Minerals Technologies Reports Second Quarter 2019
Earnings of $0.75 Per Share, or $1.11 Per Share Excluding Special Items
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Highlights:
• | Sales of $464 Million; Double Digit Operating Margins Across All Segments |
• | Strong Operating Cash Flow of $68 Million |
• | Restructuring Program Expected to Deliver Annualized Savings of $12 Million |
• | Signed Agreement for New 45,000 Ton Satellite Paper PCC Plant in India |
• | First Commercial Deployment of ENVIROFIL® PCC Minerals Recycling Technology |
NEW YORK, August 1, 2019 —Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MTX) (“MTI” or “the Company”) today reported diluted earnings per share of $1.11, excluding special items, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019. Reported diluted earnings per share were $0.75.
Worldwide net sales of $463.8 million were essentially flat compared to the prior year. Sales increased 3 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange. Operating income was $45.5 million and represented 9.8 percent of sales. Operating income excluding special items was $61.2 million and represented 13.2 percent of sales.
Douglas T. Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our second quarter results were impacted by slowing demand in the U.S. Metalcasting market as well as rail infrastructure issues, which temporarily limited shipments in our Performance Materials business. In addition, we experienced generally weaker demand across our businesses in China and Europe. We continued to drive healthy sales in our Household and Personal Care, Environmental and Building Materials product lines, as well as in Energy Services. We also advanced our growth strategy with the signing of a new 45,000 ton PCC satellite contract in India and our first commercial deployment of ENVIROFIL® PCC, an innovative minerals recycling technology.”
Mr. Dietrich added, “To adjust to the changing market conditions and to improve margins, we initiated a restructuring and cost savings program which is expected to deliver $12 million in annual savings.”
During the second quarter, the Company incurred $13.2 million of severance and non-cash impairment charges related to a restructuring program to address the current demand environment. The pre-tax annualized savings from the program are expected to be approximately $12 million, beginning in the third quarter of 2019 and achieving full run-rate in the first half of 2020. The Company also recorded a $2.5 million reserve related to the bankruptcy of a Refractories customer in the U.K.
Segment Information
Performance Materials and Specialty Minerals
Sales in the Minerals businesses, which include the Performance Materials and Specialty Minerals segments, decreased 1 percent in the second quarter to $360.5 million. Sales grew 2 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange. Operating income as reported for the Minerals businesses was $40.7 million and represented 11.3 percent of sales. Operating income excluding special items was $50.2 million and represented 13.9 percent of sales.
Performance Materials segment sales were flat with the prior year at $215.4 million. Sales grew 4 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange.
Sales in Household, Personal Care & Specialty Products increased 18 percent, primarily due to the continued growth of our pet care products in Europe and North America. Environmental Products sales increased 15 percent driven by an ongoing large international project and Building Materials sales rose 6 percent due to an increase in U.S. commercial construction projects.
Sales growth in the segment was partially offset by decreased sales in Metalcasting and Basic Minerals. The decrease in Metalcasting sales was due to weaker demand in U.S. automotive, heavy truck and agricultural equipment as well as in China.
Operating income as reported for the segment was $20.7 million and represented 9.6 percent of sales. Operating income for the segment excluding special items was $27.7 million and represented 12.9 percent of sales. Pricing actions more than offset higher raw material costs. However, operating income and margins were affected by the lower Metalcasting sales and rail infrastructure issues impacting the Company’s operations in the Western U.S.
The Performance Materials segment provides a wide range of bentonite-based and synthetic materials for industrial and consumer markets and for non-residential construction, environmental remediation and infrastructure projects worldwide.
Specialty Minerals segment sales, which consist of the Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) and Processed Minerals product lines, decreased 4 percent to $145.1 million. Sales decreased 1 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange.
Worldwide sales of PCC, which is used mainly in the manufacturing processes of the paper industry, decreased 4 percent to $107.5 million largely due to previously announced customer paper machine shutdowns in North America, including the closure of a U.S. paper mill in the first quarter of 2019, and foreign exchange. Paper PCC sales grew in both Asia and Latin America.
Processed Minerals sales decreased 4 percent to $37.6 million, primarily due to lower sales in the automotive and construction markets. Processed Minerals products are used in the building materials, polymers, ceramics, consumer products, paints and coatings, glass and other manufacturing industries.
Segment operating income as reported was $20.0 million and represented 13.8 percent of sales. Excluding special items, segment operating income was $22.5 million and represented 15.5 percent of sales. The lower operating income was driven by the shutdowns in North America, lower volumes and unfavorable foreign exchange, which was partially offset by higher pricing.
Refractories and Energy Services
Sales in the Service businesses, which include the Refractories and Energy Services segments, increased 4 percent to $103.3 million. Sales increased 7 percent excluding the impact of foreign exchange. Operating income for the Service businesses was $8.0 million and represented 7.7 percent of sales. Excluding special items, operating income was $13.1 million and represented 12.7 percent of sales.
Refractories segment sales decreased 3 percent to $77.5 million, primarily due to lower Refractory sales in Europe, partially offset by higher sales of Metallurgical Products. Sales were flat excluding the impact of foreign exchange. The Refractories segment operating income as reported was $7.1 million and represented 9.2 percent of sales. Excluding special items, operating income was $10.4 million and represented 13.4 percent of sales. The Refractories segment provides products and services primarily to the worldwide steel industry.
Energy Services segment sales rose 31 percent to $25.8 million, primarily driven by higher well testing and filtration activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Operating income as reported was $0.9 million and represented 3.5 percent of sales. Excluding special items, operating income was $2.7 million and represented 10.5 percent of sales. Energy Services offers a range of patented technologies, products and services for off-shore filtration and well testing to the worldwide oil and gas industry.
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Minerals Technologies will host a conference call tomorrow, August 2, 2019 at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The conference call will be broadcast live on our website: www.mineralstech.com. To listen to the call, go to the website and click on "Investor Relations," then click on "Quarterly Results & Conference Calls." A presentation for the call will be available at the same location at approximately 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on August 2, 2019.
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which describe or are based on current expectations. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations. In addition, any statements that are not historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect our businesses, particularly those mentioned in the risk factors and other cautionary statements in our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Minerals Technologies Inc.
New York-based Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI) is a resource- and technology-based growth company that develops, produces and markets worldwide a broad range of specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products and related systems and services. MTI serves the paper, foundry, steel, construction, environmental, energy, polymer and consumer products industries. The Company reported sales of $1.808 billion in 2018. For further information, please visit our website at www.mineralstech.com. (MTI-E)