Sequential Quarterly Increase in Gross Margins; Continued Program Wins; Positive Cash Flow from Operations
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash., Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Key Tronic Corporation (Nasdaq: KTCC), a provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), today announced its results for the quarter ended September 27, 2025.
For the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, Key Tronic reported total revenue of $98.8 million, compared to $131.6 million in the same period of fiscal year 2025. The revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was adversely impacted by reductions in demand from one longstanding customer and delays to new program launches as we believe customers continue to face uncertainties in the global economy. In addition, the Company started ramping a consigned materials program that was announced last quarter. As this large program ramps, the Company anticipates less revenue when compared to traditional turnkey programs, but an increase in its gross margin.
The Company continues to anticipate long term growth based on the diversity and flexibility of its key strategic locations and capabilities. In connection with its near-shoring and tariff mitigation strategies, Key Tronic continued to expand its manufacturing footprint and capacity in the US and Vietnam in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, including the opening of its new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Springdale, Arkansas.
Total cash flow provided by operations for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was approximately $7.6 million, as compared to $9.9 million for the same period of fiscal year 2025. The Company’s continuing ability to generate cash from operations has allowed it to reduce its debt year-over-year by approximately $12.0 million.
Gross margin was 8.4% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, compared to 6.2% in the previous quarter and 10.1% in the same period of fiscal year 2025. The sequential quarterly increase in gross margin is primarily related to operational efficiencies gained from the recent reductions in workforce. The year-over-year decrease in gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 largely reflects reduced revenue, as well as inventory and receivable provisions recorded of approximately $1.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2026 due to a customer bankruptcy. Operating margin for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was (0.6)%, down from 3.4% for the same period of fiscal year 2025.
The net loss was $(2.3) million or $(0.21) per share for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, compared to net income of $1.1 million or $0.10 per share for the same period of fiscal year 2025. The adjusted net loss was $(1.1) million or $(0.10) per share for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, compared to adjusted net income of $2.8 million or $0.26 per share for the same period of fiscal year 2025. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures,” below for additional information about adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share.
“Moving into fiscal 2026, the uncertainty surrounding global tariffs and the macroeconomic outlook continued to delay new program ramps for many of our customers,” said Brett Larsen, President and CEO. “To provide our customers with options to manage these uncertainties and remain cost competitive, we have continued to build out new production capacity in the US and Vietnam, and right-size our Mexico facility. By the end of fiscal 2026, we continue to expect approximately half of our manufacturing to take place in our US and Vietnam facilities.
“During the first quarter of fiscal 2026, we won new programs in medical technology and industrial equipment. We’re also encouraged to see our recent cost reduction efforts taking hold, driving improved gross margins. We expect to see gradual improvements in our overall operating efficiencies as our revenue rebounds and a return to profitability by the end of fiscal 2026.”
The financial data presented for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 should be considered preliminary and could be subject to change, as the Company’s independent auditor has not completed their review procedures.
Business Outlook
Due to uncertainty in the timing of new program ramps in light of the continued uncertainty of potential tariffs, Key Tronic will not be issuing revenue or earnings guidance for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.
Conference Call
Key Tronic will host a conference call to discuss its financial results at 2:00 PM Pacific (5:00 PM Eastern) today. A broadcast of the conference call will be available at www.keytronic.com under “Investor Relations” or by calling 800-330-6710 or +1-213-279-1505 (Access Code: 1371907). The Company will also reference accompanying slides that can be viewed with the webcast at www.keytronic.com under “Investor Relations”. A replay will be available at www.keytronic.com under “Investor Relations”.
About Key Tronic
Key Tronic is a leading contract manufacturer offering value-added design and manufacturing services from its facilities in the United States, Mexico, China and Vietnam. The Company provides its customers with full engineering services, materials management, worldwide manufacturing facilities, assembly services, in-house testing, and worldwide distribution. Its customers include some of the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers. For more information about Key Tronic visit: www.keytronic.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to those including such words as aims, anticipates, believes, continues, estimates, expects, hopes, intends, plans, predicts, projects, targets, will, or would, similar verbs, or nouns corresponding to such verbs, which may be forward looking. Forward-looking statements also include other passages that are relevant to expected future events, performances, and actions or that can only be fully evaluated by events that will occur in the future. Forward-looking statements in this release include, without limitation, the Company’s statements regarding its expectations with respect to financial conditions and results, including revenue, earnings, and margins, the Company’s ability to build out production capacity in the US and Vietnam and the timing of completion of those facilities, cost savings from headcount reduction, demand for certain products and the effectiveness of some of its programs, business from customers and programs, and impacts from operational streamlining and efficiencies, including reductions in inventories. There are many factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted or projected in forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the future of the global economic environment and its impact on our customers and suppliers; the impact of new governmental legislation and regulation, including tax reform, tariffs and related activities, such as trade negotiations and other risks; the success and timing of our expansion plans; the availability of components from the supply chain; the availability of a healthy workforce; the accuracy of suppliers’ and customers’ forecasts; development and success of customers’ programs and products; timing and effectiveness of ramping of new programs; success of new-product introductions; the risk of legal proceedings or governmental investigations relating to the previously reported financial statement restatements and related material weaknesses, the May 2024 cybersecurity incident and the subject of the internal investigation by the Company’s Audit Committee and related or other unrelated matters; acquisitions or divestitures of operations or facilities; technology advances; changes in pricing policies by the Company, its competitors, customers or suppliers; and other factors, risks, and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC filings.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share, diluted. We provide these non-GAAP financial measures because we believe they provide greater transparency related to our core operations and represent supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. We exclude (or include) certain items in our non-GAAP financial measures as we believe the net result is a measure of our core business. We believe this facilitates operating performance comparisons from period to period by eliminating potential differences caused by the existence and timing of certain income and expense items that would not otherwise be apparent on a GAAP basis. Non-GAAP performance measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, results prepared in accordance with GAAP. We strongly encourage investors and shareholders to review our financial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Our non-GAAP financial measures may be different from those reported by other companies. See the table below entitled “Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures” for reconciliations of adjusted net income (loss) to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, which is GAAP net income (loss), and the computation of adjusted net income (loss) per share, diluted.
KEY TRONIC CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended | |||||||
| September 27, 2025 | September 28, 2024 | ||||||
| Net sales | $ | 98,750 | $ | 131,558 | |||
| Cost of sales | 90,496 | 118,255 | |||||
| Gross profit | 8,254 | 13,303 | |||||
| Research, development and engineering expenses | 2,079 | 2,289 | |||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 6,759 | 6,570 | |||||
| Total operating expenses | 8,838 | 8,859 | |||||
| Operating income (loss) | (584 | ) | 4,444 | ||||
| Interest expense, net | 2,776 | 3,263 | |||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | (3,360 | ) | 1,181 | ||||
| Income tax (benefit) provision | (1,105 | ) | 57 | ||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (2,255 | ) | $ | 1,124 | ||
| Net income (loss) per share — Basic | $ | (0.21 | ) | $ | 0.10 | ||
| Weighted average shares outstanding — Basic | 10,771 | 10,762 | |||||
| Net income (loss) per share — Diluted | $ | (0.21 | ) | $ | 0.10 | ||
| Weighted average shares outstanding — Diluted | 10,771 | 10,762 | |||||
KEY TRONIC CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
| September 27, 2025 | June 28, 2025 | |||||
| ASSETS | ||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,123 | $ | 1,384 | ||
| Trade receivables, net of credit losses of $4,257 and $3,479 | 80,065 | 96,142 | ||||
| Contract assets, net of credit losses of $1,380 and $1,463 | 22,263 | 23,040 | ||||
| Inventories, net | 97,572 | 97,321 | ||||
| Other | 17,823 | 16,286 | ||||
| Total current assets | 218,846 | 234,173 | ||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net | 31,681 | 27,727 | ||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets, net | 25,996 | 11,347 | ||||
| Other assets: | ||||||
| Deferred income tax asset | 24,715 | 23,397 | ||||
| Other, net of credit losses of $500 and $500 | 23,325 | 19,230 | ||||
| Total other assets | 48,040 | 42,627 | ||||
| Total assets | $ | 324,563 | $ | 315,874 | ||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 61,073 | $ | 63,725 | ||
| Accrued compensation and vacation | 6,853 | 8,157 | ||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 5,972 | 6,215 | ||||
| Other | 17,747 | 13,894 | ||||
| Total current liabilities | 91,645 | 91,991 | ||||
| Long-term liabilities: | ||||||
| Long-term debt, net | 94,797 | 98,936 | ||||
| Operating lease liabilities | 20,348 | 6,859 | ||||
| Deferred income tax liability | 4 | — | ||||
| Other long-term obligations | 2,969 | 954 | ||||
| Total long-term liabilities | 118,118 | 106,749 | ||||
| Total liabilities | 209,763 | 198,740 | ||||
| Shareholders’ equity: | ||||||
| Common stock, no par value—shares authorized 25,000; issued and outstanding 10,859 and 10,762 shares, respectively | 47,723 | 47,502 | ||||
| Retained earnings | 66,348 | 68,603 | ||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | 729 | 1,029 | ||||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 114,800 | 117,134 | ||||
| Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | $ | 324,563 | $ | 315,874 | ||
KEY TRONIC CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
| Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| September 27, 2025 | September 28, 2024 | |||||||
| GAAP net income (loss) | $ | (2,255 | ) | $ | 1,124 | |||
| Severance expenses | 1,212 | 2,027 | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation expense | 221 | 67 | ||||||
| Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments (1) | (287 | ) | (419 | ) | ||||
| Adjusted net income (loss): | $ | (1,109 | ) | $ | 2,799 | |||
| Adjusted net income (loss) per share — non-GAAP Diluted | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | 0.26 | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding — Diluted | 10,771 | 10,762 | ||||||
| (1) Income tax effects are calculated using an effective tax rate of 20%, which approximates the statutory GAAP tax rate for the presented periods. | ||||||||
| CONTACTS: | Tony Voorhees | Michael Newman | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | Investor Relations | |||
| Key Tronic Corporation | StreetConnect | |||
| (509)-927-5345 | (206) 729-3625 |
