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  Title	Mission Produce™ Announces Fiscal 2024 Fourth Quarter Financial Results
  ID	5288925
  External ID	7406027693
  Author	Unknown
  Published Date	Dec. 19, 2024, 9:26 p.m.
  Summary	Strong top and bottom-line results driven by ongoing strength of the Marketing & Distribution segment Operating cash flow for full year fiscal 2024 increased by $64.2 million versus fiscal 2023 OXN
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  URL	https://smb.albertleatribune.com/article/mission-producetm-announces-fiscal-2024-fourth-quarter-financial-results?storyid=67648b570e0d0189228c243a
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  Content ID	3192764
  Key	1c065f97-f553-4da6-8cde-691c086db381
  Content	Strong top and bottom-line results driven by ongoing strength of the Marketing & Distribution segment Operating cash flow for full year fiscal 2024 increased by $64.2 million versus fiscal 2023 OXNARD, Calif., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mission Produce, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVO) (“Mission” or the “Company”), a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados with additional offerings in mangos and blueberries, today reported its financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31, 2024. Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Overview: Full Year 2024 Financial Overview CEO Message “Mission delivered a strong fourth quarter that rounded out an exceptional full year fiscal 2024 performance where we realized $1.23 billion in revenue and generated $107.8 million in adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the strength of our business model and industry leading positioning,” stated Steve Barnard, CEO of Mission. “As previously announced, our Marketing & Distribution segment drove the strong fourth quarter performance, successfully leveraging our global sourcing network amid a sustained higher pricing environment to achieve per-unit margins exceeding our targeted range. The positive impact of our fourth quarter performance combined with our solid operational execution across the fiscal year drove a $64.2 million increase in operating cash flow versus fiscal 2023, further strengthening our capital structure and enhancing our flexibility.” Mr. Barnard continued, “Looking ahead to fiscal 2025, we will continue to focus on operational excellence, strategic growth initiatives, and sound capital allocation to drive shareholder value. While we anticipate some pricing moderation as additional supply sources become available, this environment typically supports increased consumption, and we remain well-positioned to capitalize on this growth through our unique capability to provide consistent year-round avocado supply. Beyond avocados, we are also excited about growing our mango program and expanding our presence in blueberries this year, both of which leverage our existing assets and capabilities while providing additional long-term growth opportunities.” Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2024 Consolidated Financial Review Total revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 increased $96.5 million or 37% to $354.4 million compared to the same period last year. The increase was primarily driven by the Marketing & Distribution segment, where average per-unit avocado sales prices increased 36% on relatively flat avocado volume sold. These price and volume dynamics resulted from constrained avocado supply during the quarter due to weather impacts on fruit development and production in Peru. Despite lower Peruvian volumes, the Company effectively leveraged its diverse sourcing network across California, Colombia, and Mexico to drive a 9% increase in North American avocado sales volumes compared to the prior year. Mission's strategic decision to prioritize the North American market, combined with strong consumer demand at higher price points and retail promotional activity contributed to the favorable pricing dynamics. Gross profit increased $28.0 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 to $55.8 million, compared to the same period last year, and gross profit percentage increased 490 basis points, to 15.7% of revenue. The increases were primarily attributed to strong per-unit margins on avocados sold in the Marketing and Distribution segment. The Blueberries segment also contributed to the increase with higher volumes while per-unit margins remained generally consistent with the prior year. Selling, general and administrative expense (“SG&A”) for the fourth quarter increased $6.6 million or 32% to $27.2 million, compared to the same period last year primarily due to higher employee related costs, including performance-based incentive compensation and stock-based compensation expense and statutory profit-sharing expense. Higher performance-based incentive compensation is largely explained by the Company's improved operating performance for the fiscal year relative to the prior year. Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 was $17.3 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, compared to $4.0 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, for the same period last year. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 was $19.6 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to $7.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, for the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $36.9 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, an increase of $19.6 million or 113% as compared to $17.3 million in the prior year period, driven primarily by stronger per-unit gross profit performance from the Marketing & Distribution and Blueberries segments. Fiscal Fourth Quarter Business Segment Performance Marketing & Distribution Net sales in the Marketing & Distribution segment increased 35% to $319.6 million for the fourth quarter, driven by avocado pricing increases as described previously. Segment adjusted EBITDA increased $14.8 million or 137% to $25.6 million, primarily due to improved per-unit gross margin on avocados sold. International Farming Total sales in the International Farming segment for the fourth quarter were $30.3 million, compared to $40.3 million for the same period last year primarily due to lower volumes of owned avocados sold, stemming from unfavorably warm weather conditions in Peru during the early stages of fruit development, partially offset by higher average sales prices that were supported by constrained industry volumes. Segment adjusted EBITDA was $2.7 million, compared to $1.1 million for the same period last year, as higher sales prices and cost savings measures more than offset the adverse impact of lower harvest yields on fixed cost absorption. Blueberries Sales in the Blueberries segment have traditionally been concentrated in the first and fourth quarters of the fiscal year in alignment with the Peruvian blueberry harvest season. Net sales in the Blueberries segment increased 62% to $31.6 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $19.5 million for the same period last year, driven by volume from new plantings and yield improvements. Yield growth was driven by improved weather patterns during the current harvest season in Peru, as cooler temperatures have been experienced since the end of El Niño conditions in May 2024. Segment adjusted EBITDA increased 59% to $8.6 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $5.4 million for the same period last year, as a result of the growth in volumes. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Cash and cash equivalents were $58.0 million as of October 31, 2024, compared to $42.9 million as of October 31, 2023. Net cash provided by operating activities improved by $64.2 million to $93.4 million for the year ended October 31, 2024, as compared to $29.2 million last year. The growth in operating cash flow was primarily driven by improved operating performance during fiscal 2024. Further supporting the improvement in operating cash flow was favorable working capital management. While higher avocado pricing drove increases in inventory and accounts receivable, these increases were more than offset by higher grower payable balances, driven primarily by those same higher prices, and higher accounts payable and accrued expenses, the latter of which was significantly impacted by incentive compensation and statutory profit-sharing accruals in the current year. In addition, higher accounts payable and accrued expenses were attributed to the impact of higher volume and increased acreage within our Blueberries segment. Capital expenditures were $32.2 million for the year ended October 31, 2024 compared to $49.8 million last year. Capital expenditures were comprised primarily of avocado orchard development, pre-production orchard maintenance and land improvements in Guatemala; pre-production avocado orchard maintenance, blueberry land development and plant cultivation, and blueberry cooling facility construction costs in Peru; and distribution facility construction costs in the United Kingdom. During 2024, the International Farming segment also began construction of a pack house in Guatemala. Outlook For the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, the Company is providing the following industry outlooks that will drive performance: Conference Call and Webcast As previously announced, the Company will host a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 financial results today at 5:00 p.m. ET. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing (877) 407-9039 or for international callers by dialing (201) 689-8470. A replay of the call will be available through January 2, 2025 by dialing (844) 512-2921 or for international callers by dialing (412) 317-6671; the passcode is 13750485. The live audio webcast of the conference call will be accessible in the News & Events section on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://investors.missionproduce.com. An archived replay of the webcast will also be available shortly after the live event has concluded. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release contains the non-GAAP financial measures “adjusted net income” and “adjusted EBITDA.” Management believes these measures provide useful information for analyzing the underlying business results. These measures are not in accordance with, nor are they a substitute for or superior to, the comparable financial measures by generally accepted accounting principles. Adjusted net income (loss) refers to net income (loss) attributable to Mission Produce, before stock-based compensation expense, unrealized gain (loss) on derivative financial instruments, foreign currency gain (loss), farming costs for nonproductive orchards (which represents land lease costs), recognition of deferred ERP costs, transaction costs, amortization of inventory adjustments and intangible asset recognized from business combinations, further adjusted by any special, non-recurring, or one-time items such as remeasurement, impairment or discrete tax charges that are distortive to results, and tax effects of these items, if any, and the tax-effected impact of these non-GAAP adjustments attributable to noncontrolling interest, allocable to the noncontrolling owners based on their percentage of ownership interest. Adjusted EBITDA refers to net income (loss), before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, other income (expense), and income (loss) from equity method investees, further adjusted by asset impairment and disposals, net of insurance recoveries, farming costs for nonproductive orchards (which represents land lease costs), recognition of deferred ERP costs, transaction costs, amortization of inventory adjustments recognized from business combinations, and any special, non-recurring, or one-time items such as remeasurements or impairments, and any portion of these items attributable to the noncontrolling interest. Effective for the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company made a change in presentation of its reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to its comparable GAAP financial measure to include a subtotal of the non-GAAP adjustments before the effect of the noncontrolling interest adjustment called “adjusted EBITDA before adjustment for noncontrolling interest.” The presentation change has no impact to total adjusted EBITDA. The Company believes the addition of the subtotal within the reconciliation is useful because it better aligns with management's sequence of review of the information in the reconciliation. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measure are provided in the table at the end of this press release. About Mission Produce, Inc. Mission Produce is a global leader in the worldwide avocado business with additional offerings in mangos and blueberries. Since 1983, Mission Produce has been sourcing, producing and distributing fresh Hass avocados, and currently services retail, wholesale and foodservice customers in over 25 countries. The vertically integrated Company owns and operates four state-of-the-art packing facilities in key growing locations globally, including California, Mexico and Peru and has additional sourcing capabilities in Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Brazil, Ecuador, South Africa and more, which allow the company to provide a year-round supply of premium fruit. Mission's global distribution network includes strategically positioned forward distribution centers across key markets throughout North America, China, Europe, and the UK, offering value-added services such as ripening, bagging, custom packing and logistical management. For more information, please visit www.missionproduce.com Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release that are not historical in nature are forward-looking statements that, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "believe", "seek", "could", "estimate", "judgment", "targeting", "should", "anticipate", "goal" and variations of these words and similar expressions, are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release address a variety of subjects, including statements about our short-term and long-term assumptions, goals and targets. Many of these assumptions relate to matters that are beyond our control and changing rapidly. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurances that our expectations will be attained. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including: reliance on primarily one main product; limitations regarding the supply of fruit, either through purchasing or growing; fluctuations in the market price of fruit; increasing competition; risks associated with doing business internationally, including Mexican and Peruvian economic, political and/or societal conditions; inflationary pressures; establishment of sales channels and geographic markets; loss of one or more of our largest customers; general economic conditions or downturns; supply chain failures or disruptions; disruption to the supply of reliable and cost-effective transportation; failure to recruit or retain employees, poor employee relations, and/or ineffective organizational structure; inherent farming risks, including climate change; seasonality in operating results; failures associated with information technology infrastructure, system security and cyber risks; new and changing privacy laws and our compliance with such laws; food safety events and recalls; failure to comply with laws and regulations; changes to trade policy and/or export/import laws and regulations; risks from business acquisitions, if any; lack of or failure of infrastructure; material litigation or governmental inquiries/actions; failure to maintain or protect our brand; changes in tax rates or international tax legislation; risks associated with global conflicts; inability to accurately forecast future performance; the viability of an active, liquid, and orderly market for our common stock; volatility in the trading price of our common stock; concentration of control in our executive officers, and directors over matters submitted to stockholders for approval; limited sources of capital appreciation; significant costs associated with being a public company and the allocation of significant management resources thereto; reliance on analyst reports; failure to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting; restrictions on takeover attempts in our charter documents and under Delaware law; the selection of Delaware as the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders; risks related to restrictive covenants under our credit facility, which could affect our flexibility to fund ongoing operations, uses of capital and strategic initiatives, and, if we are unable to maintain compliance with such covenants, lead to significant challenges in meeting our liquidity requirements and acceleration of our debt; and other risks and factors discussed from time to time in our Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You can obtain copies of our SEC filings on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Corporation does not intend to, nor does it assume any obligation to, update or supplement any forward-looking statements after the date hereof to reflect actual results or future events or circumstances. Contacts: Investor Relations ICR Jeff Sonnek jeff.sonnek@icrinc.com Media Jenna Aguilera Marketing Communications Manager Mission Produce, Inc. press@missionproduce.com The following tables reconcile the non-GAAP measures “adjusted net income” and “adjusted EBITDA” to their comparable GAAP measures. Refer also to “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” earlier in this press release. Adjusted Net Income (1) During the three months ended October 31, 2024, $0.3 million related to blueberry orchards and $0.4 million related to avocado orchards. During the twelve months ended October 31, 2024, $2.5 million related to the blueberry orchards and $1.7 million related to avocado orchards. During the three months ended October 31, 2023, $0.5 million related to the development of blueberry orchards and $0.5 million related to avocado orchards. During the twelve months ended October 31, 2023, $2.0 million related to the development of blueberry orchards and $1.8 million related to avocado orchards. (2) Represents accelerated depreciation expense for certain blueberry plants determined to have no remaining useful life. (3) Tax effects are calculated using applicable rates that each adjustment relates to. (4) Represents net income or loss attributable to noncontrolling interest plus the impact of tax-effected non-GAAP adjustments, allocable to the noncontrolling owner based on their percentage of ownership interest. Adjusted EBITDA (1) Includes interest expense from finance leases, the most significant of which is for nonproductive land at our Blueberries segment of $0.3 million and $0.4 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $1.8 million and $1.4 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. (2) Includes depreciation and amortization of purchase accounting assets of $0.2 million and $0.6 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $3.7 million and $2.4 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Includes amortization of finance leases, the most significant of which is for nonproductive land at our Blueberries segment of less than a million and $0.1 million for the three months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $0.7 million and $0.6 million for the twelve months ended October 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The twelve months ended October 31, 2024 include $4.1 million of accelerated depreciation expense recognized during the first quarter of 2024, for certain blueberry plants determined to have no remaining useful life. (3) Represents net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest plus the impact of non-GAAP adjustments, allocable to the noncontrolling owner based on their percentage of ownership interest. Segment Sales Avocado Sales Sales by Type
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  Publisher Name	Albert Lea Tribune (MN)
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