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Plexus Announces Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Results
المصدر: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 23 أكتوبر 2024 15:15:00 America/Chicago
NEENAH, WI, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ: PLXS) today announced financial results for our fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 28, 2024, and guidance for our fiscal first quarter 2025 ending December 28, 2024.
- Reports fiscal fourth quarter 2024 revenue of $1.05 billion, GAAP operating margin of 5.1% and GAAP diluted EPS of $1.48.
- Reports fiscal 2024 revenue of $3.96 billion, GAAP operating margin of 4.2% and GAAP diluted EPS of $4.01.
- Reports fiscal fourth quarter 2024 non-GAAP operating margin of 6.2% and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.85, excluding $0.37 of stock-based compensation expense, net of tax.
- Reports fiscal 2024 non-GAAP operating margin of 5.5% and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $5.72, excluding $1.06 of stock-based compensation expense and $0.65 of restructuring and other charges, net of tax.
- Initiates fiscal first quarter 2025 revenue guidance of $960 million to $1.00 billion with GAAP diluted EPS of $1.25 to $1.40, including $0.19 of stock-based compensation expense. Fiscal first quarter non-GAAP EPS guidance of $1.52 to $1.67 excludes stock-based compensation expense and restructuring charges.
Three Months Ended Sep 28, 2024 Sep 28, 2024 Dec 28, 2024 Q4F24 Results Q4F24 Guidance Q1F25 Guidance Summary GAAP Items Revenue (in millions) $1,051 $990 to $1,030 $960 to $1,000 Operating margin 5.1% 4.6% to 5.0% 4.9% to 5.3% Diluted EPS $1.48 $1.14 to $1.29 $1.25 to $1.40 Summary Non-GAAP Items (1) Adjusted operating margin (2) 6.2% 5.6% to 6.0% 5.7% to 6.1% Adjusted EPS (3) $1.85 $1.50 to $1.65 $1.52 to $1.67 Return on invested capital (ROIC) 11.8% Economic return 3.6% (1 ) Refer to Non-GAAP Supplemental Information in Tables 1 and 2 for additional information regarding non-GAAP financial measures. (2 ) Excludes stock-based compensation expense of approximately 110 bps for Q4F24 results, 100 bps for Q4F24 guidance and 50 bps for Q1F25 guidance. Q1F25 guidance excludes restructuring charges of approximately 30 bps. (3 ) Excludes stock-based compensation expense, net of tax, of $0.37 for Q4F24 results, $0.36 for Q4F24 guidance and $0.19 for Q1F25 guidance. Q1F25 guidance excludes restructuring charges of approximately $0.08. Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2024 Information
- Won 26 manufacturing programs representing $230 million in annualized revenue when fully ramped into production.
- Generated record quarterly free cash flow of $194 million.
- Purchased $19.5 million of our shares at an average price of $117.91 per share, completing the 2024 Share Repurchase Program. The 2025 Share Repurchase Program was approved by Plexus’ Board of Directors in August 2024 for an additional $50.0 million.
Fiscal Year 2024 Information
- Generated record free cash flow of $341 million.
- Produced ROIC of 11.8%, representing an economic return of 360 basis points above our weighted average cost of capital of 8.2%.
- Purchased $55.7 million of our shares at an average price of $103.81 per share.
Todd Kelsey, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Our team’s focus throughout the fiscal year on delivering customer service excellence while driving expanded operational performance resulted in exceptional fiscal fourth quarter financial results and, we believe, positions us well for fiscal 2025. Fiscal fourth quarter revenue of $1.05 billion, non-GAAP operating margin of 6.2% and non-GAAP EPS of $1.85 all exceeded guidance, while quarterly free cash flow of $194 million was a record and substantially exceeded our projections.”
Mr. Kelsey continued, “During fiscal 2024, we continued to create value for our shareholders, our team members, our customers and our communities by advancing our sustainable and responsible business practices. Our team made meaningful progress in reducing our global waste-to-landfill and Scope 1 and 2 emissions, donated more than $1 million through our Plexus Community Foundation and contributed more than 20,000 paid volunteer hours to our local communities. In addition, Plexus was named one of the Top 100 U.S. Internship Programs for 2024 by Yello and Business Friend of the Environment by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce in recognition of our dedication to environmental stewardship, our sustainable business practices and our vision to help create the products that build a better world.”
Pat Jermain, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, commented, “Fiscal fourth quarter cash cycle of 64 days was favorable to our expectations and sequentially lower by 19 days as we benefited from increased revenue and continued progress on our working capital initiatives. This level of cash cycle was the best result we delivered in the past four years.”
Mr. Jermain continued, “For fiscal 2024, we generated record free cash flow of $341 million, representing more than double our previous record performance and three times our fiscal 2024 net income. With the exceptional free cash flow, we continued to execute our share repurchase programs and reduce our borrowing, ending the year in a net cash position. Cash of approximately $347 million was sequentially higher by $78 million, while borrowing under our revolving credit facility was sequentially lower by $100 million. Finally, while we expect increased investments to support future growth, we anticipate delivering robust fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $50 million to $100 million and deploying excess cash to create additional shareholder value.”
Mr. Kelsey added, “We are guiding fiscal first quarter revenue of $960 million to $1.00 billion, non-GAAP operating margin of 5.7% to 6.1% and non-GAAP EPS of $1.52 to $1.67. Although revenue is impacted by the better than anticipated fiscal fourth quarter results, we expect to maintain our strong operating margin performance of recent quarters. We anticipate a return to sequential revenue growth with our fiscal second quarter.”
Mr. Kelsey concluded, “We are positioned to continue to create substantial shareholder value in fiscal 2025. We anticipate meaningful fiscal 2025 EPS growth to result from continued robust Aerospace/Defense market sector demand, modest revenue growth in the Healthcare/Life Sciences and Industrial market sectors associated with new program ramps and market share gains, ongoing solid operating margin performance and reduced debt.”
Quarterly & Annual Comparison Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended (in thousands, except EPS) Sep 28, 2024 Jun 29, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Sep 28, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Revenue $ 1,050,569 $ 960,751 $ 1,023,947 $ 3,960,827 $ 4,210,305 Gross profit 107,912 94,415 96,716 378,530 394,554 Operating income 53,858 39,246 53,333 167,732 195,820 Net income 41,221 25,140 40,261 111,815 139,094 Diluted EPS $ 1.48 $ 0.91 $ 1.44 $ 4.01 $ 4.95 Gross margin 10.3 % 9.8 % 9.4 % 9.6 % 9.4 % Operating margin 5.1 % 4.1 % 5.2 % 4.2 % 4.7 % ROIC (1) 11.8 % 10.4 % 13.4 % 11.8 % 13.4 % Economic return (1) 3.6 % 2.2 % 4.4 % 3.6 % 4.4 % (1) Refer to Non-GAAP Supplemental Information in Tables 1 and 2 for non-GAAP financial measures discussed and/or disclosed in this release, such as adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted EPS, ROIC and economic return. Business Segment and Market Sector Revenue
Plexus measures operational performance and allocates resources on a geographic segment basis. Plexus also reports revenue based on the market sector breakout set forth in the table below, which reflects Plexus’ market sector focused strategy. Top 10 customers comprised 52% of revenue during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. This is up 4 percentage points from the third quarter of fiscal 2024 and the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. For fiscal 2024, top 10 customers comprised 48% of revenue, down 2 percentage points from fiscal 2023.
Business Segments ($ in millions) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Sep 28, 2024 Jun 29, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Sep 28, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Americas $ 335 $ 332 $ 389 $ 1,323 $ 1,558 Asia-Pacific 618 522 557 2,213 2,358 Europe, Middle East and Africa 128 137 108 542 403 Elimination of inter-segment sales (30 ) (30 ) (30 ) (117 ) (109 ) Total Revenue $ 1,051 $ 961 $ 1,024 $ 3,961 $ 4,210 Market Sectors ($ in millions) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Sep 28, 2024 Jun 29, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Sep 28, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Aerospace/Defense $ 184 18 % $ 178 18 % $ 158 15 % $ 698 19 % $ 579 14 % Healthcare/Life Sciences 415 39 % 380 40 % 449 44 % 1,555 38 % 1,875 44 % Industrial 452 43 % 403 42 % 417 41 % 1,708 43 % 1,756 42 % Total Revenue $ 1,051 $ 961 $ 1,024 $ 3,961 $ 4,210 Non-GAAP Supplemental Information
Plexus provides non-GAAP supplemental information, such as ROIC, economic return and free cash flow because such measures are used for internal management goals and decision-making, and because they provide management and investors with additional insight into financial performance. In addition, management uses these and other non-GAAP measures, such as adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, to provide a better understanding of core performance for purposes of period-to-period comparisons. Plexus believes that these measures are also useful to investors because they provide further insight by eliminating the effect of non-recurring items that are not reflective of continuing operations. For additional information on non-GAAP measures, please refer to the attached Non-GAAP Supplemental Information tables.
ROIC and Economic Return
ROIC for fiscal year 2024 was 11.8%. Plexus defines ROIC as tax-effected annualized adjusted operating income divided by average invested capital over a five-quarter period for the fiscal year. Invested capital is defined as equity plus debt and operating lease obligations, less cash and cash equivalents. Plexus' weighted average cost of capital for fiscal 2024 was 8.2%. ROIC for fiscal year 2024 less Plexus’ weighted average cost of capital resulted in an economic return of 3.6%.
Free Cash Flow
Plexus defines free cash flow as cash flows provided by operations less capital expenditures. For the three months ended September 28, 2024, cash flows provided by operations was $220.1 million, less capital expenditures of $26.3 million, resulting in free cash flow of $193.8 million. For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024, cash flows provided by operations was $436.5 million, less capital expenditures of $95.2 million, resulting in free cash flow of $341.3 million.
Cash Cycle Days Three Months Ended Sep 28, 2024 Jun 29, 2024 Sep 30, 2023 Days in Accounts Receivable 54 61 59 Days in Contract Assets 10 11 13 Days in Inventory 127 151 154 Days in Accounts Payable (59) (62) (64) Days in Advanced Payments (68) (78) (75) Annualized Cash Cycle (1) 64 83 87 (1 ) Plexus calculates cash cycle as the sum of days in accounts receivable, days in contract assets and days in inventory, less days in accounts payable and days in advanced payments. Conference Call and Webcast Information
What: Plexus Fiscal 2024 Q4 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast When: Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time Where: Participants are encouraged to join the live webcast at the investor relations section of the Plexus website, plexus.com. Participants can also join utilizing the links below:
Webcast link:
https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/470217358Replay: The webcast will be archived on the Plexus website and will be available as on-demand for 12 months
Investor and Media Contact
Shawn Harrison
+1.920.969.6325
shawn.harrison@plexus.comAbout Plexus
Since 1979, Plexus has been partnering with companies to create the products that build a better world. We are a team of over 20,000 individuals who are dedicated to providing Design and Development, Supply Chain Solutions, New Product Introduction, Manufacturing and Sustaining Services. Plexus is a global leader that specializes in serving customers in industries with highly complex products and demanding regulatory environments. Plexus delivers customer service excellence to leading companies by providing innovative, comprehensive solutions throughout a product’s lifecycle. For more information about Plexus, visit our website at www.plexus.com.Safe Harbor and Fair Disclosure Statement
The statements contained in this press release that are guidance or which are not historical facts (such as statements in the future tense and statements including believe, expect, intend, plan, anticipate, goal, target and similar terms and concepts), including all discussions of periods which are not yet completed, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the effect of inflationary pressures on our costs of production, profitability, and on the economic outlook of our markets; the effects of shortages and delays in obtaining components as a result of economic cycles, natural disasters or otherwise; the risk of customer delays, changes, cancellations or forecast inaccuracies in both ongoing and new programs; the ability to realize anticipated savings from restructuring or similar actions, as well as the adequacy of related charges as compared to actual expenses; the lack of visibility of future orders, particularly in view of changing economic conditions; the economic performance of the industries, sectors and customers we serve; the outcome of litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings, including the results of any challenges with regard to such outcomes; the effects of tariffs, trade disputes, trade agreements and other trade protection measures; the effects of the volume of revenue from certain sectors or programs on our margins in particular periods; our ability to secure new customers, maintain our current customer base and deliver product on a timely basis; the risks of concentration of work for certain customers; the particular risks relative to new or recent customers, programs or services, which risks include customer and other delays, start-up costs, potential inability to execute, the establishment of appropriate terms of agreements, and the lack of a track record of order volume and timing; the effects of start-up costs of new programs and facilities or the costs associated with the closure or consolidation of facilities; possible unexpected costs and operating disruption in transitioning programs, including transitions between Company facilities; the risk that new program wins and/or customer demand may not result in the expected revenue or profitability; the fact that customer orders may not lead to long-term relationships; our ability to manage successfully and execute a complex business model characterized by high product mix and demanding quality, regulatory, and other requirements; the risks associated with excess and obsolete inventory, including the risk that inventory purchased on behalf of our customers may not be consumed or otherwise paid for by the customer, resulting in an inventory write-off; risks related to information technology systems and data security; increasing regulatory and compliance requirements; any tax law changes and related foreign jurisdiction tax developments; current or potential future barriers to the repatriation of funds that are currently held outside of the United States as a result of actions taken by other countries or otherwise; the potential effects of jurisdictional results on our taxes, tax rates, and our ability to use deferred tax assets and net operating losses; the weakness of areas of the global economy; the effect of changes in the pricing and margins of products; raw materials and component cost fluctuations; the potential effect of fluctuations in the value of the currencies in which we transact business; the effects of changes in economic conditions, political conditions and regulatory matters in the United States and in the other countries in which we do business; the potential effect of other world or local events or other events outside our control (such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East, escalating tensions between China and Taiwan or China and the United States, changes in energy prices, terrorism, global health epidemics and weather events); the impact of increased competition; an inability to successfully manage human capital; changes in financial accounting standards; and other risks detailed herein and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings, particularly in Risk Factors contained in our fiscal 2023 Form 10-K.PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Sep 28, Sep 30, Sep 28, Sep 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 1,050,569 $ 1,023,947 $ 3,960,827 $ 4,210,305 Cost of sales 942,657 927,231 3,582,297 3,815,751 Gross profit 107,912 96,716 378,530 394,554 Operating expenses: Selling and administrative expenses 54,054 43,383 190,541 175,640 Restructuring and other charges, net — — 20,257 23,094 Operating income 53,858 53,333 167,732 195,820 Other income (expense): Interest expense (5,577 ) (8,130 ) (28,876 ) (31,542 ) Interest income 1,220 847 3,860 3,138 Miscellaneous, net (4,087 ) 347 (13,184 ) (6,403 ) Income before income taxes 45,414 46,397 129,532 161,013 Income tax expense 4,193 6,136 17,717 21,919 Net income $ 41,221 $ 40,261 $ 111,815 $ 139,094 Earnings per share: Basic $ 1.52 $ 1.47 $ 4.08 $ 5.04 Diluted $ 1.48 $ 1.44 $ 4.01 $ 4.95 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 27,203 27,475 27,397 27,582 Diluted 27,783 27,972 27,909 28,114 PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited) Sep 28, Sep 30, 2024 2023 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 345,109 $ 256,233 Restricted cash 2,353 421 Accounts receivable 622,366 661,542 Contract assets 120,560 142,297 Inventories 1,311,434 1,562,037 Prepaid expenses and other 75,328 49,693 Total current assets 2,477,150 2,672,223 Property, plant and equipment, net 501,112 492,036 Operating lease right-of-use assets 74,360 69,363 Deferred income taxes 73,919 62,590 Other assets 27,280 24,960 Total non-current assets 676,671 648,949 Total assets $ 3,153,821 $ 3,321,172 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt and finance lease obligations $ 157,325 $ 240,205 Accounts payable 606,378 646,610 Advanced payments from customers 709,152 760,351 Accrued salaries and wages 94,448 94,099 Other accrued liabilities 75,991 71,402 Total current liabilities 1,643,294 1,812,667 Long-term debt and finance lease obligations, net of current portion 89,993 190,853 Accrued income taxes payable 17,198 31,382 Long-term operating lease liabilities 32,275 38,552 Deferred income taxes 8,234 4,350 Other liabilities 38,002 28,986 Total non-current liabilities 185,702 294,123 Total liabilities 1,828,996 2,106,790 Shareholders’ equity: Common stock 545 543 Additional paid-in-capital 680,638 661,270 Common stock held in treasury (1,190,115 ) (1,134,429 ) Retained earnings 1,823,143 1,711,328 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 10,614 (24,330 ) Total shareholders’ equity 1,324,825 1,214,382 Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 3,153,821 $ 3,321,172 PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES NON-GAAP SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Table 1 (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited) Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Sep 28, Jun 29, Sep 30, Sep 28, Sep 30, 2024 2024 2023 2024 2023 Operating income, as reported $ 53,858 $ 39,246 $ 53,333 $ 167,732 $ 195,820 Operating margin, as reported 5.1 % 4.1 % 5.2 % 4.2 % 4.7 % Non-GAAP adjustments: Restructuring costs (1) — 9,219 — 22,507 8,865 Other non-recurring (income) charges (2) — — — (2,250 ) 14,229 Stock-based compensation (3) 10,849 7,205 5,824 30,485 21,379 Non-GAAP operating income $ 64,707 $ 55,670 $ 59,157 $ 218,474 $ 240,293 Non-GAAP operating margin 6.2 % 5.8 % 5.8 % 5.5 % 5.7 % Net income, as reported $ 41,221 $ 25,140 $ 40,261 $ 111,815 $ 139,094 Non-GAAP adjustments: Restructuring costs, net of tax (1) — 8,251 — 20,144 7,920 Other non-recurring charges, net of tax (2) — — — (2,014 ) 13,346 Stock-based compensation, net of tax (3) 10,306 6,845 5,824 29,582 21,379 Adjusted net income $ 51,527 $ 40,236 $ 46,085 $ 159,527 $ 181,739 Diluted earnings per share, as reported $ 1.48 $ 0.91 $ 1.44 $ 4.01 $ 4.95 Non-GAAP per share adjustments: Restructuring costs, net of tax (1) — 0.30 — 0.72 0.28 Other non-recurring charges, net of tax (2) — — — (0.07 ) 0.47 Stock-based compensation, net of tax (3) 0.37 0.24 0.21 1.06 0.76 Adjusted diluted earnings per share $ 1.85 $ 1.45 $ 1.65 $ 5.72 $ 6.46 (1 ) During the three months ended June 29, 2024, restructuring and impairment charges of $9.2 million, or $8.3 million net of taxes, were incurred for employee severance costs associated with a reduction in the Company's workforce as well as closure costs associated with a site in the Company's AMER region.
During the twelve months ended September 28, 2024, restructuring costs of $22.5 million, or $20.1 million net of taxes, were incurred for employee severance costs associated with a reduction in the Company's workforce as well as closure costs associated with a site in the Company's EMEA region and with a site in the Company's AMER region.
During the twelve months ended September 30, 2023, restructuring costs of $8.9 million, or $7.9 million net of taxes, were incurred for employee severance costs associated with a reduction in the Company's workforce as well as a lease agreement termination.(2 ) During the twelve months ended September 28, 2024, insurance proceeds of $2.3 million, or $2.0 million net of taxes, were received related to an arbitration decision associated with a contractual matter that occurred in the Company's EMEA region in fiscal 2023.
During the twelve months ended September 30, 2023, a one-time, non-recurring charge of $14.2 million, or $13.3 million net of taxes, was incurred for an arbitration decision regarding a contractual matter in the Company's EMEA region.(3 ) During fiscal 2024, Plexus began excluding total stock-based compensation expense from adjusted operating margin and adjusted EPS to provide meaningful comparisons to investors as most of our peer companies exclude such charges. These amounts include the accelerated stock-based compensation expense noted on Table 2. PLEXUS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES NON-GAAP SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Table 2 (in thousands) (unaudited) ROIC and Economic Return Calculations Twelve Months Ended Nine Months Ended Twelve Months Ended Sep 28, Jun 29, Sep 30, 2024 2024 2023 Operating income, as reported $ 167,732 $ 113,874 $ 195,820 Restructuring and other charges 20,257 20,257 23,094 Accelerated stock-based compensation (1) + 5,063 + 892 + — Adjusted operating income $ 193,052 $ 135,023 $ 218,914 ÷ 3 $ 45,008 x 4 Adjusted annualized operating income $ 193,052 $ 180,032 $ 218,914 Adjusted effective tax rate x 13 % x 16 % x 13 % Tax impact 25,097 28,805 28,459 Adjusted operating income (tax-effected) $ 167,955 $ 151,227 $ 190,455 Average invested capital ÷ $ 1,418,698 ÷ $ 1,454,871 ÷ $ 1,425,626 ROIC 11.8 % 10.4 % 13.4 % Weighted average cost of capital - 8.2 % - 8.2 % - 9.0 % Economic return 3.6 % 2.2 % 4.4 % Average Invested Capital Calculations Sep 28, Jun 29, Mar 30, Dec 30, Sep 30, 2024 2024 2024 2023 2023 Equity $ 1,324,825 $ 1,266,360 $ 1,259,762 $ 1,266,755 $ 1,214,382 Plus: Debt and finance lease obligations - current 157,325 258,175 245,964 251,119 240,205 Operating lease obligations - current (2) 14,697 7,990 8,281 9,172 8,363 Debt and finance lease obligations - long-term 89,993 90,715 192,025 192,118 190,853 Operating lease obligations - long-term 32,275 31,923 33,915 35,989 38,552 Less: Cash and cash equivalents (345,109 ) (269,868 ) (265,053 ) (231,982 ) (256,233 ) $ 1,274,006 $ 1,385,295 $ 1,474,894 $ 1,523,171 $ 1,436,122 Average Invested Capital Calculations Jul 1, Apr 1, Dec 31, Oct 1, 2023 2023 2022 2022 Equity $ 1,184,362 $ 1,182,382 $ 1,150,259 $ 1,095,731 Plus: Debt and finance lease obligations - current 304,781 294,011 329,076 273,971 Operating lease obligations - current (2) 8,772 8,358 8,878 7,948 Debt and finance lease obligations - long-term 187,468 188,730 187,272 187,776 Operating lease obligations - long-term 40,515 31,257 32,149 33,628 Less: Cash and cash equivalents (252,965 ) (269,664 ) (247,880 ) (274,805 ) $ 1,472,933 $ 1,435,074 $ 1,459,754 $ 1,324,249 (1 ) During the nine months ended June 29, 2024 and the twelve months ended September 28, 2024, $0.9 million and $5.1 million, respectively, of accelerated stock-based compensation expense was recorded in selling and administrative expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations as a result of executive retirement agreements.
(2 ) Included in other accrued liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.