International Wire Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Results

CAMDEN, N.Y.

International Wire Group Holdings, Inc. (“the Company”) (OTC Pink: ITWG) today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2014. Operating income for the fourth quarter was below comparable 2013 results, however, operating income for the full year 2014 was above comparable 2013 results.

“Total 2014 pounds sold increased by 1.6% over 2013 levels but results were mixed for our major markets. Sales were higher in the aerospace, automotive/specialty vehicles, electronics/data communications and medical device markets, but declined in the medical electronics, industrial/energy, consumer and appliance and European markets. Demand for our silver-plated and tin-plated products in the industrial/energy market, as well as those used in mining applications, remained soft,” said Edwin J. Flynn, Chief Executive Officer of International Wire Group Holdings, Inc.

Fourth Quarter Results

Net sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 were $176.9 million, a decrease of $14.9 million, or 7.8%, compared to $191.8 million for the same period in 2013. Excluding the effects of lower copper prices and a lower proportion of tolled copper, net sales decreased $11.7 million, or 6.1%, versus the same period in 2013. This decrease resulted from $13.2 million lower sales volume and $1.1 million from the effects of unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates, partially offset by $2.6 million of higher customer pricing/mix. Total pounds of product sold in the fourth quarter of 2014 decreased by 5.7% compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2014 was $9.2 million compared to $10.6 million for the three months ended December 31, 2013, a decrease of $1.4 million, or 13.2%, primarily due to lower sales volume, lower silver prices and the lack of a favorable LIFO impact in the 2014 period, partially offset by lower depreciation and amortization.

Net income of $1.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014 decreased by $1.5 million from the prior year net income of $3.3 million. The decrease was due primarily to lower operating income in the 2014 period.

Net income per basic and diluted share of $0.33 for the three months ended December 31, 2014 decreased by $0.22 per basic share and $0.19 per diluted share from the 2013 period net income of $0.55 per basic share and $0.52 per diluted share. The decrease in net income per basic share resulted from lower net income, partially offset by a decrease in outstanding shares in the 2014 period compared to the 2013 period due to the repurchase of common stock in the 2014 period. The decrease in net income per diluted share resulted from lower net income, partially offset by a decrease in the number of outstanding shares and stock options in the 2014 period compared to the 2013 period due to the repurchase of common stock and stock options in the 2014 period.

Full Year Results

Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2014 were $766.5 million, a decrease of $7.7 million, or 1.0%, compared to 2013 period sales of $774.2 million. Excluding the effects of lower copper prices and a lower proportion of tolled copper, net sales decreased $1.5 million, or 0.2%, versus the prior year. This decrease resulted from $10.6 million of reduced sales volume, partially offset by $8.7 million of higher customer pricing/mix and $0.4 million from the effects of favorable foreign currency exchange rates. Total pounds of product sold for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by 1.6% compared to the year ended December 31, 2013.

Operating income for the year ended December 31, 2014 was $49.5 million compared to $48.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, an increase of $1.1 million, or 2.3%, primarily from higher Bare Wire sales volume, lower medical costs and lower depreciation and amortization, partially offset by the lack of a favorable LIFO impact in the 2014 period and higher selling, general and administrative expenses.

Net income of $15.9 million was lower than net income in the 2013 period of $16.7 million, primarily from a higher income tax provision in 2014, partially offset by higher operating income in 2014.

Net income per basic share of $2.75 for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $0.02 from the prior year level of $2.73. Net income per diluted share of $2.69 for the year ended December 31, 2014 increased by $0.08 from the 2013 period net income per diluted share of $2.61. The increase in net income per basic share resulted from a decrease in outstanding shares in the 2014 period compared to the 2013 period due to the repurchase of common stock in the 2014 period, partially offset by lower net income. The increase in net income per diluted share resulted from a decrease in the number of outstanding shares and stock options in the 2014 period compared to the 2013 period due to the repurchase of common stock and stock options in the 2014 period, partially offset by lower net income.

Net debt (total debt less cash) was $259.4 million as of December 31, 2014, a $3.8 million decrease from December 31, 2013 primarily from lower working capital requirements to support decreased sales levels in the fourth quarter of 2014 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Non-GAAP Results and Net Debt

In an effort to better assist investors and noteholders in understanding the Company’s financial results, as part of this release, the Company is also providing Adjusted EBITDA which is a measure not defined under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP). Adjusted EBITDA is net income excluding interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization expense, impairment charges, stock compensation expense, gain/loss on sale of property, plant and equipment and assets held for sale, amortization of deferred financing costs and loss on early extinguishment of debt. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure in evaluating the performance of our business. Other companies may define Adjusted EBITDA differently. As a result, our measures of Adjusted EBITDA may not be directly comparable to measures used by other companies. Below is a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Net debt as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 is also presented below. In $ millions:

Additional financial information will be made available on or about March 20, 2015 through the Company’s investor website (http://itwg.client.shareholder.com or http://www.internationalwiregroup.com) in the section titled “Financial Information.”

About International Wire Group Holdings, Inc.

International Wire Group Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a manufacturer and marketer of wire products, including bare, silver-plated, nickel-plated and tin-plated copper wire, for other wire suppliers, distributors and original equipment manufacturers. Its products include a broad spectrum of copper wire configurations and gauges with a variety of electrical and conductive characteristics and are utilized by a wide variety of customers primarily in the aerospace, automotive/specialty vehicles, consumer and appliance, electronics and data communications, industrial and energy, medical device and medical electronics markets. The Company has eighteen manufacturing and two distribution facilities located in the United States, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland.

Forward-Looking Information is Subject to Risk and Uncertainty

Certain statements in this release may constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “pro forma,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” or the negative of any thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy or intentions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. As a result, these statements speak only as of the date they were made and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Many important factors could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in our operating results and customer orders, unexpected decreases in demand or increases in inventory levels, changes in the price of copper, tin, nickel and silver, the failure of our acquisitions and expansion plans to perform as expected, the competitive environment, our reliance on our significant customers, lack of long-term contracts, substantial dependence on business outside of the U.S. and changes in exchange rates and risks associated with our international operations, limitations due to our indebtedness, loss of key employees or the deterioration in our relationship with employees, litigation, claims, liability from environmental laws and regulations and other factors.

For additional information regarding the factors that may cause our actual results to differ from those expected by our forward-looking statements, see “Risk Factors” in the Company’s 2014 financial report. This report is accessible on the “Financial Information” page on the Investor Relations portion of the Company’s website, available at http://itwg.client.shareholder.com or http://www.internationalwiregroup.com.

ITWG-G

International Wire Group Holdings, Inc.
Donald F. DeKay, 315-245-3800
Senior Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary