ESPEY MFG & ELECTRONICS CORP 10-K

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Business Outlook Management expects revenues in fiscal year 2024 to be higher than revenues during fiscal year 2023 and expects net income per share to be higher in fiscal 2024 as compared to the net income per share realized during fiscal year 2023. We successfully navigated through many of the issues which constrained our ability to recognize revenue in fiscal 2023 related to select engineering design contracts and build to print contracts which relied upon customer-owned designs to execute. While supply chain disruptions, including extended lead times and part obsolescence, continue to affect our production, we are better able to manage these factors and adequately factor lead times into internal planning schedules and new customer quotations. Inflationary costs are expected to continue but are not expected to have a significant impact on operating income in fiscal year 2024. Successful conversion of engineering program backlog into sales is largely dependent on the execution and completion of our engineering design efforts. It is not uncommon to experience technical or scheduling delays which arise from time to time as a result of, among other reasons, design complexity, the availability of personnel with the requisite expertise, and the requirements to obtain customer approval at various milestones. Cost overruns which may arise from technical and schedule delays and increased raw material costs could negatively impact the timing of the conversion of backlog into sales, or the profitability of such sales. Engineering programs in both the funded and unfunded portions of the current backlog aggregate $8.4 million. We made significant improvement in filling many of our open positions in the second half of the year. The labor workforce remains stable. Management continues to closely monitor workforce labor requirements to support our sales backlog and planned delivery schedules. Longer time-to-hire challenges remain for certain positions due to specific skillsets required for those positions and the fact fewer workers, in general, are seeking employment. Unemployment rates in the local geographic region are lower than the national average. Where possible, the Company continues to offer on-the-job training and when necessary continues to recruit personnel outside the local region. Combined with supply chain constraints, future unforeseen labor disruptions could delay shipments and result in missing our backlog fulfillment projections and recognizing lower operating income. The Company currently expects new orders in fiscal 2024 to be greater than those received in fiscal year 2023. As market factors including competition and product costs impact gross profit margins, management will continue to evaluate our sales strategy, employment levels, and facility costs. During fiscal year 2023, the Company received approximately $42.4 million in new orders. Our total backlog at June 30, 2023 was approximately $83.6 million, as compared to approximately $76.8 million at June 30, 2022. Currently, we expect a minimum of $39.5 million of orders comprising the June 30, 2023 backlog will be filled during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. This $39.5 million will be supplemented by shipments which may be made against orders received during the 2024 fiscal year. In addition to the backlog, the Company currently has outstanding opportunities representing in excess of $69 million in the aggregate as of August 31, 2023, for both repeat and new programs. The outstanding quotations encompass various new and previously manufactured power supplies, transformers, and subassemblies. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will acquire any of the anticipated orders described above, many of which are subject to allocations of the United States defense spending and factors affecting the defense industry. Our sales strategy includes identifying and obtaining multiple new engineering design and development contracts in any given fiscal year to ensure optimal utilization of our engineering personnel in addition to securing follow-on production awards for product previously designed in-house, as well as, build to print opportunities. The Company targets those programs and opportunities which will generate future longer-term production tails in ensuing years. From time to time, we accept work associated with engineering design studies. While unlikely to result in near-term follow-on orders, this positions us competitively on future awards and expands our engineering team's skillset. Management continues to pursue opportunities with current and new customers with an overall objective of lowering the concentration of sales, mitigating excessive reliance upon a single major product of a particular program and minimizing the impact of the loss of a single significant customer. Given the nature of our business, we believe our existing sales order backlog is fairly diversified in terms of customers and the category of products on order. 7 Management, along with the Board of Directors, continues to evaluate the need and use of the Company’s working capital. Capital expenditures, primarily for machinery and equipment and facility upgrades are not expected to exceed $300,000 for fiscal year 2024. A majority of these expenditures will be made to stay competitive in the marketplace and to meet the needs of current contracts. In addition, the Company is expected to spend an amount, not to exceed $7.1 million, towards a facility and capital equipment upgrade under an award issued to us by the United States Navy. Incurred spending is reimbursable through a milestone plan. The Company is expected to have an initial cash outlay to satisfy income tax obligations arising from the value of the award. Expectations are that the working capital will be required to fund orders, general operations of the business and dividend payments when applicable. Management along with the Legal Affairs, Strategic Planning, and M&A Committee of the Board of Directors will examine opportunities involving acquisitions or other strategic options, including buying certain products or product lines, provided that such opportunities demonstrate synergies with the Company’s existing product base and accretion to earnings. Results of Operations Net sales for the years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $35,592,323 and $32,104,774, respectively, an approximate 10.9% increase. In general, sales fluctuations within product categories will occur during a comparable fiscal period as the direct result of product mix, influenced by the duration of specific programs and the contractual terms of firm orders placed for product and services under those programs including contract value, scope of work and duration. Deliverables within firm contracts are often subject to delivery schedules which also contributes to sales fluctuations between comparable periods. The increase in net sales in fiscal year 2023 is primarily due to an increase in shipments on contracts related to a family of power distribution transformers for a single customer when compared to sales recognized in the prior year. Sales in the current year increased on multiple new and repeat contracts which had no or significantly fewer comparable sales in the same period last year, primarily related to build to print contracts and, to a lesser extent, magnetic and power supply deliverables. In addition, sales increased in the current year from a large production contract for a power supply previously designed by the Company which had no comparable sales in the prior period and from greater sales on a large engineering design and production contract which had significantly fewer sales in the prior year. These increases were offset, in part, by decreases in sales, between the comparable periods, due to contract completion, timing of contractual delivery schedules and certain programs impeded by longer material lead times. Gross profits for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $8,050,538 and $5,472,158, respectively. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 22.6% and 17.0%, for the same periods, respectively. The primary factors in determining the change in gross profit and net income are overall sales levels and product mix. The gross profits on mature products and build to print contracts are typically higher as compared to products which are still in the engineering development stage or in early stages of production. In the case of the latter, the Company can incur what it refers to as “loss contracts,” primarily on engineering design contracts in which the Company invests with the objective of developing future product sales. In any given accounting period, the mix of product shipments between higher margin programs and less mature programs, and expenditures associated with loss contracts, has a significant impact on gross profit and net income. The improvement in gross profit for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 when compared to the same period last year resulted from an increase in sales and a higher overall gross profit percentage comprising those shipments which was influenced by product mix. In the current period, gross profit was favorably impacted from higher sales and improved margins on a specific magnetics contract and certain build to print contracts, resulting from manufacturing improvements. The current period gross profit was negatively impacted by significant costs incurred on a certain fixed-priced engineering design contract for a power supply due to the ongoing unforeseen complexity of the design and the identification of additional costs due to the unavailability of mil-spec rated parts in the marketplace resulting from part obsolescence or exceptionally long lead times. The prior year gross profit was negatively impacted by certain programs which had higher sales in the prior year and contributed less to gross profit as the result of cost overruns when compared to the same period this year. These cost overruns included labor from both production and engineering efforts made and the impact of inflationary pricing on materials for certain fixed-price contracts. In addition, to a lesser extent, specific to the prior year, gross profit was negatively impacted by the expensing of remaining development costs formerly capitalized in inventory on a specific engineering design program in which our customer had delayed unit qualification testing and for which production units were not expected to be manufactured in the near term. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $3,750,524 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023; a decrease of $192,467 compared to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. Lower costs were incurred for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023, comparably, as the prior year spending included specific non-recurring costs attributed to a change in senior management. In addition, fewer costs were incurred in the current period when compared to the prior period resulting from a decrease in board of directors fees due to a reduction of two non-employee directors and lower professional recruiting costs incurred. The decreases in the current period were offset, in part, by increases in conference and training expenditures incurred. Other income for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $406,453 and $63,914, respectively. The increase is primarily due to the increase in interest income resulting from an increase in investment securities and an increase in fixed interest rates. Interest income is a function of the level of investments and investment strategies that generally tend to be conservative. 8 The Company’s effective tax rate was approximately 21.9% in the fiscal year 2023 and approximately 20.6% in fiscal year 2022. The effective tax rate in fiscal 2023 is greater than the statutory tax rate mainly due to the permanent difference for incentive stock option expense recorded for book purposes which is not deductible for tax purposes. In the current year, there was no benefit received from ESOP dividends paid on allocated shares due to the suspension of the company dividend in place through February 2023. The effective tax rate in fiscal 2022 was less than the statutory tax rate mainly from the benefit derived from the ESOP dividends paid on allocated shares prior to the dividend suspension. The effective tax rate in the twelve month period ended June 30, 2023 was higher than the prior year as the direct result of a higher income before taxes in the current fiscal year offset, in part, by a decreased benefit derived from ESOP dividends paid on allocated shares. The Company generated net income for fiscal year 2023 of $3,677,131 or $1.50 and $1.49 per share, basic and diluted, compared to net income of $1,265,127 or $0.52 per share, basic and diluted, for fiscal year 2022. The increase in net income in the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 is primarily attributable to higher sales, a higher gross profit margin percentage, an increase in other income, and a decrease in selling, general, and administrative expenses, offset in part, by an increase in tax expense, all discussed above. Liquidity and Capital Resources The Company's working capital is an appropriate indicator of the liquidity of its business, and during the past two fiscal years, the Company, when possible, has funded all of its operations with cash flows resulting from operating activities and when necessary from its existing cash and investments. The Company did not borrow any funds during the last two fiscal years. Management has available a $3,000,000 line of credit to help fund further growth or working capital needs, if necessary, but does not anticipate the need for any borrowed funds in the foreseeable future. Contingent liabilities on outstanding standby letters of credit agreements aggregated to zero at June 30, 2023 and 2022. The existing line of credit was extended and expires February 28, 2024. The Company's working capital as of June 30, 2023 and 2022 was approximately $33.2 million and $29.5 million, respectively. The Company may at times be required to repurchase shares at the ESOP participants’ request at the fair market value. During the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company did not repurchase any shares held by the ESOP. Under existing authorizations from the Company's Board of Directors, as of June 30, 2023, management is authorized to purchase an additional $783,460 of Company stock. The table below presents the summary of cash flow information for the fiscal years indicated: 2023 2022 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 3,899,870 $ 2,219,687 Net cash used in investing activities (8,765,907 ) (918,339 ) Net cash used in financing activities (489,268 ) — Net cash provided by operating activities fluctuates between periods primarily as a result of differences in sales and net income, provision for income taxes, the timing of the collection of accounts receivable, purchase of inventory, and payment of accounts payable. The increase in cash provided by operating activities compared to the prior year primarily relates to the increase in net income and an increase in cash collected from customer advances, offset, in part, by an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets, an increase in inventories, and a decrease in other accrued expenses. Net cash used in investing activities increased in the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 primarily due to an increase in investment securities. Cash used in financing activities for the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 relates to dividend payments on common stock. The Company currently believes that the cash flow generated from operations and when necessary, from cash and cash equivalents, will be sufficient to meet its long-term funding requirements for the foreseeable future. During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company expended $512,016 and $303,561, respectively, for plant improvements and new equipment. The Company has budgeted approximately $300,000 for new equipment and plant improvements in fiscal year 2024. Management anticipates that the funds required will be available from current operations. A majority of these expenditures will be made to stay competitive in the marketplace and to meet the needs of current contracts. In addition, the Company is expected to spend an amount, not to exceed $7.1 million, towards a facility and capital equipment upgrade under an award issued to us by the United States Navy. Incurred spending is reimbursable through a milestone plan. Management believes that the Company's reserve for bad debts of $3,000 is adequate given the customers with whom the Company does business. Historically, bad debt expense has been minimal. 9