Custom Truck One Source, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results and Updates Full-Year Guidance

Business Wire 30-Oct-2024 4:15 PM

Custom Truck One Source, Inc. (NYSE:CTOS), a leading provider of specialty equipment to the electric utility, telecom, rail, forestry, waste management and other infrastructure-related end markets, today reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.

CTOS Third-Quarter Highlights

• Total revenue of $447.2 million, an increase of $24.2 million, or 5.7%, compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Gross profit of $91.8 million, an increase of $2.6 million, or 2.9%, compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Adjusted Gross Profit of $137.8 million, an increase of $3.9 million, or 2.9%, compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Net loss of $17.4 million, a decrease of $7.1 million, or 28.9%, compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Adjusted EBITDA of $80.2 million, a 0.2% increase compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Increased Average OEC on rent by $38.0 million, or 3.6% compared to the second quarter of 2024
• Upsized ABL revolving credit facility limit by $200 million, to $950 million, with extended maturity to 2029

"In the third fiscal quarter, we achieved sequential improvement in net income and a slight increase in Adjusted EBITDA. As discussed in our recent earnings calls, our core T&D markets experienced a slowdown over recent quarters, which particularly impacted our ERS segment. However, this decline has proven to be temporary, and we observed significant improvements in the third quarter, which have continued into the fourth quarter. Through late October, OEC on rent has increased by over $200 million, or 20%, since the end of the second quarter. While a portion of this growth can be attributed to our customers' recovery and restoration work associated with recent weather events, the majority stems from non-storm-related work in our core T&D and vocational end-markets. We are optimistic about fiscal 2025 and believe we are well-positioned to benefit from secular tailwinds driven by AI and data center investments, electrification, and utility grid upgrades," said Ryan McMonagle, Chief Executive Officer of CTOS. "We continue to see strong demand in our infrastructure, rail, and telecom end-markets, all of which contributed to our TES segment performance. Segment sales increased by 12.6% this quarter and over 8% year-to-date, building on nearly 30% growth in fiscal 2023. Our sales backlog has returned to a more normalized level of just under five months, which is within our desired range of four to six months, as OEM production and overall supply chains improve," McMonagle added.

Summary Actual Financial Results

Summary Actual Financial Results by Segment Our results are reported for our three segments: Equipment Rental Solutions ("ERS"), Truck and Equipment Sales ("TES") and Aftermarket Parts and Services ("APS"). ERS encompasses our core rental business, inclusive of sales of used rental equipment to our customers. TES encompasses our specialized truck and equipment production and new equipment sales activities. APS encompasses sales and rentals of parts, tools, and other supplies to our customers, as well as our aftermarket repair service operations.

Equipment Rental Solutions

Truck and Equipment Sales

Aftermarket Parts and Services

Summary Combined Operating Metrics

Management Commentary Consolidated total revenue increased on a sequential quarter basis by $24.2 million, to $447.2 million, driven by higher levels of new truck sales and equipment on rent. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, total revenue increased by 3.0%. Rental revenue for the third quarter of 2024 decreased 8.4% to $108.3 million, compared to $118.2 million in the third quarter of 2023. Equipment sales increased 7.9% in the third quarter of 2024 to $305.5 million, compared to $283.1 million in the third quarter of 2023.

ERS segment rental revenue and used equipment sales revenue increased by $4.6 million (4.6%) and $7.9 million (20.8%), respectively, on a sequential quarter basis, driven by improvements in equipment uptakes for transmission and distribution job starts, as well as the benefit from our customers' storm-related work. Average OEC on rent and utilization each improved sequentially by 3.6% and 2.1%, respectively, with average OEC on rent growth of $38.0 million and average utilization improving to 73.2% in the quarter. ERS segment rental revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $105.3 million compared to $114.9 million in the third quarter of 2023, an 8.4% decrease. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, used equipment sales decreased 12.7% in the third quarter of 2024 to $45.6 million compared to $52.2 million. ERS gross profit improved $2.8 million (7.0%) on a sequential quarter basis, to $42.5 million. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, ERS gross profit declined from $58.0 million to $42.5 million. Adjusted Gross Profit improved sequentially to $87.5 million compared to $83.3 million.

TES segment revenue increased by $12.0 million (4.8%) on a sequential quarter basis to $259.9 million. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, revenue in our TES segment in the third quarter of 2024 increased 12.6%. This increase was driven primarily by robust demand for our products in the forestry and utility end-markets. Gross profit increased by 5.2% to $41.9 million in the third quarter of 2024 compared to $39.8 million in the third quarter of 2023. TES saw a reduction in backlog of 49% to $395.6 million compared to the third quarter of 2023, primarily as a result of the impact of an improved supply chain and availability of most products. As of the end of the third quarter, our new sales backlog represented approximately 4.6 months of new equipment sales, which is in our historical normal range of four to six months.

APS segment revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $36.4 million, essentially flat on a sequential quarter basis and also compared to $36.3 million in the third quarter of 2023. Gross profit margin was 20.3% in the third quarter of 2024, a slight improvement on a sequential quarter basis but a decrease from 25.7% in the third quarter of 2023. APS gross margin in the third quarter of 2024 continued to be negatively impacted by lower levels of tools and accessories rentals and higher costs of materials.

Net loss was $17.4 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to net loss of $24.5 million in the second quarter of 2024. Comparing the third quarter of 2024 net loss to net income of $9.2 million for the third quarter of 2023, the decrease is primarily due to decreased gross profit and higher interest expense on variable-rate debt and variable-rate floor plan liabilities.

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2024 was $80.2 million, a slight improvement of 0.2% on a sequential quarter basis. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, the 19.9% decrease from $100.2 million was largely driven by a decline in rental revenue as a result of the year-over-year decrease in OEC on rent and utilization, as well as lower used equipment sales in our ERS segment. Adjusted EBITDA also decreased due to higher costs associated with variable-rate floorplan liabilities as a result of higher interest rates and inventory levels.

As of September 30, 2024, cash and cash equivalents was $8.4 million, Total Debt outstanding was $1,589.6 million, Net Debt was $1,581.1 million and Net Leverage Ratio was 4.44x. During the quarter, the Company amended the senior secured credit facility to increase the borrowing capacity from $750.0 million to $950.0 million, and extend the maturity date of the agreement from April 1, 2026 to August 9, 2029. Availability under the senior secured credit facility was $319.0 million as of September 30, 2024, and based on our borrowing base, we have an additional $190.9 million of suppressed availability that we can potentially utilize by upsizing our existing facility. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, Ending OEC increased by $35.8 million. During the three months ended September 30, 2024, CTOS purchased $5.5 million of its common stock.

OUTLOOK We are updating our full-year revenue and Adjusted EBITDA^{1, 4} guidance for 2024. Since the end of the second quarter of 2024, we have seen an increase in OEC on rent of over $200 million, or 20%, as of late October, as we have seen the previously discussed headwinds in our utility end markets abate. The improvement includes an estimated $40 million to $60 million of OEC on rent resulting from our customers' storm-related work. However, we continue to experience some softness in our sale of used equipment that we expect will continue through the balance of the fiscal year. As a result, we are reducing the top end of our ERS revenue outlook by $15 million. Regarding TES, supply chain improvements, healthy inventory levels, and more normalized backlog levels continue to improve our ability to produce and deliver more units in 2024, albeit at a lower growth rate than experienced in fiscal 2023. Our customers continue to need our equipment but are choosing to delay certain purchase decisions influenced by both their expectation of lower interest rates to come and the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming election. As a result, we are lowering the top end of our revenue outlook by $75 million, which results in an estimated TES revenue growth for the year of 6.0% to 12.6%. While we are lowering the top end of our consolidated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA^{1, 4} guidance ranges for this year, we continue to believe the long-term outlook for growth in rental, used and new equipment sales demand remains strong across all of our end markets. Also, by the end of the fiscal year we now expect to deliver a net leverage ratio^{3, 4} that will be flat to a modest decrease from current levels, but expect further progress in fiscal 2025 towards our stated goal to achieve a net leverage ratio below 3.0x as we see the benefits of recent working capital management initiatives take hold. "We continue to have confidence in the long-term strength of our end markets and the continued execution by our teams to profitably grow our business, better serve our customers and position CTOS for future growth. As I noted last quarter, we believed that the decline in our core T&D markets was temporary, and we have seen significant signs of improvement throughout our third quarter and continuing into the fourth quarter. We continue to anticipate a return to double-digit Adjusted EBITDA^{1, 4} growth in 2025 and expect to generate meaningful positive levered free cash flow^{2, 4} and deliver improved leverage," said Ryan McMonagle, Chief Executive Officer of CTOS.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION The Company has scheduled a conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET on October 31, 2024, to discuss its third quarter 2024 financial results. A webcast will be publicly available at: investors.customtruck.com. To listen by phone, please dial 1-800-715-9871 or 1-646-307-1963 and provide the operator with conference ID 2976854. A replay of the call will be available until 11:59 p.m. ET, Thursday, November 7, 2024, by dialing 1-800-770-2030 or 1-609-800-9909 and entering passcode 2976854.

ABOUT CTOS CTOS is one of the largest providers of specialty equipment, parts, tools, accessories and services to the electric utility transmission and distribution, telecommunications, and rail markets in North America, with a differentiated "one-stop-shop" business model. CTOS offers its specialized equipment to a diverse customer base for the maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation of critical infrastructure assets, including electric lines, telecommunications networks, and rail systems. The Company's coast-to-coast rental fleet of approximately 10,200 units includes aerial devices, boom trucks, cranes, digger derricks, pressure drills, stringing gear, Hi-rail equipment, repair parts, tools, and accessories. For more information, please visit customtruck.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "suggests," "plans," "targets," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company's management's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in this press release. This press release is based on certain assumptions that the Company's management has made in light of its experience in the industry, as well as the Company's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors the Company believes are appropriate in these circumstances and at such time. As you read and consider this press release, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. Many factors could affect the Company's actual performance and results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in this press release. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: increases in labor costs, our inability to obtain raw materials, component parts and/or finished goods in a timely and cost-effective manner, and our inability to manage our rental equipment in an effective manner; competition in the equipment dealership and rental industries; our sales order backlog may not be indicative of the level of our future revenues; increases in unionization rate in our workforce; our inability to recruit and retain the experienced personnel, including skilled technicians, we need to compete in our industries; our inability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel and our inability to retain or plan for succession of our senior management; material disruptions to our operation and manufacturing locations as a result of public health concerns, equipment failures, natural disasters, work stoppages, power outages or other reasons; potential impairment charges; any further increase in the cost of new equipment that we purchase for use in our rental fleet or for sale as inventory; aging or obsolescence of our existing equipment, and the fluctuations of market value thereof; disruptions in our supply chain; our business may be impacted by government spending; we may experience losses in excess of our recorded reserves for receivables; uncertainty relating to macroeconomic conditions, unfavorable conditions in the capital and credit markets and our inability to obtain additional capital as required; increases in price of fuel or freight; regulatory technological advancement, or other changes in our core end-markets may affect our customers' spending; difficulty in integrating acquired businesses and fully realizing the anticipated benefits and cost savings of the acquired businesses, as well as additional transaction and transition costs that we will continue to incur following acquisitions; the interest of our majority stockholder, which may not be consistent with the other stockholders; our significant indebtedness, which may adversely affect our financial position, limit our available cash and our access to additional capital, prevent us from growing our business and increase our risk of default; our inability to generate cash, which could lead to a default; significant operating and financial restrictions imposed by our debt agreements; changes in interest rates, which could increase our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness and decrease our net income and cash flows; disruptions or security compromises affecting our information technology systems or those of our critical services providers could adversely affect our operating results by subjecting us to liability, and limiting our ability to effectively monitor and control our operations, adjust to changing market conditions or implement strategic initiatives; we are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental and safety regulations that can adversely affect cost, manner or feasibility of doing business; material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which, if not remediated, could result in material misstatements in our financial statements; we are subject to a series of risks related to climate change; and increased attention to, and evolving expectations for, sustainability and environmental, social and governance initiatives. For a more complete description of these and other possible risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and its subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements.

CUSTOM TRUCK ONE SOURCE, INC. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES In our press release and schedules, and on the related conference call, we report certain financial measures that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). We utilize these financial measures to manage our business on a day-to-day basis and some of these measures are commonly used in our industry to evaluate performance by excluding items considered to be non-recurring. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide investors expanded insight to assess performance, in addition to the standard GAAP-based financial measures. The press release schedules reconcile the most directly comparable GAAP measure to each non-GAAP measure that we refer to. Although management evaluates and presents these non-GAAP measures for the reasons described herein, please be aware that these non-GAAP measures have limitations and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for revenue, operating income/loss, net income/loss, earnings/loss per share or any other comparable measure prescribed by GAAP. In addition, we may calculate and/or present these non-GAAP financial measures differently than measures with the same or similar names that other companies report, and as a result, the non-GAAP measures we report may not be comparable to those reported by others.

Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP performance measure that we use to monitor our results of operations, to measure performance against debt covenants and performance relative to competitors. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is a useful performance measure because it allows for an effective evaluation of operating performance, without regard to financing methods or capital structures. We exclude the items identified in the reconciliations of net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA because these amounts are either non-recurring or can vary substantially within the industry depending upon accounting methods and book values of assets, including the method by which the assets were acquired, and capital structures. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income (loss) determined in accordance with GAAP. Certain items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing a company's financial performance, such as a company's cost of capital and tax structure, as well as the historical costs of depreciable assets, none of which are reflected in Adjusted EBITDA. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an indication that results will be unaffected by the items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA. Our computation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be identical to other similarly titled measures of other companies.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income or loss before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, and other items that we do not view as indicative of ongoing performance. Our Adjusted EBITDA includes an adjustment to exclude the effects of purchase accounting adjustments when calculating the cost of inventory and used equipment sold. When inventory or equipment is purchased in connection with a business combination, the assets are revalued to their current fair values for accounting purposes. The consideration transferred (i.e., the purchase price) in a business combination is allocated to the fair values of the assets as of the acquisition date, with amortization or depreciation recorded thereafter following applicable accounting policies; however, this may not be indicative of the actual cost to acquire inventory or new equipment that is added to product inventory or the rental fleets apart from a business acquisition. We also include an adjustment to remove the impact of accounting for certain of our rental contracts with customers containing a rental purchase option that are accounted for under GAAP as a sales-type lease. We include this adjustment because we believe continuing to reflect the transactions as an operating lease better reflects the economics of the transactions given our large portfolio of rental contracts. These, and other, adjustments to GAAP net income or loss that are applied to derive Adjusted EBITDA are specified by our senior secured credit agreements.

Adjusted Gross Profit. We present total gross profit excluding rental equipment depreciation ("Adjusted Gross Profit") as a non-GAAP financial performance measure. This measure differs from the GAAP definition of gross profit, as we do not include the impact of depreciation expense, which represents non-cash expense. We use this measure to evaluate operating margins and the effectiveness of the cost of our rental fleet.

Net Debt. We present the non-GAAP financial measure "Net Debt," which is total debt (the most comparable GAAP measure, calculated as current and long-term debt, excluding deferred financing fees, plus current and long-term finance lease obligations) minus cash and cash equivalents. We believe this non-GAAP measure is useful to investors to evaluate our financial position.

Net Leverage Ratio. Net leverage ratio is a non-GAAP performance measure used by management, and we believe it provides useful information to investors because it is an important measure to evaluate our debt levels and progress toward leverage targets, which is consistent with the manner our lenders and management use this measure. We define net leverage ratio as net debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA for the previous twelve-month period ("last twelve months," or "LTM").

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss), as adjusted for provision for income taxes, interest expense, net, depreciation of rental equipment and non-rental depreciation and amortization, and further adjusted for the impact of the fair value mark-up of acquired rental fleet, business acquisition and merger-related costs, including integration, the impact of accounting for certain of our rental contracts with customers that are accounted for under GAAP as sales-type lease and stock compensation expense. This non-GAAP measure is subject to certain limitations.

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