Encore believes it is a low-cost manufacturer of electrical building wire and cable. The Company is a significant supplier of building wire for interior electrical wiring in commercial and industrial buildings, homes, apartments, and manufactured housing.

As discussed in Note 1, in the notes to the financial statements, the duration or re-emergence of the COVID-19, or any of its ongoing variants, outbreak and their long-term impact on our business remain uncertain. Developments surrounding COVID-19, and any of the ongoing variants, continue to change, and we have limited visibility into the extent to which market demand for our products, as well as sector manufacturing and distribution capacity, will be impacted.

The Company's operating results in any given period are driven by several key factors, including the volume of product produced and shipped, the cost of copper and other raw materials, the competitive pricing environment in the wire industry and the resulting influence on gross margin and the efficiency with which the Company's plants operate during the period, among others. Price competition for electrical wire and cable is intense, and the Company sells its products in accordance with prevailing market prices. Copper, a commodity product, is the principal raw material used by the Company in manufacturing its products. The price of copper fluctuates depending on general economic conditions and in relation to supply and demand and other factors, which causes monthly variations in the cost of the Company's purchased copper. Additionally, the SEC allows shares of certain physically backed copper exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") to be listed and publicly traded. Such funds and other copper ETFs like them hold copper cathode as collateral against their shares. The acquisition of copper cathode by copper ETFs may materially decrease or interrupt the availability of copper for immediate delivery in the United States, which could materially increase the Company's cost of copper. In addition to raising copper prices and potential supply shortages, we believe that ETFs and similar copper-backed derivative products could lead to increased price volatility for copper. The Company cannot predict copper prices or the effect of fluctuations in the cost of copper on the Company's future operating results. Wire prices can, and frequently do, change on a daily basis. This competitive pricing market for wire does not always mirror changes in copper prices, making margins highly volatile. With the volatility of both raw material prices and wire prices in the Company's end market, hedging raw materials can be risky. Historically, the Company has not engaged in hedging strategies for raw material purchases. The tables below highlight the range of closing prices of copper on a per pound basis on the Comex exchange for the periods shown.


                                       8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COMEX COPPER CLOSING PRICE 2022


            January      February       March
             2022          2022          2022       Quarter Ended March 31, 2022
High       $  4.58      $    4.66      $ 4.93      $                        4.93
Low           4.30           4.43        4.50                               4.30
Average       4.43           4.50        4.68                               4.55

COMEX COPPER CLOSING PRICE 2021


            January      February       March
             2021          2021          2021       Quarter Ended March 31, 2021
High       $  3.70      $    4.30      $ 4.23      $                        4.30
Low           3.55           3.54        3.98                               3.54
Average       3.62           3.86        4.09                               3.87

The following discussion and analysis relate to factors that have affected the operating results of the Company for the quarters and three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021. Reference should also be made to the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Results of Operations

Quarter Ended March 31, 2022 Compared to Quarter Ended March 31, 2021

Net sales were $723.1 million in the first quarter of 2022 compared to $444.1 million in the first quarter of 2021. The increase in net sales dollars is the result of a 43.3% increase in the average selling price of copper wire and an 8.6% increase in copper wire unit volume shipped. Unit volume is measured in pounds of copper contained in the wire shipped during the period. Fluctuations in selling prices are primarily a result of changing prices for copper and other raw materials and product price competition. The average cost per pound of raw copper purchased increased 19.3% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021 and was a driver of the increased average selling price of copper wire.

Cost of goods sold was $479.3 million, or 66.3% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2022, compared to $359.6 million, or 81.0% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2021. Gross profit increased to $243.7 million, or 33.7% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2022 from $84.5 million, or 19.0% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2021.

The increase in gross profit margin was the result of an 8.6% increase in copper unit volume and an 86.1% increase in the spread between the average price paid for a pound of raw copper and the average selling price for a pound of copper contained in finished wire in the first quarter of 2022 when compared to the first quarter of 2021. The spread increased as a result of the average selling price per pound of copper sold in the first quarter of 2022 increasing 43.3% while the per pound cost of raw copper purchased increased 19.3% in the same period compared to the first quarter of 2021. The percentage change on sales is on a higher nominal dollar amount than on purchases and, therefore, spreads change on a nominal dollar basis.

Total raw materials cost as a percentage of sales decreased to 59.3% in the first quarter of 2022, from 71.6% in the first quarter of 2021. Overhead costs decreased to 7.0% of net sales in the first quarter of 2022, from 9.4% of net sales in the first quarter of 2021. Overheads contain some fixed and semi-fixed components which do not fluctuate as much as sales dollars fluctuate.

Selling expenses, consisting of commissions and freight, for the first quarter of 2022 were $31.0 million, or 4.3% of net sales, compared to $20.7 million, or 4.7% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2021. Commissions paid to independent manufacturers' representatives are paid as a relatively stable percentage of sales dollars and, therefore, exhibited little change as a percentage of sales. Freight costs decreased to 1.9% of net sales in the first quarter of 2022 from 2.2% of net sales in the first quarter of 2021. General and administrative ("G&A") expenses for the first quarter of 2022 were $5.2 million, or 0.7% of net sales, compared to $10.5 million, or 2.4% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2021. The G&A expense reduction was primarily due to decreased stock compensation expense associated with our stock appreciation rights as our stock price decreased from $143.10 on December 31, 2021 to $114.07 on March 31, 2022.


                                       9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company maintains a substantial inventory of finished products to satisfy customers' delivery requirements promptly. As is customary in the building wire industry, the Company provides payment terms to most of its customers that exceed terms that it receives from its suppliers. Copper suppliers generally give very short payment terms (less than 15 days) while the Company and the building wire industry give customers much longer terms. In general, the Company's standard payment terms result in the collection of a significant majority of net sales within approximately 75 days of the date of invoice. As a result of this timing difference, building wire companies must have sufficient cash and access to capital resources to finance their working capital needs, thereby creating a barrier to entry for companies who do not have sufficient liquidity and capital resources. The two largest components of working capital, receivables and inventory, and to a lesser extent, capital expenditures, are the primary drivers of the Company's liquidity needs. Generally, these needs will cause the Company's cash balance to rise and fall inversely to the receivables and inventory balances. The Company's receivables and inventories will rise and fall in concert with several factors, most notably the price of copper and other raw materials and the level of unit sales. Capital expenditures have historically been necessary to expand and update the production capacity of the Company's manufacturing operations. The Company has historically satisfied its liquidity and capital expenditure needs with cash generated from operations and borrowings under its various debt arrangements. The Company historically uses its revolving credit facility to manage day to day operating cash needs as required by daily fluctuations in working capital and has the facility in place should such a need arise in the future. We believe that the Company has sufficient liquidity, and will continue to have sufficient liquidity beyond the short-term outlook, and do not believe COVID-19, or any of the ongoing variants, will materially impact our liquidity, but we continue to assess COVID-19, and any ongoing variants, and their impact on our business, including on our customer base and suppliers.

For more information on the Company's revolving credit facility, see Note 7 to the Company's financial statements included in Item 1 to this report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Cash provided by operating activities was $117.7 million in the first three months of 2022 compared to cash used of $0.8 million in the first three months of 2021. The following changes in components of cash flow from operations were notable. The Company had net income of $161.5 million in the first three months of 2022 compared to net income of $41.2 million in the first three months of 2021. Accounts receivable increased $58.3 million in the first three months of 2022 compared to increasing $72.9 million in the first three months of 2021. Accounts receivable generally fluctuate in proportion to dollar sales and, to a lesser extent, are affected by the timing of when sales occur during a given quarter. With an average of 60 to 75 days of sales outstanding, quarters in which sales are more back-end loaded will have higher accounts receivable balances outstanding at quarter-end. Inventory, net increased $15.5 million in the first three months of 2022 compared to decreasing $2.0 million in the first three months of 2021. Trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities negatively impacted cash by $24.2 million in the first three months of 2022 versus favorably impacting cash by $9.8 million in the first three months of 2021. In the first three months of 2022, changes in current and deferred taxes favorably impacted cash by $46.1 million versus $12.2 million of favorable impact in the first three months of 2021. These changes in cash flow were the primary drivers of the $118.6 million increase in positive cash flow provided by operations in the first three months of 2022 compared to the first three months of 2021.

Cash used in investing activities increased to $32.0 million in the first three months of 2022 from $26.5 million in the first three months of 2021 due to higher capital expenditures on plant and equipment, among other factors.

Cash used in financing activities in the first three months of 2022 consisted of $58.4 million paid to purchase our own stock, $0.4 million of cash dividends paid, and $0.2 million of proceeds from exercised stock options. These activities in cash flow used $58.6 million cash in financing activities for the first three months of 2022 compared to $0.8 million used in the first three months of 2021. For the quarter ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not access its revolving line of credit.

The Company's cash balance was $466.1 million at March 31, 2022 versus $155.0 million at March 31, 2021.

During the remainder of 2022, the Company expects its capital expenditures will consist primarily of expenditures related to the purchases of manufacturing equipment throughout its facilities to update equipment and the previously-announced expansion plans which remain on schedule. The repurposing of our vacated distribution center to expand manufacturing capacity and extend our market reach will be completed in the second quarter of 2022. The incremental investments announced in July 2021 continue in earnest, focused on broadening our position as a low-cost, sustainable manufacturer in the sector and increasing manufacturing capacity to drive growth. Capital spending in 2022 through 2024 will expand vertical integration in our manufacturing processes to reduce costs as well as modernize select wire manufacturing facilities to increase capacity and efficiency, and improve our position as a sustainable and environmentally responsible leader in our industry. Total capital expenditures were $118 million in 2021. We expect total capital expenditures to range from $150 - $170 million in 2022, $150


                                       10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- $170 million in 2023, and $80 - $100 million in 2024. We expect to continue to fund these investments with existing cash reserves and operating cash flows.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies

Management's discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations are based upon the Company's financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company's unaudited financial statements are impacted by the accounting policies used and the estimates and assumptions made by management in their preparation. See Note 1 to the notes to the financial statements for information on the Company's significant accounting policies.

As of March 31, 2022, there have been no significant changes to the Company's critical accounting policies and related estimates previously disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "seek", "believe", "project", "estimate", "expect", "strategy", "future", "likely", "may", "should", "will" and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Examples of such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, statements about the pricing environment of copper, aluminum and other raw materials, the duration, magnitude and impact of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, along with any ongoing variants, our order fill rates, profitability and stockholder value, payment of future dividends, future purchases of stock, the impact of competitive pricing and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Actual results may vary materially from those anticipated. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this report is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. For more information regarding "forward-looking statements," see "Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Part II, Item 7 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

© Edgar Online, source Glimpses