Spartan Motors Form 8-K - 02/14/08



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):  February 14, 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 February 14, 2008, Spartan Motors, Inc. issued a press release concerning its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2007. 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 February 14, 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:  February 14, 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 February 14, 2008.

Spartan Motors Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K - 02/14/08

EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Spartan Motors Reports Record Year; Fourth Quarter Profits
Double

 

Year-end 2007 net earnings up 45.6 percent

 

Fourth quarter 2007 earnings of $0.25 per diluted share, versus $0.10 in 2006 fourth quarter

 

Backlog of $338.4 million increased over prior year.

 

Return on invested capital for fourth quarter 2007 of 27.4 percent

CHARLOTTE, Michigan, February 14, 2008 - Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) reported its best quarter and year-end sales and earnings results in company history, capping off a record setting year for one of the leading manufacturers of custom vehicle chassis and emergency-rescue vehicles.

Full Year Results
For the year ended 2007, Spartan reported sales increased 53.1 percent and net earnings increased 45.6 percent compared to last year. Spartan reported net earnings of $24.5 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, on net sales of $681.9 million for the year ended 2007, compared with last year's net earnings of $16.8 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, on net sales of $445.4 million. (All financial information includes adjustments for the company's 3-for-2 stock splits in June 2007 and Dec. 2006.)

Spartan Motors' consolidated backlog increased 45.8 percent over the same time last year to approximately $338.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2007, reflecting an increase in orders from Spartan's military customers. Consolidated backlog declined 11.7 percent compared to levels as of Sept. 30, 2007, reflecting improvements in production rates which also led to a 219.5 percent increase in fourth quarter 2007 earnings compared to the third quarter of 2007. Spartan Motors anticipates filling its current backlog orders by October 2008.

Fourth Quarter 2007 Results
Spartan reported net earnings of $8.2 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, on net sales of $237.6 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007, compared with net earnings of $3.3 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, on net sales of $123.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2006.

"2007 was a year of rapid sales growth, competitive pricing and investment in flexible manufacturing capacity," said John Sztykiel, president and CEO of Spartan Motors Inc. "Although we had some margin compression as a result, these strategic investments have helped us secure more orders as reflected in our current backlog, and positioned us for continued growth."

Spartan reported gross margin of 12.7 percent in the fourth quarter 2007, a decrease compared with gross margin of 16.8 percent in the same period in 2006, though an improvement over gross margin of 11.8 percent for the third quarter of 2007. Spartan attributed the year-over-year decrease in gross margin to volume pricing pressure, increased bill of materials costs and product mix. Spartan reported the increase in gross margin compared to the 2007 third quarter was due to improvements in production efficiency and pricing in the 2007 fourth quarter.

-more-



Spartan Motors / Page 2 of 7

2008 Outlook
"Looking ahead to 2008 we are expecting a year of solid sales growth, driven in part by our largest ever fourth quarter backlog," said Sztykiel. "Our multi-market strategy is a diversified business model where our customers operate on different business cycles, providing us upside potential and reducing downside risk.

"We are anticipating a tough market for recreational vehicles, but we are cautiously optimistic based on the number of models on Spartan chassis, up from 36 models in the 2006 to 40 models in 2007. While the RV industry had a tough year in 2007, Spartan grew market share and shipped more units in 2007 compared to 2006.

"Although municipalities continue to manage ever-tightening budgets, our aging population continues to drive demand for emergency services. Every 20 seconds there is a call for help in the U.S., according to the National Fire Protection Association. This increasing demand, and the state of some competitors in the industry, could provide Spartan opportunities to grow sales as municipal funding is impacted by economic uncertainties."

Spartan Chassis
Sales for the fourth quarter at Spartan Chassis, the company's largest operating unit, increased 85.7 percent year-over year to $211.2 million. Spartan Chassis was 88.9 percent of Spartan Motors' total sales. Fourth quarter net earnings at Spartan Chassis improved 74.2 percent year-over-year, and the unit's backlog as of Dec. 31, 2007 increased 76.8 percent year-over-year.

Spartan's chassis sales to the Class A diesel motorhome market increased 11.9 percent year-over-year in the 2007 fourth quarter, reflecting the market share growth within the luxury motorhome market and outpacing flat industry wholesale shipments reported by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) . Backlog for RV chassis decreased slightly year-over-year to $27.3 million as of Dec. 31, 2007.

Sales of fire truck chassis increased 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year. Backlog for fire truck chassis at the end of the fourth quarter was $60.4 million, a 28.5 percent decrease compared with last year. The year-over-year decrease in backlog in the 2007 fourth quarter reflected both industry-wide softness in municipal ordering, and an improvement in delivery time of product from Spartan to customers.

Other product sales, including specialty vehicle chassis for MRAP military vehicles, and Spartan Chassis' growing service, parts and accessories business, increased 233.9 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2007. Backlog for other products more than tripled over the same period of 2006 to $199.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2007. Spartan expects to report additional orders in the near future from its military customers.

Emergency Vehicle Team (EVTeam)
Spartan's EVTeam operating unit, consisting of its Crimson Fire, Crimson Fire Aerials and Road Rescue subsidiaries, reported a 67.3 percent year-over-year increase in sales for the 2007 fourth quarter, though the unit posted a net loss for the quarter. The EVTeam reported backlog of $51.3 million at the end of the quarter, a 26.4 percent decrease compared to the unit's backlog in the fourth quarter of 2006, reflecting higher production rates as well as the softening in municipal ordering in the second half of 2007.

"Crimson Fire and Crimson Fire Aerials underperformed compared to the fourth quarter of 2006, though both are making improvements in efficiency over where they were in the third quarter of 2007," Sztykiel said. "While we are disappointed with the rate of progress at the EVTeam in 2007, we are cautioursly optimistic about their progress in 2008."




Spartan Motors / Page 3 of 7

Financial Position
Spartan reported operating cash flow improvement in the fourth quarter of 2007 of $9.1 million, driven largely by increased sales and improvements in the cash conversion cycle.

On a consolidated basis, Spartan posted a return on invested capital (ROIC) of 27.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, compared to ROIC of 12.3 percent for the same quarter in 2006. For the year ended, Spartan reported a consolidated ROIC of 19.8 percent in fiscal 2007, compared to ROIC of 15.7 percent for fiscal 2006. (Spartan defines return on invested capital as operating income less taxes, on an annualized basis, divided by total shareholders' equity.)

The company ended the quarter with $62.7 million in long-term debt, which includes financing for Spartan Chassis' new facilities and growth in working capital to support its increased orders. Spartan reported $13.5 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fourth quarter of 2007.

Shareholder Value Creation
As reported in early January 2008, Spartan repurchased 250,000 shares of its common stock in the open market during the fourth quarter of 2007. Spartan repurchased a total of 300,000 shares in 2007.

In Dec. 2007, Spartan paid a special dividend of $0.03 per share of common stock along with its regular cash dividend of $0.05 per share, for total dividend payments of $0.13 per share in fiscal 2007. Adjusted for the stock splits, Spartan's total cash dividends increased 8.3 percent compared with 2006. Fiscal 2007 marked the fifth consecutive year the company increased its total dividend payments to shareholders.

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 1,300 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. 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 purchase cycles, competitive bidding, qualification requirements, delays or changes in funding, extensive specification deve lopment 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 7

Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
 
 
 

 


 

December 31, 2007

 

December 31, 2006

 

 

$-000-


 


$-000-


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Cash and cash equivalents

$

13,527

 

$

13,835

 

     Accounts receivable, net

 

132,907

 

 

62,620

 

     Inventories

 

103,076

 

 

64,173

 

     Deferred income tax assets

 

6,925

 

 

4,567

 

     Deposits on engines

 

 

 

 

10,900

 

     Other current assets

 


1,978


 


 


1,882


 

          Total current assets

 

258,413

 

 

157,977

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

56,673

 

 

29,659

 

Goodwill

 

2,457

 

 

2,457

 

Deferred income tax assets

 

775

 

 

 

 

Other assets

 


346


 


 


555


 

Total assets

$


318,664


 


$


190,648


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Accounts payable

$

90,769

 

$

30,704

 

     Accrued warranty

 

10,824

 

 

6,381

 

     Accrued compensation and related taxes

 

10,431

 

 

7,712

 

     Accrued vacation

 

1,758

 

 

1,483

 

     Accrued customer rebates

 

1,963

 

 

3,471

 

     Deposits from customers

 

5,540

 

 

7,465

 

     Taxes on income

 

551

 

 

1,566

 

     Other current liabilities and accrued expenses

 

3,367

 

 

2,591

 

     Current portion of long-term debt

 


522


 


 


521


 

          Total current liabilities

 

125,725

 

 

61,894

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

62,695

 

 

25,218

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

1,025

 

 

 

 

Deferred income tax liabilities

 

 

 

 

355

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Common stock

 

324

 

 

317

 

     Additional paid in capital

 

62,649

 

 

54,233

 

     Retained earnings

 


66,246


 


 


48,631


 

          Total shareholders' equity

 

129,219

 

 

103,181

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$


318,664


 


$


190,648


 




Spartan Motors / Page 5 of 7

Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Three Months Ended December 31, 2007 and 2006
 
 

 


 

December 31, 2007

 

December 31, 2006

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

237,567

 

 

 

123,608

 

 

 

Cost of Products Sold

207,345


 


 


 


102,840


 


 


 

Gross Profit

30,222


 


12.7


 


20,768


 


16.8


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Research and Development

4,543

 

1.9

 

3,720

 

3.0

 

     Selling, General and Administrative

12,541


 


5.3


 


10,865


 


8.8


 

Total Operating Expenses

17,084

 

7.2

 

14,585

 

11.8

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

13,138


 


5.5


 


6,183


 


5.0


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Interest Expense

(830

)

(0.3

)

(196

)

(0.2

)

     Interest and Other Income

205


 


0.1


 


291


 


0.3


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

(625

)

(0.2

)

95

 

0.1

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes on Income

12,513


 


5.3


 


6,278


 


5.1


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes on Income

4,301

 

1.8

 

2,998

 

2.4

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

8,212


 


3.5


 


3,280


 


2.7


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.26


 


 


 


0.11


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.25


 


 


 


0.10


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,070

 

 

 

30,931

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,780

 

 

 

32,031

 

 

 




Spartan Motors / Page 6 of 7

Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2007 and 2006
 
 

 


 

December 31, 2007

 

December 31, 2006

 

 

$-000-


 


%


 


$-000-


 


%


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

681,922

 

 

 

445,378

 

 

 

Cost of Products Sold

585,421


 


 


 


372,002


 


 


 

Gross Profit

96,501


 


14.2


 


73,376


 


16.5


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Research and Development

15,868

 

2.3

 

12,622

 

2.8

 

     Selling, General and Administrative

41,383


 


6.1


 


33,446


 


7.6


 

Total Operating Expenses

57,251

 

8.4

 

46,068

 

10.4

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Operating Income

39,250


 


5.8


 


27,308


 


6.1


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Income (Expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Interest Expense

(1,748

)

(0.3

)

(347

)

(0.0

)

     Interest and Other Income

725


 


0.1


 


1,011


 


0.2


 

Total Other Income (Expense)

(1,023

)

(0.2

)

664

 

0.2

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Earnings before Taxes on Income

38,227


 


5.6


 


27,972


 


6.3


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxes on Income

13,723

 

2.0

 

11,144

 

2.5

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Net Earnings

24,504


 


3.6


 


16,828


 


3.8


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Basic Net Earnings per Share

0.77


 


 


 


0.57


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Diluted Net Earnings per Share

0.75


 


 


 


0.55


 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

31,935

 

 

 

29,606

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding

32,833

 

 

 

30,531

 

 

 




Spartan Motors / Page 7 of 7

Spartan Motors, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Sales and Other Financial Information by Business Segment
Quarter Ended December 31, 2007
 
 

 


Three Months Ended December 31, 2007 (amounts in thousands)


 

Business Segments


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis


 


 


EVTeam


 


 


Other


 


 


Consolidated


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorhome Chassis Sales

52,145

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

52,145

Fire Truck Chassis Sales

28,899

 

 

 

 

 

(1,176

)

 

27,723

EVTeam Product Sales

 

 

 

27,590

 

 

 

 

 

27,590

Other Product Sales

130,109


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


130,109


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Net Sales

211,153


 


 


27,590


 


 


(1,176


)


 


237,567


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest Expense (Income)

 

 

 

469

 

 

361

 

 

830

Depreciation Expense

529

 

 

273

 

 

478

 

 

1,280

Segment Net Earnings (Loss)

12,991

 

 

(1,779

)

 

(3,000

)

 

8,212


Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2007 (amounts in thousands)


 

Business Segments


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis


 


 


EVTeam


 


 


Other


 


 


Consolidated


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorhome Chassis Sales

217,225

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

217,225

Fire Truck Chassis Sales

116,236

 

 

 

 

 

(23,041

)

 

93,195

EVTeam Product Sales

 

 

 

89,453

 

 

 

 

 

89,453

Other Product Sales

282,049


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


282,049


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Net Sales

615,510


 


 


89,453


 


 


(23,041


)


 


681,922


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest Expense (Income)

 

 

 

1,618

 

 

130

 

 

1,748

Depreciation Expense

1,796

 

 

1,165

 

 

1,102

 

 

4,063

Segment Net Earnings (Loss)

34,815

 

 

(5,069

)

 

(5,242

)

 

24,504



Period End Backlog (amounts in thousands)


 

Dec. 31, 2006


 


Mar. 31, 2007


 


Jun. 30, 2007


 


Sept. 30, 2007


 


Dec. 31, 2007


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Motorhome Chassis *

28,198

 

37,679

 

23,768

 

26,097

 

27,312

   Fire Truck Chassis *

84,445

 

84,416

 

72,097

 

67,071

 

60,374

   Other Product *

49,729


 


53,178


 


131,801


 


228,803


 


199,362


      Total Chassis

162,372

 

175,273

 

227,666

 

321,971

 

287,048

   EVTeam Product *

69,715


 


74,843


 


62,691


 


61,178


 


51,316


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Backlog

232,087


 


250,116


 


290,357


 


383,149


 


338,364


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  *  Anticipated time to
fill backlog orders; 2
months or less for
motorhome chassis and
4-10 months for fire truck
chassis, other product
and EVTeam product