NORTECH SYSTEMS INC

Current report

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses, as measured as a percentage of net sales, were 9.9% and 10.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. This decrease as a percentage of net sales was primarily the result of higher sales on a fixed cost base.

Current report

Operating income (loss). Operating income was $47 for the three months ended March 31, 2026 or 0.2% of net sales and operating loss was $(1,613) or (6.0)% of net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2025. The improvement was primarily driven by higher gross margin percentage, which increased operating income by $1,234, and higher net sales, which contributed an additional $390.

Current report

Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities was $228 in the first three months of 2026, compared with $268 in the same prior-year period, both due from the purchases of property and equipment.

Current report

We believe that our existing financing arrangements, anticipated cash flows from operations, and cash on hand will be sufficient to satisfy our working capital needs, capital expenditures and debt repayments for the next year from the date of this filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Current report

On March 20, 2026, the Company entered into a new Credit and Security Agreement with Associated Bank, National Association, which provides for a revolving credit facility of up to $15,000, subject to a borrowing base based on eligible accounts receivable and inventory in the United States of America (“U.S.”), and a $2,200 term loan (the “Associated Facility”). The Associated Facility includes a sublimit of $1,500 for letters of credit and is secured by substantially all of our assets in the U.S. The Associated Facility matures in March 2029. The Company is required to pay a 25-basis point fee per annum, paid monthly, on the unused portion of the revolving credit facility. The term loan requires monthly principal payments of $37 plus interest. Borrowings under the Associated Facility bear interest, at the Company’s option, at a defined base rate derived from the Bank’s prime rate, or at one-month or three-month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate, referred to as SOFR, plus 2.00% in the case of revolving credit borrowings, and plus 2.25% in the case of the term loan. At March 31, 2026, the revolving credit facility and term loan accrued interest at 8.52% and 8.00%, respectively. At March 31, 2026, there was $7,196 outstanding under the revolving credit facility and $3,500 of unused availability. Borrowings under the Associated Facility may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The Associated Facility does not contain prepayment premiums, make-whole provisions, or other features that would require separate accounting as embedded derivatives.

Current report

The Associated Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants that restrict or limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens, make investments, sell assets, pay dividends or engage in certain transactions without lender consent. This agreement also requires us to comply with financial covenants, including maintaining a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.10 to 1.00, which measures the ratio of EBITDA, as defined to exclude certain other non-cash items, and less unfunded capital expenditures, to fixed charges such as interest as well as debt and capital lease principal payments. The Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Associated Facility as of March 31, 2026.

Current report

The Associated Facility agreement includes broad and customary events of default such as non-payment of obligations, breaches of representations or covenants, unauthorized liens, insolvency events, material adverse changes, cross-defaults to other significant indebtedness, and change-of-control triggers. Additional events include unsatisfied judgments, loss of lender lien priority, defaults under material business agreements, impairment of key intellectual property, destruction of collateral, and certain ERISA, hedging, or legal compliance violations. Upon an event of default, including the lender’s determination that a material adverse event has occurred, as defined by the Associated Facility agreement, the lender may accelerate all obligations, terminate the commitments, and exercise its full rights and remedies against the collateral.

Current report

Our ability to comply with these covenants depends in part on our ability to generate sufficient EBITDA and operating cash flow. If our EBITDA or cash flows declines due to any factor, we may not remain in compliance with our financial covenants under the Associated Facility.

Previous report

Restructuring Activities

Previous report

In fiscal year 2024, the Company initiated a restructuring plan related to the closure of its Blue Earth, MN facility. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, the Company incurred restructuring charges related to staff reductions and activities related to the Blue Earth facility closure. The costs of these restructuring programs totaled $837, of which $266 was recorded in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and $571 was recorded in the prior fiscal year. We did not record any amounts related to restructuring in the three months ended September 30, 2025. These costs are included in restructuring charges on the condensed consolidated statements of operations. These charges relate to employee severance and facility closure costs. We do not expect significant additional expenses related to this plan.

Previous report

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses, as measured as a percentage of net sales, were 8.5% and 9.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and 9.2% and 9.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. General and administrative expenses decreased in the quarterly and year to date 2025 periods by $358 and $1,006, respectively, as compared with the 2024 periods primarily as the result of lower incentive compensation accruals in the current year.

Previous report

Operating (loss) income. Operating income was $945 for the three months ended September 30, 2025 or 3.1% of net sales and operating loss was $(467) or (1.5)% of net sales for the three months ended September 30, 2024. This increase was driven by the improved gross margin and lower incentive compensation expense. Operating income was $74 or 0.1% of net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and was $1,032 or 1.0% of net sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The decrease was driven by the decrease in net sales and resulting gross margin.

Previous report

In the third quarter of 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) restored the Company’s ability to immediately deduct domestic research and development expenses. The Company has prepared its tax provision for three and nine-months ending September 30, 2025 assuming it will take advantage of this provision of the OBBBA. As a result, the Company currently estimates that it will incur a U.S. tax loss for the Company in 2025, which will temporarily limit the Company’s ability to deduct interest expense and would impact the ability to claim foreign tax deductions and credits under the GILTI provisions of the US tax code. The impact to the GILTI results in a permanent unfavorable impact to the overall tax rate for the quarter and year-to-date periods in 2025. The Company plans to continue to review the impact of the OBBBA, and the various elections, including the Company’s deduction of research and development expense, to optimize tax cash payments, along with overall tax expense.

Previous report

Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities was $13 in the first nine months of 2025, compared with $971 in the same prior-year period. The increase in proceeds from sale of property and equipment of $504 in the nine months ended September 30, 2025 compared with $9 in the same prior-year period was primarily due to the sale of the Blue Earth property and equipment.

Previous report

In the preparation of the Company's financial statements, U.S. GAAP requires the Company to assess its ability to continue as a going concern. This analysis includes a number of factors including the Company's ability to repay debt which matures within one year of the issuance date of the Company's financial statements, as well as management's plan to mitigate any such considerations. The Company's Revolver, which has $12,030 outstanding as of September 30, 2025, matures on August 31, 2026, and the Company has not completed its plan to refinance this debt as of the issuance date of these financial statements. Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, this raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company is executing a plan to refinance the maturing cash-flow-based Revolver to an asset-backed line of credit. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the Company has received non-binding asset-backed financing term sheets from multiple lenders and engaged a financial advisor to assist in the refinancing process. Based on these proposals and the Company’s available assets, management believes it is probable that the refinancing will be effectively implemented before the maturity of the Revolver and will mitigate the conditions that raise substantial doubt. Accordingly, the Company has concluded that substantial doubt is alleviated. Based on the planned refinancing arrangement, anticipated operating cash flows, and cash on hand, we believe we will have sufficient liquidity to satisfy our working capital needs, capital expenditures and debt repayments for the next twelve months. We were in compliance with financial covenants related to adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2025.

Previous report

On February 29, 2024, we entered into a $15,000 Senior Secured Revolving Line of Credit with Bank of America (the “Revolver”). The Revolver allows for borrowings at a defined base rate, or at the one, three or six month Secured Overnight Finance Rate, also known as “SOFR,” plus a defined margin. If the Company prepays SOFR borrowings before their contractual maturity, the Company has agreed to compensate the bank for lost margin, as defined in the Revolver agreement. The Company is required to quarterly pay a 20-basis point fee on the unused portion of the Revolver.

Previous report

The Revolver requires the Company to maintain no more than 2.5 times leverage ratio and at least a 1.25 times minimum fixed charges coverage ratio, both of which are defined in the Revolver agreement. These ratios are calculated based on trailing twelve-month results. There are no subjective acceleration clauses under the Revolver that would accelerate the maturity of outstanding borrowings. The Revolver contains certain covenants which, among other things, require the Company to adhere to regular reporting requirements, abide by shareholder dividend limitations, maintain certain financial performance, and limit the amount of annual capital expenditures. The Revolver is secured by substantially all the Company’s assets and expires on February 28, 2027. We were not in compliance with financial covenants related to the maximum operating expense contributions to our Mexican operations in the first and second quarters of 2024. We have received a waiver of this event of default from the bank. On March 27, 2025, we amended (the “First Amendment”) the Revolver to waive our non-compliance with the leverage ratio and minimum fixed charge ratio as of December 31, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Provisions of the First Amendment relating to the Company’s compliance with these ratios were replaced with provisions of the Second Amendment (described below). Provisions of the First Amendment relating to minimum EBITDA requirements of the Company were replaced with provisions of the Second Amendment (described below). Provisions of the First Amendment requiring the Company to maintain unrestricted cash and Revolver availability (collectively, “Liquidity”) at specified levels were replaced with provisions of the Second Amendment (described below). The First Amendment requires the Company to provide incremental monthly reporting and increased the Company’s borrowing rate by one percent until the Company is in compliance with the original terms of the Revolver. The First Amendment increases the borrowing rate for revolving loans by 100 basis points.

Previous report

On May 14, 2025, we further amended (the “Second Amendment”) the Revolver, which amended the First Amendment in part, to defer the Company’s compliance with the leverage ratio and minimum fixed charge ratio until the fourth quarter of 2025 at which time the Company must maintain (a) a leverage ratio of 2.5 times for the year ended December 31, 2025 and for each twelve-month quarterly reporting period thereafter; and (b) a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio to 1.25 times for the year ended December 31, 2025 and for each twelve-month quarterly reporting period thereafter. The Company must also maintain adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes depreciation and amortization), as defined in the Revolver, as of the end of the second quarter of 2025 of at least $1,000, the third quarter of 2025 of at least $1,300 and the fourth quarter of 2025 and each quarter thereafter of at least $1,600. In addition, the Second Amendment requires the Company to always maintain Liquidity of at least $2,500. The Second Amendment shortened the duration of the Revolver to June 30, 2026 and increases the borrowing rate by 25 basis points.

Previous report

On July 29, 2025, we amended the Revolver (the “Third Amendment”) to extend the expiration of the Revolver to August 31, 2026. We have recorded the outstanding Revolver amount of $12,030 as a current liability on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Previous report

The Revolver, as amended, bears interest at a weighted-average interest rate of 8.0% and 7.7% as of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. We had borrowings on our line of credit of $12,030 and $8,695 outstanding as of September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. As of September 30, 2025, we had unused availability on the line of credit of $2,970, which is subject to a month end cap based on the previously noted minimum Liquidity.

Previous report

The Company had an interim funding agreement with a bank related to deposits made on equipment purchases funded through a finance lease when the equipment was received and operational. The equipment was received, and the lease agreements were finalized during the second quarter of 2025. As of September 30, 2025, we have no amounts outstanding on the interim funding agreement for equipment.

Previous report

Net sales in the first two quarters of 2025 and fourth quarter of 2024 were negatively impacted by delays in Aerospace and Defense customer approvals of products transferred from our Blue Earth facility to our Bemidji facility as well as manufacturing and plant utilization inefficiencies related to the movement of various production between plants. Over the past two quarters, we have improved our manufacturing efficiencies as we complete product transfers between plants and realize improved manufacturing yields and productivity. The Company implemented plant optimization activities and cost-cutting initiatives in the first two quarters of 2025 to address losses. As a result of these activities, we have realized combined income from operations of $1,687 over the past two quarters. These actions plus continued efforts to improve manufacturing efficiencies and the planned reduction in inventory levels are intended to drive reduced borrowings during the fourth quarter of 2025.