Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2021.

First Quarter 2021 Highlights

• Capitalized on continued broad-based demand recovery to deliver strong overall volume growth and improved profitability, led by exceptional Specialty performance.
• Positioning the company to complete EPA investments, capture growth in differentiated markets and generate substantial free cash flow in 2023.
• Net sales of $360.1 million, up $24.1 million, year over year.
• Net income of $23.5 million, up $5.5 million, year over year.
• Basic EPS of $0.39, up $0.09, year over year.
• Adjusted EPS¹ of $0.51, up $0.07, year over year.
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ of $70.9 million, up $7.0 million, year over year.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin¹ of 19.7%, up 0.7%, year over year.

¹ The reconciliations of Non-GAAP measures to the respective most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the table titled Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures below.

“For the second consecutive quarter, EBITDA exceeded prior year levels, as we achieved strong volume growth. Results reflected exceptional demand for our Specialty carbon blacks in most applications and geographies and stable to modestly rising Rubber carbon black demand, depending on the geography. We also gained traction on customer qualifications across several new offerings which we advanced last year. This includes advanced materials such as conductive grades for lithium-ion batteries and other applications. We are on track to deliver strong profitable growth in 2021 and position the company for further growth in the years to come,” said Corning Painter, Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Painter continued, “I want to thank our dedicated employees for remaining focused on providing exceptional service to our customers during this period of increased demand. They have remained nimble throughout the past year to ensure uninterrupted product supply. Our emphasis remains on positioning Orion to emerge stronger from the recent downturn and maximizing shareholder value through completing the EPA investments, advancing select strategic investments to capture growth, driving sustainability across our supply chain and positioning the company to generate considerable free cash flow in 2023.”

Notes:

Volumes increased by 8.1%, year over year, with higher demand in both segments, primarily driven by the broader global economic recovery.

Net sales increased by $24.1 million, or 7.2%, year over year, driven primarily by higher sales volume, partially offset by unfavorable product mix.

Income from operations rose by $5.3 million, or 14.1%, to $42.9 million, primarily driven by higher sales volume, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative costs.

Net income increased to $23.5 million, compared to net income of $18.0 million in the first quarter of the prior year, driven primarily by higher sales volume, partially offset by unfavorable product mix.

Contribution Margin increased by $15.2 million, or 11.6%, to $147.1 million, year over year, primarily due to higher sales volume, partially offset by unfavorable product mix.

Adjusted EBITDA increased by $7.0 million, or 11.0%, year over year, primarily due to higher volume.

Net sales rose by $24.4 million, or 20.4%, to $144.2 million, year over year, primarily driven by a 22.4% volume increase, partially offset by unfavorable product mix. Volume gains were principally concentrated in the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions and reflected a broad-based demand increase across nearly all applications.

Specialty Adjusted EBITDA increased by $11.6 million, or 41.3%, to $39.7 million, year over year, primarily due to higher volumes. Adjusted EBITDA margin rose 410 basis points to 27.5%, year over year.

Rubber Carbon Black volumes increased by 3.3%, year over year, reflecting the broader global economic recovery, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.

Net sales declined marginally by $0.3 million, or 0.1%, to $215.9 million, year over year, primarily reflecting higher sales volume, partially offset by the pass through of lower feedstock costs.

Rubber Adjusted EBITDA declined by $4.6 million, or 12.9%, to $31.2 million, year over year, despite moderately higher volume, primarily due to higher selling, general and administrative expenses and one-time impacts related to Winter Storm Uri. Adjusted EBITDA margin declined 210 basis points to 14.4%, year over year.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flows

As of March 31, 2021, the company had total liquidity of $310.3 million, including cash and equivalents of $62.6 million, $210.1 million under our revolving credit facility capacity, including ancillary lines, and $37.6 million of capacity under other available credit lines. Net debt was $686.9 million and net leverage was 3.32x.

Cash Flow

Cash inflows from operating activities amounted to $1.8 million, down $3.1 million, year over year, primarily driven by higher working capital, partially offset by higher income from operations.

Cash outflows from investing activities were $27.2 million, down $23.6 million, year over year, primarily driven by the timing of EPA-related capital expenditures.

Net cash provided by financing activities of $25.6 million declined $68.9 million, year over year, reflecting lower net borrowings as the year ago period saw the company proactively bolster its cash position in preparation to successfully manage through the pandemic.

Outlook

“Despite the still challenging COVID-19 situation in many countries, our second quarter order book remains strong and we are confident in our ability to navigate 2021 and beyond successfully. Although our customers’ visibility into the second half is less clear than usual, we are reinstating full year 2021 Adjusted EBITDA guidance in the range of $250 million to $280 million,” Mr. Painter concluded.

Conference Call

As previously announced, Orion will hold a conference call tomorrow, Friday, May 7, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT). The dial-in details for the live conference call are as follow:

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers through May 14, 2021:

Additionally, an archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at www.orioncarbons.com.

To learn more about Orion, visit the company’s website at www.orioncarbons.com, where we regularly post information including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, non-GAAP reconciliations, SEC filings and other information regarding our company, its businesses and the markets it serves.

About Orion Engineered Carbons

Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE:OEC) is a global supplier of carbon black products including high-performance specialty gas blacks, acetylene blacks, furnace blacks, lamp blacks, thermal blacks, and other carbon blacks that tint, colorize and enhance the performance of polymers, plastics, paints and coatings, inks and toners, textile fibers, adhesives and sealants, batteries, tires, and mechanical rubber goods, such as automotive belts and hoses. The company has over 125 years of history providing customized solutions from a network of 14 global production sites and is dedicated to responsible business practices that emphasize reliability, innovation and sustainability. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains and refers to certain forward-looking statements with respect to our financial condition, results of operations and business, including those in the “Outlook” and “Quarterly Business Segment Results” sections above. These statements constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements concerning the potential exposure to market risks, statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions and statements that are not limited to statements of historical or present facts or conditions. You should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “anticipate,” "assume," “assure,” “believe,” “confident,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “objectives,” “outlook,” “probably,” “project,” “will,” “seek,” “target” “to be,” and other words of similar meaning.

These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about the following matters: • our strategies for (i) mitigating the impacts of the global outbreak of the coronavirus, (ii) strengthening our position in specialty carbon blacks and rubber carbon blacks, (iii) increasing our rubber carbon black margins and (iv) strengthening the competitiveness of our operations; • the ability to pay dividends at historical dividend levels or at all; • cash flow projections; • the installation of pollution control technology in our U.S. manufacturing facilities pursuant to the EPA consent decree; • the outcome of any in-progress, pending or possible litigation or regulatory proceedings; and • our expectation that the markets we serve will continue to grow.

All these forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that, although believed to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. Therefore, undue reliance should not be placed upon any forward-looking statements. There are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others: • the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and results of operations; • negative or uncertain worldwide economic conditions;• volatility and cyclicality in the industries in which we operate; • operational risks inherent in chemicals manufacturing, including disruptions as a result of severe weather conditions and natural disasters; • our dependence on major customers and suppliers; • our ability to compete in the industries and markets in which we operate; • our ability to address changes in the nature of future transportation and mobility concepts which may impact our customers and our business; • our ability to develop new products and technologies successfully and the availability of substitutes for our products; • our ability to implement our business strategies; • volatility in the costs and availability of raw materials (including but not limited to any and all effects from restrictions imposed by the MARPOL convention and respective International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations in particular to reduce sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions from ships) and energy; • our ability to respond to changes in feedstock prices and quality; • our ability to realize benefits from investments, joint ventures, acquisitions or alliances; • our ability to realize benefits from planned plant capacity expansions and site development projects and the potential delays to such expansions and projects; • information technology systems failures, network disruptions and breaches of data security; • our relationships with our workforce, including negotiations with labor unions, strikes and work stoppages; • our ability to recruit or retain key management and personnel; • our exposure to political or country risks inherent in doing business in some countries; • geopolitical events in the European Union, and in particular the ultimate future relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom resulting from the “Brexit” which may impact the Euro; • environmental, health and safety regulations, including nanomaterial and greenhouse gas emissions regulations, and the related costs of maintaining compliance and addressing liabilities; • possible future investigations and enforcement actions by governmental or supranational agencies; • our operations as a company in the chemical sector, including the related risks of leaks, fires and toxic releases; • market and regulatory changes that may affect our ability to sell or otherwise benefit from co-generated energy; • litigation or legal proceedings, including product liability and environmental claims; • our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and know-how; • our ability to generate the funds required to service our debt and finance our operations; • fluctuations in foreign currency exchange and interest rates; • the availability and efficiency of hedging; • changes in international and local economic conditions, including with regard to the Euro, dislocations in credit and capital markets and inflation or deflation; • potential impairments or write-offs of certain assets; • required increases in our pension fund contributions; • the adequacy of our insurance coverage; • changes in our jurisdictional earnings mix or in the tax laws or accepted interpretations of tax laws in those jurisdictions; • our indemnities to and from Evonik; • challenges to our decisions and assumptions in assessing and complying with our tax obligations; and • potential difficulty in obtaining or enforcing judgments or bringing actions against us in the United States.

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We present certain financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. These non-U.S. GAAP measures are Contribution Margin, Contribution Margin per Metric Ton, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, Net Working Capital and Capital Expenditures. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EPS, Contribution Margin and Net Working Capital are not measures of performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or construed as substitutes for net sales, consolidated profit (loss) for the period, income from operations, gross profit or other U.S. GAAP measures as an indicator of our operations in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For a reconciliation of these non-U.S. GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures, see table titled Reconciliation of Non-GAAP to GAAP Financial Measures.

Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include those factors detailed under the captions “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in Note S, Commitments and Contingencies. to our audited consolidated financial statements regarding contingent liabilities, including litigation. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement - including those in the “2021 Outlook” and “Quarterly Business Segment Results” sections above - as a result of new information, future events or other information, other than as required by applicable law.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this release we refer to Adjusted EBITDA, Contribution Margin, Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Adjusted EPS, which are financial measures that have not been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We refer to these measures as “non-GAAP” financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income from operations before depreciation and amortization, adjusted for acquisition related expenses, restructuring expenses, consulting fees related to group strategy, share of profit or loss of joint venture and certain other items. Adjusted EBITDA is used by our management to evaluate our operating performance and make decisions regarding allocation of capital because it excludes the effects of certain items that have less bearing on the performance of our underlying core business. Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations are: (a) although Adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of depreciation and amortization, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future and thus the cost of replacing assets or acquiring new assets, which will affect our operating results over time, is not reflected; (b) Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect interest or certain other costs that we will continue to incur over time and will adversely affect our profit or loss, which is the ultimate measure of our financial performance and (c) other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA or similarly titled measures differently. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside our other U.S. GAAP-based financial performance measures, such as consolidated profit or loss for the period.

Contribution Margin is calculated by subtracting variable costs (such as raw materials, packaging, utilities and distribution costs) from our net sales. We believe that Contribution Margin and Contribution Margin per Metric Ton are useful because we see these measures as indicating the portion of net sales that is not consumed by such variable costs and therefore contributes to the coverage of all other costs and profits.

Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) is defined as profit or loss for the period adjusted for acquisition related expenses, restructuring expenses, consulting fees related to group strategy, certain other items (such as amortization expenses related to intangible assets acquired from our predecessor and foreign currency revaluation impacts) and assumed taxes and Adjusted EPS is defined as Adjusted Net Income divided by the weighted number of shares outstanding. Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Adjusted EPS provide guidance with respect to our underlying business performance without regard to the effects of (a) foreign currency fluctuations, and (b) the amortization of intangible assets which other companies may record as goodwill having an indefinite lifetime and thus no amortization. Other companies may use a similarly titled financial measure that is calculated differently from the way we calculate Adjusted Net Income/(Loss) and Adjusted EPS.

We define Net Working Capital as the total of inventories and current trade receivables, less trade payables. Net Working Capital is as well a non-GAAP financial measure, and other companies may use a similarly titled financial measure that is calculated differently from the way we calculate Net Working Capital.

We have not provided a reconciliation of forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA to the most comparable GAAP measure of net income. Providing net income guidance is potentially misleading and not practical given the difficulty of projecting event-driven transactions and other non-core operating items that are included in net income. Reconciliations of this non-GAAP measure with the most comparable GAAP measure for historic periods are indicative of the reconciliation that will be presented upon completion of the periods covered by the non-GAAP guidance.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP to GAAP Financial Measures

The following tables present a reconciliation of each of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP measure:

The following table reconciles Contribution Margin and Contribution Margin per Metric Ton to gross profit:

(1) Includes costs such as raw materials, packaging, utilities and distribution.

(2) Includes costs such as depreciation, amortization and impairment of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment, personnel and other production related costs.

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Orion Engineered Carbons S.A. Announces First Quarter Financial Results