Ingevity reports second quarter 2023 financial results

Ingevity Corporation (NYSE: NGVT) today reported its financial results for the second quarter 2023.

Second quarter net sales of $481.8 million rose 15% versus the prior year quarter as price increases across all segments, higher volumes in Performance Materials and the Performance Chemicals’ Pavement Technologies business line, including the addition of the Ozark road markings acquisition (Ozark), more than offset weaker volumes in the Performance Chemicals’ Industrial Specialties business line and Advanced Polymer Technologies.

Net income of $35.5 million anddiluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.97 decreased 41% and 37%, respectively, and were negatively impacted by restructuring and other charges recorded during the quarter as well as higher interest and integration-related expenses associated with the Ozark acquisition. Adjusted EBITDA remained flat versus the prior year quarter at $120.7 million with adjusted EBITDA margin of 25.1%.

“This quarter we delivered double-digit revenue growth and maintained strong adjusted EBITDA margins in a challenging economic environment. Sales in our Performance Materials segment and Pavement Technologies business line were up due to an improved automotive market and a strong paving season, which more than offset weakness in the Industrial Specialties business line, particularly in our rosin end markets. In Advanced Polymer Technologies, EBITDA more than tripled as we implemented margin improvement initiatives and benefited from lower input costs,” said John Fortson, president and CEO. “Our strong results in this environment reflect our broad portfolio of products that serve diverse end markets across all regions. In addition, we began to take actions to better align our cost structure with current economic conditions and the continuing margin pressure on crude tall oil (CTO) based products. We remain disciplined in managing costs while delivering specialty products and technologies that purify, protect, and enhance the world around us.”

Performance Chemicals

Sales in the Performance Chemicals segment were $284.0 million, up 17% from prior year.

Industrial Specialties posted sales of $143.1 million, down 14%, due to lower volumes attributed primarily to weaker demand in our rosin end markets. Pavement Technologies sales increased to $140.9 million, driven by both higher volume and pricing in legacy pavement applications and sales associated with Ozark.

Segment EBITDA was $44.9 million, down 27%, reflecting lower sales volumes in Industrial Specialties and higher CTO cost, resulting in a segment EBITDA margin of 15.8%.

“Pavement Technologies saw increased sales from our Ozark acquisition bolstered by a record quarter in our legacy business as a result of technology adoption and regional expansion, driving increased volumes that supported higher prices. Industrial Specialties sales continued to feel the impact of reduced customer demand, particularly in rosin end markets, and lingering destocking,” said Fortson. “The segment’s EBITDA decline and margin compression reflect the elevated CTO pricing we are experiencing coupled with weaker rosin end market demand and we expect to feel these pressures in the segment for the remainder of the year. We continue to see success in our alternative fatty acid-based products in the marketplace, executing our strategy to diversify our raw material stream in this segment.”

Advanced Polymer Technologies

Sales in the Advanced Polymer Technologies (APT) segment were flat at $53.2 million as we saw strength in our key growth areas of automotive and bioplastics, which was offset by lower volumes primarily in footwear. Segment EBITDA more than tripled to $11.6 million and segment EBITDA margin improved to 21.8% due to our margin improvement initiatives and lower input costs.

“APT had a solid quarter with year over year pricing gains and growth in automotive and bioplastics helping offset volume weakness in footwear and industrials,” said Fortson. “Pricing actions and cost management, in addition to improved input costs, particularly energy, overcame volume softness and FX headwinds, resulting in a significant margin improvement, a true reflection of our APT team’s focus on delivering improved profitability.”

Performance Materials

Sales in Performance Materials were $144.6 million in the quarter, up 18% as the global automotive market improved versus the prior year. Segment EBITDA was $64.2 million, up 16% versus the prior year quarter as a result of improved volumes, with segment EBITDA margins of 44.4%.

“Performance Materials saw improved volumes of automotive carbon as last year’s volumes were negatively impacted by Covid-related shutdowns in China,” said Fortson. “We see some positive signs in the North America market, but the outlook for Europe and Asia is less clear so we are managing inventory carefully until auto production trends become more consistent.”

Liquidity/Other

Second quarter operating cash flow was $48.4 million with free cash flow of $26.7 million reflecting higher inventory driven by increased CTO prices and reduced rosin demand. Share repurchases for the quarter were $58.7 million and $353.4 million remains available under the July 2022 $500 million Board authorization. Net leverage was 3.2 times, reflecting increased borrowing for the Ozark acquisition in Q4 2022.

Full Year 2023 Guidance

“As you see in our results, most of our business lines delivered a strong quarter. However, the high costs of CTO are pressuring Industrial Specialties’ profitability, and the weaker industrial environment is not providing us with the opportunity to fully recoup these costs,” said Fortson. “Therefore, we are adjusting our full-year guidance to sales between $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion, and adjusted EBITDA between $390 million and $420 million. This guidance reflects challenges we see in 2023 and reinforces our confidence in our long-term strategy, which includes the AFA transition that will diversify our raw material stream, global expansion in Pavement which we are already executing today, and higher adoption of sustainable products such as those delivered by our APT and Performance Materials segments.”

Ingevity: Purify, Protect and Enhance

Ingevity provides products and technologies that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Through a team of talented and experienced people, we develop, manufacture and bring to market solutions that help customers solve complex problems and make the world more sustainable. We operate in three reporting segments: Performance Chemicals, which includes specialty chemicals and pavement technologies; Advanced Polymer Technologies, which includes biodegradable plastics and polyurethane materials; and Performance Materials, which includes activated carbon. Our products are used in a variety of demanding applications, including adhesives, agrochemicals, asphalt paving, bioplastics, coatings, elastomers, lubricants, pavement markings, publication inks, oil exploration and production and automotive components. Headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ingevity operates from 31 countries around the world and employs approximately 2,050 people. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:NGVT, Financial). For more information, visit Ingevity.com. Follow Ingevity on LinkedIn.

Additional Information

The company will host a live webcast on Thursday, August 3, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern) to discuss second quarter 2023 fiscal results. The webcast can be accessed here or on the investors section of Ingevity’s website. You may also listen to the conference call by dialing 833 470 1428 (inside the U.S.) or 929 526 1599 (outside the U.S.) and entering access code 566352. Information on how to access the webcast and conference call, along with a slide deck containing other relevant financial and statistical information, will be posted to Ingevity’s investor site prior to the call. For those unable to join the live event, a recording will be available beginning at approximately 2:00 p.m. (Eastern) on August 3, 2023, through August 2, 2024, at this replay link.

Use of non-GAAP financial measures: This press release includes certain non‐GAAP financial measures intended to supplement, not substitute for, comparable GAAP measures. Reconciliations of non‐GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial measures are provided within the Appendix to this presentation. Investors are urged to consider carefully the comparable GAAP measures and the reconciliations to those measures provided. The company does not attempt to provide reconciliations of forward-looking non-GAAP guidance to the comparable GAAP measure because the impact and timing of the factors underlying the guidance assumptions are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict and are unavailable without unreasonable efforts. In addition, Ingevity believes such reconciliations would imply a degree of certainty that could be confusing to investors.

Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements generally include the words “will,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “expects,” “outlook,” "guidance," “believes,” “anticipates” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, the potential benefits of any acquisition or investment transaction, expected financial positions, expected financial positions, guidance, results of operations and cash flows; financing plans; business strategies and expectations; operating plans; impact of COVID-19; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost-reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; litigation related strategies and outcomes; markets for securities and expected future repurchases of shares, including statements about the manner, amount and timing of repurchases. Actual results could differ materially from the views expressed. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect, include, without limitation, adverse effects from general global economic, geopolitical and financial conditions beyond our control, including inflation and war in Ukraine; risks related to our international sales and operations; adverse conditions in the automotive market; competition from substitute products, new technologies and new or emerging competitors; worldwide air quality standards; a decrease in government infrastructure spending; adverse conditions in cyclical end markets; the limited supply of or lack of access to sufficient crude tall oil and other raw materials; issues with or integration of future acquisitions and other investments; the provision of services by third parties at several facilities, including the impact of WestRock’s shutdown of its North Charleston paper mill; adverse effects from the COVID-19 pandemic; supply chain disruptions; natural disasters and extreme weather events; or other unanticipated problems such as labor difficulties (including work stoppages), equipment failure or unscheduled maintenance and repair; attracting and retaining key personnel; dependence on certain large customers; legal actions associated with our intellectual property rights; protection of our intellectual property and other proprietary information; information technology security breaches and other disruptions; complications with designing or implementing our new enterprise resource planning system; government policies and regulations, including, but not limited to, those affecting the environment, climate change, tax policies, tariffs and the chemicals industry; and losses due to lawsuits arising out of environmental damage or personal injuries associated with chemical or other manufacturing processes, and the other factors detailed from time to time in the reports we file with the SEC, including those described in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as in our other filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only to management’s beliefs as of the date of this press release. Ingevity assumes no obligation to provide any revisions to, or update, any projections and forward-looking statements contained in this press release.