FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CatchMark Second Quarter Revenues Increase 19% Year-Over-Year; Adjusted EBITDA Up 10%; Third Quarter Dividend Declared; Acquisition Pipeline Builds into Second Half of the Year
ATLANTA - August 3, 2015 - CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE:CTT) today reported solid operating results and year-over-year growth for the quarter ending June 30, 2015, driven by the successful integration of properties acquired during last year and the continued execution of management strategies to sustain durable gains.
Company highlights for the second quarter 2015 include:
• | Generated total revenues of $14.2 million compared to $11.9 million for the second quarter 2014, an increase of 19%. |
• | Registered Adjusted EBITDA of $5.5 million compared to $5.0 million for the second quarter 2014, an increase of 10%. |
• | Increased gross timber sales revenue by approximately 25%, primarily from an increase in total timber sales volume of 24% to 448,570 tons up from 360,778 tons in second quarter 2014; |
• | Realized an increase in average net prices for sawtimber of 8%, compared to second quarter 2014 benefiting from regional pricing dynamics from the 2014 acquisitions. |
• | Acquired 9,700 acres of prime timberlands in two separate transactions for $12.8 million; |
• | Paid a dividend of $0.125 per share on June 15, 2015. |
CatchMark today also declared a dividend of $0.125 per share to stockholders of record on August 28, 2015 payable on September 14, 2015.
Jerry Barag, CatchMark’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Second quarter results represent sound implementation of our operating plan on expanding timberland holdings. At the same time, we
have maintained significant liquidity-nearly $300 million in various facilities-to take advantage of acquisition opportunities to enhance our platform, with a continued focus on the Southeast U.S where we see the best relative value.
“CatchMark’s current acquisitions pipeline is steadily building with a deeper pool of opportunities for the second half of the year, after falling off earlier this year with fewer opportunities meeting our criteria for size, quality and stocking,” Barag said.
For the six months ending June 30, 2015, CatchMark acquired approximately 17,400 acres of property in Georgia and Texas for $27.9 million in five separate transactions. The acquisitions have added 0.6 million tons to the company’s merchantable timber inventory, comprising 72% pine plantations by acreage and 56% sawtimber by tons.
Willis J. Potts, Jr., CatchMark's Chairman of the Board, said: “In exercising discipline and prudence in reviewing potential purchases, we remain committed to securing high quality timberlands, which will ensure long-term revenue and dividend growth.”
CatchMark also registered $0.6 million in sales of 258 acres of timberlands during the second quarter.
Results for Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2015
CatchMark’s revenues increased to $14.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015 up from $11.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014, driven primarily by an increase in timber sales revenue of $2.5 million. Gross timber sales revenue increased by 25% mainly due to a 24% increase in harvest volume as a result of incremental harvest on properties acquired in the past 12 months. The company’s net loss increased to $2.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2015 from $0.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2014 primarily due to a higher depletion expense as a result of the change in depletion methodology.
Three Months Ended June 30, 2014 | Changes attributable to: | Three Months Ended June 30, 2015 | |||||||||||||
(amounts in thousands) | Price | Volume | |||||||||||||
Timber sales (1) | |||||||||||||||
Pulpwood | $ | 6,111 | $ | (65 | ) | $ | 887 | $ | 6,933 | ||||||
Sawtimber (2) | 4,062 | 150 | 1,527 | 5,739 | |||||||||||
$ | 10,173 | $ | 85 | $ | 2,414 | $ | 12,672 |
(1) | Timber sales are presented on a gross basis. |
(2) | Includes sales of chip-n-saw and sawtimber. |
Revenues increased to $34.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015 up from $20.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 driven by an increase in timber sales revenue of $7.5 million, an increase in timberland sales revenue of $5.7 million, and an increase in other revenues of $0.5 million. Gross timber sales revenue increased by approximately 41%, mainly due to a 42% increase in harvest volume as a result of incremental harvest on properties acquired in the past 12 months. Net loss increased to $3.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015 from $0.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2014 primarily due to a higher depletion expense as a result of the change in depletion methodology.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2014 | Changes attributable to: | Six Months Ended June 30, 2015 | |||||||||||||
(amounts in thousands) | Price | Volume | |||||||||||||
Timber sales (1) | |||||||||||||||
Pulpwood | $ | 10,922 | $ | (173 | ) | $ | 2,995 | $ | 13,744 | ||||||
Sawtimber (2) | 7,348 | 298 | 4,376 | 12,022 | |||||||||||
$ | 18,270 | $ | 125 | $ | 7,371 | $ | 25,766 |
(1) | Timber sales are presented on a gross basis. |
(2) | Includes sales of chip-n-saw and sawtimber. |
Adjusted EBITDA
The discussion below is intended to enhance the reader’s understanding of our operating performance and our ability to satisfy lender requirements. Earnings from Continuing Operations before Interest, Taxes, Depletion, and Amortization (“EBITDA”) is a non-GAAP measure of operating performance. EBITDA is defined by the SEC; however, we have excluded certain other expenses due to their non-cash nature, and we refer to this measure as “Adjusted EBITDA.” As such, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and should not be viewed as an alternative to net income as a measurement of our operating performance. Due to significant amount of
timber assets subject to depletion and significant amount of financing subject to interest and amortization expense, management considers Adjusted EBITDA to be an important measure of our financial condition and performance. Our credit agreements contains a minimum debt service coverage ratio based, in part, on Adjusted EBITDA since this measure is representative of adjusted income available for interest payments.
For the three months ended June 30, 2015, Adjusted EBITDA was $5.5 million, a $0.5 million increase from the three months ended June 30, 2014, primarily due to a $1.9 million increase in net timber sales, offset by a $0.4 million decrease in net revenue from timberland sales, a $0.7 million increase in cash general and administrative expenses, and a $0.3 million increase in other operating expenses.
For the six months ended June 30, 2015, Adjusted EBITDA was $16.5 million, a $9.5 million increase from the six months ended June 30, 2014, primarily due to a $5.5 million increase in net timber sales and a $5.3 million increase in net revenue from timberland sales, offset by a $0.6 million increase in cash general and administrative expenses, and a $0.5 million increase in other operating expenses.
Our reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
(amounts in thousands) | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,330 | ) | $ | (349 | ) | $ | (3,147 | ) | $ | (737 | ) | |||
Add: | |||||||||||||||
Depletion | 6,396 | 3,729 | 12,598 | 5,533 | |||||||||||
Basis of timberland sold | 327 | 706 | 4,894 | 744 | |||||||||||
Amortization (1) | 210 | 131 | 390 | 226 | |||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense | 233 | 96 | 411 | 179 | |||||||||||
Interest expense (1) | 671 | 677 | 1,323 | 987 | |||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 5,507 | $ | 4,990 | $ | 16,469 | $ | 6,932 |
(1) | For the purpose of the above reconciliation, amortization includes amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of intangible lease assets, and amortization of mainline road costs, which are included in either interest expense, land rent expense, or other operating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. |
Conference Call/Webcast
The company will host a conference call and live webcast at 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 to discuss these results. Investors may listen to the conference call by dialing 888-510-1786 for U.S/Canada and 719-457-2727 for international callers. Participants will be asked to provide conference I.D. number 8335597. Access to the live webcast will be available at www.catchmark.com. A replay of this webcast will be archived on the company’s website shortly after the call. .
About CatchMark
Headquartered in Atlanta, CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed publicly traded REIT that began operations in 2007 and owns interests in approximately 406,700 acres* of timberland located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Listed on the NYSE (CTT), CatchMark provides institutions and individuals an opportunity to invest in a public company focused exclusively on timberland ownership with an objective of producing stockholder returns from sustainably recurring harvests. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com. From time to time, CatchMark releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found in the “Investors Relations” section of www.catchmark.com.
* As of June 30, 2015.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," or other similar words. However, the absence of these or similar words or expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition or state other forward looking information. Such statements include, but are not limited to, our acquisition pipeline building with a deeper pool of opportunities in the second half of the year, the execution of management strategies sustaining durable gains, and our ability to secure high quality timberlands that will ensure long-term revenue and dividend growth. Readers of
this press release should be aware that there are various factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made in this press release. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) we may not generate the harvest volumes from our timberlands that we currently anticipate; (ii) the demand for our timber may not increase at the rate we currently anticipate or at all due to changes in general economic and business conditions in the geographic regions where our timberlands are located; (iii) the cyclical nature of the real estate market generally, including fluctuations in demand and valuations, may adversely impact our ability to generate income and cash flow from sales of higher-and-better use properties; (iv) timber prices may not increase at the rate we currently anticipate or could decline, which would negatively impact our revenues; (v) the supply of timberlands available for acquisition that meet our investment criteria may be less than we currently anticipate; (vi) we may be unsuccessful in winning bids for timberland that are sold through an auction process; (vii) we may not be able to access external sources of capital at attractive rates or at all; (viii) potential increases in interest rates could have a negative impact on our business and (ix) the factors described in Item 1A. of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, under the heading “Risk Factors” and our other filings with Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Contacts
Investors: Media:
Brian Davis Mary Beth Ryan, Miller Ryan LLC
(855) 858-9794 (203) 268-0158
info@catchmark.com marybeth@millerryanllc.com
CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(amounts in thousands, except for per-share data)
(Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, | (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||||||||||||
Revenues: | |||||||||||||||
Timber sales | $ | 12,672 | $ | 10,173 | $ | 25,766 | $ | 18,270 | |||||||
Timberland sales | 591 | 1,025 | 6,765 | 1,090 | |||||||||||
Other revenues | 911 | 703 | 1,887 | 1,411 | |||||||||||
14,174 | 11,901 | 34,418 | 20,771 | ||||||||||||
Expenses: | |||||||||||||||
Contract logging and hauling costs | 4,824 | 4,207 | 9,944 | 7,954 | |||||||||||
Depletion | 6,396 | 3,729 | 12,598 | 5,533 | |||||||||||
Cost of timberland sales | 401 | 791 | 5,407 | 841 | |||||||||||
Forestry management expenses | 1,061 | 810 | 2,182 | 1,506 | |||||||||||
General and administrative expenses | 1,864 | 1,060 | 3,532 | 2,776 | |||||||||||
Land rent expense | 172 | 190 | 375 | 405 | |||||||||||
Other operating expenses | 935 | 681 | 1,873 | 1,326 | |||||||||||
15,653 | 11,468 | 35,911 | 20,341 | ||||||||||||
Operating (loss) income | (1,479 | ) | 433 | (1,493 | ) | 430 | |||||||||
Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
Interest income | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
Interest expense | (853 | ) | (784 | ) | (1,656 | ) | (1,169 | ) | |||||||
(851 | ) | (782 | ) | (1,654 | ) | (1,167 | ) | ||||||||
Net loss available to common stockholders | $ | (2,330 | ) | $ | (349 | ) | $ | (3,147 | ) | $ | (737 | ) | |||
Weighted-average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 39,551 | 24,985 | 39,490 | 24,910 | |||||||||||
Net loss per-share available to common stockholders - basic and diluted | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | $ | (0.08 | ) | $ | (0.03 | ) |
CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(amounts in thousands, except for per-share data)
(Unaudited) | |||||||
June 30, 2015 | December 31, 2014 | ||||||
Assets: | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 14,198 | $ | 17,365 | |||
Accounts receivable | 2,161 | 798 | |||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets | 2,529 | 2,781 | |||||
Deferred financing costs, less accumulated amortization of $571 and $267 as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively | 4,017 | 4,245 | |||||
Timber assets (Note 3): | |||||||
Timber and timberlands, net | 554,396 | 543,101 | |||||
Intangible lease assets, less accumulated amortization of $933 and $931 as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively | 24 | 26 | |||||
Total assets | $ | 577,325 | $ | 568,316 | |||
Liabilities: | |||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 2,780 | $ | 2,359 | |||
Other liabilities | 4,120 | 3,265 | |||||
Note payable and line of credit (Note 4) | 138,002 | 118,000 | |||||
Total liabilities | 144,902 | 123,624 | |||||
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) | — | — | |||||
Stockholders’ Equity: | |||||||
Class A common stock, $0.01 par value; 889,500 shares authorized; 39,552 and 36,193 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively | 396 | 362 | |||||
Class B-3 common stock, $0.01 par value; 3,500 shares authorized; 0 and 3,164 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively | — | 32 | |||||
Additional paid-in capital | 612,926 | 612,518 | |||||
Accumulated deficit and distributions | (180,350 | ) | (167,364 | ) | |||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (549 | ) | (856 | ) | |||
Total stockholders’ equity | 432,423 | 444,692 | |||||
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 577,325 | $ | 568,316 |
CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(amounts in thousands)
(Unaudited) Three Months Ended June 30, | (Unaudited) Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||||||||||||
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | |||||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (2,330 | ) | $ | (349 | ) | $ | (3,147 | ) | $ | (737 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||||||||||||||
Depletion | 6,396 | 3,729 | 12,598 | 5,533 | |||||||||||
Other amortization | 29 | 24 | 58 | 44 | |||||||||||
Stock-based compensation expense | 233 | 96 | 411 | 179 | |||||||||||
Noncash interest expense | 181 | 107 | 332 | 182 | |||||||||||
Basis of timberland sold | 327 | 706 | 4,894 | 744 | |||||||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: | |||||||||||||||
Accounts receivable | (740 | ) | (552 | ) | (1,363 | ) | (1,102 | ) | |||||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets | 68 | 46 | 117 | 575 | |||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | (168 | ) | 825 | 595 | 378 | ||||||||||
Other liabilities | 1,958 | 1,721 | 1,131 | 1,089 | |||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | 5,954 | 6,353 | 15,626 | 6,885 | |||||||||||
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | |||||||||||||||
Timberland acquisitions | (13,134 | ) | (81,742 | ) | (27,651 | ) | (86,089 | ) | |||||||
Capital expenditures (excluding timberland acquisitions) | (210 | ) | (198 | ) | (1,056 | ) | (536 | ) | |||||||
Net cash used in investing activities | (13,344 | ) | (81,940 | ) | (28,707 | ) | (86,625 | ) | |||||||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | |||||||||||||||
Proceeds from note payable | 6,000 | 86,500 | 20,500 | 86,500 | |||||||||||
Repayments of note payable | — | (2,009 | ) | (498 | ) | (20,169 | ) | ||||||||
Financing costs paid | (40 | ) | (928 | ) | (249 | ) | (943 | ) | |||||||
Issuance of common stock | — | — | — | 21,316 | |||||||||||
Dividends paid to common stockholders | (4,920 | ) | (2,748 | ) | (9,839 | ) | (5,495 | ) | |||||||
Stock issuance costs | — | (7 | ) | — | (1,674 | ) | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 1,040 | 80,808 | 9,914 | 79,535 | |||||||||||
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents | (6,350 | ) | 5,221 | (3,167 | ) | (205 | ) | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 20,548 | 3,188 | 17,365 | 8,614 | |||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | $ | 14,198 | $ | 8,409 | $ | 14,198 | $ | 8,409 |
SELECTED DATA
2015 | 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Q1 | Q2 | YTD | Q1 | Q2 | YTD | ||||||||||||||||||
Timber Sales Volume ('000 tons) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Pulpwood | 262 | 292 | 554 | 177 | 236 | 413 | |||||||||||||||||
Sawtimber | 175 | 157 | 332 | 86 | 125 | 211 | |||||||||||||||||
Total | 437 | 449 | 886 | 263 | 361 | 624 | |||||||||||||||||
Delivered % as of total volume | 65 | % | 59 | % | 62 | % | 79 | % | 63 | % | 70 | % | |||||||||||
Stumpage % as of total volume | 35 | % | 41 | % | 38 | % | 21 | % | 37 | % | 30 | % | |||||||||||
Net timber sales price ($ per ton) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Pulpwood | $ | 13 | $ | 13 | $ | 13 | $ | 14 | $ | 13 | $ | 13 | |||||||||||
Sawtimber | $ | 26 | $ | 26 | $ | 26 | $ | 22 | $ | 24 | $ | 23 | |||||||||||
Timberland Sales | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross Sales (1) ('000) | $ | 6,174 | $ | 591 | $ | 6,765 | $ | 65 | $ | 1,025 | $ | 1,090 | |||||||||||
Acres Sold | 3,400 | 258 | 3,658 | 29 | 547 | 576 | |||||||||||||||||
Price per acre | $ | 1,816 | $ | 2,291 | $ | 1,849 | $ | 2,250 | $ | 1,873 | $ | 1,892 | |||||||||||
Timberland Acquisitions | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross Acquisitions (1) ('000) | $ | 14,533 | $ | 12,771 | $ | 27,304 | $ | 243 | $ | 85,376 | $ | 85,619 | |||||||||||
Acres Acquired | 7,668 | 9,686 | 17,354 | 203 | 44,321 | 44,524 | |||||||||||||||||
Price per acre ($/acre) | $ | 1,895 | $ | 1,318 | $ | 1,573 | $ | 1,200 | $ | 1,926 | $ | 1,923 | |||||||||||
Period End Acres ('000) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Fee | 369 | 379 | 379 | 247 | 291 | 291 | |||||||||||||||||
Lease | 29 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | |||||||||||||||||
Total | 398 | 407 | 407 | 277 | 321 | 321 |
(1) Exclusive of closing costs.