Quad/Graphics, Inc. (QUAD) FY 2023 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of Quad should be read together with Quad’s audited consolidated financial statements for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, including the notes thereto, included in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s plans, estimates and beliefs. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” included earlier within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is provided as a supplement to the Company’s consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to help provide an understanding of the Company’s financial condition, the changes in the Company’s financial condition and the Company’s results of operations. This discussion and analysis is organized as follows:
•Overview. This section includes a general description of the Company’s business and segments, an overview of key performance metrics the Company’s management measures and utilizes to evaluate business performance, and an overview of trends affecting the Company, including management’s actions related to the trends.
•Results of Operations. This section contains an analysis of the Company’s results of operations by comparing the results for the year ended December 31, 2023, to the year ended December 31, 2022. Forward-looking statements providing a general description of recent and projected industry and Company developments that are important to understanding the Company’s results of operations are included in this section. This section also provides a discussion of EBITDA and EBITDA margin, financial measures that the Company uses to assess the performance of its business that are not prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
•Liquidity and Capital Resources. This section provides an analysis of the Company’s capitalization, cash flows and a discussion and table of outstanding debt and commitments. Forward-looking statements important to understanding the Company’s financial condition are included in this section. This section also provides a discussion of Free Cash Flow and Debt Leverage Ratio, non-GAAP financial measures that the Company uses to assess liquidity and capital allocation and deployment.
•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates. This section contains a discussion of the accounting policies that the Company’s management believes are important to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, as well as allowances and reserves that require significant judgment and estimates on the part of the Company’s management. In addition, all of the Company’s significant accounting policies, including critical accounting policies, are summarized in Note 1, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Overview
Business Overview
Quad is a global marketing experience (MX) company that helps brands make direct consumer connections, from household to in-store to online. The Company is focused on providing a better marketing experience for its clients, so they can focus on delivering the best customer experience to theirs. Quad does this with a suite of marketing solutions that is flexible, scalable and connected. Supported by state-of-the-art technology and data-driven intelligence, these solutions are designed to streamline the complexities of marketing and remove friction from wherever it occurs in the marketing journey. Quad tailors its solutions to its clients’ objectives, driving cost efficiencies, improving speed to market, strengthening marketing effectiveness, and delivering value on their investments. The Company supports a diverse base of clients, including industry-leading blue-chip companies that serve both businesses and consumers across multiple industry verticals, with a particular focus on commerce, including retail, consumer packaged goods and direct-to-consumer; financial services; and health.
For a full description of the Company’s business overview, refer to Part I, Item 1, “Business,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company’s operating and reportable segments are aligned with how the chief operating decision maker of the Company currently manages the business. The Company’s operating and reportable segments, including their product and service offerings, and a “Corporate” category, are summarized below.
The United States Print and Related Services segment is predominantly comprised of the Company’s United States printing operations and is managed as one integrated platform. This includes print execution and logistics for retail inserts, catalogs, long-run publications, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, newspapers, custom print products, as well as other commercial and specialty printed products, along with global paper procurement, and marketing and other complementary services, such as data intelligence and analytics, technology solutions, media planning, placement and optimization, creative strategy and content creation, as well as execution in non-print channels (e.g., digital and broadcast). This segment also includes the manufacture of ink. The United States Print and Related Services segment accounted for approximately 86% and 87% of the Company’s consolidated net sales during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The International segment consists of the Company’s printing operations in Europe and Latin America, including operations in England, France, Germany, Poland, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. This segment provides printed products and marketing and other complementary services consistent with the United States Print and Related Services segment. The International segment accounted for approximately 14% and 13% of the Company’s consolidated net sales during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Corporate consists of unallocated general and administrative activities and associated expenses including, in part, executive, legal and finance, as well as certain expenses and income from frozen employee retirement plans, such as pension benefit plans.
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Key Performance Metrics Overview
The Company’s management believes the ability to generate net sales growth, profit increases and positive cash flow, while maintaining the appropriate level of debt, are key indicators of the successful execution of the Company’s business strategy and will increase shareholder value. The Company uses period-over-period net sales growth, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, net cash provided by operating activities, Free Cash Flow and Debt Leverage Ratio as metrics to measure operating performance, financial condition and liquidity. EBITDA, EBITDA margin, Free Cash Flow and Debt Leverage Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures (see the definitions of EBITDA, EBITDA margin and the reconciliation of net earnings (loss) to EBITDA in the “Results of Operations” section below, and see the definitions of Free Cash Flow and Debt Leverage Ratio, the reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow, and the calculation of Debt Leverage Ratio in the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below).
Net sales growth. The Company uses period-over-period net sales growth as a key performance metric. The Company’s management assesses net sales growth based on the ability to generate increased net sales through increased sales to existing clients, sales to new clients, sales of new or expanded solutions to existing and new clients, and opportunities to expand sales through strategic investments, including acquisitions.
EBITDA and EBITDA margin. The Company uses EBITDA and EBITDA margin as metrics to assess operating performance. The Company’s management assesses EBITDA and EBITDA margin based on the ability to increase revenues while controlling variable expense growth.
Net cash provided by operating activities. The Company uses net cash provided by operating activities as a metric to assess liquidity. The Company’s management assesses net cash provided by operating activities based on the ability to meet recurring cash obligations while increasing available cash to fund debt service requirements, capital expenditures, cash restructuring requirements related to cost reduction activities, World Color Press single employer pension plan contributions, World Color Press MEPPs withdrawal liabilities, acquisitions and other investments in future growth, shareholder dividends and share repurchases. Net cash provided by operating activities can be significantly impacted by the timing of non-recurring or infrequent receipts or expenditures.
Free Cash Flow. The Company uses Free Cash Flow as a metric to assess liquidity and capital deployment. The Company’s management assesses Free Cash Flow as a measure to quantify cash available for strengthening the balance sheet (debt and pension liability reduction), for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (acquisitions and strategic investments) and for returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The Company’s priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and Free Cash Flow can be significantly impacted by the Company’s restructuring activities and other unusual items.
Debt Leverage Ratio. The Company uses the Debt Leverage Ratio as a metric to assess liquidity and the flexibility of its balance sheet. Consistent with other liquidity metrics, the Company monitors the Debt Leverage Ratio as a measure to determine the appropriate level of debt the Company believes is optimal to operate its business, and accordingly, to quantify debt capacity available for strengthening the balance sheet (debt and pension liability reduction), for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (capital expenditures, acquisitions and strategic investments), and for returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The Company’s priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and the Debt Leverage Ratio can be significantly impacted by the amount and timing of large expenditures requiring debt financing, as well as changes in profitability.
The Company remains disciplined with its debt leverage. The Company’s consolidated debt and finance lease obligations decreased by $47.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the use of cash and cash equivalents, cash provided by operating activities and proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment.
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Overview of Trends Affecting Quad
As consumer media consumption habits change, advertising and marketing services providers face increased demand to offer end-to-end marketing services, from strategy and creative through execution. As new marketing channels emerge, these providers must expand their capabilities to create effective multichannel campaigns for their clients, and providers face increased client demand to offer integrated, end-to-end marketing services (i.e., from strategy and creative through execution). These trends greatly influence Quad’s ongoing efforts to help brands reduce the complexities of working with multiple agency partners and vendors, increase marketing process efficiency and maximize marketing effectiveness.
Competition in the commercial printing industry remains highly fragmented, and the Company believes that there are indicators of heightened competitive pressures. The commercial printing industry has moved toward a demand for shorter print runs, faster product turnaround and increased production efficiencies of products with lower page counts and increased complexity. This — combined with increases in postage and paper costs as well as marketers’ increasing use of online marketing and communication channels — has led to excess manufacturing capacity.
For a full description of the Company’s industry and competition overview, refer to Part I, Item 1, “Business,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company believes that a disciplined approach for capital management and a strong balance sheet are critical to be able to invest in profitable growth opportunities and technological advances, thereby providing the highest return for shareholders. Management balances the use of cash between deleveraging the Company’s balance sheet (through reduction in debt and pension obligations), compelling investment opportunities (through capital expenditures, acquisitions and strategic investments) and returns to shareholders (through dividends and share repurchases).
The Company continues to make progress on integrating and streamlining all aspects of its business, thereby lowering its cost structure by consolidating its manufacturing platform into its most efficient facilities, as well as realizing purchasing, mailing and logistics efficiencies by centralizing and consolidating print manufacturing volumes and eliminating redundancies in its administrative and corporate operations. The Company has continued to evolve its manufacturing platform, equipping facilities to be product-line agnostic, which enables the Company to maximize equipment utilization. Quad believes that the large plant size of its key printing facilities allows the Company to drive savings in certain product lines (such as publications and catalogs) due to economies of scale and from investments in automation and technology. The Company continues to focus on proactively aligning its cost structure to the realities of the top-line pressures it faces in the printing industry through Lean Manufacturing and sustainable continuous improvement programs.
The Company believes it will continue to drive productivity improvements and sustainable cost reduction initiatives into the future through an engaged workforce and ongoing adoption of the latest manufacturing automation and technology. Through this strategy, the Company believes it can maintain the strongest, most efficient print manufacturing platform to remain a high-quality, low-cost producer.
Integrated distribution with the USPS is an important component of the Company’s business. Any material change in the current service levels provided by the postal service could impact the demand that clients have for print services. The USPS continues to experience financial problems. The passing of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, signed in April 2022, gave the USPS considerable financial relief as well as significant relief over the next ten years. While the legislative postal reform helps considerably, without decreased operational cost structures, increased efficiencies or increased volumes and revenues, these losses will potentially continue into the future. As a result of these financial difficulties, the USPS has continued to adjust its postal rates and service levels. Additional price increases may result in clients reducing mail volumes and exploring the use of alternative methods for delivering a larger portion of their products, such as continued diversion to the internet, digital and mobile channels and other alternative media channels, in order to ensure that they stay within their expected postage budgets.
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Federal statute requires the PRC to conduct reviews of the overall rate-making structure for the USPS to ensure funding stability. As a result of those reviews, the PRC authorized a five year rate-making structure that provides the USPS with additional pricing flexibility over the Consumer Price Index cap, which may result in a substantially altered rate structure for mailers. The revised rate authority that is effective as a result of the rules issued by the PRC includes a higher overall rate cap on the USPS’ ability to increase rates from year to year. The USPS has used these additional rate authorities to implement twice a year increases and are expected to continue to do so in the future. This has led to price spikes for mailers and may also reduce the incentive for the USPS to continue to take out costs and instead continue to rely on postage to cover the costs of an outdated postal service that does not reflect the industry’s ability or willingness to pay. The uncertainty as to how much of the authority the USPS will use on any specific rate increase also creates potential volume declines as rate predictability with respect to cost is no longer known for mailers.
The Company has invested significantly in its mail preparation and distribution capabilities to mitigate the impact of increases in postage costs, and to help clients successfully navigate the ever-changing postal environment. Through its data analytics, unique software to merge mail streams on a large scale, advanced finishing capabilities and technology, and in-house transportation and logistics operations, the Company manages the mail preparation and distribution of most of its clients’ products to maximize efficiency, to enable on-time and consistent delivery and to partially reduce these costs.
The Company continues to face several other industry challenges that have been, and are expected to continue to, adversely impact the Company’s results of operation. The Company continues to operate in a high interest rate environment, which is expected to continue through 2024. Additionally, the price and availability of paper has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by paper mills’ permanent or temporary closures, and mills’ access to raw materials, conversion to produce other types of paper, and ability to transport paper produced. Postal rate increases, along with the previously described industry challenges, have led to reduced demand for printed products and has caused clients to move more aggressively into other delivery methods, such as the many digital and mobile options now available to consumers. This reduced volume has driven the Company to institute several cost saving measures through its restructuring program, including plant closures and headcount reductions. Through these cost saving measures and proceeds from asset sales, the Company has been able to maintain focus on its transformation into an MX company, with flexibility to invest into the growing business, as well as continuing to be advantageous in its efforts to return capital to shareholders and reduce debt. The Company is also dependent on its production personnel to print the Company’s products in a cost-effective and efficient manner that allows the Company to obtain new clients and to drive sales from existing clients. The Company is unable to predict the full future impact these challenges will have on its business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations, but expects them to continue into 2024.
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Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2023, Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022
Summary Results
The Company’s operating income, operating margin, net earnings (loss) (computed using a 25% normalized tax rate for all items subject to tax) and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the year ended December 31, 2023, changed from the year ended December 31, 2022, as follows (dollars in millions, except per share data):
| Operating Income | Operating Margin | Net Earnings (Loss) | Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the year ended December 31, 2022 | $ | 53.5 | 1.7 | % | $ | 9.3 | $ | 0.18 | |||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges (1) | (32.7) | (1.2) | % | (24.5) | (0.56) | ||||||||
| Other operating income elements (2) | 4.9 | 0.4 | % | 3.7 | 0.20 | ||||||||
| Operating Income | 25.7 | 0.9 | % | (11.5) | (0.18) | ||||||||
| Interest expense (3) | N/A | N/A | (16.2) | (0.40) | |||||||||
| Net pension income (4) | N/A | N/A | (8.2) | (0.15) | |||||||||
| Income taxes (5) | N/A | N/A | (19.5) | (0.41) | |||||||||
| For the year ended December 31, 2023 | $ | 25.7 | 0.9 | % | $ | (55.4) | $ | (1.14) |
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(1)Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges increased $32.7 million ($24.5 million, net of tax), to $77.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, and included the following:
a.A $27.8 million increase in employee termination charges from $7.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, to $35.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023;
b.A $23.0 million increase in impairment charges from $2.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, to $25.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023;
c.A $2.2 million increase in transaction-related charges from $2.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, to $4.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023;
d.A $0.3 million increase in integration-related charges from $0.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, to $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023; and
e.A $20.6 million decrease in various other restructuring charges from $32.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, to $12.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023.
The Company expects to incur additional restructuring and integration costs in future reporting periods in connection with eliminating excess manufacturing capacity and properly aligning its cost structure in conjunction with the Company’s acquisitions and strategic investments, and other cost reduction programs.
(2)Other operating income elements increased $4.9 million ($3.7 million, net of tax) primarily due to the following: (1) the impact from print product pricing; (2) a $14.1 million decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses; (3) a $12.5 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense; (4) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (5) savings from other cost reduction initiatives, partially offset by print volume decreases.
(3)Interest expense increased $21.6 million ($16.2 million, net of tax) during the year ended December 31, 2023, to $70.0 million. This change was due to higher weighted average interest rates on borrowings and a $6.1 million increase in interest expense related to the interest rate swaps, partially offset by lower average debt levels during the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.
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(4)Net pension income decreased $10.9 million ($8.2 million, net of tax) during the year ended December 31, 2023, to $1.7 million. This was due to the following: (1) a $7.9 million increase from interest cost on pension plan liabilities; (2) a $2.4 million decrease from the expected long-term return on pension plan assets; and (3) amortization of actuarial loss of $0.6 million in 2023 that did not occur in 2022.
(5)The $19.5 million increase in income tax expense as calculated in the following table is primarily due to the following: (1) a $10.7 million increase in the Company’s liability for audit assessments and unrecognized tax benefits; (2) a $5.1 million increase from the loss on the sale of its Argentina print business in 2022; and (3) a $1.3 million increase from valuation allowance reserves.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | $ | (42.6) | $ | 17.7 | $ | (60.3) | ||||
| Normalized tax rate | 25.0 | % | 25.0 | % | ||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit) at normalized tax rate | (10.7) | 4.4 | (15.1) | |||||||
| Less: Income tax expense from the consolidated statements of operations | 12.8 | 8.4 | 4.4 | |||||||
| Impact of income taxes | $ | 23.5 | $ | 4.0 | $ | 19.5 |
Operating Results
The following table sets forth certain information from the Company’s consolidated statements of operations on an absolute dollar basis and as a relative percentage of total net sales for each noted period, together with the relative percentage change in such information between the periods set forth below:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | % of Net Sales | 2022 | % of Net Sales | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net sales: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Products | $ | 2,334.1 | 78.9 | % | $ | 2,528.3 | 78.6 | % | $ | (194.2) | (7.7) | % | ||||||||
| Services | 623.6 | 21.1 | % | 688.7 | 21.4 | % | (65.1) | (9.5) | % | |||||||||||
| Total net sales | 2,957.7 | 100.0 | % | 3,217.0 | 100.0 | % | (259.3) | (8.1) | % | |||||||||||
| Cost of sales: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Products | 1,984.7 | 67.1 | % | 2,156.2 | 67.0 | % | (171.5) | (8.0) | % | |||||||||||
| Services | 396.5 | 13.4 | % | 462.6 | 14.4 | % | (66.1) | (14.3) | % | |||||||||||
| Total cost of sales | 2,381.2 | 80.5 | % | 2,618.8 | 81.4 | % | (237.6) | (9.1) | % | |||||||||||
| Selling, general & administrative expenses | 344.5 | 11.6 | % | 358.6 | 11.1 | % | (14.1) | (3.9) | % | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 128.8 | 4.4 | % | 141.3 | 4.4 | % | (12.5) | (8.8) | % | |||||||||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | 77.5 | 2.6 | % | 44.8 | 1.4 | % | 32.7 | 73.0 | % | |||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 2,932.0 | 99.1 | % | 3,163.5 | 98.3 | % | (231.5) | (7.3) | % | |||||||||||
| Operating income | $ | 25.7 | 0.9 | % | $ | 53.5 | 1.7 | % | $ | (27.8) | (52.0) | % |
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Net Sales
Product sales decreased $194.2 million, or 7.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following: (1) a $117.3 million decrease from paper sales; (2) a $65.4 million decrease in sales in the Company’s print product lines, mainly due to decreased print volumes; and (3) a $26.4 million decrease in net sales (which includes $8.3 million in paper sales) due to the divestiture of the Company’s print operations in Argentina, partially offset by $14.9 million in favorable foreign exchange impacts.
Service sales, which primarily consist of logistics, distribution, marketing services, imaging and medical services, decreased $65.1 million, or 9.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $59.2 million decrease in logistics sales from lower print volumes and a $5.9 million decrease in marketing services and medical services.
Cost of Sales
Cost of product sales decreased $171.5 million, or 8.0%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following: (1) a decrease in paper costs; (2) the impact from lower print volumes; (3) the impact from the divestiture of the Company’s print operations in Argentina; (4) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (5) savings from other cost reduction initiatives.
Cost of service sales decreased $66.1 million, or 14.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to decreased freight volumes and other cost reduction initiatives.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $14.1 million, or 3.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following: (1) a $6.6 million decrease in employee-related expenses; (2) $6.5 million in favorable foreign exchange impacts; and (3) $2.2 million in lower professional fees. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales increased from 11.1% for the year ended December 31, 2022, to 11.6% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased $12.5 million, or 8.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, due to a $9.5 million decrease in depreciation expense, primarily from property, plant and equipment becoming fully depreciated over the past year, a decrease in purchases of property, plant and equipment and a $3.0 million decrease in amortization expense.
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Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges increased $32.7 million, or 73.0%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 35.1 | $ | 7.3 | $ | 27.8 | ||||
| Impairment charges (a) | 25.2 | 2.2 | 23.0 | |||||||
| Transaction-related charges | 4.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 | |||||||
| Integration costs | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges | ||||||||||
| Vacant facility carrying costs and lease exit charges | 16.6 | 5.4 | 11.2 | |||||||
| Equipment and infrastructure removal costs | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | |||||||
| Gain on the sale of a facility (b) | (9.2) | — | (9.2) | |||||||
| Other restructuring activities (c) | 3.7 | 26.5 | (22.8) | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges | 12.0 | 32.6 | (20.6) | |||||||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 77.5 | $ | 44.8 | $ | 32.7 |
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(a)Includes $25.2 million and $2.2 million of impairment charges during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which consisted of the following: (1) $17.5 million and $2.2 million, respectively, for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities; (2) $4.1 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project in 2023; and (3) $3.6 million for right-of-use assets in 2023.
(b)Includes a $9.2 million gain on the sale of the Merced, California facility during the year ended December 31, 2023.
(c)Includes a $23.1 million loss on the sale of its Argentina print business and $1.8 million in charges from foreign currency losses as a result of the economy in Argentina being classified as highly inflationary during the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company considered the economy in Argentina to be highly inflationary since June 30, 2018.
EBITDA and EBITDA Margin—Consolidated
EBITDA is defined as net earnings (loss), excluding (1) interest expense, (2) income tax expense and (3) depreciation and amortization. EBITDA margin represents EBITDA as a percentage of net sales. EBITDA and EBITDA margin are presented to provide additional information regarding Quad’s performance. Both are important measures by which Quad gauges the profitability and assesses the performance of its business. EBITDA and EBITDA margin are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered alternatives to net earnings (loss) as a measure of operating performance, or to cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of EBITDA and EBITDA margin may be different from the calculations used by other companies, and therefore, comparability may be limited.
EBITDA and EBITDA margin for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | % of Net Sales | 2022 | % of Net Sales | ||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||||||||
| EBITDA and EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) | $ | 156.2 | 5.3 | % | $ | 207.4 | 6.4 | % |
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EBITDA decreased $51.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to $32.7 million of increased restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges and the impact from lower print and logistics volumes, partially offset by the following: (1) an increase in print product pricing; (2) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (3) savings from other cost reduction initiatives.
A reconciliation of EBITDA to net earnings (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||
| Net earnings (loss) (1) | $ | (55.4) | $ | 9.3 | ||
| Interest expense | 70.0 | 48.4 | ||||
| Income tax expense | 12.8 | 8.4 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 128.8 | 141.3 | ||||
| EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 156.2 | $ | 207.4 |
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(1)Net earnings (loss) included the following:
a.Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges of $77.5 million and $44.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
United States Print and Related Services
The following table summarizes net sales, operating income, operating margin and certain items impacting comparability within the United States Print and Related Services segment:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Net sales: | ||||||||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,949.7 | $ | 2,126.6 | $ | (176.9) | (8.3) | % | ||||||
| Services | 604.6 | 668.1 | (63.5) | (9.5) | % | |||||||||
| Operating income (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges) | 56.6 | 108.3 | (51.7) | (47.7) | % | |||||||||
| Operating margin | 2.2 | % | 3.9 | % | N/A | N/A | ||||||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 66.3 | $ | 12.1 | $ | 54.2 | nm |
Net Sales
Product sales for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $176.9 million, or 8.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to an $89.3 million decrease from paper sales and an $87.6 million decrease in sales in the Company’s print product lines, primarily due to decreased volumes.
Service sales for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $63.5 million, or 9.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $56.4 million decrease in logistics sales from lower print volumes and a $7.1 million decrease in marketing services and medical services.
Operating Income
Operating income for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $51.7 million, or 47.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $54.2 million increase in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges and the impact from decreased print volumes, partially offset by the following: (1) the impact from an increase in print product pricing; (2) a $11.0 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense; (3) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (4) savings from other cost reduction initiatives.
The operating margin for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased to 2.2% for the year ended December 31, 2023, from 3.9% for the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the reasons provided above.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges for the United States Print and Related Services segment increased $54.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 34.3 | $ | 4.1 | $ | 30.2 | ||||
| Impairment charges (a) | 23.2 | 1.1 | 22.1 | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges | ||||||||||
| Vacant facility carrying costs and lease exit charges | 16.6 | 5.4 | 11.2 | |||||||
| Equipment and infrastructure removal costs | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | |||||||
| Gain on the sale of a facility (b) | (9.2) | — | (9.2) | |||||||
| Other restructuring activities | 0.5 | 0.8 | (0.3) | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges | 8.8 | 6.9 | 1.9 | |||||||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 66.3 | $ | 12.1 | $ | 54.2 |
______________________________
(a)Includes $23.2 million and $1.1 million of impairment charges during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which consisted of the following: (1) $15.5 million and $1.1 million, respectively, for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction; (2) $4.1 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project in 2023; and (3) $3.6 million for right-of-use assets in 2023.
(b)Includes a $9.2 million gain on the sale of the Merced, California facility during the year ended December 31, 2023.
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International
The following table summarizes net sales, operating income (loss), operating margin, and certain items impacting comparability within the International segment:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Net sales: | ||||||||||||||
| Products | $ | 384.4 | $ | 401.7 | $ | (17.3) | (4.3) | % | ||||||
| Services | 19.0 | 20.6 | (1.6) | (7.8) | % | |||||||||
| Operating income (loss) (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges) | 18.3 | (4.5) | 22.8 | nm | ||||||||||
| Operating margin | 4.5 | % | (1.1) | % | N/A | N/A | ||||||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 9.6 | $ | 30.7 | $ | (21.1) | (68.7) | % |
Net Sales
Product sales for the International segment decreased $17.3 million, or 4.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $28.0 million decrease in paper sales and a $26.4 million decrease in net sales (which includes $8.3 million of paper sales) due to the divestiture of the Company’s print operations in Argentina, partially offset by a $22.2 million increase in print pricing and volume, primarily in Mexico, Peru and Colombia, and $14.9 million in favorable foreign exchange impacts, primarily in Mexico.
Service sales for the International segment decreased $1.6 million, or 7.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $2.8 million decrease in logistics sales, partially offset by a $1.2 million increase in marketing services sales.
Operating Income (Loss)
Operating income (loss) for the International segment increased $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $21.1 million decrease in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges and a $1.3 million decrease in depreciation and amortization.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges for the International segment decreased $21.1 million, or 68.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 0.5 | $ | 3.2 | $ | (2.7) | ||||
| Impairment charges (a) | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | |||||||
| Transaction-related charges | 2.7 | 0.1 | 2.6 | |||||||
| Integration costs | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges (b) | 3.4 | 25.6 | (22.2) | |||||||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 9.6 | $ | 30.7 | $ | (21.1) |
______________________________
(a)Includes $2.0 million and $1.1 million of impairment charges for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities, during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(b)Includes a $23.1 million loss on the sale of its Argentina print business and $1.8 million in charges from foreign currency losses as result of the economy in Argentina being classified as highly inflationary during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Corporate
The following table summarizes unallocated operating expenses presented as Corporate:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges) | $ | 49.2 | $ | 50.3 | $ | (1.1) | (2.2) | % | ||||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | 1.6 | 2.0 | (0.4) | (20.0) | % |
Operating Expenses
Corporate operating expenses decreased $1.1 million, or 2.2%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to lower employee-related costs and a $0.4 million decrease in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges
Corporate restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges decreased $0.4 million, or 20.0%, for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 0.3 | $ | — | $ | 0.3 | ||||
| Transaction-related charges | 1.5 | 1.9 | (0.4) | |||||||
| Other restructuring charges (income) | (0.2) | 0.1 | (0.3) | |||||||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | $ | 1.6 | $ | 2.0 | $ | (0.4) |
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company utilizes cash flows from operating activities and borrowings under its credit facilities to satisfy its liquidity and capital requirements. The Company had total liquidity of $454.3 million as of December 31, 2023, which consisted of up to $401.4 million of unused capacity under its revolving credit arrangement, which was net of $31.1 million of issued letters of credit, and cash and cash equivalents of $52.9 million. Total liquidity is reduced to $406.7 million under the Company’s most restrictive debt covenants, and consists of $353.8 million available under its revolving credit arrangement and $52.9 million in cash and cash equivalents. There were no borrowings under the $432.5 million revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2023. Due to a portion of the revolving credit facility maturing on January 31, 2024, the total capacity under the revolving credit facility was reduced to $342.5 million as of this date.
The Company believes its expected future cash flows from operating activities and its current liquidity and capital resources, are sufficient to fund ongoing operating requirements and service debt and pension requirements for both the next 12 months and beyond.
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2023, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Net cash provided by operating activities was $147.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $154.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in a $7.0 million decrease in cash provided by operating activities. The decrease was primarily due to a $92.6 million decrease in cash from earnings, offset by a $85.6 million increase in cash flows provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities.
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2023, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Net cash used in investing activities was $46.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $60.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in a $14.1 million decrease in cash used in investing activities. The decrease was primarily due to the following: (1) a $27.1 million increase in proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment; (2) a $2.6 million decrease in cost investment in unconsolidated entities; and (3) a $1.1 million decrease in cash used in acquisition of businesses. These decreases were partially offset by (1) a $10.5 million increase in purchases of property, plant and equipment; (2) a $5.6 million increase in cash used in other investing activities; and (3) a $0.6 million increase in loan to an unconsolidated entity.
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2023, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Net cash used in financing activities was $73.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $248.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in a $175.1 million decrease in cash used in financing activities. The decrease was primarily due to the following: (1) a $175.6 million decrease in net payments of debt and lease obligations in 2023 compared to 2022; (2) a $1.3 million decrease in payment of accrued dividends from vested equity awards; and (3) a $0.8 million decrease in equity awards redeemed to pay employees’ tax obligations. These decreases were partially offset by a $2.6 million increase in purchases of treasury stock.
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Free Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, plant and equipment.
The Company’s management assesses Free Cash Flow as a measure to quantify cash available for (1) strengthening the balance sheet (debt reduction), (2) strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (acquisitions and strategic investments) and (3) returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and Free Cash Flow can be significantly impacted by the Company’s restructuring activities and other unusual items.
Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered an alternative to cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of Free Cash Flow may be different from similar calculations used by other companies, and therefore, comparability may be limited.
Free Cash Flow for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 147.6 | $ | 154.6 | ||
| Less: purchases of property, plant and equipment | 70.8 | 60.3 | ||||
| Free Cash Flow (non-GAAP) | $ | 76.8 | $ | 94.3 |
Free Cash Flow decreased $17.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $10.5 million increase in capital expenditures and a $7.0 million decrease in net cash provided by operating activities. See the “Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities” section above for further explanations of the change in operating cash flows.
Debt Leverage Ratio
The Debt Leverage Ratio is defined as total debt and finance lease obligations less cash and cash equivalents (Net Debt) divided by the trailing twelve months Adjusted EBITDA, comprised of the sum of the last twelve months of EBITDA (see the definition of EBITDA and the reconciliation of net earnings (loss) to EBITDA in the “Results of Operations” section above) and restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges.
The Company uses the Debt Leverage Ratio as a metric to assess liquidity and the flexibility of its balance sheet. Consistent with other liquidity metrics, the Company monitors the Debt Leverage Ratio as a measure to determine the appropriate level of debt the Company believes is optimal to operate its business, and accordingly, to quantify debt capacity available for strengthening the balance sheet through debt and pension liability reduction, for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business, and for returning capital to the shareholders. The priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and the Debt Leverage Ratio can be significantly impacted by the amount and timing of large expenditures requiring debt financing, as well as changes in profitability.
The Debt Leverage Ratio is a non-GAAP measure, and should not be considered an alternative to cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of the Debt Leverage Ratio may be different from similar calculations used by other companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.
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The Debt Leverage Ratio calculated below differs from the Total Leverage Ratio, the Total Net Leverage Ratio and Senior Secured Leverage Ratio included in the Company’s debt covenant calculations (see “Covenants and Compliance” section below for further information on debt covenants). The Total Leverage Ratio included in the Company’s debt covenants includes interest rate derivative liabilities, letters of credit and surety bonds as debt, and excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense from EBITDA. The Total Net Leverage Ratio includes and excludes the same adjustments as the Total Leverage Ratio, in addition to netting domestic unrestricted cash with debt. Similarly, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio includes and excludes the same adjustments as the Total Leverage Ratio, in addition to the exclusion of the outstanding balance of the surety bonds from debt and netting domestic unrestricted cash with debt.
The Debt Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||
| Total debt and finance lease obligations on the consolidated balance sheets | $ | 522.7 | $ | 570.2 | ||
| Less: Cash and cash equivalents | 52.9 | 25.2 | ||||
| Net Debt (non-GAAP) | $ | 469.8 | $ | 545.0 | ||
| Divided by: Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended (non-GAAP) | $ | 233.7 | $ | 252.2 | ||
| Debt Leverage Ratio (non-GAAP) | 2.01 | x | 2.16 | x |
The calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | (55.4) | $ | 9.3 | ||
| Interest expense | 70.0 | 48.4 | ||||
| Income tax expense | 12.8 | 8.4 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 128.8 | 141.3 | ||||
| EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 156.2 | $ | 207.4 | ||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges | 77.5 | 44.8 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 233.7 | $ | 252.2 |
The Debt Leverage Ratio, at December 31, 2023, decreased 0.15x to 2.01x compared to December 31, 2022, primarily due to a $75.2 million decrease in net debt, partially offset by an $18.5 million decrease in Adjusted EBITDA. The Debt Leverage Ratio, at December 31, 2023, is within management’s desired target Debt Leverage Ratio range of 1.75x to 2.25x; however, the Company will operate at times above the Debt Leverage Ratio target range depending on the timing of compelling strategic investment opportunities, as well as seasonal working capital needs.
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Description of Significant Outstanding Debt Obligations as of December 31, 2023
As of December 31, 2023, the Company utilized a combination of debt instruments to fund cash requirements, including the following:
•Senior Secured Credit Facility:
◦$432.5 million revolving credit facility (no outstanding balance as of December 31, 2023); and
◦$825.0 million Term Loan A ($511.1 million outstanding as of December 31, 2023);
•Master Note and Security Agreement ($2.5 million outstanding as of December 31, 2023).
Senior Secured Credit Facility
On April 28, 2014, the Company entered into its Senior Secured Credit Facility, which included a revolving credit facility, Term Loan A and Term Loan B (Term Loan B was retired in July 2019). The Company completed the fifth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on November 2, 2021. The Senior Secured Credit Facility was amended to (a) reduce the aggregate amount of the existing revolving credit facility from $500.0 million to $432.5 million, and extend the maturity of a portion of the revolving credit facility such that $90.0 million under the revolving credit facility is due on the existing maturity date of January 31, 2024 (the “Existing Maturity Date”) and $342.5 million under the revolving credit facility is due on November 2, 2026 (the “Extended Maturity Date”); (b) extend the maturity of a portion of the existing term loan facility such that $91.5 million (of which a principal payment of $87.7 million was due upon maturity on January 31, 2024) of such term loan facility is due on the Existing Maturity Date and $483.9 million is due on the Extended Maturity Date; (c) make certain adjustments to pricing, including an increase of 0.50% to the interest rate margin applicable to the loans maturing on the Extended Maturity Date; (d) modify certain financial and operational covenants; and (e) modify the interest rate provisions relating to the phase-out of London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a reference rate.
The Company completed the sixth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on March 25, 2022, which expanded the number of currencies available for letters of credit. The Company completed the seventh amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 24, 2023, which transitioned the Company’s reference rate from LIBOR to SOFR effective February 1, 2023. The Company elected the practical expedient outlined in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04 and ASU 2021-01 which allowed the Company to prospectively adjust the effective interest rate after the reference rate change. The transition from LIBOR to SOFR did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
The Company completed the eighth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 4, 2024, which added an additional $25.0 million principal value to the Term Loan A (under the Extended Maturity Date). On January 31, 2024, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment on maturity of $87.7 million aggregate principal amount, outstanding at the time, of its Term Loan A.
Borrowings under the revolving credit facility and Term Loan A made under the Senior Secured Credit Facility bear interest at 2.75% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 1.75% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the extended tranche and bear interest at 2.50% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 1.50% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the non-extending tranche.
At December 31, 2023, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the revolving credit facility, and had $31.1 million of issued letters of credit, leaving up to $401.4 million available for future borrowings. The amount available for future borrowings is reduced to $353.8 million under the Company’s most restrictive debt covenants. The Senior Secured Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of the unencumbered assets of the Company. The Senior Secured Credit Facility also requires the Company to provide additional collateral to the lenders in certain limited circumstances.
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Master Note and Security Agreement
On September 1, 1995, and as last amended on November 24, 2014, the Company entered into its Master Note and Security Agreement. As of December 31, 2023, the borrowings outstanding under the Master Note and Security Agreement were $2.5 million. The senior notes under the Master Note and Security Agreement had a weighted average interest rate of 8.09% at December 31, 2023, which is fixed to maturity, with interest payable semiannually. Principal payments commenced September 1997 and extend through 2026 in various tranches. The notes are collateralized by certain United States press equipment under the terms of the Master Note and Security Agreement.
Senior Unsecured Notes
The Company issued $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of its unsecured 7.0% senior notes due May 1, 2022 (the “Senior Unsecured Notes”) on April 28, 2014. During the first quarter of 2022, the Company repurchased $2.4 million of its outstanding Senior Unsecured Notes in the open market. All repurchased Senior Unsecured Notes were canceled. The Company used cash flows from operating activities and borrowings under its revolving credit facility to fund the repurchases. These repurchases were completed primarily to reduce interest expense.
On May 2, 2022, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment on maturity of all $209.1 million aggregate principal amount, outstanding at the time, of its Senior Unsecured Notes.
Covenants and Compliance
The Company’s various lending arrangements include certain financial covenants (all financial terms, numbers and ratios are as defined in the Company’s debt agreements). Among these covenants, the Company was required to maintain the following as of December 31, 2023:
•Total Leverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Total Leverage Ratio, defined as consolidated total indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed 3.75 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio was 2.18 to 1.00).
•Liquidity, defined as unrestricted cash and permitted investments of the Company and its subsidiaries (subject to certain conditions) plus the aggregate amount of the unused revolving credit facility commitments, shall not be less than $181.6 million at any time during the period commencing December 15, 2023 and ending when all obligations owed under the Senior Secured Credit Facility to lenders that are not extending lenders are paid in full.
•If there is any amount outstanding on the Revolving Credit Facility or Term Loan A, or if any lender has any revolving credit exposure or Term Loan A credit exposure, the Company is required to maintain the following:
◦Senior Secured Leverage Ratio. On a rolling four-quarter basis, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio, defined as the ratio of consolidated senior secured net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed (a) 3.50 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending prior to December 31, 2023, and (b) 3.25 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after December 31, 2023 (other than, in the case of this clause (b), any fiscal quarter ending September 30 of any year, each of which shall be subject to a maximum Senior Secured Leverage Ratio not to exceed 3.50 to 1.00) (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.99 to 1.00).
◦Interest Coverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Interest Coverage Ratio, defined as consolidated EBITDA to cash consolidated interest expense, shall not be less than 3.00 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company’s Interest Coverage Ratio was 4.10 to 1.00).
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The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants in its debt agreements as of December 31, 2023. While the Company currently expects to be in compliance in future periods with all of the financial covenants, there can be no assurance that these covenants will continue to be met. The Company’s failure to maintain compliance with the covenants could prevent the Company from borrowing additional amounts and could result in a default under any of the debt agreements. Such default could cause the outstanding indebtedness to become immediately due and payable, by virtue of cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions.
In addition to those covenants, the Senior Secured Credit Facility also includes certain limitations on acquisitions, indebtedness, liens, dividends and repurchases of capital stock.
•If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $60.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is above 2.50 to 1.00 but below 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $100.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. As the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2023, was 2.18 to 1.00, the limitations described above are not applicable at this time.
•If the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.00 to 1.00 or the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio which, on a rolling twelve-month basis, is defined as consolidated net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, is greater than 3.50 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from voluntarily prepaying any unsecured or subordinated indebtedness, with certain exceptions (including any mandatory prepayments on the Senior Unsecured Notes or any other unsecured or subordinated debt). If the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 and the Total Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. The limitations described above are currently not applicable, as the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.99 to 1.00 and Total Net Leverage Ratio was 1.99 to 1.00, as of December 31, 2023.
Net Pension Obligations
The net underfunded pension and MEPPs obligations decreased by $1.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, from $64.6 million at December 31, 2022, to $63.4 million at December 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to a $4.3 million decrease in MEPPs obligations, primarily due to payments totaling $6.2 million made to the MEPPS during the year ended December 31, 2023. The underfunded defined benefit plan obligations increased by $3.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, due to an overall decrease of $9.7 million in pension plan assets from $36.6 million in benefits paid, offset by an actual gain on pension plan assets of $26.2 million or 10.67% during the year ended December 31, 2023, which was above the expected return on plan assets assumption of 6.75% and employer contributions of $0.7 million. The decrease in plan assets was partially offset by a decrease in overall pension obligations of $6.6 million from $36.6 million in benefits paid, offset by a $17.6 million increase in interest cost due to a 35 basis point decrease in the pension discount rate from 5.46% at December 31, 2022, to 5.11% at December 31, 2023 and $12.4 million from an actuarial loss.
The Company continues to focus on reducing pension obligations through cash contributions to the plans, lump-sum settlements and plan design changes.
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Share Repurchase Program
On July 30, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100.0 million of the Company’s outstanding class A common stock. Under the authorization, share repurchases may be made at the Company’s discretion, from time to time, in the open market and/or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchase will depend on economic and market conditions, share price, trading volume, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The following repurchases occurred during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares of Class A common stock | 2,852,501 | 3,093,662 | ||||
| Weighted average price per share | $ | 4.40 | $ | 3.21 | ||
| Total repurchases during the period (in millions) (1) | $ | 12.6 | $ | 10.0 |
______________________________
(1)Excluding commissions, total repurchases were $12.6 million and $9.9 million during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
As of December 31, 2023, there were $77.5 million of authorized repurchases remaining under the program.
Risk Management
For a discussion of the Company’s exposure to market risks and management of those market risks, see Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s most critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of its financial condition and results of operations, and which require the Company to make its most difficult and subjective estimates. Management is required to make judgments and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company’s management believes that such judgments and estimates are made with consistent and appropriate methods based on information available at the time, and that any reasonable deviation from those judgments and estimates would not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. To the extent that the estimates used differ from actual results, adjustments to the consolidated statements of operations and corresponding consolidated balance sheets would be necessary. These adjustments would be made in future statements.
The Company has identified the following as its critical accounting policies and estimates.
Revenue Recognition
Performance Obligations
At contract inception, the Company assesses the products and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies performance obligations for each promise to transfer to the customer a product or service that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, the Company considers the goods or services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices. The Company determined that the following distinct products and services represent separate performance obligations:
•Pre-Press Services
•Other Services
For Pre-Press and Other Services, the Company recognizes revenue at point-in-time upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. The Company considers transfer of control to occur once the service is performed as the Company has right to payment and the customer has legal title and risk and reward of ownership.
The Company recognizes its Print revenues upon transfer of title and the passage of risk of loss, which is point-in-time upon shipment to the customer, and when there is a reasonable assurance as to collectability. Revenues related to the Company’s logistics operations, which includes the delivery of printed material, are included in the Print performance obligation and are also recognized at point-in-time as services are completed. Revenues related to the Company’s imaging operations, which include digital content management, photography, color services and page production, are recognized in accordance with the terms of the contract, typically upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. Under agreements with certain customers, products may be stored by the Company for future delivery and revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer. In these situations, the Company may receive warehouse management fees for the services it provides.
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Certain revenues earned by the Company require judgment to determine if revenue should be recorded gross as principal or net of related costs as an agent. Billings for third-party shipping and handling costs, primarily in the Company’s logistics operations, and out-of-pocket expenses are recorded gross in net sales and cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Many of the Company’s operations process materials, primarily paper, that may be supplied directly by customers or may be purchased by the Company and sold to customers. No revenue is recognized for customer-supplied paper. Revenues for the Company-supplied paper are recognized on a gross basis. In some instances, the Company will deliver print work for a customer and bill the customer for postage. In these cases, the Company is acting as an agent and billings are recorded on a net basis in net sales.
Significant Payment Terms
Payment terms and conditions for contracts with customers vary. The Company typically offers standard terms of net 30 days. It is not the Company’s standard business practice to offer extended payment terms longer than one year. The Company may offer cash discounts or prepayment and extended terms depending on certain facts and circumstances. As such, when the timing of the Company’s delivery of products and services differs from the timing of payment, the Company will record either a contract asset or a contract liability.
Variable Consideration
When evaluating the transaction price, the Company analyzes on a contract by contract basis all applicable variable considerations and non-cash consideration and also performs a constraint analysis. The nature of the Company’s contracts give rise to variable consideration, including, volume rebates, credits, discounts, and other similar items that generally decrease the transaction price. These variable amounts generally are credited to the customer, based on achieving certain levels of sales activity, when contracts are signed, or making payments within specific terms.
Product returns are not significant because the products are customized; however, the Company accrues for the estimated amount of customer allowances at the time of sale based on historical experience and known trends.
When the transaction price requires allocation to multiple performance obligations, the Company uses the estimated stand-alone selling prices using the adjusted market assessment approach.
Impairment of Property, Plant and Equipment, Right-of-Use Assets and Finite-lived Intangible Assets
The Company performs impairment evaluations of its long-lived assets whenever business conditions, events or circumstances indicate that those assets may be impaired, including whether the estimated useful life of such long-lived assets may warrant revision or whether the remaining balance of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company’s most significant long-lived assets are property, plant and equipment, right-of-use assets and customer relationship intangible assets recorded in conjunction with an acquisition. Assessing the impairment of long-lived assets requires the Company to make important estimates and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the expected future cash flows that the assets will generate, how the assets will be used based on the strategic direction of the Company, their remaining useful life and their residual value, if any. Considerable judgment is also applied in incorporating the potential impact of the current economic climate on customer demand and selling prices, the cost of production and the limited activity on secondary markets for the assets and on the cost of capital. When the estimated future undiscounted cash flows to be generated by the assets are less than the carrying value of the long-lived assets, the assets are written down to fair value and a charge is recorded to current operations. The Company uses internal discounted cash flow estimates, quoted market prices when available and independent appraisals, as appropriate, to determine fair value. This fair value determination was categorized as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the definition of Level 3 inputs).
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The Company classifies long-lived assets to be sold as held for sale in the period in which: (i) there is an approved plan to sell the asset and the Company is committed to that plan, (ii) the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition, (iii) an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to sell the asset have been initiated, (iv) the sale of the asset is probable, (v) the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, and (vi) it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn. Assets held for sale are initially measured at the lower of the carrying value or the fair value less cost to sell. Losses resulting from this measurement are recognized in the period in which the held for sale criteria are met while gains are not recognized until the date of sale. Once designated as held for sale, the Company stops recording depreciation expense on the property, plant and equipment. The fair value less cost to sell of long-lived assets held for sale is assessed at each reporting period until it no longer meets this classification.
Based on the assessments completed during the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, the Company recognized property, plant and equipment and right-of-use assets impairment charges of $21.1 million and $2.2 million, respectively, primarily related to facility consolidations and other capacity reduction. There were no finite-lived intangible asset impairment charges recorded during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
The Company continues to monitor groups of assets to identify any new events or changes in circumstances that could indicate that their carrying values are not recoverable, particularly in light of potential declines in profitability that may result from the highly competitive industry landscape and continued uncertainty in the global economy. In the event that there are significant and unanticipated changes in circumstances, such as significant adverse changes in business climate, adverse actions by regulators, unanticipated competition, loss of key customers and/or changes in technology or markets, or that actual results differ from management’s estimates, a provision for impairment could be required in a future period.
Workers’ Compensation
The Company is self-insured for a significant portion of its expected workers’ compensation program. Insurance is purchased for individual workers’ compensation claims that exceed $0.8 million. The Company establishes reserves for unresolved claims and for an estimate of incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. These reserves and estimates of IBNR claims are based upon an actuarial study, which is performed annually as of October 31st and is adjusted by the actuarially determined losses and actual claims payments for November and December. The Company also monitors actual claim developments, including incurrence or settlement of individual large claims during the interim periods between actuarial studies as another means of estimating the adequacy of the reserves. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has net reserves for workers’ compensation of $28.7 million, of which $6.7 million was recorded in other current liabilities and $31.0 million was recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”). These reserves are net of $9.0 million recorded in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets for claims covered by purchased insurance.
New Accounting Pronouncements
As of December 31, 2023, there have been no new accounting pronouncements requiring disclosure within the consolidated financial statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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