C&D News

C&D Technologies Announces First Quarter Results

BLUE BELL, Pa., June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- C&D Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: CHP), a leading North American producer and marketer of electrical power storage and conversion systems used in telecommunications, industrial and motive applications, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended April 30, 2007.

For the quarter, the Company reported net income of $2.6 million, or $0.10 per share on a diluted share basis, on revenues of $130.8 million. This compared to a net loss of $8.7 million, or $0.34 per share on revenues of $129.2 million in the prior year's first quarter. Results for the first quarter of fiscal 2008 included a non-recurring gain recognized on the disposal of the Company's old joint venture Chinese plant of $15.2 million, and restructuring costs associated with the closure of the Company's Conyers, Georgia manufacturing facility of approximately $200,000. The comparable prior year's first quarter included net restructuring and other special charges of $2.3 million.

Dr. Jeffrey A. Graves, President and CEO said, "All told, first quarter performance was again hindered by accelerating lead costs, which are up roughly 33% to date since the beginning of the year to new historic highs. On the positive side, we're very pleased with the continued strength of Standby Power, our core business, which maintained strong top-line momentum while demonstrating solid progress in our cost reduction programs. We were similarly pleased with our Power Electronics Division, which delivered stable financial results in a challenging end-market, while we continue to explore strategic alternatives for the business. Motive Power continued to struggle with market challenges and warranty experience."

"Cost reduction remains a critical objective for the balance of the year, with lead costs continuing to escalate. To that end, we completed the final qualification and ramp-up of our new joint venture Chinese facility, made good progress on the consolidation of our Conyers, Georgia facility into our Leola, Pennsylvania manufacturing plant, and worked hard to mitigate raw material cost increases through more desirable purchasing arrangements, including acceleration of our lead tolling and other strategic sourcing initiatives."

Dr. Graves added, "In the first quarter, we realized over $2 million of savings from cost reduction initiatives, and we continue to forecast approximately $15 million of total savings in the current fiscal year and nearly $30 million of savings by the end of fiscal 2009."

Standby Power Division:

In the first quarter, the Standby Power Division posted total net sales of $75.6 million, and operating profit of $15.9 million, which included the previously-mentioned gain on the sale of the company's former joint venture manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China and severance costs associated with the closure of the Conyers facility. Excluding these items, operating profit would have been approximately $1.0 million. Revenues were up 13.4% compared to last year's first quarter, and 1.8% on a sequential basis, largely as a result of price increases sequentially but also with strong volume performance versus a year ago.

In commenting on the Standby Power Division results, Dr. Graves stated, "The Standby Power Division performed well in the first quarter, with continued top-line momentum driven principally by customers in the UPS and Cable TV markets. This strength in revenue performance, to a level not seen since fiscal 2002 (calendar 2001), reflects our strong focus on our customers' success, and is a testament to our leading North American market share, world- class technology, and solid customer relationships, which allow us to increasingly participate in our customers' growth. International sales, spanning from Europe and the Middle East, through Latin America and China, were all up strongly, 23% in total versus prior year, as we continue to gain traction from our low-cost manufacturing base and focus on new customer development in these emerging markets. While lead costs are a continuing challenge, we remain steadfast in our efforts to drive pricing and to reduce our costs through tolling and other initiatives."

Motive Power Division:

The Motive Power Division posted total net sales of $12.8 million, and an operating loss of $2.4 million. Revenues decreased 13.2% compared to last year's first quarter, and 15.9% sequentially.

Dr. Graves stated, "The Motive Power Division continues to disappoint. As we set our goals for this year, we expected this business to return to cash flow break-even by the end of this fiscal year, and this quarter's results put that goal out of reach. Top-line performance in the quarter was weak, with market softness and competitive pricing being the primary contributing factors. Warranty costs continued to be a drag on the bottom line, with both claims experience and higher lead costs for replacement product hurting performance."

Power Electronics Division:

In the first quarter, the Power Electronics Division posted total net sales of $42.3 million, roughly flat on a sequential basis, and an operating loss of $1.7 million. Versus the prior year, revenues declined from $47.7 million in the prior year's first quarter.

Dr. Graves commented, "Power Electronics' results were basically stable on a sequential basis, in line with our expectations in a currently challenging cyclical market. Our customer base is well-balanced between Tier I and the broad market, which enabled us to deliver stable results in a quarter when several Tier I-focused competitors saw business deteriorate significantly. Recently, we have seen stronger bookings, and we enter the second quarter with a positive book-to-bill ratio and solid backlog."

Conference call:

C&D management will host a conference call to discuss these financial results on June 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Those parties interested in participating in the conference call via telephone should dial 706-679-4521 and enter conference ID number 3296852. A telephone replay of the conference call will begin immediately following the call and will be available through June 22, 2007 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. To access the rebroadcast, please dial 800-642-1687 (706-645-9291 for international callers) and enter code 3296852. A webcast of the conference call will also be available at http://www.cdtechno.com.

C&D Technologies, Inc. provides solutions and services for the switchgear and control (utility), motive (material handling), telecommunications, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) as well as emerging markets such as solar power. C&D Technologies engineers, manufactures, sells and services fully integrated reserve power systems for regulating and monitoring power flow and providing backup power in the event of primary power loss until the primary source can be restored. Through our Power Electronics Division, we manufacture and market custom, standard and modified-standard electronic power supply systems, including DC to DC converters, for large OEMs of telecommunications and networking equipment, as well as office and industrial equipment. The division also manufactures power conversion products sold into military and CATV applications as well as digital panel meters and data acquisition components. C&D Technologies' unique ability to offer complete systems, designed and produced to high technical standards, sets it apart from its competition. C&D Technologies is headquartered in Blue Bell, PA. For more information about C&D Technologies, visit http://www.cdtechno.com

Forward-looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstances. Words and expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Factors that appear with the forward- looking statements, or in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings (including without limitation the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, or the quarterly and current reports filed on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K thereafter), could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward- looking statements made herein.


                   C&D TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
                                 (UNAUDITED)

                                                           Three months ended
                                                               April 30,
                                                               2007     2006
    NET SALES                                              $130,809 $129,167
    COST OF SALES                                           111,252  108,454
    GROSS PROFIT                                             19,557   20,713

    OPERATING EXPENSES:
        Selling, general and administrative expenses         17,088   17,232
        Research and development expenses                     5,773    7,440
        Gain on sale of Shanghai, China plant               (15,162)       -
    OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)                                  11,858   (3.959)
    Interest expense, net                                     2,708    3,028
    Other (income) expense, net                                (161)     315
    INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND MINORITY INTEREST   9,311   (7,302)
    Provision for income taxes                                2,209    1,570
    INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE MINORITY INTEREST                    7,102   (8,872)
    Minority interest                                         4,528     (214)
        NET INCOME (LOSS)                                    $2,574  $(8,658)
    Net Income (loss) per common share - basic                $0.10   $(0.34)
    Net Income (loss) per common share - diluted              $0.10   $(0.34)
    Dividends per share                                           - $0.01375


                   C&D TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                         CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                   (Dollars in thousands, except par value)
                                 (UNAUDITED)

                                                        April 30,  January 31,
                                                           2007       2007
    ASSETS
    Current assets:
      Cash and cash equivalents                            $13,594   $12,596
      Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful
        accounts of $1,789 and $1,869                       88,947    84,241
      Inventories                                           83,169    88,229
      Deferred income taxes                                    195       134
      Prepaid taxes                                          2,527     2,634
      Other current assets                                   6,921     7,082
        Total current assets                               195,353   194,916

    Property, plant and equipment, net                      97,405   100,815
    Deferred income taxes                                      638       531
    Intangible and other assets, net                        34,483    35,429
    Goodwill                                                68,692    68,520
      TOTAL ASSETS                                        $398,571  $400,211
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Current liabilities:
      Short-term debt                                       $6,289    $6,498
        Accounts payable                                    54,124    54,215
        Book overdrafts                                      1,828     2,310
        Accrued liabilities                                 22,618    21,910
        Other current liabilities                           11,199    32,010
          Total current liabilities                         96,058   116,943

    Deferred income taxes                                   10,502     9,155
    Long-term debt                                         155,595   147,925
    Other liabilities                                       36,073    34,750
            Total liabilities                              298,228   308,773


                   C&D TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                   CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (continued)
                   (Dollars in thousands, except par value)
                                 (UNAUDITED)

                                                  April 30,      January 31,
                                                      2007             2007
    Commitments and contingencies

    Minority interest                               12,150            7,548

    Stockholders' equity:
      Common stock, $.01 par value, 75,000,000
       shares authorized; 29,042,467 and 29,040,960
       shares issued; 25,650,620 and 25,649,424
       shares outstanding, respectively                290              290
      Additional paid-in capital                    74,306           74,188
      Treasury stock, at cost, 3,391,847 and
       3,391,536 shares, respectively              (47,111)         (47,110)
      Accumulated other comprehensive loss         (13,944)         (13,952)
      Retained earnings                             74,652           70,474
        Total stockholders' equity                  88,193           83,890
        TOTAL LIABILITIES AND
         STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                     $398,571         $400,211



                   C&D TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                            (Dollars in thousands)
                                 (UNAUDITED)

                                                          Three months ended
                                                                April 30,
                                                            2007       2006
    Cash flows from operating activities:
      Net Income (loss)                                   $2,574    $(8,658)
      Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to
       net cash used in operating activities:
      Minority interest                                    4,528       (214)
      Share-based compensation                               110         50
      Depreciation and amortization                        4,553      4,694
      Amortization of debt acquisition costs                 386        280
      Deferred income taxes                                1,190      1,218
      Gain on disposal of assets                         (15,440)       (11)
      Changes in assets and liabilities:
        Accounts receivable                               (7,241)    (5,498)
        Inventories                                        5,353     (2,741)
        Other current assets                                (682)     3,306
        Accounts payable                                  (2,239)       567
        Accrued liabilities                                  589        480
        Income taxes payable                                (348)      (567)
        Other current liabilities                           (740)      (268)
        Other liabilities                                  1,663      3,701
        Other long-term assets                               154        (88)
        Other, net                                          (570)    (1,567)
          Net cash used in operating activities           (6,160)    (5,316)
    Cash flows from investing activities:
      Acquisition of property, plant and equipment        (2,039)    (3,478)
      Proceeds from disposal of property,
       plant and equipment                                 2,422         18
        Net cash provided by (used in)
         investing activities                                383     (3,460)
    Cash flows from financing activities:
      Repayment of debt                                     (221)      (270)
      Proceeds from new borrowings                         7,597      8,507
      (Decrease) increase in book overdrafts                (482)       324
      Financing cost of long-term debt                      (313)      (627)
      Proceeds from exercise of stock options                  -        695
      Purchase of treasury stock                              (2)        -
        Net cash provided by financing activities          6,579      8,629
    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and
     cash equivalents                                        196        393
    Increase in cash and cash equivalents                    998        246
    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period        12,596     25,693
    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period             $13,594    $25,939

SOURCE C&D Technologies, Inc.
06/08/2007
CONTACT: Ian Harvie of C&D, +1-215-619-7835, or Joseph Crivelli of Gregory FCA, for C&D, +1-610-642-8253

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