Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) today reported results for the fourth quarter of 2019.

Fourth quarter revenues of $5.6 billion decreased 9 percent from the same quarter in 2018. Lower truck production in North America and weaker demand in global construction, mining, and power generation markets drove the majority of the revenue decrease. Currency negatively impacted revenues by 1 percent primarily due to a stronger US dollar.

Fourth quarter sales in North America declined by 8 percent while international revenues decreased by 10 percent led by declines in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and India.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the fourth quarter were $563 million (10.1 percent of sales), or $682 million (12.2 percent of sales) excluding restructuring, compared to $896 million (14.6 percent of sales) a year ago.

“After a strong start to 2019, demand declined across most geographies and end markets in the second half of the year,” said Tony Satterthwaite, President and Chief Operating Officer. “We moved quickly to align costs with the weaker global outlook, executing a number of actions which we expect to yield annual savings of $250 to $300 million.”

The Company executed several measures to reduce costs and improve future performance in the second half of 2019. These actions included a plan to reduce headcount, which resulted in a charge of $119 million ($90 million after tax) in the fourth quarter.

Net income attributable to Cummins in the fourth quarter was $300 million ($1.97 per diluted share), or $390 million ($2.56 per diluted share) excluding restructuring, compared to $579 million ($3.63 per diluted share) in 2018. In addition to the restructuring costs, fourth quarter net income included charges of $22 million ($0.14 per diluted share) related to the cessation of development and production of certain products in North America and our planned exit of a business in Africa. The tax rate in the fourth quarter was 17.9 percent.

Revenues for the full year were $23.6 billion, 1 percent lower than 2018. Revenues in North America increased 3 percent and international sales declined 6 percent led by lower demand in Europe and India. EBITDA for the year was a record $3.6 billion (15.3 percent of sales), or $3.7 billion (15.8 percent of sales) excluding restructuring. This compares to $3.5 billion or 14.6 percent of sales in 2018.

Net income attributable to Cummins for the full year was $2.3 billion ($14.48 per diluted share), or $2.4 billion ($15.05 per diluted share) excluding restructuring, compared to net income of $2.1 billion ($13.15 per diluted share) in 2018. The tax rate for the full year was 20 percent.

“Despite challenging conditions in many of our largest markets over the last six months, Cummins delivered record profits and operating cash flow in 2019,” said Chairman and CEO Tom Linebarger. “The actions we have taken to reduce costs will mitigate a further slowdown in 2020 and position the Company for stronger performance when market demand improves. We will continue investment in new technologies and products in 2020 to generate strong growth and profitability for the company in both the near and long term, which is consistent with how we have managed through prior cycles.”

2020 Outlook:

Based on the current forecast, Cummins projects full year 2020 revenues to be down 8 to 12 percent, and EBITDA to be in the range of 14.2 to 15.2 percent of sales. Revenue declines in 2020 are driven by lower truck production in North America, Europe, China, and India as well as lower projected demand in off-highway markets, including global Power Generation, mining, oil and gas, and construction markets. The midpoint of guidance represents a 25 percent decremental EBITDA margin excluding the impact of the New Power segment.

The company plans to return 75 percent of Operating Cash Flow to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

Our outlook does not include any potential impact of the company’s review of its emission certification process and compliance with emission standards or additional expenses associated with executing future cost reduction initiatives.

2019 Highlights:

• The Company returned a record $2.0 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. We repurchased 8.1 million shares, representing 5.2 percent of shares outstanding.

• Cummins closed on its previously announced acquisition of fuel cell and hydrogen production technologies provider Hydrogenics Corporation.

• Announced Cummins new environmental sustainability strategy called PLANET 2050 which includes science based goals that meet or exceed the goals in the United Nations Paris agreement on climate change.

• Cummins was ranked No. 17 in Newsweek magazine’s first rating of America’s Most Responsible Companies, the highest ranked company in the automotive and component category.

• Launched the Company’s new 2020 X15 Efficiency Series engine which meets 2021 greenhouse gas standards one year early in North America, delivering up to 5 percent better fuel economy than the prior X15 Efficiency Series. The X15 Efficiency Series is paired with a 12-speed Cummins Eaton Joint Venture Automated Manual Transmission and delivers both improved fuel economy and reliability for customers, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

• The first Cummins-powered battery electric bus entered service in Santa Monica, California.

1 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Fourth quarter 2019 detail (all comparisons to same period in 2018) excluding restructuring charges in 2019:

Engine Segment

• Sales - $2.3 billion, down 15 percent
• Segment EBITDA - $277 million, or 12.1 percent of sales, compared to $393 million or 14.6 percent of sales
• On-highway revenues decreased 13 percent, and off-highway revenues decreased 22 percent primarily due to decreased global demand in truck and constructions markets

Distribution Segment

• Sales - $2.0 billion, down 1 percent
• Segment EBITDA - $164 million, or 8.0 percent of sales, compared to $140 million or 6.8 percent of sales
• Revenues in North America were flat and international sales declined by 1 percent
• Increased shipments in data center markets for power generation equipment was partially offset by lower demand in oil and gas and construction markets and unfavorable impact of 1 percent from a stronger US dollar

Components Segment

• Sales - $1.6 billion, down 12 percent
• Segment EBITDA - $209 million, or 13.4 percent of sales, compared to $278 million or 15.7 percent of sales
• Revenues in North America decreased by 13 percent, and international sales declined by 11 percent due to weaker global truck demand.

Power Systems Segment

• Sales - $1.1 billion, down 12 percent
• Segment EBITDA - $55 million, or 5.2 percent of sales, compared to $123 million, or 10.3 percent of sales
• The company recorded a $15 million charge related to a planned exit of a business in Africa
• Power generation revenues decreased by 11 percent while industrial revenues decreased 14 percent

New Power Segment

• Sales - $18 million
• Segment EBITDA loss - $50 million

About Cummins Inc.

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 61,600 people committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality of opportunity. Cummins serves its customers online, through a network of company-owned and independent distributor locations, and through thousands of dealer locations worldwide and earned about $2.3 billion on sales of $23.6 billion in 2019. See how Cummins is powering a world that’s always on by accessing news releases and more information at https://www.cummins.com/always-on.

Forward-looking disclosure statement

Information provided in this release that is not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our forecasts, guidance, preliminary results, expectations, hopes, beliefs and intentions on strategies regarding the future. These forward looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to our plans and expectations for our revenues and EBITDA. Our actual future results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements because of a number of factors, including, but not limited to: any adverse results of our internal review into our emissions certification process and compliance with emissions standards; a sustained slowdown or significant downturn in our markets; changes in the engine outsourcing practices of significant customers; the development of new technologies that reduce demand for our current products and services; increased scrutiny from regulatory agencies, as well as unpredictability in the adoption, implementation and enforcement of emissions standards around the world; product recalls; policy changes in international trade; the United Kingdom's (U.K.) decision to end its membership in the European Union; lower than expected acceptance of new or existing products or services; a slowdown in infrastructure development and/or depressed commodity prices; supply shortages and supplier financial risk, particularly from any of our single-sourced suppliers; exposure to potential security breaches or other disruptions to our information technology systems and data security; a major customer experiencing financial distress; the actions of, and income from, joint ventures and other investees that we do not directly control; our plan to reposition our portfolio of product offerings through exploration of strategic acquisitions and divestitures and related uncertainties of entering such transactions; failure to realize expected results from our investment in Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture; competitor activity; increasing competition, including increased global competition among our customers in emerging markets; foreign currency exchange rate changes; variability in material and commodity costs; political, economic and other risks from operations in numerous countries; changes in taxation; global legal and ethical compliance costs and risks; aligning our capacity and production with our demand; product liability claims; increasingly stringent environmental laws and regulations; future bans or limitations on the use of diesel-powered products; the price and availability of energy; the performance of our pension plan assets and volatility of discount rates; labor relations; changes in accounting standards; our sales mix of products; protection and validity of our patent and other intellectual property rights; the outcome of pending and future litigation and governmental proceedings; continued availability of financing, financial instruments and financial resources in the amounts, at the times and on the terms required to support our future business; and other risks detailed from time to time in our SEC filings, including particularly in the Risk Factors section of our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More detailed information about factors that may affect our performance may be found in our filings with the SEC, which are available at http://www.sec.gov or at http://www.cummins.com in the Investor Relations section of our website.

Presentation of Non-GAAP Financial Information

EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure used in this release, and is defined and reconciled to what management believes to be the most comparable GAAP measure in a schedule attached to this release. Cummins presents this information as it believes it is useful to understanding the Company's operating performance, and because EBITDA is a measure used internally to assess the performance of the operating units.

We believe net income and diluted earnings per share attributable to Cummins Inc. excluding restructuring charges is a useful measure of our operating performance without regard to restructuring charges. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for GAAP and may not be consistent with measures used by other companies.

Webcast information

Cummins management will host a teleconference to discuss these results today at 10 a.m. EST. This teleconference will be webcast and available on the Investor Relations section of the Cummins website at www.cummins.com. Participants wishing to view the visuals available with the audio are encouraged to sign-in a few minutes prior to the start of the teleconference.

CUMMINS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
RECONCILIATION OF SEGMENT INFORMATION
(Unaudited)

A reconciliation of our segment information to the corresponding amounts in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Net Income is shown in the table below:

CUMMINS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECT FOOTNOTE DATA
(Unaudited)

EQUITY, ROYALTY AND INTEREST INCOME FROM INVESTEES

Equity, royalty and interest income from investees included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Net Income for the reporting periods was as follows:

RESTRUCTURING ACTIONS

In November 2019, we announced our intentions to reduce our global workforce in response to the continued deterioration in our global markets in the second half of 2019, as well as expected reductions in orders in most U.S. and international markets in 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we began executing restructuring actions, primarily in the form of voluntary and involuntary employee separation programs. To the extent these programs involve voluntary separations, a liability is generally recorded at the time offers to employees are accepted. To the extent these programs provide separation benefits in accordance with pre-existing agreements or policies, a liability is recorded once the amount is probable and reasonably estimable. We incurred a charge of $119 million ($90 million after-tax) in the fourth quarter of 2019 for these actions which impacted approximately 2,300 employees. The voluntary actions were completed by December 31, 2019 and the majority of the involuntary actions were executed prior to January 31, 2020, with expected completion by March 31, 2020. Due to the inherent uncertainty involved, actual amounts paid for such activities may differ from amounts initially recorded and we may need to revise previous estimates.

INCOME TAXES

Our effective tax rates for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019, were 17.9 percent and 20.0 percent, respectively.

The three months ended December 31, 2019, contained $4 million of favorable net discrete tax items, primarily due to withholding taxes and provision to return adjustments. The year ended December 31, 2019, contained $34 million of favorable net discrete tax items, primarily due to withholding taxes and provision to return adjustments.

CUMMINS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
FINANCIAL MEASURES THAT SUPPLEMENT GAAP
(Unaudited)

Reconciliation of Non GAAP measures - Earnings before interest, income taxes, noncontrolling interests, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA)

We believe EBITDA is a useful measure of our operating performance as it assists investors and debt holders in comparing our performance on a consistent basis without regard to financing methods, capital structure, income taxes or depreciation and amortization methods, which can vary significantly depending upon many factors.

EBITDA is not in accordance with, or an alternative for, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and may not be consistent with measures used by other companies. It should be considered supplemental data; however, the amounts included in the EBITDA calculation are derived from amounts included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Net Income. Below is a reconciliation of “Net income attributable to Cummins Inc.” to EBITDA for each of the applicable periods:

Net income and diluted earnings per share (EPS) attributable to Cummins Inc. excluding restructuring actions

We believe these are useful measures of our operating performance for the periods presented as they illustrate our operating performance without regard to restructuring actions. These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative for GAAP and may not be consistent with measures used by other companies. This should be considered supplemental data. The following table reconciles net income and diluted EPS attributable to Cummins Inc. to net income and diluted EPS attributable to Cummins Inc. excluding restructuring actions for the following periods:

CUMMINS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
BUSINESS UNIT SALES DATA
(Unaudited)

Engine Segment Sales by Market and Unit Shipments by Engine Classification

Sales for our Engine segment by market were as follows:

Unit shipments by engine classification (including unit shipments to Power Systems and off-highway engine units included in their respective classification) were as follows:

Distribution Segment Sales by Product Line

Sales for our Distribution segment by product line were as follows: