Balchem Corporation Reports Record Fourth Quarter Sales of $166.5 Million, GAAP EPS of $0.63 and Adjusted EPS of $0.88

NEW HAMPTON, N.Y., Feb. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balchem Corporation BCPC today reported for the fourth quarter 2019 net earnings of $20.4 million, compared to net earnings of $20.3 million for the fourth quarter 2018. Fourth quarter adjusted net earnings^(a) were $28.4 million, compared to $25.1 million in the prior year quarter.  Fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA^(a) was $40.0 million, compared to $39.6 million in the prior year quarter.  Balchem Corporation also reported for the full year 2019 net earnings of $79.7 million, compared to net earnings of $78.6 million for 2018. Full year adjusted net earnings^(a) were $103.7 million, compared to $97.7 million in the prior year.  Full year adjusted EBITDA^(a) was $160.0 million, compared to $159.3 million in the prior year.

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Highlights:

• Fourth quarter net sales of $166.5 million, an increase of $3.0 million, or 1.8%, compared to the prior year quarter.
• Year over year quarterly sales growth in three of the four segments, with all-time record sales in Human Nutrition and Health and Animal Nutrition and Health, and record fourth quarter sales in Specialty Products.
• Fourth quarter GAAP net earnings of $20.4 million were slightly higher than the prior year. These net earnings resulted in GAAP earnings per share of $0.63.
• Quarterly adjusted net earnings of $28.4 million increased $3.3 million or 12.9% from the prior year, resulting in adjusted earnings per share^(a) of $0.88.
• Fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA was $40.0 million, an increase of $0.4 million, or 1.0%, from the prior year.
• Quarterly cash flows from operations were $33.0 million for the fourth quarter 2019 with quarterly free cash flow^(a) of $26.3 million.

Full Year 2019 Financial Highlights:

• Full year net sales of $643.7 million were slightly higher than the prior year.
• Year over year sales growth in three of the four segments, with all-time record sales in Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products, offset by reduced sales in Industrial Products.
• Full year GAAP net earnings were $79.7 million, an increase of $1.1 million, or 1.4% from the prior year. These net earnings resulted in GAAP earnings per share of $2.45.
• Full year adjusted net earnings of $103.7 million increased $5.9 million or 6.1% from the prior year, resulting in adjusted earnings per share^(a) of $3.19.
• Full year adjusted EBITDA was $160.0 million, an increase of $0.7 million, or 0.5%, from the prior year.
• Full year cash flows from operations were $124.5 million for 2019 with full year free cash flow^(a) of $96.1 million.

Recent Highlights:

• On December 13, 2019, we acquired Zumbro River Brand, Inc. ("Zumbro"), headquartered in Albert Lea, MN.  Zumbro specializes in developing, marketing, and manufacturing agglomerated and extruded products for the food and beverage industry and is a market leader in high protein and specialty extruded snacks, cereals, and crisps, marketed under the brands Z-Crisps®, Whey-Os™, Whey-Vs™, and Z-Texx Complete™.  This business will be integrated within Balchem's Human Nutrition and Health Segment.
• On December 17, 2019, we declared a $16.9 million dividend on common stock of $0.52 per share, a 10.6% increase over the prior year cash dividend, representing the tenth consecutive year of double-digit dividend growth.

Ted Harris, Chairman, CEO, and President of Balchem said, "Our fourth quarter results saw sales growth in three of our four segments, record adjusted net earnings, and continued strong cash conversion. Record quarterly sales for Human Nutrition and Health and Animal Nutrition and Health, along with record fourth quarter Specialty Products sales, were partially offset by significantly lower Industrial Products sales to the oil and gas fracking market."

Mr. Harris added, "The Balchem team made meaningful progress in 2019 on our strategic growth initiatives, while delivering solid full year financial results. At the same time, we acquired Chemogas NV in May 2019 and Zumbro in December 2019, enhancing our strategic positioning and strengthening our customer offerings."

Results for Period Ended December 31, 2019 (unaudited)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter of 2019:

The Human Nutrition & Health segment generated fourth quarter sales of $90.3 million, an increase of $3.0 million or 3.4% compared to the prior year quarter. The increase was primarily driven by higher sales within our Ingredient Solutions business, partially offset by lower Cereal Systems volumes. Quarterly earnings from operations for this segment of $9.2 million decreased $3.1 million or 25.3% compared to $12.3 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to certain manufacturing inefficiencies, higher bad debt expense, and a non-cash restructuring charge, partially offset by the aforementioned higher sales.  Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets for the fourth quarter of 2019 and 2018 of $4.8 million and $5.3 million, respectively, adjusted earnings from operations^(a) for this segment were $15.2 million, compared to $17.6 million in the prior year quarter.

The Animal Nutrition & Health segment generated quarterly sales of $48.4 million, an increase of $1.3 million or 2.8% compared to the prior year quarter.  The increase was primarily the result of higher volumes and improved product mix within both our monogastric and ruminant species businesses.  Fourth quarter earnings from operations for this segment of $9.4 million were up from the prior year comparable quarter of $7.0 million, primarily due to the aforementioned higher sales and certain lower raw material costs, partially offset by continued competitive pressures on volume and pricing in the European monogastric business.  Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets of $0.2 million in each of the fourth quarters of 2019 and 2018, adjusted earnings from operations for this segment were $9.6 million, compared to $7.2 million in the prior year quarter.

The Specialty Products segment generated fourth quarter sales of $24.0 million, an increase of $6.5 million or 36.8% compared to the prior year quarter, primarily due to higher sales of ethylene oxide for the medical device sterilization market due to both the contribution of Chemogas and higher legacy product sales, partially offset by lower volumes in the plant nutrition business. Fourth quarter earnings from operations for this segment were $6.2 million, versus $5.8 million in the prior year comparable quarter, an increase of $0.5 million or 8.0%, primarily due to the aforementioned higher sales, partially offset by mix and higher operating expenses due to the acquisition of Chemogas.  Excluding the effect of non-cash expense associated with amortization of acquired intangible assets for the fourth quarters of 2019 and 2018 of $1.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively, adjusted earnings from operations for this segment were $7.9 million, compared to $6.5 million in the prior year quarter.

The Industrial Products segment sales of $3.8 million decreased $7.8 million or 67.3% from the prior year comparable quarter, primarily due to reduced sales volumes of choline and choline derivatives used in shale fracking applications.  Earnings from operations for the Industrial Products segment were $0.3 million, a decrease of $1.8 million or 84.1% compared with the prior year comparable quarter, primarily due to the aforementioned lower sales volumes.

Consolidated gross margin for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 of $54.3 million increased by $3.0 million or 5.9%, compared to $51.3 million for the prior year comparable period.  Gross margin as a percentage of sales was 32.6% as compared to 31.4% in the prior year period, an increase of 125 basis points.  The increase was primarily due to mix and certain lower raw material costs.  Operating expenses of $30.7 million for the quarter increased $6.6 million from the prior year comparable quarter, primarily due to incremental operating expenses related to the Chemogas and Zumbro acquisitions, increased transaction and integration costs, higher bad debt expense, and a non-cash restructuring charge in the Human Nutrition & Health segment. Excluding non-cash operating expenses associated with amortization of intangible assets of $6.4 million, operating expenses were $24.3 million, or 14.6% of sales.

Interest expense was $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Our effective tax rates for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 were 8.9% and 19.5%, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate from the prior year is primarily due to discrete items, particularly related to tax reform clarifying regulations, incremental R&D tax credits, and certain lower state taxes.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2019, strong cash flows provided by operating activities were $33.0 million, and free cash flow was $26.3 million. The $162.7 million of net working capital on December 31, 2019 included a cash balance of $65.7 million, which reflects fourth quarter 2019 capital expenditures and intangible assets acquired of $6.7 million.  The Company continues to invest in projects across all facilities to improve capabilities and operating efficiencies.

Ted Harris, Chairman, President, and CEO of Balchem said, "We delivered record fourth quarter sales and adjusted net earnings, leading to solid overall results for the full year 2019.  Despite significant headwinds in the quarter and throughout the year, particularly within Industrial Products, we were able to deliver both top and bottom-line growth, highlighting the strength and resilience of our business model."

Mr. Harris went on to add, "We are well positioned to continue to drive growth into the future and look forward to progressing our organic growth initiatives and seeking value-creating acquisitions in 2020."

Quarterly Conference Call

A quarterly conference call will be held on Friday, February 21, 2020, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) to review fourth quarter 2019 results. Ted Harris, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President and Martin Bengtsson, CFO will host the call.  We invite you to listen to the conference by calling toll-free 1-877-407-8290 (local dial-in 1-201-689-8344), five minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the conference call.  The conference call will be available for replay two hours after the conclusion of the call through end of day Friday, March 6, 2020.  To access the replay of the conference call, dial 1-877-660-6853 (local dial-in 1-201-612-7415), and use conference ID #13698852.

Segment Information

Balchem Corporation reports four business segments: Human Nutrition & Health; Animal Nutrition & Health; Specialty Products; and Industrial Products. The Human Nutrition & Health segment delivers customized food and beverage ingredient systems, as well as key nutrients into a variety of applications across the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries. The Animal Nutrition & Health segment manufactures and supplies products to numerous animal health markets. Through Specialty Products, Balchem provides specialty-packaged chemicals for use in healthcare and other industries, and also provides chelated minerals to the micronutrient agricultural market. The Industrial Products segment manufactures and supplies certain derivative products into industrial applications.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect Balchem's expectation or belief concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Balchem can give no assurance that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements will prove correct and various factors could cause results to differ materially from Balchem's expectations, including risks and factors identified in Balchem's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statement. Balchem assumes no duty to update its outlook or other forward-looking statements as of any future date. 

Contact:  Mary Ann Brush, Balchem Corporation (Telephone: 845-326-5600)

Selected Financial Data (unaudited)
($ in 000's)

Business Segment Net Sales:

Business Segment Earnings Before Income Taxes:

Balchem Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Dollars in thousands)
(unaudited)

Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to disclosing financial results in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures that we believe are helpful in understanding and comparing our past financial performance and our future results. The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the company exclude certain business combination accounting adjustments and certain other items related to acquisitions, certain unallocated equity compensation, and certain one-time or unusual transactions. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, and the financial results calculated in accordance with GAAP and reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about the Company's core operating results and thus are appropriate to enhance the overall understanding of the Company's past financial performance and its prospects for the future. The non-GAAP financial measures in this press release include adjusted gross margin, adjusted earnings from operations, adjusted net earnings and the related adjusted per diluted share amounts, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted income tax expense, and free cash flow. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, other expense/income, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, other expense/income, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, transaction and integration costs, indemnification settlements, legal settlements, ERP implementation costs, unallocated legal fees, the fair valuation of acquired inventory, and restructuring costs.  Adjusted income tax expense is defined as income tax expense adjusted for the impact of ASU 2016-09.  Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures and capitalized ERP implementation costs.

Set forth below are reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Table 1

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures to GAAP
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of Net Income calculated using amounts determined in accordance with GAAP to EBITDA and to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Table 2
(unaudited)

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of our GAAP effective income tax rate to our non-GAAP effective income tax rate for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Table 3
(unaudited)

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Table 4
(unaudited)