CVR Partners Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2021 Results and Announces a Cash Distribution of $5.24
- Achieved a combined ammonia utilization rate of 92 percent across both fertilizer facilities for 2021.
- Strengthened the balance sheet by reducing outstanding debt by
$95 million inclusive of the expected redemption of the remaining$65 million in 9.25% Senior Secured Notes onFebruary 22, 2022 . - Declared a fourth quarter 2021 cash distribution of
$5.24 per common unit, bringing the cumulative cash distributions declared for 2021 to$9.89 per common unit.
“CVR Partners achieved strong fourth quarter and full-year 2021 results, led by solid production and a combined ammonia utilization rate of 92 percent for the year,” said
“During the past 12 months and upon today’s expected redemption of our 9.25% Senior Secured Notes due 2023,
Consolidated Operations
For the fourth quarter of 2021, CVR Partners’ average realized gate prices for UAN improved by 150 percent to
CVR Partners’ fertilizer facilities produced a combined 197,000 tons of ammonia during the fourth quarter of 2021, of which 70,000 net tons were available for sale while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 288,000 tons of UAN. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the fertilizer facilities produced a combined 220,000 tons of ammonia, of which 75,000 net tons were available for sale while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 335,000 tons of UAN.
For full-year 2021, the average realized gate price for UAN improved by 74 percent to
CVR Partners’ fertilizer facilities produced a combined 807,000 tons of ammonia for full year 2021, of which 275,000 net tons were available for sale, while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 1,208,000 tons of UAN. For full-year 2020, the fertilizer facilities produced a combined 852,000 tons of ammonia, of which 303,000 net tons were available for sale while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 1,303,000 tons of UAN.
Capital Structure
During the year ended
On
On
Distributions
Fourth Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call
The fourth quarter and full-year 2021 Earnings Conference Call will be webcast live and can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of CVR Partners’ website at www.CVRPartners.com. For investors or analysts who want to participate during the call, the dial-in number is (877) 407-8029. The webcast will be archived and available for 14 days at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/7g7vfeov. A repeat of the call can be accessed for 14 days by dialing (877) 660-6853, conference ID 13726853.
Qualified Notice
This release serves as a qualified notice to nominees and brokers as provided for under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Please note that 100 percent of CVR Partners’ distributions to foreign investors are attributable to income that is effectively connected with a
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Statements concerning current estimates, expectations and projections about future results, performance, prospects, opportunities, plans, actions and events and other statements, concerns, or matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future: continued safe and reliable operations; impacts of COVID-19 and any variants thereof, including the duration thereof; utilization and production rates; unitholder value; strength of our balance sheet; reduction of outstanding debt, including through redemption of outstanding notes, and the impact thereof on interest expense and Partnership flexibility; distributions, including the timing, payment and amount (if any) thereof; nitrogen fertilizer pricing; grain prices; crop inventory levels; farmer economics; ammonia and UAN pricing, including improvement thereof; ability to upgrade ammonia to other fertilizer products; purchases under the Unit Repurchase Program (if any), including the timing, pricing and amount thereof; use of funds under the ABL Credit Facility; direct operating expenses; capital expenditures; depreciation and amortization; turnaround expense and timing; inventories and adjustments thereto; other matters. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “evaluate,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” or “will,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Investors are cautioned that various factors may affect these forward-looking statements, including (among others) the health and economic effects of COVID-19 and any variants thereof, the rate of any economic improvement, impacts of the planting season on our business, general economic and business conditions and other risks. For additional discussion of risk factors which may affect our results, please see the risk factors and other disclosures included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other
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For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
(281) 207-3205
InvestorRelations@CVRPartners.com
Media Relations:
(281) 207-3516
MediaRelations@CVRPartners.com
Non-GAAP Measures
Our management uses certain non-GAAP performance measures, and reconciliations to those measures, to evaluate current and past performance and prospects for the future to supplement our GAAP financial information presented in accordance with
Beginning with the second quarter of 2021, management began reporting Adjusted EBITDA, as defined below. We believe the presentation of this non-GAAP measure is meaningful to compare our operating results between periods and peer companies. All prior periods presented have been conformed to the definition below. The following are non-GAAP measures we present for the year ended
EBITDA - Net income (loss) before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit) and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense.
Adjusted EBITDA - EBITDA adjusted for certain significant non-cash items and items that management believes are not attributable to or indicative of our on-going operations or that may obscure our underlying results and trends.
Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA - Net cash provided by operating activities reduced by (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit), (iii) change in working capital, and (iv) other non-cash adjustments.
Available Cash for Distribution - EBITDA for the quarter excluding non-cash income or expense items (if any), for which adjustment is deemed necessary or appropriate by the board of directors (the “Board”) of our general partner in its sole discretion, less (i) reserves for maintenance capital expenditures, debt service and other contractual obligations, and (ii) reserves for future operating or capital needs (if any), in each case, that the Board deems necessary or appropriate in its sole discretion. Available cash for distribution may be increased by the release of previously established cash reserves, if any, and other excess cash, at the discretion of the Board.
We present these measures because we believe they may help investors, analysts, lenders, and ratings agencies analyze our results of operations and liquidity in conjunction with our
Factors Affecting Comparability of Our Financial Results
Our historical results of operations for the periods presented may not be comparable with prior periods or to our results of operations in the future for the reasons discussed below.
Major Scheduled Turnaround Activities
Coffeyville Facility - The next planned turnaround at the Coffeyville Facility is expected to commence in the summer of 2022. Additionally, the Coffeyville Facility had planned downtime which was completed during the fourth quarter of 2021 at a cost of
East Dubuque Facility - The next planned turnaround at the East Dubuque Facility is expected to occur in the summer of 2022. For the year ended
Goodwill Impairment
As a result of lower expectations for market conditions in the fertilizer industry during 2020, the market performance of the Partnership’s common units, a qualitative analysis, and additional risks associated with the business, the Partnership performed an interim quantitative impairment assessment of goodwill for the Coffeyville Facility reporting unit as of
(unaudited)
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per unit data) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
Net sales (1) | $ | 188,921 | $ | 90,299 | $ | 532,581 | $ | 349,953 | |||||||
Operating costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||
Cost of materials and other | 28,371 | 23,442 | 98,345 | 91,117 | |||||||||||
Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) | 60,088 | 44,230 | 198,714 | 157,916 | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 20,833 | 19,080 | 73,480 | 76,077 | |||||||||||
Cost of sales | 109,292 | 86,752 | 370,539 | 325,110 | |||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses | 7,303 | 4,135 | 26,615 | 18,174 | |||||||||||
Loss on asset disposal | 472 | 463 | 948 | 582 | |||||||||||
— | — | — | 40,969 | ||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | 71,854 | (1,051 | ) | 134,479 | (34,882 | ) | |||||||||
Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | (10,414 | ) | (15,877 | ) | (60,978 | ) | (63,428 | ) | |||||||
Other income, net | 87 | 37 | 4,711 | 159 | |||||||||||
Income (loss) before income tax expense | 61,527 | (16,891 | ) | 78,212 | (98,151 | ) | |||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | 37 | (9 | ) | 57 | 30 | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | 61,490 | $ | (16,882 | ) | $ | 78,155 | $ | (98,181 | ) | |||||
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common unit | $ | 5.76 | $ | (1.53 | ) | $ | 7.31 | $ | (8.77 | ) | |||||
Distributions declared per common unit | 2.93 | — | 4.65 | — | |||||||||||
EBITDA* | $ | 92,774 | $ | 18,066 | $ | 212,670 | $ | 41,354 | |||||||
Adjusted EBITDA* | 92,774 | 18,066 | 212,670 | 82,323 | |||||||||||
Available cash for distribution* | 55,956 | — | 96,557 | (11,795 | ) | ||||||||||
Weighted-average common units outstanding: | |||||||||||||||
Basic and Diluted | 10,681 | 10,706 | 10,685 | 10,706 |
- See “Non-GAAP Reconciliations” section below.
(1) Below are the components of net sales:
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Components of net sales: | |||||||||||
Fertilizer sales | $ | 179,003 | $ | 78,792 | $ | 490,900 | $ | 306,490 | |||
Freight in revenue | 7,186 | 9,098 | 31,419 | 33,329 | |||||||
Other | 2,732 | 2,409 | 10,262 | 10,134 | |||||||
Total net sales | $ | 188,921 | $ | 90,299 | $ | 532,581 | $ | 349,953 |
Selected Balance Sheet Data
(in thousands) | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 112,516 | $ | 30,559 | |
Working capital | 100,385 | 41,873 | |||
Total assets | 1,127,058 | 1,032,880 | |||
Total debt, including current portion | 610,642 | 636,182 | |||
Total liabilities | 784,860 | 718,639 | |||
Total partners’ capital | 342,198 | 314,241 |
Selected Cash Flow Data
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
Net cash flows provided by (used in): | |||||||||||||||
Operating activities | $ | 68,458 | $ | (9,477 | ) | $ | 188,725 | $ | 19,740 | ||||||
Investing activities | (10,136 | ) | (3,424 | ) | (20,342 | ) | (18,550 | ) | |||||||
Financing activities | (46,474 | ) | (4,825 | ) | (86,426 | ) | (7,625 | ) | |||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | 11,848 | $ | (17,726 | ) | $ | 81,957 | $ | (6,435 | ) |
Capital Expenditures
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Maintenance | $ | 8,803 | $ | 2,206 | $ | 16,226 | $ | 11,651 | |||
Growth | 3,356 | 462 | 9,460 | 4,780 | |||||||
Total capital expenditures | $ | 12,159 | $ | 2,668 | $ | 25,686 | $ | 16,431 |
Key Operating Data
Ammonia Utilization (1)
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||
(percent of capacity utilization) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
Consolidated | 90 | % | 101 | % | 92 | % | 98 | % |
(1) | Reflects our ammonia utilization rates on a consolidated basis and at each of our facilities. Utilization is an important measure used by management to assess operational output at each of the Partnership’s facilities. Utilization is calculated as actual tons produced divided by capacity. We present our utilization on a two-year rolling average to take into account the impact of our current turnaround cycles on any specific period. The two-year rolling average is a more useful presentation of the long-term utilization performance of our plants. Additionally, we present utilization solely on ammonia production rather than each nitrogen product as it provides a comparative baseline against industry peers and eliminates the disparity of plant configurations for upgrade of ammonia into other nitrogen products. With our efforts being primarily focused on ammonia upgrade capabilities, this measure provides a meaningful view of how well we operate. |
Sales and Production Data
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Consolidated sales (thousand tons): | |||||||||||
Ammonia | 105 | 114 | 269 | 332 | |||||||
UAN | 265 | 325 | 1,196 | 1,312 | |||||||
Consolidated product pricing at gate (dollars per ton): (1) | |||||||||||
Ammonia | $ | 745 | $ | 267 | $ | 544 | $ | 284 | |||
UAN | 347 | 139 | 264 | 152 | |||||||
Consolidated production volume (thousand tons): | |||||||||||
Ammonia (gross produced) (2) | 197 | 220 | 807 | 852 | |||||||
Ammonia (net available for sale) (2) | 70 | 75 | 275 | 303 | |||||||
UAN | 288 | 335 | 1,208 | 1,303 | |||||||
Feedstock: | |||||||||||
Petroleum coke used in production (thousand tons) | 124 | 131 | 514 | 523 | |||||||
Petroleum coke used in production (dollars per ton) | $ | 47.96 | $ | 30.65 | $ | 44.69 | $ | 35.25 | |||
Natural gas used in production (thousands of MMBtus) (3) | 1,970 | 2,203 | 8,049 | 8,611 | |||||||
Natural gas used in production (dollars per MMBtu) (3) | $ | 5.43 | $ | 2.77 | $ | 3.95 | $ | 2.31 | |||
Natural gas in cost of materials and other (thousands of MMBtus) (3) | 2,412 | 2,689 | 7,848 | 9,349 | |||||||
Natural gas in cost of materials and other (dollars per MMBtu) (3) | $ | 5.10 | $ | 2.59 | $ | 3.83 | $ | 2.35 |
(1) | Product pricing at gate represents sales less freight revenue divided by product sales volume in tons and is shown in order to provide a pricing measure that is comparable across the fertilizer industry. |
(2) | Gross tons produced for ammonia represent total ammonia produced, including ammonia produced that was upgraded into other fertilizer products. Net tons available for sale represent ammonia available for sale that was not upgraded into other fertilizer products. |
(3) | The feedstock natural gas shown above does not include natural gas used for fuel. The cost of fuel natural gas is included in direct operating expense. |
Key Market Indicators
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||
2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||
Ammonia — Southern plains (dollars per ton) | $ | 1,090 | $ | 256 | $ | 681 | $ | 251 | |||
Ammonia — Corn belt (dollars per ton) | 1,199 | 340 | 746 | 337 | |||||||
UAN — Corn belt (dollars per ton) | 583 | 163 | 384 | 168 | |||||||
Natural gas NYMEX (dollars per MMBtu) | $ | 4.84 | $ | 2.76 | $ | 3.73 | $ | 2.13 |
Q1 2022 Outlook
The table below summarizes our outlook for certain operational statistics and financial information for the first quarter of 2022. See “Forward-Looking Statements” above.
Q1 2022 | |||||||
Low | High | ||||||
Ammonia utilization rates (1) | |||||||
Consolidated | 92 | % | 97 | % | |||
95 | % | 100 | % | ||||
90 | % | 95 | % | ||||
Direct operating expenses (in millions) (2) | $ | 50 | $ | 55 | |||
Total capital expenditures (in millions) (3) | $ | 4 | $ | 7 |
(1) | Ammonia utilization rates exclude the impact of Turnarounds. |
(2) | Direct operating expenses are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization, turnaround expenses, and impacts of inventory adjustments. |
(3) | Capital expenditures are disclosed on an accrual basis. |
Non-GAAP Reconciliations:
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
Net income (loss) | $ | 61,490 | $ | (16,882 | ) | $ | 78,155 | $ | (98,181 | ) | |||
Interest expense, net | 10,414 | 15,877 | 60,978 | 63,428 | |||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | 37 | (9 | ) | 57 | 30 | ||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 20,833 | 19,080 | 73,480 | 76,077 | |||||||||
EBITDA | 92,774 | 18,066 | 212,670 | 41,354 | |||||||||
— | — | — | 40,969 | ||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 92,774 | $ | 18,066 | $ | 212,670 | $ | 82,323 |
Reconciliation of Net Cash Provided By (Used In) Operating Activities to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 68,458 | $ | (9,477 | ) | $ | 188,725 | $ | 19,740 | ||||||
Non-cash items: | |||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt | (163 | ) | — | (8,462 | ) | — | |||||||||
— | — | — | (40,969 | ) | |||||||||||
Other | (8,357 | ) | (2,662 | ) | (26,958 | ) | (6,630 | ) | |||||||
Add: | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense, net | 10,414 | 15,877 | 60,978 | 63,428 | |||||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) | 37 | (9 | ) | 57 | 30 | ||||||||||
Change in assets and liabilities | 22,385 | 14,337 | (1,670 | ) | 5,755 | ||||||||||
EBITDA | 92,774 | 18,066 | 212,670 | 41,354 | |||||||||||
— | — | — | 40,969 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 92,774 | $ | 18,066 | $ | 212,670 | $ | 82,323 |
Reconciliation of EBITDA to Available Cash for Distribution
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||
EBITDA | $ | 92,774 | $ | 18,066 | $ | 212,670 | $ | 41,354 | |||||||
Non-cash items: | |||||||||||||||
— | — | — | 40,969 | ||||||||||||
Current (reserves) adjustments for amounts related to: | |||||||||||||||
Net cash interest expense (excluding capitalized interest) | (10,204 | ) | (14,997 | ) | (50,562 | ) | (59,995 | ) | |||||||
Debt service | (15,000 | ) | — | (30,000 | ) | — | |||||||||
Financing fees | — | — | (4,627 | ) | — | ||||||||||
Maintenance capital expenditures | (8,804 | ) | (2,206 | ) | (16,226 | ) | (11,649 | ) | |||||||
Utility pass-through | (675 | ) | — | 4,013 | — | ||||||||||
Common units repurchased | — | (4,799 | ) | (529 | ) | (7,076 | ) | ||||||||
Other (reserves) releases: | |||||||||||||||
Reserve for recapture of prior negative available cash | — | — | (14,980 | ) | (5,917 | ) | |||||||||
Future turnaround | (4,375 | ) | (1,500 | ) | (10,750 | ) | (4,500 | ) | |||||||
Reserve for repayment of current portion of long-term debt | — | — | — | (2,240 | ) | ||||||||||
Future operating needs | — | 5,436 | 5,308 | (5,308 | ) | ||||||||||
Major scheduled expenditures | 2,240 | — | 2,240 | 2,567 | |||||||||||
Available cash for distribution (1) (2) | $ | 55,956 | $ | — | $ | 96,557 | $ | (11,795 | ) | ||||||
Common units outstanding | 10,681 | 10,706 | 10,681 | 10,706 |
(1) | Amount represents the cumulative available cash based on quarter-to-date and year-to-date results. However, available cash for distribution is calculated quarterly, with distributions (if any) being paid in the period following declaration. |
(2) | The Partnership did not declare a cash distribution related to the first quarter of 2021, declared and paid a |
Source: CVR Partners, LP