News Details

• Q4 record revenue, up 9.8% to $148.1 million; up 7.0% on a constant currency basis
• $17 million legal settlement and loss contingency expenses, mainly related to arbitration result drives Q4 controlling interest net loss of $6.4 million
• Diluted and basic loss per share of $0.19; adjusted diluted EPS of $0.22
• FY17 revenue up 9.2% to record $588.1 million; up 7.4% on a constant currency basis
• FY17 Diluted EPS of $0.73; adjusted diluted EPS of $1.45
• Provides 2018 guidance for revenues and adjusted EBITDA
• Declares special dividend of $0.29 per share and initiates recurring dividend policy

MP MENASHE, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Caesarstone Ltd. (NASDAQ:CSTE), a manufacturer of high quality engineered quartz surfaces, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2017.

Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2017 increased by 9.8% to a fourth quarter record level of $148.1 million as compared to $135.0 million in the same quarter of the prior year; on a constant currency basis, fourth quarter revenue growth was 7.0%. Increase in revenue was driven primarily by continued strong performance in the United States and Canada, which grew 10.3% and 15.0%, respectively.

Raanan Zilberman, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "This has been a challenging year, however we were pleased with our top line increase, especially our 10% growth in the U.S. We are also pleased with our first year of direct distribution in the U.K., which yielded significant double digit revenue growth and we believe represents a solid growth opportunity going forward. At the same time, the growing quartz category has continued to evolve with increased competition from manufacturers in low cost countries. Our intention is to accelerate the innovation stream of new products and colors and to continue leading the global market with our premium brand and strong position. In addition, we have accelerated our efforts to diversify our production sourcing to improve our competitive position."

Gross margin in the fourth quarter was 31.3% compared to 38.1% in the same period in the prior year. The decrease in margin was attributable to lower production throughput in Israel, increased polyester prices, lower average selling prices in some regions and a higher portion of fabrication and installation revenue, which comes with lower margins.

Operating expenses in the fourth quarter were $51.3 million, or 34.6% of revenue, as compared to $32.3 million, or 23.9% of revenue, in the same quarter last year. This increase in expenses was primarily due to legal settlements and loss contingency expenses which totaled $17.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to $3.1 million in the same quarter last year. This growth was primarily attributable to the result of the arbitration with Kfar Giladi, an action which commenced in 2011. Excluding legal settlements and loss contingency expenses, operating expenses would have been 23.1% of revenue in this year's fourth quarter compared to 21.6% in the same quarter last year, reflecting increased sales and marketing investments in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The arbitration result described above drove an operating loss in the fourth quarter of $4.9 million, compared to a profit of $19.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes expenses for share-based compensation as well as legal settlements and loss contingencies, was $21.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, a margin of 14.2%. This compares to adjusted EBITDA of $30.0 million in the prior year's fourth quarter, a margin of 22.2%. This year-over-year margin comparison reflects the gross margin and operating expenses factors mentioned above.

Finance expenses in the fourth quarter were $1.1 million compared to $1.0 million during the same period in the prior year. Increased expenses related to exchange rate fluctuations were offset by higher interest income from bank deposits and reduced bank fees.

The Company reported a net loss attributable to controlling interest for the fourth quarter of 2017 of $6.4 million compared to income of $15.1 million in the same quarter in the prior year. Diluted and basic net loss per share for the fourth quarter was $0.19 compared to diluted net income per share of $0.37 in the prior year's fourth quarter. Adjusted diluted net income per share for the fourth quarter was $0.22 compared to last year's fourth quarter level of $0.53, both calculated on 34.4 million shares.

Full-Year Results

The Company grew revenue for the full year of 2017 by 9.2% to a record of $588.1 million compared to $538.5 million in 2016; on a constant currency basis, growth was 7.4%. Growth was led by the United States and Canada, which grew at rates of 10.2% and 14.1%, respectively.

Gross margin was 33.5% compared to 39.5% in 2016. The year-over-year gross margin difference was driven by lower throughput in Israel, increased polyester prices, an increased portion of total production coming from Richmond-Hill plant which continues to require higher costs, and an increased content of fabrication and installation revenue.

Operating expenses in 2017 were $156.7 million, or 26.6% of revenue, compared to $119.7 million, or 22.2% of revenue, in the prior year. Legal settlements and loss contingency expenses were $24.8 million in 2017 compared with $5.9 million last year. Excluding legal settlements and loss contingency expenses, operating expenses would have been 22.4% of revenue compared to 21.1% in 2016. This increase in expenses as a percent of sales mainly reflects planned investments in marketing and sales capabilities to support current and future growth in the United States and the shift to a direct distribution in the United Kingdom in early 2017.

Operating income in 2017 was $40.5 million, a margin of 6.9%, compared to $92.8 million in 2016, a margin of 17.2%.

Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, legal settlements and loss contingencies expenses and other non-recurring items, was $100.4 million in 2017, a margin of 17.1%. This compares to adjusted EBITDA of $130.3 million in the prior year, a margin of 24.2%. This year-over-year margin difference reflects the gross margin factors and the increased investment in marketing and sales described above.

Finance expenses in 2017 were $5.6 million compared to $3.3 million during the prior year. Expenses related to exchange rate fluctuations were up $2.9 million, partially offset by increased interest income from our bank deposits.

Net income attributable to controlling interest was $26.2 million for the full year of 2017 compared to $74.6 million in 2016. Adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest was $49.8 million compared to $81.2 million in 2016. Adjusted diluted income per share was $1.45 on 34.4 million shares in 2017, compared to $2.33 on 34.8 million shares in the prior year.

The Company's balance sheet as of December 31, 2017 including cash, cash equivalents and short-term bank deposits was $138.7 million, an increase of $36.8 million net of bank loans, relative to 2016 year-end.

Dividend

The Company declared a special cash dividend of $0.29 per ordinary share to be paid to shareholders of record as of February 21, 2018, payable on March 14, 2018. The dividend payment is subject to withholding tax of 20%.

The Company also adopted a dividend policy pursuant to which it intends to pay a quarterly cash dividend in the range of $0.10-$0.15 per share up to the lesser of 50% of the reported net income attributable to controlling interest (i) on a quarterly basis or (ii) on a year-to-date basis, subject in each case to approval by its board of directors.

The Company believes that the special dividend and its new dividend policy will not affect its ability to fund its growth strategy, including anticipated capital expenditures and working capital needs for the foreseeable future.

Guidance

The Company today issued guidance for the full-year of 2018. It expects its 2018 revenue to be in the range of $612 million to $632 million, and adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $102 million to $110 million.

Conference Call Details

Raanan Zilberman, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, and Yair Averbuch, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the results, followed by a question and answer session for the investment community. A live webcast of the call can be accessed at ir.caesarstone.com. To access the call, dial toll-free 1-877-407-4018 or +1-201-689-8471 (international). The toll-free Israeli number is 1 80 940 6247. Upon dialing in, please request to join the Caesarstone Fourth Quarter Earnings Call.

To listen to a telephonic replay of the conference call, dial toll-free 1-844-512-2921 or +1-412-317-6671 (international) and enter pass code 13675687. The replay will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 and will last through 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 14, 2018.

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone manufactures high quality engineered quartz surfaces, which are used in both residential and commercial buildings as countertops, vanities, wall cladding, floors and other interior surfaces. The wide variety of colors, styles, designs and textures of Caesarstone® products, along with Caesarstone's inherent characteristics such as hardness, non-porous, scratch and stain resistance and durability, provide consumers with excellent surfaces for their internal spaces which are highly competitive to granite, manufactured solid surfaces and laminate, as well as to other engineered quartz surfaces. Caesarstone's four collections of products — Classico, Supernatural, Motivo, and Concetto — are available in over 50 countries around the world. For more information about the Company, please visit our website www.caesarstone.com. (CSTE-E)

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The non-GAAP measures presented by the Company should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, comparable GAAP measures. A reconciliation of GAAP net income attributable to controlling interest to adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest and net income to Adjusted EBITDA are provided in the schedules within this release. The Company provides these non-GAAP financial measures because it believes that they present a better measure of the Company's core business and management uses the non-GAAP measures internally to evaluate the Company's ongoing performance. Accordingly, the Company believes that they are useful to investors in enhancing an understanding of the Company's operating performance.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information provided in this press release may contain statements relating to current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to the Company's plans, objectives and expectations for future operations, including its projected results of operations and the expected timing of expanding its manufacturing facilities. These forward-looking statements are based upon management's current estimates and projections of future results or trends. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These factors include, but are not limited to: the strength of the home renovation and construction sectors; economic conditions within any of our key existing markets; actions by our competitors; changes in raw material prices, particularly polymer resins and pigments; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the success of our expansion efforts in the United States; the outcome of silicosis claims and other claims; unpredictability of seasonal fluctuations in revenues; delays in manufacturing and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Investor Relations
ICR, Inc.
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Partner

Source: Caesarstone Ltd.

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