HEICO (HEI) - 2024 Q4 - Annual Report

Financial Performance - Consolidated net sales increased by 30% to a record $3,857.7 million in fiscal 2024, up from$ 2,968.1 million in fiscal 2023[197]. - Flight Support Group (FSG) net sales rose by 49% to $2,639.4 million, driven by$ 643.5 million from acquisitions and 13% organic growth[197]. - Electronic Technologies Group (ETG) net sales increased by 3% to $1,263.6 million, with$ 40.7 million from acquisitions, but a 2% organic decline[197]. - Net income attributable to HEICO increased by 27% to a record $514.1 million, or$ 3.67 per diluted share, in fiscal 2024[211]. - Operating income reached $697.7 million, while net income from consolidated operations was$ 559.5 million[242]. - Net income attributable to HEICO was $526.0 million for the fiscal year 2024[242]. - Comprehensive income attributable to HEICO for 2024 was$ 528,213, compared to $409,915 in 2023, reflecting a 28.9% increase[290]. Operating Income and Expenses - Consolidated operating income increased by 32% to a record$ 824.5 million, with FSG operating income rising by 53% to $593.1 million[204]. - Total new product research and development expenses rose to$ 111.3 million in fiscal 2024, up from $95.8 million in fiscal 2023[199]. - Interest expense increased significantly to$ 149.3 million in fiscal 2024, compared to $73.0 million in fiscal 2023, due to higher outstanding debt[207]. - Effective tax rate decreased to 17.5% in fiscal 2024 from 20.0% in fiscal 2023, reflecting larger tax benefits from stock option exercises[209]. Cash Flow and Debt Management - Net cash provided by operating activities increased by$ 223.6 million (50%) in fiscal 2024, totaling $672.4 million, up from$ 448.7 million in fiscal 2023[220]. - Total debt decreased from $2,478.1 million in October 2023 to$ 2,229.4 million in October 2024, resulting in a total debt to total capitalization ratio of 38%[215]. - The company had approximately $995 million of unused committed availability under its revolving credit facility as of December 18, 2024[217]. - Payments on revolving credit facility amounted to$ (365,000), compared to $(989,000) in the previous year, indicating a reduction in debt repayment[306]. Acquisitions and Growth Strategy - The company plans to drive growth through recently completed acquisitions and potential future acquisitions[212]. - The Company completed the acquisition of Wencor Group for a total consideration of$ 2,054.366 million, including $1,893.114 million in cash and 1,137,628 shares of Class A Common Stock[361][362]. - The acquisition of Wencor contributed approximately$ 185.7 million to the Company's consolidated net sales and $22.6 million to net income for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023[364]. - The Company acquired Exxelia International SAS for a total consideration of$ 503.996 million, which included $515.785 million in cash, net of cash acquired[369]. - The acquisition of Exxelia resulted in approximately$ 179.0 million in net sales for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, with no material impact on net income attributable to HEICO[372]. Inventory and Working Capital - The increase in net working capital in fiscal 2024 was primarily due to a $132.9 million increase in inventories to support an increase in consolidated backlog[220]. - Inventories, net, increased to$ 1,170,949 in 2024 from $1,013,680 in 2023, indicating a growth of 15.5%[282]. - Total current assets rose to$ 2,062,292 in 2024, compared to $1,855,342 in 2023, marking an increase of 11.2%[282]. Shareholder Equity and Dividends - As of October 31, 2023, total shareholders' equity increased to$ 3,193,151 thousand, up from $2,648,306 thousand as of October 31, 2022, representing a growth of approximately 20.6%[301]. - Cash dividends declared were$ 29,069 thousand, reflecting an increase from $27,370 thousand in the prior year, which corresponds to a growth of approximately 6.2%[301]. - The company reported cash dividends of$ 0.21 per share for the current year, up from $0.20 per share in the previous year[301]. Financial Position and Assets - Total assets as of October 31, 2024, were$ 7,592,822, an increase from $7,195,063 as of October 31, 2023[282]. - Current assets, excluding net intercompany receivables, totaled$ 1,642.3 million, while current liabilities were $546.7 million[242]. - Long-term debt decreased to$ 2,225,267 in 2024 from $2,460,277 in 2023, a reduction of 9.5%[282]. Revenue Recognition and Accounting Policies - The Company recognizes revenue primarily at a point-in-time, with the majority of revenue recognized upon shipment or delivery of products, reflecting the consideration expected to be received[336]. - The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually, with the option to perform a qualitative assessment first; if impairment is likely, a quantitative test is required[328]. - Customer rebates and credits are accrued as a reduction within net sales based on estimated discount levels, which are updated at least quarterly[332]. - The Company utilizes a cost-to-cost method for recognizing revenue on contracts satisfied over time, measuring progress based on costs incurred relative to total estimated costs[342]. Impairment and Risk Management - The company incurred$ 7,500 in impairment of intangible assets, which was not reported in the previous year[306]. - The fair value of each reporting unit significantly exceeded its carrying value as of October 31, 2024, indicating no impairment of goodwill[254]. - The company has exposure to interest rate risk with variable rate debt totaling $1,015.0 million as of October 31, 2024[262]. - A hypothetical 10% increase in interest rates would not have a material effect on the company's financial position or cash flows[262].