• Fourth-quarter net sales increase 5%, to $362 million
• Fourth-quarter diluted EPS of $0.71; adjusted diluted EPS grows 33%, to $1.14
• Full year net sales of $1.42 billion
• Full-year diluted EPS of $4.51; full-year adjusted diluted EPS increases 20% to $4.77
• Full-year operating margin improves to 9.4%; adjusted operating margin improves to 10.3%
• Full-year cash flow from operations reaches record $204 million
• Provides initial outlook for fiscal 2025

Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOG) today reported its fiscal 2024 fourth-quarter and full-year results. The fourth-quarter and full-year results for fiscal 2024 include the impact of an additional week of operations compared to fiscal 2023. The Company reported the following selected financial results:

“Fiscal 2024 was another great year for Apogee, with record adjusted EPS and cash flow, and adjusted operating margins and ROIC that exceeded the targets we set at our investor day in 2021,” said Ty R. Silberhorn, Chief Executive Officer. “Through executing our strategy, we have achieved a step change in performance and profitability, providing a stronger foundation from which to operate. We’ve driven sustainable cost and productivity improvements, significantly improved operational execution, and refocused our business to deliver differentiated product and service offerings that provide more value for our customers.”

Mr. Silberhorn continued, “As we look ahead to fiscal 2025, our team is working to build on the gains we’ve achieved, while positioning the Company to drive long-term shareholder value. We are approaching fiscal 2025 with a growth mindset, continuing to diversify our business, strengthen our product and service offerings, and invest to position the Company for long-term profitable growth.”

Project Fortify

On January 30, 2024, the Company announced strategic actions to further streamline its business operations, enable a more efficient cost model, and better position the Company for profitable growth (referred to as “Project Fortify”). During the fourth quarter, the Company incurred $12.4 million of pre-tax charges related to Project Fortify. $5.5 million of these charges were included in cost of sales and $6.9 million were included in selling, general, and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses. The Company continues to expect a total of $16 million to $18 million of pre-tax charges in connection with Project Fortify leading to annualized cost savings of $12 million to $14 million. The Company expects approximately 60% of these savings will be realized in fiscal 2025, and the remainder in fiscal 2026. The Company expects that approximately 70% of the savings will be realized in the Architectural Framing Systems Segment, 20% in the Architectural Services Segment, and 10% in the Corporate Segment, with the plan to be substantially complete in the third quarter of fiscal 2025.

Fourth-Quarter Consolidated Results (Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 compared to Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2023)

• Net sales increased 5.2% to $361.8 million compared to $344.1 million, primarily due to improved pricing and mix, partially offset by lower volumes.

• Gross profit increased 13.3% to $88.5 million and gross margin improved by 170 bps to 24.4%, primarily driven by higher pricing, improved product mix, and the impact of cost saving initiatives, partially offset by restructuring charges related to Project Fortify.

• SG&A expenses increased $14.2 million to 18.4% of net sales compared to 15.2%, driven by restructuring charges related to Project Fortify and higher wages and benefits expense.

• Operating income was $21.9 million, and operating margin was 6.0%. Adjusted operating income grew 33.1% to $34.3 million and adjusted operating margin increased 200 basis points to 9.5% primarily driven by higher pricing, improved product mix, and the impact of cost saving initiatives, partially offset by higher wages and benefits expense.

• Other expense was $1.6 million reflecting the impact of an investment market-valuation adjustment.

• Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) was $0.71 compared to $0.91. Adjusted diluted EPS grew 32.6% to $1.14 driven by higher adjusted operating income and lower interest expense, partially offset by higher Other expense.

Full-Year Consolidated Results (Fiscal 2024 compared to Fiscal 2023)

• Net sales were $1.42 billion, compared to $1.44 billion, primarily reflecting lower volumes, partially offset by improved product mix and higher pricing.

• Operating margin improved to 9.4%. Adjusted operating margin increased 160 basis points to 10.3% primarily driven by higher pricing, improved product mix, and the impact of cost saving initiatives, partially offset by a less favorable mix of projects in the Architectural Services Segment, higher salary and benefits costs, and the inflationary impact of higher costs.

• Other income was $2.1 million reflecting the impact of a $4.7 million pre-tax gain related to a New Markets Tax Credit, partially offset by an investment market-valuation adjustment.

• Income tax expense was $29.6 million, compared to $12.5 million primarily driven by a $14.8 million tax deduction for worthless stock and other related discrete tax benefits in the prior year.

• Diluted EPS was $4.51 compared to $4.64. Adjusted diluted EPS grew 19.8% to a record $4.77 driven by higher adjusted operating income and lower interest expense, partially offset by higher Other expense.

Fourth Quarter Segment Results (Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024 Compared to Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2023)

Architectural Framing Systems

Architectural Framing Systems net sales were $139.2 million, compared to $148.6 million, primarily reflecting lower volume. Operating income was $6.8 million, which included $6.0 million of restructuring charges related to Project Fortify. Adjusted operating income was $12.8 million, or 9.2% of net sales, compared to $15.6 million, or 10.5% of net sales, primarily reflecting the impact of lower volume and a less favorable mix of projects, partially offset by the impact of cost savings initiatives. Segment backlog² at the end of the quarter was $200.7 million, an increase of 9.1% compared to $183.9 million at the end of the third fiscal quarter.

Architectural Glass

Architectural Glass net sales grew 18.2%, to $96.2 million, driven by improved pricing and mix. Operating income increased to $18.9 million, or 19.7% of net sales, compared to $9.5 million, or 11.7% of net sales, primarily driven by the impact of improved pricing and mix, partially offset by cost inflation.

Architectural Services

Architectural Services net sales grew 7.9% to $106.3 million, primarily due to a more favorable mix of projects. Operating income was $3.6 million, which included $2.5 million of restructuring charges related to Project Fortify. Adjusted operating income increased to $6.2 million, or 5.8% of net sales, compared to $3.7 million, or 3.7% of net sales, primarily driven by a more favorable mix of projects. Segment backlog at the end of the quarter was $807.8 million, a 4.0% increase compared to $776.5 million at the end of the third fiscal quarter.

Large-Scale Optical

Large-Scale Optical net sales were $27.1 million, compared to $27.2 million, primarily due to lower volume, partially offset by a more favorable mix. Operating income grew to $6.9 million, or 25.6% of net sales, compared to $5.8 million, or 21.1% of net sales, primarily driven by the improved mix.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and other expense increased to $14.5 million, compared to $8.8 million, primarily due to $3.9 million of restructuring charges related to Project Fortify, and higher wages and benefits.

Financial Condition

Net cash provided by operating activities in the fourth quarter improved to $74.9 million, compared to $51.6 million in last year’s fourth quarter. For the full year, net cash provided by operating activities increased to a record $204.2 million, compared to $102.7 million in the prior year, primarily driven by favorable working capital changes. Capital expenditures for the fiscal year were $43.2 million, compared to $45.2 million last year. During the year, the Company returned $33.0 million of cash to shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payments.

Year-end long-term debt was $62.0 million, compared to $169.8 million at the end of fiscal 2023. The net leverage ratio³ as of the end of the fiscal year improved to 0.1x compared to 0.9x at the end of fiscal 2023.

Fiscal 2025 Outlook

The Company expects a net sales decline in the range of 4% to 7%. This range includes approximately 2 percentage points of decline related to fiscal 2025 reverting to a 52-week year, and approximately 1 percentage point of decline related to the actions of Project Fortify to eliminate certain lower-margin product and service offerings.

The Company expects diluted EPS in the range of $4.25 to $4.55 and adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $4.35 to $4.75⁴. The Company expects the impact of the reversion to a 52-week year will reduce adjusted diluted EPS by approximately $0.20 compared to fiscal 2024 and that there will be no material impact to adjusted diluted EPS related to the adverse net sales impact of Project Fortify.

The Company’s outlook assumes an adjusted effective tax rate of approximately 24.5%, and capital expenditures between $40 to $50 million.

Conference Call Information

The Company will host a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss this earnings release. This call will be webcast and is available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website, along with presentation slides, at https://www.apog.com/events-and-presentations. A replay and transcript of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website for one year from the date of the conference call.

About Apogee Enterprises

Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOG) is a leading provider of architectural products and services for enclosing buildings, and high-performance glass and acrylic products used for preservation, energy conservation, and enhanced viewing. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, our portfolio of industry-leading products and services includes high-performance architectural glass, windows, curtainwall, storefront and entrance systems, integrated project management and installation services, as well as value-added glass and acrylic for custom picture framing and displays. For more information, visit www.apog.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Management uses non-GAAP measures to evaluate the Company’s historical and prospective financial performance, measure operational profitability on a consistent basis, as a factor in determining executive compensation, and to provide enhanced transparency to the investment community. Non-GAAP measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as a substitute for, the reported financial results of the Company prepared in accordance with GAAP. Other companies may calculate these measures differently, limiting the usefulness of the measures for comparison with other companies. This release and other financial communications may contain the following non-GAAP measures:

• Adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net earnings, adjusted effective tax rate, and adjusted diluted EPS are used by the Company to provide meaningful supplemental information about its operating performance by excluding amounts that are not considered part of core operating results to enhance comparability of results from period to period.
• Adjusted EBITDA represents adjusted net earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. The Company believes adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin metrics provide useful information to investors and analysts about the Company's core operating performance.
• Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, minus capital expenditures. The Company considers this measure an indication of its financial strength. However, free cash flow does not fully reflect the Company’s ability to freely deploy generated cash, as it does not reflect, for example, required payments on indebtedness and other fixed obligations.
• Adjusted return on invested capital (“ROIC”) is defined as adjusted operating income net of tax, divided by average invested capital. The Company believes this measure is useful in understanding operational performance and capital allocation over time.
• Net debt is a non-GAAP measure defined as total debt (current debt plus long-term debt) on our consolidated balance sheet, less cash and cash equivalents. The Company considers this measure helpful to evaluate our capital structure and financial leverage, and our ability to fund investing and financing activities.
• Net leverage ratio is a non-GAAP ratio defined as net debt divided by trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA. The Company considers this measure helpful to evaluate our capital structure and financial leverage, and our ability to fund investing and financing activities.

Backlog is an operating measure used by management to assess future potential sales revenue. Backlog is defined as the dollar amount of signed contracts or firm orders, generally as a result of a competitive bidding process, which is expected to be recognized as revenue. Backlog is not a term defined under U.S. GAAP and is not a measure of contract profitability. Backlog should not be used as the sole indicator of future revenue because the Company has a substantial number of projects with short lead times that book-and-bill within the same reporting period that are not included in backlog.

As part of the actions of Project Fortify, the longer-cycle project business in the Architectural Framing Segment is expected to be phased out over time as the Segment eliminates certain lower-margin product and service offerings. As a result, the majority of projects in the Segment will generally be completed in six months or less, and therefore we believe that backlog as an operating measure will be less effective in assessing future potential sales revenue. Effective in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, we will no longer report backlog for this Segment.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “should” and similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements”. These statements reflect Apogee management’s expectations or beliefs as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All forward-looking statements are qualified by factors that may affect the results, performance, financial condition, prospects and opportunities of the Company, including the following: (A) North American and global economic conditions, including the cyclical nature of the North American and Latin American non-residential construction industries and the potential impact of an economic downturn or recession; (B) U.S. and global instability and uncertainty arising from events outside of our control; (C) actions of new and existing competitors; (D) departure of key personnel and ability to source sufficient labor; (E) product performance, reliability and quality issues; (F) project management and installation issues that could affect the profitability of individual contracts; (G) dependence on a relatively small number of customers in one operating segment; (H) financial and operating results that could differ from market expectations; (I) self-insurance risk related to a material product liability or other events for which the Company is liable; (J) maintaining our information technology systems and potential cybersecurity threats; (K) cost of regulatory compliance, including environmental regulations; (L) supply chain disruptions, including fluctuations in the availability and cost of materials used in our products and the impact of trade policies and regulations, including potential future tariffs; (M) integration of acquisitions and management of acquired contracts; (N) impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets; (O) our ability to successfully manage and implement our enterprise strategy; (P) our ability to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting; (Q) judgements regarding the accounting for tax positions and the resolution of tax disputes; (R) the impact of cost inflation and rising interest rates; and (S) the impact of changes in capital and credit markets on our liquidity and cost of capital. The Company cautions investors that actual future results could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and that other factors may in the future prove to be important in affecting the Company’s results, performance, prospects, or opportunities. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or a combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. More information concerning potential factors that could affect future financial results is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 25, 2023, and in subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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• Segment net sales is defined as net sales for a certain segment and includes revenue related to intersegment transactions.
• Net sales intersegment eliminations are reported separately to exclude these sales from our consolidated total.
• Segment operating income is equal to net sales, less cost of goods sold, SG&A, and any asset impairment charges associated with the segment.
• Operating income does not include any other income or expense, interest expense or a provision for income taxes.
• Segment operating income includes operating income related to intersegment sales transactions and excludes certain corporate costs that are not allocated at a segment level. We report these unallocated corporate costs separately in Corporate and Other.