Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) today announced strong full-year 2016 results, reporting net income attributable to Visteon of $75 million, or $2.12 per diluted share, including $49 million of restructuring expense, $24 million of other net expense and $40 million of net loss associated with discontinued operations.
Full-year sales were $3,161 million, a decrease of $84 million compared with 2015, primarily attributable to the sale of an interiors European facility in 2015. Net cash provided from operating activities was $120 million for full year 2016.
In 2016, global vehicle manufacturers awarded Visteon new business of $5.4 billion in lifetime revenue. Fourth-quarter wins totaled $1.3 billion. The ongoing backlog, defined as cumulative remaining life-of-program booked sales, was approximately $16.5 billion as of Dec. 31, 2016, up from $14.9 billion in 2015, an increase of 11 percent.
“We finished the year very strong and delivered exceptional financial results in 2016, a year in which we transformed Visteon into a leading player in the cockpit electronics segment,” said Visteon President and CEO Sachin Lawande. “We returned $2.2 billion in capital to investors during the year, while making significant progress on our strategic priorities, including winning $5.4 billion in new business – primarily in China and Western Europe – and executing a record 59 product launches.”
Lawande added: “As the shift toward the all-digital cockpit gains momentum, we are very well-positioned to capitalize on opportunities as the only pure-play automotive cockpit electronics supplier. Our focus, strong balance sheet and broad product and technology portfolio place us in a formidable position to deliver industry-leading performance for our shareholders, customers and employees. Our $16.5 billion business backlog provides a solid foundation to execute our five-year plan and grow sales to $4.7 billion by 2021.”
Fourth Quarter in Review
Total Visteon
Sales for the fourth quarter of 2016 were $816 million, an increase of $7 million from $809 million for the same quarter a year earlier. Gross margin was $129 million, compared with $114 million for the same period in 2015. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $57 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared with $63 million a year earlier.
Net income attributable to Visteon was $2 million, or $0.06 per diluted share in 2016. This included $27 million of restructuring, $8 million of other expense and $25 million of loss from discontinued operations.
Electronics
Sales totaled $803 million, an increase of $28 million from the fourth quarter of 2015. The year-over-year improvement was primarily related to increased production volumes and new business. On a regional basis, Asia accounted for 41 percent of sales, Europe 31 percent, North America 27 percent and South America 1 percent.
Gross margin was $131 million, compared with $118 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure as defined below, was $98 million, compared with $83 million in 2015. The improvement in gross margin and adjusted EBITDA was driven by increased production volumes, new business and favorable currency.
Other
Sales totaled $13 million, a decrease of $17 million from the fourth quarter of 2015. The decrease largely reflects the sale of the German interiors facility in the fourth quarter of 2015. Gross margin included a loss from legacy climate and interiors operations of $2 million in 2016 and $4 million in 2015.
All facilities included in Other operations and in discontinued operations were either sold or closed by year-end. Visteon does not expect to record sales or adjusted EBITDA related to these operations in the future. The company projects that the majority of remaining cash settlements related to its legacy agreements will occur in the first half of 2017.
Cash and Debt Balances
As of Dec. 31, 2016, Visteon had cash and equivalents of $882 million, including $4 million of restricted cash. Total debt as of Dec. 31, 2016, was $382 million.
For the fourth quarter of 2016, Visteon generated $82 million of cash from operations, including $24 million of climate-related restructuring and other professional fees, compared with $64 million in the same period a year earlier. Capital expenditures in the quarter were $19 million, compared with $36 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Cash flows for both periods included results related to discontinued operations.
Visteon generated $86 million of cash from operations related to Electronics in the fourth quarter. Electronics capital expenditures totaled $20 million, and adjusted free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure as defined below, for Electronics totaled $79 million in the quarter.
Share Repurchase
During 2016, Visteon entered into accelerated stock buyback programs with a third-party financial institution to purchase shares of common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $500 million. Under these programs, Visteon purchased 7,190,506 shares at an average price of $69.48. As of Dec. 31, 2016, the company had 33.2 million diluted shares of common stock outstanding.
On Jan. 10, 2017, Visteon’s board of directors authorized $400 million of share repurchase of its shares of common stock through March 31, 2018.
Full-Year 2017 Outlook
Visteon projects Electronics Product Group 2017 sales of $3.1 billion to $3.2 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for the Electronics Product Group is projected in the range of $355 million to $370 million. Adjusted free cash flow for the Electronics Product Group is projected in the range of $165 million to $180 million.
