- Increased quarterly cash distribution
by 2.9% sequentially, or 12% compared to the first quarter 2017
distribution, to $0.3975 per unit, the thirteenth consecutive
quarterly increase in distributions
- Quarterly net income attributable to
the Partnership of $12.3 million
- Quarterly MLP distributable cash flow
of $14.5 million
- Quarterly distribution coverage ratio
of 1.13x
Westlake Chemical Partners LP (NYSE: WLKP) (the "Partnership")
today reported net income attributable to the Partnership of $12.3
million, or $0.36 per limited partner unit, for the three months
ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $2.5 million
compared to first quarter 2017 net income attributable to the
Partnership of $9.8 million. The increase in net income
attributable to the Partnership was primarily due to the
Partnership's increased ownership interest in Westlake Chemical
OpCo LP ("OpCo") effective as of July 1, 2017 and increased
production as compared to the prior-year period. Cash flows
provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2018 were
$106.2 million, a decrease of $42.9 million compared to
first quarter 2017 cash flows provided by operating activities of
$149.1 million. The decrease in cash flows provided by operating
activities was due to a decrease in working capital that occurred
in the first quarter of 2017 as OpCo collected certain
reimbursements from Westlake Chemical Corporation (“Westlake”)
associated with the turnaround and 250 million pound expansion of
OpCo’s Petro 1 facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana during 2016. For
the three months ended March 31, 2018, MLP distributable
cash flow was $14.5 million, an increase of $3.1 million compared
to first quarter 2017 MLP distributable cash flow of
$11.4 million. The increase in MLP distributable cash flow as
compared to the prior-year period was primarily due to the
Partnership's increased ownership interest in OpCo. The first
quarter of 2017 was negatively impacted by the turnaround and 100
million pound expansion of OpCo’s Calvert City facility, which
began in March and was completed in April 2017.
First quarter 2018 net income attributable to the Partnership of
$12.3 million, or $0.36 per limited partner unit, decreased by
$3.2 million from fourth quarter 2017 net income attributable to
the Partnership of $15.5 million due to lower third party sales
prices and decreased production resulting from a power outage and
supply constraints for industrial gases. First quarter 2018 cash
flows provided by operating activities of $106.2 million decreased
by $29.2 million compared to fourth quarter 2017 cash flows from
operations of $135.4 million. The decrease in cash flows
provided by operations was primarily due to lower third party sales
prices, decreased production and changes in working capital. First
quarter 2018 MLP distributable cash flow of $14.5 million decreased
by $2.3 million compared to fourth quarter 2017 MLP distributable
cash flow of $16.8 million due to lower third party sales prices
and decreased production.
On September 29, 2017, the Partnership issued and sold
5,175,000 common units representing limited partner interests in
the Partnership for $113.9 million. The Partnership used the net
proceeds of the public offering and approximately $118.6 million of
borrowings under the $600 million senior unsecured revolving
credit agreement with a subsidiary of Westlake to acquire an
additional 5% interest in OpCo for $229.2 million, effective as of
July 1, 2017.
On April 30, 2018, the Board of Directors of Westlake
Chemical Partners GP LLC, the general partner of the Partnership,
announced a quarterly distribution for the first quarter of 2018 of
$0.3975 per limited partner unit to be payable on
May 24, 2018 to unit holders of record as of
May 10, 2018. The first quarter 2018 distribution
increased 12% compared to the first quarter 2017 distribution and
2.9% compared to the fourth quarter 2017 distribution. MLP
distributable cash flow provided coverage of 1.13x the declared
distributions for the first quarter of 2018.
OpCo's Ethylene Sales Agreement with Westlake is designed to
provide for stable and predictable cash flows. The agreement
provides that 95% of OpCo's ethylene production is sold to Westlake
for a cash margin of $0.10 per pound, net of operating costs,
maintenance capital expenditures and reserves for future turnaround
expenditures.
"We are pleased with the Partnership's performance for the first
quarter of 2018. We continue to benefit from the 350 million pounds
of ethylene capacity that has been added over the past two years
and the additional ownership in OpCo acquired in the third quarter
of 2017. This quarter we increased our distribution for the
thirteenth consecutive quarter and are evaluating all opportunities
available to continue to grow our cash flows and distributions,"
said Albert Chao, President and Chief Executive Officer.
The statements in this release and the related teleconference
relating to matters that are not historical facts, such as those
with respect to opportunities to continue to grow our cash flows
and distributions, are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially, based on
factors including, but not limited to, operating difficulties; the
volume of ethylene that we are able to sell; the price at which we
are able to sell ethylene; changes in the price and availability of
feedstocks; changes in prevailing economic conditions; actions of
Westlake Chemical Corporation; actions of third parties; inclement
or hazardous weather conditions, including flooding, and the
physical impacts of climate change; environmental hazards; changes
in laws and regulations (or the interpretation thereof); inability
to acquire or maintain necessary permits; inability to obtain
necessary production equipment or replacement parts; technical
difficulties or failures; labor disputes; difficulty collecting
receivables; inability of our customers to take delivery; fires,
explosions or other industrial accidents; our ability to borrow
funds and access capital markets; and other risk factors. For more
detailed information about the factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially, please refer to the Partnership's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2017, which was filed with the SEC in
March 2018.
This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury
Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat
one hundred percent (100.0%) of the Partnership's distributions to
non-U.S. investors as being attributable to income that is
effectively connected with a United States trade or
business. Accordingly, the Partnership's distributions to non-U.S.
investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the
highest applicable effective tax rate.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This release makes reference to certain "non-GAAP" financial
measures, such as MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA, as
defined in Regulation G of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended. We report our financial results in accordance
with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), but
believe that certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as MLP
distributable cash flow and EBITDA, provide useful supplemental
information to investors regarding the underlying business trends
and performance of our ongoing operations and are useful for
period-over-period comparisons of such operations. These non-GAAP
financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not
as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial measures
prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of MLP
distributable cash flow and EBITDA to net income and net cash
provided by operating activities can be found in the financial
schedules at the end of this release. We define distributable cash
flow as net income plus depreciation, amortization and disposition
of property, plant and equipment, less contributions from
turnaround reserves and maintenance capital expenditures. We define
MLP distributable cash flow as distributable cash flow less
distributable cash flow attributable to Westlake's noncontrolling
interest in OpCo and distributions attributable to the incentive
distribution rights holder. MLP distributable cash flow does not
reflect changes in working capital balances. We define EBITDA as
net income before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and
amortization. Because MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA may be
defined differently by other companies in our industry, our
definitions of MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA may not be
comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.
Westlake Chemical Partners LP
Westlake Chemical Partners is a limited partnership formed by
Westlake Chemical Corporation to operate, acquire and develop
ethylene production facilities and other qualified assets.
Headquartered in Houston, the Partnership owns an 18.3% interest in
Westlake Chemical OpCo LP. Westlake Chemical OpCo LP's assets
consist of three ethylene production facilities in Calvert City,
Kentucky, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and an ethylene pipeline. For
more information about Westlake Chemical Partners LP, please visit
http://www.wlkpartners.com.
Westlake Chemical Partners LP Conference Call Information:
A conference call to discuss Westlake Chemical Partners' first
quarter 2018 results will be held Thursday, May 3, 2018
at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (11:00 AM Central Time). To access the
conference call, dial (855) 765-5686 or (234) 386-2848 for
international callers, approximately 10 minutes prior to the
scheduled start time and reference passcode 6086876.
This call will be available for replay beginning at 2:00 PM
Eastern Time until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on
May 10, 2018. To hear a replay, dial (855) 859-2056 or
(404) 537-3406 for international callers. The replay passcode is
6086876.
The conference call will also be available via
webcast at: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/kuk4tmwe and
the earnings release can be obtained via the Partnership web page
at: http://investors.wlkpartners.com/CorporateProfile.
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS")
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited) Three Months Ended March
31, 2018 2017 (In
thousands of dollars, except per unit data) Revenue Net
sales—Westlake Chemical Corporation ("Westlake") $ 235,031 $
212,930 Net co-product, ethylene and other sales—third parties
49,241 64,518 Total net sales 284,272
277,448 Cost of sales 191,767 179,487
Gross profit 92,505 97,961 Selling, general and administrative
expenses 7,133 7,828 Income from
operations 85,372 90,133
Other income (expense) Interest
expense—Westlake (4,866 ) (5,460 ) Other income, net 491
1,658 Income before income taxes 80,997 86,331
Provision for income taxes 283 303 Net
income 80,714 86,028
Less: Net income attributable to
noncontrolling interests in Westlake Chemical OpCo LP ("OpCo")
68,419 76,264
Net income
attributable to Westlake Partners $ 12,295
$ 9,764 Net income per limited partners
unit attributable to Westlake Partners (basic and diluted) Common
units $ 0.36 $ 0.35 Subordinated units $ — $ 0.35
Distributions declared per unit $ 0.3975 $ 0.3549
MLP distributable cash flow $ 14,510 $ 11,447
Distributions declared Limited partner units—public $
7,201 $ 4,591 Limited partner units—Westlake 5,613 5,012 Incentive
distribution rights 733 231 Total
distributions declared $ 13,547 $ 9,834 EBITDA $
113,561 $ 121,941
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL
PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS") CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
March
31, 2018
December 31, 2017 (In thousands of
dollars) ASSETS Current assets Cash and cash equivalents
$ 24,980 $ 27,008 Receivable under the Investment Management
Agreement—Westlake Chemical
Corporation ("Westlake")
134,712 136,510 Accounts receivable, net—Westlake 43,257 43,884
Accounts receivable, net—third parties 19,017 18,083 Inventories
5,171 5,590 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 161
314 Total current assets 227,298 231,389
Property, plant and equipment, net 1,183,409 1,196,245 Other
assets, net 81,897 87,642
Total
assets $ 1,492,604 $
1,515,276 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities (accounts payable and accrued liabilities) $
37,287 $ 40,240 Long-term debt payable to Westlake 477,608 473,960
Other liabilities 2,386 2,327 Total
liabilities 517,281 516,527 Common
unitholders—public 410,786 411,228 Common unitholder—Westlake
49,872 50,265 General partner—Westlake (241,839 ) (241,958 )
Accumulated other comprehensive income 298 279
Total Westlake Partners partners' capital 219,117 219,814
Noncontrolling interest in OpCo 756,206
778,935 Total equity 975,323 998,749
Total liabilities and equity $
1,492,604 $ 1,515,276
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS")
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited) Three Months Ended March
31, 2018 2017 (In
thousands of dollars) Cash flows from operating
activities Net income $ 80,714 $ 86,028 Adjustments to
reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 27,698 30,150 Other balance sheet
changes (2,190 ) 32,900 Net cash provided by
operating activities 106,222 149,078
Cash flows from investing activities Additions to property,
plant and equipment (9,679 ) (23,168 ) Maturities of investments
with Westlake under the Investment Management Agreement 112,000 —
Investments with Westlake under the Investment Management Agreement
(110,000 ) — Other — 1,682 Net cash
used for investing activities (7,679 ) (21,486 )
Cash flows from financing activities Proceeds from debt
payable to Westlake 3,648 17,000 Repayment of debt payable to
Westlake — (11,423 ) Quarterly distributions to noncontrolling
interest retained in OpCo by Westlake (91,148 ) (89,617 ) Quarterly
distributions to unitholders (13,071 ) (9,478 ) Net
cash used for financing activities (100,571 ) (93,518
) Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (2,028 )
34,074 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
27,008 88,900 Cash and cash equivalents at end
of period $ 24,980 $ 122,974
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS")
RECONCILIATION OF MLP DISTRIBUTABLE CASH FLOW TO NET INCOME
AND NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES
(Unaudited)
Three MonthsEnded
December31,
Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
2018 2017 (In thousands of
dollars) Net cash provided by operating
activities $ 135,441 $ 106,222
$ 149,078 Changes in operating assets and liabilities
and other (37,126 ) (25,508 ) (63,050 )
Net
Income $ 98,315 $ 80,714
$ 86,028 Add: Depreciation,
amortization and disposition of property, plant and
equipment
27,889 28,265 30,150 Less: Contribution to turnaround reserves
(7,939 ) (4,148 ) (7,239 ) Maintenance capital expenditures (9,694
) (7,979 ) (8,490 ) Incentive distribution rights (614 ) (733 )
(231 ) Distributable cash flow attributable to noncontrolling
interest in
OpCo
(91,149 ) (81,609 ) (88,771 )
MLP
distributable cash flow $ 16,808 $
14,510 $ 11,447
WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS")
RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA TO NET INCOME AND NET CASH
PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES (Unaudited)
Three MonthsEnded
December31,
Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
2018 2017 (In thousands of
dollars) Net cash provided by operating
activities $ 135,441 $ 106,222
$ 149,078 Changes in operating assets and liabilities
and other (37,126 ) (25,508 ) (63,050 )
Net
Income $ 98,315 $ 80,714
$ 86,028 Add: Depreciation and
amortization 27,483 27,698 30,150 Interest expense 4,269 4,866
5,460 Provision for income taxes 355 283
303
EBITDA $ 130,422
$ 113,561 $ 121,941
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Westlake Chemical Partners LPInvestors:Steve Bender,
713-585-2900orMedia:L. Benjamin Ederington, 713-585-2900
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