(Mark One)
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2004
OR
For the transition period from ______________________ to ______________________
Commission file number 1-10258
Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (804) 330-1000
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes |X| No |_|
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes |X| No |_|
The number of shares of Common Stock, no par value, outstanding as of April 23, 2004: 38,416,700.
PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements.
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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TREDEGAR CORPORATIONNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS(Unaudited)
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Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Executive Summary
Income from continuing operations was $2.4 million (6 cents per diluted share) in the first quarter of 2004 compared with $4.9 million (12 cents per diluted share) in 2003. Gains on the sale of corporate assets, losses related to unusual items, plant shutdowns, assets impairments and restructurings and discontinued operations are described in Note 2 on page 5. The business segment review begins on page 13.
Ongoing results from our manufacturing operations were mixed, with our films business continuing to generate quarterly operating profit in the $10 million range while aluminum operating profits improved. We remain optimistic about our growth opportunities, but do not expect meaningful increases over current profit levels in films (sustainable higher profit levels compared with the recent $10 million per quarter range) until late 2004 or early 2005. In aluminum, we are somewhat encouraged by first-quarter results as we continue to address overcapacity and pricing pressures.
Our efforts to transform Therics from a research organization into a sales and profit-driven business continue. We recently completed the initial launch of our bone void filler product line, and hope to see growing acceptance of our products during the year. Quarterly operating losses at Therics are expected to continue at about the first-quarter level until meaningful sales are achieved.
During the first quarter of 2004, we received tax refunds of approximately $55 million related to the sale of our venture capital investments (see Note 2 on page 5) and used $50 million to repay revolving credit debt in April 2004.Pro forma net capitalization for this repayment and other credit measures are provided in the liquidity and capital resources section beginning on page 15.
Critical Accounting Policies
In the ordinary course of business, we make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of results of operations and financial position in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. We believe the estimates, assumptions and judgments described in the section Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Critical Accounting Policies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, have the greatest potential impact on our financial statements, so we consider these to be our critical accounting policies. These policies include our accounting for impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill, pension benefits and deferred tax assets. These policies require management to exercise judgments that are often difficult, subjective and complex due to the necessity of estimating the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. We believe the consistent application of these policies enables us to provide readers of our financial statements with useful and reliable information about our operating results and financial condition. There has been no significant change in these policies, or the estimates used in the application of these policies since our 2003 fiscal year-end.
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Results of Operations
First Quarter 2004 Compared with First Quarter 2003
Overall, sales in the first quarter of 2004 increased 7.6% compared with 2003. Net sales (sales less freight) increased in Film Products due primarily to higher raw material-driven selling prices. Volume declined by 5.8%. In Aluminum Extrusions, net sales increased mainly as a result of higher volume (up 7.4%). For more information on net sales and volume, see the business segment review beginning on page 13.
Gross profit (sales minus cost of goods sold and freight) as a percentage of sales decreased to 14.0% in 2004 from 15.6% in 2003. At Film Products, an overall lower gross profit margin was driven primarily by the loss of certain domestic backsheet business (lower overall contribution to cover fixed costs), higher raw material prices and higher manufacturing costs on new products and slower than expected new product sales. At Aluminum Extrusions, the gross profit margin increased primarily due to higher volume.
As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased slightly to 7.0% compared with 7.1% in 2003.
Research and development (R&D) expenses declined to $4.3 million in the first quarter of 2004 from $5.3 million in 2003. R&D spending at Therics declined to $2.4 million in 2004 from $3.2 million in 2003 due to cost reduction efforts. R&D spending at Film Products was $1.9 million in 2004, down $178,000 from last year.
Losses associated with plant shutdowns, asset impairments and restructurings in the first quarter of 2004 include:
Plant shutdowns, asset impairments and restructurings in the first quarter of 2003 include pretax charges of $85,000 for additional costs incurred related to previously announced plant shutdowns in Film Products.
The gain on the sale of corporate assets in the first quarter of 2004 relates to the sale of public equity securities. There were no public equity securities held at March 31, 2004. The gain is included in Other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of income and separately shown in the segment operating profit table.
Unusual items in the first quarter of 2003 include a pretax charge of $1.1 million related to an adjustment for depreciation at Therics based on Tredegars decision to suspend divestiture efforts. There were no unusual items during the first quarter of 2004.
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For more information on costs and expenses, see the business segment review beginning on page 13. See Note 2 on page 5 for information on discontinued operations.
Interest income, which is included in Other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of income, was $74,000 in 2004 and $424,000 in 2003. Interest income was down primarily due to lower average cash and cash equivalents balances (excess cash was used to repay debt in conjunction with our debt refinancing in October 2003) and lower yields earned due to lower interest rates. Our policy permits investment of excess cash in marketable securities that have the highest credit ratings and maturities of less than one year. The primary objectives of our policy are safety of principal and liquidity.
Interest expense declined to $923,000 in the first quarter of 2004 compared with $2.1 million in 2003. Average debt outstanding and interest rates were as follows:
The effective tax rate from continuing operations was 35% in the first quarter of 2004, down from 35.8% in 2003. The decline is primarily due to a higher proportion of income from foreign operations and favorable differences between foreign and U.S. effective tax rates.
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Business Segment Review
The following tables present Tredegars net sales and operating profit by segment for the first quarters ended March 31, 2004 and 2003:
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Net sales (sales less freight) and operating profit from ongoing operations are the measures of sales and operating profit used by the chief operating decision maker of each segment for purposes of assessing performance.
First-quarter net sales in Film Products were $95.9 million, up 2.7% from $93.4 million in 2003. Operating profit from ongoing operations was $10.0 million versus $13.9 million last year. Volume for the quarter was 69.1 million pounds, down 5.8% from 73.3 million pounds in 2003. The increase in sales was primarily due to higher raw material-driven selling prices.
Last years results include sales of certain domestic backsheet to P&G that were discontinued at the end of the first quarter of 2003.
Net sales, operating profit from ongoing operations and volume in the fourth quarter of 2003 were $91.5 million, $10.8 million and 67.7 million pounds, respectively.
Profits in Film Products continue to be affected by costs related to new products and slower than expected new product sales. In recent years, we have invested aggressively in developing and commercializing new elastic, apertured and specialty films. We have successfully introduced a variety of new elastic diaper laminates and feminine hygiene topsheet products to several global customers, and sales of new specialty packaging and protective films are growing. These activities are not expected to drive meaningful profit growth (sustainable higher profit levels compared with the recent $10 million per quarter range) until late 2004 or early 2005.
Capital expenditures in Film Products were $10 million in the first quarter. We expect to spend at least $40 million in 2004 compared to $57 million in 2003. About $50 million of the $97 million in capital being spent in 2003 and 2004 relates to strategic projects that support new product and global expansion efforts. If successful, these strategic projects are expected to generate incremental sales of approximately $65 million per year. Roughly $20 million of the $50 million in strategic capital is for customer-specific projects that include take-or-pay type arrangements.
More than half of the remaining $47 million is being used for cost reduction projects or for partial spending on projects that we expect will generate revenues. The balance is used in support and continuity investments, and some of the support capital is also expected to generate cost savings. More information on capital expenditures is provided in the liquidity and capital resources section beginning on page 15.
We continue to pursue opportunities in Film Products to restructure operations to improve performance, including the scheduled closing of the plant in New Bern, North Carolina in the third quarter of this year. Also, our business in San Juan, Argentina, is for sale (carrying value of net assets of approximately $3.5 million).
First-quarter net sales in Aluminum Extrusions were $95.2 million, up 12.7% from $84.5 million in 2003 while volume was up 7.4% to 58.0 million pounds from 54.0 million pounds in 2003. Operating profit from ongoing operations increased to $3.7 million, up from $1.2 million in 2003 primarily due to the increase in volume.
Our aluminum business continues to be challenged by excess capacity and competitive pressures. In April 2004, we announced the consolidation of some of our Canadian operations, including closing the plant in Aurora, Ontario. We plan to move the Aurora plants largest press to the plant in Pickering, Ontario, and invest $8 million to upgrade the press and enlarge the facility. This consolidation is expected to reduce annual operating costs by approximately $2 million.
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The Aurora plant employs 110 people and is scheduled to close by January 31, 2005. In the first quarter of 2004, we recognized charges relating to the shutdown of $9.6 million ($6.2 million after taxes or 16 cents per share), including asset impairment charges of $7.1 million and severance and other employee-related costs of $2.5 million. We anticipate recognizing additional shutdown-related costs of $2.3 million over the next ten months.
First-quarter capital expenditures in Aluminum Extrusions were $2 million and are expected to be approximately $15 million for the year. Capital expenditures related to ongoing support and continuity is about $10 million annually, or approximately the same level as depreciation ($10.9 million in 2003).
The first-quarter operating loss from ongoing operations at Therics was $2.5 million compared to a loss of $3.3 million in 2003. We recently completed the initial launch of our bone void filler product line, and hope to see growing acceptance of our products during the year. Quarterly operating losses at Therics are expected to continue at about the first-quarter level until meaningful sales are achieved.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Tredegars total assets decreased slightly to $752.2 million at March 31, 2004, from $753 million at December 31, 2003. In the first quarter of 2004, we received tax refunds of about $55 million related to the sale of the venture capital portfolio (see Note 2 on page 5). Accordingly, our cash and cash equivalents balance at the end of the quarter was $69.4 million compared to $19.9 million at December 31, 2003. We used $50 million to repay revolver debt in April 2004. Other significant changes in balance sheet items since December 31, 2003, are summarized below:
Cash provided by operating activities was $58.9 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared with $31.7 million in 2003. The increase is due primarily to the income tax refund, partially offset by higher working capital in the first quarter of 2004 compared with 2003 due to higher sales.
Cash used in investing activities was $6.2 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared with cash provided by investing activities of $6.0 million in 2003. The change is primarily attributable to proceeds from the sale of corporate assets and property disposals of $6.0 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared with proceeds from the sale of venture capital investments, net of investments made, of $18.7 million in 2003.
Capital expenditures in the first quarter of 2004 reflect the normal replacement of machinery and equipment and:
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Capital expenditures for all of 2004 are expected to be at least $40 million in Film Products and about $15 million in Aluminum Extrusions. See the business segment review beginning on page 13 for more information.
Net capitalization at March 31, 2004 and pro forma for the $50 million debt repayment in April is as follows:
Under the Credit Agreement, revolving credit borrowings are permitted up to $125 million, and $114 million was unused following the $50 million repayment in April 2004. The credit spread and commitment fees charged on the unused amount under the Credit Agreement at various indebtedness-to-adjusted EBITDA levels are as follows:
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At March 31, 2004, the interest cost on debt under the Credit Agreement was priced at one-month LIBOR plus the applicable credit spread of 125 basis points.
The computations of adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBIT, the leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio as defined in the Credit Agreement are presented below along with the related most restrictive covenants. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBIT as defined in the Credit Agreement are not intended to represent cash flow from operations as defined by GAAP and should not be considered as either an alternative to net income or to cash flow.
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Noncompliance with any one or more of the debt covenants may have an adverse effect on financial condition or liquidity in the event such noncompliance cannot be cured or should we be unable to obtain a waiver from the lenders. Renegotiation of the covenant through an amendment to the Credit Agreement may effectively cure the noncompliance, but may have an effect on financial condition or liquidity depending upon how the covenant is renegotiated.
We believe that existing borrowing availability, our current cash balances and our cash flow from operations will be sufficient to satisfy our working capital, capital expenditure and dividend requirements for the foreseeable future.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Tredegar has exposure to the volatility of interest rates, polyethylene and polypropylene resin prices, aluminum ingot and scrap prices, energy prices, foreign currencies and emerging markets. See the section on liquidity and capital resources beginning on page 15 regarding Credit Agreement and interest rate exposures.
Changes in resin prices, and the timing of those changes, could have a significant impact on profit margins in Film Products. Profit margins in Aluminum Extrusions are sensitive to fluctuations in aluminum ingot and scrap prices as well as natural gas prices. There is no assurance of our ability to pass through higher raw material and energy costs to our customers.
Resin costs for Film Products increased 26% in 2003. The changes in the price of low density polyethylene resin shown in the chart below (a primary raw material for Film Products) are generally reflective of the historical price changes of most of the resins that the company purchases.
The price of resin is driven by several factors including supply and demand and the price of natural gas, ethane and ethylene. For a portion of the volume in Film Products, our most effective means of mitigating resin price fluctuations is by passing on resin price changes to customers. Some pass-through arrangements are on a time lag, where the impact of movement in resin prices is recovered in the subsequent quarter or quarters. Many of the mechanisms for pass-through with our customers are based on published prices. We estimate that pass-through arrangements have reduced the effects of resin price volatility by about 45% since the third quarter of 2001, with the remaining exposure resulting in a possible impact on quarterly operating profit of as much as $2 million.
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In the normal course of business, we enter into fixed-price forward sales contracts with certain customers for the sale of fixed quantities of aluminum extrusions at scheduled intervals. In order to hedge our exposure to aluminum price volatility under these fixed-price arrangements, which generally have a duration of not more than 12 months, we enter into a combination of forward purchase commitments and futures contracts to acquire or hedge aluminum, based on the scheduled deliveries.
In Aluminum Extrusions, we hedge from time-to-time a portion of our exposure to natural gas price volatility by entering into fixed-price forward purchase contracts with our natural gas suppliers. During the first quarter of 2004, we had forward contracts with natural gas suppliers covering approximately 65% of our needs with an average fixed price of $5.38 per mmBtu. We had no forward contracts outstanding at March 31, 2004. We estimate that, in an unhedged situation, every $1 per mmBtu per month change in the market price of natural gas has a $150,000 impact on the monthly operating profit of Aluminum Extrusions. Lower natural gas prices had a favorable impact on ongoing operating profit of about $200,000 in the first quarter of 2004 compared with 2003.
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We sell to customers in foreign markets through our foreign operations and through exports from U.S. plants. The percentage of sales for manufacturing operations related to foreign markets for the first quarters of 2004 and 2003 are as follows:
We attempt to match the pricing and cost of our products in the same currency (except in Canada where about 70% of our sales of aluminum extrusions are U.S. Dollar-based) and generally view the volatility of foreign currencies and emerging markets, and the corresponding impact on earnings and cash flow, as part of the overall risk of operating in a global environment. Exports from the U.S. are generally denominated in U.S. Dollars. Our foreign currency exposure on income from foreign operations in Europe primarily relates to the Euro and the Hungarian Forint.
The relatively high percentage of U.S. Dollar-priced sales in Canada is partly due to the shifting of a large portion of the customers previously served by the aluminum extrusions plant in El Campo, Texas, in 2001. The resulting mismatch between the currency denomination of sales and costs causes lower U.S. Dollar translated profits when the Canadian Dollar appreciates since our costs are higher in U.S. Dollar equivalent terms while sales are mostly unaffected (the opposite effect occurs when the Canadian Dollar depreciates in value relative to the U.S. Dollar). We estimate that the appreciation of the Canadian Dollar relative to the U.S. Dollar during the first quarter of 2004 (up on average by 14.6% in the first quarter of 2004 compared with 2003 and 12.1% when comparing March 31, 2004 and 2003 exchange rates) had an adverse impact on the operating profit in Aluminum Extrusions of about $1 million compared with 2003. In Film Products, where we have been able to better match the currency of our sales and costs, we estimate that the appreciation of the Euro and Hungarian Forint relative to the U.S. Dollar in the first quarter of 2004 (up on average by 16.4% and 9.3%, respectively, in the first quarter of 2004 compared with 2003 and 12.8% and 12.6%, respectively, when comparing March 31, 2004 and 2003 exchange rates) had a positive impact on the operating profit in Film Products of about $400,000 compared with 2003. However, a portion of this gain was offset by foreign exchange losses associated with our operations in Hungary that resulted primarily from the re-measurement of certain Euro balances into Hungarian Forints (the functional currency for this operation).
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We are continuing to review the loading of our aluminum extrusions plants in North America to optimize production mix and minimize cost in light of the increase in the U.S. Dollar equivalent cost structure of our plants in Canada.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
From time to time, we may make statements that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on our then current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to the following:
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
See discussion under Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk beginning on page 18.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we carried out an evaluation, with the participation of our management, including ourprincipal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to material information relating to Tredegar required to be included in our periodic SEC filings.
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2004, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K.
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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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