Energy and Renewables Segment (“Energy/Renewables”): Revenue increased by $56.5 million, or 20 percent, for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to increased renewable energy activity ($69.8 million), partially offset by the substantial completion of an industrial project in Texas in the first half of 2020. Gross profit for the three months ended June 30, 2021, increased by $15.1 million, or 84 percent, compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to higher revenue and margins. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue increased to 10 percent during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to 7 percent in the same period in 2020, primarily due to higher costs associated with a liquified natural gas plant project in the northeast in 2020.
Pipeline Services (“Pipeline”): Revenue decreased by $168.4 million, or 58 percent, for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. The decrease is primarily due to the substantial completion of pipeline projects in 2020 ($188.6 million), partially offset by progress on a pipeline project in Texas that began in the second half of 2020. Gross profit for the three months ended June 30, 2021 increased by $3.9 million, or 15 percent, compared to the same period in 2020, primarily due to higher margins, partially offset by lower revenue. Gross profit as a percentage of revenue increased to 26 percent during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to 9 percent in the same period in 2020, primarily due to the favorable impact from the closeout of multiple pipeline projects in 2021.
Other Income Statement Information
Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $57.7 million during the three months ended June 30, 2021, an increase of $6.3 million, or 12 percent compared to 2020, primarily due to $7.6 million of incremental expense from the FIH acquisition during the period. SG&A expense as a percentage of revenue increased to 6.6 percent compared to 5.7 percent for the corresponding period in 2020, primarily due to increased expense as the Company integrates FIH into its operations.
Transaction and related costs were $0.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, consisting primarily of professional fees paid to advisors associated with the FIH integration. No transaction and related costs were incurred for the three months ended June 30, 2020.
Interest expense for the three months ended June 30, 2021, increased compared to the same period in 2020 primarily due to higher average debt balances from the borrowings incurred related to the FIH acquisition, partially offset by a favorable impact from the change in the fair value of the interest rate swap. During the three months ended June 30, 2021, the Company had a $1.0 million unrealized gain on the change in the fair value of the Company’s interest rate swap agreement, compared to a $0.1 million unrealized gain in 2020.
The Company recorded income tax expense for the three months ended June 30, 2021 of $13.6 million compared to expense of $13.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The effective tax rate on income attributable to Primoris (excluding noncontrolling interests) was 27.3 percent for the three months ended June 30, 2021. The effective tax rate on income attributable to Primoris (excluding noncontrolling interest) is expected to be 27.5 percent for 2021. The 2021 rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0 percent primarily due to state income taxes and nondeductible components of per diem expenses.
Outlook
Balancing the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic with the expected growth in operations, Primoris estimates that for the year ending December 31, 2021, net income attributable to Primoris will be between $2.30 and $2.50 per fully diluted share. The per share range takes into count the dilution from the additional shares issued under the Company’s secondary offering during the first quarter of 2021. The Company is targeting SG&A expense as a percentage of revenue in the low-to-mid six percent range for full year 2021. Primoris expects its SG&A range will decrease in 2022 upon completion of its integration of FIH. The Company estimates capital expenditures for the remainder of 2021 in the range of $20 to $40 million. The Company’s targeted gross margins by segment are as follows: Utilities in the range of 12 to 14 percent; Energy/Renewables in the range of 9 to 12 percent; and Pipeline Services in the range of 9 to 13 percent.
The guidance provided above constitutes forward-looking statements, which are based on current economic conditions and estimates, and the Company does not include other potential impacts, such as changes in accounting or unusual items. Supplemental information relating to the Company’s financial outlook is posted in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.primoriscorp.com.