Nordson Corp. (NASDAQ: NDSN) reported Q4 EPS of $1.59, $0.06 better than the analyst estimate of $1.53. Revenue for the quarter came in at $559 million versus the consensus estimate of $556.68 million.

Fourth Quarter:

• Sales were $559 million, a 5% year-over-year decrease
• Portfolio strengthening with announced divestiture of screws and barrels product line
• Operating profit was $37 million, or 7% of sales
• Adjusted operating profit was $130 million, or 23% of sales
• Earnings were $0.31 per diluted share
• Adjusted earnings were $1.59 per diluted share, an 11% decrease from prior year

2021 First Quarter Guidance:

Fiscal 2021 first quarter sales growth of 2 to 3% over prior year first quarter; adjusted earnings growth in the range of 15 to 20%

Operating profit in the quarter was $37 million. As the company announced on December 3, 2020, it intends to divest the non-strategic screws and barrels product line within the Industrial Precision Solutions segment, which will strengthen the company’s ongoing earnings and profitable growth profile. This strategic portfolio transaction required a one-time, non-cash asset impairment charge of $87 million, which was recognized during the fourth quarter. Excluding this non-cash impairment charge and other non-recurring charges associated with cost structure simplification actions and amortization of the step-up in acquired inventory, adjusted operating profit was $130 million, or 23% of sales. EBITDA, which is defined as adjusted operating profit plus depreciation and amortization, in the quarter totaled $159 million, or 29% of sales, which represents a decrease of 5% from the prior year EBITDA of $168 million.

Net income was $18 million, and GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.31. Adjusted earnings, which excludes non-recurring charges and discrete tax benefits of $2 million, totaled $93 million, or $1.59 per share, an 11% decrease from the prior year adjusted earnings of $104 million.

Commenting on the company’s fiscal fourth quarter 2020 results, Nordson President and Chief Executive Officer Sundaram Nagarajan said, “I am proud of the dedication shown by our global team through their ongoing commitment to superior customer service and continued deployment of the NBS Next growth framework. Fourth quarter sales were the strongest quarter of the year. We also continued to make progress on strategically positioning our portfolio for sustainable long-term growth with the acquisition of vivaMOS, Ltd. and the recently announced divestiture of the screws and barrels product line. This combination of focusing on Nordson strengths and prioritizing future profitable growth opportunities has us well positioned heading into fiscal year 2021.”

Outlook

“Throughout this unprecedented year, the safety of our people and the value they deliver to our customers remained among our top priorities,” Nagarajan stated. “We continue to make progress by deploying the NBS Next growth framework and aligning the organization to remain invested in our key strengths during this unique macroeconomic environment. The commitment of our employees combined with the resilience of our diverse end markets resulted in sound financial performance in fiscal 2020. We are entering fiscal 2021 from this solid foundation, and we have strong backlog entering the fiscal first quarter. I am confident in our ability to deliver long-term profitable growth.”

Backlog for the quarter ended October 31, 2020 was approximately $416 million, an increase of 5% compared to the same period a year ago, and the trailing twelve-week order entry is 5% above prior year levels. Based on these current order entry trends, backlog amounts and the correlation to sales timing, we expect the fiscal 2021 first quarter sales growth to be approximately 2 to 3%, with adjusted earnings growth in the range of 15 to 20% as compared to fiscal 2020 first quarter.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Nordson Corp. (NDSN) click here.