Moog Inc. Reports Strong Third Quarter 2024 Results with Further Margin Expansion

East Aurora, NY -- Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B), a worldwide designer, manufacturer and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems, today reported fiscal third quarter 2024 diluted earnings per share of $1.74 and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.91. 

"We delivered a solid performance in the third quarter of 2024, with significant improvements in our financial results," said Pat Roche, CEO. "Our teams continue to execute well, driving both top-line growth and margin expansion across our businesses. Our commitment to achieving our Investor Day targets remains strong, with clear progress in our pricing and simplification initiatives. With this momentum we are confident in our continued success and growth."

Quarter Highlights

• Net sales of $905 million increased 6% compared to the prior year's quarter, with increases in our aerospace and defense businesses, while Industrial was slightly down.
• Operating margin of 11.6% increased 170 basis points, driven by improved performance in Space and Defense, Commercial Aircraft and Military Aircraft, while Industrial declined 130 basis points.
  
• Adjusted operating margin of 12.3% increased 210 basis points, reflecting improved business performance across all segments.
  
• Diluted earnings per share of $1.74 increased 32% due to higher operating profit, partially offset by restructuring charges and a higher tax rate.
  
• Adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.91 increased 39%, driven by operating margin expansion and incremental profit from higher sales.
  
• Free cash flow improved by $17 million as compared to last year.
  

Quarter Results

Sales in the third quarter of 2024 increased compared to the third quarter of 2023, with notable growth in Military Aircraft, Space and Defense and Commercial Aircraft. Military Aircraft sales increased 18% to $207 million due to the ramp of the FLRAA program and other OEM production programs. Space and Defense sales increased 7% to $258 million driven by strong U.S. and European defense demand. Commercial Aircraft sales increased 6% to $189 million due to the increased production in our widebody business. Industrial segment sales decreased 1% to $250 million due to a slowdown in orders for industrial automation applications, partially offset by higher product demand in other markets.

Operating margin increased 170 basis points to 11.6% in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the third quarter of 2023. Space and Defense operating margin increased 490 basis points to 12.6% due to improved performance on space vehicle development programs. Commercial Aircraft operating margin increased 190 basis points to 12.9%, driven by higher sales volume and pricing initiatives, as well as mix. Military Aircraft operating margin increased 130 basis points to 11.6%, driven by cost absorption on the FLRAA program. Industrial operating margin decreased 130 basis points to 9.8%, impacted by higher restructuring and inventory write-down charges.

Adjusted operating margin in the third quarter of 2024 increased 210 basis points to 12.3% compared to the third quarter of 2023. The only segment with significant adjustments was Industrial, whose adjusted operating margin increased as the benefits of pricing more than offset an unfavorable sales mix and planned product transfers.

Twelve-month backlog remains robust, increasing 7% to $2.5 billion, driven by strong product demand across the aerospace and defense businesses.

Free cash flow in the third quarter was a use of cash of $2 million, an improvement of $17 million year-over-year, driven by higher net cash from operating activities and lower capital expenditures. 

2024 Financial Guidance

"Fiscal year 2024 is measuring up to be a great step towards achieving our long-term financial targets," said Jennifer Walter, CFO. "This year, our sales will grow by 8%, our adjusted operating margin will expand by 150 basis points and our adjusted earnings per share will increase by 20%."

When the company provides adjusted, non-GAAP figures on a forward-looking basis, a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP expectations and the corresponding GAAP measures generally is not available without unreasonable effort.

Conference call information

In conjunction with today’s release, Pat Roche, CEO, and Jennifer Walter, CFO, will host a conference call today beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET, which will be simultaneously broadcast live online. Listeners can access the call live, or in replay mode, at www.moog.com/investors. Supplemental financial data will be available on the website approximately 90 minutes prior to the conference call.

Cautionary Statement 

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which can be identified by words such as: “may,” “will,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “expected,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “approximate,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “outlook,” “forecast,” “anticipates,” “presume,” “assume” and other words and terms of similar meaning (including their negative counterparts or other various or comparable terminology). These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, are neither historical facts nor guarantees of future performance and are subject to several factors, risks and uncertainties, the impact or occurrence of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the expected results described in the forward-looking statements. 

Although it is not possible to create a comprehensive list of all factors that may cause our actual results to differ from the results expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements or that may affect our future results, some of these factors and other risks and uncertainties are described in Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and include, but are not limited to, risks relating to: (i) our operation in highly competitive markets with competitors who may have greater resources than we possess; (ii) our operation in cyclical markets that are sensitive to domestic and foreign economic conditions and events; (iii) our heavy dependence on government contracts that may not be fully funded or may be terminated; (iv) supply chain constraints and inflationary impacts on prices for raw materials and components used in our products; (v) failure of our subcontractors or suppliers to perform their contractual obligations; and (vi) our accounting estimations for over-time contracts and any changes we need to make thereto. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of these risks and uncertainties.

While we believe we have identified and discussed in our SEC filings the material risks affecting our business, there may be additional factors, risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial that may affect the forward-looking statements we make herein. Given these factors, risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as predictive of future results. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statement made in this press release, except as required by applicable law.

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