Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
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Overview
The earnings call reveals mixed results: strong financial performance with increased revenue and net income, but significant challenges remain. The automotive market conditions are weak, and supply chain issues persist. Negative foreign exchange impacts and rising costs in Mexico add pressure. While guidance is optimistic, revenue is expected to decline year-over-year, and management's vague responses raise concerns. These factors, coupled with no clear positive catalysts like new partnerships or shareholder returns, suggest a negative sentiment, likely leading to a stock price decline of -2% to -8% over the next two weeks.
Key Financial Performance
Sales $137.5 million in the quarter, a 6% increase year-over-year. Growth driven by pricing, favorable sales mix, higher content value, new program launches, and tariff recovery.
Gross Margin 16.5%, expanded by 330 basis points year-over-year. Improvement due to pricing actions ($3.1 million), higher production volumes, inventory build-up, and $1.7 million in restructuring savings. Offset by $1.2 million higher labor costs in Mexico, $900,000 increase in tariff costs, and $1.6 million negative foreign exchange impact.
Net Income $5 million, nearly quadrupled year-over-year. Adjusted net income was $7.1 million, with adjusted diluted EPS growing 163% to $1.71. Growth attributed to transformation actions and operational improvements.
Operating Cash Flow $14 million in the quarter, up 48% year-over-year. Year-to-date cash flow reached $25 million, up 21%. Improvement reflects higher net income and inventory investments.
Adjusted EBITDA $12.3 million for the quarter, representing an 8.9% margin, up from 6.1% in the prior year. Year-to-date adjusted EBITDA was $27.8 million, up 55%, with a margin of 9.6%, up 290 basis points.
Capital Expenditures $2.6 million in the quarter, focused on new product programs and equipment investments. Year-to-date CapEx was $4.2 million, with fiscal 2026 expected to be under $10 million.
Cash Position $99 million in cash at the end of the quarter, with total debt reduced to $2.5 million from $8 million in the prior fiscal year.
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Operating Highlights
New product programs: Capital expenditures in the second quarter were $2.6 million, focused on new product programs and investments in new equipment.
Customer set expansion: Opportunity to expand customer set within North America by leveraging technical expertise.
Cost savings: Implemented a voluntary retirement program and other restructuring actions, generating $3.4 million in annualized savings.
Gross margin improvement: Gross margin expanded 330 basis points to 16.5%, driven by pricing actions, higher production volumes, and restructuring savings.
Cash flow: Generated $14 million in cash from operations during the quarter, bringing year-to-date cash flow to $25 million.
Capital flexibility: Ended the quarter with $99 million in cash and total debt of $2.5 million, providing flexibility for investments and managing market volatility.
Transformation actions: Focused on process improvement, institutionalizing new practices, and leveraging team capabilities to protect profitability and drive operational excellence.
M&A evaluation: Evaluating mergers and acquisitions as a potential lever for longer-term growth.
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Risk or Challenges
Supply Chain Challenges: The company faced supply chain challenges for the industry, which could impact operations and responsiveness to customer needs.
Foreign Exchange Pressures: The company experienced $1.6 million in negative foreign exchange impact during the quarter, with continued headwinds expected throughout the year. A 5% change in the dollar relative to the peso could result in a $4 million annualized impact to gross margin.
Labor Costs in Mexico: Higher labor costs in Mexico, including $1.2 million in annual merit increases, are adding to operational expenses.
Automotive Market Conditions: The automotive production environment remains weak, with forecasts suggesting a flat to moderate decline in North American automotive production, which could affect sales and growth.
Tariff Costs: The company incurred approximately $900,000 in increased tariff costs, which are recovered on a delayed basis, creating mismatches in financial reporting.
Restructuring and Transformation Costs: The company incurred $1.7 million in expenses related to a voluntary retirement program and $800,000 in business transformation costs, which are short-term financial burdens.
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Guidance & Outlook
Revenue Expectations: Sequentially, sales are expected to slightly improve in the third quarter, but the second half of the fiscal year is projected to be down approximately 3% to 4% year-over-year.
Gross Margin Projections: Gross margin is expected to remain at the 15% to 16% level, with continued headwinds from foreign exchange and labor costs in Mexico.
Cash Flow and Capital Expenditures: Annual cash from operations is expected to be approximately $40 million. Capital expenditures for fiscal 2026 are projected to be less than $10 million.
Market Trends and Automotive Production: North American automotive production is forecasted to be flat to moderately declining for fiscal 2026. The company expects modest benefits from program launches and being on favored platforms.
Strategic Investments: The company plans to prioritize investments in organic growth, process modernization, automation initiatives, and potential M&A opportunities to drive long-term growth.
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Shareholder Return Plan
The selected topic was not discussed during the call.
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Key Q&A
Q:Was there actual revenue pushed from Q2 into Q3 due to supply chain disruptions?
A:There was a slight impact from a fire with a supplier and chip challenges, but customers and suppliers worked to minimize the impact on sales in the quarter.
Q:How should we think about selling and administrative expenses in the second half of the year?
A:Selling and administrative expenses are expected to be in the 10% to 11% range in the back half of the year, with merit increases being less than in previous years.
Q:When does the $3.4 million in savings from the early retirement plan hit the bottom line?
A:The $3.4 million is the annual benefit, with $400,000 realized in the current quarter and $800,000 per quarter expected by the fourth quarter.
Q:What is causing a drawdown in free cash flow?
A:The drawdown is due to intentional inventory builds to improve service delivery and restructuring and business transformation costs incurred in the second quarter.
Q:What are the conversations with potential new customers in North America focusing on?
A:The focus is on access products and digital key technology, with the earliest potential impact being in 2029 due to the long automotive sales cycle.
Q:Does Tesla's door handle issue impact the company’s technology or future platforms?
A:The issue does not impact the company’s future plans but reinforces the need for secondary mechanical locking mechanisms, which strengthens their product offerings.
Q:What updates are there on the product line review?
A:The company deprioritized its switch business due to profitability and value concerns but remains focused on power access products and digital key technology.
Q:Is the expected revenue in the second half up 3% to 4% year-over-year or sequentially?
A:Revenue is expected to be down 3% to 4% on a year-over-year basis.
Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses
A:Management avoided directly answering the question about selling and administrative expenses by providing general context and deferring to a range without specific details on the factors influencing the target.
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Earnings Word Cloud
The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call
Capital expenditure
Deb macro
Instructions conference
Interest expense
Interest income
SAE
Strattec
ability
benefit
cash position
charge
content value
date cash
date margin
debt
detail
dollar
environment
exchange
flexibility market
flow date
focus
income share
labor
margin date
peso
production volume
program launch
restructuring
retirement program
sale mix
saving
share basis
share cash
sic
talent
tariff recovery
transformation action
STRT Transcript
Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown2-6
The earnings call reveals mixed results: strong financial performance with increased revenue and net income, but significant challenges remain. The automotive market conditions are weak, and supply chain issues persist. Negative foreign exchange impacts and rising costs in Mexico add pressure. While guidance is optimistic, revenue is expected to decline year-over-year, and management's vague responses raise concerns. These factors, coupled with no clear positive catalysts like new partnerships or shareholder returns, suggest a negative sentiment, likely leading to a stock price decline of -2% to -8% over the next two weeks.
Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) Presents at IAccess Alpha Virtual Best Ideas Winter Investment Conference 2025 Transcript
Neutral12-9
Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown10-31
The earnings call summary presents a mixed outlook. Positive aspects include revenue growth, improved margins, and solid cash generation. However, challenges like modernization costs, facility consolidation risks, and the impact of semiconductor disruptions temper optimism. The Q&A reveals cautious sentiment, with analysts probing for details on CapEx and automation benefits. The company's reluctance to provide specifics on relationships and disruptions adds uncertainty. Given these factors, the stock is likely to remain stable, with a neutral sentiment prevailing.
Strattec Security Corporation (STRT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Unknown8-15
The earnings call showed mixed signals. Financial performance was stable with cash flow and EBITDA improvements, but guidance was weak with flat revenue expectations for fiscal 2026. The Q&A highlighted uncertainties in market conditions and management's vague responses on key issues. While operational efficiencies and restructuring savings are positives, the lack of new partnerships or significant growth catalysts, and a focus on stabilizing rather than expanding, suggest a neutral stock price movement.
STRT Slides
STRT Report
Frequently Asked Questions
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They are generated by a specialized financial-language model trained exclusively on 15+ years of earnings transcripts. The model extracts financial figures, guidance, and tone with 97%+ accuracy and is regularly validated against human analysts. The full raw transcript always remains available for verification.
