KapStone Reports First Quarter Results

KapStone Investor Call At 11:30 a.m. ET, May 5

News provided by

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

May 04, 2015, 05:15 ET

NORTHBROOK, Ill., May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (NYSE:KS) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015. As compared to 2014's first quarter, results for 2015's first quarter are below:

  • Net sales of $546 million down $3 million, or 1 percent
  • Net income of $26 million down $6 million, or 19 percent
  • Adjusted net income of $29 million down $6 million, or 17 percent
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $87 million down $9 million, or 9 percent
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.8 percent, down from 17.4 percent
  • Diluted EPS of $0.27 down $0.06 per share, or 18 percent
  • Adjusted diluted EPS of $0.30 down $0.06 per share, or 17 percent

Roger W. Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "KapStone delivered lower first quarter earnings as our mills struggled with some temporary operational issues. Fiber costs were higher, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, and the stronger dollar compared to the Euro negatively impacted our sales in Europe and exports. Once again, the weather affected our operations with almost the same intensity as last year's Polar Vortex as only the timing and geographic locations impacted changed from last year. On the positive side, our corrugated products performed very well and shipments were up 6.5 percent on an average weekly basis over the first quarter of 2014."

First Quarter Operating Highlights

Consolidated net sales of $546 million in the first quarter of 2015 decreased by $3 million, or 1 percent compared to $549 million for the 2014 first quarter. The decrease is primarily due to $3 million reflecting a stronger U.S. dollar compared to the Euro which impacted sales in Europe and exports, and lower sales volume. The Company sold 661,000 tons of paper during the first quarter of 2015 compared to 673,000 tons a year earlier. The Company's average mill selling price of $683 per ton in the first quarter of 2015 decreased by $2 per ton compared to the first quarter of 2014, due to the stronger U.S. dollar and lower export prices partially offset by higher kraft paper prices.

Operating income of $47 million for the 2015 first quarter decreased by $11 million, or 19 percent, compared to the 2014 first quarter. The lower operating earnings primarily reflects lower productivity, 12,000 tons of lower sales volume, higher fiber costs and compensation costs and the stronger U.S. dollar which impacted prices in Europe and for exports, partially offset by lower planned outage costs.  

Interest expense, net, was $6 million for the first quarter of 2015, down $3 million from a year ago as a result of a lower borrowings and interest rates. Our weighted average interest rate as of March 31, 2015 is 1.8 percent compared to 2.0 percent as of March 31, 2014.

The effective income tax rate for the 2015 first quarter was 34.8 percent compared to 34.3 percent for the 2014 first quarter.

Cash Flow and Working Capital

Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $18 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2015, from December 31, 2014 to $11 million. Operating activities used $4 million during the first quarter while financing activities generated $15 million. Capital expenditures in the first quarter were $29 million.  

At March 31, 2015, the Company had approximately $270 million of working capital and $386 million of revolver borrowing capacity.

Conclusion

In summary, Stone commented, "I expect to see our operations perform better in the second quarter."

Conference Call

KapStone will host a conference call at 11:30 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 5, 2015, to discuss the Company's financial results for the 2015 first quarter. All interested parties are invited to listen and may do so by either accessing a simultaneous broadcast webcast on KapStone's website, http://www.kapstonepaper.com, or for those unable to access the webcast, the following dial-in numbers are available:

Domestic: 866-515-2910
International: 617-399-5124
Participant Passcode: 51290081

A presentation to be viewed in conjunction with the call will also be available on our website, http://www.kapstonepaper.com, in the "Investors" section.

Replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days on the Company's website following the call.

About the Company

Headquartered in Northbrook, IL, KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation is the fifth largest producer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products and is the largest kraft paper producer in the United States. The Company is the parent company of KapStone Kraft Paper Corporation and KapStone Container Corporation which includes four paper mills and 21 converting plants, respectively, across the U.S. The business employs approximately 4,600 people.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures, including "EBITDA", "Adjusted EBITDA", "Adjusted Net Income", and "Adjusted Diluted EPS" to measure our operating performance. Management uses these measures to focus on the on-going operations, and believes it is useful to investors because they enable them to perform meaningful comparisons of past and present operating results. The Company believes that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide useful information to investors because they improve the comparability of the financial results between periods and provide for greater transparency to key measures used to evaluate the performance and liquidity of the Company. Management uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for evaluating the Company's performance against competitors and as a primary measure for employees' incentive programs. Reconciliations of Net Income to EBITDA, EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA, Net Income to Adjusted Net Income, Basic EPS to Adjusted Basic EPS, and Diluted EPS to Adjusted Diluted EPS are included in the financial schedules contained in this press release. However, these measures should not be construed as an alternative to any other measure of performance determined in accordance with GAAP.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "would,' "expect," "project," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "potential," "outlook," or "continue," the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These statements reflect management's current views and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond the Company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: (1) industry conditions, including changes in cost, competition, changes in the Company's product mix and demand and pricing for the Company's products; (2) market and economic factors, including changes in raw material and healthcare costs, exchange rates and interest rates; (3) results of legal proceedings and compliance costs, including unanticipated expenditures related to the cost of compliance with environmental and other governmental regulations; (4) the ability to achieve and effectively manage growth; (5) the ability to pay the Company's debt obligations; (6) the ability to carry out the Company's strategic initiatives and manage associated costs and (7) the integration of the Longview acquisition. Further information on these and other risks and uncertainties is provided under Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and elsewhere in reports that the Company files with the SEC. These filings can be found on KapStone's Web site at http://www.kapstonepaper.com and the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements included herein speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances.

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Income

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(unaudited)









Fav / (Unfav)

Quarter Ended March 31,

Variance

2015

2014

%




Net sales 

$  546,289

$  548,952

-0.5%




Cost and expenses:




 Cost of sales, excluding depreciation and amortization

382,198

383,248

0.3%

 Depreciation and amortization

35,121

32,709

-7.4%

 Freight and distribution expenses

43,427

40,732

-6.6%

 Selling, general and administrative expenses

38,194

34,145

-11.9%

Operating income 

47,349

58,118

-18.5%




Foreign exchange loss

885

24

-3587.5%

Interest expense, net

6,413

9,229

30.5%

Income before provision for income taxes

40,051

48,865

-18.0%

Provision for income taxes

13,951

16,766

16.8%

Net income 

$    26,100

$    32,099

-18.7%




Net income per share:




Basic

$        0.27

$        0.34

Diluted

$        0.27

$        0.33













Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:        




Basic

96,123,351

95,720,328

Diluted

97,662,608

97,315,766













Effective income tax rate

34.8%

34.3%

Supplemental Information

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations

($ in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(unaudited)



Quarter Ended March 31,

2015

2014

Net Income (GAAP) to EBITDA (Non-GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP):


Net income (GAAP)

$    26,100

$    32,099

   Interest expense, net

6,413

9,229

   Provision for income taxes

13,951

16,766

   Depreciation and amortization

35,121

32,709

EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

$    81,585

$    90,803


Acquisition, start up and other expenses

1,207

1,814

Stock-based compensation expense

3,780

2,918

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

$    86,572

$    95,535


Net Income (GAAP) to Adjusted Net Income (Non-GAAP):


Net income (GAAP)

$    26,100

$    32,099

Acquisition, start up and other expenses

794

1,188

Stock-based compensation expense

2,485

1,911

Adjusted Net Income (Non-GAAP)

$    29,379

$    35,198


Basic EPS (GAAP) to Adjusted Basic EPS (Non-GAAP): 


Basic EPS (GAAP)

$        0.27

$        0.34

Acquisition, start up and other expenses

0.01

0.01

Stock-based compensation expense

0.03

0.02

Adjusted Basic EPS (Non-GAAP)

$        0.31

$        0.37


Diluted EPS (GAAP) to Adjusted Diluted EPS (Non-GAAP): 


Diluted earnings per share (GAAP)

$        0.27

$        0.33

Acquisition, start up and other expenses

0.01

0.01

Stock-based compensation expense

0.02

0.02

Adjusted Diluted EPS (Non-GAAP) 

$        0.30

$        0.36

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands)







March 31,

December 31,

2015

2014

(unaudited)

Assets


Current assets:


   Cash and cash equivalents

$      10,545

$        28,467

   Trade accounts receivable, net of allowances

255,435

228,740

   Other receivables

13,779

12,833

   Inventories

255,507

238,329

   Prepaid expenses and other current assets

16,814

7,172

Total current assets

552,080

515,541


Plant, property and equipment, net

1,384,786

1,386,670

Other assets

10,296

10,135

Intangible assets, net

106,662

110,077

Goodwill

533,851

533,851

Total assets

$ 2,587,675

$   2,556,274






Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity


Current liabilities:


Short-term borrowings

$      10,000

$                  –

  Other current borrowings

6,615

–

Dividend payable

9,721

9,911

Accounts payable

150,788

149,600

Accrued expenses

46,972

48,340

Accrued compensation costs

46,012

62,491

Accrued income taxes

9,668

6,477

Deferred income taxes

1,804

1,990

Total current liabilities

281,580

278,809


Long-term debt, net of current portion

1,055,014

1,046,063

Pension and post-retirement benefits

29,582

32,800

Deferred income taxes

415,067

412,293

Other liabilities

7,895

8,182

Total other liabilities

1,507,558

1,499,338


Stockholders' equity:


Common stock $0.0001 par value

10

10

Additional paid-in capital

259,260

255,505

Retained earnings

591,053

574,601

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income 

(51,786)

(51,989)

Total stockholders' equity

798,537

778,127

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$ 2,587,675

$   2,556,274

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

(In thousands)

(unaudited)



Quarter Ended March 31,

2015

2014

Operating activities:


   Net income

$  26,100

$  32,099

   Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by


   operating activities:


   Depreciation and amortization

35,121

32,709

   Stock-based compensation expense

3,780

2,918

   Pension and postretirement

(2,892)

(4,080)

  Excess tax benefit for stock-based compensation

(1,391)

(2,221)

   Amortization of debt issuance costs

1,007

1,452

   Loss on disposal of fixed assets

178

979

   Deferred income taxes

1,864

3,323

   Changes in operating assets and liabilities

(67,679)

(28,228)

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

$   (3,912)

$  38,951


Investing activities:


   Capital expenditures

(28,762)

(32,420)

Net cash used in investing activities

$(28,762)

$(32,420)






Financing activities:


Proceeds from revolving credit facility

$  86,400

$  56,500

Repayments on revolving credit facility

(76,400)

(56,500)

Proceeds from receivables credit facility

12,962

-

Repayments on receivables credit facility

(4,962)

-

Payments on long-term debt 

-

(1,175)

Proceeds from other current borrowings

6,615

6,300

Repayments on other current borrowings

-

(1,673)

Cash dividend paid

(9,838)

-

Payment of withholding taxes on vested stock awards

(2,322)

(1,641)

Proceeds from exercises of stock options

491

214

Proceeds from issuance of shares to ESPP

415

205

Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation

1,391

2,221

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

$  14,752

$    4,451


Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents 

(17,922)

10,982

Cash and cash equivalents-beginning of period

28,467

12,967

Cash and cash equivalents-end of period

$  10,545

$  23,949

SOURCE KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation