Graphic Packaging Holding Company Reports Third Quarter 2010 Results

MARIETTA, Ga., Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Financial Highlights

• Q3 Adjusted Earnings per Share were $0.07 versus $0.03 in the prior year period.
• Q3 Net Sales decreased 1.1% versus the prior year period, while volumes declined 1.5%.
• Q3 Adjusted EBITDA was $151.3 million versus $155.1 million in the prior year period.
• Q3 Adjusted EBITDA margin was 14.5% versus 14.7% in the prior year period.
• Company refinanced $250 million of its 9.5% 2013 Senior Subordinated Notes with new 7.875% 2018 Senior Notes.  

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE: GPK), a leading provider of packaging solutions to food, beverage and other consumer products companies, today reported Net Income for third quarter 2010 of $17.6 million, or $0.05 per diluted share based upon 347.2 million weighted average diluted shares.  This compares to third quarter 2009 Net Income of $33.2 million, or $0.10 per diluted share based upon 344.9 million weighted average diluted shares.  Adjusted Net Income for the quarter, which excludes a $6.5 million charge associated with the Loss on Modification or Extinguishment of Debt, was $24.1 million, or $0.07 per diluted share.  This compares to third quarter 2009 Adjusted Net Income of $10.3 million, or $0.03 per diluted share.  Third quarter 2009 Adjusted Net Income excluded Charges Associated with the Combination with Altivity, Loss on Modification or Extinguishment of Debt, as well as the Alternative Fuel Tax Credits Net of Expenses.

"Market conditions in the second half of 2010 remain challenging as consumers tightly manage spending even for food and beverage items," said David W. Scheible, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "We felt most of the demand sluggishness early in third quarter, however, and saw some positive volume signs later in the quarter as the order book picked up in September and into the fourth quarter.  Despite the challenging market environment, our margins improved sequentially over Q2 2010 as we cycled through our contractual price give backs and began to recognize price increases related to 2010 input inflation. We also achieved over $36 million in cost reductions and improved operating performance in both the mills and converting operations.  In addition, cash flow generation was solid and we improved our capital structure with the successful refinancing of a portion our 2013 notes."  

Net Sales

Net sales decreased 1.1% to $1,042.8 million during third quarter 2010, compared to third quarter 2009 net sales of $1,054.2 million.  The $11.4 million decline resulted from $25.2 million of unfavorable volume/mix, partially offset by $13.6 million of favorable pricing.

On a segment basis, in Paperboard Packaging, tons sold decreased 1.5% to 646,000 tons from 655,900 tons, and net sales declined 1.5% to $873.3 million compared to $886.2 million in third quarter 2009.  The decline in net sales was driven by lower volume related to soft market demand in beverage and some categories of consumer packaging.  Combined net sales in the Multi-wall Bag and Specialty segments increased 0.9% to $169.5 million from $168.0 million in third quarter 2009 as a 1.7% decrease in volume was more than offset by favorable pricing.  

Attached is supplemental data showing third quarter 2010 net sales and net tons sold by each of the Company's business segments: Paperboard Packaging, Multi-wall Bag and Specialty Packaging.  

EBITDA

EBITDA for the third quarter 2010 was $144.8 million.  EBITDA was impacted by a $6.5 million Loss on Modification or Extinguishment of Debt. Excluding this charge, Adjusted EBITDA was $151.3 million.  This compares to third quarter 2009 EBITDA of $178.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $155.1 million.  When comparing against the prior year quarter, Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter 2010 was negatively impacted by $52.0 million of input cost inflation and $3.6 million of unfavorable volume/mix.  This was partially offset by $36.4 million of improved operating performance and cost reduction initiatives, $13.6 million favorable pricing and $1.8 million from favorable foreign exchange rates.  

Other Results

At the end of third quarter 2010, the Company's total debt was $2,725.7 million.  The Company generated $73.4 million of Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities in the third quarter of 2010. This compares to $103.0 million in third quarter 2009, when excluding cash received from the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit.  At September 30, 2010, the Company had $166.3 million of Cash and Cash Equivalents and had not drawn on its $400 million revolving credit facility.  The Company's net leverage ratio decreased to 4.53 times Adjusted EBITDA at the end of third quarter 2010 from 5.20 times Adjusted EBITDA as of September 30, 2009.  

Net interest expense was $44.0 million for third quarter 2010 as compared to net interest expense of $53.3 million in third quarter 2009.  The decrease was due to both lower debt balances and lower overall interest rates.

Third quarter 2010 income tax expense was $11.0 million compared to $10.3 million of income tax in third quarter 2009, both predominately attributable to the non-cash expense associated with the amortization of goodwill for tax purposes.  The Company has a $1.3 billion net operating loss carry-forward which may be available to offset future taxable income in the United States.

Capital expenditures for third quarter 2010 were $34.2 million compared to $29.9 million in third quarter 2009.  The year over year increase was primarily the result of timing, as the Company's 2010 capital spending is weighted to the second half of the year.  On a year-to-date basis, capital expenditures were $73.9 million through September compared to $96.3 million over the same period in 2009.

Under the terms of its Credit Agreement, the Company must comply with a maximum consolidated secured leverage ratio.  As of September 30, 2010, the Company's secured leverage ratio was 2.95 to 1.00, in compliance with the required maximum ratio of 4.75 to 1.00.  The calculation of this ratio, along with a tabular reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Credit Agreement EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, Net Leverage Ratio and Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities excluding Alternative Fuel Tax Credits are attached to this release.

Earnings Call

The Company will host a conference call at 8:30 am eastern time today (November 4, 2010) to discuss the results of third quarter 2010.  To access the conference call, listeners calling from within North America should dial 800-392-9489 at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the conference call (Conference ID#15009638).  Listeners may also access the audio webcast at the Investor Relations section of the Graphic Packaging website: http://www.graphicpkg.com.  Replays of the call can be accessed for one week by dialing 800-642-1687.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements of the Company's expectations in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements, including but not limited to, pricing and the availability of the Company's net operating loss to offset taxable income in the U.S., are based on currently available information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's present expectations.  These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's substantial amount of debt, inflation of and volatility in raw material and energy costs, volatility in the credit and securities markets, cutbacks in consumer spending that could affect demand for the Company's products or actions taken by our customers in response to the difficult economic environment, continuing pressure for lower cost products, the Company's ability to implement its business strategies, including productivity initiatives and cost reduction plans, currency movements and other risks of conducting business internationally, and the impact of regulatory and litigation matters, including those that impact the Company's ability to protect and use its intellectual property.  Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements, as such statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.  Additional information regarding these and other risks is contained in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC.

About Graphic Packaging Holding Company

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE: GPK), headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, is a leading provider of packaging solutions for a wide variety of products to food, beverage and other consumer products companies.  The Company is one of the largest producers of folding cartons and holds a leading market position in coated-recycled boxboard and specialty bag packaging. The Company's customers include some of the most widely recognized companies in the world. Additional information about Graphic Packaging, its business and its products, is available on the Company's web site at www.graphicpkg.com.

The Credit Agreement dated May 16, 2007, as amended (“the Credit Agreement”) and the indentures governing the Company’s 9.5% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013, 9.5% Senior Notes due 2017 and 7.875% Senior Notes due 2018  (“the Notes”) limit the Company’s ability to incur additional indebtedness. Additional covenants contained in the Credit Agreement, among other things, restrict the ability of the Company to dispose of assets, incur guarantee obligations, prepay other indebtedness, make dividends and other restricted payments, create liens, make equity or debt investments, make acquisitions, modify terms of the indentures under which the Notes are issued, engage in mergers or consolidations, change the business conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries, and engage in certain transactions with affiliates. Such restrictions, together with the highly leveraged nature of the Company and recent disruptions in the credit markets, could limit the Company’s ability to respond to changing market conditions, fund its capital spending program, provide for unexpected capital investments or take advantage of business opportunities.

Under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Company must comply with a maximum consolidated secured leverage ratio, which is defined as the ratio of: (a) total long-term and short-term indebtedness of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”), plus the aggregate cash proceeds received by the Company and its subsidiaries from any receivables or other securitization but excluding therefrom (i) all unsecured indebtedness, (ii) all subordinated indebtedness permitted to be incurred under the Credit Agreement, and (iii) all secured indebtedness of foreign subsidiaries to (b) Adjusted EBITDA, which we refer to as Credit Agreement EBITDA(1). Pursuant to this financial covenant, the Company must maintain a maximum consolidated secured leverage ratio of less than the following:

At September 30, 2010, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenant in the Credit Agreement and the ratio was as follows:

Consolidated Secured Leverage Ratio - 2.95 to 1.00

The Company’s management believes that presentation of the consolidated secured leverage ratio and Credit Agreement EBITDA herein provides useful information to investors because borrowings under the Credit Agreement are a key source of the Company’s liquidity, and the Company’s ability to borrow under the Credit Agreement is dependent on, among other things, its compliance with the financial ratio covenant. Any failure by the Company to comply with this financial covenant could result in an event of default, absent a waiver or amendment from the lenders under such agreement, in which case the lenders may be entitled to declare all amounts owed to be due and payable immediately.

Credit Agreement EBITDA is a financial measure not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and is not a measure of net income, operating income, operating performance or liquidity presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Credit Agreement EBITDA should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to U.S. GAAP results. In addition, Credit Agreement EBITDA may not be comparable to EBITDA or similarly titled measures utilized by other companies because other companies may not calculate Credit Agreement EBITDA in the same manner as the Company does.

The calculations of the components of the maximum consolidated secured leverage ratio for and as of the period ended September 30, 2010 are listed below:

If inflationary pressures on key inputs resume, or depressed selling prices, lower sales volumes, increased operating costs or other factors have a negative impact on the Company’s ability to increase its profitability, the Company may not be able to maintain its compliance with the financial covenant in its Credit Agreement. The Company’s ability to comply in future periods with the financial covenant in the Credit Agreement will depend on its ongoing financial and operating performance, which in turn will be subject to economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and will be substantially dependent on the selling prices for the Company’s products, raw material and energy costs, and the Company’s ability to successfully implement its overall business strategies and meet its profitability objective. If a violation of the financial covenant or any of the other covenants occurred, the Company would attempt to obtain a waiver or an amendment from its lenders, although no assurance can be given that the Company would be successful in this regard. The Credit Agreement and the indentures governing the Notes have certain cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions; failure to comply with these covenants in any agreement could result in a violation of such agreement which could, in turn, lead to violations of other agreements pursuant to such cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions. If an event of default occurs, the lenders are entitled to declare all amounts owed to be due and payable immediately. The Credit Agreement is collateralized by substantially all of the Company’s domestic assets.

SOURCE Graphic Packaging Holding Company