Spartan Motors Form 8-K - 02/16/06



UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  February 16, 2006

SPARTAN MOTORS, INC
(Exact name of registrant as
specified in its charter)

 

Michigan
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)

0-13611
(Commission
File Number)

38-2078923
(IRS Employer
Identification no.)

 



1165 Reynolds Road
Charlotte, Michigan

(Address of principal executive offices)

 


48813
(Zip Code)

 

Registrant's telephone number,
including area code:  (517) 543-6400

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))






Item 2.02

Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

          On February 16, 2006, Spartan Motors, Inc. issued the press release attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K, which is here incorporated by reference. This Report and the Exhibit are furnished to, and not filed with, the Commission.


Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

 

 

(c)

Exhibits:

 

 

 

 

 

99.1

Spartan Motors, Inc. Press Release dated February 16, 2006. This Exhibit is furnished to, and not filed with, the Commission.











2


SIGNATURES

                    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



 

SPARTAN MOTORS, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:  February 16, 2006

By  /s/ James W. Knapp


 

     James W. Knapp
     Chief Financial Officer














3


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number

 

                     Document

 

 

 

99.1

 

Spartan Motors, Inc. Press Release dated February 16, 2006.












4

Spartan Motors, Inc. Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K - 02-16-06


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Spartan Motors Reports Increased Earnings for Fourth Quarter
Record Emergency Rescue Orders Grow Sales and Backlog For 2005

CHARLOTTE, Michigan, February 16, 2006 - Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) today reported a 41.0 percent increase in net earnings for the year ended December 31, 2005, bolstered by increased profits in the fourth quarter. Spartan said increased sales of its fire truck chassis and fire trucks, along with revenue from its military vehicles contract, were the main growth drivers for the quarter and year.

Spartan Motors, a leading manufacturer of custom motorhome chassis, fire truck chassis and emergency-rescue vehicles, reported earnings of $986,000, or $0.08 per diluted share, on net sales of $75.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with net earnings of $395,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, on net sales of $80.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2004.

The most recent quarterly results were Spartan Motors' fourth consecutive quarter of improved earnings when compared to the same quarter of the prior year, reflecting the strength of its largest operating unit, Spartan Chassis, as well as continued improvement at its other subsidiary companies.

For the year ended December 31, 2005, Spartan reported a 41.0 percent increase in profits, posting net earnings of $8.3 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, on record net sales of $343.0 million, compared with net earnings of $5.9 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, on net sales of $312.3 million for the prior year.

The Company said it had record orders for the year for fire truck chassis and fire trucks, as well as a strong backlog across the board. Consolidated backlog was $167.8 million as of December 31, 2005, compared with backlog of $146.7 million at the end of the third quarter of 2005 and $117.6 million at the end of the prior year's fourth quarter, a 42 percent increase year-over-year. Spartan Motors anticipates filling all of its current backlog orders by December 31, 2006.

Spartan Chassis, the company's largest operating subsidiary, reported improved earnings and profitability for the fourth quarter compared to the prior year, driven by increased sales of fire truck chassis and military vehicle chassis. This gain during the quarter was somewhat offset by softer sales of recreational vehicle (RV) chassis and a loss at Spartan's Emergency Vehicle Team (EVTeam), though the team cut its loss nearly 40 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2004. Spartan's EVTeam consists of its Crimson Fire, Crimson Fire Aerials and Road Rescue subsidiaries.

"On the whole, we are pleased with the progress we made this year, especially considering that the RV market had a soft year," said John Sztykiel, president and CEO of Spartan Motors. "Our core Spartan Chassis business continues to perform very well with increased sales, profitability and record orders for fire truck chassis for the year. It also benefited from the military contract with Force Protection, Inc. for the Cougar military vehicle."


-more-





Spartan Motors / Page 2 of 6


"At the same time, because of softer market conditions, our sales for RV chassis for 2005 were slightly less than last year," Sztykiel said. "However, we did gain profitable market share as evidenced by the fact unit shipments of Class A motorhomes were down 18.1 percent while our RV unit shipments declined by only 2.3 percent. We expect our RV chassis sales in 2006 to outpace 2005 because of our increased motorhome model presence and an overall improvement in the RV market. The EVTeam as a whole is on track to substantially reduce its loss in 2006 compared to 2005, as each of its company moves toward profitability within its own timeframe."

Spartan reported its gross margin improved to 14.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with 11.9 percent for the same period in 2004, due to operating improvements as well as better pricing to match material cost increases. Likewise, operating margin also improved to 1.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with 1.1 percent in the same quarter of 2004.

Spartan Chassis
Net earnings at Spartan Chassis improved 23.9 percent in the quarter compared to the same period of the prior year, while sales declined by 9.2 percent, primarily due to a 33.7 percent decline in sales of recreational vehicle (RV) chassis compared to last year's fourth quarter. Spartan Chassis reported a 48.1 percent increase in sales of its fire truck chassis in the fourth quarter, and gained additional revenue from the Cougar military vehicle, which is currently in use by the U.S. military in Iraq.

"We had another good quarter and an excellent year at Spartan Chassis," Sztykiel said. "Our improved product quality, delivery time, marketing, design and customer service, as well as increased federal spending in the emergency-rescue market, allowed us to capture market share for our fire truck chassis. In our micro-niche products, we gained additional revenue from the Cougar contract and expect this to continue into early 2006.

"As expected, RV chassis sales were softer in the fourth quarter, primarily because of the current downturn in the RV market. Based on the record number of motorhome models at the most recent RVIA trade show that featured a Spartan chassis, it is clear to us that we have improved our market position. We remain optimistic that the RV market will begin recovering in mid-2006 as consumer confidence rises and fuel prices stabilize."

Emergency Vehicle Team (EVTeam)
Spartan's EVTeam posted a loss for the fourth quarter of 2005, though net sales increased 22.9 percent compared to the prior year's fourth quarter. Crimson Fire reported a 20.0 percent increase in sales over last year's fourth quarter, while Crimson Fire Aerials increased sales by 94.5 percent and Road Rescue improved its sales by 21.2 percent.

"We saw improvement at all three EVTeam companies in the fourth quarter and the group as a whole made great strides operationally," Sztykiel said. "Crimson Fire had record orders for the year, creating a strong backlog, and both Crimson Fire and Road Rescue reported improved gross margin in the quarter.

"All three companies have stabilized operating expenses on higher sales. Moving into 2006, we expect improved results from market share gains, efficiency improvements and as higher-priced units move through the backlog. We expect that when Crimson Fire, Crimson Fire Aerials and Road Rescue achieve their 2006 sales targets, it will be 80 percent higher than their revenues in 2004. The EVTeam's growth engine is now in gear to drive profitability."






Spartan Motors / Page 3 of 6


Financial Highlights
On a consolidated basis, Spartan posted a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2005, compared with ROIC of 1.8 percent in the same quarter in 2004. Spartan said ROIC was 10.4 percent for the full year 2005 compared with 8.4 percent in 2004. (Spartan defines return on invested capital as operating income, less taxes, on an annualized basis, divided by total shareholders' equity.)

The Company also posted a consolidated return on equity (ROE) of 11.8 percent in 2005, compared with 9.1 percent in 2004. (Spartan defines return on equity as net income on an annualized basis, divided by average total shareholders' equity.) Spartan's balance sheet remains strong, and the company ended the quarter with $11.7 million in cash, cash equivalents and investment securities.

"Looking ahead to 2006, we are focused on achieving year-over-year top and bottom line growth through superior people, products and processes," said Sztykiel. "Based on our market share penetration, we expect to build more RV chassis in 2006 than we did in 2005. We also expect to see continued results from our fire truck chassis, new opportunities in micro-niche markets and increased sales and significant operational improvement from the EVTeam."

Conference Call, Webcast and Presentation
Spartan Motors will host a conference call for analysts and portfolio managers at 10 a.m. EST today to discuss these results and current business trends. To listen to a live webcast of the call, please visit http://www.spartanmotors.com/webcasts.asp.

About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com) designs, engineers and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance and emergency-rescue markets. The Company's brand names - SpartanTM, Crimson FireTM, Crimson Fire AerialsTM, and Road RescueTM - are known in their market niches for quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products. The Company employs approximately 900 at facilities in Michigan, Alabama, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota. Spartan Motors is publicly traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the ticker symbol SPAR.


The statements contained in this news release include certain predictions and projections that may be considered "forward-looking statements" under the securities laws. These forward-looking statements are identifiable by words or phrases indicating that the Company or management "expects," "believes" or is "confident" that a particular result "may" or "should" occur, that a particular item "bodes well," that the Company "looks forward" to a particular result, or similar statements. These statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting the Company's operations, markets, products, services and prices. Accounting estimates are inherently forward-looking. Additional information about these and other factors that may adversely affect these forward-looking statements are contained in the Company's reports and filings with the Securities and Exch ange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect developments or information obtained after the date of this news release.

###


CONTACT:

John Sztykiel, CEO, or Jim Knapp, CFO
Spartan Motors, Inc.
(517) 543-6400

Ryan McGrath, Jeff Lambert
Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Inc.
(616) 233-0500 / rmcgrath@lambert-edwards.com





Spartan Motors / Page 4 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Three Months Ended December 31, 2005 and 2004
 

 



 

December 31, 2005

 

December 31, 2004

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

75,450

 

 

 

80,291

 

 

 

Cost of Sales

64,301


 


 


 


70,744


 


 


 

Gross Profit

11,149


 


14.8


 


9,547


 


11.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Research and Development

2,579

 

3.4

 

2,189

 

2.7

 

   Selling, General and Administrative

7,164


 


9.5


 


6,514


 


8.1


 

Total Operating Expenses

9,743

 

12.9

 

8,703

 

10.8

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

1,406


 


1.9


 


844


 


1.1


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Interest Expense

(35

)

(0.0

)

(60

)

(0.1

)

   Interest and Other Income

276


 


0.3


 


152


 


0.2


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

241

 

0.3

 

92

 

0.1

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes

1,647


 


2.2


 


936


 


1.2


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes

661

 

0.9

 

541

 

0.7

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

986


 


1.3


 


395


 


0.5


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.08


 


 


 


0.03


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.08


 


 


 


0.03


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

12,638

 

 

 

12,511

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

12,861

 

 

 

12,884

 

 

 







Spartan Motors / Page 5 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2005 and 2004
 

 



 

December 31, 2005

 

December 31, 2004

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

343,007

 

 

 

312,270

 

 

 

Cost of Sales

294,232


 


 


 


270,891


 


 


 

Gross Profit

48,775


 


14.2


 


41,379


 


13.3


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Research and Development

9,431

 

2.7

 

7,944

 

2.5

 

   Selling, General and Administrative

26,693


 


7.8


 


24,450


 


7.9


 

Total Operating Expenses

36,124

 

10.5

 

32,394

 

10.4

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

12,651


 


3.7


 


8,985


 


2.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Interest Expense

(141

)

(0.0

)

(366

)

(0.1

)

   Interest and Other Income

859


 


0.2


 


575


 


0.1


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

718

 

0.2

 

209

 

0.0

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes

13,369


 


3.9


 


9,194


 


2.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes

5,077

 

1.5

 

3,312

 

1.0

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

8,292


 


2.4


 


5,882


 


1.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.66


 


 


 


0.48


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.65


 


 


 


0.46


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

12,559

 

 

 

12,351

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

12,809

 

 

 

12,743

 

 

 







Spartan Motors / Page 6 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
 

 



 

December 31, 2005

 

December 31, 2004

 

 

$-000


 


$-000


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Cash and cash equivalents

$

9,702

 

$

10,463

 

   Short-term investments

 

1,988

 

 

1,507

 

   Accounts receivable, net

 

37,017

 

 

32,359

 

   Inventories

 

44,265

 

 

32,442

 

   Taxes receivable

 

990

 

 

1,957

 

   Other current assets

 


5,694


 


 


4,488


 

      Total current assets

 

99,656

 

 

83,216

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

18,478

 

 

18,239

 

Goodwill, net

 

4,543

 

 

4,543

 

Other assets

 

531

 

 

915

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 

Total assets

$


123,208


 


$


106,913


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Accounts payable

$

20,746

 

$

19,248

 

   Other current liabilities and accrued expenses

 

4,609

 

 

3,397

 

   Accrued warranty

 

4,503

 

 

3,671

 

   Accrued vacation, compensation and related taxes

 

5,332

 

 

4,352

 

   Deposits from customers

 

13,640

 

 

8,588

 

   Current portion of long-term debt

 


53


 


 


6


 

      Total current liabilities

 

48,883

 

 

39,262

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

1,317

 

 

140

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

309

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Preferred stock

 

 

 

 

-  

 

   Common stock

 

126

 

 

125

 

   Additional paid in capital

 

37,983

 

 

36,211

 

   Retained earnings

 

35,448

 

 

31,182

 

   Unearned compensation

 

(846

)

 

-  

 

   Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 


(12


)


 


(7


)

      Total shareholders' equity

 

72,699

 

 

67,511

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$


123,208


 


$


106,913