KapStone Reports Third Quarter Results

Operating cash flows exceed $100 million

News provided by

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Oct 28, 2015, 04:15 ET

NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation (NYSE:KS) ("KapStone", or the "Company") today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015. As compared to 2014's third quarter, results for 2015's third quarter are below:

  • Net sales of $808 million up $209 million, or 35 percent
  • Net income of $34 million down $20 million, or 37 percent
  • Adjusted net income of $49 million down $9 million, or 15 percent 
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $126 million down $6 million, or 4 percent
  • Diluted EPS of $0.35 down $0.21 per share, or 38 percent  
  • Adjusted diluted EPS of $0.51 down $0.09 per share, or 15 percent

Roger W. Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The strength of our operations generated third quarter free cash flow of $73 million, up 24 percent over the prior year.  The increase in cash flow includes $17 million generated by Victory, while our legacy operations also performed very well despite a 12 day work stoppage by our union at the Longview mill.  No one wins in a strike, and this strike was no exception.  The strike cost KapStone approximately $14 million, and our Longview union employees lost approximately $2 million of wages and benefits. 

"Our Charleston and Roanoke Rapids mills set all-time production records for the third quarter, and our corrugated products shipments year-to-date were up 4 percent on an average weekly basis over 2014.  The stronger dollar, however, continues to negatively impact our export sales, resulting in lower sales prices for saturating kraft, export containerboard, and extensible grade kraft paper and a less favorable product mix.

"We are making strong progress at integrating Victory Packaging, and we are on target to realize the $30 million run rate of synergies by mid-2016. We are aggressively working on realizing the benefits of increased integration that Victory provides."

Third Quarter Operating Highlights

Consolidated net sales of $808 million in the third quarter of 2015 increased by $209 million, or 35 percent compared to $598 million for the 2014 third quarter. The increase is primarily due to $248 million from the Victory Packaging acquisition, partially offset by $24 million of lower shipments due to the Longview work stoppage, $3 million due to a stronger U.S. dollar compared to the Euro which impacted sales in Europe and some exports, and lower selling prices. The Company sold 678,000 tons of paper during the third quarter of 2015 compared to 715,000 tons a year earlier. The Company's average mill selling price of $671 per ton in the third quarter of 2015 decreased by $18 per ton compared to the third quarter of 2014, due to the stronger U.S. dollar and lower domestic and export containerboard prices.

Operating income of $62 million for the 2015 third quarter decreased by $33 million, or 35 percent, compared to the 2014 third quarter. The lower operating earnings primarily reflects lower sales volume and higher costs due to the work stoppage at Longview, lower average mill selling prices, higher fiber costs, inflation on compensation and benefit costs, and the stronger U.S. dollar which impacted prices in Europe and for some exports. On the positive side, Victory Packaging generated $18 million of earnings in the third quarter of 2015 prior to acquisition-related expenses of $2 million for a non-cash inventory step-up charge and $5 million of amortization expense of identified intangible assets.     

Interest expense, net, of $10 million for the third quarter of 2015, was about $2 million higher than a year ago, reflecting the additional borrowings in June 2015 to finance the Victory Packaging acquisition. Our weighted average interest rate as of September 30, 2015 is 1.8 percent which is about the same as last year. Loss on debt extinguishment was about $2 million lower in 2015 compared to 2014 based on a lower amount of debt prepayments. In the quarter ended September 30, 2015, the Company made a $52 million debt prepayment compared to a $175 million prepayment in the period a year earlier.

The effective income tax rate for the 2015 third quarter was 32.5 percent compared to 33.9 percent for the 2014 third quarter.  The decrease reflects a discrete benefit from a state tax law change enacted in the third quarter of 2015.

Cash Flow and Working Capital

Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $21 million to $8 million in the quarter ended September 30, 2015, from June 30, 2015.  Operating activities generated $104 million during the third quarter while investing and financing activities used $32 million and $93 million, respectively. Capital expenditures in the third quarter were $31 million including the start-up of a new corrugator at the Company's Aurora Illinois box plant.  Financing activities included a $52 million debt prepayment. 

At September 30, 2015, the Company had approximately $431 million of working capital and $480 million of revolver borrowing capacity. 

Conclusion

In summary, Stone commented, "Having now worked together with the team from Victory, I am even more optimistic regarding the opportunities available to KapStone.  These insights coupled with the strength of our industry, provide strong assurance that KapStone is well positioned for the future."

Conference Call

KapStone will host a conference call at 10:00 a.m. CDT, Thursday, October 29, 2015, to discuss the Company's financial results for the 2015 third 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: 800-510-0219
International:  617-614-3451
Participant Passcode:  99597247

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 has four paper mills, 21 converting plants and 65 distribution centers. The business has approximately 6,200 employees.

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; (2) market and economic factors; (3) results of legal proceedings and compliance costs; (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; (7) managing labor relations and (8) realizing the synergies and benefits of the Victory Packaging acquisition. Further information on these and other risks and uncertainties is provided under Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, under Part II, Item 1.A. "Risk Factors" in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, 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)





















Quarter Ended September 30,


Nine Months Ended September 30,

2015

2014


2015

2014











Net sales 

$      807,563

$     598,106


$     2,025,107

$    1,737,507











Cost and expenses:









 Cost of sales, excluding depreciation and amortization

569,267

388,641


1,421,943

1,164,134

 Depreciation and amortization

42,500

34,997


114,617

101,580

 Freight and distribution expenses

70,623

46,173


167,941

131,829

 Selling, general and administrative expenses

63,577

34,133


150,252

102,371

Operating income 

61,596

94,162


170,354

237,593











Foreign exchange gain / (loss)

(766)

(960)


(1,704)

(859)

Loss on debt extinguishment

628

2,963


628

2,963

Interest expense, net

9,528

8,099


24,456

25,299

Income before provision for income taxes

50,674

82,140


143,566

208,472

Provision for income taxes

16,468

27,886


49,004

70,660

Net income 

$        34,206

$       54,254


$          94,562

$       137,812











Net income per share:









Basic

$            0.36

$           0.57


$              0.98

$             1.44

Diluted

$            0.35

$           0.56


$              0.97

$             1.41






















Weighted-average number of shares outstanding:        









Basic

96,310,998

95,958,877


96,235,404

95,857,079

Diluted

97,629,641

97,515,901


97,631,247

97,416,869






















Effective income tax rate

32.5%

33.9%


34.1%

33.9%


































































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












Net income (GAAP)

$        34,206

$       54,254


$          94,562

$       137,812

   Interest expense, net

9,528

8,099


24,456

25,299

   Provision for income taxes

16,468

27,886


49,004

70,660

   Depreciation and amortization

42,500

34,997


114,617

101,580

EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

$      102,702

$     125,236


$        282,639

$       335,351











Stock-based compensation expense

1,585

1,401


8,122

5,630

Longview integration expenses

365

603


1,574

3,350

Victory Packaging acquisition expenses

3,817

–


10,372

–

Voluntary separation plan and severance

2,310

1,465


4,974

6,283

Longview work stoppage

14,464

–


14,464

–

Loss on debt extinguishment

628

2,963


628

2,963

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP)

$      125,871

$     131,668


$        322,773

$       353,577






















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









Net income (GAAP)

$        34,206

$       54,254


$          94,562

$       137,812

Stock-based compensation expense

1,037

918


5,312

3,688

Longview integration and other expenses

239

395


1,029

2,194

Victory Packaging acquisition expenses

2,496

–


6,783

–

Voluntary separation plan and severance

1,511

960


3,253

4,115

Longview work stoppage

9,459

–


9,459

–

Acquisition tax adjustments

–

(279)


398

(279)

Loss on debt extinguishment

411

1,941


411

1,941

Adjusted Net Income (Non-GAAP)

$        49,359

$       58,189


$        121,207

$       149,471











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









Basic EPS (GAAP)

$            0.36

$           0.57


$              0.98

$             1.44

Stock-based compensation expense

0.01

0.01


0.07

0.04

Longview integration and other expenses

–

–


0.01

0.02

Victory Packaging acquisition expenses

0.03

–


0.08

–

Voluntary separation plan and severance

0.02

0.01


0.03

0.04

Longview work stoppage

0.09

–


0.09

–

Acquisition tax adjustments

–

–


–

–

Loss on debt extinguishment

–

0.02


–

0.02

Adjusted Basic EPS (Non-GAAP)

$            0.51

$           0.61


$              1.26

$             1.56











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








Diluted earnings per share (GAAP)

$            0.35

$           0.56


$              0.97

$             1.41

Stock-based compensation expense

0.01

0.01


0.05

0.04

Longview integration and other expenses

–

–


0.01

0.02

Victory Packaging acquisition expenses

0.03

–


0.07

–

Voluntary separation plan and severance

0.02

0.01


0.03

0.04

Longview work stoppage

0.10

–


0.10

–

Acquisition tax adjustments

–

–


0.01

–

Loss on debt extinguishment

–

0.02


–

0.02

Adjusted Diluted EPS (Non-GAAP) 

$            0.51

$           0.60


$              1.24

$             1.53

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands)




September 30,

December 31,

2015

2014

(unaudited)


Assets



Current assets:



   Cash and cash equivalents

$          7,767

$       28,467

   Trade accounts receivable, net of allowances

395,549

228,740

   Other receivables

18,694

12,833

   Inventories

334,256

238,329

   Prepaid expenses and other current assets

18,152

7,172

Total current assets

774,418

515,541





Plant, property and equipment, net

1,406,446

1,386,670

Other assets

13,209

10,135

Intangible assets, net

351,270

110,077

Goodwill

704,592

533,851

Total assets

$   3,249,935

$  2,556,274










Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity



Current liabilities:



Short-term borrowings 

$          2,000

$                –

Current portion of long-term debt

–

–

  Other current borrowings

2,214

–

Dividend payable

9,828

9,911

Accounts payable

191,213

149,600

Accrued expenses

64,432

48,340

Accrued compensation costs

72,181

62,491

Accrued income taxes

–

6,477

Deferred income taxes

1,396

1,990

Total current liabilities

343,264

278,809





Long-term debt, net of current portion

1,589,670

1,046,063

Pension and post-retirement benefits

23,444

32,800

Deferred income taxes

420,446

412,293

Other liabilities

20,025

8,182

Total other liabilities

2,053,585

1,499,338





Stockholders' equity:



Common stock $0.0001 par value

10

10

Additional paid-in capital

264,306

255,505

Retained earnings

640,149

574,601

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income 

(51,379)

(51,989)

Total stockholders' equity

853,086

778,127

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$   3,249,935

$  2,556,274

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 

(In thousands)

(unaudited)







Quarter Ended September 30,

Nine Months Ended September 30,

2015

2014

2015

2014

Operating activities:






   Net income

$  34,206

$  54,254

$    94,562

$  137,812

   Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by






   operating activities:






   Depreciation and amortization

42,500

34,997

114,617

101,580

   Stock-based compensation expense

1,585

1,401

8,122

5,630

   Pension and postretirement

(2,963)

(3,105)

(8,379)

(9,939)

 Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

(7)

(348)

(1,518)

(2,960)

   Amortization of debt issuance costs

1,317

1,482

4,364

4,415

   Loss on debt extinguishment

628

2,963

628

2,963

   Loss on disposal of fixed assets

(205)

187

5

1,203

   Deferred income taxes

3,990

(3,102)

6,441

(1,059)

   Changes in operating assets and liabilities

23,010

8,666

(42,194)

(33,596)

Net cash provided by operating activities

$104,061

$  97,395

$  176,648

$  206,049






Investing activities:






   Victory Packaging acquisition

(482)

–

(617,046)

–

   Capital expenditures

(31,184)

(38,691)

(94,895)

(112,367)

Net cash used in investing activities

$ (31,666)

$ (38,691)

$(711,941)

$(112,367)














Financing activities:






Proceeds from revolving credit facility

$    2,000

$           –

$  268,200

$    97,900

Repayments on revolving credit facility

(15,000)

–

(266,200)

(97,900)

Proceeds from receivables credit facility

9,226

175,000

112,961

175,000

Repayments on receivables credit facility

(13,487)

–

(18,449)

–

Repayments of long-term debt 

(64,688)

(176,175)

(64,688)

(178,525)

Proceeds from long-term debt

–

–

519,763

–

Payment of debt issuance and loan amendment costs

–

(375)

(10,790)

(1,081)

Proceeds from other current borrowings

–

–

6,615

6,300

Repayments of other current borrowings

(2,206)

(1,736)

(4,401)

(5,138)

Cash dividends paid

(9,634)

–

(29,098)

–

Payment of withholding taxes on vested stock awards

(12)

(114)

(2,460)

(1,755)

Proceeds from exercises of stock options

–

250

778

639

Proceeds from issuance of shares to ESPP

429

395

844

600

Excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation

7

348

1,518

2,960

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

$ (93,365)

$   (2,407)

$  514,593

$    (1,000)






Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 

(20,970)

56,297

(20,700)

92,682

Cash and cash equivalents-beginning of period

28,737

49,352

28,467

12,967

Cash and cash equivalents-end of period

$    7,767

$105,649

$      7,767

$  105,649

KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation

Operating Segment Information

(In thousands)

(unaudited)













Net Sales







Three Months Ended September 30, 2015

Trade

Inter-segment

Total

Operating Income (Loss)

Depreciation and Amortization

Capital Expenditures

Total Assets at Sept 30, 2015

Paper and Packaging

$        559,435

$            7,628

$        567,063

$          60,185

$          36,059

$          25,448

$     2,524,562

Distribution (a)

248,128

-

248,128

11,139

5,522

1,283

683,555

Corporate 

-

-

-

(9,728)

919

4,453

41,818

Intersegment eliminations

-

(7,628)

(7,628)

-

-

-

-

$        807,563

$                  -

$        807,563

$          61,596

$          42,500

$          31,184

$     3,249,935



























Net Sales







Three Months Ended September 30, 2014 

Trade

Inter-segment

Total

Operating Income (Loss)

Depreciation and Amortization

Capital Expenditures

Total Assets at Sept 30, 2014

Paper and Packaging

$        598,106

$                  -

$        598,106

$        102,291

$          34,244

$          38,179

$     2,669,499

Distribution (a)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Corporate 

-

-

-

(8,129)

753

512

126,748

Intersegment eliminations

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

$        598,106

$                  -

$        598,106

$          94,162

$          34,997

$          38,691

$     2,796,247



























Net Sales







Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

Trade

Inter-segment

Total

Operating Income (Loss)

Depreciation and Amortization

Capital Expenditures

Paper and Packaging

$     1,683,581

$            8,416

$     1,691,997

$        190,321

$        104,723

$          81,954

Distribution (a)

341,526

-

341,526

12,859

7,467

1,526

Corporate 

-

-

-

(32,826)

2,427

11,415

Intersegment eliminations

-

(8,416)

(8,416)

-

-

-


$     2,025,107

$                  -

$     2,025,107

$        170,354

$        114,617

$          94,895






























Net Sales







Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014

Trade

Inter-segment

Total

Operating Income (Loss)

Depreciation and Amortization

Capital Expenditures

Paper and Packaging

$     1,737,507

$                  -

$     1,737,507

$        264,133

$          99,103

$        107,059

Distribution (a)

-

-

-

-

-

-

Corporate

-

-

-

(26,540)

2,477

5,308

Intersegment eliminations

-

-

-

-

-

-


$     1,737,507

$                  -

$     1,737,507

$        237,593

$        101,580

$        112,367





























(a) Reflects Victory Packaging acquisition as of June 1, 2015

SOURCE KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation