Spartan Motors Form 8-K - 10/23/08


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):  October 23, 2008

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 October 23, 2008, Spartan Motors, Inc. issued a press release concerning its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2008. The press release is attached to this Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and 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.

 

 

 

(d)

Exhibits:

 

 

 

 

 

99.1

Spartan Motors, Inc. Press Release dated October 23, 2008. 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:  October 23, 2008

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 October 23, 2008.

Spartan Motors Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K - 10/23/08

EXHIBIT 99.1

          SPARTAN MOTORS, INC.


1000 REYNOLDS RD.   CHARLOTTE, MI 48813   USA

TELEPHONE 517.543.6400   FACSIMILE 517.543.5403

Web Page - WWW.SPARTANMOTORS.COM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Spartan Motors Highlights Third Quarter Results

 

Net sales of $237.5 million, up 59.5% compared to third quarter 2007

 

Net earnings of $0.45 per diluted share, up 462.5% year-over-year

 

Return on invested capital of 35.3%, up 315.3% year-over-year

 

Gross margin of 18.1%, up 53.4% year-over-year

 

Consolidated backlog of $183.8 million

CHARLOTTE, Michigan, Oct. 23, 2008 - Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) reported its best third quarter in company history, with a nearly 60 percent year-over-year increase in revenues and a greater than five-fold increase in net earnings.

Third Quarter Results
Spartan reported record third quarter net earnings of $14.7 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, on net sales of $237.5 million for the quarter ended Sep. 30, 2008, compared with net earnings of $2.6 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, on net sales of $148.9 million in the same quarter of 2007.

Through the first nine months of 2008, Spartan's sales increased 57.1 percent and net earnings grew 144.6 percent compared to the nine-month period in 2007. The company posted net earnings of $1.22 per diluted share for the first nine months of 2008, compared with net earnings per diluted share of $0.50 in the same period of 2007. Spartan's results for the first nine months of 2008 already exceed its best annual results ever.

"This was an excellent quarter for Spartan, especially given the tumultuous national economic environment," said John Sztykiel, president and CEO of Spartan Motors. "Our market diversification and flexible manufacturing model continue to allow us to grow and profitably compete in difficult times. During the quarter, we ramped up production rapidly and efficiently to complete a sizable military order.

"Last year's third quarter was our first substantial ramp up of military production, and our year-over-year improvement in gross margin reflects how far we have come in production efficiencies. This scalable business model will serve us well in the coming quarters, as two of our core markets face challenges. The RV market is difficult and while we have initiatives in place, it is a very challenging environment.

"Our military role is evolving from a rapid production and deployment stage to a long-term sustainment and partnership model, marked by smaller volumes of a wider range of mine-protected variants. Emergency-rescue continues to be a great foundation with tremendous opportunity, and we are focused on growing our success via new product launches, conquering the emissions change in 2010, and capitalizing on the continued disarray among some of our competitors in the industry. Our service, parts and accessories business is growing across our three core markets as we become more effective at maximizing value there."

-more-




Spartan Motors / Page 2 of 8

Spartan reported gross margin of 18.1 percent in the third quarter of 2008, a 53.4 percent increase over the same period in 2007. Spartan attributed the year-over-year increase in gross profit to improved product mix, higher absorption of overhead due to increased sales and better production efficiencies for its specialty vehicle operations.

Spartan Motors reported consolidated backlog of approximately $183.8 million as of Sept. 30, 2008 and the company anticipates fulfilling its current backlog orders by July 2009.

Spartan Chassis
Sales at Spartan Chassis, the company's largest subsidiary and operating unit, increased 61.4 percent year-over year to $224.2 million for the current quarter. Spartan Chassis represented 94.4 percent of Spartan Motors' total consolidated sales in the 2008 third quarter, and third quarter earnings at Spartan Chassis improved 229.9 percent year-over-year.

Spartan's chassis sales to the Class A diesel motorhome market decreased 67.4 percent year-over-year in the quarter. Spartan's backlog for RV chassis decreased 65.2 percent year-over-year to $9.1 million as of Sept. 30, 2008. In comparison, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) is reporting 2008 wholesale Class A motorhome shipments are down 46.9 percent through August, the latest data available. Sales of fire truck chassis in the quarter increased 20.9 percent compared to the same period in 2007, and backlog for fire truck chassis at the end of the 2008 third quarter was $70.8 million, a 5.6 percent year-over-year increase.

Other products sales, including specialty chassis for MRAP military vehicles, and Spartan Chassis' growing service, parts and accessories (SPA) business, increased 179.4 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2008. Reflected in this sales increase is a production shift of a portion of a large military order from the second quarter 2008 to the third quarter 2008. Other products backlog, which does not include service parts, was $46.0 million as of Sept. 30, 2008, compared to other product backlog of $228.8 million for the same date in 2007.

Emergency Vehicle Team (EVTeam)
Spartan's EVTeam operating unit, consisting of its Crimson Fire, Crimson Fire Aerials and Road Rescue subsidiaries, reported a 13.7 percent year-over-year increase in sales for the 2008 third quarter, and represented 5.6 percent of total company-wide sales in the quarter. Though the unit posted a net loss for the quarter, the EVTeam reported a 60.6 percent improvement in segment bottom-line compared to the third quarter of 2007, driven by higher volumes and improved operating efficiencies.

"The ambulance business is especially exciting today, as industry forecasts indicate a 17 percent year-over-year increase in shipments in 2009," said Sztykiel. "For emergency-rescue in general, every 1.4 seconds there is a call for help in the U.S., regardless of conditions in the economy."

Financial Position
Spartan reported an operating cash flow use in the current quarter of $11.2 million. The company ended the quarter with $6.9 million in cash and cash equivalents, as well as $74.3 million in long-term debt, including $47.5 million borrowed under Spartan's line of credit.

"A large portion of our debt and operating cash flow use during the quarter was due to working capital needed for the production of a sizable military vehicle order," said Jim Knapp, chief financial officer of Spartan Motors. "Our balance sheet is healthy, we have already paid back all of our borrowings under the line of credit as of Oct. 22. We expect to continue to generate cash in the fourth quarter as we reduce working capital, putting us on strong financial ground moving into 2009."




Spartan Motors / Page 3 of 8

With the decline in the need for working capital, Spartan Motors will decrease its line of credit with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank from $75 million to $50 million by the end of 2008. In conjunction with this reduction, Spartan has negotiated an interest rate of 75 basis points over LIBOR for draws and a 20 basis point commitment fee on the unused portion of the line, with these rates/fees locked until the September 2010 maturity of the line of credit.

"The company took an opportunity to lock-in our borrowing costs under the line of credit until maturity. In return, we agreed to decrease the size of the line to eliminate unneeded capacity," said Knapp. "The result is we now have a right-sized line of credit with below current market rates for an extended period of time."

On a consolidated basis, Spartan posted a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 35.3 percent in the third quarter of 2008, compared to ROIC of 8.5 percent for the same quarter in 2007. Spartan defines return on invested capital as operating income less taxes, on an annualized basis, divided by total shareholders' equity.

Market Outlook
"The outlook for motorhome chassis remains uncertain, though there are indications that many dealers have reduced inventory to razor-thin levels, as the industry is reporting retail sales for Class A motorhomes are three times more than wholesale levels. This situation may bolster demand once the industry begins its eventual recovery," said Sztykiel. "Nonetheless, the motorhome chassis market is expected to be challenging over the next two to three quarters, and we have adjusted our operations accordingly.

"As we recently announced, we continue to see a number of smaller orders for mine-blast protected vehicles, and have expanded the number of MRAP variants using our products to more than 20 types of specialized vehicles operated by both the U.S. military and other allied militaries. We have also seen a significant growth of our service, parts and accessories business for military vehicles. The U.S. military currently plans for MRAPs to serve in its vehicle fleet beyond 2025.

"For our emergency-rescue business, we expect stable and consistent growth. We are also seeing increased interest in several of our new product introductions aimed at this market. Municipal spending is always a concern in difficult economic times, but we are pleased the Federal government is increasing spending for fire-rescue. The Federal government renewed funding for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, increasing it modestly to $565 million for 2009. In the past, these grants have driven 10 to 15 percent of industry fire trucks sales, and we expect this funding will help many municipalities purchase new vehicles.

Sztykiel concluded: "We are taking proactive steps to control our cost structure where markets dictate, though we are also positioned to take advantage of our opportunities for growth. Though economic turmoil is a concern for everyone, we are very pleased with our 2008 results. Looking ahead to the next two to three quarters, conditions will be difficult for the best of companies. Our strong balance sheet, coupled with our core capabilities - innovation, speed to market, flexibility, and service and support - have us well positioned to adapt and grow through tough industry and macro-economic conditions. As a company, we have been through uncertain times before, such as in 1991 and 2001, and each time we emerged even stronger. I expect this time will be no different."

Conference Call & Webcast
Spartan Motors will host a conference call for analysts and portfolio managers at 10 a.m. ET today to discuss these results and current business trends. To listen to a live webcast of the call, please visit www.spartanmotors.com, click on "Shareholders," and then on "Webcasts."





Spartan Motors / Page 4 of 8

About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com) designs, engineers and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance, emergency-rescue and specialty vehicle markets. The company's brand names - SpartanPTMP, Crimson FirePTMP, Crimson Fire AerialsPTMP, and Road RescuePTMP - are known for quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products. The company employs approximately 1,400 at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and South Dakota. Spartan reported sales of $681.9 million in 2007 and is focused on becoming the premier manufacturer of specialty vehicles and chassis in North America.

This release contains forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements concerning our business, future plans and objectives and the performance of our products. Forward looking statements are identifiable by words such as "believe," "anticipate," "will," "sustain," and "continue." These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that ultimately may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Technical complications may arise that could prevent the prompt implementation of the plans outlined above. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filing and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (available at http://www.sec.gov). Government contracts and subcontracts typically involve long payment and pur chase cycles, competitive bidding, qualification requirements, delays or changes in funding, extensive specification development and changes, price negotiations and milestone requirements. An announced award of a governmental contract is not equivalent to a finalized executed contract and does not assure that orders will be issued and filled. Government agencies also often retain some portion of fees payable upon completion of a project and collection of contract fees may be delayed for long periods, which can negatively impact both prime contractors and subcontractors. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.


CONTACT:

 

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

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











Spartan Motors / Page 5 of 8



Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 



 

September 30,
2008

 

December 31,
2007

 

$-000-


 


$-000-


 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

   Cash and cash equivalents

$

6,854

 

$

13,527

   Accounts receivable, net

 

152,305

 

 

132,907

   Inventories

 

102,090

 

 

103,076

   Deferred income tax assets

 

6,925

 

 

6,925

   Other current assets

 


2,318


 


 


1,978


      Total current assets

 

270,492

 

 

258,413

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

66,226

 

 

56,673

Goodwill

 

2,457

 

 

2,457

Deferred income tax assets

 

775

 

 

775

Other assets

 


208


 


 


346


Total assets

$


340,158


 


$


318,664


 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

   Accounts payable

$

53,372

 

$

90,769

   Accrued warranty

 

9,687

 

 

10,824

   Accrued compensation and related taxes

 

15,848

 

 

10,431

   Accrued vacation

 

1,918

 

 

1,758

   Accrued customer rebates

 

2,176

 

 

1,963

   Deposits from customers

 

6,905

 

 

5,540

   Taxes on income

 

665

 

 

551

   Other current liabilities and accrued expenses

 

4,178

 

 

3,367

   Current portion of long-term debt

 


524


 


 


522


      Total current liabilities

 

95,273

 

 

125,725

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

1,069

 

 

1,025

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

74,302

 

 

62,696

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

   Common stock

 

327

 

 

324

   Additional paid in capital

 

64,706

 

 

62,648

   Retained earnings

 


104,481


 


 


66,246


      Total shareholders' equity

 

169,514

 

 

129,218

 

 


 


 


 


 


Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$


340,158


 


$


318,664





Spartan Motors / Page 6 of 8



Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
Three Months Ended September 30, 2008 and 2007

 


 

September 30, 2008

 

September 30, 2007

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

237,461

 

 

 

148,891

 

 

 

Cost of Products Sold

194,496


 


 


 


131,316


 


 


 

Gross Profit

42,965


 


18.1


 


17,575


 


11.8


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Research and Development

5,216

 

2.2

 

3,840

 

2.6

 

   Selling, General and Administrative

15,701


 


6.6


 


9,690


 


6.5


 

Total Operating Expenses

20,917

 

8.8

 

13,530

 

9.1

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

22,048


 


9.3


 


4,045


 


2.7


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Interest Expense

(642

)

(0.2

)

(235

)

(0.1

)

   Interest and Other Income

331


 


0.1


 


190


 


0.1


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

(311

)

(0.1

)

(45

)

(0.0

)

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes on Income

21,737


 


9.2


 


4,000


 


2.7


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes on Income

7,081

 

3.0

 

1,430

 

1.0

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

14,656


 


6.2


 


2,570


 


1.7


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.46


 


 


 


0.08


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.45


 


 


 


0.08


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,017

 

 

 

32,200

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,335

 

 

 

32,862

 

 

 




Spartan Motors / Page 7 of 8



Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
NineMonths Ended September 30, 2008 and 2007

 


 

September 30, 2008

 

September 30, 2007

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

698,076

 

 

 

444,356

 

 

 

Cost of Products Sold

580,733


 


 


 


378,077


 


 


 

Gross Profit

117,343


 


16.8


 


66,279


 


14.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Research and Development

14,646

 

2.1

 

11,326

 

2.5

 

   Selling, General and Administrative

41,127


 


5.9


 


28,241


 


6.5


 

Total Operating Expenses

55,773

 

8.0

 

40,167

 

9.0

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

61,570


 


8.8


 


26,112


 


5.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Interest Expense

(1,811

)

(0.3

)

(918

)

(0.2

)

   Interest and Other Income

623


 


0.1


 


520


 


0.1


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

(1,188

)

(0.2

)

(398

)

(0.1

)

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes on Income

60,382


 


8.6


 


25,714


 


5.8


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes on Income

20,530

 

2.9

 

9,421

 

2.1

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

39,852


 


5.7


 


16,293


 


3.7


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

1.25


 


 


 


0.51


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

1.22


 


 


 


0.50


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

31,982

 

 

 

31,927

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,510

 

 

 

32,582

 

 

 




Spartan Motors / Page 8 of 8



Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Sales and Other Financial Information by Business Segment
Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2008


Three Months Ended September 30, 2008 (amounts in thousands of dollars)


 

 

Business Segments


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis


EVTeam


 


Other


 


Consolidated


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorhome Chassis Sales

15,800

 

 

 

 

15,800

 

Fire Truck Chassis Sales

33,664

 

 

(9,181

)

24,483

 

EVTeam Product Sales

 

22,400

 

 

 

22,400

 

Other Product Sales

174,778


 


 


 


 


174,778


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Net Sales

224,242


22,400


 


(9,181


)


237,461


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest Expense

3

390

 

249

 

642

 

Depreciation Expense

758

291

 

509

 

1,558

 

Segment Net Earnings (Loss)

17,771

(636

)

(2,479

)

14,656

 


Nine Months Ended September 30, 2008 (amounts in thousands of dollars)


 

 

Business Segments


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis


EVTeam


 


Other


 


Consolidated


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorhome Chassis Sales

84,151

 

 

 

 

84,151

 

Fire Truck Chassis Sales

89,028

 

 

(20,889

)

68,139

 

EVTeam Product Sales

 

68,659

 

 

 

68,659

 

Other Product Sales

477,127


 


 


 


 


477,127


 

Total Net Sales

650,306


68,659


 


(20,889


)


698,076


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest Expense

16

1,160

 

635

 

1,811

 

Depreciation Expense

1,996

869

 

1,429

 

4,294

 

Segment Net Earnings (Loss)

46,848

(1,786

)

(5,210

)

39,852

 


Period End Backlog (amounts in thousands of dollars)


 

Sept. 30, 2007


Dec. 31, 2007


Mar. 31, 2008


June 30, 2008


Sept. 30, 2008


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Motorhome Chassis *

26,097

 

27,312

 

17,465

 

12,533

 

9,069

 

   Fire Truck Chassis *

67,071

 

60,374

 

70,720

 

75,931

 

70,815

 

   Other Product *

228,803


 


199,362


 


166,457


 


188,665


 


46,038


 

      Total Chassis

321,971

 

287,048

 

254,642

 

277,129

 

125,922

 

   EVTeam Product *

61,178


 


51,316


 


49,975


 


43,094


 


57,850


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Backlog

383,149


 


338,364


 


304,617


 


320,223


 


183,772


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Anticipated time to fill backlog orders; 2 months or less for motorhome chassis and 10 months or less for fire truck chassis, other product and EVTeam product.