Press Release

Strategic Initiatives Continue to Drive Improved Financial Performance

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 26, 2018-- Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) today announced results for the third quarter ended March 31, 2018.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2018 Highlights

• Sales of $4.8 billion increased 6.1% sequentially and 8.0% year over year
  • Excluding supplier program changes, sales grew 7.3% year over year in constant currency
• GAAP operating margin loss of (1.1%)
  • Non-GAAP adjusted operating income margin improved sequentially to 3.7%
• GAAP diluted EPS loss of ($2.64) driven by goodwill impairment and tax reform
  • Non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS of $1.02 exceeded the high end of guidance

CEO Commentary

“This quarter’s performance bolsters our confidence in our plan and execution ability during this important transition year at Avnet,” said Bill Amelio, CEO of Avnet. “We are successfully executing against our key priorities, including building out our unique end-to-end ecosystem, delivering new services and benefits to our evolving customer base, and creating ways to engage with new types of customers at every point in the product lifecycle. As a result, we are seeing both revenue growth and an improvement in our adjusted operating margin.”

CFO Commentary

“In the March quarter, revenue growth and our cost reduction initiatives combined to drive adjusted operating income margin up 43 basis points sequentially to 3.7%, the highest in four quarters,” said Tom Liguori, CFO of Avnet. “While total working capital dollars increased to support our strong growth, net working capital days declined 7 days. As a result, we generated $77 million of cash from operations in the quarter. In addition, we increased our quarterly dividend by 5.5% and repurchased 1.7 million shares returning a total of $93 million of cash to shareholders. As we move into the June quarter our focus on cost management and continued improvement in our net working capital days positions us well for long-term growth in shareholder value.”

Additional Third Quarter Fiscal 2018 Highlights

• Named a World’s Most Ethical Company for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute
• Exited the quarter with a strong book-to-bill ratio in all regions, exceeding 1.1 in aggregate
• Delivered sequential improvement in sales and operating margins in the Americas region
• Increased digital sales annual run-rate, which now exceeds $850 million
• Realized 70% of the $120 million annualized cost reduction program in FY18 through Q3
• Reduced debt by $141 million
• Accelerated growth with key suppliers, adding 11 new franchises to the Avnet line card
• Successful implementation of the EMEA upgraded ERP system
• Recorded $230 million provisional repatriation transition tax liability
• Recorded $181 million goodwill impairment related to acquisitions prior to fiscal year 2011

The above guidance excludes any results of discontinued operations, amortization of intangibles, accelerated depreciation, any potential restructuring, integration, and other expenses and certain income tax adjustments. The above guidance assumes 120 million average diluted shares outstanding and an adjusted tax rate of 21% to 25%. In addition, the above guidance assumes that the average U.S. Dollar to Euro currency exchange rate for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 is $1.23 to €1.00. This compares with an average exchange rate of $1.10 to the Euro in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains certain “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. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in facts and circumstances. The forward-looking statements herein include statements addressing future financial and operating results of Avnet and may include words such as “will,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “expect,” “feel,” “believe,” “should,” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussions of future operating or financial performance, business prospects or market conditions. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations contained in the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: Avnet’s ability to retain and grow market share and to generate additional cash flow, risks associated with any acquisition activities and the successful integration of acquired companies, implementing and maintaining ERP systems and transitioning to a global ERP system, supplier losses and changes to supplier programs, an industry down-cycle in semiconductors, declines in sales, changes in business conditions and the economy in general, changes in market demand and pricing pressures, any material changes in the allocation of product or price discounts by suppliers, and other competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting the businesses of Avnet generally.

More detailed information about these and other factors is set forth in Avnet’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Avnet’s reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. Except as required by law, Avnet is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Teleconference and Upcoming Events

Avnet will host a quarterly teleconference today at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Financial information including financial statement reconciliations of non-GAAP to GAAP financial measures will be available through www.ir.avnet.com. Please log onto the site 15 minutes prior to the start of the event to register or download any necessary software. An archive copy of the teleconference will also be available after the call.

For a listing of Avnet’s upcoming events and other information, please visit Avnet’s Investor Relations website at www.ir.avnet.com.

About Avnet

From idea to design and from prototype to production, Avnet supports customers at each stage of a product’s lifecycle. A comprehensive portfolio of design and supply chain services makes Avnet the go-to guide for innovators who set the pace for technological change. For nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about Avnet at www.avnet.com.

Visit the Avnet Investor Relations website at www.ir.avnet.com or contact us at investorrelations@avnet.com. (AVT_IR)

Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to disclosing financial results that are determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company also discloses certain non-GAAP financial information including (i) adjusted operating income, (ii) adjusted other income (expense), (iii) adjusted income tax expense, (iv) adjusted income from continuing operations, (v) adjusted diluted earnings per share, and (vi) sales adjusted for the impact of acquisitions and other items (as defined in the Organic Sales section of this document).

There are also references to the impact of foreign currency in the discussion of the Company’s results of operations. When the U.S. Dollar strengthens and the stronger exchange rates of the current year are used to translate the results of operations of Avnet’s subsidiaries denominated in foreign currencies, the resulting impact is a decrease in U.S. Dollars of reported results. Conversely, when the U.S. Dollar weakens and the weaker exchange rates of the current year are used to translate the results of operations of Avnet’s subsidiaries denominated in foreign currencies, the resulting impact is an increase in U.S. Dollars of reported results. In the discussion of the Company’s results of operations, results excluding this impact are referred to as “excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates” or “constant currency.” Management believes organic sales and sales in constant currency are useful measures for evaluating current period performance as compared with prior periods and for understanding underlying trends. In order to determine the translation impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on sales, income or expense items for subsidiaries reporting in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, the Company adjusts the average exchange rates used in current periods to be consistent with the average exchange rates in effect during the comparative period.

Management believes that operating income adjusted for restructuring, integration and other expenses, goodwill impairment expense and amortization of acquired intangible assets and other, are useful measures to help investors better assess and understand the Company’s operating performance. This is especially the case when comparing results with previous periods or forecasting performance for future periods, primarily because management views the excluded items to be outside of Avnet’s normal operating results or non-cash in nature. Management analyzes operating income without the impact of these items as well as other income (expense) excluding certain amounts as an indicator of ongoing margin performance and underlying trends in the business. Management also uses these non-GAAP measures to establish operational goals and, in many cases, for measuring performance for compensation purposes.

Additional non-GAAP metrics management uses is adjusted operating income margin, which is defined as adjusted operating income (as defined above) divided by sales.

Management also believes income tax expense, income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations adjusted for the impact of the items described above and certain items impacting income tax expense are useful to investors because they provide a measure of the Company’s net profitability on a more comparable basis to historical periods and provide a more meaningful basis for forecasting future performance. Additionally, because of management’s focus on generating shareholder value, of which net profitability is a primary driver, management believes income from continuing operations and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations excluding the impact of these items provides an important measure of the Company’s net profitability for the investing public.

Any analysis of results and outlook on a non-GAAP basis should be used as a complement to, and in conjunction with, results presented in accordance with GAAP.

Organic Sales

Organic sales is defined as sales adjusted for the impact of significant acquisitions, divestitures and other items by adjusting Avnet’s prior and current (if necessary) periods to include the sales of acquired businesses and exclude the sales of divested businesses as if the acquisitions and divestitures had occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented. Organic sales is measured on a sales from continuing operations basis. Organic sales in constant currency is defined as organic sales (as defined above) excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

The following table presents reported and organic sales growth rates for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2018 compared to fiscal 2017.

The following table presents the reconciliation of reported sales to organic sales for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2017.

Sales from suppliers lost as a result of supplier channel changes were $52.2 million, $86.0 million and $74.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2017 for the Americas, EMEA and Asia regions, respectively compared to sales of $4.0 million, $0.5 million and $2.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018 for the Americas, EMEA and Asia regions, respectively.

Guidance Reconciliation

The following table presents the reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to the expected GAAP diluted earnings per share guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.

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Source: Avnet, Inc.

Avnet, Inc.
Investor Relations Contact
Vincent Keenan, 480-643-7053
Investor Relations
investorrelations@avnet.com
Media Relations Contact
Maureen O’Leary, 480-643-7499
Corporate Communications
maureen.oleary@avnet.com