “goal”, “seek”, “project”, “estimate”, “future”, “strategy”, “objective”, “may”, “likely”, “should”, “will”, “will continue”, and similar expressions, including related to future periods, they are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions and estimates. Although we believe the estimates and assumptions upon which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of these estimates or assumptions could prove to be inaccurate and the forward-looking statements based on these estimates and assumptions could be incorrect. Our operations involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, and any one of which, or a combination of which, could materially affect our results of operations and whether the forward-looking statements ultimately prove to be correct. Actual results and trends in the future may differ materially from those suggested or implied by the forward-looking statements depending on a variety of factors. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that we believe could affect our results include our ability to execute on our restructuring plans, our ability to achieve estimated cost savings, the rate and timing of customer demand for our products, rescheduling of current customer orders, changes in estimated liabilities for product warranties, adverse impacts of litigation, changes in laws and regulations, our dependence on new product development and intellectual property, future acquisitions, changes in estimates for stock-based and bonus compensation, increasing volatility in foreign exchange rates, international business risks, uncertainties caused by adverse economic conditions, including without limitation those resulting from extraordinary events or circumstances and other factors that are more fully described in Part I, Item 1A: Risk Factors included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022 and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Itron undertakes no obligation to update or revise any information in this press release.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP), we use certain adjusted or non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS), adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow, and constant currency. We provide these non-GAAP financial measures because we believe they provide greater transparency and represent supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. We exclude certain costs in our non-GAAP financial measures as we believe the net result is a measure of our core business. We believe these measures facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period by eliminating potential differences caused by the existence and timing of certain expense items that would not otherwise be apparent on a GAAP basis. Non-GAAP performance measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, results prepared in accordance with GAAP. We strongly encourage investors and shareholders to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Our non-GAAP financial measures may be different from those reported by other companies. When providing future outlooks and/or earnings guidance, a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP diluted EPS to the GAAP diluted EPS has not been provided because we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty the potential amount or timing of restructuring related expenses and their related tax effects without unreasonable effort. These costs are uncertain, depend on various factors and could have a material impact on GAAP results for the guidance period. A more detailed discussion of why we use non-GAAP financial measures, the limitations of using such measures, and reconciliations between non-GAAP and the nearest GAAP financial measures are included in this press release.

ITRON, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended


September 30,

Nine Months Ended


September 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022

Revenues

Product revenues

$

480,355

$

347,791

$

1,361,482

$

1,107,499

Service revenues

80,417

73,069

234,978

220,574

Total revenues

560,772

420,860

1,596,460

1,328,073

Cost of revenues

Product cost of revenues

332,035

258,541

951,666

818,639

Service cost of revenues

41,534

42,257

127,276

128,043

Total cost of revenues

373,569

300,798

1,078,942

946,682

Gross profit

187,203

120,062

517,518

381,391

Operating expenses

Sales, general and administrative

76,576

63,446

231,176

212,724

Research and development

51,644

43,820

154,769

138,471

Amortization of intangible assets

4,663

6,413

14,433

19,451

Restructuring

(615

)

(1,272

)

36,868

(11,097

)

Loss on sale of business

45

767

675

3,182

Goodwill impairment

38,480

Total operating expenses

132,313

113,174

437,921

401,211

Operating income (loss)

54,890

6,888

79,597

(19,820

)

Other income (expense)

Interest income

2,642

801

5,968

1,367

Interest expense

(2,445

)

(1,679

)

(6,479

)

(4,931

)

Other income (expense), net

646

(1,065

)

(1,162

)

(3,140

)

Total other income (expense)

843

(1,943

)

(1,673

)

(6,704

)

Income (loss) before income taxes

55,733

4,945

77,924

(26,524

)

Income tax provision

(15,388

)

(473

)

(24,513

)

(4,973

)

Net income (loss)

40,345

4,472

53,411

(31,497

)

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

173

355

874

447

Net income (loss) attributable to Itron, Inc.

$

40,172

$

4,117

$

52,537

$

(31,944

)

Net income (loss) per common share – Basic

$

0.88

$

0.09

$

1.16

$

(0.71

)

Net income (loss) per common share – Diluted

$

0.87

$

0.09

$

1.15

$

(0.71

)

Weighted average common shares outstanding – Basic

45,462

45,139

45,393

45,075

Weighted average common shares outstanding – Diluted

45,950

45,330

45,768

45,075

ITRON, INC.

SEGMENT INFORMATION

(Unaudited, in thousands)

Three Months Ended


September 30,

Nine Months Ended


September 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022

Product revenues

Device Solutions

$

110,138

$

92,893

$

340,098

$

334,212

Networked Solutions

352,771

240,498

964,909

731,358

Outcomes

17,446

14,400

56,475

41,929

Total Company

$

480,355

$

347,791

$

1,361,482

$

1,107,499

Service revenues

Device Solutions

$

631

$

1,110

$

2,085

$

4,166

Networked Solutions

32,200

29,374

94,460

86,796

Outcomes

47,586

42,585

138,433

129,612

Total Company

$

80,417

$

73,069

$

234,978

$

220,574

Total revenues

Device Solutions

$

110,769

$

94,003

$

342,183

$

338,378

Networked Solutions

384,971

269,872

1,059,369

818,154

Outcomes

65,032

56,985

194,908

171,541

Total Company

$

560,772

$

420,860

$

1,596,460

$

1,328,073

Gross profit

Device Solutions

$

26,919

$

14,805

$

75,351

$

50,489

Networked Solutions

135,203

81,895

362,852

263,155

Outcomes

25,081

23,362

79,315

67,747

Total Company

$

187,203

$

120,062

$

517,518

$

381,391

Operating income (loss)

Device Solutions

$

17,675

$

7,066

$

45,837

$

24,103

Networked Solutions

102,503

54,640

266,052

177,929

Outcomes

10,280

11,339

35,867

28,789

Corporate unallocated

(75,568

)

(66,157

)

(268,159

)

(250,641

)

Total Company

$

54,890

$

6,888

$

79,597

$

(19,820

)

Total Gross Margin

33.4

%

28.5

%

32.4

%

28.7

%

ITRON, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited, in thousands)

September 30, 2023

December 31, 2022

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$

254,771

$

202,007

Accounts receivable, net

318,104

280,435

Inventories

276,099

228,701

Other current assets

160,768

118,441

Total current assets

1,009,742

829,584

Property, plant, and equipment, net

129,714

140,123

Deferred tax assets, net

209,153

211,982

Other long-term assets

35,348

39,901

Operating lease right-of-use assets, net

41,285

52,826

Intangible assets, net

50,408

64,941

Goodwill

1,035,761

1,038,721

Total assets

$

2,511,411

$

2,378,078

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Current liabilities

Accounts payable

$

224,308

$

237,178

Other current liabilities

54,508

42,869

Wages and benefits payable

106,941

89,431

Taxes payable

17,407

15,324

Current portion of warranty

16,221

18,203

Unearned revenue

136,539

95,567

Total current liabilities

555,924

498,572

Long-term debt, net

454,247

452,526

Long-term warranty

7,262

7,495

Pension benefit obligation

58,079

57,839

Deferred tax liabilities, net

823

833

Operating lease liabilities

33,024

44,370

Other long-term obligations

144,322

124,887

Total liabilities

1,253,681

1,186,522

Equity

Common stock

1,811,365

1,788,479

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

(100,840

)

(94,674

)

Accumulated deficit

(472,795

)

(525,332

)

Total Itron, Inc. shareholders’ equity

1,237,730

1,168,473

Noncontrolling interests

20,000

23,083

Total equity

1,257,730

1,191,556

Total liabilities and equity

$

2,511,411

$

2,378,078

ITRON, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited, in thousands)

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2023

2022

Operating activities

Net income (loss)

$

53,411

$

(31,497

)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets

42,013

50,612

Non-cash operating lease expense

12,197

12,250

Stock-based compensation

20,531

17,416

Amortization of prepaid debt fees

2,761

2,610

Deferred taxes, net

1,938

(6,428

)

Loss on sale of business

675

3,182

Goodwill impairment

38,480

Restructuring, non-cash

910

(879

)

Other adjustments, net

(318

)

2,148

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisition and sale of business:

Accounts receivable

(37,832

)

12,270

Inventories

(48,280

)

(48,377

)

Other current assets

(43,240

)

(15,907

)

Other long-term assets

3,392

(7,897

)

Accounts payable, other current liabilities, and taxes payable

220

55,032

Wages and benefits payable

17,361

(30,877

)

Unearned revenue

38,619

32,151

Warranty

(2,177

)

(5,031

)

Restructuring

23,966

(34,410

)

Other operating, net

(9,071

)

(7,318

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

77,076

37,530

Investing activities

Net proceeds (payments) related to the sale of business

(772

)

55,933

Acquisitions of property, plant, and equipment

(18,304

)

(14,886

)

Business acquisitions, net of cash and cash equivalents acquired

23

Other investing, net

73

2,424

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

(19,003

)

43,494

Financing activities

Issuance of common stock

2,366

2,631

Repurchase of common stock

(16,972

)

Prepaid debt fees

(517

)

(697

)

Other financing, net

(4,488

)

(4,358

)

Net cash used in financing activities

(2,639

)

(19,396

)

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

(2,670

)

(8,794

)

Increase in cash and cash equivalents

52,764

52,834

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

202,007

162,579

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

254,771

$

215,413

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP operating expense, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow, and constant currency. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, and other companies may define such measures differently. For a reconciliation of each non-GAAP measure to the most comparable financial measure prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, please see the table captioned Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to the Most Directly Comparable GAAP Financial Measures.

We use these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision making and/or as a means for determining executive compensation. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance and ability to service debt by excluding certain expenses that may not be indicative of our recurring core operating results. These non-GAAP financial measures facilitate management’s internal comparisons to our historical performance, as well as comparisons to our competitors’ operating results. Our executive compensation plans exclude non-cash charges related to amortization of intangibles and certain discrete cash and non-cash charges, such as restructuring, loss on sale of business, strategic initiative expenses, Russian currency translation write-off, goodwill impairment, or acquisition and integration related expenses. We believe that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they provide greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making and because they are used by our institutional investors and the analyst community to analyze the health of our business.

Non-GAAP operating expenses and non-GAAP operating income – We define non-GAAP operating expenses as operating expenses excluding certain expenses related to the amortization of intangible assets, restructuring, loss on sale of business, strategic initiative expenses, Russian currency translation write-off, goodwill impairment, and acquisition and integration related expenses. We define non-GAAP operating income as operating income (loss) excluding the expenses related to the amortization of intangible assets, restructuring, loss on sale of business, strategic initiative expenses, Russian currency translation write-off, goodwill impairment, and acquisition and integration related expenses. Acquisition and integration related expenses include costs, which are incurred to affect and integrate business combinations, such as professional fees, certain employee retention and salaries related to integration, severances, contract terminations, travel costs related to knowledge transfer, system conversion costs, and asset impairment charges. We consider these non-GAAP financial measures to be useful metrics for management and investors because they exclude the effect of expenses that are not related to our core operating results. By excluding these expenses, we believe that it is easier for management and investors to compare our financial results over multiple periods and analyze trends in our operations. For example, in certain periods, expenses related to amortization of intangible assets may decrease, which would improve GAAP operating margins, yet the improvement in GAAP operating margins due to this lower expense is not necessarily reflective of an improvement in our core business.

Contacts

Itron, Inc.
Paul Vincent

Vice President, Investor Relations

(512) 560-1172

David Means

Director, Investor Relations

(737) 242-8448

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