Q4 2017 Earnings Release
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Exhibit 99.1 Contact: Eric Norris 980.299.5518 Albemarle finishes strong - guiding to continued growth in 2018 CHARLOTTE, NC - February 27, 2018 – Fourth quarter 2017 highlights: • Fourth quarter net sales were $857.8 million, an increase of 23% over the prior year • Fourth quarter loss of $218.4 million, or $1.95 per diluted share, included $366.9 million of income tax expense related to the new U.S. tax reform laws • Fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA was $245.8 million, an increase of 31% over the prior year; adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of $1.34, an increase of 72% over the prior year • Signed definitive agreement to sell the polyolefin catalysts and components portion of its PCS business • Expect adjusted diluted earnings per share in 2018 between $5.00 and $5.40, an increase of 9% to 18% over 2017 Three Months Ended Twelve Months Ended December 31, December 31, In thousands, except per share amounts 2017 2016 2017 2016 Net sales $ 857,789 $ 696,655 $ 3,071,976 $ 2,677,203 Net (loss) income from continuing operations $ (207,071) $ 50,304 $ 99,468 $ 478,638 Net (loss) income attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ (218,366) $ 602,090 $ 54,850 $ 643,675 Adjusted EBITDA $ 245,780 $ 187,384 $ 885,480 $ 758,217 Diluted (loss) earnings per share attributable to Albemarle Corporation $ (1.95) $ 5.30 $ 0.49 $ 5.68 (a) Non-operating pension and OPEB items (0.08) 0.16 (0.09) 0.16 (a) Non-recurring and other unusual items 3.36 0.25 4.20 (0.49) (b) Discontinued operations — (4.93) — (1.78) Adjusted diluted(c) earnings per share from continuing operations $ 1.34 $ 0.78 $ 4.59 $ 3.57 See accompanying notes (a) through (c) to the condensed consolidated financial information and non-GAAP reconciliations. Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) reported fourth quarter 2017 net sales of $857.8 million, a net loss of $218.4 million and adjusted EBITDA of $245.8 million. "Albemarle grew 2017 adjusted EBITDA by 17% and the Lithium business exceeded expectations delivering 56% adjusted EBITDA growth over 2016. Both Bromine Specialties and Refining Solutions generated strong cash flow throughout the year," said Luke Kissam, Albemarle’s Chairman, President and CEO. "We made progress on our lithium capital projects consistent with our plans and continued to demonstrate our focus on portfolio management with the announced divestiture of our polyolefin catalysts and components business. After surpassing our financial goals for 2017, we are excited to continue growing in 2018. Our goals for 2018 are clear: deliver the cash flow needed to fund growth and execute on our capital plan to meet the increasing needs of our customers.“ 1 Outlook Our 2017 performance and strategic actions have positioned Albemarle for another strong year of growth in 2018. We expect net sales to range between $3.2 billion and $3.4 billion, with adjusted EBITDA between $955 million and $1,005 million, and adjusted diluted earnings per share between $5.00 and $5.40. Results Net (loss) income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter 2017 was $(207.1) million, or $(1.95) per diluted share (after income attributable to noncontrolling interests), compared to $50.3 million, or $0.37 per diluted share in the fourth quarter 2016. Loss per share and adjusted earnings per share were both negatively impacted by hurricane Harvey by $0.02 per diluted share. Excluding the impact of hurricane Harvey, the decrease in 2017 was primarily related to $3.27 per diluted share of a net negative impact from the U.S. tax reform enacted in December 2017, partially offset by earnings growth in each of our reportable segments and an increase in mark- to-market actuarial gains of $0.23 per diluted share. Fourth quarter 2017 adjusted EBITDA increased by $58.4 million, or 31.2%, compared to the prior year. Fourth quarter 2017 adjusted net income from continuing operations was $149.8 million, or $1.34 per diluted share, compared to $88.8 million, or $0.78 per diluted share, for fourth quarter 2016, an increase of 71.8%. See notes to the condensed consolidated financial information for further details. The Company reported net sales of $857.8 million in fourth quarter 2017, up 23.1% from net sales of $696.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, driven by the favorable impact of higher sales volumes and pricing impacts across each of our reportable segments and favorable currency exchange impacts. Net income from continuing operations for the full year 2017 was $99.5 million, or $0.49 per diluted share (after income attributable to noncontrolling interests), compared to $478.6 million, or $3.90 per diluted share for the full year 2016. Earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share were both negatively impacted by hurricane Harvey by $0.09 per diluted share. Excluding the impact of hurricane Harvey, the decrease in 2017 was primarily driven by $3.26 per diluted share of a net negative impact from the U.S. tax reform laws enacted in December 2017, gains related to the sales of the metal sulfides and minerals-based flame retardants and specialty chemicals businesses of $1.02 per diluted share in 2016, as well as a loss on early extinguishment of debt of $0.30 per diluted share in 2017. This was partially offset by earnings growth in our Lithium and Advanced Materials and Bromine Specialties segments. For the full year 2017, adjusted EBITDA was $885.5 million, up 16.8% compared to $758.2 million for the full year 2016. For the full year 2017, adjusted net income from continuing operations was $515.9 million, or $4.59 per diluted share, compared to $403.8 million, or $3.57 per diluted share, for the full year 2016, an increase of 28.6%. See notes to the condensed consolidated financial information for further details. The Company reported net sales for the full year 2017 of $3.07 billion, up 14.7% from net sales of $2.68 billion, driven by the favorable impact of higher sales volumes in each of our three reportable segments and pricing impacts mainly in our Lithium segment, partially offset by the impact of the divestiture of the minerals-based flame retardants and specialty chemicals business and unfavorable currency exchange impacts. On December 14, 2017, we signed a definitive agreement to sell the polyolefin catalysts and components portion of the PCS business to W.R. Grace & Co. for proceeds of approximately $416 million in cash. The transaction includes Albemarle’s Product Development Center located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and operations at the Yeosu, South Korea site. The transaction does not include the organometallics or curatives portion of the PCS business. The sale is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approvals from regulatory authorities. Quarterly Segment Results During the first quarter of 2018, the PCS product category will merge with the Refining Solutions reportable segment to form a global business focused on catalysts and be reported in a separate reportable segment. The results below are reported to reflect how our segments were managed during 2017. Lithium and Advanced Materials reported net sales of $362.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 30.2% from fourth quarter 2016 net sales of $278.3 million. The $84.1 million increase in net sales as compared to prior year was primarily due to favorable pricing impacts, increased sales volumes and $3.1 million of favorable currency exchange impacts. Adjusted EBITDA for Lithium and Advanced Materials was $135.7 million, an increase of 32.4% from fourth quarter 2016 results of $102.5 million. The $33.2 million increase in 2 adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year was primarily due to favorable pricing impacts, increased sales volumes and $2.9 million of favorable currency exchange impacts, partially offset by Lithium growth spending. Bromine Specialties reported net sales of $219.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 12.6% from fourth quarter 2016 net sales of $194.5 million. The $24.6 million increase in net sales as compared to the prior year was primarily due to increased sales volumes and favorable pricing impacts. Adjusted EBITDA for Bromine Specialties was $64.4 million, an increase of 37.2% from fourth quarter 2016 results of $46.9 million. The $17.5 million increase in adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year was primarily due to higher volume and favorable pricing impacts, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative costs. Refining Solutions reported net sales of $238.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 23.5% from net sales of $193.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. The $45.3 million increase in net sales as compared to the prior year was primarily due to higher sales volumes, favorable pricing impacts and $4.3 million of favorable currency exchange impacts. Adjusted EBITDA for Refining Solutions was $69.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 20.7% from fourth quarter 2016 results of $57.3 million. The $11.9 million increase in adjusted EBITDA as compared to the prior year was primarily due to increased volume and pricing, partially offset by $5.5 million negative impact from hurricane Harvey. All Other net sales were $37.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, an increase of 25.9% from net sales of $30.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.