Greenbrier Cos. (GBX) Misses Q1 EPS by 23c, Revenues Miss

Greenbrier Cos. (NYSE: GBX) reported Q1 EPS of ($0.30), $0.23 worse than the analyst estimate of ($0.07). Revenue for the quarter came in at $402.99 million versus the consensus estimate of $481.03 million.

First Quarter Highlights

• Liquidity of $810 million, including $725 million in cash and $85 million of available borrowing capacity. Combined with $150 million of additional initiatives in progress totals $960 million.
• Diversified new railcar backlog as of November 30, 2020 was 23,900 units with an estimated value of $2.35 billion, including orders for 2,900 railcars valued at approximately $260 million received during the quarter. Deliveries in the quarter were 3,100 units, representing a nearly 1.0x book-to-bill.
• Net loss attributable to Greenbrier for the quarter was $10 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, on revenue of $403 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $23 million, or 5.8% of revenue.
• Board declares a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, payable on February 16, 2021 to shareholders as of January 26, 2021 representing Greenbrier\'s 27th consecutive dividend.
• Board extends $100 million share repurchase program through January 2023.

William A. Furman, Chairman & CEO commented, "Greenbrier remains focused on sustaining a high level of liquidity and carefully managing our manufacturing footprint in order to continue to generate operating cash flow. Consistent with these goals, we ended the quarter with a strong cash position while meaningfully lowering our debt during the quarter. Our prior cost reduction initiatives, combined with inventory and syndication activity, produced solid cash flow in the quarter. Although a challenging operating environment persists at least through the first half of fiscal 2021, our $2.35 billion backlog provides a baseload for our manufacturing operations and visibility into forward production requirements. We will continue to adjust our manufacturing footprint based on our outlook, while also ensuring we do not constrain our ability to scale capacity as demand increases. New order inquiries continue as rail traffic increases and velocity declines. This positions us well for the market improvements we expect later in calendar 2021. Finally, our strategic actions over the past two years, particularly the acquisition of ARI in the U.S., have delivered results. We have reduced our costs and secured our positon as a market leader on three continents, especially in our core North American market."

Business Update & Outlook

Greenbrier continues to operate safely and efficiently as we execute our COVID-19 response plan. Protecting employees within the work environment remains our top priority. Community spread is increasing in many areas requiring continued vigilance. Greenbrier maintains a low incident rate of COVID-19 among our employees by adhering to CDC-recommended preventative and remedial actions across the company. We also take instant action to prevent spread at the first signs of any infection.

In light of the consequences of the pandemic and an associated economic downturn, preserving the financial health of Greenbrier is imperative. Maintaining cash flow and liquidity are essential components of Greenbrier\'s current operating strategy. We have been very successful in this regard. Our diversified $2.35 billion backlog provides a baseload of activity as we gain greater visibility into customer needs as the year unfolds.

Greenbrier\'s scale and capabilities have significantly broadened since the Great Recession, a little more than a decade ago. Our backlog today is more than five times larger than it was as of the end of 2010. Our stronger market position is reflected in our share of North American industry railcar orders in the first nine months of calendar year 2020 and in the diverse types of railcars we are building. In Europe, broad macroeconomic reforms to address climate change are ushering in an era of modal shift for freight as the continent moves from polluting and congested road travel to clean and efficient rail service. This should generate significant market growth in the years to come. Regulatory-driven freight wagon demand in Europe supplements the increase in commodity-driven and replacement freight wagon demand that typically gathers momentum in a recovering economy. On three continents, Greenbrier is well-positioned for both the present and the future with a strong balance sheet and a streamlined manufacturing footprint that we can scale as our markets return to higher demand levels.

For earnings history and earnings-related data on Greenbrier Cos. (GBX) click here.

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