Darling Ingredients Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter And Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results

IRVING, Texas, March 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR, "Darling") --

Fourth Quarter 2020

• Net income of $44.7 million, or $0.27 per GAAP diluted share
• Adjusted net income of $75.3 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, excluding the $30.6 million after-tax restructuring and asset impairment charge related to the shutdown of the company's biodiesel plants in Montreal, Quebec and Butler, Kentucky
• Net Sales of $1.0 billion
• Combined adjusted EBITDA of $214.5 million
• Global Ingredients business record Q4 EBITDA of $146.3 million

Fiscal Year 2020

• Net income of $296.8 million, or $1.78 per GAAP diluted share
• Adjusted net income of $327.4 million, or $1.96 per diluted share, excluding the $30.6 million after-tax restructuring and asset impairment charge related to the shutdown of the company's biodiesel plants in Montreal, Quebec and Butler, Kentucky
• Net Sales of $3.6 billion
• Combined adjusted EBITDA of $841.5 million
• Global Ingredients business FY 2020 EBITDA of $504.2 million
• Diamond Green Diesel sold a record 288 million gallons of renewable diesel at an average of $2.34 EBITDA per gallon

Darling reported net sales of $1.0 billion for the fourth quarter of 2020, as compared with net sales of $859.4 million for the same period a year ago.  Net income attributable to Darling for the three months ended January 2, 2021 was $44.7 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to a net income of $242.6 million, or $1.44 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2019. Excluding the restructuring and asset impairment charge related to the shutdown of the company's 2 biodiesel locations, adjusted net income for the three months ended January 2, 2021 was $75.3 million, or $0.45 per diluted share. The results for the three months ending December 28, 2019 included retroactive blenders tax credit (BTC) for 2018 and all of 2019. Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter 2019, excluding the retroactive BTC of 2018 and the first three quarters of 2019, was $50.1 million, or $0.30 per diluted share.

"Our global ingredients business performed well in the fourth quarter of 2020 generating $146.3 million of EBITDA," said Randall C. Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Darling Ingredients Inc. "We made the decision to shutdown operations of our two biodiesel plants due to unfavorable biodiesel industry economics and there are no current plans to resume biodiesel production at these facilities in the future. The closure of the facilities will create additional feedstock for growth of renewable diesel in our DGD Joint Venture."

"DGD met our expectation for 2020 selling 288 million gallons of renewable diesel at an average of $2.34 EBITDA per gallon," Stuewe added. The earnings of DGD have been consistent and steady over the last three years and based on the current environment, we believe that DGD should generate around $2.25 EBITDA per gallon for 2021. Also, we anticipate the startup of the 400 million gallon expansion in Norco, LA to commission in the fourth quarter, potentially adding some capacity to finish out the year," Stuewe added.

The leverage ratio as measured by the company's bank covenant was 1.90x at the end of the year. The company reduced its Term Loan B outstanding balance by  $195 million during 2020. Capital expenditures totaled approximately $280 million for all of 2020, down $79 million from 2019, which was due to the company initiating a temporary reduction in non-essential capital expenditures in 2020.

For the 2020 fiscal year, Darling reported net sales of $3.6 billion, as compared with net sales of $3.4 billion for 2019. Net Income attributable to Darling for 2020 was $296.8 million, or $1.78 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $312.6 million, or $1.86 per diluted share, for 2019. Excluding the restructuring and asset impairment charge related to the shutdown of the company's two biodiesel locations, adjusted net income for 2020 was $327.4 million, or $1.96 per diluted share. Excluding the retroactive BTC related to 2018, adjusted net income for fiscal 2019 was $226.0 million, or $1.34 per diluted share.

As of January 2, 2021, Darling had $81.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $893.9 million available under its committed revolving credit agreement. Total debt outstanding at the end of the fiscal year was $1.5 billion.

Combined adjusted EBITDA was $214.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to $193.3 million for the same period in 2019, excluding retroactive BTCs recorded in the 2019 fourth quarter. For the 2020 fiscal year, combined adjusted EBITDA totaled $841.5 million, compared to $739.7 million for fiscal year 2019, excluding the 2018 retroactive BTC.

Segment Financial Tables (in thousands)

Darling Ingredients Inc. reports Adjusted EBITDA results, which is a Non-GAAP financial measure, as a complement to results provided in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) (for additional information, see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included later in this media release). The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides additional useful information to investors. Adjusted EBITDA, as the Company uses the term, is calculated below:

About Darling

Darling Ingredients Inc. (NYSE: DAR) is one of the world's leading producers of organic ingredients, producing a wide array of sustainable protein and fat products while being one of the largest producers of renewable clean energy. With operations on five continents, Darling collects waste streams from the agri-food industry, repurposing into specialty ingredients, such as hydrolyzed collagen, edible and feed-grade fats, animal proteins and meals, plasma, pet food ingredients, fuel feedstocks, and green bioenergy. The Company sells its products around the globe and works to strengthen our promise for a better tomorrow, creating product applications for health, nutrients and bioenergy while optimizing our services to the food chain. Darling is a 50% joint partner in Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), North America's largest renewable diesel manufacturer, currently producing approximately 290 million gallons of renewable diesel annually which products reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by up to 85% compared to fossil fuels. For additional information, visit the Company's website at http://www.darlingii.com. For more information on Darling's ESG efforts, visit  http://www.darlingii.com/csr.

Darling Ingredients Inc. will host a conference call to discuss the Company's fourth quarter and fiscal year 2020 financial results at 9:00 am Eastern Time (8:00 am Central Time) on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.  To listen to the conference call, participants calling from within North America should dial 1-844-868-8847; international participants should dial 1-412-317-6593.  Please refer to access code 10151509. Please call approximately ten minutes before the start of the call to ensure that you are connected.

The call will also be available as a live audio webcast that can be accessed on the Company website at http://ir.darlingii.com. Beginning one hour after its completion, a replay of the call can be accessed through March 10, 2021, by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (U.S. callers), 1-855-669-9658 (Canada) and 1-412-317-0088 (international callers).  The access code for the replay is 10151509.  The conference call will also be archived on the Company's website.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized accounting measurement under GAAP; it should not be considered as an alternative to net income, as a measure of operating results, or as an alternative to cash flow as a measure of liquidity and is not intended to be a presentation in accordance with GAAP.  Adjusted EBITDA is presented here not as an alternative to net income, but rather as a measure of the Company's operating performance. Since EBITDA (generally, net income plus interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is not calculated identically by all companies, this presentation may not be comparable to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA presentations disclosed by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated in this presentation and represents, for any relevant period, net income/(loss) plus depreciation and amortization, goodwill and long-lived asset impairment, interest expense, (income)/loss from discontinued operations, net of tax, income tax provision, other income/(expense) and equity in net loss of unconsolidated subsidiary. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating the Company's operating performance compared to that of other companies in its industry because the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA generally eliminates the effects of financing, income taxes and certain non-cash and other items that may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.

As a result, the Company's management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure to evaluate performance and for other discretionary purposes. In addition to the foregoing, management also uses or will use Adjusted EBITDA to measure compliance with certain financial covenants under the Company's Senior Secured Credit Facilities, 5.25% Notes and 3.625% Notes that were outstanding at January 2, 2021. However, the amounts shown in this presentation for Adjusted EBITDA differ from the amounts calculated under similarly titled definitions in the Company's Senior Secured Credit Facilities, 5.25% Notes and 3.625% Notes, as those definitions permit further adjustments to reflect certain other non-recurring costs, non-cash charges and cash dividends from the DGD Joint Venture. Additionally, the Company evaluates the impact of foreign exchange impact on operating cash flow, which is defined as segment operating income (loss) plus depreciation and amortization.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

{This media release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding the business operations and prospects of Darling Ingredients Inc. and industry factors affecting it. These statements are identified by words such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "could," "may," "will," "should," "planned," "potential," "continue," "momentum," and other words referring to events that may occur in the future.  These statements reflect Darling Ingredient's current view of future events and are based on its assessment of, and are subject to, a variety of risks and uncertainties beyond its control, each of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.  These factors include, among others, existing and unknown future limitations on the ability of the Company's direct and indirect subsidiaries to make their cash flow available to the Company for payments on the Company's indebtedness or other purposes; global demands for bio-fuels and grain and oilseed commodities, which have exhibited volatility, and can impact the cost of feed for cattle, hogs and poultry, thus affecting available rendering feedstock and selling prices for the Company's products; reductions in raw material volumes available to the Company due to weak margins in the meat production industry as a result of higher feed costs, reduced consumer demand or other factors, reduced volume from food service establishments, or otherwise; reduced demand for animal feed; reduced finished product prices, including a decline in fat and used cooking oil finished product prices; changes to worldwide government policies relating to renewable fuels and greenhouse gas("GHG") emissions that adversely affect programs like the U.S. government's renewable fuel standard, low carbon fuel standards ("LCFS") and tax credits for biofuels both in the United States and abroad; possible product recall resulting from developments relating to the discovery of unauthorized adulterations to food or food additives; the occurrence of 2009 H1N1 flu (initially known as "Swine Flu"), Highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza (collectively known as "Bird Flu"), severe acute respiratory syndrome ("SARS"), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or "BSE"), porcine epidemic diarrhea ("PED") or other diseases associated with animal origin in the United States or elsewhere, such as the outbreak of African Swine Fever ("ASF") in China and elsewhere; the occurrence of pandemics, epidemics or disease outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 outbreak; unanticipated costs and/or reductions in raw material volumes related to the Company's compliance with the existing or unforeseen new U.S. or foreign (including, without limitation, China) regulations (including new or modified animal feed, Bird Flu, SARS, PED, BSE, ASF or similar or unanticipated regulations) affecting the industries in which the Company operates or its value added products; risks associated with the DGD Joint Venture, including possible unanticipated operating disruptions and issues relating to the announced expansion project; risks and uncertainties relating to international sales and operations, including imposition of tariffs, quotas, trade barriers and other trade protections imposed by foreign countries; difficulties or a significant disruption in our information systems or failure to implement new systems and software successfully,  risks relating to possible third party claims of intellectual property infringement; increased contributions to the Company's pension and benefit plans, including multiemployer and employer-sponsored defined benefit pension plans as required by legislation, regulation or other applicable U.S. or foreign law or resulting from a U.S. mass withdrawal event; bad debt write-offs; loss of or failure to obtain necessary permits and registrations; continued or escalated conflict in the Middle East, North Korea, Ukraine or elsewhere; uncertainty regarding the exit of the U.K. from the European Union; and/or unfavorable export or import markets. These factors, coupled with volatile prices for natural gas and diesel fuel, climate conditions, currency exchange fluctuations, general performance of the U.S. and global economies, disturbances in world financial, credit, commodities and stock markets, and any decline in consumer confidence and discretionary spending, including the inability of consumers and companies to obtain credit due to lack of liquidity in the financial markets, among others, could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward looking statements included in this release or negatively impact the Company's results of operations. Among other things, future profitability may be affected by the Company's ability to grow its business, which faces competition from companies that may have substantially greater resources than the Company. The Company's announced share repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and purchases of shares under the program are subject to market conditions and other factors, which are likely to change from time to time. Other risks and uncertainties regarding Darling Ingredients Inc., its business and the industries in which it operates are referenced from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Darling Ingredients Inc. is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.}

SOURCE Darling Ingredients Inc.