Agrium Reports Solid Third Quarter and Expects Strong Fall Crop Input Demand
(firmenpresse) - CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 11/05/15 -- ALL AMOUNTS ARE STATED IN U.S.$
Agrium Inc. (TSX: AGU) (NYSE: AGU) announced today 2015 third quarter net earnings from continuing operations of $99-million ($0.72 diluted earnings per share), compared to $91-million ($0.63 diluted earnings per share) in the third quarter of 2014. The increased net earnings are due to higher sales volumes of Wholesale nutrients combined with lower production costs in the Wholesale business unit, while Retail''s earnings were similar to the prior year, despite weaker market conditions.
Highlights:
"Agrium''s performance this quarter is another demonstration of the resilience of our business model. We focused on what we can control, improving our on-stream Wholesale performance and optimizing our distribution network and effectively managing costs in Retail, all of which helped drive a 9 percent increase in earnings over the same period last year despite prevailing market headwinds," commented Chuck Magro, Agrium''s President and CEO. "We see strong crop input demand during the fall application season which is now in full swing and we are confident that our strategy and business structure can continue to deliver value to all our shareholders," added Mr. Magro.
MARKET OUTLOOK
For the third consecutive year, favorable growing conditions have contributed to above-trend global grain yields. Even in geographies which faced challenging conditions early in the growing season, such as parts of the U.S. Corn Belt and Western Canada, yield prospects have come in stronger than anticipated. Despite historically high production, the outlook for grains is more positive than it was a year ago and as of the end of October 2015, cash corn prices were more than 10 percent above 2014 levels, although oilseed prices are lower year-over-year. Excluding China, the global grain stocks to use ratio is projected to decline to the lowest level since 2012/13 and the U.S. corn supply/demand balance is projected to tighten.
As a result of projected lower 2015/16 U.S. corn ending stocks, analysts project that U.S. corn area will increase in 2016. We expect normal North American crop nutrient application rates in the 2015/16 fertilizer year and expect that fall demand in 2015 will improve relative to 2014 levels as harvest progress is significantly ahead of last year, supporting a wider application window than the short 2014 season. In addition, we expect the overall planted acreage and crop mix to support increased crop nutrient demand.
The devaluation of most non-U.S. currencies over the past year has negatively impacted crop input demand and U.S. dollar prices. While growers in most market driven non-U.S. regions have realized a net benefit from lower local currency values due to improved local currency crop prices, crop nutrient prices in local currencies have increased significantly in some cases, which has been negative for demand. Currency devaluations have directly impacted crop nutrient demand and prices in Brazil and India. In Brazil, higher local prices, combined with lending constraints have negatively impacted import demand, however, downstream inventories have been drawn down to meet farm-level demand. In India, the devaluation of the rupee has pressured phosphate prices in order to be economical under the subsidy regime, while Indian buyers have delayed execution on some contracted potash volumes.
Globally, the downstream distribution network has been drawing on nutrient inventories to meet grower demand and purchasing on a just-in-time basis, which has led to relatively slow demand for all products. This has been the case in the U.S. urea market, as offshore imports of urea are estimated to be down 19 percent through the end of October 2015. The urea market has also been under pressure due to the combination of the devaluation of the Chinese yuan and lower anthracite coal prices, which have lowered the marginal cost of production. Chinese production levels in September in 2015 declined by 6 percent from August levels as a result of these market pressures and are expected to drop through the remainder of the year. Similarly for potash, strong shipments of potash in 2014 and the first half of 2015 allowed downstream inventories to increase. Buyers have been drawing upon these inventories in the second half of 2015, and prices have declined as spot sales volumes have declined. We expect pent-up demand to emerge late as fall applications occur and downstream inventories are drawn down. Similar to nitrogen and potash, phosphate demand has been slow in recent months, which has led to a reduction in phosphate production by some major producers.
UPDATED ANNUAL 2015 GUIDANCE
Based on our Market Outlook, Agrium expects to achieve annual diluted earnings per share of $7.10 to $7.40 in 2015 compared to our previous estimate of $7.00 to $7.50 per share. We have narrowed the guidance range but maintained a range width encompassing approximately $60-million of EBITDA variability to reflect the risk and opportunity associated with weather conditions and fall season length. We are assuming a normal fall season, recognizing there is always a risk that an early onset of inclement weather could bring an early close to the season. We have lowered the high-end and narrowed our anticipated Retail EBITDA range to $1.00-billion to $1.03-billion because of the impact of drought and lower crop prices on our Canadian operations in 2015.
Our annual nitrogen production target remains unchanged. We narrowed our potash production range to 1.95 million tonnes to 2.05 million tonnes for 2015.
We have updated the range for our annual effective tax rate for 2015 to 27 percent to 28 percent to reflect the anticipated geographic split of our global income. Our estimates of the Canada and U.S. foreign exchange rates and NYMEX for 2015 have been narrowed from our previous estimates based on current market conditions.
This guidance and updated additional measures and related assumptions are summarized in the table below. Guidance excludes the impact of share-based payments expense (recovery), gains (losses) on foreign exchange and non-qualifying derivative hedges and significant non-operating, non-recurring items.
2015 ANNUAL GUIDANCE RANGE AND ASSUMPTIONS
MANAGEMENT''S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
November 4, 2015
Unless otherwise noted, all financial information in this Management''s Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") is prepared using accounting policies in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and is presented in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 - Interim Financial Reporting. All comparisons of results for the third quarter of 2015 (three months ended September 30, 2015) and for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 are against results for the third quarter of 2014 (three months ended September 30, 2014) and nine months ended September 30, 2014. All dollar amounts refer to United States ("U.S.") dollars except where otherwise stated. The financial measures EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and cash cost of product manufactured used in this MD&A are not prescribed by IFRS, or in the case of EBIT, is an additional IFRS financial measure. Our method of calculation may not be directly comparable to that of other companies. We consider these non-IFRS and additional IFRS financial measures to provide useful information to both management and investors in measuring our financial performance and financial condition. These non-IFRS financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Please refer to the section entitled "Additional IFRS and Non-IFRS Financial Measures" of this MD&A for further details, including a reconciliation of such measures to their most directly comparable measure calculated in accordance with IFRS.
The following interim MD&A is as of November 4, 2015 and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Interim Financial Statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 (the "Consolidated Financial Statements"), and the annual MD&A and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014 included in our 2014 Annual Report to Shareholders. The Board of Directors carries out its responsibility for review of this disclosure principally through its Audit Committee, comprised exclusively of independent directors. The Audit Committee reviews, and prior to publication, approves this disclosure, pursuant to the authority delegated to it by the Board of Directors. No update is provided to the disclosure in our annual MD&A where there has been no material change from the discussion in our annual MD&A. In respect of Forward-Looking Statements, please refer to the section titled "Forward-Looking Statements" section of this MD&A.
2015 Third Quarter Operating Results
CONSOLIDATED NET EARNINGS
Agrium''s 2015 third quarter net earnings from continuing operations were $99-million or $0.72 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations compared to net earnings from continuing operations of $91-million or $0.63 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations for the same quarter of 2014.
Expenses
Share-based Payments
Other Expenses (Income)
In the first nine months of 2015, other expenses decreased by $8-million due to the following:
Effective Tax Rate
BUSINESS SEGMENT PERFORMANCE
Crop nutrients
Crop protection products
Seed
Merchandise
Services and other
Wholesale
Nitrogen
As of January 1, 2015, we have designated all of our natural gas derivatives as accounting hedges(1), with realized gains and losses now recorded to cost of product sold (which also includes transportation and administration costs).
Potash
Phosphate
Wholesale Other
Wholesale Earnings from Equity Investees
Other
EBITDA for our Other non-operating business unit for the third quarter of 2015 had a net expense of $44-million, compared to a net expense of $40-million for the third quarter of 2014. The variance was due to the following:
FINANCIAL CONDITION
The following are changes to working capital on our Consolidated Balance Sheets for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2015 compared to December 31, 2014.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Summary of Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Below is a summary of our cash provided by or used in operating, investing, and financing activities as reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:
Short-term Debt
Capital Management
NORMAL COURSE ISSUER BID
In January 2015, the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") accepted Agrium''s notice of intention to make a normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") whereby Agrium may purchase up to 7,185,866 common shares on the TSX and New York Stock Exchange during the period from January 26, 2015 to January 25, 2016. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we purchased 5,574,331 shares at an average share price of $100.25 for total consideration of $559-million. Shareholders can obtain a free copy of the NCIB notice submitted to the TSX from Agrium upon request.
OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA
Agrium had 138,169,000 outstanding shares at October 31, 2015. At that date, under our stock option plans, shares expected to be issued for options outstanding were negligible.
The agricultural products business is seasonal in nature. Consequently, comparisons made on a year-over-year basis are more appropriate than quarter-over-quarter comparisons. Crop input sales are primarily concentrated in the spring and fall crop input application seasons. Crop nutrient inventories are normally accumulated leading up to each application season. Our cash collections from accounts receivables generally occur after the application season is complete and our customer prepayments are mostly concentrated in December and January.
ADDITIONAL IFRS AND NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES
Certain financial measures in this MD&A are not prescribed by IFRS. We consider these financial measures discussed herein to provide useful information to both management and investors in measuring our financial performance and financial condition.
In general, an additional IFRS financial measure is a measure relevant to understanding a company''s financial performance that is not a minimum financial statement measure mandated by IFRS. A non-IFRS financial measure generally either excludes or includes amounts not excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS. Non-IFRS financial measures are not recognized measures under IFRS and our method of calculation may not be directly comparable to that of other companies. These non-IFRS measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
The following table outlines our additional IFRS financial measure, its definition and why management uses such measure.
The following table outlines our non-IFRS financial measures, their definitions and why management uses each measure.
RECONCILIATIONS OF ADDITIONAL IFRS AND NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
We prepare our financial statements in accordance with IFRS, which requires us to make judgments, assumptions and estimates in applying accounting policies. For further information on the Company''s critical accounting estimates, refer to the section "Critical Accounting Estimates" in our 2014 annual MD&A, which is contained in our 2014 Annual Report. Since the date of our 2014 annual MD&A, there have not been any material changes to our critical accounting estimates.
CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The accounting policies applied in our Consolidated Financial Statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 are the same as those applied in our audited annual financial statements in our 2014 Annual Report, with the exception of changes in accounting estimates described in note 9 of our Summarized Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
BUSINESS RISKS
The information presented in the "Enterprise Risk Management" section on pages 64 - 68 in our 2014 Annual Report and under the heading "Risk Factors" on pages 22 - 31 in our 2014 Annual Information Form has not changed materially since December 31, 2014.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the nine months ended September 30, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PUBLIC SECURITIES FILINGS
Additional information about our Company, including our 2014 Annual Information Form is filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities through SEDAR at and with the U.S. securities regulatory authorities through EDGAR at .
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements and other information included in this document constitute "forward-looking information" and/or "financial outlook" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation or constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable U.S. securities legislation (collectively, the "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this document other than those relating to historical information or current conditions are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements as to management''s expectations with respect to: 2015 annual guidance, expectations regarding nitrogen and potash production volumes; capital spending expectations for the remainder of 2015; expectations regarding 2015 production volumes at our Vanscoy potash facility; and our market outlook for the remainder of 2015 and 2016, including anticipated supply and demand for our products and services, expected market and industry conditions with respect to crop nutrient application rates, planted acres, crop mix, prices and the impact of currency fluctuations and import and export volumes. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. The purpose of the outlook provided herein is to assist readers in understanding our expected and targeted financial and operating results, and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
All of the forward-looking statements are qualified by the assumptions that are stated or inherent in such forward-looking statements, including the assumptions referred to below and elsewhere in this document. Although Agrium believes that these assumptions are reasonable, this list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the forward-looking statements and the reader should not place an undue reliance on these assumptions and such forward-looking statements. The additional key assumptions that have been made include, among other things assumptions with respect to Agrium''s ability to successfully integrate and realize the anticipated benefits of its already completed and future acquisitions and that we will be able to implement our standards, controls, procedures and policies at any acquired businesses to realize the expected synergies; that future business, regulatory and industry conditions will be within the parameters expected by Agrium, with respect to prices, margins, product availability and supplier agreements; the completion of our expansion projects on schedule, as planned and on budget; assumptions with respect to global economic conditions and the accuracy of our market outlook expectations for the remainder of 2015 and 2016; the adequacy of our cash generated from operations and our ability to access our credit facilities or capital markets for additional sources of financing; our ability to identify suitable candidates for acquisitions and negotiate acceptable terms; our ability to maintain our investment grade rating and achieve our performance targets; and our receipt, on time, of all necessary permits, utilities and project approvals with respect to our expansion projects and that we will have the resources necessary to meet the projects'' approach. Also refer to the discussion under the heading "Key Assumptions and Risks in Respect of Forward-Looking Statements" in our 2014 annual MD&A, with respect to further material assumptions associated with our forward-looking statements.
Events or circumstances that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic, market and business conditions; weather conditions, including impacts from regional flooding and/or drought conditions; crop yield and prices; the supply and demand and price levels for our major products may vary from what we currently anticipate; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities, including changes in government policy, government ownership requirements, changes in environmental, tax and other laws or regulations and the interpretation thereof, and political risks, including civil unrest, actions by armed groups or conflict, regional natural gas supply restrictions, as well as counterparty and sovereign risk; delays in completion of turnarounds at our major facilities; the risk that work on the MOPCO nitrogen facility expansion in Egypt may be interrupted again and may not be completed on the timelines currently anticipated or at all; the risk of additional capital expenditure cost escalation or delays in respect of our Borger nitrogen expansion project and the ramp-up of production following the tie-in of our Vanscoy potash expansion project; and other risk factors detailed from time to time in Agrium reports filed with the Canadian securities regulators and the Securities and Exchange Commission in the U.S. including those disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2014 and under the headings "Enterprise Risk Management" and "Key Assumptions and Risks in respect of Forward-Looking Statements" in our 2014 annual MD&A.
The purpose of our expected diluted earnings per share guidance range is to assist readers in understanding our expected and targeted financial results, and this information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Agrium disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this document as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable U.S. federal securities laws or applicable Canadian securities legislation.
OTHER
Agrium Inc. is a major producer and distributor of agricultural products and services in North America, South America, Australia and Egypt through its agricultural retail-distribution and wholesale nutrient businesses. Agrium supplies growers with key products and services such as crop nutrients, crop protection, seed, and agronomic and application services, thereby helping to meet the ever growing global demand for food and fiber. Agrium produces nitrogen, potash and phosphate fertilizers, with a combined wholesale nutrient capacity of over nine million tonnes and with competitive advantages across all product lines. Agrium retail-distribution has an unmatched network of over 1,300 facilities and over 3,000 crop consultants. We partner with over half a million grower customers globally to help them increase their yields and returns on more than 50 different crops. With a focus on sustainability, the company strives to improve the communities in which it operates through safety, education, environmental improvement and new technologies such as the development of precision agriculture and controlled release nutrient products. Agrium is focused on driving operational excellence across our businesses, pursuing value-enhancing growth opportunities and returning capital to shareholders. For more information visit: .
A WEBSITE SIMULCAST of the 2015 3rd Quarter Conference Call will be available in a listen-only mode beginning Thursday, November 5th, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. MST (11:30 a.m. EST). Please visit the following website: .
1. Corporate Information
Corporate information
Agrium Inc. ("Agrium") is incorporated under the laws of Canada with common shares listed under the symbol "AGU" on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Our Corporate head office is located at 13131 Lake Fraser Drive S.E., Calgary, Canada. We conduct our operations globally from our Wholesale head office in Calgary and our Retail head office in Loveland, Colorado, United States. In these financial statements, "we", "us", "our" and "Agrium" mean Agrium Inc., its subsidiaries and joint arrangements.
Agrium operates two business units:
Additional information on our operating segments is included in note 2.
Seasonality in our business results from increased demand for our products during planting seasons. Sales are generally higher in spring and fall.
Basis of preparation and statement of compliance
These consolidated interim financial statements ("interim financial statements") were approved for issuance by the Audit Committee on November 4, 2015. We prepared these interim financial statements in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting. These statements do not include all information and disclosures normally provided in annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with our audited annual financial statements and related notes contained in our 2014 Annual Report, available at .
The accounting policies applied in these interim financial statements are the same as those applied in our audited annual financial statements in our 2014 Annual Report, with the exception of the accounting changes described in note 9 to our interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2015.
2. Operating Segments
3. Expenses
4. Earnings per Share
5. Debt
6. Financial Instruments
Commodity price risk
Natural gas derivative financial instruments outstanding (notional amounts in millions of MMBtu)
For our natural gas derivatives designated in hedging relationships, the underlying risk of the forward contracts is identical to the hedged risk, and accordingly we have established a hedge ratio of 1:1. Due to a strong correlation between AECO future contract prices and our delivered cost, we did not experience any ineffectiveness on our hedges, and accordingly we have recorded the full change in the fair value of natural gas forward contracts designated as hedges to other comprehensive income.
Currency risk
Foreign exchange derivative financial instruments outstanding (notional amounts in millions of U.S. dollars)
There have been no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements in the nine months ended September 30, 2015 or September 30, 2014. We do not measure any of our financial instruments using Level 3 inputs.
7. Additional Information
Dividends
In May 2015, our Board of Directors approved an increase to our dividend to $3.50 U.S. per common share on an annualized basis.
Normal course issuer bid
In January 2015, the Toronto Stock Exchange accepted our Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB"). Under the NCIB, we may purchase for cancellation up to 5 percent of our currently issued and outstanding common shares until January 25, 2016. The actual number of shares purchased will be at Agrium''s discretion and will depend on market conditions, share prices, Agrium''s cash position and other factors. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we purchased 5,574,331 shares at an average share price of $100.25 for total consideration of $559-million.
Contacts:
Agrium Inc.
Investor/Media Relations:
Richard Downey
Vice President, Investor & Corporate Relations
(403) 225-7357 (FAX)
Agrium Inc.
Todd Coakwell
Director, Investor Relations
(403) 225-7437
Agrium Inc.
Louis Brown
Analyst, Investor Relations
(403) 225-7761
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