Quarterly net earnings growth of 24 percent year-over-year, driven by marked expansion in operating income

Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN), a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, today announced results for its second quarter ended on February 28, 2023.

Key Highlights

• Second quarter net earnings increased 24 percent to $18.1 million and EPS improved to $1.63
• Irrigation operating income increased 33 percent despite lower revenues
• Infrastructure operating income improves on increased Road Zipper System^® lease revenue

“We are pleased with the significant earnings improvement we achieved in the second quarter, as we were able to deliver expanded profitability despite a decline in our top line compared to last year,” said Randy Wood, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Lower revenues in our irrigation business were due to international project business in the prior year that did not repeat as well as seasonal volume shifts in North America and Brazil. However, improved price realization as a result of commercial pricing actions and reduced inflationary headwinds compared to the prior year contributed to operating income growth and margin expansion in both of our business segments."

"Our teams around the world continue to adapt to dynamic market conditions and remain focused on serving our customers, improving the quality of our business and driving innovation and value creation though our advanced technologies."

Second Quarter Summary

Revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 were $166.2 million, a decrease of $33.9 million, or 17 percent, compared to revenues of $200.1 million in the prior year second quarter. Almost all of the decrease came from the irrigation segment as infrastructure revenues were down slightly.

Operating income for the quarter was $27.3 million, an increase of $9.0 million, or 49 percent, compared to operating income of $18.3 million in the prior year second quarter. Operating margin was 16.4 percent of sales, expanding 720 basis points compared to 9.2 percent of sales in the prior year quarter. The operating margin expansion was driven by strong gross margin improvement in both of our business segments. The increase was partially offset by higher operating expenses compared to the prior year second quarter, including higher employee compensation costs and increased investments in new product development.

Net earnings for the quarter were $18.1 million, or $1.63 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $14.6 million, or $1.32 per diluted share, for the prior year second quarter. The improved net earnings performance was largely driven by increased operating income and was partially offset by foreign currency transaction losses in the current year compared to gains in the prior year and from higher income tax expense.

Second Quarter Segment Results

Irrigation segment revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 were $147.8 million, a decrease of $32.9 million, or 18 percent, compared to $180.7 million in the prior year second quarter. North America irrigation revenues of $90.4 million decreased $10.3 million, or 10 percent, compared to the prior year second quarter. The top-line decrease resulted from lower unit sales volumes as the prior year quarter experienced a pull forward of orders in advance of announced selling price increases, while the second quarter of 2023 reflected a return to a more traditional seasonal demand cadence. The impact of lower unit sales volumes compared to the prior year was partially offset by the positive impact of higher average selling prices.

International irrigation revenues of $57.4 million decreased $22.6 million, or 28 percent, compared to the prior year second quarter. The decrease resulted primarily from the completion of a large project in the prior year that did not repeat and lower sales volumes in Brazil, Ukraine and Russia compared to the prior year second quarter. Sales and order activity in Brazil were temporarily reduced as a result of the federal government transition following the October 2022 presidential election.

Irrigation segment operating income for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 was $32.8 million, an increase of $8.1 million, or 33 percent, compared to the prior year second quarter. Operating margin was 22.2 percent of sales, compared to 13.7 percent of sales in the prior year second quarter. Increased operating income and the 850 basis points of operating margin expansion was driven primarily by improved price realization, lower inflationary impact on input costs and a more favorable sales mix of international irrigation revenues compared to the prior year second quarter.

Infrastructure segment revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 were $18.5 million, a decrease of $0.9 million, or 5 percent, compared to $19.4 million in the prior year second quarter. An increase in Road Zipper System lease revenue was more than offset by lower sales of road safety products compared to the prior year second quarter. Road Zipper project sales were similar to the prior year second quarter.

Infrastructure segment operating income for the second quarter of fiscal 2023 was $2.0 million, an increase of $1.7 million or 523 percent compared to the prior year second quarter. Operating margin was 10.9 percent of sales, expanding meaningfully compared to 1.7 percent of sales in the prior year second quarter. Increased operating profit and operating margin resulted from a more favorable margin mix of revenue, improved price realization and lower inflationary impact on input costs compared to the prior year second quarter.

The backlog of unfilled orders as of February 28, 2023, was $95.2 million compared with $111.0 million on February 28, 2022. The irrigation backlog is lower while the infrastructure backlog is higher compared to the prior year.

Outlook

Mr. Wood concluded, “We are encouraged by the earnings and operating income results captured through the first half of our fiscal year, and we continue to see strength in U.S. net farm income. While domestic net farm income is projected to decline in 2023 from record levels in 2022, overall income remains at a historically high level and we believe it is supportive of continued investment in irrigation equipment. Demand strength across our international markets continues to be supported by expanded production driven by positive agricultural market fundamentals and continuing global concerns over food security and global grain supplies. Looking ahead to the balance of the year, we expect some impact from the market delays in Brazil to continue into our third quarter, however our full year outlook remains unchanged."

“We remain encouraged with the outlook for our infrastructure business due to anticipated increases in U.S. infrastructure spending and the strength of our sales funnel. While the timing of project execution can be difficult to predict, we will continue to actively manage the projects in our sales funnel and believe we are positioned to support continued growth in the infrastructure segment.”

Second Quarter Conference Call

Lindsay’s fiscal 2023 second quarter investor conference call is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time today. Interested investors may participate in the call by dialing (833) 535-2202 in the U.S., or (412) 902-6745 internationally, and requesting the Lindsay Corporation call. Additionally, the conference call will be simulcast live on the Internet and can be accessed via the investor relations section of the Company's Web site, www.lindsay.com. Replays of the conference call will remain on our Web site through the next quarterly earnings release. The Company will have a slide presentation available to augment management's formal presentation, which will also be accessible via the Company's Web site.

About the Company

Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN) is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology. Established in 1955, the company has been at the forefront of research and development of innovative solutions to meet the food, fuel, fiber and transportation needs of the world’s rapidly growing population. The Lindsay family of irrigation brands includes Zimmatic^® center pivot and lateral move agricultural irrigation systems, FieldNET^® remote irrigation management and scheduling technology, and industrial IoT solutions. Also a global leader in the transportation industry, Lindsay Transportation Solutions manufactures equipment to improve road safety and keep traffic moving on the world’s roads, bridges and tunnels, through the Barrier Systems^®, Road Zipper^® and Snoline™ brands. For more information about Lindsay Corporation, visit www.lindsay.com.

Concerning Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and which reflect management’s current beliefs and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, Company performance and financial results. You can find a discussion of many of these risks and uncertainties in the annual, quarterly and current reports that the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations and planned financing of the Company and those statements preceded by, followed by or including the words “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend,” "expect," "outlook," "could," "may," "should," “will,” or similar expressions. For these statements, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release.

The Company manages its business activities in two reportable segments as follows:

Irrigation - This reporting segment includes the manufacture and marketing of center pivot, lateral move, and hose reel irrigation systems, as well as various innovative technology solutions such as GPS positioning and guidance, variable rate irrigation, remote irrigation management and scheduling technology, irrigation consulting and design and industrial IoT solutions.

Infrastructure – This reporting segment includes the manufacture and marketing of movable barriers, specialty barriers, crash cushions and end terminals, and road marking and road safety equipment.

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