MYERS INDUSTRIES INC (MYE) FY 2024 MD&A

ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Financial Condition and Operations

Executive Overview

The Company conducts its business activities in two reportable segments: The Material Handling Segment and the Distribution Segment.

The Company designs, manufactures, and markets a variety of plastic, metal and rubber products. The Material Handling Segment manufactures a broad selection of plastic reusable containers, pallets, small parts bins, bulk shipping containers, storage and organization products, OEM parts, custom plastic products, composite ground protection matting, consumer fuel containers and tanks for water, fuel and waste handling. Products in the Material Handling Segment are primarily injection molded, rotationally molded, compression molded or blow molded. The Distribution Segment is engaged in the distribution of tools, equipment and supplies used for tire, wheel and under vehicle service on passenger, heavy truck and off-road vehicles, as well as the manufacturing of tire repair and retreading products.

The Company’s results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared with the year ended December 31, 2023 are discussed below. The current economic environment includes heightened risks from inflation, interest rates, banking liquidity, volatile commodity costs, supply chain disruptions and labor availability stemming from the broader economic effects of the international geopolitical climate, including rapidly changing regulations, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and continued conflicts along Israel's border which has increased volatility in global commodity markets, including oil (a component of many plastic resins), energy and agricultural commodities. Some of our businesses have been and may continue to be affected by these broader economic effects, including customer demand for our products, supply chain disruptions, labor availability and inflation. The Company believes it is well-positioned to manage through this uncertainty as it has a strong balance sheet with sufficient liquidity and borrowing capacity as well as a diverse product offering and customer base.

Results of Operations: 2024 Compared with 2023

Net Sales:

Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $836.3 million, an increase of $23.2 million or 2.9% compared to the prior year. Net sales increased due to $102.7 million of incremental sales in the Material Handling Segment from the acquisition of Signature on February 8, 2024. Signature's annual sales were approximately $110 million at the time of the acquisition. The increase in net sales was partially offset by lower volume of $60.2 million, lower pricing of $18.9 million and the effect of unfavorable currency translation of $0.4 million.

Net sales in the Material Handling Segment increased $66.4 million or 12.0% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year. Net sales increased due to $102.7 million of incremental sales from the acquisition of Signature on February 8, 2024, partially offset by lower volume of $22.0 million, lower pricing of $13.9 million and the effect of unfavorable currency translation of $0.4 million.

Net sales in the Distribution Segment decreased $43.1 million or 16.7% in the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year, primarily due to lower volume of $38.1 million and lower pricing of $5.0 million.

Cost of Sales & Gross Profit:

Gross profit increased $11.7 million, or 4.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year due to the benefits of the acquisition of Signature on February 8, 2024, and favorable mix, partially offset by lower volume and pricing as described under

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Net Sales above, the impact from acquisition-related inventory step-up amortization of $4.5 million, higher costs of restructuring and unfavorable cost productivity. Gross margin was 32.4% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 31.9% for the same period in 2023.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses:

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $204.1 million, an increase of $17.2 million or 9.2% compared to the prior year. Increases in SG&A expenses in 2024 were primarily due to $28.8 million of incremental SG&A, including $10.1 million of intangible amortization, from the acquisition of Signature on February 8, 2024 and $2.2 million of higher facility costs, partially offset by $12.3 million of lower incentive compensation, $3.2 million of lower salaries and benefits, $2.2 million of lower commissions, $2.0 million of lower variable selling expenses and $0.4 million of lower legal and professional fees, excluding acquisition costs. Acquisition and integration costs included in SG&A expenses increased $1.5 million due to the Signature acquisition described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements. SG&A expenses also increased as compared to prior year due to higher expenses incurred on restructuring actions of $1.8 million, described in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements partially offset by $1.3 million of consulting costs in 2023 to improve the Company's capabilities to screen and execute large acquisitions. Executive severance was $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, which compared to $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Additionally, the Company reached a settlement agreement with one of its insurers, for $10.0 million, which resulted in a $6.7 million net reduction to legal costs within SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2023. Environmental matters described in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements resulted in a net $0.2 million of income in the year ended December 31, 2024, which compared to $3.2 million of charges in the year ended December 31, 2023.

Impairment Charges:

During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded a $22.0 million non-cash impairment charge, for the full carrying value of goodwill in the rotational molding reporting unit, included in the Material Handling Segment, as discussed in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements.

Net Interest Expense:

Net interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $30.9 million compared to $6.3 million during 2023. The higher net interest expense was due to higher average outstanding borrowings as a result of the acquisition of Signature, which was funded through an amendment and restatement of Myers' existing loan agreement discussed below, and a higher weighted-average borrowing rate in the current year.

Income Taxes:

The Company's effective tax rate was 46.8% for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 26.0% in the prior year. The increase in the effective tax rate is driven by fixed non-deductible expenses, including expenses related to the Signature acquisition, on lower income before income taxes plus the tax effect of impairment charges.

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Financial Condition & Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company’s primary sources of liquidity are cash on hand, cash generated from operations and availability under the Amended Loan Agreement (defined below). At December 31, 2024, the Company had $32.2 million of cash, $244.7 million available under the Amended Loan Agreement and outstanding debt of $383.6 million, including the finance lease liability of $8.6 million. At December 31, 2024, our primary contractual obligations relate to our debt and lease arrangements as described in Notes 10 and 13 to the consolidated financial statements. Based on this liquidity and borrowing capacity, the Company believes it is well-positioned to manage through the working capital demands and heightened uncertainty in the current macroeconomic environment. The Company believes that cash on hand, cash flows from operations and available capacity under its Amended Loan Agreement will be sufficient to meet expected business requirements including capital expenditures, dividends, working capital, debt service, and to fund future growth.

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities was $79.3 million and $86.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cash generated from working capital was $9.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to cash generated from working capital of $5.7 million in the prior year, primarily due to reductions in accounts receivable and inventory, partly offset by reductions in accounts payable.

Investing Activities

Net cash used by investing activities was $372.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to cash used of $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. In 2024, the Company paid $348.3 million to acquire Signature, net of cash acquired and working capital adjustments, as discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements. Capital expenditures were $24.4 million and $22.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $295.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to cash used of $56.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. In 2024, the Company received proceeds of $400 million under a new term loan facility, as described below and repaid $38.0 million of senior unsecured notes, including $26.0 million of senior unsecured notes that matured in January 2024 and the prepayment of $12.0 million of senior unsecured notes in conjunction with the amendment and restatement to the Loan Agreement described below. The company also made repayments of the Term Loan A totaling $18.0 million, $3.0 million of which was a voluntary prepayment. Net borrowings (repayments) of the Company's existing revolving credit facility for the year ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were $(20.0) million and $(36.0) million, respectively. Net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in connection with incentive stock option exercises were $3.3 million and $2.3 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cash paid for tax withholdings on vesting of stock compensation totaled $2.1 million in both 2024 and 2023. Fees paid for the amendment and restatement to the Loan Agreement in February 2024 totaled $9.2 million. The Company also used cash to pay dividends of $20.4 million and $20.2 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Credit Sources

Seventh Amendment to Loan Agreement

On September 29, 2022, the Company entered into a Seventh Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the “Seventh Amendment”), which amended the Sixth Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, dated March 12, 2021. The Seventh Amendment, among other things, extended the maturity date to September 2027 from March 2024. There was no change to the credit facility's borrowing limit of $250 million.

Repayment and termination of Senior Unsecured Notes

On January 12, 2024, the Company repaid $26.0 million of senior unsecured notes upon maturity using cash on hand and availability under the Loan Agreement. On February 6, 2024, in connection with the first amendment and restatement to the Loan Agreement described below, the Company prepaid the remaining $12.0 million face value of senior unsecured notes, which were due January 15, 2026, using availability under the revolving credit facility under the Loan Agreement. After giving effect to the payment in full, all outstanding senior unsecured notes under the Note Purchase Agreement have been paid and the Note Purchase Agreement has been terminated. In conjunction with the termination the Company recognized a loss on debt extinguishment of $0.1 million, primarily representing the make-whole fees on the senior unsecured notes and the unamortized value of the original issuance discount.

First Amendment to Loan Agreement

On February 8, 2024, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Seventh Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (“Amendment No. 1”), which amended the Seventh Amended and Restated Loan Agreement (the "Loan Agreement” – see also Note

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10) dated September 29, 2022 (collectively, the “Amended Loan Agreement”). Amendment No. 1, among other things, permitted the acquisition of Signature Systems and provided a new 5-year $400 million term loan facility (“Term Loan A”). Term Loan A will amortize in eight quarterly installment payments of $5 million beginning June 30, 2024, quarterly installment payments of $10 million thereafter, and any remaining balance due upon maturity. Term Loan A may be voluntarily prepaid at any time, in whole or in part, without penalty or premium, however, all amounts repaid or prepaid in respect of Term Loan A may not be reborrowed. In December 2024, the Company voluntarily prepaid $3 million of the Term Loan A.

Amendment No. 1 did not change the existing revolving credit facility’s maturity date or $250 million borrowing limit, which includes a letter of credit subfacility and swingline subfacility. In connection with Amendment No. 1, the Company incurred deferred financing fees of $9.2 million.

The Amended Loan Agreement is on substantially the same terms as the Loan Agreement, except Amendment No. 1 has amended, among other items, (i) to permit the Signature Systems acquisition, (ii) to modify the maximum leverage ratio to not exceed (x) 4.00 to 1:00 on a “net” basis for an initial “net” leverage ratio holiday period for the immediate fiscal quarter end after the Signature Systems acquisition is consummated and for the three immediately following fiscal quarter ends thereafter and (y) 3.25 to 1.00 on a “net” basis after such “net” leverage ratio holiday period (subject to additional “net” leverage ratio holiday periods at the election of the Company for such periods that are more fully described in the Amended Loan Agreement), (iii) to modify certain negative covenants (including the restricted payment covenant) so that the applicable incurrence tests for such negative covenants is now based on the new “net” leverage ratio level, (iv) to increase the applicable margins for the loans under the Amended Loan Agreement to range between 1.775% to 2.35% for Term SOFR, RFR, SONIA, EURIBOR and CORRA based loans and between 0.775% and 1.35% for base rate loans, in each case based from time to time on the determination of the Company’s then net leverage ratio, (v) to replace the Canadian Dealer Offered Rate (CDOR) as the applicable reference rate with respect to loans denominated in Canadian Dollars to the Canadian Overnight Repo Rate Average (CORRA), and (vi) to amend the scope of collateral securing the obligations under the Amended Loan Agreement to be an “all asset” lien (subject to customary provisions of excluded collateral not subject to the liens).

On May 2, 2024, the Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement to mitigate the variable interest rate risk of borrowings under the Amended Loan Agreement. The swap has a beginning notional value of $200.0 million, which reduces proportionately with scheduled Term Loan A amortization payments, and has a final maturity date of January 31, 2029. At December 31, 2024, the remaining notional value of the Company's interest rate swap totaled $192.5 million. The swap is designated as a cash flow hedge and effectively results in a fixed rate of 4.606% plus the applicable margin for the hedged debt, as described in Notes 1 and 10 to the consolidated financial statements.

As of December 31, 2024, $244.7 million was available under the Amended Loan Agreement, after borrowings and the Company had $5.3 million of letters of credit issued related to insurance and other financing contracts in the ordinary course of business. Borrowings under the Amended Loan Agreement bear interest at the Term SOFR, RFR, SONIA, EURIBOR and CORRA-based borrowing rates.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants. The most restrictive financial covenants for all of the Company’s debt are a net leverage ratio (defined as net debt divided by earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as adjusted) and an interest coverage ratio (defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as adjusted, divided by interest expense). The ratios as of and for the period ended December 31, 2024 are shown in the following table:

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably expected to have, a material current or future effect on its financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources at December 31, 2024.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations are based on the accompanying consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). As indicated in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies included in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the amount of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses reported are affected by estimates and judgments that are necessary to comply with U.S. GAAP. The Company bases its estimates on prior experience and other assumptions that they consider reasonable to their circumstances. The Company believes the following matters may involve a high degree of judgment and complexity.

Contingencies — In the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings and contingencies, including environmental matters. When a loss arising from these matters is probable and can reasonably be estimated, the most likely amount of the estimated probable loss is recorded, or if a range of probable loss can be estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the minimum amount in the range is recorded. Disclosure of contingent losses is also provided when there is a reasonable possibility that the ultimate loss could exceed the recorded provision or if such probable loss cannot be reasonably estimated. As additional information becomes available, any potential liability related to these contingent matters is assessed and the estimates are revised, if necessary. The actual resolution of these contingencies may differ from these estimates, and it is possible that future earnings could be affected by changes in estimated outcomes of these contingencies. If a contingency were settled for an amount greater than our estimate, a future charge to income would result. Likewise, if a contingency were settled for an amount that is less than our estimate, a future credit to income would result. See disclosure of contingencies in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Combinations – The Company uses the acquisition method of accounting to allocate costs of acquired businesses to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the dates of acquisition. The excess costs of acquired businesses over the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recognized as goodwill. The valuations of the acquired assets and liabilities will impact the determination of future operating results. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, revenue growth rates, discount rates, customer attrition rates, royalty rates, asset lives, contributory asset charges, and market multiples, among other items. The Company determines the fair values of intangible assets acquired generally in consultation with third-party valuation advisors. See disclosure of acquisitions in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Goodwill – The Company performs its goodwill impairment test annually as of October 1 and in the interim only when impairment indicators are present. The Company may elect to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more-likely-than-not that the fair values of our reporting units were greater than their carrying amounts, indicating no impairment. This qualitative assessment requires significant judgment, including a review of our most recent long-range projections, analysis of operating results versus the prior year, changes in market values, changes in discount rates and changes in terminal growth rate assumptions. If a qualitative assessment cannot be used, then we perform a quantitative assessment.

A quantitative assessment requires the Company to estimate the fair value of the reporting unit (Level 3 measurement), which the Company does using a combination of a discounted cash flow analysis and market-based approach. Estimating fair value requires the exercise of significant judgment, including judgment about appropriate discount rates, long-term growth rates and the amount and timing of expected future cash flows. The cash flows employed in the discounted cash flow analyses are based on the most recent budget and long-term forecast. The discount rates used in the discounted cash flow analyses are intended to reflect the risks inherent in the future cash flows of the respective reporting units. The market-based approach estimates fair value using market multiples of various financial measures compared to a set of comparable public companies and recent comparable transactions. The fair value of the reporting unit is then compared to the carrying value, and any excess carrying value of the reporting unit above the fair value would indicate impairment. See disclosure of goodwill in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Information regarding the recent accounting pronouncements is contained in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies footnote of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

For a comparison of the Company’s results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 5, 2024.

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