WM Announces Third Quarter 2024 Earnings

Business Wire 28-Oct-2024 5:21 PM

Strong Organic Revenue Growth and Cost Optimization Drive Record Results

The Company Now Expects to Deliver Adjusted Operating EBITDA Near the Upper End of 2024 Guidance

Accretive Acquisitions, Sustainability Investments, and Continued Growth from Core Solid Waste Position WM for Another Strong Year in 2025

WM (NYSE:WM) today announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

"The Company's third quarter results again demonstrated the dedication of our people, the consistency of our business model, and the strength of our operations," said Jim Fish, WM's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our investments in technology, our fleet, and our asset network, combined with our disciplined pricing programs, are expanding the spread between price growth and our cost to serve. This led to adjusted operating EBITDA growth of 11% and record margin of 30.5% for the quarter."^(a)

Fish continued, "Our strong results have been led by our Collection and Disposal business where our focused efforts on frontline retention, optimization of our cost structure, and providing differentiated service to our customers have fueled earnings growth. Additionally, we continue to make headway on our sustainability growth investments and planning for the successful integration of the Stericycle business. We have a lot of momentum for a strong finish to the year, which will position us to deliver another year of outsized growth in 2025."^(a)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2024

• Total Company revenue grew 7.9% driven by core price of 6.5%.^(d) In addition to strong execution on pricing, revenue grew above expectations due to higher market prices for the recyclable commodities we sell and a notable increase in landfill volumes. The Company expects full year revenue growth to be about 6%, which is above the high end of prior guidance of 5.75%.^(g)
• Adjusted operating EBITDA grew $170 million in the quarter driven by the Company's Collection and Disposal business. Adjusted operating EBITDA margin grew 90 basis points to a record high of 30.5%. This strong result puts the Company on track to deliver about $6.5 billion in adjusted operating EBITDA in 2024, which is near the upper end of its guidance range.^(a)(e)(g)
• The Company continues to prioritize technology and automation to optimize its cost structure and enhance operational efficiency. This is evident in operating expenses as a percentage of revenue improving 70 basis points to 60.6% in the third quarter. This is the fourth consecutive quarter this measure has been below 61%.
• SG&A expenses were 9.4% of revenue, or 8.9% on an adjusted basis, reflecting continued discipline in cost control.^(a)
• The Company completed eight recycling projects in the quarter and has now completed 24 out of its 39 planned automation and new market projects. Completed projects have added 1.5 million tons of annual recycling capacity across North America.^(f)
• The Company has brought three of its 20 planned renewable natural gas projects into service, including one brought online earlier this year, and currently expects four additional projects to be commissioned by year-end. The Company anticipates that these seven projects will contribute approximately six million MMBtu of annual production next year.^(f)
• Through the first nine months of the year, the Company generated $3.88 billion of net cash provided by operating activities, an increase of 16.2% from the prior year.
• The Company expects total capital expenditures to be $3.15 to $3.25 billion, with about $950 million targeted at sustainability growth investments.
• Strong operating cash flow growth combined with disciplined capital spending led to a 20.0% increase in free cash flow on a year-to-date basis. These results put the Company on track to achieve the high end of its guidance of $2.15 billion in free cash flow in 2024.^(a)(g)
• The Company has invested $790 million on acquisitions in 2024, largely for solid waste businesses. The acquired businesses have contributed $108 million of revenue growth in 2024. Additionally, the Company continues to work through regulatory approval processes to support its planned acquisition of Stericycle. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. Integration planning processes are moving forward as expected.
• WM released its 2024 Sustainability Report during the third quarter, focused on three core ambitions - material is repurposed, energy is renewable, and communities are thriving. The report details the Company's sustainability ambitions and progress toward its goals.

Fish concluded, "We came into this year expecting strong execution across several fronts, and through the first nine months we have delivered results that exceeded our own high expectations. As we look ahead to 2025, we anticipate continued growth in our solid waste business, increased contributions from our sustainability growth investments, and the successful integration of the Stericycle business to come together to create a significant step change in revenue, earnings, and free cash flow."

The Company will host a conference call at 10 a.m. ET on October 29, 2024 to discuss the third quarter 2024 results. Information contained within this press release will be referenced and should be considered in conjunction with the call.

Listeners can access a live audio webcast of the conference call by visiting investors.wm.com and selecting "Events & Presentations" from the website menu. A replay of the audio webcast will be available at the same location following the conclusion of the call.

Conference call participants should register to obtain their dial in and passcode details. This streamlined process improves security and eliminates wait times when joining the call.

ABOUT WM

WM (WM.com) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is a leader in beneficial use of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM's fleet includes more than 12,000 natural gas trucks – the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America. To learn more about WM and the company's sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The Company, from time to time, provides estimates or projections of financial and other data, comments on expectations relating to future periods and makes statements of opinion, view or belief about current and future events, circumstances or performance. This press release contains a number of such forward-looking statements, including all statements regarding future performance or financial results of our business; achievement of financial guidance or outlook; growth and strength of our business; drivers of performance, including pricing programs, cost optimization and other initiatives; consummation and integration of the Stericycle acquisition related results and benefits; and timing of sustainability investments, upgrades and project completions and related results and benefits. You should view these statements with caution. They are based on the facts and circumstances known to the Company as of the date the statements are made. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from those set forth in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to failure to implement our optimization, automation, growth, and cost savings initiatives and overall business strategy; failure to obtain the results anticipated from strategic initiatives, investments, acquisitions, including the planned Stericycle acquisition, or new lines of business; failure to identify acquisition targets, consummate and integrate acquisitions, including our planned integration of Stericycle; our ability to consummate and finance the Stericycle acquisition and achieve the anticipated benefits therefrom, including cost synergies; legal, regulatory and other matters that may affect the costs and timing of our ability to complete, integrate and deliver all of the expected benefits of the planned Stericycle acquisition; existing or new environmental and other regulations, including developments related to emerging contaminants, gas emissions, renewable energy, extended producer responsibility and our natural gas fleet; significant environmental, safety or other incidents resulting in liabilities or brand damage; failure to obtain and maintain necessary permits due to land scarcity, public opposition or otherwise; diminishing landfill capacity, resulting in increased costs and the need for disposal alternatives; failure to attract, hire and retain key team members and a high quality workforce; increases in labor costs due to union organizing activities or changes in wage- and labor-related regulations; disruption and costs resulting from severe weather and destructive climate events; failure to achieve our sustainability goals or execute on our sustainability-related strategy and initiatives, including within planned timelines or anticipated budgets due to disruptions, delays, cost increases or changes in environmental or tax regulations and incentives; focus on, and regulation of, environmental and sustainability-related disclosures, which could lead to increased costs, risk of non-compliance, brand damage and litigation risk related to our sustainability efforts; macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical conflict and large-scale market disruption resulting in labor, supply chain and transportation constraints, inflationary cost pressures and fluctuations in commodity prices, fuel and other energy costs; increased competition; pricing actions; impacts from international trade restrictions; competitive disposal alternatives, diversion of waste from landfills and declining waste volumes; weakness in general economic conditions and capital markets, including potential for an economic recession; instability of financial institutions; adoption of new tax legislation; fuel shortages; failure to develop and protect new technology; failure of technology to perform as expected; failure to prevent, detect and manage cybersecurity incidents or comply with privacy regulations; inability to adapt and manage the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence; negative outcomes of litigation or governmental proceedings including those acquired through transactions, including the Stericycle acquisition; and operations or management decisions or developments that result in impairment charges. Please also see the Company's filings with the SEC, including Part I, Item 1A of the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, as updated by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, for additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to its business. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, including financial estimates and forecasts, whether as a result of future events, circumstances or developments or otherwise.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

To supplement its financial information, the Company has presented, and/or may discuss on the conference call, adjusted earnings per diluted share, adjusted net income, adjusted income from operations, adjusted operating EBITDA and margin, adjusted SG&A expenses and free cash flow. All of these items are non-GAAP financial measures, as defined in Regulation G of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company reports its financial results in compliance with GAAP but believes that also discussing non-GAAP measures provides investors with (i) financial measures the Company uses in the management of its business and (ii) additional, meaningful comparisons of current results to prior periods' results by excluding items that the Company does not believe reflect its fundamental business performance and are not representative or indicative of its results of operations.

In addition, the Company's projected adjusted operating EBITDA and margin is anticipated to be adjusted to exclude the effects of other events or circumstances that are not representative or indicative of the Company's results of operations. Such excluded items are not currently determinable, but may be significant, such as asset impairments and one-time items, charges, gains or losses from divestitures or litigation, and other items. Due to the uncertainty of the likelihood, amount and timing of any such items, the Company does not have information available to provide a quantitative reconciliation of such projection to the comparable GAAP measure.

The Company discusses free cash flow and provides a projection of free cash flow because the Company believes that it is indicative of its ability to pay its quarterly dividends, repurchase common stock, fund acquisitions and other investments and, in the absence of refinancings, to repay its debt obligations. The Company believes free cash flow gives investors useful insight into how the Company views its liquidity, but the use of free cash flow as a liquidity measure has material limitations because it excludes certain expenditures that are required or that the Company has committed to, such as declared dividend payments and debt service requirements. The Company defines free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures, plus proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested); this definition may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures reported by other companies.

The quantitative reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are included in the accompanying schedules, with the exception of projected adjusted operating EBITDA and margin. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP.