KapStone Reports Third Quarter Results

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: 800-510-0219International:  617-614-3451Participant 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation