Brady Corp. (NYSE: BRC) reported Q1 EPS of $0.62, $0.05 better than the analyst estimate of $0.57. Revenue for the quarter came in at $277.23 million versus the consensus estimate of $270.52 million.

• Income before income taxes and losses of unconsolidated affiliate increased by 1.6 percent to $42.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to $41.6 million in the same quarter of the prior year.
• Diluted EPS was $0.64 in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to $0.70 in the same quarter of the prior year. Diluted EPS in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 was positively impacted by a reduced income tax rate of 9.8 percent primarily due to a favorable tax audit settlement and tax benefits from equity-based compensation.
• Cash flow from operating activities was up 61.8 percent to $62.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 compared to $38.8 million in the same quarter of the prior year.
• Sales for the quarter declined 3.4 percent. Organic sales declined 4.9 percent and the impact of foreign currency translation increased sales by 1.5 percent.

Commentary:

“We experienced a steady improvement in sales volumes as the global economy slowly healed throughout our first quarter. Sales improved in each of the last six months and we expanded our customer base in our Workplace Safety business by providing the high-quality products and the service levels that our customers have come to expect,” said Brady’s President and Chief Executive Officer, J. Michael Nauman. “This quarter, we saw demand in our Identification Solutions business improve while our Workplace Safety business had another strong quarter with organic sales increasing more than 5 percent. Growth in our Workplace Safety business was primarily driven by increased sales of safety and identification products directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including social distancing and personal hygiene signage. Even with the negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, we increased pre-tax income this quarter as a result of our focus on executing sustainable efficiency gains. Our ongoing investments in sales, marketing, and new product development combined with our reduced cost structure position us to drive substantial profit improvements when demand increases in industrial end-markets.”

“Brady is financially strong and continues to generate significant cash flow. As of October 31, 2020, we had $256.3 million of cash on hand and no outstanding debt,” said Brady’s Chief Financial Officer, Aaron Pearce. “We generated $62.8 million of cash flow from operating activities this quarter, which was an increase of 61.8 percent compared to last year’s first quarter, and we returned $14.1 million to our shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks. We are generating operating cash flow in excess of net income and we have a balance sheet that allows us to make the investments necessary to drive future revenue and earnings growth while paying a solid dividend. Although we are seeing some reduction in demand for products specifically designed to help in the fight of COVID-19 and there are macro-economic challenges caused by additional government lockdowns that will impact our financial results for the quarter ending January 31, 2021, Brady’s strong balance sheet and cash generation position us extremely well for future financial success as industrial production improves.”

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Brady Corp. (BRC) click here.