Spartan Motors Form 8-K - 04/28/09


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):  April 28, 2009

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 April 28, 2009, Spartan Motors, Inc. issued a press release concerning its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. 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 April 28, 2009. 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:  April 28, 2009

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 April 28, 2009.

Spartan Motors, Inc., Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K - 04-28-09

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 Reports First Quarter Results

CHARLOTTE, Michigan, April 28, 2009 - Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) reported its first quarter operating results, highlighted by increased sales and orders for its emergency rescue products in difficult economic conditions.

For the first quarter ended March 31, 2009, Spartan reported:

 

Net earnings of $0.19 per diluted share

 

Net sales of $115.5 million

 

Gross margin of 22.6% of sales

 

Return on invested capital of 14.0%

 

Consolidated backlog of $217.5 million

First Quarter Results
Spartan reported first quarter net earnings of $6.1 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, on net sales of $115.5 million, compared with net earnings of $14.8 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, on net sales of $264.1 million in the same quarter of 2008. The decline in revenue is a result of lower sales of vehicles to the defense industry and a sharp decline in the RV market.

Spartan reported consolidated gross margin of 22.6 percent of sales in the first quarter of 2009, a 46.8 percent increase over the same period in 2008 and a 7.1 percent increase over its gross margin in the fourth quarter of 2008. Spartan attributed the gross margin increase to improved product mix that includes more sales related to service, parts and assemblies. Gross margins as a percentage of sales have consistently risen for four quarters in a row, a result of the company's adherence to lean initiatives across its subsidiary companies and product mix diversification.

"The first quarter was another representation of how our diversified multiple-market strategy, along with our market, operational and strategic agility, will enable Spartan to profitably weather tough economic conditions while positioning the company for future growth," said John Sztykiel, president and CEO of Spartan Motors. "From a consolidated perspective, the recreational vehicle business continues to be difficult and the next large-scale mine-protected defense vehicle ramp-up is still several months away. Yet, sales of fire truck chassis increased year-over-year, the EVTeam as a whole was profitable in the quarter and consolidated gross margin as a percentage of sales continues to increase. Emergency-rescue remains Spartan's largest, most stable market, and we expect continuous growth based on increased market share and new product and innovation initiatives."

Spartan Chassis
Sales at Spartan Chassis, the company's largest subsidiary and operating unit, decreased 60.0 percent year-over year to $98.2 million for the current quarter. Spartan Chassis represented 85.0 percent of Spartan Motors' total consolidated sales in the 2009 first quarter.

-more-




Spartan Motors / Page 2 of 6

Spartan Chassis' net earnings declined 59.8 percent year-over-year in the quarter, due primarily to the decline in sales.

Sales of fire truck chassis in the 2009 first quarter increased 11.8 percent compared to the same period in 2008, and backlog for fire truck chassis as of March 31, 2009 was $98.0 million, a 38.6 percent year-over-year increase. The company reported increased demand for fire truck chassis, due in part to increased demand from changes to industry safety regulations and the 2010 engine emission standards

Spartan Chassis' sales to the Class A diesel motorhome market decreased 91.7 percent year-over-year in the quarter, while backlog for RV chassis decreased 75.0 percent year-over-year to $4.4 million as of March 31, 2009.

"As expected, the outlook for motorhomes remains difficult," said Sztykiel. "We already have appropriately scaled our operations to match demand in the second half of 2009. We believe we have positioned ourselves to weather the storm until the industry eventually recovers. Spartan is continuing new product development and engineering innovations for motorhome chassis, some of which we plan to debut at the RVIA trade show later in 2009."

Other Products sales, including specialty chassis for mine-resistant defense vehicles, and the company's service, parts and assemblies (SPA) business, decreased 65.2 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2009, reflecting the completion of several large orders for military customers in the second half of 2008. Other Products backlog, which for the first time includes backlog for SPA of $47.8 million, was $55.8 million as of March 31, 2009, compared to $166.5 million at the end of the 2008 first quarter, and compared to $8.5 million at the end of the 2008 fourth quarter.

Emergency Vehicle Team (EVTeam)
Spartan's EVTeam operating unit, consisting of its Crimson Fire, Crimson Fire Aerials and Road Rescue subsidiaries, reported operating income of $395 thousand in the 2009 first quarter, compared to an operating loss of $365 thousand in the same quarter of 2008. Spartan attributed the profitability of the EVTeam as a whole to improved operating efficiencies within the subsidiaries. Backlog for the EVTeam was $83.3 million as of March 31, 2009, a 35.3 percent year-over-year increase.

Financial Position
Spartan reported positive operating cash flow of $15.1 million in the current quarter and the company ended the first quarter with $27.2 million in cash and cash equivalents, as well as $16.4 million in long-term debt.

Spartan reported it has repurchased 140,738 shares of its common stock in the open market since January 2009, reflecting the company's belief that the stock is undervalued. The company completed the recent share buyback at an average price of $3.09 per share. This repurchase is the first under the board-authorized one million-share buyback program announced in July 2008.

"Our cash generation gives us the flexibility to pursue multiple avenues to create shareholder value, such as investing in the business, buying back stock or evaluating strategic opportunities," said Chief Financial Officer Jim Knapp. "The board believes our share price is trading at a discount in relation to our long-term earnings potential, balance sheet strength and diversified product and end-market mix."

On a consolidated basis, Spartan posted a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 14.0 percent in the first quarter of 2009, compared to ROIC of 42.6 percent for the same quarter in 2008, and 7.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. Spartan defines return on invested capital as operating income less taxes, on an annualized basis, divided by total shareholders' equity.




Spartan Motors / Page 3 of 6

Market Outlook
In line with management's previously communicated outlook, Spartan reported it continues to expect its consolidated 2009 results to be less than 2008 because of market and macro-economic conditions, as well as a reduction in specialty vehicle sales, primarily related to large-scale defense contracts. However, Spartan reiterated that the potential for significant orders from the defense industry remains.

"Our order intake for emergency rescue products increased in the 2009 first quarter, due largely to the influx of orders received by OEMs in the 2008 fourth quarter, which was driven by changes to industry safety regulations," said Sztykiel. "Longer term, there are trends that indicate steadily increasing demand for emergency-rescue products, regardless of the economic conditions, and we are investing in R&D and unveiling new products to address this long-term demand.

"The Pentagon has indicated it plans to order between 2,000 and 10,000 of M-ATV vehicles starting later this year, though we don't expect clarity on specific orders until May or June. We believe Spartan's production capacity will be an asset for any future production runs of M-ATVs, as well as our proven capabilities in speed-to-market, manufacturing flexibility, on-time delivery, product performance and service, parts and support. We continue to produce smaller orders of specialized mine-resistant variants for the U.S. military and other nations, such as the ILAV vehicles.

"We expect to enter several new strategic markets over the next 18 months. In closing, we will not just weather 2009, but this year will position us for future growth into 2010 and beyond," Sztykiel concluded.

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."

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 - SpartanTM, Crimson FireTM, Crimson Fire AerialsTM, and Road RescueTM - are known for quality, value, service and being the first to market with innovative products. The company employs approximately 1,200 at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and South Dakota. Spartan reported sales of $844.4 million in 2008 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 4 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

 



 

March 31,
2009

 

December 31,
2008

 

$-000-


 


$-000-


 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

   Cash and cash equivalents

$

27,224

 

$

13,741

   Accounts receivable, net

 

71,376

 

 

75,935

   Inventories

 

89,495

 

 

86,648

   Deferred income tax assets

 

7,076

 

 

7,076

   Deposits on engines

 

5,457

 

 

5,457

   Other current assets

 


2,506


 


 


2,606


      Total current assets

 

203,134

 

 

191,463

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

65,780

 

 

66,786

Goodwill

 

2,457

 

 

2,457

Deferred income tax assets

 

241

 

 

241

Other assets

 


1,160


 


 


193


Total assets

$


272,772


 


$


261,140


 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

   Accounts payable

$

32,201

 

$

21,776

   Accrued warranty

 

7,463

 

 

8,352

   Accrued compensation and related taxes

 

6,534

 

 

12,136

   Accrued vacation

 

2,135

 

 

1,904

   Accrued customer rebates

 

1,244

 

 

1,498

   Deposits from customers

 

11,275

 

 

9,922

   Taxes on income

 

2,051

 

 

1,972

   Other current liabilities and accrued expenses

 

4,181

 

 

4,584

   Current portion of long-term debt

 


10,518


 


 


10,640


      Total current liabilities

 

77,602

 

 

72,784

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

2,192

 

 

1,157

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

16,426

 

 

16,556

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

   Common stock

 

325

 

 

326

   Additional paid in capital

 

64,613

 

 

64,606

   Retained earnings

 


111,614


 


 


105,711


      Total shareholders' equity

 

176,552

 

 

170,643

 

 


 


 


 


 


Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$


272,772


 


$


261,140





Spartan Motors / Page 5 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
Three Months Ended March 31, 2009 and 2008

 



 

March 31, 2009

 

March 31, 2008

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

115,498

 

 

 

264,095

 

 

 

Cost of Products Sold

89,376


 


 


 


223,465


 


 


 

Gross Profit

26,122


 


22.6


 


40,630


 


15.4


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Research and Development

4,760

 

4.1

 

4,688

 

1.8

 

   Selling, General and Administrative

12,008


 


10.4


 


12,540


 


4.7


 

Total Operating Expenses

16,768

 

14.5

 

17,228

 

6.5

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

9,354


 


8.1


 


23,402


 


8.9


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Interest Expense

(325

)

(0.3

)

(732

)

(0.3

)

   Interest and Other Income

216


 


0.2


 


93


 


(0.0


)

Total Other Income (Expense)

(109

)

(0.1

)

(639

)

(0.3

)

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes on Income

9,245


 


8.0


 


22,763


 


8.6


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes on Income

3,186

 

2.8

 

7,982

 

3.0

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

6,059


 


5.2


 


14,781


 


5.6


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.19


 


 


 


0.46


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.19


 


 


 


0.46


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,225

 

 

 

31,933

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,293

 

 

 

32,292

 

 

 




Spartan Motors / Page 6 of 6


Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Sales and Other Financial Information by Business Segment
Three Months Ended March 31, 2009


Three Months Ended March 31, 2009 ($000s)


 

 

Business Segments


 

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis


EVTeam


 


Other


 


Consolidated


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Truck Chassis Sales

33,249

 

 

(4,182

)

29,067

 

Motorhome Chassis Sales

3,172

 

 

 

 

3,172

 

EVTeam Product Sales

 

23,501

 

(1,971

)

21,530

 

Other Product Sales

61,729


 


 


 


 


61,729


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Net Sales

98,150


23,501


 


(6,153


)


115,498


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest Expense

 

443

 

(118

)

325

 

Depreciation Expense

987

213

 

601

 

1,801

 

Segment Net Earnings (Loss)

6,698

56

 

(695

)

6,059

 



Period End Backlog ($000s)


 

March 31, 2008


June 30, 2008


Sept. 30, 2008


Dec. 31, 2008


March 31, 2009


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Fire Truck Chassis *

70,720

 

75,931

 

70,815

 

73,473

 

98,025

 

   Motorhome Chassis *

17,465

 

12,533

 

9,069

 

5,552

 

4,365

 

   Other Product *

166,457


 


188,665


 


46,038


 


8,500


 


55,827


 

      Total Chassis

254,642

 

277,129

 

125,922

 

87,525

 

158,217

 

   EVTeam Product *

61,615

 

59,801

 

73,056

 

96,383

 

83,344

 

Intercompany Eliminations*


(11,640


)


(16,707


)


(15,206


)


(14,009


)


(24,050


)


Total Backlog

304,617


 


320,223


 


183,772


 


169,899


 


217,511


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* 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. Service, parts and accessories were included in the backlog beginning March 31, 2009.