Bay Street News

Star Group, L.P. Reports Fiscal 2019 First Quarter Results

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Star Group, L.P. (the “Company” or “Star”) (NYSE:SGU), a home energy distributor and services provider, today announced financial results for its fiscal 2019 first quarter, the three month period ended December 31, 2018.

For the fiscal 2019 first quarter, Star reported a 22.5 percent increase in total revenue to $535.0 million compared with revenue of $436.8 million in the prior-year period, primarily due to a 15.8 percent increase in total volume sold as well as higher wholesale per-gallon product costs.

The volume of home heating oil and propane sold during the fiscal 2019 first quarter increased by 9.9 million gallons, or 9.6 percent, to 113.3 million gallons, as the impact of colder temperatures, acquisitions and a delivery scheduling variance was only partially offset by net customer attrition and other factors. The aforementioned scheduling-related volume differential year-over-year reflects the fact that, even as the last week of December 2017 was over 40% colder than normal, the Company’s deliveries in that prior-year quarter did not fully mirror such weather conditions. Temperatures in Star’s geographic areas of operation for the fiscal 2019 first quarter were 5.3 percent colder than during the fiscal 2018 first quarter but 0.9 percent warmer than normal, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Net income decreased by $27.9 million, or 92.3 percent, to $2.3 million as the increase in Adjusted EBITDA of $17.4 million, described below, was more than offset by a non-cash unfavorable change in the fair value of derivative instruments of $42.4 million. During the first quarter of fiscal 2018, a non-cash gain of $11.4 million was recorded as product costs increased; conversely, during the first quarter of fiscal 2019, a non-cash charge of $31.0 million was recorded as product costs declined. The Company also recorded an $11.5 million tax benefit during the three months ended December 31, 2017 to reflect the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed into law in December 2017 that did not reoccur in the three months ended December 31, 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA increased by $17.4 million, or 63.6 percent, to $44.8 million.  The combination of higher volumes sold and growth in per gallon margins led to an increase in product gross profit that more than offset higher operating expenses.

“We began fiscal 2019 with the abrupt and tragic passing of our very respected and charismatic leader, Steve Goldman,” said Dan Donovan, Star Group’s Interim Chief Executive Officer. “While it is hard to imagine Star without him here, we have maintained a steadfast commitment to quality and, in his name, continue to provide the best service available to our customers. The Board is in the process of assessing organizational changes related to Star’s long-term leadership, and we anticipate an announcement about Steve’s permanent replacement after the heating season.

“Our first quarter proceeded under relatively normal weather conditions – unlike last year – as we benefited from moderately colder temperatures along with higher volumes. At the same time, we continued to focus on finding attractive acquisitions, expanding our business, and effectively managing working capital, positioning the Company for solid operating results in the quarters to come.”

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Financial Measures)
EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, (increase) decrease in the fair value of derivatives, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal charge, net other income, gain or loss on debt redemption, goodwill impairment, and other non-cash and non-operating charges) are non-GAAP financial measures that are used as supplemental financial measures by management and external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to assess:

The method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may not be consistent with that of other companies, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA both have limitations as analytical tools and so should not be viewed in isolation but in conjunction with measurements that are computed in accordance with GAAP. Some of the limitations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are:

REMINDER:
Members of Star’s management team will host a webcast and conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on February 6, 2019. The webcast will be accessible on the company’s website, at www.stargrouplp.com, and the telephone number for the conference call is 877-327-7688 (or 412-317-5112 for international callers).

About Star Group, L.P.
Star Group, L.P. is a full service provider specializing in the sale of home heating products and services to residential and commercial customers to heat their homes and buildings. The Company also sells and services heating and air conditioning equipment to its home heating oil and propane customers and, to a lesser extent, provides these offerings to customers outside of its home heating oil and propane customer base. In certain of Star’s marketing areas, the Company provides plumbing services, primarily to its home heating oil and propane customer base. Star also sells diesel, gasoline and home heating oil on a delivery only basis. Star is the nation’s largest retail distributor of home heating oil based upon sales volume. Including its propane locations, Star serves customers in the more northern and eastern states within the Northeast, Central and Southeast U.S. regions. Additional information is available by obtaining the Company’s SEC filings at www.sec.gov and by visiting Star’s website at www.stargrouplp.com, where unit holders may request a hard copy of Star’s complete audited financial statements free of charge.

Forward Looking Information
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” which represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including those associated with the effect of weather conditions on our financial performance; the price and supply of the products we sell; the consumption patterns of our customers; our ability to obtain satisfactory gross profit margins; our ability to obtain new customers and retain existing customers; our ability to make strategic acquisitions; the impact of litigation; our ability to contract for our current and future supply needs; natural gas conversions; future union relations and the outcome of current and future union negotiations; the impact of future governmental regulations, including environmental, health and safety regulations; the ability to attract and retain employees; customer creditworthiness; counterparty creditworthiness; marketing plans; general economic conditions and new technology. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “seek,” “estimate” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Business Strategy” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations (“Cautionary Statements”) are disclosed in this news release and in the Form 10-Q. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the Cautionary Statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this news release.

(financials follow)

STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

    December 31,   September 30,
      2018       2018  
(in thousands)   (unaudited)
       
ASSETS                
Current assets                
Cash and cash equivalents   $ 23,789     $ 14,531  
Receivables, net of allowance of $8,253 and $8,002, respectively     226,692       132,668  
Inventories     76,565       56,377  
Fair asset value of derivative instruments           17,710  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     48,657       35,451  
Total current assets     375,703       256,737  
Property and equipment, net     88,742       87,618  
Goodwill     228,436       228,436  
Intangibles, net     94,119       98,444  
Restricted cash     250       250  
Investments     50,253       45,419  
Deferred charges and other assets, net     18,774       13,067  
Total assets   $ 856,277     $ 729,971  
LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS’ CAPITAL                
Current liabilities                
Accounts payable   $ 44,585     $ 35,796  
Revolving credit facility borrowings     92,500       1,500  
Fair liability value of derivative instruments     18,065        
Current maturities of long-term debt     10,000       7,500  
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities     127,610       116,436  
Unearned service contract revenue     68,832       60,700  
Customer credit balances     47,137       61,256  
Total current liabilities     408,729       283,188  
Long-term debt     89,331       91,780  
Deferred tax liabilities, net     24,367       21,206  
Other long-term liabilities     24,585       24,012  
Partners’ capital                
Common unitholders     328,633       329,129  
General partner     (1,416 )     (1,303 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes     (17,952 )     (18,041 )
Total partners’ capital     309,265       309,785  
Total liabilities and partners’ capital   $ 856,277     $ 729,971  
         
         

STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

    Three Months
Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per unit data – unaudited)     2018       2017  
Sales:                
Product   $ 458,707     $ 366,734  
Installations and services     76,320       70,100  
Total sales     535,027       436,834  
Cost and expenses:                
Cost of product     306,226       242,780  
Cost of installations and services     74,317       69,555  
(Increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments     31,039       (11,400 )
Delivery and branch expenses     102,673       91,204  
Depreciation and amortization expenses     7,745       7,741  
General and administrative expenses     7,815       6,651  
Finance charge income     (851 )     (763 )
Operating income     6,063       31,066  
Interest expense, net     (2,516 )     (2,087 )
Amortization of debt issuance costs     (259 )     (309 )
Income before income taxes     3,288       28,670  
Income tax expense (benefit)     973       (1,512 )
Net income   $ 2,315     $ 30,182  
General Partner’s interest in net income     15       175  
Limited Partners’ interest in net income   $ 2,300     $ 30,007  
                 
Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit:   $   0.04     $   0.45  
Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding:                
Basic and Diluted       52,905         55,888  
                 
                 

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA
(Unaudited)

    Three Months
Ended December 31,
(in thousands)     2018       2017  
Net income   $ 2,315     $ 30,182  
Plus:                
Income tax (benefit) expense     973       (1,512 )
Amortization of debt issuance cost     259       309  
Interest expense, net     2,516       2,087  
Depreciation and amortization     7,745       7,741  
EBITDA     13,808       38,807  
(Increase) / decrease in the fair value of derivative
  instruments
    31,039       (11,400 )
Adjusted EBITDA     44,847       27,407  
Add / (subtract)                
Income tax benefit (expense)     (973 )     1,512  
Interest expense, net     (2,516 )     (2,087 )
Provision for losses on accounts receivable     1,529       311  
Increase in accounts receivables     (95,743 )     (96,193 )
Increase in inventories     (20,187 )     (11,886 )
Increase in customer credit balances     (14,120 )     (14,294 )
Change in deferred taxes     (616 )     (2,740 )
Change in other operating assets and liabilities     24,888       34,734  
Net cash used in operating activities   $ (62,891 )   $ (63,236 )
Net cash used in investing activities   $ (8,112 )   $ (37,891 )
Net cash provided by financing activities   $ 80,261     $ 69,808  
                 
Home heating oil and propane gallons sold     113,300       103,400  
Other petroleum products     41,900       30,700  
Total all products     155,200       134,100  
                 

CONTACT:
Star Group, L.P.
Investor Relations
203/328-7310

Chris Witty
Darrow Associates
646/438-9385 or cwitty@darrowir.com