Greif reports third quarter 2016 results
Delaware, ohio--(business wire)--greif, inc. (nyse:gef, gef.b), a world leader in industrial packaging products and services, announced third quarter 2016 results. pete watson, president and chief executive officer, stated, “greif’s third quarter results reflect improvement across most of our portfolio despite a sluggish industrial economy. margins expanded year over year, and we continue to benefit from a strong operational performance in our rigid industrial packaging and services segment. this offset market headwinds impacting our paper packaging and services business. we remain firmly focused on all of those business levers within our control - customer service excellence, disciplined commercial and operational execution and greater financial discipline. this will provide a pathway toward creating greater value for our customers and shareholders." highlights include: revised fiscal year 2016 class a earnings per share guidance to $2.36 - $2.56 per share, excluding gains and losses on the sales of businesses, timberland and property, plant and equipment, acquisition costs and restructuring and impairment charges. net income for the third quarter of 2016 of $46.1 million or $0.78 per diluted class a share compared to net income of $8.6 million or $0.15 per diluted class a share for the third quarter of 2015. earnings per share, excluding the impact of special items1, was $0.91 per diluted class a share for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $0.60 per diluted class a share for the third quarter of 2015. net sales decreased $85.0 million to $845.0 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $930.0 million for the third quarter of 2015. net sales for the third quarter of 2016, adjusting for the effect of divestitures for both quarters and currency translation for the third quarter of 20162, were flat compared to the third quarter 2015. sales were negatively impacted by weakness in agricultural markets in europe and north america. gross profit improved to $176.5 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $166.8 million for the third quarter of 2015. gross profit margin improved to 20.9 percent for the third quarter of 2016 from 17.9 percent for the same period in 2015. the third quarter of 2015 gross profit included a net charge related to the contribution from our venezuelan operations, which decreased gross profit for the third quarter 2015 by $6.0 million. operating profit improved $27.4 million and operating profit before special items1 improved $4.6 million from the third quarter of 2015 to the third quarter of 2016. operating profit margin before special items1 improved to 9.9 percent for the third quarter of 2016 from 8.5 percent for the same period in 2015. cash provided by operating activities increased $0.4 million from the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. free cash flow3 improved $12.2 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to the third quarter of 2015 and long-term debt has decreased $88.0 million since year-end. a summary of all special items that are excluded from the earnings per diluted class a share before special items and from operating profit before special items is set forth in the selected financial highlights table following the dividend summary in this release. note: a reconciliation of the differences between all non-gaap financial measures used in this release with the most directly comparable gaap financial measures is included in the financial schedules that are a part of this release. company outlook our 2016 fiscal year guidance is revised, as set forth below. the company’s ongoing emphasis on customer service excellence and fundamental operational improvements will more than offset the impacts of a continued sluggish global industrial economy, a challenged containerboard pricing environment for the remainder of the year and weaker than expected seasonal agricultural sales. $95 - $110 million $160 - $190 million note: no reconciliation of the fiscal year 2016 class a earnings per share guidance, a non-gaap financial measure which excludes gains and losses on the sales of businesses, timberland and property, plant and equipment, acquisition costs and restructuring and impairment charges is included in this release because, due to the high variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections of some of the excluded information, together with some of the excluded information not being ascertainable or accessible, we are unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the most directly comparable gaap financial measure without unreasonable efforts. a reconciliation of free cash flow guidance to the most directly comparable gaap financial measure is set forth in the financial schedules that are part of this release. segment results net sales are impacted primarily by the volume of products sold, selling prices, product mix and the impact of changes in foreign currencies against the u.s. dollar. the tables below show the percentage impact of each of these items on net sales for the third quarter of 2016 as compared to the third quarter of 2015 for the business segments with manufacturing operations. the first table excludes the impact of divestitures while the second is not adjusted for divestitures. net sales impact - excluding divestitures: packaging & services services & services net sales impact: packaging & services services & services rigid industrial packaging & services net sales decreased $72.2 million to $596.8 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $669.0 million for the third quarter of 2015. excluding the impact of divestitures4, net sales decreased $50.7 million to $596.8 million for the third quarter 2016 compared to $647.5 million for the third quarter 2015, due primarily to the negative impact of currency translation, which included the significant devaluation of the exchange rate used to translate our venezuelan operations at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2015, partially offset by increased volumes year over year. gross profit was $131.8 million (22.1 percent) for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $120.9 million (18.1 percent) for the third quarter of 2015. margin improvements in north america, europe and asia pacific were primarily the result of strategic volume and pricing decisions and cost containment efforts. the third quarter of 2015 gross profit included a net charge that decreased gross profit by $6.0 million related to the devaluation of the venezuelan inventory through costs of products sold of $9.3 million offset by $3.3 million in operational gross profit margin contribution. operating profit was $56.7 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to operating profit of $29.5 million for the third quarter of 2015. the increase was primarily attributable to the same items impacting gross profit, reductions in restructuring costs of $4.7 million and non-cash asset impairment charges of $15.1 million, partially offset by a $5.7 million decrease in gain on disposal of properties, plants, equipment and businesses, net. operating profit before special items and excluding the impact of divestitures increased to $63.5 million for the third quarter of 2016 from $60.2 million for the third quarter of 2015, due primarily to improvements in gross profit margin and reductions in sg&a expenses. paper packaging & services net sales decreased $4.2 million to $172.5 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared with $176.7 million for the third quarter of 2015. the decrease was primarily due to reductions in the published containerboard index prices that occurred during the first nine months of 2016, partially offset by a shorter annual maintenance shutdown for the mill system and increased output as a result of the riverville modernization project. gross profit was $32.3 million (18.7 percent) for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $35.1 million (19.9 percent) for the third quarter of 2015. the reduction in gross profit margin was due primarily to the decrease in net sales and an increase in input costs, primarily old corrugated container costs. operating profit was $19.1 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared with $21.5 million for the third quarter of 2015. the reduction was due to the same factors impacting gross profit. flexible products & services net sales decreased $9.3 million to $69.9 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared with $79.2 million for the third quarter of 2015. excluding the impact of divestitures, sales decreased $8.1 million for the third quarter of 2016 from the third quarter of 2015 to $76.5 million from $68.4 million, respectively, due primarily to reduced volumes as a result of weak demand in the u.s. market and the negative impact of currency translation. gross profit was $10.2 million (14.6 percent) for the third quarter 2016 compared to $8.9 million (11.2 percent) for the third quarter 2015. the margin improvement was due primarily to reduced fixed costs and the impact of strategic volume and pricing decisions. operating loss was $5.9 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to an operating loss of $9.7 million for the third quarter of 2015. operating loss before special items and excluding the impact of divestitures was $1.1 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to an operating loss of $4.5 million for the third quarter of 2015. the decrease in the operating loss before special items and excluding the impact of divestitures was primarily related to the same factors impacting gross profit and a reduction in sg&a expense. land management net sales increased $0.7 million to $5.8 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $5.1 million for the third quarter of 2015 due to increased timber sales during the third quarter 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. operating profit was $1.7 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $2.9 million for the third quarter of 2015. operating profit before special items was $1.5 million for the third quarters of 2016 and 2015, respectively. income taxes income tax expense for the quarter totaled $3.5 million on pre-tax income of $49.1 million or 7.1%. the application of our annual projected effective tax rate to the quarter's taxable income is impacted by the tax consequences of rebalancing the company’s global debt, net discrete gains and losses for which there is not a proportionate tax recognized, adjustments to uncertain tax position estimates due to audit settlements and expiration of the statute of limitations on several positions, and the impact of losses in jurisdictions with a valuation allowance, for which the company receives no tax benefit. the annual effective tax rate projection for the 2016 fiscal year is a range of 35% to 38%. dividend summary on august 30, 2016, the board of directors declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.42 per share of class a common stock and $0.63 per share of class b common stock. dividends are payable on october 1, 2016, to stockholders of record at the close of business on september 19, 2016. a summary of all adjustments by business segment related to the impact of divestitures and special items that are excluded from net sales, gross profit and operating profit is set forth in the gaap to non-gaap reconciliation selected financial information excluding the impact of divestitures in the financial schedules that are part of this release. greif, inc. and subsidiary companies selected financial highlights unaudited (dollars in millions, except per share amounts) selected financial highlights special items gain on disposal of properties, plants and equipment and businesses, net note: other income is not included in operating profit, therefore, the impact of venezuela devaluation on other income is not applicable to operating profit before special items, but is applicable to ebitda before special items. conference call the company will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2016 results on september 1, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. eastern time (et). to participate, domestic callers should call 877-201-0168. the greif id is 55233371. the number for international callers is 1-647-788-4901. phone lines will open at 9:30 a.m. et. the conference call will also be available through a live webcast, including slides, which can be accessed at investor.greif.com by clicking on the events and presentations tab and searching under the events calendar. a replay of the conference call will be available on the company’s website approximately two hours following the call. about greif greif is a world leader in industrial packaging products and services. the company produces steel, plastic, fibre, flexible and corrugated containers and containerboard, and provides reconditioning, filling and packaging services for a wide range of industries. greif also manages timber properties in north america. the company is strategically positioned in 50 countries to serve global as well as regional customers. additional information is on the company’s website at www.greif.com. forward-looking statements this release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the private securities litigation reform act of 1995. the words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “aspiration,” “objective,” “project,” “believe,” “continue,” “on track” or “target” or the negative thereof and similar expressions, among others, identify forward-looking statements. all forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, expectations and other information currently available to management. such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, whether expressed or implied. the most significant of these risks and uncertainties are described in part i of the company’s annual report on form 10-k for the fiscal year ended october 31, 2015. the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. although the company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements have a reasonable basis, the company can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to be correct. forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, whether expressed in or implied by the statements. such risks and uncertainties that might cause a difference include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) historically, our business has been sensitive to changes in general economic or business conditions, (ii) our operations subject us to currency exchange and political risks that could adversely affect our results of operations, (iii) the current and future challenging global economy and disruption and volatility of the financial and credit markets may adversely affect our business, (iv) the continuing consolidation of our customer base and suppliers may intensify pricing pressure, (v) we operate in highly competitive industries, (vi) our business is sensitive to changes in industry demands, (vii) raw material and energy price fluctuations and shortages may adversely impact our manufacturing operations and costs, (viii) we may encounter difficulties arising from acquisitions, (ix) we may incur additional restructuring costs and there is no guarantee that our efforts to reduce costs will be successful, (x) tax legislation initiatives or challenges to our tax positions may adversely impact our results or condition, (xi) full realization of our deferred tax assets may be affected by a number of factors, (xii) several operations are conducted by joint ventures that we cannot operate solely for our benefit, (xiii) our ability to attract, develop and retain talented and qualified employees, managers and executives is critical to our success, (xiv) our business may be adversely impacted by work stoppages and other labor relations matters, (xv) our pension plans are underfunded and will require future cash contributions, and our required future cash contributions could be higher than we expect, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and liquidity, (xvi) we may be subject to losses that might not be covered in whole or in part by existing insurance reserves or insurance coverage, (xvii) our business depends on the uninterrupted operations of our facilities, systems and business functions, including our information technology and other business systems, (xviii) a security breach of customer, employee, supplier or company information may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, (xix) legislation/regulation related to environmental and health and safety matters and corporate social responsibility could negatively impact our operations and financial performance, (xx) product liability claims and other legal proceedings could adversely affect our operations and financial performance, (xxi) we may incur fines or penalties, damage to our reputation or other adverse consequences if our employees, agents or business partners violate, or are alleged to have violated, anti-bribery, competition or other laws, (xxii) changing climate, climate change regulations and greenhouse gas effects may adversely affect our operations and financial performance, (xxiii) the frequency and volume of our timber and timberland sales will impact our financial performance, (xxiv) changes in u.s. generally accepted accounting principles and sec rules and regulations could materially impact our reported results, (xxv) if the company fails to maintain an effective system of internal control, the company may not be able to accurately report financial results or prevent fraud, and (xxvi) the company has a significant amount of goodwill and long-lived assets which, if impaired in the future, would adversely impact our results of operations. changes in business results may impact our book tax rates. the risks described above are not all-inclusive, and given these and other possible risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. for a detailed discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forecasted, projected or anticipated, see “risk factors” in part i, item 1a of our most recently filed form 10-k and our other filings with the securities and exchange commission. all forward-looking statements made in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to such risk factors. except to the limited extent required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. greif, inc. and subsidiary companies condensed consolidated statements of income unaudited (dollars and shares in millions, except per share amounts) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies condensed consolidated balance sheets unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies condensed consolidated statements of cash flows (unaudited) (dollars in millions) proceeds from the sale of properties, plants and equipment, businesses, timberland and other assets greif, inc. and subsidiary companies financial highlights by segment unaudited (dollars in millions) ebitda is defined as net income, plus interest expense, net, plus income tax expense, plus depreciation, depletion and amortization. however, because the company does not calculate net income by segment, this table calculates ebitda by segment with reference to operating profit (loss) by segment, which, as demonstrated in the table of consolidated ebitda, is another method to achieve the same result. see the reconciliations in the table of segment ebitda. greif, inc. and subsidiary companies financial highlights by geographic region unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation operating working capital unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation consolidated ebitda7 unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation segment ebitda8 unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation free cash flow9 unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation segment operating profit (loss) before special items13 unaudited (dollars in millions) impact of venezuela devaluation of inventory on cost of products sold: 13 greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation class a earnings per share before special items unaudited (dollars in millions, except for per share amounts) all special items are net of tax and noncontrolling interests greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation selected financial information excluding the impact of divestitures unaudited (dollars in millions) divestitures impact of divestitures divestitures impact of divestitures operating profit (loss) before special items14: greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation selected financial information excluding the impact of divestitures (continued) unaudited (dollars in millions) divestitures operating profit (loss) before special items14: note: the 2015 acquisitions were completed at the beginning of the fiscal year and are not adjusted because they are fully reflected in both periods. 14 greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation net sales to net sales excluding the impact of divestitures and currency translation unaudited (dollars in millions) greif, inc. and subsidiary companies gaap to non-gaap reconciliation rigid industrial packaging & services net sales to net sales excluding the impact of divestitures and currency translation unaudited (dollars in millions)
