CROWN HOLDINGS, INC. REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2023 RESULTS
- The company reported higher beverage can volumes in Americas Beverage and favorable foreign currency translation.
- The Q4 segment income improved by more than 30% over the prior year, fueled by margin performance in the Americas Beverage business.
- The Company achieved record adjusted EBITDA with an 8% improvement over the prior year, driven by solid results in Americas Beverage, European Beverage, and Transit Packaging.
- The company expects capital expenditures of no more than $500 million in each of 2024 and 2025, with the resulting increased cash flow being used to further reduce net leverage and return capital to shareholders.
- Net sales for 2023 were lower compared to 2022, reflecting lower material costs and lower overall net volumes.
- Reported diluted earnings per share were lower in 2023 compared to 2022, and adjusted diluted earnings per share were also lower than the prior year.
Insights
The reported financial results of Crown Holdings, Inc. reflect a mixed performance, with net sales decreasing from the previous year, yet segment income showing improvement. The decrease in net sales may be attributed to lower material costs passed through and reduced volumes in certain sectors, which could signal a contraction in market demand or increased competition. However, the increase in segment income, particularly in the Americas Beverage and European Beverage segments, indicates the company's ability to manage costs effectively and benefit from higher beverage can volumes.
Interest expenses have risen significantly due to higher interest rates, which is a concern as it directly impacts the company's net income and could indicate increased leverage or refinancing of existing debt at higher rates. This increase in interest expense, coupled with the reported decline in net income and earnings per share, both reported and adjusted, suggests that the company's profitability is under pressure, which could potentially concern investors and affect the company's stock performance.
The strategic decisions to close certain manufacturing facilities and consolidate operations into the new high-speed plant in Vietnam are aimed at improving operational efficiencies and fixed cost absorption. This move could be seen as a response to the current market dynamics, where operational agility and cost management are crucial for maintaining competitive advantage. The company's focus on cash generation and continuous operational improvement for 2024, along with reduced capital expenditures, suggests a strategic pivot towards optimizing current assets and strengthening the balance sheet, which could be favorable for long-term shareholder value.
However, the outlook for 2024, with anticipated adjusted diluted earnings per share comparable to 2023, reflects ongoing challenges such as demand softness and consumer pressures in key markets. This outlook provides a realistic picture of the company's performance expectations in a potentially volatile market and could influence investor sentiment and strategic decisions.
The macroeconomic conditions mentioned, including higher interest rates and soft consumer demand, are reflective of broader economic trends that could impact the packaging industry and Crown Holdings' future performance. The company's ability to navigate these conditions and report an 8% improvement in adjusted EBITDA despite these headwinds is notable. The focus on cash generation and operational improvements may be a strategic approach to mitigate the effects of a potential economic downturn.
The company's expectations for capital expenditures and the use of increased cash flow to reduce net leverage and return capital to shareholders indicate a conservative financial strategy that prioritizes debt management and shareholder returns in an uncertain economic environment. This approach could strengthen the company's financial position and provide resilience against future economic fluctuations.
Fourth Quarter Results
Net sales in the fourth quarter were
Income from operations was
Timothy J. Donahue, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Fourth Quarter segment income improved by more than
"Production schedules were further adjusted during the fourth quarter with significant working capital reduction achieved across the businesses. While fixed cost absorption was considerably lower during the fourth quarter, these efforts contributed to free cash flow well above prior expectations, despite a cash flow reduction of approximately
During the fourth quarter, the Company made the decision to cease operations at its
Interest expense was
Net income attributable to Crown Holdings in the fourth quarter was
Full Year Results
Net sales for 2023 were
Income from operations was
Mr. Donahue further commented, "The Company achieved record adjusted EBITDA with an
Interest expense was
Net income attributable to Crown Holdings in 2023 was
Outlook
"Looking ahead to 2024, our focus will be on cash generation and continuous operational improvement. The Company has established a manufacturing platform which will allow us to service existing and additional market demand with significantly reduced levels of capital investment. The Company expects capital expenditures of no more than
The Company currently estimates full year 2024 adjusted diluted earnings per share to be in the range of
First quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share is expected to be in the range of
Non-GAAP Measures
Segment income, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted net leverage ratio, adjusted net income, the adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted diluted earnings per share, net interest expense, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are not defined terms under
The Company views segment income as the principal measure of the performance of its operations and adjusted free cash flow and adjusted net leverage ratio as the principal measures of its liquidity. The Company considers all of these measures in the allocation of resources. Adjusted free cash flow has certain limitations, however, including that it does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures since other non-discretionary expenditures, such as mandatory debt service requirements, are not deducted from the measure. The amount of mandatory versus discretionary expenditures can vary significantly between periods. The Company believes that adjusted free cash flow and adjusted net leverage ratio provide meaningful measures of liquidity and a useful basis for assessing the Company's ability to fund its activities, including the financing of acquisitions, debt repayments, share repurchases or dividends. The Company believes that adjusted net income, segment income, the adjusted effective tax rate and adjusted diluted earnings per share are useful in evaluating the Company's operations as these measures are adjusted for items that affect comparability between periods. Segment income, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted net leverage ratio, adjusted net income, the adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted diluted earnings per share, net interest expense, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are derived from the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations, Cash Flows and Consolidated Balance Sheets, as applicable, and reconciliations to segment income, adjusted free cash flow, adjusted net leverage ratio, adjusted net income, the adjusted effective tax rate, adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted EBITDA can be found within this release. Reconciliations of estimated adjusted diluted earnings per share for the first quarter and full year of 2024 to estimated diluted earnings per share on a GAAP basis are not provided in this release due to the unavailability of estimates of the following, the timing and magnitude of which the Company is unable to reliably forecast without unreasonable efforts, which are excluded from estimated adjusted diluted earnings per share and could have a significant impact on earnings per share on a GAAP basis: gains or losses on the sale of businesses or other assets, restructuring and other costs, asset impairment charges, asbestos-related charges, losses from early extinguishment of debt, pension settlement and curtailment charges, the tax and noncontrolling interest impact of the items above, and the impact of tax law changes or other tax matters.
Conference Call
The Company will hold a conference call tomorrow, February 6, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. (EST) to discuss this news release. Forward-looking and other material information may be discussed on the conference call. The dial-in numbers for the conference call are 630-395-0194 or toll-free 888-324-8108 and the access password is "packaging." A live webcast of the call will be made available to the public on the internet at the Company's website, www.crowncork.com. A replay of the conference call will be available for a one-week period ending at midnight on February 13, 2024. The telephone numbers for the replay are 203-369-0184 or toll free 866-361-4936.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all other information in this press release consists of forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the Company's ability to continue to operate its plants, distribute its products, and maintain its supply chain; the future impact of currency translation; the continuation of performance and market trends in 2024, including consumer preference for beverage cans and global beverage can demand; the future impact of inflation, including the potential for higher interest rates and energy prices and the Company's ability to recover raw material and other inflationary costs; future demand for food cans; the Company's ability to successfully complete its previously announced capacity expansion projects and begin production within expected timelines; and the Company's ability to decrease capital expenditures and increase cash flow and to further reduce net leverage, that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause the statements made in this press release or the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ are discussed under the caption "Forward Looking Statements" in the Company's Form 10-K Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2022 and in subsequent filings made prior to or after the date hereof. The Company does not intend to review or revise any particular forward-looking statement in light of future events.
Crown Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of packaging products for consumer goods and industrial products. World headquarters are located in
For more information, contact:
Kevin C. Clothier, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, (215) 698-5281
Thomas T. Fischer, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs, (215) 552-3720
Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations, Balance Sheets, Statements of Cash Flows, Segment Information and Supplemental Data follow.
Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (in millions, except share and per share data) | |||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||
Net sales | $ 2,858 | $ 3,012 | $ 12,010 | $ 12,943 | |||
Cost of products sold | 2,245 | 2,509 | 9,546 | 10,643 | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 127 | 114 | 499 | 460 | |||
Selling and administrative expense | 145 | 137 | 582 | 556 | |||
Restructuring and other | 82 | 23 | 114 | (52) | |||
Income from operations (1) | 259 | 229 | 1,269 | 1,336 | |||
Loss on debt extinguishment | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||||
Other pension and postretirement | 11 | (3) | 49 | (16) | |||
Foreign exchange | 10 | 4 | 41 | 16 | |||
Earnings before interest and taxes | 237 | 228 | 1,178 | 1,325 | |||
Interest expense | 113 | 90 | 436 | 284 | |||
Interest income | (19) | (6) | (53) | (15) | |||
Income from operations before income taxes | 143 | 144 | 795 | 1,056 | |||
Provision for income taxes | 59 | 25 | 222 | 243 | |||
Equity earnings | (6) | 3 | 14 | 42 | |||
Net income | 78 | 122 | 587 | 855 | |||
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | 46 | 33 | 137 | 128 | |||
Net income attributable to Crown Holdings | $ 32 | $ 89 | $ 450 | $ 727 | |||
Earnings per share attributable to Crown Holdings common shareholders: | |||||||
Basic | $ 0.27 | $ 0.75 | $ 3.77 | $ 6.01 | |||
Diluted | $ 0.27 | $ 0.74 | $ 3.76 | $ 5.99 | |||
Weighted average common shares outstanding: | |||||||
Basic | 119,507,491 | 119,160,922 | 119,408,789 | 120,855,695 | |||
Diluted | 119,743,953 | 119,498,979 | 119,666,669 | 121,376,604 | |||
Actual common shares outstanding | 120,644,313 | 119,945,302 | 120,644,313 | 119,945,302 | |||
(1) Reconciliation from income from operations to segment income follows. |
Consolidated Supplemental Financial Data (Unaudited) (in millions) | |||||||||||||
Reconciliation from Income from Operations to Segment Income | |||||||||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||
Income from operations | $ | 259 | $ | 229 | $ | 1,269 | $ | 1,336 | |||||
Intangibles amortization | 41 | 40 | 163 | 159 | |||||||||
Restructuring and other | 82 | 23 | 114 | (52) | |||||||||
Segment income | $ | 382 | $ | 292 | $ | 1,546 | $ | 1,443 | |||||
Segment Information | |||||||||||||
During the fourth quarter, the Company recast its segment reporting to reclassify European corporate costs that were previously included in Corporate and other unallocated items into the European Beverage segment. The change was effective December 31, 2023, and segment results for prior periods have been recast to conform to the new presentation. | |||||||||||||
Net Sales | Three Months Ended | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||
Americas Beverage | $ | 1,299 | $ | 1,210 | $ | 5,147 | $ | 5,126 | |||||
European Beverage | 392 | 453 | 1,939 | 2,114 | |||||||||
320 | 395 | 1,297 | 1,615 | ||||||||||
Transit Packaging | 541 | 588 | 2,256 | 2,545 | |||||||||
Other (1) | 306 | 366 | 1,371 | 1,543 | |||||||||
Total net sales | $ | 2,858 | $ | 3,012 | $ | 12,010 | $ | 12,943 | |||||
Segment Income | |||||||||||||
Americas Beverage | $ | 255 | $ | 177 | $ | 876 | $ | 742 | |||||
European Beverage (2) | 18 | 7 | 199 | 123 | |||||||||
47 | 29 | 154 | 172 | ||||||||||
Transit Packaging | 75 | 71 | 331 | 281 | |||||||||
Other (1) | 17 | 34 | 117 | 240 | |||||||||
Corporate and other unallocated items (2) | (30) | (26) | (131) | (115) | |||||||||
Total segment income | $ | 382 | $ | 292 | $ | 1,546 | $ | 1,443 | |||||
(1) | Includes the Company's food can, aerosol can and closures businesses in |
(2) | See consolidated supplemental data for recast of quarterly segment income. |
Consolidated Supplemental Data (Unaudited) (in millions, except per share data) | |||||||||||||||||
Reconciliation from Net Income and Diluted Earnings Per Share to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share The following table reconciles reported net income and diluted earnings per share attributable to the Company to adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share, as used elsewhere in this release. | |||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||||||||
Net income/diluted earnings per share attributable to Crown Holdings, as reported | |||||||||||||||||
Intangibles amortization (1) | 41 | 0.35 | 40 | 0.34 | 163 | 1.37 | 159 | 1.31 | |||||||||
Restructuring and other (2) | 82 | 0.69 | 23 | 0.19 | 114 | 0.95 | (52) | (0.43) | |||||||||
Loss on debt extinguishment (3) | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.09 | |||||||||||||
Other pension and postretirement (4) | 6 | 0.05 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
Income taxes (5) | (7) | (0.07) | (14) | (0.12) | (40) | (0.33) | (34) | (0.28) | |||||||||
Equity earnings (6) | 3 | 0.03 | 2 | 0.02 | 10 | 0.09 | 8 | 0.07 | |||||||||
Noncontrolling interests (7) | (3) | (0.03) | (3) | (0.03) | |||||||||||||
Adjusted net income/diluted earnings per share | |||||||||||||||||
Effective tax rate as reported | 41.3 % | 17.4 % | 27.9 % | 23.0 % | |||||||||||||
Adjusted effective tax rate | 24.7 % | 18.8 % | 24.3 % | 23.6 % |
Adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share and the adjusted effective tax rate are non-GAAP measures and are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income, diluted earnings per share and effective tax rates determined in accordance with | |
(1) | In the fourth quarter and full year of 2023, the Company recorded charges of |
(2) | In the fourth quarter and full year of 2023, the Company recorded net restructuring and other charges of |
(3) | For the full year of 2022, the Company recorded a loss on debt extinguishment of |
(4) | For the full year of 2023, the Company recorded a one-time termination charge of |
(5) | The Company recorded income tax benefits of |
(6) | In the fourth quarters and full year of 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded its proportional share of intangible amortization and restructuring charges, net of tax, recorded by its European tinplate equity method investment, in the line Equity earnings. |
(7) | In the fourth quarter and full year of 2023, the Company recorded noncontrolling interest benefits related to the items described above. |
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Condensed & Unaudited) (in millions) | ||||||||
December 31, | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Current assets | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,310 | $ | 550 | ||||
Receivables, net | 1,719 | 1,843 | ||||||
Inventories | 1,613 | 2,014 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 191 | 252 | ||||||
Total current assets | 4,833 | 4,659 | ||||||
Goodwill and intangible assets, net | 4,375 | 4,309 | ||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net | 5,062 | 4,540 | ||||||
Other non-current assets | 767 | 793 | ||||||
Total assets | $ | 15,037 | $ | 14,301 | ||||
Liabilities and equity | ||||||||
Current liabilities | ||||||||
Short-term debt | $ | 16 | $ | 76 | ||||
Current maturities of long-term debt | 759 | 109 | ||||||
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 3,426 | 3,747 | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 4,201 | 3,932 | ||||||
Long-term debt, excluding current maturities | 6,699 | 6,792 | ||||||
Other non-current liabilities | 1,273 | 1,290 | ||||||
Noncontrolling interests | 454 | 438 | ||||||
Crown Holdings shareholders' equity | 2,410 | 1,849 | ||||||
Total equity | 2,864 | 2,287 | ||||||
Total liabilities and equity | $ | 15,037 | $ | 14,301 | ||||
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Condensed & Unaudited) (in millions) | |||||||||
Year ended December 31, | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
Cash flows from operating activities | |||||||||
Net income | $ | 587 | $ | 855 | |||||
Depreciation and amortization | 499 | 460 | |||||||
Restructuring and other | 114 | (52) | |||||||
Pension and postretirement expense | 70 | 12 | |||||||
Pension contributions | (19) | 53 | |||||||
Stock-based compensation | 31 | 29 | |||||||
Working capital changes and other | 171 | (554) | |||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 1,453 | 803 | |||||||
Cash flows from investing activities | |||||||||
Capital expenditures | (793) | (839) | |||||||
Acquisition and divestitures, net | (109) | 166 | |||||||
Equity method investment distribution | 68 | 7 | |||||||
Other | 30 | 24 | |||||||
Net cash used for investing activities | (804) | (642) | |||||||
Cash flows from financing activities | |||||||||
Net change in debt | 370 | 914 | |||||||
Dividends paid to shareholders | (115) | (106) | |||||||
Common stock repurchased | (12) | (722) | |||||||
Dividends paid to noncontrolling interests | (126) | (100) | |||||||
Other, net | (1) | (11) | |||||||
Net cash provided by\(used for) financing activities | 116 | (25) | |||||||
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | (4) | (90) | |||||||
Net change in cash and cash equivalents | 761 | 46 | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at January 1 | 639 | 593 | |||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at December 31 (1) | $ | 1,400 | $ | 639 | |||||
(1) | Cash and cash equivalents include |
Adjusted free cash flow is defined by the Company as net cash from operating activities less capital expenditures and certain other | ||||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, | Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ 621 | $ 669 | $ 1,453 | $ 803 | ||||||||||||||
(8) | (1) | (77) | ||||||||||||||||
Interest included in investing activities (3) | 25 | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures | (179) | (232) | (793) | (839) | ||||||||||||||
Insurance receivable (4) | (17) | (23) | 23 | |||||||||||||||
Adjusted free cash flow | $ 442 | $ 412 | $ 661 | $ (64) | ||||||||||||||
(2) | In September 2021, the Company made a contribution of |
(3) | Interest benefit of cross currency swaps included in investing activities. |
(4) | Insurance proceeds received in 2023 related to the December 2021 tornado at the |
Consolidated Supplemental Data (Unaudited) (in millions) | ||||||||||||||||
Segment Income – Recast | ||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended, | ||||||||||||||||
March 31, | June 30, | September 30, | December 31, | Year Ended 2023 | ||||||||||||
Americas Beverage | $ | 178 | $ | 211 | $ | 232 | $ | 255 | $ | 876 | ||||||
European Beverage (1) | 39 | 69 | 73 | 18 | 199 | |||||||||||
36 | 38 | 33 | 47 | 154 | ||||||||||||
Transit Packaging | 78 | 89 | 89 | 75 | 331 | |||||||||||
Other | 27 | 36 | 37 | 17 | 117 | |||||||||||
Corporate and other unallocated items (1) | (38) | (29) | (34) | (30) | (131) | |||||||||||
Total segment income | $ | 320 | $ | 414 | $ | 430 | $ | 382 | $ | 1,546 | ||||||
Three Months Ended, | ||||||||||||||||
March 31, | June 30, | September 30, | December 31, | Year Ended 2022 | ||||||||||||
Americas Beverage | $ | 164 | $ | 216 | $ | 185 | $ | 177 | $ | 742 | ||||||
European Beverage (1) | 48 | 51 | 17 | 7 | 123 | |||||||||||
53 | 55 | 35 | 29 | 172 | ||||||||||||
Transit Packaging | 61 | 74 | 75 | 71 | 281 | |||||||||||
Other | 94 | 62 | 50 | 34 | 240 | |||||||||||
Corporate and other unallocated items (1) | (37) | (26) | (26) | (26) | (115) | |||||||||||
Total segment income | $ | 383 | $ | 432 | $ | 336 | $ | 292 | $ | 1,443 | ||||||
(1) | During the fourth quarter, the Company recast its segment reporting to reclassify European corporate costs that were previously included in Corporate and other unallocated items into the European Beverage segment. The change was effective December 31, 2023, and segment results for prior periods have been recast to conform to the new presentation. |
Property, Plant and Equipment
The Company periodically reviews the useful lives of property, plant and equipment based on the Company's experience with the duration over which equipment and buildings of its aluminum beverage can business can be utilized. The Company recently engaged a third-party appraiser to assist in this review and, upon completion, the Company expects the change in estimated useful lives to result in a net reduction of depreciation expense of approximately
Impact of Foreign Currency Translation – Favorable/(Unfavorable) (1) | ||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 | Year Ended December 31, 2023 | |||||||||||||||
Net Sales | Segment |
Net Sales | Segment | |||||||||||||
Americas Beverage | $ | 15 | $ | $ | 56 | $ | 4 | |||||||||
European Beverage | 15 | 1 | 24 | 3 | ||||||||||||
1 | (8) | |||||||||||||||
Transit Packaging | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Other | 2 | (1) | 3 | (4) | ||||||||||||
$ | 42 | $ | 2 | $ | 77 | $ | 7 | |||||||||
(1) | The impact of foreign currency translation represents the difference between actual current year |
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Leverage Ratio | |||||||
2023 | 2022 | ||||||
Income from operations | $ | 1,269 | $ | 1,336 | |||
Add: | |||||||
Intangibles amortization | 163 | 159 | |||||
Restructuring and other | 114 | (52) | |||||
Segment income | 1,546 | 1,443 | |||||
Depreciation | 336 | 301 | |||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 1,882 | $ | 1,744 | |||
Total debt | $ | 7,474 | $ | 6,977 | |||
Less cash | 1,310 | 550 | |||||
Net debt | $ | 6,164 | $ | 6,427 | |||
Adjusted net leverage ratio | 3.3x | 3.7x |
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SOURCE Crown Holdings, Inc.
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