Prepared remarks
Good day, and welcome to the Innovative Solutions and Support Second Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call and Webcast. All participants will be in the listen-only mode. Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Paul Bartolai, Head of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Innovative Solutions and Support's second quarter 2025 results conference call. Leading the call today are CEO, Shahram Askarpour, and CFO, Jeff DiGiovanni. Yesterday, we issued a press release detailing our second quarter 2025 operational and financial results. This release is publicly available in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website at www.innovative-ss.com. I would like to remind you that management's commentary and responses to questions on today's conference call may include forward-looking statements, which by their nature are uncertain and outside of the company's control. Although these forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs, actual results could differ materially. For a discussion of some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ, please refer to the Risk Factors section of our latest reports filed with the SEC.
Additionally, please note that you can find reconciliations of all historical non-GAAP financial measures mentioned on this call in the press release issued yesterday. Today's call will begin with prepared remarks from Shahram, who will provide a review of our recent business performance and strategic outlook, followed by a financial update from Jeff. At the conclusion of these prepared remarks, we will open the line for your questions. And with that, I'll turn the call over to Shahram.
Thank you, Paul, and good morning, everyone, joining us on the call today. Let's begin with a high-level overview of our second quarter financial performance. During the second quarter, we delivered growth in revenue of just over 100%, driven by momentum from our new military programs, including significant growth from our F-16 program and contributions from our legacy platform. As we discussed last quarter, we have been seeing improved trends in our commercial business. As expected, this translated to improved results this quarter with notable strength in our air transport business. Our EBITDA increased by over 200% and profit by over 300% from last year, highlighting the significant operating leverage in our business as we continue to grow. We are building a platform of scale with meaningful opportunity for EBITDA margin expansion as we grow the business. Our business momentum remains strong with a backlog of approximately $80 million as of March 31, 2025.
We were pleased with our strong second quarter results. The trends in our core business remain strong. We are successfully executing our strategy to build a significant growth business. To that end, I would like to shift the discussion to an update on our progress on IS&S Next, our long-term value creation strategy. As a quick refresher, our strategy centers on a combination of targeted commercial growth within high-value markets, improving operating leverage, and a disciplined returns-driven approach to capital allocation. We continue to execute against our initiatives during the quarter and I would like to take a moment to highlight just a few of the key achievements. As we have discussed, we have placed the priority on expanding our military business. In support of this objective, we've continued to make investments in both infrastructure and systems capabilities to support the high-performance requirement of our defense customers.
During the second quarter, we completed the integration of our ERP system, we further expanded our more robust IT infrastructure, and strengthen our security and accounting services to make us compliant with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, or DFARS, requirements. These are necessary investments as we continue to bid on larger DoD programs. We continue to expect at least 40% of our revenue to come from military customers during fiscal 2025 and we are excited by our progress and the opportunities that lie ahead of our military business. We also have made further progress on the expansion of our Exton, Pennsylvania facility and remain on track for completion of the project by mid-2025. When complete, we will have doubled our footprint and increased our production capabilities by more than three-fold. The building construction is near completion and the preparation for clean room production environment will commence by the end of May.
As a reminder, we manufacture 100% of our products in our Exton facility. With the ongoing trade uncertainty and priorities of the current administration, we should be in an enviable position given the likely significant push for reshoring of manufacturing and an America-first mentality. During the second quarter, we continued with the integration of our most recent acquisition from Honeywell. As we discussed last quarter, much of the spending and the integration activities are being done ahead of the expected growth from these platforms. The integration is also resulting in some duplicative costs as we transition the manufacturing of products into our Exton facility. Importantly, the integration is progressing and we are excited by the opportunities from this acquisition. While we have spent a lot of effort on our military opportunities, we remain encouraged by the growth opportunities across our commercial air transport and business aviation markets.
Our goal to achieve a larger percentage of our new production aircraft or OEM business is also being satisfied through organic product growth as well as our strategic acquisitions such as the F-16 product line. Even though it has been a couple of quarters since we have announced the transaction, deploying capital for strategic acquisitions remain a key priority. Although our most recent acquisitions have been focused on complementary product lines from larger avionics suppliers, we continue to evaluate opportunities to acquire small avionics manufacturers where we anticipate synergies will be realized by incorporating their outsourced production in our facility. We have demonstrated a track record of successfully scaling our business through a combination of organic growth and capital deployed for acquisitions. Since 2020, we have completed four acquisitions to complement our organic growth strategy.
Over this period, we have grown our revenue and net income from $22 million and $3.3 million, respectively, during fiscal 2020 to well over $60 million in revenue and $9 million in net income during fiscal 2025 based on our stated forecast for greater than 30% growth. Given our capital-light model and strong free cash flow generation, we have been able to generate this growth while maintaining modest leverage. We are proud of what we have accomplished and are positioning the company for continued growth going forward. Despite recent margin pressure due to acquisition-related costs and inventory adjustments as well as inherent lower gross margins in defense products, we expect EBITDA and profit margins to grow steadily. We are further establishing our company as a premier systems integrator in flight navigation and precision instrumentation with cutting-edge technology. A vertically integrated U.S.-based production provides a competitive advantage, fostering relationships with key aircraft manufacturers, operators, and defense organizations.
In summary, we are encouraged by the progress we have made on our strategic priorities and remain committed to continuing to execute on our plan. During the quarter, we doubled our revenue, tripled our EBITDA, and quadrupled our profit from a year ago. As a result of our success, we remain on track to deliver on our goal to generate both revenue and EBITDA growth of greater than 30% when compared to fiscal year 2024. We are excited by everything we have accomplished and are confident we are strategically positioned to continue generating profitable growth. With that, I'll turn the call over to Jeff for his prepared remarks.
Thank you, Shahram, and good morning to all those joining us. Today, I will provide a high-level overview of our second quarter performance, including a discussion of our working capital, balance sheet, and liquidity profile at quarter-end. We generated net revenues of $21.9 million in the second quarter, more than double our revenues during the second quarter last year. The increase was driven primarily by contribution from the recently acquired Honeywell military product line, which contributed $10.8 million and growth in our air transport market. Our results during the quarter benefited from some pull-forward of revenues under our F-16 program. We expect this dynamic could repeat again during our third fiscal quarter in anticipation of Honeywell ceasing production at its own facilities and transitioning that production to the company's facility. Product sales were $13.2 million during the second quarter, up significantly from product sales of $4.9 million from last year, driven primarily by the recent acquired military product line.
Service revenue was $8.8 million, owing largely to customer service sales from the product lines acquired from Honeywell, including $3 million associated with the F-16 program and an increase of $700,000 in NRE programs, partially offset by lower legacy customer service revenue. Gross profit was $11.3 million during the second quarter, up from $5.6 million in the same period last year, driven by strong revenue growth and product mix, partially offset by higher depreciation expense resulting from the Honeywell acquisitions and continued investment. Our second quarter gross margin was 51.4%, down modestly from 52% in the same period last year, but up meaningfully on a sequential basis from the 41.4% gross margin reported in the first quarter. We generated more normalized gross margins under our Honeywell contracts, which was the main driver of improved gross margin relative to the prior quarter.
We expect our gross margins to continue to be lumpy in the near term, as we continue to integrate the Honeywell product lines into our facilities. As we have discussed in prior quarters, there can be some duplicate costs as we prepare to integrate these products and the hiring and training of engineers and other staff to support these products. Additionally, as we have discussed previously as it relates to the product mix, generally military sales carry a lower average gross margin versus commercial contracts. However, importantly, there is a minimal operating expense associated with these contracts. So, the incremental EBITDA margins are strong. We saw an example of this during the second quarter as the incremental military revenues came through with little to no incremental SG&A expenses, resulting in meaningful operating leverage. Operating expense during the second quarter of 2025 was $4.3 million, a modest increase from $3.9 million last year despite the significant growth in revenue.
The increase in operating expense was driven by approximately $300,000 from growth in our product development efforts in support of our long-term growth initiatives and $200,000 employee costs primarily due to increased headcount, partially offset by $100,000 decrease in third-party and professional fees. Operating expenses represented 19.6% of revenue during the second quarter, a significant decline from 36.7% in the second quarter of last year, highlighting the opportunity for improved operating leverage as the business scales. Net income for the quarter was $5.3 million as compared to $1.2 million. GAAP earnings per share of $0.30 increased by over 300% from $0.07 with benefits from higher volume and increased operating leverage. EBITDA was $7.6 million during the second quarter, up from $2.1 million last year on an increase of 260%, largely due to our revenue growth and operating expense leverage.
Moving on to backlog. New orders in the second quarter of fiscal 2025 were $20.8 million and backlog as of March 31 was $80 million. The backlog includes only purchase orders in hand and excludes additional orders from the company's OEM customers under long-term programs, including Pilatus PC-24, Textron King Air, Boeing T-7 Red Hawk, the Boeing KC-46A, and the F-16 with Lockheed Martin. We expect these programs to remain in production for several years and anticipate they will continue to generate future sales. Further, due to their nature, the customer service lines do not typically enter backlog. Now, turning to cash flow. During the second quarter 2025, cash flow from operations was $1.3 million compared to $200,000 in the year-ago comparable period. This increase was due to higher net income and changes in working capital accounts. Capital expenditures were $1.6 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2025 versus $100,000 in the same period last year.
The increase in capital expenditures is primarily related to the facility expansion. As a result of the building expansion, free cash flow during the second quarter was negative $300,000 versus essentially flat free cash flow last year. Total net debt as of March 31 was $26.2 million. Our net leverage at the end of the quarter was 1.4 times. Our cash and availability under our credit line was $8.8 million at the end of the second quarter, which provides us financial flexibility to support our ongoing operations and facility expansion. That completes our prepared remarks. Operator, we are now ready for the question-and-answer portion of the call.
Questions and answers
We will now begin the question-and-answer session. The first question comes from Gowshi Sri with Singular Research. Please go ahead.
Good morning. Can you hear me?
Yes.
Congratulations on a strong quarter. My question is about the Honeywell product lines that were pulled forward, and I'm wondering if you can provide any details on the extent of these pull-forwards. Additionally, regarding the FY '25 guidance of over 30% growth mentioned in the last call, are you observing any signs of order delays following the transition?
We don't anticipate further delays post transition. There are a lot of moving parts with the transition of the Honeywell. They have supply chain issues obviously with delivering sufficient quantities to Lockheed before they can close the line and transfer it to us. We are working very closely with them. Our supply chain is engaged daily with their supply chain as well as Lockheed to make this a successful transition for Lockheed, because that's our customer and we will support them. In terms of our guidance that we gave for this year, I think we're well into over 30% growth as we see it. And so, that's kind of where we are.
Okay. The air transport revenue seems to have improved in Q2. Is this driven by new orders or deferred demand? What is the pipeline for commercial retrofits looking even amid this high interest if the interest rates stay steady at this level?
To be honest, I don't believe interest rates significantly impact our operations. The production delays of new airplanes from Airbus and Boeing due to supply chain issues are driving high demand for aftermarket upgrades for these aircraft, and we are experiencing benefits from that. We anticipate that this trend will continue in the near future.
On the gross margin level, as the Honeywell production fully transitions to external, should we expect the margins to stabilize at these levels? Or does the shift in sales mix towards military, which represents 40% of sales, pose a challenge as we move towards the rest of FY '25?
We've discussed gross margins frequently, and they tend to be quite volatile and unpredictable, as Jeff mentioned. This volatility arises from product acquisitions because the items we develop are aimed at achieving a specific gross margin. When we acquire products, the variety of the products can greatly differ in terms of gross margin. Some yield high margins while others are lower. Consequently, in any given quarter, the overall gross margin is influenced by this product mix, making it challenging to forecast. While we have a backlog of orders, the new incoming orders complicate our ability to predict the margins stemming from the product mix. Therefore, we've been trying to shift the focus from gross margins to EBITDA margins and profit margins, as profit is my primary concern.
Our next question comes from Doug Ruth with Lenox Financial Services. Please go ahead.
Good morning, Shahram and Jeff. Thank you very much for the comments. Congratulations on the fabulous report. I specifically think that you clarified some of the questions that were out there, and I appreciate you taking the time to offer some clarity. Did you specifically say what percent of the sales in the quarter were to the Department of Defense? Or can you give us that?
So, right now, $21.9 million in sales, $10.3 million was associated with the F-16 piece. So that would be with the military side.
But then, we had our own.
I don't have that breakdown in front of me, but legacy was a little bit north of $11 million for the quarter, which includes air transport, business aviation, and military. There's also some military in the services due to our NRE projects and customer service repairs.
Well, it sounds like it's approximately at least half, which is of...
Yeah, I would say at least 40% is military, as we're experiencing.
And you had thought that, like sort of as a run rate that it would be around 40%. Do you think that that is going to hold true for the year?
Yes.
Okay. And then, what about hiring, were additional people hired during the quarter?
Very, very little.
We just hired another military salesperson as well.
Okay.
Post quarter.
Post quarter, yes.
Okay. Are you thinking that you're done hiring for the year or will there be additional people hired still this year, or has that not been decided?
I think that we continue to look for talented engineers. We continue to look for talented individuals that contribute to our organization. We are a growing business and you can't hire people after you've got the contracts because then it will be too late. So, we continue looking for talent. In terms of the hiring, we were doing to support the F-16 platform, that we are completed doing that. But there are other acquisitions that we're looking at. Also, we're looking at some significant growth from our base business. And so, we're constantly in a hiring mode.
Okay. And are you working through search firms? Are you advertising open positions on your own website or LinkedIn or...
Yes, we believe that all job postings are available on our website. Depending on the role, we also collaborate with certain recruiters. Additionally, we have an internal recruiter in our HR department who assists with this process.
Okay. Now, I know that clean rooms can be very complicated. Is there any concern about you completing your clean room? You specifically mentioned that during your comments, Shahram.
Our production floor is a clean room facility that we are currently expanding. This area is not part of the original structure built by our contractors, who have nearly completed the main building. Once that is finished, we will install anti-static flooring, partition walls, and soundproofing in specific areas, which is part of our standard process.
Okay. So, you feel like you've got it under control?
Yes.
What is the status of the next-generation utility management system? That was something you had been discussing.
I guess I didn't put anything in there. It is going on track. They're still planning on doing some flight testing on it over the next month. And the project is finishing some qualification testing and getting it ready for flight tests.
I really like your acquisition strategy of using reverse engineering. Often, when one company buys another, it involves moving production overseas to reduce costs. Instead, you are focusing on bringing production back to Pennsylvania and reducing costs here, which plays to the company’s competitive strengths. Are you close to any additional acquisitions at this point that align with that strategy?
Yes. We continually assess various opportunities, including potentially acquiring foreign companies to relocate their production to the United States. Relying on low-cost outsourcing can often shift problems outside of our control, ultimately impacting our customers negatively. Therefore, our company's philosophy has consistently been to avoid that approach.
Okay. And then, Jeff, as far as financial covenants, do you feel that you have those set up properly that you're comfortable that you're maintaining the covenants?
Yes. We have made significant progress with the covenants, and I feel very confident about our current position regarding them.
You folks deserve a lot of credit. You really performed exceptionally well. And I'm grateful for what you're doing for the shareholders, and congratulations to both of you and to your teams. Thank you for answering my question.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Our next question comes from Andrew Rem with Odinson Partners. Please go ahead.
Hey, gentlemen. I just want to mention that regarding Doug's comment about manufacturing in the U.S., you're smarter than Trump. So, there's that. My question about revenue is for you, Jeff. You mentioned that in the quarter $10.8 million came from acquisitions, and later you said around $3 million came from the F-16 for customer service. If I break those down between product and customer service, am I correct in understanding that $7.8 million came from the acquisition for product and $3 million for customer service? Is that accurate?
So, it's $10.8 million in total, of which $3 million was customer service, so the delta is $7.8 million is product.
Okay. Got it. And then, $6 million capex, that's still a good number for the full year?
Yes.
And then sequentially, D&A was down because I think it went from like $1.3 million down to, I want to say, about $700,000. What's kind of a normalized level?
For G&A?
D&A, sorry, depreciation and amortization.
Oh, I would say when you add those two together looking at that and then that would be our normalized level for six months, look at the six month period. So, depreciation went down a little bit because we had amortization changes on our last acquisition during that period where we had to reassess and look at the items to make sure it was correct with the valuations. So, we'll be closing that valuation period next quarter, and that should settle.
And then, for the third quarter kind of pull-forward in revenue, would you expect that to be kind of similar magnitude or much smaller?
I think given that a good chunk of it is tied into Honeywell supply chain, it's really difficult for us to predict that, but I don't anticipate a huge swing.
Right. We don't expect a huge swing between Q2 right now and Q3.
So...
It's really hard to predict.
Okay. So then, we should at least sequentially in the fourth quarter expect a fairly meaningful decline?
I don't expect a meaningful decline. Unless something goes drastically wrong with the supply chain, I don't foresee any major changes. We have $80 million in backlog as of the end of March. As long as we can execute, and if the transition goes according to the plan Honeywell has laid out and they receive the necessary materials from their supply chain on time, there shouldn't be significant variations, although there are many factors at play.
Okay. And then, can you just comment on, in terms of making the transition, I think previously you guys had said kind of in the summer. So, about the time that the facility expansion is completed. It sounds like construction is nearly complete and then you've got some move-in and that kind of stuff. Should we be thinking that the integration of Honeywell will be largely complete sometime later in the summer? Is that the rough timeline?
That is our plan.
Okay. All right. Well, great quarter you guys. You guys are doing a fantastic job with the team. So, appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you.
We have a follow-up question from Gowshi Sri with Singular Research. Please go ahead.
Thank you. My follow-up is on the ERP system. As it goes live, will it enhance productivity gains in inventory management and reduce labor costs? Is the expectation for SG&A to drop below 50% in FY '26?
Any ERP implementation requires ongoing adjustments. Our objective is to leverage data to drive business decisions. In the past, accessing the data and deriving answers was challenging. I anticipate noticeable improvements in our ability to gather data and make informed business decisions moving forward. However, it is still too early to determine how this will affect our profit and loss statements.
So, on a quarterly basis, that SG&A level is going to be still look around $3 million to $4 million?
That's correct. Keep in mind that the company and the organization are still growing, so there will always be some additional costs.
Got you. Regarding Exton's capacity, which is expected to triple by mid-2025, what utilization rate is required to achieve that mid-30% growth in revenue, and is this at the EBITDA level, considering how the current backlog supports this?
So, right now, the 30% growth is based on everything that we have here today and it really excludes a lot that the new building could produce.
Okay.
The new building and the facility, we could do about $250 million, we project in revenue from this building.
Got you. Thanks for that, and congratulations.
Thank you. This concludes our question-and-answer session. I would like to turn the conference back over to Shahram Askarpour for any closing remarks.
Thank you, operator, and thank you all for your time and interest in IS&S. Have a good day.
The conference has now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect.