Johnson Controls Reports Solid Q1 Results; Updates FY24 Guidance

• Q1 reported sales were flat versus prior year and declined 1% organically
• Q1 GAAP EPS of $0.55; Q1 Adjusted EPS of $0.51
• Q1 Orders +1% organically year-over-year
• Building Solutions backlog of $12.1 billion, increased 7% organically year-over-year
• Updates FY24 Adjusted EPS before special items of ~$3.60 to $3.75 from
  prior range of ~$3.65 to $3.80
• Early stages of pursuing strategic alternatives for non-commercial businesses

CORK, Ireland, Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE: JCI), a global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today reported fiscal first quarter 2024 GAAP earnings per share ("EPS") from continuing operations of $0.55. Excluding special items, adjusted EPS from continuing operations was $0.51 (see attached footnotes for non-GAAP reconciliation).

Sales in the quarter of $6.1 billion were flat compared to the prior year on an as reported basis and declined 1% organically. GAAP net income from continuing operations was $374 million. Adjusted net income from continuing operations was $350 million.

"We continued to position Johnson Controls for the future, delivering solid first quarter results and appointing Marc Vandiepenbeeck as CFO," said Johnson Controls Chairman and CEO George Oliver. "Our value proposition of making buildings smarter, healthier and more sustainable is resonating with our customers and translating into record backlog. After managing through a temporary cyber disruption and the seasonality of the first quarter, we are entering the new calendar year with accelerating momentum."

Mr. Oliver continued, "The management team continues to simplify and transform the company into a comprehensive solutions provider for commercial buildings. As part of the continuous evaluation of our portfolio, we are in the early stages of pursuing strategic alternatives of our non-commercial businesses, in line with our objective to maximize value to our shareholders."

Income and EPS amounts attributable to Johnson Controls ordinary shareholders
($ millions, except per-share amounts)

The financial highlights presented in the tables below are in accordance with GAAP, unless otherwise indicated. All comparisons are to the fiscal first quarter of 2023.

Organic sales growth, adjusted segment EBITA, adjusted corporate expense, adjusted net income from continuing operations, adjusted EPS from continuing operations, cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations, excluding JC Capital, and adjusted free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of non-GAAP measures and detail of the special items, refer to the attached footnotes.

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding organic revenue growth, adjusted segment EBITA margin improvement and adjusted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures are derived by excluding certain amounts from the corresponding financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The determination of the amounts excluded is a matter of management judgment and depends upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income amounts recognized in a given period and the high variability of certain amounts, such as mark-to-market adjustments. Organic revenue growth excludes the effect of acquisitions, divestitures and foreign currency. We are unable to present a quantitative reconciliation of the aforementioned forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures because such information is not available, and management cannot reliably predict the necessary components of such GAAP measures without unreasonable effort or expense. The unavailable information could have a significant impact on the Company's fiscal 2024 second quarter and full year GAAP financial results.

A slide presentation to accompany the results can be found in the Investor Relations section of Johnson Controls' website at http://investors.johnsoncontrols.com.

SEGMENT RESULTS

Building Solutions North America 

Sales in the quarter of $2.5 billion increased 5% versus the prior year. Organic sales increased 4% over the prior year led by double-digit growth in Applied HVAC & Controls.

Orders in the quarter, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency, increased 6% year-over-year. Backlog at the end of the quarter of $8.4 billion increased 11% compared to the prior year, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency.

Segment EBITA was $285 million, up 7% versus the prior year. Segment EBITA margin of 11.5% expanded 20 basis points versus the prior year led by higher margin backlog conversion and continued growth in Services.

 Building Solutions EMEA/LA (Europe, Middle East, Africa/Latin America)

Sales in the quarter of $1.0 billion increased 6% versus the prior year. Organic sales grew 2% versus the prior year led by strength in Applied HVAC & Controls, Fire & Security, and high-single digit growth in Service.

Orders in the quarter, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency, increased 5% year-over-year. Backlog at the end of the quarter of $2.4 billion increased 10% year-over-year, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency.

Segment EBITA was $80 million, up 7% versus the prior year. Segment EBITA margin of 7.7% was flat versus the prior year as the growth in Service was offset by the conversion of lower margin Install backlog.

Building Solutions Asia Pacific

Sales in the quarter of $507 million declined 22% versus the prior year. Organic sales declined 21% versus the prior year as mid single-digit Service growth was more than offset by accelerating weakness in China.

Orders in the quarter, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency, declined 31% year-over-year.  Backlog at the end of the quarter of $1.3 billion decreased 21% year-over-year, excluding M&A and adjusted for foreign currency.

Segment EBITA was $46 million, down 32% versus the prior year. Segment EBITA margin of 9.1% declined 140 basis points versus the prior year primarily related to declines in the Install business in China.

Global Products

Sales in the quarter of $2.1 billion declined 1% versus the prior year. Organic sales were down 1% versus the prior year as growth in Applied and Light Commercial HVAC was offset by declines in global Residential HVAC.

Segment EBITA was $369 million, down 3% versus the prior year. Segment EBITA margin of 17.9% declined 50 basis points versus the prior year as the result of unfavorable manufacturing absorption and mix. Adjusted segment EBITA in Q1 2023 excluded the impact of an uninsured loss associated with a fire at a leased warehouse facility.

Corporate

Corporate expense was $139 million in the quarter, an increase of 28% compared to the prior year. Adjusted Corporate expense in Q1 2024 excluded certain one-time cyber incident-related costs and in Q1 2023 excluded certain transaction/separation costs. 

OTHER Q1 ITEMS

• Cash used by operating activities from continuing operations was $246 million, while cash used by operating activities from continuing operations, excluding JC Capital, was $158 million. Capital expenditures were $92 million, resulting in adjusted free cash flow from continuing operations of $(250) million. This was favorable by $180 million compared to Q1 2023.
• The Company paid dividends of approximately $252 million during Q1 2024.
• The Company recorded pre-tax restructuring and impairment costs of $39 million, primarily comprised of severance charges related to ongoing restructuring actions.
• The Company recorded a net discrete period tax benefit of $57 million related to benefits from Swiss cantonal tax reform partially offset by a provision related to a change in indefinite reinvestment assertion for certain subsidiaries.

SECOND QUARTER GUIDANCE

The Company initiated fiscal 2024 second quarter guidance:

• Organic revenue ~flat year-over-year
• Adjusted segment EBITA margin of ~14.5%
• Adjusted EPS before special items of ~$0.74 to $0.78

FULL YEAR GUIDANCE

The Company updated fiscal 2024 full year EPS guidance:

• Organic revenue growth up ~MSD year-over year
• Adjusted segment EBITA margin improvement of ~50 to 75 basis points, year-over-year (previously guided to ~25+ basis points improvement)
• Adjusted EPS before special items of ~$3.60 to $3.75 from prior range of ~$3.65 to $3.80

CONFERENCE CALL & WEBCAST INFO

Johnson Controls will host a conference call to discuss this quarter's results at 8:30 a.m. ET today, which can be accessed by dialing 844-763-8274 (in the United States) or +1-412-717-9224 (outside the United States), or via webcast. A slide presentation will accompany the prepared remarks and has been posted on the investor relations section of the Johnson Controls website at https://investors.johnsoncontrols.com/news-and-events/events-and-presentations. A replay will be made available approximately two hours following the conclusion of the conference call.

About Johnson Controls

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.

Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.

Visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social platforms.

                 

Johnson Controls International plc Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Johnson Controls International plc has made statements in this communication that are forward-looking and therefore are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements in this document other than statements of historical fact are, or could be, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this communication, statements regarding Johnson Controls future financial position, sales, costs, earnings, cash flows, other measures of results of operations, synergies and integration opportunities, capital expenditures, debt levels and market outlook are forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "should," "forecast," "project" or "plan" and terms of similar meaning are also generally intended to identify forward-looking statements.  However, the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Johnson Controls cautions that these statements are subject to numerous important risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond its control, that could cause its actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks related to: Johnson Controls ability to develop or acquire new products and technologies that achieve market acceptance and meet applicable quality and regulatory requirements; the ability to manage general economic, business and capital market conditions, including the impact of recessions, economic downturns and global price inflation; fluctuations in the cost and availability of public and private financing for its customers; the ability to innovate and adapt to emerging technologies, ideas and trends in the marketplace, including the incorporation of technologies such as artificial intelligence; the ability to manage macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility, including shortages impacting the availability of raw materials and component products and the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas; managing the risks and impacts of potential and actual security breaches, cyberattacks, privacy breaches or data breaches, including business, service, or operational disruptions, the unauthorized access to or disclosure of data, financial loss, reputational damage, increased response and remediation costs, legal, and regulatory proceedings or other unfavorable outcomes; our ability to remediate our material weakness; maintaining and improving the capacity, reliability and security of Johnson Controls enterprise information technology infrastructure; the ability to manage the lifecycle cybersecurity risk in the development, deployment and operation of Johnson Controls digital platforms and services; changes to laws or policies governing foreign trade, including economic sanctions, tariffs, foreign exchange and capital controls, import/export controls or other trade restrictions; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes or uncertainty in laws, regulations, rates, policies, or interpretations that impact Johnson Controls business operations or tax status; the ability to adapt to global climate change, climate change regulation and successfully meet Johnson Controls public sustainability commitments; the outcome of litigation and governmental proceedings; the risk of infringement or expiration of intellectual property rights; Johnson Controls ability to manage disruptions caused by catastrophic or geopolitical events, such as natural disasters, armed conflict, political change, climate change, pandemics and outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments; the ability of Johnson Controls to drive organizational improvement; any delay or inability of Johnson Controls to realize the expected benefits and synergies of recent portfolio transactions; the ability to hire and retain senior management and other key personnel; the tax treatment of recent portfolio transactions; significant transaction costs and/or unknown liabilities associated with such transactions; labor shortages, work stoppages, union negotiations, labor disputes and other matters associated with the labor force; and the cancellation of or changes to commercial arrangements. A detailed discussion of risks related to Johnson Controls business is included in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Johnson Controls Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year filed with the SEC, which is available at www.sec.gov and www.johnsoncontrols.com under the "Investors" tab. The description of certain of these risks supplemented in Item 1A of Part II of Johnson Controls subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Shareholders, potential investors and others should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements and should not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date of this document, unless otherwise specified, and, except as required by law, Johnson Controls assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release contains financial information regarding adjusted earnings per share, which is a non-GAAP performance measure. The adjusting items include restructuring and impairment costs, net mark-to-market adjustments, certain transaction/separation costs, cyber incident costs, warehouse fire loss, and discrete tax items. Financial information regarding organic sales growth, adjusted segment EBITA, adjusted segment EBITA margin, adjusted Corporate expense, cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations, excluding JC Capital, adjusted free cash flow, and adjusted net income from continuing operations are also presented, which are non-GAAP performance measures. Management believes that, when considered together with unadjusted amounts, these non-GAAP measures are useful to investors in understanding period-over-period operating results and business trends of Johnson Controls. Management may also use these metrics as guides in forecasting, budgeting and long-term planning processes and for compensation purposes. These metrics should be considered in addition to, and not as replacements for, the most comparable GAAP measure.  For further information on the calculation of the non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures, refer to the attached footnotes.

SOURCE Johnson Controls International plc