AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year ended April 30, 2021.

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AeroVironment Offers a Portfolio of Intelligent, Multi-Domain Robotic Systems for Defense, Civil and Commercial Customers (Photo: Business Wire)

• Record fourth quarter and full fiscal year revenue of $136.0 million and $394.9 million
• Full fiscal year diluted EPS from continuing operations of $0.96 and non-GAAP diluted EPS from continuing operations of $2.10
• Record funded backlog of $211.8 million
• Closed two strategic acquisitions in the fourth quarter and a third in May 2021 that expand and enhance our product portfolio

“Our team again delivered record fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2021 revenue, representing a fourth consecutive year of profitable topline growth,” said Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment president and chief executive officer. “In addition to producing solid financial and operational results despite the continued macroeconomic challenges our industry and economy are experiencing, we expanded our total addressable markets with the strategic acquisitions of Arcturus UAV, Progeny Systems ISG and Telerob. We continued our momentum over the course of the year securing a key initial contract for our new anti-armor Switchblade 600 loitering missile system, completing the fifth successful test flight of the Sunglider solar HAPS and demonstrating broadband LTE communication from the stratosphere. The AeroVironment team also made aviation history by developing critical propulsion and structural elements of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the first aircraft to take flight in the atmosphere of another world.”

“We executed our growth strategy effectively in fiscal year 2021 and are well positioned to achieve significant revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth in fiscal year 2022 with our expanded team, geographic footprint and broad portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems,” Mr. Nawabi added.

FISCAL 2021 FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $136.0 million, representing an increase from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 revenue of $135.2 million. The increase was due to an increase in revenue in our Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS) segment of $15.8 million resulting from our acquisition of Arcturus UAV in February 2021, partially offset by a decrease in revenue in our Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) segment of $15.0 million. The decrease in UAS segment revenue was due to a decrease in service revenue of $14.2 million and a decrease in product sales of $0.8 million. Our UAS segment consists of our existing small UAS, tactical missile systems and HAPS product lines and the recently acquired Progeny Systems Corporation’s Intelligent Systems Group (“ISG”).

Gross margin for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $59.7 million, an increase of 12% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 gross margin of $53.2 million. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to an increase in product margin of $8.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in service margin of $2.3 million. As a percentage of revenue, gross margin increased to 44% from 39%. The increase in gross margin percentage was primarily due to a favorable product and services mix. Cost of sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 included $2.6 million of intangible amortization expense and other related non-cash purchase accounting expenses as compared to $0.6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.

Income from operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $17.8 million, a decrease of $3.5 million from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 income from continuing operations of $21.3 million. The decrease in income from operations was primarily a result of an increase in selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense of $8.5 million and an increase in research and development (“R&D”) expense of $1.5 million, partially offset by an increase in gross margin of $6.5 million. The increase in SG&A expense for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was primarily due to an increase in acquisition-related expenses of $3.3 million associated with the acquisitions of Arcturus UAV, ISG and Telerob GmbH (“Telerob”), and an increase in intangible amortization expense of $2.8 million.

Other expense, net, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $9.4 million, as compared to other income, net of $1.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The increase in other expense, net was primarily due to a legal accrual related to our former EES business, an increase in interest expense of $0.9 million resulting from the term debt issued concurrent with the acquisition of Arcturus UAV, and a decrease in interest income due to a combination of a decrease in the average interest rates earned on our investment portfolio and a decrease in the average investment balances.

(Benefit) provision for income taxes for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was a benefit of $2.2 million, as compared to a provision of $2.6 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The increase in benefit from income taxes was primarily due to the decrease in income before income taxes and an increase in certain federal income tax credits.

Equity method investment income (loss), net of tax, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was income of $0.4 million, as compared to loss of $2.1 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The equity method income during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 resulted from our investment in a limited partnership fund.

Net income attributable to AeroVironment for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $10.9 million, as compared to $17.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 included a $9.3 million legal accrual related to our former EES business.

Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations attributable to AeroVironment for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 was $0.44, as compared to $0.73 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.

Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations was $1.04 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, as compared to $0.75 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.

FISCAL 2021 FULL YEAR RESULTS

Revenue for fiscal 2021 was $394.9 million, an increase of 8% from fiscal 2020 revenue of $367.3 million. The increase in revenue was due to an increase in product sales of $22.1 million and an increase in service revenue of $5.5 million. Fiscal 2021 revenue in our UAS segment increased $11.8 million from fiscal 2020. Fiscal 2021 included revenue in our MUAS segment of $15.8 million resulting from our acquisition of Arcturus UAV in February 2021.

Gross margin for fiscal 2021 was $164.6 million, an increase of 7% from fiscal 2020 gross margin of $153.1 million. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to an increase in product margin of $11.5 million. As a percentage of revenue, gross margin of 42% was consistent with that of fiscal 2020. Cost of sales for fiscal 2021 included $4.5 million of intangible amortization expense and other related non-cash purchase accounting expenses as compared to $2.4 million for fiscal 2020.

Income from operations for fiscal 2021 was $43.3 million, a decrease of $3.8 million from fiscal 2020 income from operations of $47.1 million. The decrease in income from operations was primarily a result of an increase in SG&A expense of $8.0 million and an increase in R&D expense of $7.3 million, partially offset by an increase in gross margin of $11.5 million. The increase in SG&A expense for fiscal 2021 was primary due to an increase in acquisition-related expenses of $6.5 million associated with the acquisitions of Arcturus UAV, ISG and Telerob, and an increase in intangible amortization expense of $2.8 million.

Other expense, net, for fiscal 2021 was $8.9 million, as compared to other income, net of $5.5 million for fiscal 2020. The increase in other expense, net was primarily due to a legal accrual related to our former EES business, a decrease in interest income due to a combination of a decrease in the average interest rates earned on our investment portfolio and a decrease in the average investment balances, and an increase in interest expense of $0.9 million resulting from the term debt issued concurrent with the acquisition of Arcturus UAV.

Provision for income taxes for fiscal 2021 was $0.5 million, as compared to $5.8 million for fiscal 2020. The decrease in provision for income taxes was primarily due to a decrease in income before income taxes and an increase in certain federal income tax credits.

Equity method investment loss, net of tax, for fiscal 2021 was $10.5 million, as compared to $5.5 million for fiscal 2020. Equity method investment loss, net of tax, for fiscal 2021 included a loss of $8.4 million for our proportionate share of the HAPSMobile Inc. joint venture’s impairment of its investment in Loon LLC.

Net income attributable to AeroVironment for fiscal 2021 was $23.3 million, as compared to $41.1 million for fiscal 2020. Fiscal 2021 included the impairment loss of $8.4 million related to HAPSMobile Inc.’s investment in Loon LLC and a $9.3 million legal accrual related to our former EES business.

Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations attributable to AeroVironment for fiscal 2021 was $0.96, as compared to $1.72 for fiscal 2020. Fiscal 2021 included the impairment loss of $8.4 million related to HAPSMobile Inc.’s investment in Loon LLC and $9.3 million related to a legal accrual related to our former EES business.

Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share from continuing operations was $2.10 for fiscal 2021, as compared to $1.84 for fiscal 2020.

BACKLOG

As of April 30, 2021, funded backlog (remaining performance obligations under firm orders for which funding is currently appropriated to us under a customer contract) was $211.8 million, as compared to $208.1 million as of April 30, 2020.

FISCAL 2022 — OUTLOOK FOR THE FULL YEAR

For fiscal year 2022 the Company continues to expect revenue of between $560 million and $580 million, net income of between $32 million and $37 million, adjusted EBITDA of between $105 million and $110 million, earnings per diluted share of between $1.31 and $1.51 and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, which excludes acquisition-related expenses and amortization of intangible assets, of between $2.50 and $2.70.

The foregoing estimates are forward-looking and reflect management's view of current and future market conditions, subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and including certain assumptions with respect to our ability to efficiently and on a timely basis integrate our acquisitions, obtain and retain government contracts, changes in the timing and/or amount of government spending, changes in the demand for our products and services, activities of competitors, changes in the regulatory environment, and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Investors are reminded that actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

CONFERENCE CALL AND PRESENTATION

In conjunction with this release, AeroVironment, Inc. will host a conference call today, Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at 1:30 pm Pacific Time that will be webcast live. Wahid Nawabi, president and chief executive officer, Kevin P. McDonnell, chief financial officer and Steven A. Gitlin, chief marketing officer and vice president of investor relations, will host the call.

4:30 PM ET

3:30 PM CT

2:30 PM MT

1:30 PM PT

Investors may dial into the call by using the following telephone numbers, (877) 561-2749 (U.S.) or (678) 809-1029 (international) and providing the conference ID 5370008 five to ten minutes prior to the start time to allow for registration.

Investors with Internet access may listen to the live audio webcast via the Investor Relations page of the AeroVironment, Inc. website, http://investor.avinc.com. Please allow 15 minutes prior to the call to download and install any necessary audio software.

A supplementary investor presentation for the fourth quarter and full fiscal 2021 can be accessed at https://investor.avinc.com/events-and-presentations.

Audio Replay Options

An audio replay of the event will be archived on the Investor Relations page of the company's website, at http://investor.avinc.com. The audio replay will also be available via telephone from Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time through July 6, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Dial (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (international) and provide the conference ID 5370008.

ABOUT AEROVIRONMENT, INC.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) provides technology solutions at the intersection of robotics, sensors, software analytics and connectivity that deliver more actionable intelligence so you can Proceed with Certainty. Celebrating 50 years of innovation, AeroVironment is a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, and serves defense, government and commercial customers. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” or words or phrases with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the impact of our recent acquisitions of Arcturus UAV, Telerob and ISG and our ability to successfully integrate them into our operations; the risk that disruptions will occur from the transactions that will harm our business; any disruptions or threatened disruptions to our relationships with our distributors, suppliers, customers and employees, including shortages in components for our products; the ability to timely and sufficiently integrate international operations into our ongoing business and compliance programs; reliance on sales to the U.S. government and related to our development of HAPS UAS; availability of U.S. government funding for defense procurement and R&D programs; changes in the timing and/or amount of government spending; our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new contracts; risks related to our international business, including compliance with export control laws; potential need for changes in our long-term strategy in response to future developments; the extensive regulatory requirements governing our contracts with the U.S. government and international customers; the consequences to our financial position, business and reputation that could result from failing to comply with such regulatory requirements; unexpected technical and marketing difficulties inherent in major research and product development efforts; the impact of potential security and cyber threats; changes in the supply and/or demand and/or prices for our products and services; the activities of competitors and increased competition; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; uncertainty in the customer adoption rate of commercial use unmanned aircraft systems; failure to remain a market innovator, to create new market opportunities or to expand into new markets; changes in significant operating expenses, including components and raw materials; failure to develop new products or integrate new technology into current products; risk of litigation, including but not limited to pending litigation arising from the sale of our EES business; product liability, infringement and other claims; changes in the regulatory environment; the impact of the outbreak related to the strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19 on our business operations; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this earnings release also contains non-GAAP financial measures. See in the financial tables below the calculation of these measures, the reasons why we believe these measures provide useful information to investors, and a reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Statement Regarding Non-GAAP Measures

The non-GAAP measures set forth above should be considered in addition to, and not as a replacement for or superior to, the comparable GAAP measures, and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management believes that these measures provide useful information to investors by offering additional ways of viewing our results that, when reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures, help our investors to understand the long-term profitability trends of our business and compare our profitability to prior and future periods and to our peers. In addition, management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate our operating and financial performance.

Non-GAAP Earnings per Diluted Share

We exclude the acquisition-related expenses, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and one-time non-operating items because we believe this facilitates more consistent comparisons of operating results over time between our newly acquired and existing businesses, and with our peer companies. We believe, however, that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets contribute to revenue generation and that intangible asset amortization will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized.

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before interest income, interest expense, income tax expense (benefit) and depreciation and amortization including amortization of purchase accounting adjustments, adjusted for the impact of certain other items, including acquisition related expenses, equity method investment gains or losses, and one-time non-operating gains or losses. We present Adjusted EBITDA, which is not a recognized financial measure under U.S. GAAP, because we believe it is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. We believe this facilitates more consistent comparisons of operating results over time between our newly acquired and existing businesses, and with our peer companies. We believe, however, that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets contribute to revenue generation, intangible asset amortization will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized and that interest and income tax expenses will recur in future periods. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in our industry or across different industries.

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