Exhibit 99.1
| | | | | | |
CONTACTS: | | Dennis M. Oates | | Steven V. DiTommaso | | June Filingeri |
| | Chairman, | | Vice President and | | President |
| | President and CEO | | Chief Financial Officer | | Comm-Partners LLC |
| | (412) 257-7609 | | (412) 257-7661 | | (203) 972-0186 |
UNIVERSAL STAINLESS REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2022 RESULTS
| • | | Quarter-end Backlog jumps to record $201.8 million, up 50% from Q4 2021 and 248% from Q1 2021 |
| • | | Q1 2022 Sales up 10.0% sequentially; Premium alloy sales up 26.9% from Q4 2021 |
| • | | Q1 2022 Gross margin is 8.5% of sales including AMJP grant benefit |
| • | | Q1 2022 Net loss is $1.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share |
| • | | Q1 2022 EBITDA is $3.8 million; Adjusted EBITDA is $4.2 million |
BRIDGEVILLE, PA, April 20, 2022 – Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: USAP) today reported that net sales for the first quarter of 2022 were $47.6 million, an increase of 10.0% from $43.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, and 28.4% higher than net sales of $37.0 million in the first quarter of 2021.
Sales of premium alloys increased 26.9% in the first quarter of 2022 to $8.9 million, or 18.8% of sales, compared with $7.0 million, or 16.3% of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2021, and $7.6 million, or 20.4% of sales, in the first quarter of 2021. More than 25% of total backlog at the end of the first quarter consisted of premium alloy products.
The Company’s gross margin totaled $4.1 million, or 8.5% of sales, in the first quarter of 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2021, the gross margin was $3.7 million, or 8.7% of sales. The gross margin was a loss of $0.2 million, or (0.7%), in the first quarter of 2021, including $2.6 million in fixed cost absorption charges. Gross margin in the 2022 first quarter included a $1.1 million benefit related to a grant received under the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP) Program.
Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Oates commented: “Recovery in aerospace demand continued in the first quarter, which included a 17% sequential increase in aerospace sales and a 27% increase in premium alloys. Our year-over-year sales to aerospace customers were up 35% from the first quarter of 2021.
“Aerospace demand drove the exceptional growth in our backlog, which rose by more than $67 million, or 50%, from the record fourth quarter of 2021, to reach a new record of $201.8 million at March 31, 2022. A full 25% of that backlog consisted of premium alloys, mainly for aerospace applications.
“Recovery in aerospace demand is being driven by increasing airplane build rates and expanding order books at airplane manufacturers — supported by the accelerating come-back in air traffic, as COVID-related travel restrictions have eased in many parts of the world.
“First quarter profitability benefited from increased higher-margin premium alloy sales and rising commodity prices, but those impacts were more than offset by operating difficulties early in the quarter related to supply chain issues, labor shortages and accelerating inflation.
“Sales increased sequentially in the balance of our end markets, with the exception of the heavy equipment market, where sales were lower by 11%. Heavy equipment remains our second largest market after aerospace. Sales to the heavy equipment market tend to vary from quarter-to-quarter, but the outlook for full year 2022 remains strong on continued industrial equipment demand and model changeovers to electric vehicles by auto makers.
1