CVR Partners Reports Third Quarter 2024 Results
- Third quarter net income of $4 million, or 36 cents per common unit; EBITDA of
$36 million - Announced cash distribution of
$1.19 per common unit
“CVR Partners posted solid operating results for the third quarter of 2024 driven by safe, reliable operations and a combined ammonia production rate of 97 percent,” said
“Compared to 2023, nitrogen fertilizer prices reset higher in the new planting season, attributable to solid customer demand and positive farmer economics,” Pytosh said. “We continue to focus on generating free cash flow and are pleased to declare a third quarter 2024 cash distribution of
Consolidated Operations
Production at CVR Partners’ fertilizer facilities decreased slightly compared to the third quarter of 2023, producing a combined 212,000 tons of ammonia during the third quarter of 2024, of which 61,000 net tons were available for sale while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 321,000 tons of urea ammonia nitrate (“UAN”). During the third quarter of 2023, the fertilizer facilities produced a combined 217,000 tons of ammonia, of which 68,000 net tons were available for sale while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 358,000 tons of UAN.
For the third quarter 2024, average realized gate prices for UAN showed an improvement compared to the prior year, up 3 percent to
Distributions
Third Quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call
The third quarter 2024 Earnings Conference Call will be webcast live and can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of CVR Partners’ website at www.CVRPartners.com. For investors or analysts who want to participate during the call, the dial-in number is (877) 407-8029. The webcast will be archived and available for 14 days at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/6b54kfdw. A repeat of the call also can be accessed for 14 days by dialing (877) 660-6853, conference ID 13749243.
Qualified Notice
This release serves as a qualified notice to nominees and brokers as provided for under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Please note that 100 percent of CVR Partners’ distributions to foreign investors are attributable to income that is effectively connected with a
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Statements concerning current estimates, expectations and projections about future results, performance, prospects, opportunities, plans, actions and events and other statements, concerns, or matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future: continued safe and reliable operations; net income and net sales, including factors driving same; EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA; drivers of our results; utilization and production rates; nitrogen fertilizer pricing and demand; sales volumes; farmer economics; ability to and levels to which we upgrade ammonia to other fertilizer products, including UAN; use of proceeds under our credit facility; distributions associated with our 45Q transaction, including the timing and amount thereof; carbon capture and decarbonization initiatives; planted grain acres; free cash flow generation; distributions, including the timing, payment and amount (if any) thereof; global fertilizer industry conditions; grain prices; crop inventory levels; purchases under our unit repurchase program (if any), including the timing, pricing and amount or termination thereof; direct operating expenses; capital expenditures; depreciation and amortization; turnaround expense and timing; cash reserves; inventories and adjustments thereto; impacts of any pandemic, including the duration thereof; labor supply shortages, difficulties, disputes or strikes, including the impact thereof; and other matters. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “evaluate,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” or “will,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Investors are cautioned that various factors may affect these forward-looking statements, including (among others) the health and economic effects of any pandemic, impacts of the planting season on our business,
About
Headquartered in
Investors and others should note that
Contact Information:
Investor Relations
(281) 207-3205
InvestorRelations@CVRPartners.com
Media Relations
(281) 207-3516
MediaRelations@CVRPartners.com
Non-GAAP Measures
Our management uses certain non-GAAP performance measures, and reconciliations to those measures, to evaluate current and past performance and prospects for the future to supplement our financial information presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in
The following are non-GAAP measures we present for the periods ended
EBITDA - Net income (loss) before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit) and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense.
Adjusted EBITDA - EBITDA adjusted for certain significant noncash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our underlying operational results of the period or that may obscure results and trends we deem useful.
Available Cash for Distribution - EBITDA for the quarter excluding non-cash income or expense items (if any), for which adjustment is deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board in its sole discretion, less (i) reserves for maintenance capital expenditures, debt service and other contractual obligations, and (ii) reserves for future operating or capital needs (if any), in each case, that the Board deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion. Available Cash for Distribution may be increased by the release of previously established cash reserves, if any, and other excess cash, at the discretion of the Board.
We present these measures because we believe they may help investors, analysts, lenders, and ratings agencies analyze our results of operations and liquidity in conjunction with our GAAP results, including, but not limited to, our operating performance as compared to other publicly traded companies in the fertilizer industry, without regard to historical cost basis or financing methods, and our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures. Non-GAAP measures have important limitations as analytical tools because they exclude some, but not all, items that affect net earnings and operating income. These measures should not be considered substitutes for their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” included herein for reconciliation of these amounts. Due to rounding, numbers presented within this section may not add or equal to numbers or totals presented elsewhere within this document.
(all information in this release is unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data | |||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per unit data) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||
Net sales (1) | $ | 125,203 | $ | 130,592 | $ | 385,769 | $ | 539,858 | |||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||
Cost of materials and other | 26,263 | 31,004 | 77,704 | 100,993 | |||||||||||
Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) | 55,761 | 58,459 | 158,300 | 171,761 | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 24,732 | 24,119 | 64,063 | 59,084 | |||||||||||
Cost of sales | 106,756 | 113,582 | 300,067 | 331,838 | |||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses | 7,447 | 7,805 | 21,065 | 22,479 | |||||||||||
Loss on asset disposal | 4 | 1,067 | 17 | 1,324 | |||||||||||
Operating income | 10,996 | 8,138 | 64,620 | 184,217 | |||||||||||
Other (expense) income: | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | (7,241 | ) | (7,501 | ) | (22,416 | ) | (21,594 | ) | |||||||
Other income (expense), net | 52 | 125 | 376 | (88 | ) | ||||||||||
Income before income tax expense | 3,807 | 762 | 42,580 | 162,535 | |||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | — | 31 | (25 | ) | 77 | ||||||||||
Net income | $ | 3,807 | $ | 731 | $ | 42,605 | $ | 162,458 | |||||||
Basic and diluted earnings per common unit | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.07 | $ | 4.03 | $ | 15.37 | |||||||
Distributions declared per common unit | 1.90 | 4.14 | 5.50 | 25.07 | |||||||||||
EBITDA* | $ | 35,780 | $ | 32,382 | $ | 129,059 | $ | 243,213 | |||||||
Available Cash for Distribution* | 12,612 | 16,370 | 53,035 | 170,441 | |||||||||||
Weighted-average common units outstanding: | |||||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted | 10,570 | 10,570 | 10,570 | 10,570 |
___________________________________ | |
* | See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below for a reconciliation of these amounts. |
(1) | Below are the components of net sales: |
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Components of net sales: | |||||||||||
Fertilizer sales | $ | 109,486 | $ | 116,504 | $ | 346,590 | $ | 493,521 | |||
Freight in revenue | 11,321 | 9,909 | 26,914 | 31,755 | |||||||
Other | 4,396 | 4,179 | 12,265 | 14,582 | |||||||
Total net sales | $ | 125,203 | $ | 130,592 | $ | 385,769 | $ | 539,858 |
Selected Balance Sheet Data
(in thousands) | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 110,539 | $ | 45,279 | |
Working capital | 121,441 | 90,396 | |||
Total assets | 986,626 | 975,332 | |||
Total debt | 547,710 | 547,308 | |||
Total liabilities | 699,274 | 672,452 | |||
Total partners’ capital | 287,352 | 302,880 |
Selected Cash Flow Data
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||
Net cash flow provided by (used in): | |||||||||||||||
Operating activities | $ | 86,725 | $ | 70,102 | $ | 137,750 | $ | 261,389 | |||||||
Investing activities | (3,627 | ) | (5,366 | ) | (14,357 | ) | 6,928 | ||||||||
Financing activities | (20,083 | ) | (44,260 | ) | (58,133 | ) | (265,481 | ) | |||||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 63,015 | $ | 20,476 | $ | 65,260 | $ | 2,836 |
Capital Expenditures
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Maintenance | $ | 6,488 | $ | 8,091 | $ | 15,591 | $ | 17,282 | |||
Growth | 3,211 | 192 | 3,614 | 815 | |||||||
Total capital expenditures | $ | 9,699 | $ | 8,283 | $ | 19,205 | $ | 18,097 |
Key Operating Data
Ammonia Utilization (1) | |||||||||||
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
(percent of capacity utilization) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Consolidated | 97 | % | 99 | % | 96 | % | 101 | % |
___________________________________ | |
(1) | Reflects our ammonia utilization rates on a consolidated basis and at each of our facilities. Utilization is an important measure used by management to assess operational output at each of the Partnership’s facilities. Utilization is calculated as actual tons produced divided by capacity. We present our utilization for the three and nine months ended |
Sales and Production Data
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||
Consolidated sales volumes (thousand tons): | |||||||||||
Ammonia | 62 | 62 | 175 | 183 | |||||||
UAN | 336 | 387 | 950 | 1,075 | |||||||
Consolidated product pricing at gate (dollars per ton): (1) | |||||||||||
Ammonia | $ | 399 | $ | 365 | $ | 481 | $ | 633 | |||
UAN | 229 | 223 | 254 | 330 | |||||||
Consolidated production volume (thousand tons): | |||||||||||
Ammonia (gross produced) (2) | 212 | 217 | 626 | 660 | |||||||
Ammonia (net available for sale) (2) | 61 | 68 | 191 | 200 | |||||||
UAN | 321 | 358 | 964 | 1,063 | |||||||
Feedstock: | |||||||||||
Petroleum coke used in production (thousands of tons) | 133 | 131 | 395 | 386 | |||||||
Petroleum coke used in production (dollars per ton) | $ | 44.69 | $ | 84.09 | $ | 60.93 | $ | 78.49 | |||
Natural gas used in production (thousands of MMBtus) (3) | 2,082 | 2,133 | 6,443 | 6,429 | |||||||
Natural gas used in production (dollars per MMBtu) (3) | $ | 2.19 | $ | 2.67 | $ | 2.40 | $ | 3.57 | |||
Natural gas in cost of materials and other (thousands of MMBtus) (3) | 1,783 | 2,636 | 5,403 | 6,354 | |||||||
Natural gas in cost of materials and other (dollars per MMBtu) (3) | $ | 2.18 | $ | 2.51 | $ | 2.50 | $ | 4.21 |
___________________________________ | |
(1) | Product pricing at gate represents sales less freight revenue divided by product sales volume in tons and is shown in order to provide a pricing measure that is comparable across the fertilizer industry. |
(2) | Gross tons produced for ammonia represent total ammonia produced, including ammonia produced that was upgraded into other fertilizer products. Net tons available for sale represent ammonia available for sale that was not upgraded into other fertilizer products. |
(3) | The feedstock natural gas shown above does not include natural gas used for fuel. The cost of fuel natural gas is included in direct operating expense. |
Key Market Indicators
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||
2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||
Ammonia — Southern plains (dollars per ton) | $ | 481 | $ | 429 | $ | 507 | $ | 533 | |||
Ammonia — Corn belt (dollars per ton) | 529 | 501 | 550 | 621 | |||||||
UAN — Corn belt (dollars per ton) | 240 | 272 | 264 | 314 | |||||||
Natural gas NYMEX (dollars per MMBtu) | $ | 2.23 | $ | 2.66 | $ | 2.22 | $ | 2.58 |
Q4 2024 Outlook
The table below summarizes our outlook for certain operational statistics and financial information for the fourth quarter of 2024. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
Q4 2024 | |||||||
Low | High | ||||||
Ammonia utilization rates | |||||||
Consolidated | 92 | % | 97 | % | |||
Coffeyville Facility | 90 | % | 95 | % | |||
East Dubuque Facility | 95 | % | 100 | % | |||
Direct operating expenses (in millions) (1) | $ | 60 | $ | 70 | |||
Capital expenditures (in millions) (2) | $ | 19 | $ | 23 |
___________________________________ | |
(1) | Direct operating expenses are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization, turnaround expenses, and impacts of inventory adjustments. |
(2) | Capital expenditures are disclosed on an accrual basis. |
Non-GAAP Reconciliations:
Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Available Cash for Distribution
Three Months Ended |
Nine Months Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||
Net income | $ | 3,807 | $ | 731 | $ | 42,605 | $ | 162,458 | |||||||
Interest expense, net | 7,241 | 7,501 | 22,416 | 21,594 | |||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | — | 31 | (25 | ) | 77 | ||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 24,732 | 24,119 | 64,063 | 59,084 | |||||||||||
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA | 35,780 | 32,382 | 129,059 | 243,213 | |||||||||||
Adjustments (Reserves)/Releases: | |||||||||||||||
Accrued interest expense (excluding capitalized interest) | (8,486 | ) | (8,468 | ) | (25,456 | ) | (25,399 | ) | |||||||
Utility pass-through expense (1) | — | — | — | (1,350 | ) | ||||||||||
Future operating needs (2) | — | 7,500 | — | (12,500 | ) | ||||||||||
Capital expenditures (3) | (10,762 | ) | (11,391 | ) | (40,416 | ) | (41,382 | ) | |||||||
Turnaround expenditures, net (4) | (3,178 | ) | (2,359 | ) | (9,772 | ) | (8,198 | ) | |||||||
Equity method investment (5) | (742 | ) | (794 | ) | (380 | ) | 16,557 | ||||||||
Principal payments on senior secured notes and deferred financing costs | — | (500 | ) | — | (500 | ) | |||||||||
Available cash for distribution (6) | $ | 12,612 | $ | 16,370 | $ | 53,035 | $ | 170,441 | |||||||
Common units outstanding | 10,570 | 10,570 | 10,570 | 10,570 |
___________________________________ | |
(1) | Amount consists of adjustment of expenses incurred by the city of |
(2) | Amount consists of reserves established by the |
(3) | Amount consists of maintenance capital expenditures, including additional reserves for future growth projects of |
(4) | Amount consists of reserves for periodic, planned turnarounds, net of expenditures incurred in the period. |
(5) | Amount consists of distributions received by the Partnership adjusted for the amortization of deferred revenue related to the 45Q transaction. |
(6) | Amount represents the cumulative available cash for distribution based on full year results. However, available cash for distribution is calculated quarterly, with distributions (if any) being paid in the following period. The Partnership declared and paid a |
Source: CVR Partners, LP