Third Quarter Highlights and Recent Developments“Much of the last two years has been about repositioning the company to be in the right markets with the right technology and cost structure to enable our profitable return to above-market growth rates,” said Shaker Sadasivam, Chairman of the Board of FTC Solar. “We have made progress on that front and improved our positioning. With a healthy and profitable tracker market, it’s time for FTC’s results to reflect its improved positioning with healthy, profitable growth. As the Board evaluated opportunities to accelerate momentum, we’ve agreed that now is the right time to bring new leadership to FTC Solar as we enter our next phase of growth and execution. On behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone at FTC Solar, I want to sincerely thank Sean and Phelps for their contributions and wish them all the best in their next endeavors.”The company’s third-quarter revenue was in line with expectations. Of note, the company showed a fourth consecutive quarter of gross margin improvement, as our manufacturing cost reduction efforts continue to bear fruit. Excluding $1 million in benefits to gross margin and a $4 million credit loss charge in operating expense in the quarter that were not contemplated in our guidance ranges, gross margin, operating expenses and Adjusted EBITDA would all have been at the high-end or better than our target ranges for the quarter.We expect fourth quarter revenue to be down from the third quarter with gross margin reflecting lower cost absorption. We expect this to be followed in the first quarter by a fairly substantial revenue and margin recovery as projects ramp.FTC Solar’s senior management will host a conference call for members of the investment community at 8:30 a.m. E.T. today, during which the company will discuss its third quarter results, its outlook and other business items. This call will be webcast and can be accessed within the Investor Relations section of FTC Solar’s website at investor.ftcsolar.com. A replay of the conference call will also be available on the website for 30 days following the webcast.Founded in 2017 by a group of renewable energy industry veterans, FTC Solar is a leading provider of solar tracker systems, technology, software, and engineering services. Solar trackers significantly increase energy production at solar power installations by dynamically optimizing solar panel orientation to the sun. FTC Solar’s innovative tracker designs provide compelling performance and reliability, with an industry-leading installation cost-per-watt advantage.1. The term ‘backlog’ refers to the combination of our executed contracts and awarded orders, which are orders that have been documented and signed through a contract, where we are in the process of documenting a contract but for which a contract has not yet been signed, or that have been awarded in writing or verbally with a mutual understanding that the order will be contracted in the future. In the case of certain projects, including those that are scheduled for delivery on later dates, we have not locked in binding pricing with customers, and we instead use estimated average selling price to calculate the revenue included in our contracted and awarded orders for such projects. Actual revenue for these projects could differ once contracts with binding pricing are executed, and there is also a risk that a contract may never be executed for an awarded but uncontracted project, or that a contract may be executed for an awarded but uncontracted project at a date that is later than anticipated, thus reducing anticipated revenues. Please refer to our SEC filings, including our Form 10-K, for more information on our contracted and awarded orders, including risk factors.
2. Includes $1 million benefit to gross margin and $4 million charge in operating expenses that were not contemplated in the company’s prior guidance ranges.This press release contains forward looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on our current expectations and projections regarding our business, operations and other factors relating thereto. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and as such are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. You should not rely on our forward-looking statements as predictions of future events, as actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements because of several factors, including those described in more detail above and in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained therein. FTC Solar undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in its expectations, except as required by law.Bill Michalek
Vice President, Investor Relations
FTC Solar
T: (737) 241-8618
E: [email protected] 30,September 30,20232022September 30,September 30,September 30,September 30,September 30,September 30,September 30,
(GlobeNewsWire)