Koppers Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results; Reaffirms 2023 Outlook

Koppers Holdings Inc. (“Koppers”), an integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals, and carbon compounds, today reported net income attributable to Koppers for the second quarter of 2023 of $24.5 million, or $1.15 per diluted share, compared to $11.7 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter.

Adjusted net income attributable to Koppers and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were $26.9 million and $1.26 per share for the second quarter of 2023, compared to $20.5 million and $0.97 per share in the prior year quarter.

Consolidated sales of $577.2 million, which was a record quarter, increased by $74.7 million, or 14.9 percent, compared with $502.5 million in the prior year quarter.  Excluding a $4.3 million unfavorable impact from foreign currency changes, sales increased by $79.0 million, or 15.7 percent.

The Railroad and Utility Products and Services (RUPS) business delivered record quarter sales and higher year-over-year profitability as a result of pricing increases and volume increases for crossties and utility poles, partially offset by higher raw material and operating costs.

The Performance Chemicals (PC) segment generated record quarter sales and higher year-over-year profitability driven by pricing increases from renegotiated customer contracts to offset higher costs experienced in the prior year and volume increases on a net basis globally.

The Carbon Materials and Chemicals (CMC) segment sales increased from prior year due to increased pricing; however, profitability was unfavorably impacted by higher raw material costs, partly offset by higher pricing and higher volumes in certain markets.

President and CEO Leroy Ball said, “Once again, Koppers team members worldwide delivered stellar results even under challenging market conditions.  Performance Chemicals continued to have strong year-over-year pricing and recovered most of its higher input costs, while sales volumes remained better than expected.  Railroad and Utility Products and Services notched its second-highest profitability quarter in seven years, driven by a favorable pricing environment supported by strong demand in the U.S. utility market.  Carbon Materials and Chemicals posted solid results, and at the same time, kept pace in an ever-changing backdrop impacted by the availability of raw materials and demand for end products.  I am proud of how Koppers global team continuously exceeds expectations through our unwavering focus on safety, service, quality, and reliability, enabling us to stand out in what has become a much more demanding marketplace.” 

Second Quarter Financial Performance

• RUPS reported record quarter sales of $234.4 million, an increase of $30.2 million, or 14.8 percent, compared to $204.2 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding an unfavorable impact from foreign currency changes of $0.8 million, sales increased by $31.0 million, or 15.2 percent, from the prior year quarter. The sales growth was primarily driven by $20.3 million of price increases across multiple markets, particularly for crossties and utility poles in the United States. In addition, higher volumes for crossties and utility poles also contributed to the sales increase. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $22.3 million, or 9.5 percent, compared with $13.2 million, or 6.5 percent, in the prior year quarter. Profitability increased year-over-year due primarily to the price increases and $6.5 million from improved plant utilization, partly offset by higher raw material and operating costs.
• PC generated record quarter sales of $180.9 million, an increase of $31.3 million, or 20.9 percent, compared to sales of $149.6 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding an unfavorable foreign currency impact of $2.3 million, sales increased by $33.6 million, or 22.5 percent, from the prior year quarter. The year-over-year sales growth was the result of global price increases of $21.0 million, particularly in the Americas for copper-based preservatives as well as an 8 percent increase in volumes globally, driven by the Americas and partly offset by Europe and Australasia. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $32.3 million, or 17.9 percent, compared with $20.4 million, or 13.6 percent, in the prior year quarter. Compared to the prior year quarter, profitability benefited from renegotiated customer contracts, which allowed for increased pricing in order to recapture prior year cost increases, and higher overall volumes, partly offset by higher raw material costs.
• Sales for CMC of $161.9 million increased by $13.2 million, or 8.9 percent, compared to sales of $148.7 million in the prior year quarter. Excluding an unfavorable impact from foreign currency changes of $1.3 million, sales increased by $14.5 million, or 9.8 percent, from the prior year quarter. Compared with the prior year period, sales were higher primarily due to $7.2 million in price increases as well as volume increases of refined tar in North America, partly offset by price decreases for certain other products and volume decreases of phthalic anhydride in North America. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $15.7 million, or 9.7 percent, compared with $21.0 million, or 14.1 percent, in the prior year quarter. The year-over-year decrease in profitability reflected raw material cost increases of $17.2 million, particularly in Europe and North America, partly offset by higher pricing and higher volumes in North America driving improved plant utilization.
• Capital expenditures for the six months ended June 30, 2023, were $62.6 million, compared with $55.8 million for the prior year period. Net of insurance proceeds and cash provided from asset sales, capital expenditures were $60.6 million for the current year period, compared with $51.1 million for the prior year period.

2023 Outlook

Koppers remains committed to expanding and optimizing its business and making continued progress on the company’s strategic pillars toward its long-term financial goals.  After considering global economic conditions as well as the ongoing uncertainty associated with geopolitical and supply chain challenges, Koppers continues to expect 2023 sales of approximately $2.1 billion, compared with $1.98 billion in the prior year, and 2023 adjusted EBITDA of approximately $250 million, compared with $228.1 million in the prior year.

The effective tax rate for adjusted net income attributable to Koppers in 2023 is projected to be approximately 30 percent, which is consistent with the adjusted tax rate in 2022.  Accordingly, 2023 adjusted EPS is forecasted to be approximately $4.40, compared with adjusted EPS of $4.14 in 2022.

Koppers anticipates capital expenditures of approximately $110 million to $120 million in 2023, including capitalized interest, with $40 million to $50 million of the total allocated to discretionary projects that are expected to generate returns on investment of over 20 percent.  Net of cash received from asset sales and property insurance recoveries, the net investment in capital expenditures is expected to be $105 million to $115 million.

Commenting on the forecast, Mr. Ball said, “As we close the first half of 2023, I remain confident in our ability to meet and possibly exceed our $250 million adjusted EBITDA forecast for the year.  I also believe that we remain on track to reach our $300 million adjusted EBITDA target in 2025, with several attractive opportunities that can take Koppers even further.  In the near term, we expect residential treated wood volumes to remain resilient and buck the softening trends seen in most other building products categories.  The utility pole market remains as strong as ever, and our customer base is anticipating that the demand strength will continue for the next few years, at minimum.  The railroad industry must maintain its infrastructure for safety and reliability; therefore, we are building our inventories and expect to benefit from operational efficiencies associated with higher crosstie treatment volumes.  As expected, our current challenge is balancing the volatility in CMC for coal tar and end market demand; however, we are well positioned to manage through it.  Serving a diversified mix of infrastructure-related markets through our unique, vertically integrated business model continues to serve us well and remains the biggest driver to our ongoing success.”

Koppers does not provide reconciliations of guidance for adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS to comparable GAAP measures, in reliance on the unreasonable efforts exception.  Koppers is unable, without unreasonable efforts, to forecast certain items required to develop meaningful comparable GAAP financial measures.  These items include, but are not limited to, restructuring and impairment charges, acquisition-related costs, mark-to-market commodity hedging, and LIFO adjustments that are difficult to forecast for a GAAP estimate and may be significant.

For the full second quarter results, click here.

About Koppers

Koppers, with corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an integrated global provider of treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals, and carbon compounds.  Our products and services are used in a variety of niche applications in a diverse range of end markets, including the railroad, specialty chemical, utility, residential lumber, agriculture, aluminum, steel, rubber, and construction industries.  We serve our customers through a comprehensive global manufacturing and distribution network, with facilities located in North America, South America, Australasia, and Europe.  The stock of Koppers Holdings Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “KOP.”

Contact:

Ms. Jessica Franklin Black – Media Contact – BlackJF@koppers.com – (412) 227-2025

Source: Koppers Holdings, Inc.