CVR Energy Reports 2018 Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Results And Announces Cash Dividend of 75 Cents

Globe Newswire 20-Feb-2019 5:10 PM

• Achieved significant year-over-year environmental, health and safety improvements at all sites.
• Increased internal Renewable Identification Number generation through the initiation of biodiesel blending capabilities.
• Completed Red River pipeline reversal to provide more shale oil to the Coffeyville refinery.
• CVR Partners added unit train capabilities through a new Coffeyville rail loading rack, which enhanced its geographic reach and reduced its distribution costs.
• Declared a fourth quarter 2018 cash dividend of 75 cents per share, bringing the cumulative cash dividends declared for 2018 to $2.75 per share.
• $3.00 annualized dividend with a current yield of 7 percent.

SUGAR LAND, Texas, Feb. 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CVI) today announced fourth quarter 2018 net income of $82 million, or 82 cents per diluted share, on net sales of $1.7 billion, compared to net income of $200 million, or $2.31 per diluted share, on net sales of $1.6 billion for the prior year period. The fourth quarter of 2017 benefited from a $201 million tax benefit resulting from new tax legislation. Fourth quarter 2018 adjusted EBITDA was $202 million, compared to $64 million for the same period a year earlier.

For full year 2018, the Company reported net income of $289 million, or $3.12 per diluted share, on net sales of $7.1 billion, compared to net income for full year 2017 of $235 million, or $2.70 per diluted share, on net sales of $6.0 billion. Adjusted EBITDA for full year 2018 was $825 million, compared to $406 million for the previous year.

"CVR Energy reported strong results for the 2018 full year, led by our petroleum segment and the improved second half results from our nitrogen fertilizer segment," said Dave Lamp, CVR Energy's Chief Executive Officer. "Our petroleum segment has experienced significantly increased earnings year-over-year, driven by stronger crack spreads, wide crude oil differentials, additional runs of regional shale oil, a lower Renewable Volume Obligation and lower Renewable Identification Number prices.

"CVR Partners benefited from higher netback pricing in 2018," Lamp said. "We also are pleased to report that CVR Partners generated positive distributable cash and declared a 12 cent per unit distribution for the fourth quarter 2018."

Petroleum

The petroleum segment, which is operated by CVR Refining and its subsidiaries and includes the Coffeyville and Wynnewood refineries, reported fourth quarter 2018 operating income of $135 million on net sales of $1.6 billion, compared to an operating loss of $19 million on net sales of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Refining margin, excluding the impacts of market price and volume fluctuations on inventories, per total throughput barrel, was $17.47 in the fourth quarter 2018, compared to $7.46 during the same period in 2017. Direct operating expenses (exclusive of depreciation and amortization), excluding turnaround expenses, per total throughput barrel, for the fourth quarter 2018 were $4.41, compared to $4.82 in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Fourth quarter 2018 combined total throughput was approximately 221,000 barrels per day (bpd), compared to approximately 205,000 bpd of combined total throughput for the fourth quarter of 2017.

Nitrogen Fertilizer

The nitrogen fertilizer segment, which is operated by CVR Partners and its subsidiaries and includes the Coffeyville and East Dubuque fertilizer facilities, reported fourth quarter 2018 operating income of $8 million on net sales of $98 million, compared to an operating loss of $11 million on net sales of $78 million for the fourth quarter of 2017.

CVR Partners' fertilizer facilities produced a combined 209,000 tons of ammonia during the fourth quarter of 2018, of which 59,000 net tons were available for sale while the rest was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 357,000 tons of UAN. In the 2017 fourth quarter, the fertilizer facilities produced 200,000 tons of ammonia, of which 64,000 net tons were available for sale while the remainder was upgraded to other fertilizer products, including 306,000 tons of UAN.

Cash, Debt and Dividend

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents was $668 million at Dec. 31, 2018. Consolidated total debt was $1,170 million at Dec. 31, 2018. The Company had no debt exclusive of its segments' debt.

CVR Energy also announced that, on Feb. 20, 2019, its Board of Directors approved a fourth quarter 2018 cash dividend of 75 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on March 11, 2019, to stockholders of record on March 4, 2019. CVR Energy's fourth quarter cash dividend brings the cumulative cash dividends declared for the 2018 full year to $2.50 per share.

Today, CVR Partners announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a 2018 fourth quarter cash distribution of 12 cents per common unit, which will be paid on March 11, 2019, to common unitholders of record on March 4, 2019.

Fourth Quarter 2018 Earnings Conference Call

CVR Energy previously announced that it will host its fourth quarter and full-year 2018 Earnings Conference Call on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m. Eastern. This Earnings Conference Call may also include discussion of Company developments, forward-looking information and other material information about business and financial matters.

The fourth quarter and full-year 2018 Earnings Conference Call will be webcast live and can be accessed on the Investor Relations section of CVR Energy's website at www.CVREnergy.com. For investors or analysts who want to participate during the call, the dial-in number is (877) 407-8291. The webcast will be archived and available through March 7 at https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/8ue9x8pd. A repeat of the call can be accessed through March 7 by dialing (877) 660-6853, conference ID 13687296.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 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: increased RIN generation; biodiesel blending; ability to provide more shale oil to the Coffeyville refinery; unit train capabilities; enhancement of CVR Partners' geographic reach and reduction of distribution costs; reduction of overhead costs; payment of dividends and distributions, including the payment, amount and timing thereof; yield; RINs and RVO, first quarter performance, including throughput, production, direct operating expenses, capital spending; depreciation; amortization and turnaround expenses; safe and reliable operations; and other matters. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "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) price volatility of crude oil, other feedstocks and refined products; the ability of our subsidiaries, including CVR Partners, to make cash distributions; potential operating hazards; costs of compliance with existing, or compliance with new, laws and regulations and potential liabilities arising therefrom; impacts of planting season on CVR Partners; 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 SEC filings. These and other risks may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made only as of the date hereof. CVR Energy disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

About CVR Energy, Inc.
Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, CVR Energy is a diversified holding company primarily engaged in the petroleum refining and marketing business through its interest in CVR Refining and the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing business through its interest in CVR Partners, LP. CVR Energy subsidiaries serve as the general partner and own 34 percent of the common units of CVR Partners.

For further information, please contact:

Investor Contact:
Jay Finks
CVR Energy, Inc.
(281) 207-3588
InvestorRelations@CVREnergy.com

Media Relations:
Brandee Stephens
CVR Energy, Inc.
(281) 207-3516
MediaRelations@CVREnergy.com

Non-GAAP Measures

Our management uses certain non-GAAP performance measures to evaluate current and past performance and prospects for the future to supplement our GAAP financial information presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are important factors in assessing our operating results and profitability and include the performance and liquidity measures defined below.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, management revised its internal and external use of non-GAAP measures. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") is now reconciled from net income (loss). Adjusted EBITDA, as defined below, was revised to remove adjustments for (i) first-in-first-out inventory impacts, (ii) derivative gains or losses, and (iii) business interruption insurance recoveries. Additionally, due to the revisions to Adjusted EBITDA to remove certain adjustments, we revised the definitions of our Refining Margin and Direct Operating Expense metrics in our Petroleum segment to conform. Refer to the revised definitions below for further information.

EBITDA - Consolidated net income (loss) before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit) and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense.

Petroleum EBITDA and Nitrogen Fertilizer EBITDA - Segment net income (loss) before segment (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income tax expense (benefit), and (iii) depreciation and amortization.

Adjusted EBITDA - EBITDA adjusted to exclude consolidated turnaround expense and other non-recurring items which management believes are material to an investor's understanding of the Company's underlying operating results.

Petroleum Adjusted EBITDA and Nitrogen Fertilizer Adjusted EBITDA - Segment EBITDA adjusted to exclude turnaround expense attributable to each segment and other non-recurring segment items which management believes are material to an investor's understanding of the Petroleum or Nitrogen Fertilizer segments' underlying operating results.

Adjusted net income (loss) is not a recognized term under GAAP and should not be substituted for net income as a measure of our performance, but rather should be utilized as a supplemental measure of financial performance in evaluating our business. Management believes that adjusted net income (loss) provides relevant and useful information that enables external users of our financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies, to better understand and evaluate our ongoing operating results and allow for greater transparency in the review of our overall financial, operational and economic performance. Adjusted net income (loss) per diluted share represents adjusted net income (loss) divided by the weighted-average diluted shares outstanding. Adjusted net income (loss) represents net income, as adjusted, that is attributable to CVR Energy stockholders.

Refining Margin - The difference between Petroleum segment net sales and cost of materials and other.

Refining Margin, excluding Inventory Valuation Impacts - Refining Margin adjusted to exclude the impact of current period market price and volume fluctuations on crude oil and refined product inventories recorded in prior periods. We record our commodity inventories on the first-in-first-out basis. As a result, significant current period fluctuations in market prices and the volumes we hold in inventory can have favorable or unfavorable impacts on our refining margins as compared to similar metrics used by other publicly-traded companies in the refining industry.

Refining Margin and Refining Margin, excluding Inventory Valuation Impacts, per Total Throughput Barrel - Refining Margin divided by the total throughput barrels during period, which is calculated as total throughput barrels per day times the number of days in the period.

Direct Operating Expenses per Throughput Barrel - Direct operating expenses for our Petroleum segment divided by total throughput barrels for the period, which is calculated as total throughput barrels per day times the number of days in the period.

Direct Operating Expenses per Total Throughput Barrel, excluding Turnaround Expense - Direct operating expenses for our Petroleum segment, excluding turnaround expenses reported as direct operating expense, divided by total throughput barrels for the period, which is calculated as total throughput barrels per day times the number of days in the period.

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 U.S. GAAP results, including but not limited to our operating performance as compared to other publicly-traded companies in the refining industry, without regard to historical cost basis or financing methods and our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures. Non-GAAP measures have important limitations as analytical tools, because they exclude some, but not all, items that affect net earnings and operating income. These measures should not be considered substitutes for their most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measures. See "Non-GAAP Reconciliations" section included herein for reconciliation of these amounts.

Items or Events Impacting Comparability

Refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures" section above for discussion of the changes made during the fourth quarter of 2018 to the Company's definition of certain non-GAAP measures.

Petroleum Segment

Starting with the fourth quarter of 2018, derivative gains or losses are now presented within Cost of Materials and Other. Prior period amounts have been conformed to the current presentation.

Coffeyville Refinery - During the first quarter of 2018, our Coffeyville, Kansas refinery (the "Coffeyville Refinery") experienced an outage with its fluid catalytic cracking unit ("FCC") lasting 48 days. The FCC outage had a significant negative impact on production and sales during that period.

Wynnewood Refinery - During 2017, the Wynnewood, Oklahoma ("Wynnewood Refinery") underwent a turnaround on its hydrocracking unit in the first quarter of 2017 at a cost of $13 million and the first phase of its planned facility turnaround, with the second phase scheduled for the first quarter of 2019, at a cost of approximately $67 million, including $43 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment

During the fourth quarter of 2018, we recognized a $6 million business interruption insurance recovery associated with outages at its Coffeyville, Kansas (the "Coffeyville Facility"). The recovery is recorded in the Other Income (Expense) line item. Prior year amounts, which were not material, were conformed to the current year presentation.

Coffeyville Facility - During 2018, our Coffeyville, Kansas nitrogen fertilizer facility (the "Coffeyville Facility") had a planned, full facility turnaround lasting 15 days and incurred approximately $6 million in turnaround expense in the second quarter of 2018. During 2017, the Coffeyville Facility's third-party air separation unit experienced a shut down. Paired with this shut down and subsequent operational challenges, the Coffeyville Facility experienced unplanned UAN downtime of 11 days during the second quarter of 2017.

East Dubuque Facility - During 2017, our East Dubuque, Illinois nitrogen fertilizer facility (the "East Dubuque Facility") had a planned, full facility turnaround lasting 14 days and incurred approximately $3 million in turnaround expense in the third quarter of 2017. Additionally, during the fourth quarter of 2017, the East Dubuque Facility experienced unplanned downtime totaling 12 days.

CVR Energy, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)

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^{* See "Non-GAAP Reconciliations" section below reconciliation of these amounts.}

Selected Balance Sheet Data:

Selected Cash Flow Data:

Selected Segment Data:

Petroleum Segment:

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^{* See "Non-GAAP Reconciliations" section below reconciliation of these amounts.}

^{(1) Amounts are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization.}

Throughput Data by Refinery

Production Data by Refinery

Liquid Volume Yield for Petroleum Segment

Key Market Indicators

Q1 2019 Petroleum Segment Outlook

The table below summarizes our outlook for certain refining statistics and financial information for the first quarter of 2019. See "forward looking statements."

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^{(1) Direct operating expenses are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization and turnaround expenses.}

Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment:

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^{* See "Non-GAAP Reconciliations" section below reconciliation of these amounts.}

^{(1) Amounts are shown exclusive of depreciation and amortization.}

Key Operating Data:

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^{(1) Reflects ammonia utilization rates on a consolidated basis and at each of the Nitrogen Fertilizer facilities. Utilization is an important measure used by management to assess operational output at each of the facilities. Utilization is calculated as actual tons produced divided by capacity. The Nitrogen Fertilizer Segment presents utilization on a two-year rolling average to take into account the impact of  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 the Nitrogen Fertilizer Segments' efforts being primarily focused on ammonia upgrade capabilities, this measure provides a meaningful view of how well the facilities operate.}

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^{(2) Product pricing at gate represents net 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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.}

Non-GAAP Reconciliations: