ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global supplier of specialty networking solutions, today reported fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2020 results for the period ended December 31, 2020 and announced a CFO transition.

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Jeremy Parks, Chief Financial Officer of Belden Inc. (Photo: Business Wire)

Fourth Quarter 2020

Revenues for the quarter totaled $498.5 million, compared to $549.7 million in the prior-year period. EPS totaled $0.35 compared to $0.05 in the fourth quarter 2019. EPS in the prior year period was negatively impacted by additional charges related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Adjusted EPS was $0.90 compared to $1.20 in the fourth quarter 2019. Adjusted results are non-GAAP measures, and a non-GAAP reconciliation table is provided as an appendix to this release.

Roel Vestjens, President and CEO of Belden Inc., said, “Demand trends improved in the fourth quarter, and I am pleased to report that revenues, earnings, and cash flow exceeded our initial expectations. We delivered $15 million in quarterly run rate savings associated with our SG&A cost reduction program, and we are committed to delivering the full $60 million in annual savings in 2021.”

Full Year 2020

Revenues for the year totaled $1.863 billion, compared to $2.131 billion in the full year 2019. EPS was $1.21 compared to $2.15 in 2019. Adjusted EPS was $2.75 compared to $4.52 in 2019.

Mr. Vestjens remarked, “2020 was a truly unprecedented year, with each of us facing significant challenges related to the global pandemic, both personally and professionally. I am extremely proud of the way our global workforce responded to these challenges and maintained a sharp focus on supporting our customers and executing our strategic plans while maintaining the safest possible working conditions. During the year, we took bold steps to improve our portfolio and streamline our cost structure, while continuing to fund compelling growth initiatives. We expect these actions to drive significantly improved business performance going forward.”

Outlook

“2021 will be a year of recovery in most of our key markets. During the year, we expect to complete our transformative portfolio actions and turn the focus to accelerating organic growth. To that end, we are progressing with our ongoing divestiture process, and we closed the previously-announced acquisition of OTN Systems N.V. in late January. This exciting acquisition brings innovative networking products and technologies that will provide additional opportunities for profitable growth in our Industrial Solutions business. I am encouraged by our recent order rates, and confident in our ability to achieve our financial goals and drive superior returns for our shareholders,” said Mr. Vestjens.

The Company expects first quarter 2021 revenues to be $490 - $505 million. For the year ending December 31, 2021, the Company expects revenues to be $1.990 - $2.050 billion.

The Company expects first quarter 2021 GAAP EPS to be $0.22 - $0.32. For the year ending December 31, 2021, the Company expects GAAP EPS to be $1.70 - $2.10.

The Company expects first quarter 2021 adjusted EPS to be $0.60 - $0.70. For the year ending December 31, 2021, the Company expects adjusted EPS to be $2.90 - $3.30.

CFO Transition

The Company also announced today that its Senior Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer, Henk Derksen, will be leaving Belden in March to pursue other endeavors. Mr. Derksen has been with the Company since 2000, and during that time has helped lead the Company’s transition into the leading supplier of networking solutions that it is today. Mr. Derksen’s successor will be Jeremy Parks. Mr. Parks worked with the Company from 2008 through August 2020, most recently as the Vice President of Finance for the Company’s Industrial Solutions segment, after which he joined International Wire Group, Inc. as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Vestjens commented, “Henk’s contributions to our success over the last 20 years are immeasurable. He has tackled every task before him with talent and determination, and he has demonstrated flawless integrity in everything that he has done. We will miss him, and wish him well as he pursues his next challenge. We are excited to have Jeremy back in the Belden family as we embark on the next chapter in our evolution.” Mr. Derksen will continue to serve as CFO through the filing of the Company’s 2020 Form 10-K, at which time Mr. Parks will assume the role. Mr. Derksen will stay on with the Company through mid-March to aid the transition.

Earnings Conference Call

Management will host a conference call today at 8:30 am ET to discuss results of the quarter. The listen-only audio of the conference call will be broadcast live via the Internet at https://investor.belden.com. The dial-in number for participants in the U.S. is 866-248-8441, with confirmation code 7695993. A replay of this conference call will remain accessible in the investor relations section of the Company’s website for a limited time.

Earnings per Share (EPS)

All references to EPS within this earnings release refer to income from continuing operations per diluted share attributable to Belden common stockholders.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Adjusted results are non-GAAP measures that reflect certain adjustments the Company makes to provide insight into operating results. GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations accompany the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this release and have been published to the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://investor.belden.com.

For all periods presented, the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement includes the results of the Grass Valley disposal group up to the disposal date, July 2, 2020.

BELDEN INC.RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES (Unaudited)

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, we provide non-GAAP operating results adjusted for certain items, including: asset impairments; accelerated depreciation expense due to plant consolidation activities; purchase accounting effects related to acquisitions, such as the adjustment of acquired inventory and deferred revenue to fair value and transaction costs; severance, restructuring, and acquisition integration costs; gains (losses) recognized on the disposal of businesses and tangible assets; amortization of intangible assets; gains (losses) on debt extinguishment; certain revenues and gains (losses) from patent settlements; discontinued operations; and other costs. We adjust for the items listed above in all periods presented, unless the impact is clearly immaterial to our financial statements. When we calculate the tax effect of the adjustments, we include all current and deferred income tax expense commensurate with the adjusted measure of pre-tax profitability.

We utilize the adjusted results to review our ongoing operations without the effect of these adjustments and for comparison to budgeted operating results. We believe the adjusted results are useful to investors because they help them compare our results to previous periods and provide important insights into underlying trends in the business and how management oversees our business operations on a day-to-day basis. As an example, we adjust for the purchase accounting effect of recording deferred revenue at fair value in order to reflect the revenues that would have otherwise been recorded by acquired businesses had they remained as independent entities. We believe this presentation is useful in evaluating the underlying performance of acquired companies. Similarly, we adjust for other acquisition-related expenses, such as amortization of intangibles and other impacts of fair value adjustments because they generally are not related to the acquired business' core business performance. As an additional example, we exclude the costs of restructuring programs, which can occur from time to time for our current businesses and/or recently acquired businesses. We exclude the costs in calculating adjusted results to allow us and investors to evaluate the performance of the business based upon its expected ongoing operating structure. We believe the adjusted measures, accompanied by the disclosure of the costs of these programs, provides valuable insight.

Adjusted results should be considered only in conjunction with results reported according to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

BELDEN INC.RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES (Unaudited)

We define free cash flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as net cash from operating activities adjusted for capital expenditures net of the proceeds from the disposal of tangible assets. We believe free cash flow provides useful information to investors regarding our ability to generate cash from business operations that is available for acquisitions and other investments, service of debt principal, dividends and share repurchases. We use free cash flow, as defined, as one financial measure to monitor and evaluate performance and liquidity. Non-GAAP financial measures should be considered only in conjunction with financial measures reported according to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our definition of free cash flow may differ from definitions used by other companies.

Our guidance for income from continuing operations per diluted share attributable to Belden common stockholders is based upon information currently available regarding events and conditions that will impact our future operating results. In particular, our results are subject to the factors listed under "Forward-Looking Statements" in this release. In addition, our actual results are likely to be impacted by other additional events for which information is not available, such as asset impairments, purchase accounting effects related to acquisitions, severance, restructuring, and acquisition integration costs, gains (losses) recognized on the disposal of tangible assets, gains (losses) on debt extinguishment, discontinued operations, and other gains (losses) related to events or conditions that are not yet known.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release and any statements made by us concerning the subject matter of this release may contain forward-looking statements, including our expectations for the first quarter and full-year 2021 and the results of our restructuring program. Forward-looking statements also include any statements regarding future financial performance (including revenues, expenses, earnings, margins, cash flows, dividends, capital expenditures and financial condition), plans and objectives, and related assumptions. In some cases these statements are identifiable through the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “guide,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “target,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by any forward-looking statements for a number of reasons, including, without limitation: the lack of certainty as to the duration and magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 and the economic recovery from that impact; the results of the Company’s impairment analysis, which could reduce EPS, adjusted EPS, and various other financial metrics; the presence of substitute products in the marketplace; the inability of the Company to develop and introduce new products and competitive responses to our products; the increased prevalence of cloud computing; the inability to execute and realize the expected benefits from strategic initiatives (including revenue growth, cost control, and productivity improvement programs); the inability to achieve our strategic priorities in emerging markets; the inability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions in furtherance of the Company’s strategic plan; foreign and domestic political, economic and other uncertainties, including changes in currency exchange rates; changes in tax laws and variability in the Company’s quarterly and annual effective tax rates; the impact of a challenging global economy or a downturn in served markets; the impact of changes in global tariffs and trade agreements; difficulty in forecasting revenue due to the unpredictable timing of orders related to customer projects; the competitiveness of the global markets in which we operate; volatility in credit and foreign exchange markets; the cost and availability of raw materials including copper, plastic compounds, electronic components, and other materials; the inability to obtain components in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms; disruptions in the Company’s information systems including due to cyber-attacks; perceived or actual product failures; risks related to the use of open source software; disruption of, or changes in, the Company’s key distribution channels; the inability to retain senior management and key employees; assertions that the Company violates the intellectual property of others and the ownership of intellectual property by competitors and others that prevents the use of that intellectual property by the Company; the impact of regulatory requirements and other legal compliance issues; the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets and the resulting impact on financial performance; disruptions and increased costs attendant to collective bargaining groups and other labor matters; and other factors.

For a more complete discussion of risk factors, please see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 11, 2020, as well as enhancements made to our risk factors throughout the year, including as disclosed in our first quarter 2020 Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 4, 2020. Although the content of this release represents our best judgment as of the date of this report based on information currently available and reasonable assumptions, we give no assurances that the expectations will prove to be accurate. Deviations from the expectations may be material. For these reasons, Belden cautions readers to not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Belden disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Belden

Belden Inc. delivers a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network infrastructure needs of industrial and enterprise markets. With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission of rapidly growing amounts of data, audio and video needed for today's applications, Belden is at the center of the global transformation to a connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St. Louis and has manufacturing capabilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com or follow us on Twitter @BeldenInc.

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Source: Belden Inc.