• Advanced Emissions Solutions Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results

    ソース: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 08 3 2022 16:55:12   America/New_York

    GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADES) (the "Company" or "ADES") today filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K and reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2021, including information about its equity investments in Tinuum Group, LLC ("Tinuum Group") and Tinuum Services, LLC ("Tinuum Services") (collectively "Tinuum"), of which ADES owns 42.5% and 50%, respectively.

    Advanced Purification Technologies (“APT”) Highlights

    • Fourth quarter revenue totaled $23.3 million compared to $16.3 million in the prior year. Full year revenue totaled $85.9 million compared to $53.9 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter APT Segment operating income was $0.8 million compared to $0.7 million in the prior year. Full year APT Segment operating income totaled $5.6 million in 2021 compared to an operating loss of $40.0 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA totaled $1.9 million compared to $2.3 million in the prior year. Full year APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA totaled $8.6 million in 2021 compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $6.6 million in 2020.
    • The APT segment experienced record revenue and production for the full year 2021.

    Tinuum & Refined Coal (“RC”) Highlights

    • Tinuum's fourth quarter distributions to ADES totaled $7.3 million compared to $20.2 million in the prior year. Full year distributions totaled $74.0 million compared to $62.4 million in 2020.
    • Royalty earnings from Tinuum Group in the fourth quarter were $2.5 million compared to $3.5 million in the prior year. Full year royalty earnings totaled $14.4 million compared to $13.4 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter RC Segment operating income was $9.1 million compared to $8.2 million in the prior year. Full year RC Segment operating income totaled $82.6 million compared to $42.7 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA was $9.6 million compared to $23.5 million in the prior year. Full year RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA was $87.9 million compared to $74.6 million in 2020.
    • After-tax net RC cash flows to ADES are projected to approximate $4.0 million to $5.0 million during the first half of 2022 as Tinuum winds down its operations.

    ADES Consolidated Highlights

    • Fourth quarter consolidated revenue was $25.8 million compared to $19.7 million in the prior year. Full year consolidated revenue was $100.3 million compared to $67.4 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter consolidated net income was $5.8 million compared to $0.4 million in the prior year. Full year consolidated net income was $60.4 million compared to a net loss of $20.3 million in 2020.
    • Fourth quarter consolidated Adjusted EBITDA was $9.1 million compared to $23.4 million in the prior year. Full year consolidated Adjusted EBITDA was $84.9 million compared to $55.1 million in 2020.
    • As of December 31, 2021, cash balances, including restricted cash, totaled $88.8 million, an increase of $52.8 million compared to the prior year. The Company's only debts outstanding are finance lease obligations.
    • In May 2021, the Company initiated a strategic review to assess a range of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. There is no assurance that the review process will result in pursuing or completing any action or transaction, and no timetable has been set for completion of this process. The Company has been encouraged by continued progress and will provide an update as appropriate.

    “The strong demand environment for our APT segment persisted through the end of the year and drove a 45% increase in segment revenue in the fourth quarter compared to the prior year,” said Greg Marken, CEO of ADES. “Continued high prices for alternative energy sources such as natural gas, coupled with the cold winter months, along with fully implementing the Cabot Supply Agreement, are supporting strong performance for the APT segment and delivering better gross margin leverage compared to 2020. With capacity utilization high, we continue to source inventory from third parties to meet rising customer demand and expect inventory tightness and general supply-chain constraints to remain in the near-term and to continue to weigh on our margin profile. We are working to offset margin pressures through methodical adjustments in pricing, as contracts become eligible for repricing, and we have been successful at better aligning new contract terms to current market conditions. Looking ahead to 2022, we expect volumes and our plant utilization to remain elevated, though we anticipate some gross margin compression due to elevated levels of third party purchases and rising input costs. More broadly, we remain focused on diversifying our end market mix and advancing our technologies alongside partners like Cascade Environmental for the soil and groundwater remediation market.”

    Marken concluded, “We are also updating our forecast for the expected after-tax net RC cash flows and wind down of Tinuum. Net of collections during the fourth quarter, we now expect between $4.0 million and $5.0 million of cash flows from Tinuum to ADES during the first half of 2022. Lastly, we continue to undertake our previously announced strategic review and remain focused on fulfilling our customer commitments and running the business efficiently as this process progresses.”

    Fourth Quarter & Full Year 2021 Results

    Fourth quarter revenues and costs of revenues were $25.8 million and $16.9 million, respectively, compared with $19.7 million and $12.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. Full year revenues and costs of revenues were $100.3 million and $65.6 million, respectively, compared with $67.4 million and $50.4 million in 2020. The increase in revenue was primarily the result of higher sales of consumables.

    Fourth quarter royalty earnings from Tinuum Group were $2.5 million compared to $3.5 million in the prior year. The decline in the fourth quarter was the result of fewer invested, royalty-bearing facilities compared to the prior year, as facilities were beginning to cease producing refined coal in the fourth quarter. Full year royalty earnings totaled $14.4 million compared to $13.4 million in 2020. The increase was primarily the result of a greater number of invested, royalty-bearing facilities for the majority of the year compared to the prior year. Royalty income is based upon a percentage of the per-ton, pre-tax margin, inclusive of impacts related to depreciation expense and other allocable expenses.

    Fourth quarter other operating expenses were $8.1 million compared to $6.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily the result of higher payroll and benefit costs, as well as higher legal and professional fees. Full year other operating expenses were $29.9 million compared to $57.9 million in 2020. The decrease was primarily driven by an impairment charge of $26.1 million that was recognized during the second quarter of 2020 as well as a decrease in general and administrative expenses.

    Fourth quarter earnings from equity method investments were $6.8 million compared to $5.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. Full year earnings from equity method investments were $68.7 million, compared to $31.0 million in 2020. The increase in earnings from equity method investments is first attributable to distributions recorded into earnings as a result of distributions from Tinuum Group being in excess of the carrying value of the investment, and, therefore, excess distributions are recognized as equity method earnings in the period in which the distributions occur. Tinuum Group also had an increased number of RC facilities for the majority of 2021 due to the three new RC facilities added during 2020.

    Fourth quarter interest expense was $0.1 million, compared to $0.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. Full year interest expense was $1.5 million, compared to $3.9 million in 2020. The decrease in interest expense was primarily driven by the full repayment, during the second quarter of 2021, of amounts outstanding on the term loan used to fund the Carbon Solutions acquisition.

    Fourth quarter income tax expense was $1.7 million, compared to an income tax expense of $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. Full year tax expense was $15.7 million, compared to $6.5 million of income tax expense in 2020. The change in income tax expense was largely driven by increased sales and related higher margins, increased equity earnings and lower interest expense, which were partially offset by higher operating expenses.

    Fourth quarter net income was $5.8 million, compared to $0.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2020. The increase was driven by higher pre-tax income and a higher income tax expense in 2020. Full year net income was $60.4 million, compared to net loss of $20.3 million in 2020. The net loss in prior year was driven by an impairment charge of $26.1 million recognized during the second quarter of 2020.

    Fourth quarter consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $9.1 million compared to $23.4 million in 2020. Full year consolidated Adjusted EBITDA was $84.9 million compared to $55.1 million in 2020. The increase in adjusted EBITDA for the full year was largely driven by higher consumables revenue and higher equity earnings compared to 2020. See note below regarding the use of the Non-GAAP financial measure Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP financial measure.

    Conference Call and Webcast Information

    The Company has scheduled a conference call to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The conference call webcast information will be available via the Investor Resources section of ADES's website at www.advancedemissionssolutions.com. Interested parties may also participate in the call by registering at http://events.q4inc.com/attendee/852428952. A supplemental investor presentation will be available on the Company's Investor Resources section of the website prior to the start of the conference call. As part of the conference call, ADES will conduct a question-and-answer session. Investors are invited to email their questions in advance to ADES@alpha-ir.com.

    About Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc.

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. serves as the holding entity for a family of companies that provide emissions solutions to customers in the power generation and other industries.

    ADAADA brings together ADA Carbon Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of powder activated carbon ("PAC") and ADA-ES, Inc., the providers of ADA® M-Prove™ Technology.  We provide purification solutions to coal-fired utilities, industrials and other diverse markets. Our broad suite of complementary products control contaminants and help our customers meet their compliance objectives consistently and reliably.
      
    CarbPure
    Technologies
    CarbPure Technologies LLC, (“CarbPure”), formed in 2015 provides high-quality PAC and granular activated carbon ideally suited for treatment of potable water and wastewater. Our affiliate company, ADA Carbon Solutions, LLC manufactures the products for CarbPure.
      
    TINUUMTinuum Group, LLC (“Tinuum Group”) is a 42.5% owned joint venture by ADA that provides patented Refined Coal (“RC”) technologies to enhance combustion of and reduce emissions of NOx and mercury from coal-fired power plants.
      

    Caution on Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which provides a “safe harbor” for such statements in certain circumstances. The forward-looking statements include projection on future after-tax, net RC cash flows and results from the Company's review of strategic alternatives, among other matters. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, opportunities for additional sales of our lignite activated carbon products and end-market diversification, the outcome of the review of strategic alternatives, our ability to meet customer supply requirements, the rate of coal-fired power generation in the United States, timing of new and pending regulations and any legal challenges to or extensions of compliance dates of them; the US government’s failure to promulgate regulations that benefit our business; changes in laws and regulations, IRS interpretations or guidance, accounting rules, any pending court decisions, prices, economic conditions and market demand; impact of competition; availability, cost of and demand for alternative energy sources and other technologies; technical, start up and operational difficulties; competition within the industries in which we operate; loss of key personnel; ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic downturn on our operations and prospects; as well as other factors relating to our business, as described in our filings with the SEC, with particular emphasis on the risk factor disclosures contained in those filings. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and to consult filings we have made and will make with the SEC for additional discussion concerning risks and uncertainties that may apply to our business and the ownership of our securities. In addition to causing our actual results to differ, the factors listed above may cause our intentions to change from those statements of intention set forth in this press release. Such changes in our intentions my also cause or results to differ. We may change our intentions, at any time and without notice, based upon changes in such factors, our assumptions, or otherwise. The forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this press release.

    Source: Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc.

    Investor Contact:

    Alpha IR Group
    Chris Hodges or Ryan Coleman
    312-445-2870
    ADES@alpha-ir.com


    TABLE 1

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Balance Sheets

      As of December 31,
    (in thousands, except share data)  2021   2020 
    ASSETS    
    Current assets:    
    Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cast $78,753  $30,932 
    Receivables, net  12,622   13,125 
    Receivables, related party  2,481   3,453 
    Inventories, net  7,850   9,882 
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets  6,661   4,597 
    Total current assets  108,367   61,989 
    Restricted cash, long-term  10,027   5,000 
    Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $7,684 and $3,340, respectively  30,171   29,433 
    Intangible assets, net  1,237   1,964 
    Equity method investments  2,391   7,692 
    Deferred tax assets, net     10,604 
    Other long-term assets, net  33,243   29,989 
    Total Assets $185,436  $146,671 
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY    
    Current liabilities:    
    Accounts payable $10,009  $7,849 
    Accrued payroll and related liabilities  6,477   3,257 
    Current portion of long-term debt  1,011   18,441 
    Other current liabilities  5,124   12,996 
    Total current liabilities  22,621   42,543 
    Long-term debt, net of current portion  3,152   5,445 
    Other long-term liabilities  12,362   13,473 
    Total Liabilities  38,135   61,461 
    Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)    
    Stockholders’ equity:    
    Preferred stock: par value of $.001 per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized, none outstanding      
    Common stock: par value of $.001 per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 23,460,212 and 23,141,284 shares issued and 18,842,066 and 18,523,138 shares outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively  23   23 
    Treasury stock, at cost: 4,618,146 and 4,618,146 shares as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively  (47,692)  (47,692)
    Additional paid-in capital  102,106   100,425 
    Retained earnings  92,864   32,454 
    Total stockholders’ equity  147,301   85,210 
    Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ equity $185,436  $146,671 


    TABLE 2

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Statements of Operations

      Years Ended December 31,
    (in thousands, except per share data)  2021   2020 
    Revenues:    
    Consumables $85,882  $53,908 
    License royalties, related party  14,368   13,440 
    Other  44   15 
    Total revenues  100,294   67,363 
    Operating expenses:    
    Consumables cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization  65,576   50,962 
    Other cost of revenues, exclusive of depreciation and amortization     (563)
    Payroll and benefits  11,315   10,621 
    Legal and professional fees  6,260   5,585 
    General and administrative  7,060   8,228 
    Depreciation, amortization, depletion and accretion  7,933   8,537 
    Gain on change in estimate, asset retirement obligation  (2,702)   
    Impairment of long-lived assets     26,103 
    Gain on settlement     (1,129)
    Total operating expenses  95,442   108,344 
    Operating income (loss)  4,852   (40,981)
    Other income (expense):    
    Earnings from equity method investments  68,726   30,978 
    Gain on extinguishment of debt  3,345    
    Interest expense  (1,490)  (3,920)
    Other  640   132 
    Total other income  71,221   27,190 
    Income (loss) before income tax expense  76,073   (13,791)
    Income tax expense  15,672   6,511 
    Net income (loss) $60,401  $(20,302)
    Earnings (loss) per common share (Note 1):    
    Basic $3.31  $(1.12)
    Diluted $3.27  $(1.12)
    Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:    
    Basic  18,258   18,044 
    Diluted  18,461   18,044 
    Cash dividends declared per common share outstanding: $  $0.25 


    TABLE 3

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

      Years Ended December 31,
    (in thousands)  2021   2020 
    Cash flows from operating activities    
    Net income (loss) $60,401  $(20,302)
    Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:    
    Deferred income tax expense  10,604   3,491 
    Depreciation, amortization, depletion and accretion  7,933   8,537 
    Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs  945   1,418 
    Operating lease expense  2,038   3,559 
    Gain on extinguishment of debt  (3,345)   
    Gain on change in estimate, asset retirement obligation  (2,702)   
    Impairment of long-lived assets     26,103 
    Gain on settlement     (1,129)
    Recovery of accounts receivable and other receivables  (36)  (990)
    Stock-based compensation expense  1,927   2,496 
    Earnings from equity method investments  (68,726)  (30,978)
    Other non-cash items, net  (173)  192 
    Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquired businesses:    
    Receivables, net  540   (2,541)
    Related party receivables  972   794 
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets  (2,064)  3,234 
    Inventories, net  1,394   4,748 
    Other long-term assets, net  1,838   (1,005)
    Accounts payable  1,977   (196)
    Accrued payroll and related liabilities  3,220   233 
    Other current liabilities  (8,279)  (520)
    Operating lease liabilities  (2,764)  (2,200)
    Other long-term liabilities  (2,645)  (3,337)
    Distributions from equity method investees, return on investment  22,944   62,441 
    Net cash provided by operating activities $25,999  $54,048 
    Cash flows from investing activities    
    Distributions from equity method investees in excess of cumulative earnings  51,082    
    Acquisition of property, equipment and intangible assets, net  (6,201)  (6,685)
    Mine development costs  (1,398)  (781)
    Proceeds from sale of property and equipment  895    
    Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities  44,378   (7,466)
    Cash flows from financing activities    
    Principal payments on term loan  (16,000)  (24,000)
    Principal payments on finance lease obligations  (1,190)  (1,360)
    Dividends paid  (93)  (4,979)
    Borrowings from Paycheck Protection Program Loan     3,305 
    Repurchase of shares to satisfy tax withholdings  (246)  (537)
    Repurchase of common shares     (159)
    Net cash used in financing activities  (17,529)  (27,730)
    Increase in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash  52,848   18,852 
    Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, beginning of year  35,932   17,080 
    Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash, end of year $88,780  $35,932 
    Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:    
    Cash paid for interest $524  $2,489 
    Cash paid (received) for income taxes $8,882  $(84)
    Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:    
    Change in accrued purchases for property and equipment $183  $ 
    Change in asset retirement obligation $121  $421 
    Acquisition of property and equipment under finance lease $  $158 
    Dividends payable $  $32 


    Note on Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    To supplement our financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, we are providing non-GAAP measures of certain financial performance. These non-GAAP measures include Consolidated EBITDA, Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, RC Segment EBITDA, RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA, APT Segment EBITDA and APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA. We have included non-GAAP measures because management believes that they help to facilitate period to period comparisons of our operating results. We believe the non-GAAP measures provide useful information to both management and users of the financial statements by excluding certain expenses, gains and losses that may not be indicative of core operating results and business outlook. Management uses these non-GAAP measures in evaluating the performance of our business.

    These non-GAAP measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. These measures should only be used to evaluate our results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures.

    We define Consolidated EBITDA as net income adjusted for the impact of the following items that are either non-cash or that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance: depreciation, amortization, depletion, accretion, amortization of upfront customer consideration that was recorded as a component of the Marshall Mine Acquisition ("Upfront Customer Consideration"), interest expense, net and income tax expense. We define Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA as Consolidated EBITDA, reduced by the non-cash impacts of equity earnings from equity method investments, gain on change in estimate of asset retirement obligations, gain on extinguishment of debt and gain on customer settlement, and increased by cash distributions from equity method investments and impairment of long-lived assets. Because Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA omits certain non-cash items, we believe that the measure is less susceptible to variances that affect our operating performance.

    We define APT Segment EBITDA (loss) as APT Segment operating income (loss) adjusted for the impact of the following items that are either non-cash or that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance: depreciation, amortization, depletion, accretion, amortization of Upfront Customer Consideration and interest expense, net. We define APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA (loss) as APT Segment EBITDA (loss) reduced by gain on extinguishment of debt, gain on change in estimate of asset retirement obligation, gain on customer settlement and increased by impairment of long-lived assets.

    We define RC Segment EBITDA as RC Segment operating income adjusted for the impact of the following items that are either non-cash or that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance: depreciation, amortization, depletion, accretion and interest expense. We define RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA as RC Segment EBITDA reduced by the non-cash impact of equity earnings from equity method investments and gain on extinguishment of debt and increased by cash distributions from equity method investments.

    When used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, we believe these non-GAAP measures are supplemental measures of operating performance that explain our operating performance for our period to period comparisons and against our competitors' performance. Generally, we believe these non-GAAP measures are less susceptible to variances that affect our operating performance results.

    With the exception of extinguishment of debt, gain on change in estimate, asset retirement obligation, impairment on long-lived assets and gain on settlement, the adjustments to Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA and APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA in future periods are generally expected to be similar. These non-GAAP measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP.

    TABLE 4

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation to Net Income (Loss)
    (Amounts in thousands)

      Three Months Ended December 31, Year ended December 31,
    (in thousands)  2021   2020   2021   2020 
    Net income (loss) $5,821  $430  $60,401  $(20,302)
    Depreciation, amortization, depletion and accretion  1,778   2,730   7,933   8,537 
    Amortization of Upfront Customer Consideration  127   158   508   158 
    Interest expense, net  (24)  819   1,164   3,793 
    Income tax expense  1,659   5,196   15,672   6,511 
    Consolidated EBITDA (loss)  9,361   9,333   85,678   (1,303)
    Cash distributions from equity method investees  7,275   20,213   74,026   62,441 
    Equity earnings  (6,782)  (5,019)  (68,726)  (30,978)
    Gain on extinguishment of debt        (3,345)   
    Gain on change in estimate, asset retirement obligation  (760)     (2,702)   
    Impairment           26,103 
    Gain on settlement     (1,129)     (1,129)
    Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA $9,094  $23,398  $84,931  $55,134 


    TABLE 5

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation to Segment Operating Income
    (Amounts in thousands)

      Three Months Ended December 31, Year ended December 31,
    (in thousands)  2021   2020   2021   2020 
    RC Segment operating income $9,117  $8,235  $82,634  $42,689 
    Depreciation, amortization, depletion and accretion  (1)  32   40   116 
    Interest expense  1   77   12   331 
    RC Segment EBITDA  9,117   8,344   82,686   43,136 
    Cash distributions from equity method investees  7,275   20,213   74,026   62,441 
    Equity earnings  (6,782)  (5,019)  (68,726)  (30,978)
    Gain on extinguishment of debt        (97)   
    RC Segment Adjusted EBITDA $9,610  $23,538  $87,889  $74,599 


    TABLE 6

    Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. and Subsidiaries
    APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation to Segment Operating Income (Loss)
    (Amounts in thousands)

      Three Months Ended December 31, Year ended December 31,
    (in thousands)  2021   2020   2021   2020 
    APT Segment operating income (loss) $785  $691  $5,649  $(39,958)
    Depreciation, amortization, depletion and accretion  1,682   2,484   7,388   7,870 
    Amortization of Upfront Customer Consideration  127   158   508   158 
    Interest expense, net  64   128   297   402 
    APT Segment EBITDA (loss)  2,658   3,461   13,842   (31,528)
    Gain on extinguishment of debt        (2,562)   
    Gain on change in estimate, asset retirement obligation  (760)     (2,702)   
    Impairment           26,103 
    Gain on settlement     (1,129)     (1,129)
    APT Segment Adjusted EBITDA (loss) $1,898  $2,332  $8,578  $(6,554)

     


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