For Third Quarter Fiscal 2026, Strattec Continued to Advance Transformation Efforts to Strengthen Business Performance

• Strong balance sheet provides financial flexibility with $107 million of cash; $11.4 million of cash generated from operations in the third quarter
• Sales declined 4.5%, consistent with expectations, on lower North American OEM automotive production volumes of key platforms
• Gross margin improved 50 basis points year-over-year to 16.5%, despite the sales decline and 170 basis point foreign currency exchange rate headwind
• Net income attributable to Strattec was $3.2 million, or $0.78 per diluted share; Adjusted EBITDA¹ was $10.1 million, or 7.3% of net sales

Strattec (NASDAQ:STRT), a global provider of highly engineered access solutions for the automotive and mobility industries, today reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2026, which ended March 29, 2026.

Jennifer Slater, President and CEO of Strattec, said, "We are continuing to progress on our strategy to transform Strattec into a more predictable, higher performing business even as we continually face the challenges of the automotive industry including weak end market demand, platform changes, tariffs and the long-cycle nature of the sector. Our near-term objectives remain focused on improving our cost structure and driving a stronger more predictable business while positioning ourselves to win new opportunities on future platforms for model years 2029 and beyond and developing deeper relationships with both current and prospective customers."

She concluded, "Our team is leaning into the challenges and recognizes there is still more work to be done. We are encouraged with our potential and are supported with a very solid balance sheet and strong cash generation."

FY 2026 Third Quarter Financial Summary

Net sales were $137.6 million, down $6.5 million, or 4.5% from the prior-year period. Lower sales were the result of $7.7 million in lower volume including $3.4 million lower sales related to customer EV program cancellations. The volume declines were partially offset by $1.3 million in pricing including $0.6 million in tariff recoveries.

Gross profit was $22.7 million, compared with $23.1 million in the prior year, on lower volume. Gross margin expanded 50 basis points to 16.5% primarily as a result of $1.7 million in restructuring savings and $0.6 million of recoveries from customer program cancellations. Partially offsetting these benefits were $2.5 million higher costs related to unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates, a $0.5 million increase in labor and benefit costs, and $0.3 million of incremental tariff costs.

Selling, administrative and engineering ("SAE") expenses increased $1.6 million to $17.6 million, or 12.8% of sales, compared with $16.0 million, or 11.1% of sales, in the prior-year period. Elevated SAE expenses included $1.4 million in business transformation and executive transition costs, $1.3 million increase in salaries and employee benefits and $0.4 million increase in professional fees. These costs were partially offset by $0.7 million in recoveries related to customer cancelled EV programs and restructuring savings of $0.2 million.

Interest income grew $0.4 million on higher cash balances, while interest expenses declined $0.2 million on lower borrowings. Other expense increased $0.7 million primarily as a result of unfavorable foreign currency movements at the end of the reported period and related fair value adjustments to foreign currency forward contracts.

Net income attributable to Strattec was $3.2 million, or $0.78 per diluted share, compared with $5.4 million, or $1.32 per diluted share, in the prior-year period. On an adjusted basis, third quarter fiscal 2026 net income attributable to Strattec was $3.7 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share¹ was $0.90, compared with $1.50 in the prior year. Lower adjusted dilutive earnings per share was primarily the result of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, which unfavorably impacted year-over-year comparisons of both cost of goods sold and other income and expense.

Adjusted EBITDA¹ for the quarter was $10.1 million compared with $12.9 million in the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 7.3%, compared with 8.9% in the fiscal 2025 third quarter.

Strong Balance Sheet

Cash from operations in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 was $11.4 million, compared with $20.7 million in the prior-year period. Despite lower net income, cash from operations benefited from the collection of $5.0 million of VAT balances and $1.5 million in recovery of pre-production costs.

At March 29, 2026, Strattec had $107 million in cash and cash equivalents, up from $99.0 million at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2026 and $84.6 million at the end of the prior fiscal year. Subsequent to end of the quarter, the Company replaced its existing joint venture credit facility with a new revolving credit facility which extended the maturity date.

Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Webcast and Conference Call

Strattec will host a conference call and webcast tomorrow, Friday, May 8, 2026, at 8:00 am Central Time/9:00 am Eastern Time to review the financial and operating results for the period ended March 29, 2026, and provide an update on its transformation progress. A question-and-answer session will follow.

You can access the call by phoning +1 (201) 689-8470 or find the webcast and accompanying slide presentation at investors.strattec.com.

A telephonic replay will be available from 12:00 p.m. ET on the day of the call through Thursday, May 21, 2026. To listen to the archived call, dial +1 (412) 317-6671 and enter replay PIN 13759857. The webcast replay will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website investors.strattec.com, where a transcript will be posted once available.

About Strattec

Strattec is a global automotive access company that designs and delivers safe, secure, and highly engineered access solutions for the automotive and mobility industries. Built on generations of access and security engineering expertise, Strattec partners closely with OEMs to create differentiated, system‑level access experiences for end consumers. Strattec's portfolio spans the access journey from Permission, enabling secure vehicle entry through advanced mechanical and electronic systems; to Motion, delivering effortless, reliable powered access that enhances everyday usability; and through to Hold, providing precision‑engineered latching solutions that give drivers confidence through proven strength, safety, and durability trusted by OEMs worldwide.

As access becomes increasingly intelligent, connected, and central to vehicle experience, Strattec's strategy is to expand its market share, further diversify its customers and geographic reach while becoming the most trusted access partner to drive long‑term growth across global automotive and mobility markets. For more information, visit www.strattec.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements contained in this release contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "expect," "intend," "may," "planned," "potential," "should," "will," and "would." Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to many uncertainties in the Company's operations and business environment. These uncertainties include general economic conditions, in particular, relating to the automotive industry, consumer demand for the Company's and its customers' products, competitive and technological developments, customer purchasing actions, changes in warranty provisions and customer product recall policies, work stoppages at the Company or at the location of its key customers as a result of labor disputes, foreign currency fluctuations, uncertainties stemming from U.S. trade policies, tariffs and reactions to the same from foreign countries, matters adversely impacting the timing and availability of component parts and raw materials needed for the production of the Company's products and the products of its customers and fluctuations in costs of operation. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and other operational matters are discussed further in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.

Use of Non-Gaap Financial Metrics and Additional Financial Information

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Strattec provides Adjusted Non-GAAP information as additional information for its operating results. References to Adjusted Non-GAAP information are to non-GAAP financial measures. These measures are not required by, in accordance with, or an alternative for, GAAP and may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Strattec's management uses these measures to make strategic decisions, establish budget plans and forecasts, identify trends affecting Strattec's business, and evaluate performance. Management believes that providing these non-GAAP financial measures to investors, as a supplement to GAAP financial measures, will help investors evaluate Strattec's core operating and financial performance and business trends consistent with how management evaluates such performance and trends. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

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Investor Contact: 

Deborah K. Pawlowski, IRC

Alliance Advisors IR

Phone: 716-843-3908

Email: dpawlowski@allianceadvisors.com