Belden Reports Strong Results for Third Quarter 2021

Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global supplier of specialty networking solutions, today reported fiscal third quarter 2021 results for the period ended October 3, 2021.

Third Quarter 2021

Revenues for the quarter totaled $630.8 million, increasing $155.0 million, or 33%, compared to $475.8 million in the year-ago period. Net income was $41.3 million, compared to $20.6 million in the year-ago period. Net income as a percentage of revenue was 6.5% compared to 4.3% in the year-ago period. EPS totaled $0.91, compared to $0.46 in the third quarter 2020.

Adjusted revenues for the quarter totaled $631.3 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $100.7 million, increasing $35.4 million, or 54%, compared to $65.3 million in the year-ago period. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.0%, compared to 13.7% in the year-ago period. Adjusted EPS was $1.31, increasing 82% compared to $0.72 in the third quarter 2020. Adjusted results are non-GAAP measures, and a non-GAAP reconciliation table is provided as an appendix to this release.

Roel Vestjens, President and CEO of Belden Inc., said, “We delivered another outstanding quarter. Total revenues and EPS exceeded the high end of our guidance ranges, with revenues increasing 33% overall and 24% on an organic basis. Our teams are navigating the inflationary environment and the global supply chain challenges, yet driving solid growth, margin expansion, and cash flow. We took steps to further strengthen our balance sheet during the quarter, and net leverage of 2.8x is now back within our targeted range for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.”

Outlook

“I am encouraged by our order rates and continued solid execution. We are increasing our full year 2021 guidance to reflect better than expected performance in the third quarter and an improved outlook for the fourth quarter. We are executing several strategic growth initiatives, such as enhancing our solution selling capabilities and introducing innovative new products, and our strong results reflect the significant momentum we are gaining with customers. I am optimistic about our future and confident that the Company is well positioned to drive profitable growth and shareholder value,” said Mr. Vestjens.

On a GAAP basis, the Company expects fourth quarter 2021 revenues to be $614 - $629 million and EPS to be $0.77 - $0.87. For the full year ending December 31, 2021, the Company now expects revenues to be $2.383 - $2.398 billion, compared to prior guidance of $2.318 - $2.348 billion, and EPS to be $3.27 - $3.37, compared to prior guidance of $2.83 - $3.03.

The Company expects fourth quarter 2021 adjusted revenues to be $615 - $630 million and adjusted EPS to be $1.21 - $1.31. For the full year ending December 31, 2021, the Company now expects adjusted revenues to be $2.385 - $2.400 billion, compared to prior guidance of $2.320 - $2.350 billion, and adjusted EPS to be $4.67 - $4.77, compared to prior guidance of $4.37 - $4.57.

Earnings Conference Call

Management will host a conference call today at 8:30 am ET to discuss results of the quarter. The listen-only audio of the conference call will be broadcast live via the Internet at https://investor.belden.com. The dial-in number for participants is 800-367-2403, with confirmation code 6838798. A replay of this conference call will remain accessible in the investor relations section of the Company’s website for a limited time.

Net Income and Earnings per Share (EPS)

All references to net income and EPS within this earnings release refer to income from continuing operations and income from continuing operations per diluted share attributable to Belden stockholders, respectively.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

Adjusted results are non-GAAP measures that reflect certain adjustments the Company makes to provide insight into operating results. GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations accompany the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this release and have been published to the investor relations section of the Company’s website at https://investor.belden.com.

For the period ended September 27, 2020, the Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statement includes the results of discontinued operations up to the disposal date, July 2, 2020.

BELDEN INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES

(Unaudited)

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, we provide non-GAAP operating results adjusted for certain items, including: asset impairments; accelerated depreciation expense due to plant consolidation activities; purchase accounting effects related to acquisitions, such as the adjustment of acquired inventory and deferred revenue to fair value and transaction costs; severance, restructuring, and acquisition integration costs; gains (losses) recognized on the disposal of businesses and tangible assets; amortization of intangible assets; gains (losses) on debt extinguishment; certain revenues and gains (losses) from patent settlements; discontinued operations; and other costs. We adjust for the items listed above in all periods presented, unless the impact is clearly immaterial to our financial statements. When we calculate the tax effect of the adjustments, we include all current and deferred income tax expense commensurate with the adjusted measure of pre-tax profitability.

We utilize the adjusted results to review our ongoing operations without the effect of these adjustments and for comparison to budgeted operating results. We believe the adjusted results are useful to investors because they help them compare our results to previous periods and provide important insights into underlying trends in the business and how management oversees our business operations on a day-to-day basis. As an example, we adjust for the purchase accounting effect of recording deferred revenue at fair value in order to reflect the revenues that would have otherwise been recorded by acquired businesses had they remained as independent entities. We believe this presentation is useful in evaluating the underlying performance of acquired companies. Similarly, we adjust for other acquisition-related expenses, such as amortization of intangibles and other impacts of fair value adjustments because they generally are not related to the acquired business' core business performance. As an additional example, we exclude the costs of restructuring programs, which can occur from time to time for our current businesses and/or recently acquired businesses. We exclude the costs in calculating adjusted results to allow us and investors to evaluate the performance of the business based upon its expected ongoing operating structure. We believe the adjusted measures, accompanied by the disclosure of the costs of these programs, provides valuable insight.

Adjusted results should be considered only in conjunction with results reported according to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

Our guidance for income from continuing operations per diluted share attributable to Belden common stockholders is based upon information currently available regarding events and conditions that will impact our future operating results. In particular, our results are subject to the factors listed under "Forward-Looking Statements" in this release. In addition, our actual results are likely to be impacted by other additional events for which information is not available, such as asset impairments, purchase accounting effects related to acquisitions, severance, restructuring, and acquisition integration costs, gains (losses) recognized on the disposal of tangible assets, gains (losses) on debt extinguishment, discontinued operations, and other gains (losses) related to events or conditions that are not yet known.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release and any statements made by us concerning the subject matter of this release may contain forward-looking statements, including our expectations for the fourth quarter and full-year 2021 and the results of our restructuring program. Forward-looking statements also include any statements regarding future financial performance (including revenues, expenses, earnings, margins, cash flows, dividends, capital expenditures and financial condition), plans and objectives, and related assumptions. In some cases these statements are identifiable through the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “guide,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “target,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by any forward-looking statements for a number of reasons, including, without limitation: the lack of certainty as to the duration and magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 and the economic recovery from that impact; the impact of a challenging global economy or a downturn in served markets; disruptions in the Company’s information systems including due to cyber-attacks leading to exposures of personally identifiable information; changes in tax laws and variability in the Company’s quarterly and annual effective tax rates; the cost and availability of raw materials including copper, plastic compounds, electronic components, and other materials, particularly given the recent increase in inflation and the financial impact if we are not able to pass through cost increases to customers; the impact of the recent disruptions in the global supply chain, including the inability to obtain components in sufficient quantities on commercially reasonable terms; the competitiveness of the global markets in which we operate; difficulty in forecasting revenue due to the unpredictable timing of orders related to customer projects as well as the impacts of channel inventory; the presence of substitute products in the marketplace; the increased prevalence of cloud computing; the inability of the Company to develop and introduce new products and competitive responses to our products; the increased influence of chief information officers on purchasing decisions; the inability to execute and realize the expected benefits from strategic initiatives (including revenue growth, cost control, and productivity improvement programs); the inability to achieve our strategic priorities in emerging markets; the inability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions in furtherance of the Company’s strategic plan; foreign and domestic political, economic and other uncertainties, including changes in currency exchange rates; the impact of changes in global tariffs and trade agreements; volatility in credit and foreign exchange markets; the presence of activists proposing certain actions by the Company; perceived or actual product failures; risks related to the use of open source software; disruption of, or changes in, the Company’s key distribution channels; the inability to retain key employees; assertions that the Company violates the intellectual property of others and the ownership of intellectual property by competitors and others that prevents the use of that intellectual property by the Company; the impact of regulatory requirements and other legal compliance issues; the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets and the resulting impact on financial performance; disruptions and increased costs attendant to collective bargaining groups and other labor matters; and other factors.

For a more complete discussion of risk factors, please see our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 4, 2021, filed with the SEC on August 9, 2021. Although the content of this release represents our best judgment as of the date of this report based on information currently available and reasonable assumptions, we give no assurances that the expectations will prove to be accurate. Deviations from the expectations may be material. For these reasons, Belden cautions readers to not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Belden disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.

About Belden

Belden Inc. delivers a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network infrastructure needs of industrial and enterprise markets. With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission of rapidly growing amounts of audio, video and data needed for today's applications, Belden is at the center of the global transformation to a connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St. Louis and has manufacturing capabilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com or follow us on Twitter @BeldenInc.

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