U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Announces Financial Guidance and Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2012 Results

• Company posts record earnings and revenue for the quarter and the year
• Revenue increased 50% in 2012
• Adjusted EBITDA improved 61% over full year 2011
• EPS increased 146% in 2012 compared with 2011

FREDERICK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2013-- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA) announced today net income of $21.8 million or $0.41 per basic and diluted share for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012 compared with net income of $10.0 million or $0.20 per basic and diluted share for the same period in 2011.

Bryan A. Shinn, president and chief executive officer of the company commented, “2012 was truly exceptional for U.S. Silica, starting with our successful initial public offering at the beginning of the year and concluding with record financial results for the full twelve months. Our success is due largely to the power of our business model, our strong customer relationships and the drive and determination of our talented group of employees.” Shinn continued, “Looking ahead, we have strategically positioned ourselves well in all of our major markets to provide a strong platform for sustained growth and increased profitability in 2013.”

Fiscal 2012 Highlights

Total Company

• Revenue totaled $441.9 million compared with $295.6 million in 2011, driven primarily by strength in the Oil and Gas Proppants segment.
• Overall sales volumes increased to 7.2 million tons or 14% above the prior year sales volume of 6.3 million tons.
• Contribution margin totaled $193.7 million compared with $120.6 million in 2011.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $150.6 million or 34.0% of revenue compared with $93.6 million or 31.7% of revenue in 2011.
• Net income was $79.2 million or $1.50 per basic and diluted share compared with $30.3 million or $0.61 per basic and diluted share for the full year 2011.
• Cash and cash equivalents at Dec. 31, 2012 totaled $61.0 million versus $59.2 million at Dec. 31, 2011.

Fourth Quarter 2012 Highlights

Total Company

• Revenue totaled $118.8 million compared with $83.6 million for the same period in 2011, an improvement of 42.1%. The increase was driven primarily by strength in the Oil and Gas Proppants segment.
• Overall sales volumes increased to 1.8 million tons or 10.0% above the fourth quarter of 2011.
• Contribution margin for the quarter of $50.5 million was $12.2 million or 32% higher than the same period last year.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $39.0 million or 32.8% of revenue compared with $27.2 million or 32.5% of revenue for the same period last year.
• Net income was $21.8 million compared with $10.0 million in the fourth quarter 2011, an improvement of 117.0%.

Oil and Gas

• Revenue for the quarter totaled $70.9 million compared with $37.8 million in the same period in 2011.
• Segment contribution margin was $37.5 million versus $23.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Industrial and Specialty Products

• Revenue for the quarter totaled $47.9 million compared with $45.9 million for the same period in 2011.
• Segment contribution margin was $13.0 million versus $14.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Capital Update

As of Dec. 31, 2012, the Company had $61.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and $32.1 million available under its credit facilities. Total outstanding debt at Dec. 31, 2012 totaled $255.4 million. Capital expenditures in 2012 totaled $105.7 million and were associated primarily with investments in a new resin-coated proppant plant in Rochelle, IL, a new Greenfield mine in Sparta, WI and various investments in its logistics network company-wide.

In December, 2012, the Company amended its credit facility which increases the commitment from $35 million to $50 million, garners more favorable fees and terms and extends the length of the agreement by one year.

Outlook and Guidance

The company expects first quarter 2013 revenues of approximately $115 million to $123 million and adjusted EBITDA of between $36 million and $39 million. For the full year, 2013, the Company anticipates adjusted EBITDA in the range of $165 million to $175 million. In addition, the Company expects capital expenditures of between $50 million to $60 million and an effective tax rate of approximately 27% to 28%.

Conference Call

U.S. Silica will host a conference call for investors today, Feb. 26, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. Hosting the call will be Bryan A. Shinn, President and Chief Executive Officer and Don Merril, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Investors are invited to listen to a live webcast of the conference call by visiting the “Investor Resources” section of the Company’s website at www.ussilica.com. The webcast will be archived for one year. The call can also be accessed live over the telephone by dialing (877) 705-6003 or for international callers, (201) 493-6725. A replay will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by dialing (877) 870-5176, or for international callers, (858) 384-5517. The Passcode for the replay is 408533. The replay of the call will be available through March 26, 2013.

About U.S. Silica

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is the second largest domestic producer of commercial silica, a specialized mineral that is a critical input into the oil and gas proppants end market. The company also processes ground and unground silica sand for a variety of industrial and specialty products end markets such as glass, fiberglass, foundry molds, municipal filtration and recreational uses. During its 100-plus year history, U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. has developed core competencies in mining, processing, logistics and materials science that enable it to produce and cost-effectively deliver over 250 products to customers across these end markets. U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in Frederick, MD.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and speak only as of this date. Forward-looking statements made include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact and may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding U.S. Silica’s growth opportunities, strategy, future financial results, forecasts, projections, plans and capital expenditures, and the commercial silica industry. Forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements. Among these factors are: (1) fluctuations in demand for commercial silica; (2) the cyclical nature of our customers’ businesses; (3) operating risks that are beyond our control; (4) federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing; (5) our ability to implement our capacity expansion plans within our current timetable and budget; (6) loss of, or reduction in, business from our largest customers; (7) increasing costs or a lack of dependability or availability of transportation services or infrastructure; (8) our substantial indebtedness and pension obligations; (9) our ability to attract and retain key personnel; (10) silica-related health issues and corresponding litigation; (11) seasonal and severe weather conditions; and (12) extensive and evolving environmental, mining, health and safety, licensing, reclamation and other regulation (and changes in their enforcement or interpretation). Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in U.S. Silica’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

        U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS   Three Months Ended December 31,   2012     2011   (in thousands, except per share amounts) Sales $ 118,846 $ 83,631 Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation, depletion and amortization) 70,988 50,051 Operating expenses Selling, general and administrative 11,542 6,856 Advisory fees to parent - 8,313 Depreciation, depletion and amortization   7,179     5,363     18,721     20,532   Operating income 29,137 13,048 Other (expense) income Interest expense (3,244 ) (3,902 ) Other income, net, including interest income   3,931     528     687     (3,374 ) Income before income taxes 29,824 9,674 Income tax (expense) benefit   (8,030 )   371   Net income $ 21,794   $ 10,045     Earnings per share: Basic $ 0.41 $ 0.20 Diluted $ 0.41 $ 0.20           U.S. SILICA HOLDINGS, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS   December 31,  

2012

   

2011

  (in thousands) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 61,022 $ 59,199 Accounts receivable, net 59,564 46,600 Inventories, net 39,835 29,307 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 6,738 8,561 Deferred income tax, net 10,108 28,007 Income tax receivable   -     3,895   Total current assets   177,267     175,569   Property, plant and mine development, net 414,218 336,788 Debt issuance costs, net 2,111 1,291 Goodwill 68,403 68,403 Trade names 10,436 10,436 Customer relationships, net 6,531 6,942 Other assets   7,844     6,367   Total assets $ 686,810   $ 605,796     LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY Current Liabilities: Book overdraft $ 5,390 $ 5,588 Accounts payable 37,333 36,579 Accrued liabilities 9,481 9,875 Accrued interest 2 1,659 Current portion of long-term debt 2,433 6,364 Income tax payable 20,596 - Current portion of deferred revenue   4,855     10,393   Total current liabilities   80,090     70,458   Long-term debt 252,992 255,425 Note payable to parent - 15,000 Liability for pension and other post-retirement benefits 52,747 52,078 Deferred revenue - 2,128 Deferred income tax, net 59,111 75,915 Other long-term obligations   10,176     12,858   Total liabilities 455,116 483,862   Commitments and contingencies   Stockholders’ Equity: Common stock 529 500 Preferred stock - - Additional paid-in capital 163,579 103,757 Retained earnings 82,731 30,038 Treasury stock, at cost (970 ) - Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (14,175 )   (12,361 ) Total stockholders’ equity   231,694     121,934   Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 686,810   $ 605,796      

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of our financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income as a measure of operating performance, cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for management’s discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements. Adjusted EBITDA contains certain other limitations, including the failure to reflect our cash expenditures, cash requirements for working capital needs and cash costs to replace assets being depreciated and amortized, and excludes certain non-recurring charges that may recur in the future. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and by using Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. Our measure of Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation.

        Three Months Ended December 31,   2012     2011   (in thousands) Net income $ 21,794 $ 10,045 Total interest expense, net of interest income 3,193 3,866 Provision for taxes (benefit) 8,030 (371 ) Total depreciation, depletion and amortization expenses   7,179     5,363   EBITDA 40,196 18,903 Non-cash deductions, losses and charges(1) 379 (526 ) Non-recurring expenses (income)(2) (3,737 ) (733 ) Transaction expenses(3) - - Permitted management fees and expenses(4) - 8,312 Non-cash incentive compensation(5) 668 555 Post-employment expenses (excluding service costs)(6) 450 422 Other adjustments allowable under our existing credit agreements   1,015     269   Adjusted EBITDA $ 38,971   $ 27,202  

Source: U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.
Michael Lawson, 301-682-0304
Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
lawsonm@USSilica.com