MI
MOOG INC. (MOG-A)·Q4 2024 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q4 FY2024 revenue was $917.3M (+5% Y/Y), GAAP EPS $1.33, and adjusted EPS $2.16; adjusted operating margin held at 12.5% Y/Y as Moog closed a record year with positive FY2025 guidance .
- Segment mix favored Defense: Military Aircraft +17% Y/Y to $216M and Space & Defense +9% to $263M; Industrial fell 5% and Commercial Aircraft rose 2% with margins normalizing after prior-year one-time benefits .
- FY2025 guidance: revenue $3.70B, operating margin 13.0%, adjusted EPS $8.20 (+/− $0.20), and FCF conversion 50–75%, pointing to continued margin expansion and cash generation .
- Record 12‑month backlog reached ~$2.5B (up 3% Y/Y), reinforcing forward visibility; Q4 free cash flow was $109M on strong collections and payment timing .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
- What Went Well
- Defense outperformance: Military Aircraft sales +17% to $216M as FLRAA ramped; Military operating margin +590 bps to 11.8% on R&D reduction, improved mix, and cost absorption .
- Margin execution: Adjusted operating margin improved in Industrial (12.8%, +90 bps) and Space & Defense (13.5%, +70 bps) as pricing and simplification offset mix headwinds; CFO noted adjusted EPS exceeded the high end of guidance .
- Cash generation: Q4 FCF of $109M driven by strong customer collections and vendor payment timing; 12‑month backlog at a record ~$2.5B supports sustained demand .
- What Went Wrong
- GAAP operating margin contracted 100 bps Y/Y to 9.1% on higher simplification and other charges (Industrial, Space & Defense) despite solid underlying execution .
- Commercial normalization: Commercial Aircraft operating margin fell 680 bps Y/Y to 11.0% given the absence of prior-year retroactive pricing and inventory-sale benefits .
- Industrial softness: Segment sales declined 5% Y/Y on slower industrial automation, even as medical and automotive test partially offset the headwinds .
Financial Results
- Quarterly trend (QoQ; fiscal quarters)
- Year-over-year (Q4 FY2024 vs Q4 FY2023)
- Segment breakdown (Q4 FY2024 vs Q4 FY2023)
- KPIs
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Our fourth quarter was strong, bringing to a close an exceptional year with record sales and expanded margins.” — Pat Roche, CEO .
- “Adjusted operating margin was robust and on plan, and adjusted earnings per share exceeded the high end of our guidance range.” — Jennifer Walter, CFO .
- “We are continuing to make excellent progress on driving margin enhancement through pricing and simplification… We deployed 80/20 to five additional sites, now covering 70% of our business by sales and trained more than 80 more leaders, bringing the total to over 840.” — Pat Roche, CEO (Q4 call) .
Q&A Highlights
- Analysts focused on Defense growth durability (FLRAA ramp and mix), Industrial softness and recovery cadence, and the path to FY2025 margin/FCF targets; management underscored pricing/simplification traction, strong defense demand (incl. Europe), and cash conversion improvement plans .
- Clarified non-operating items: Q4 included a ~$10M cumulative interest capitalization adjustment for 2023–2024; non-op in Q4’23 included a pension settlement and favorable litigation, affecting comparability .
- Portfolio shaping and footprint consolidation are progressing as part of simplification, with site sales and 80/20 deployment expanding to cover ~70% of sales .
Estimates Context
- S&P Global consensus estimates (EPS, revenue) were unavailable at this time due to a data access limit; as a result, we cannot present verified Street consensus comparisons for Q4 or FY2025 guidance. Values could not be retrieved from S&P Global at the time of analysis.
- The company did note adjusted EPS exceeded the high end of its own guidance in Q4, indicating outperformance versus internal expectations; FY2025 guide implies continued margin expansion and higher FCF conversion, which may catalyze upward revisions to margin and cash flow assumptions in models .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Mix shift and execution: Defense strength (FLRAA, European demand) plus pricing/simplification drove sustained adjusted margins, with Q4 adjusted operating margin at 12.5% despite higher GAAP charges .
- Commercial normalization: Commercial Aircraft margins reset from unusually strong prior-year levels but remain healthy on volume and pricing; watch for OEM production cadence into FY2025 .
- Industrial still soft, but resilient: Orders in automation are slower, yet pricing actions and product transfers supported adjusted margin gains in Industrial (12.8% in Q4) .
- Cash inflection: Q4 FCF of $109M and FY2025 FCF conversion guide of 50–75% highlight cash discipline and working-capital normalization potential .
- FY2025 setup: Guide to $3.70B revenue and 13% operating margin underpins a margin-expansion narrative; adjusted EPS $8.20 (+/− $0.20) frames earnings power .
- Backlog supports visibility: Record ~$2.5B 12‑month backlog provides line of sight to continued aerospace and defense growth .
- Capital returns steady: Dividend maintained at $0.28 per quarter, signaling stability while the company funds growth and simplification initiatives .
Additional Documents Reviewed (Q4 context)
- Q4 results press release and full 8‑K 2.02 package (financial statements, segment reconciliations) .
- Q4 earnings call transcript hosted on Moog’s investor site and third‑party transcript sources .
- Other relevant Q4 press release: dividend declaration ($0.28 payable Dec 6, 2024) .
- Prior quarter earnings for trend analysis: Q3 FY2024 results (8‑K and press) ; Q2 FY2024 results (8‑K and press) .
Notes: All company-reported figures are GAAP unless labeled “adjusted” by Moog; see reconciliations in exhibits. Non‑GAAP adjustments primarily reflect restructuring/simplification charges, asset impairments/fair value adjustments, pension settlement (prior year), and gains/losses on asset sales .