Advansix Announces First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Share

Close-up of a hand catching clear nylon pellets

Parsippany, N.J., May 6, 2022 – AdvanSix (NYSE: ASIX) today announced its financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2022. Overall, the Company generated record quarterly sales, earnings and margins reflecting strong execution and robust ammonium sulfate fertilizer performance.

First Quarter 2022 Summary

  • Sales up approximately 27% versus prior year driven by 26% favorable impact of market-based pricing, 3% higher raw material pass-through pricing, and 2% contribution from acquisitions, partially offset by 4% lower volume
  • Net Income of $63.1 million, an increase of $34.9 million versus the prior year
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $103.2 million, an increase of $45.6 million versus the prior year
  • Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 21.5%, up 620 bps versus the prior year
  • Cash Flow from Operations of $49.2 million, a decrease of $7.9 million versus the prior year; 1Q21 results included an approximately $12.3 million cash tax refund related to the CARES Act
  • Capital Expenditures of $21.0 million, an increase of $6.8 million versus the prior year
  • Free Cash Flow of $28.1 million, a decrease of $14.8 million versus the prior year
  • Repurchased 181,536 shares at an average share price of $38.61 for approximately $7 million
  • Closed acquisition of U.S. Amines, a leading North American producer of high-value intermediates used in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and other applications

“AdvanSix delivered robust first quarter results to start 2022, delivering both sequential and year-over- year top and bottom line growth. Our collective organization contributed to achieving record sales, earnings and margins in the quarter reflecting the advantage of our diverse portfolio, as well as disciplined execution to serve our key customers and meet strong end market demand amid a tightened supply environment,” said Erin Kane, president and CEO of AdvanSix. “We also continued to deploy capital to enhance shareholder value creation including the acquisition of U.S. Amines and return of cash in the form of our ongoing quarterly dividend as well as opportunistically repurchasing approximately $7 million of our stock. Across the board, it was a terrific start to the year as we sustain the momentum we’ve built.”

Summary first quarter 2022 financial results for the Company are included below:

Sales of $479.1 million in the quarter increased approximately 27% versus the prior year. Market-based pricing was favorable by 26% compared to the prior year driven by higher pricing across our ammonium sulfate and nylon product lines. Raw material pass-through pricing was favorable by 3% following a net cost increase in benzene and propylene (inputs to cumene which is a key feedstock to our products). Acquisitions contributed approximately 2% to sales in the quarter. Sales volume decreased approximately 4% driven primarily by robust sales in the first quarter of 2021 as we reduced finished goods inventory in the prior year period to meet strong customer demand recovery.

Sales by product line and approximate percentage of total sales are included below:

Adjusted EBITDA of $103.2 million in the quarter increased $45.6 million versus the prior year primarily due to higher market-based pricing, net of increased raw material costs, particularly natural gas and sulfur, partially offset by higher utilities cost driven by natural gas prices, and lower sales volume. First quarter 2021 results also included an approximately $6.6 million unfavorable non-cash LIFO inventory reserve adjustment.

Adjusted earnings per share of $2.26 increased $1.21 versus the prior year driven primarily by the factors discussed above.

Cash flow from operations of $49.2 million in the quarter decreased $7.9 million versus the prior year primarily due to the unfavorable impact of changes in working capital and an approximately $12 million cash tax refund in the prior year period, partially offset by higher net income. Capital expenditures of
$21.0 million in the quarter increased $6.8 million versus the prior year.

Dividend

The Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share on the Company’s common stock, payable on May 31, 2022 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 17, 2022.

Outlook

  • Targeting significant earnings growth in 2022 supported by advantages of integrated business model and expected robust ammonium sulfate fertilizer performance
  • Expect continued healthy North America demand for nylon and chemical intermediates
  • Successful integration of U.S. Amines expected to deliver year one earnings accretion
  • Continue to expect Capital Expenditures to be $95 to $105 million in 2022
  • Expect pre-tax income impact of planned plant turnarounds to be approximately $32 to $37 million in 2022

“Looking forward, we see healthy to strong demand across our end markets, and in particular a set of constructive industry factors in agriculture and nitrogen and sulfur fertilizers. While the macro environment remains dynamic on a number of fronts, our cost-advantaged asset base and diverse product portfolio continue to support our expectations for significant earnings growth and robust cash flow in 2022. This is an exciting time at AdvanSix and we are well positioned to deliver long-term shareholder returns as we drive superior operational excellence and differentiated product growth, progress our sustainability initiatives and maintain strong and disciplined capital stewardship,” concluded Kane.

Conference Call Information

AdvanSix will discuss its results during its investor conference call today starting at 9:00 a.m. ET. To participate on the conference call, dial (844) 855-9494 (domestic) or (412) 858-4602 (international) approximately 10 minutes before the 9:00 a.m. ET start, and tell the operator that you are dialing in for AdvanSix’s first quarter 2022 earnings call. The live webcast of the investor call as well as related presentation materials can be accessed at http://investors.advansix.com. Investors can hear a replay of the conference call from 12 noon ET on May 6 until 12 noon ET on May 13 by dialing (877) 344-7529 (domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (international). The access code is 8043608.

About AdvanSix

AdvanSix plays a critical role in global supply chains, innovating and delivering essential products for our customers in a wide variety of end markets and applications that touch people’s lives, such as building and construction, fertilizers, agrochemicals, plastics, solvents, packaging, paints, coatings, adhesives and electronics. Our reliable and sustainable supply of quality products emerges from the integrated value chain of our five U.S.-based manufacturing facilities. AdvanSix strives to deliver best-in-class customer experiences and differentiated products in the industries of nylon solutions, chemical intermediates, and plant nutrients, guided by our core values of Safety, Integrity, Accountability and Respect. More information on AdvanSix can be found at https://www.advansix.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that our management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “outlook,” “project,” “strategy,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” “goal,” “may,” “will,” “should” and “believe” and other variations or similar terminology and expressions. Although we believe forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict, which may cause the actual results or performance of the Company to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: general economic and financial conditions in the U.S. and globally, including the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and any resurgences; the potential effects of inflationary pressures, labor market shortages and supply chain issues; instability or volatility in financial markets or other unfavorable economic or business conditions caused by geopolitical concerns, including as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine; the scope, shape and pace of recovery of the pandemic; the severity and transmissibility of newly identified strains of COVID-19; governmental, business and individuals’ actions in response to the pandemic, including our business continuity and cash optimization plans that have been, and may in the future be, implemented; the impact of social and economic restrictions and other containment measures taken to combat virus transmission; the effect on our customers’ demand for our products and our suppliers’ ability to manufacture and deliver our raw materials, including implications of reduced refinery utilization in the U.S.; our ability to sell and provide our goods and services, including as a result of travel and other COVID-19-related restrictions; the ability of our customers to pay for our products; any closures of our and our customers’ offices and facilities; risks associated with increased phishing, compromised business emails and other cybersecurity attacks and disruptions to our technology infrastructure; risks associated with employees working remotely or operating with a reduced workforce; risks associated with our indebtedness including compliance with financial and restrictive covenants, and our ability to access capital on reasonable terms, at a reasonable cost, or at all, due to economic conditions; the impact of scheduled turnarounds and significant unplanned downtime and interruptions of production or logistics operations as a result of mechanical issues or other unanticipated events such as fires, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, pandemics and geopolitical conflicts and related events; price fluctuations, cost increases and supply of raw materials; our operations and growth projects requiring substantial capital; growth rates and cyclicality of the industries we serve including global changes in supply and demand; failure to develop and commercialize new products or technologies; loss of significant customer relationships; adverse trade and tax policies; extensive environmental, health and safety laws that apply to our operations; hazards associated with chemical manufacturing, storage and transportation; litigation associated with chemical manufacturing and our business operations generally; inability to acquire and integrate businesses, assets, products or technologies; protection of our intellectual property and proprietary information; prolonged work stoppages as a result of labor difficulties or otherwise; cybersecurity, data privacy incidents and disruptions to our technology infrastructure; failure to maintain effective internal controls; our ability to declare and pay quarterly cash dividends and the amounts and timing of any future dividends; our ability to repurchase our common stock and the amount and timing of any future repurchases; disruptions in supply chain, transportation and logistics; potential for uncertainty regarding qualification for tax treatment of our spin-off; fluctuations in our stock price; and changes in laws or regulations applicable to our business. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the risk factors in Part 1, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as updated in subsequent reports filed with the SEC.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures intended to supplement, not to act as substitutes for, comparable GAAP measures. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are provided in this press release. Investors are urged to consider carefully the comparable GAAP measures and the reconciliations to those measures provided. Non-GAAP measures in this press release may be calculated in a way that is not comparable to similarly- titled measures reported by other companies.

# # #

Contacts

Media:
Janeen Lawlor
(973) 526-1615
janeen.lawlor@advansix.com

Investors:
Adam Kressel
(973) 526-1700
adam.kressel@advansix.com