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Cooper Standard Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 Results

NOVI, Mich., February 14, 2019 — Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CPS) today reported preliminary results for the fourth quarter and full year 2018.
Highlights

•	Full year net income totaled $107.8 million or $5.89 per fully diluted share

•	Full year adjusted net income totaled $160.7 million or $8.79 per fully diluted share

•	Full year adjusted EBITDA totaled $376.5 million, or 10.4 percent of sales

•	Net new business awards totaled $64 million in the quarter and $441 million for the full year

•	Sales awards for innovation products totaled $70 million in the quarter and $287 million for the full year

“Market conditions in Asia and Europe remained challenging during the fourth quarter and commodity costs continued to increase globally,” stated Jeffrey Edwards, chairman and CEO, Cooper Standard. “While we anticipate similar headwinds in 2019, we are focused on executing our strategy to create value through innovation, improving operating efficiency and increasing returns on invested capital. Strong net new business awards in 2018 and a record number of new program launches planned for 2019, both in our automotive and non-automotive businesses, support our positive long-term outlook for profitable growth.”
Consolidated Results*

The year-over-year change in fourth quarter sales was primarily attributable to unfavorable volume and mix, foreign exchange and customer price adjustments, partially offset by the net positive impact of acquisitions and divestitures. For the full year, favorable foreign exchange and the net positive impact of acquisitions and divestitures more than offset customer price adjustments and unfavorable volume and mix.
Net income for the fourth quarter and full year 2018 included the impact of non-cash impairment charges related to goodwill and other assets in the Company’s Asia Pacific and Europe reporting units. It also included the tax benefit related to the reversal of the Company’s valuation allowance on net deferred tax assets in France and on capital losses in the U.S. Adjusted net income, which excludes these and other special or non-operating items, was down in the fourth quarter and full year 2018 due largely to unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments, higher material costs and general inflation, partially offset by operating efficiencies, lower sales, general, administrative and engineering (SGA&E) expense, and the lower statutory tax rate in the U.S.
The year-over-year change in fourth quarter and full year adjusted EBITDA is largely attributable to unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments, higher raw material costs and general inflation, partially offset by operating efficiencies and lower SGA&E expense.Adjusted net income, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted earnings per diluted share are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable financial measures, calculated and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), are provided in the attached supplemental schedules.

Notable Developments
During the fourth quarter, Cooper Standard launched 56 new customer programs and was awarded $64 million in annual net new business. For the full year 2018, the Company’s annual net new business awards totaled $441 million. New contract awards related to the Company’s recent product innovations, including both new and replacement business, totaled $70 million for the quarter. Cooper Standard’s expanding portfolio of commercialized innovation products includes: MagAlloy™; ArmorHose™; ArmorHose™ TPV; Gen III Posi-Lock^TM; TP Microdense; and Fortrex™.
During the fourth quarter, the Company announced an agreement to sell its anti-vibration systems business and the divestiture is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.

Quarterly Segment Results

North America: Cooper Standard’s North America segment reported sales of $476.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $479.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The change was primarily attributable to unfavorable volume and mix and customer price adjustments, offset by incremental sales related to acquisitions.North America segment profit was $51.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $65.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The year-over-year change was primarily attributable to unfavorable volume and mix, higher material costs, customer price adjustments and inflation, partially offset by improvements in operating efficiency, lowr compensation-related expense and other cost reduction initiatives.

Europe:Cooper Standard’s Europe segment reported sales of $230.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $267.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The change was attributable to unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments and foreign exchange.The Europe segment reported a segment loss of $57.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to a segment profit of $1.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The year-over-year change was largely attributable to $41.5 million of non-cash impairment charges related to goodwill, fixed assets and other intangible assets, unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments, higher material costs and general inflation, partially offset by savings related to restructuring and other cost reduction initiatives.

Asia Pacific: Cooper Standard’s Asia Pacific segment reported sales of $143.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $163.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The change was largely attributable to unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments and foreign exchange, partially offset by incremental sales related to acquisitions.The Asia Pacific segment reported a segment loss of $68.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared to a segment loss of $1.1 million in the fourth quarter 2017. The year-over-year change was primarily attributable to $38.9 million of non-cash impairment charges related to goodwill and fixed assets in India and Korea, unfavorable volume and mix, customer price adjustments and inflation, partially offset by improvements in operating efficiency, savings related to restructuring and lower compensation-related expense.

South America: Cooper Standard’s South America segment reported sales of $22.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $27.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The change was primarily attributable to foreign exchange and unfavorable volume and mix.The South America segment reported a segment loss of $3.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to a loss of $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The year-over-year change was primarily attributable to higher material costs.

Liquidity and Cash Flow

At December 31, 2018, Cooper Standard had cash and cash equivalents totaling $265.0 million. Net cash provided by operating activities in the fourth quarter 2018 was $71.4 million compared to $208.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities minus capital expenditures) was $13.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $158.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. For the full year 2018, net cash provided by operating activities was $149.4 million compared to $313.1 million in 2017. Free cash flow for the full year 2018 was $(68.7) million compared to $126.3 million in 2017.In addition to cash and cash equivalents, the Company had $144.3 million available under its senior amended asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL facility”) for total liquidity of $409.3 million at December 31, 2018.Total debt at December 31, 2018 was $831.1 million compared to $758.2 million at December 31, 2017. Net debt (defined as total debt minus cash and cash equivalents) at December 31, 2018 was $566.1 million compared to $242.3 million at December 31, 2017. Cooper Standard’s net leverage ratio (defined as net debt divided by adjusted EBITDA) at December 31, 2018 was 1.5 times trailing 12 months adjusted EBITDA.

OutlookThe Company has issued 2019 full year guidance as follows:

	Current Guidance
Sales	$3.40 – $3.60 billion
Adjusted EBITDA1	$300 – $340 million
Capital Expenditures	$180 – $190 million
Cash Restructuring	$15 – $25 million
Effective Tax Rate	16% – 18%

¹ Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. We have not provided a reconciliation of projected adjusted EBITDA to projected net income because full-year net income will include special items that have not yet occurred and are difficult to predict with reasonable certainty prior to year-end. Due to this uncertainty, we cannot reconcile projected adjusted EBITDA to U.S. GAAP net income without unreasonable effort.

Conference Call Details

Cooper Standard management will host a conference call and webcast on February 15 at 9 a.m. ET to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2018 results, provide a general business update and respond to investor questions.To participate in the live question-and-answer session, callers in the United States and Canada should dial toll-free 877-374-4041 (international callers dial 253-237-1156) and provide the conference ID 9692137 or ask to be connected to the Cooper Standard teleconference. Callers should dial in at least five minutes prior to the start of the call. Financial and automotive analysts are invited to ask questions after the presentations are made.

The interactive webcast and slide presentation can be accessed live or in replay on the investor relations page of the Cooper Standard website at www.ir.cooperstandard.com/events.cfm.

About Cooper Standard

Cooper Standard, headquartered in Novi, Mich., is a leading global supplier of systems and components for the automotive industry. Products include rubber and plastic sealing, fuel and brake lines, fluid transfer hoses and anti-vibration systems. Cooper Standard employs approximately 32,000 people globally and operates in 21countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.cooperstandard.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor created thereby. Our use of words “estimate,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “forecast,” or future or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” or “may,” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions. Our expectations, beliefs, and projections are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, we cannot assure you that these expectations, beliefs and projections will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Among other items, such factors may include: prolonged or material contractions in automotive sales and production volumes; our inability to realize sales represented by awarded business; escalating pricing pressures; loss of large customers or significant platforms; our ability to successfully compete in the automotive parts industry; availability and increasing volatility in costs of