U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2020 Results

- Second quarter revenue of $172.5 million

- GAAP and adjusted EPS for the quarter of $(0.44) and $(0.09) per share, respectively

- Continued right-sizing Oil & Gas segment structure through supply chain optimization

- Targeting over $40 million in cost reductions, up from $25 million previously

KATY, Texas, July 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLCA), a diversified industrial minerals company and the leading last-mile logistics provider to the oil and gas industry (the "Company"), today announced second quarter 2020 results, including a net loss of $32.4 million, or $(0.44) per basic and diluted share.

The second quarter results were negatively impacted by $33.4 million, or $0.35 per share, of charges related to asset impairments, plant startup and expansion, facility closure costs, and other adjustments, resulting in adjusted EPS for the second quarter of $(0.09) per basic and diluted share.

"I am extremely proud of our colleagues for delivering strong second quarter results, while continuing to prioritize health and safety, during these challenging times," said Bryan Shinn, chief executive officer. "Our operations and logistics teams did a stellar job of rapidly and aggressively right-sizing our cost structure to minimize the impact of sharply lower oilfield activity and weaker demand for some industrial sand products in the quarter. We have made commendable progress but still have additional cost reduction opportunities, particularly in the area of leased railcar costs. We continue to actively work with key lessors to complete necessary lease amendments to make our ongoing railcar costs sustainable over the long term."

"In July, we are experiencing a rebound in whole grain industrial sand sales as customers restart temporarily idled plants. We also expect our filtration product lines to continue to perform well, driven by robust consumer demand for food and beverage products. In the third quarter, Oil & Gas segment proppant volumes and SandBox loads are expected to increase sequentially," he added.

"Finally, while many industry peers pursue financial restructuring, we are keenly focused on serving our customers and maintaining a strong balance sheet. We remain confident that the strategic actions we have taken to further improve our cost structure will pay off handsomely once we return to a more normalized operating environment," he concluded.

Second Quarter 2020 Highlights

Total Company

• Revenue of $172.5 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $269.6 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 36% sequentially and down 56% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Overall tons sold of 1.904 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with 4.161 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2020, down 54% sequentially and down 61% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Net loss of $32.4 million, or $(0.44) per basic and diluted share, for the second quarter of 2020, compared with net income of $6.2 million, or $0.08 earnings per basic and diluted share, for the second quarter of 2019.
• Contribution margin of $61.3 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $76.2 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 20% sequentially and down 50% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $40.8 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $48.2 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 16% sequentially and down 52% from the second quarter of 2019.

Industrial and Specialty Products

• Revenue of $100.0 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $113.9 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 12% sequentially and down 18% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Tons sold totaled 0.792 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with 0.959 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2020, down 17% sequentially and down 19% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Segment contribution margin of $35.1 million, or $44.34 per ton, for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $43.3 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 19% sequentially and down 30% from the second quarter of 2019.

The Industrial & Specialty Products segment experienced a 19% sequential decrease in contribution margin due to lower sales volumes as a result of the temporary idling of some sand customer facilities in the month of May and generally weaker demand from housing and automotive end markets due to the impacts of COVID-19. In addition to reduced volumes, the segment's contribution margin was impacted by lower fixed cost absorption across mixed-use plants and unfavorable customer mix.

Volumes and profits in the Company's filtration business, however, were flat sequentially due to robust demand for filtration media used in the food and beverage industry. In the second quarter, the Company initiated multiple trials and bench-scale testing for its blood plasma filtration product line with key multinational biopharma customers that yielded promising initial results. U.S. Silica also secured two new long-term contracts with multinational building materials companies for both whole grain and ground silica volumes.

Oil & Gas

• Revenue of $72.5 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $155.7 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 53% sequentially and down 73% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Tons sold of 1.112 million for the second quarter of 2020 compared with 3.202 million tons sold in the first quarter of 2020, down 65% sequentially and down 72% from the second quarter of 2019.
• Segment contribution margin of $26.2 million, or $23.53 per ton, for the second quarter of 2020 compared with $32.9 million in the first quarter of 2020, down 20% sequentially and down 63% from the second quarter of 2019.

In the Oil & Gas segment, the Company sold 1.112 million tons in the second quarter, down 65% from the prior quarter, as a result of sharply lower frac activity and well completions. However, despite the precipitous decline in oilfield activity, proppant pricing declined only 3% sequentially thanks to the strength of U.S. Silica's contract portfolio. The sharp reduction in proppant volumes was offset by $16.7 million of customer shortfall penalties and solid execution on the Company's cost-out program, which resulted in a 20% decline in segment contribution margin.

SandBox loads declined 71% during the quarter, in line with the reduction in completions activity, but are expected to increase meaningfully in the third quarter as key customers return to work and add more frac crews. During the quarter, SandBox was awarded full-service work with three leading operators in the Permian and Eagle Ford basins. The Company also signed a new delivered-to-the-well agreement with a leading energy customer in the quarter. With the recent addition of the Arrows Up offering to the U.S. Silica portfolio, the Company believes it now has a roughly one-third share in the last-mile logistics market.

Capital Update

As of June 30, 2020, the Company had $158.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $63.0 million, including $12.0 million allocated for letters of credit, available under its credit facilities. Total debt outstanding under our credit facilities as of June 30, 2020 was $1.266 billion.

Capital expenditures in the second quarter totaled $7.1 million and were primarily associated with maintenance, cost improvement, and growth capital projects. The Company's forecast of capital expenditures for the full year 2020 is approximately $30.0 million, unchanged from the previous guidance and 75% lower than 2019 capital expenditures of $118.4 million.

Outlook  and Guidance

In the Industrial and Specialty Products segment, the Company expects a rebound in third quarter whole grain and higher-margin ground silica volumes as customers that had temporarily idled their facilities in May ramp back up. U.S. Silica's outlook calls for continued strength in its diatomaceous earth and specialty clays business, where market demand for filtration media remains robust.

As a result, the Company expects the ISP segment's contribution margin to be up 5%-10% in the third quarter compared with the second quarter. Fourth quarter volumes and profitability are expected to be similar to third quarter levels, although visibility remains limited given the highly uncertain economic environment.

In the Oil & Gas segment, U.S. Silica forecasts a mid-single-digits percentage increase in third quarter proppant volumes and a meaningful increase in SandBox loads. However, due to second quarter benefits from customer shortfall penalties, segment contribution margin is expected to be down sequentially, but the Company expects the underlying business should be stronger.

In the fourth quarter, the Company presently expects a mid-single-digits sequential increase in both proppant volumes and loads but acknowledges that visibility is limited. Unlike the past two years, where E&P budget exhaustion has resulted in a drop-off in fourth quarter activity, some customers have indicated the potential for a modest sequential increase this year, especially if WTI prices remain above $40/bbl.

Conference Call

U.S. Silica will host a conference call for investors today, July 31, 2020 at 7:30 a.m. Central Time to discuss these results. Hosting the call will be Bryan Shinn, chief executive officer, and Don Merril, executive 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) 869-3847 or for international callers, (201) 689-8261. A replay will be available shortly after the call and can be accessed by dialing (877) 660-6853 or for international callers, (201) 612-7415. The conference ID for the replay is 13707078. The replay will be available through August 31, 2020.