Advanced Drainage Systems Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results

HILLIARD, Ohio--()--Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (NYSE: WMS) (“ADS” or the “Company”), a leading provider of innovative water management solutions in the stormwater and on-site septic waste water industries today announced financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2021.

First Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results

  • Net sales increased 31.6% to $669.3 million
  • Net income increased 9.1% to $77.1 million
  • Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) increased 4.5% to $166.6 million
  • Cash provided by operating activities of $104.3 million
  • Free cash flow (Non-GAAP) of $78.8 million

Scott Barbour, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADS commented, “We achieved a record $669 million in sales in the first quarter driven by strong demand across our product portfolio and geographic footprint, particularly in priority states such as Florida, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Overall, the 32% growth was driven by both ADS and Infiltrator, with favorable pricing slightly outpacing volume growth.”

Barbour continued, “Our favorable demand trends and strong top-line growth were matched with inflationary cost pressure on materials, transportation and labor that proved to be more significant than initially anticipated. Over the near term, we will continue to raise pricing in the marketplace and leverage our productivity improvement initiatives and synergy programs to offset these pressures on a dollar basis. Over the longer term, we remain confident in our ability to continue expanding margins through our traditional profitability levers.”

“Importantly, the momentum underpinning the core drivers of our business remain strong. We will continue executing on our material conversion and water management solutions strategies to generate above-market growth. We are also well positioned to capitalize on growing residential development and horizontal construction, and our planned capital investments will increase capacity, support growth, and improve productivity through the end of the fiscal year and beyond.”

Barbour concluded, “Finally, we remain confident in our outlook for the fiscal year as our demand, backlog and pricing remain favorable, giving us confidence in our increased sales targets as well as our Adjusted EBITDA guidance for the year.”

First Quarter Fiscal 2022 Results

Net sales increased $160.7 million, or 31.6%, to $669.3 million, as compared to $508.6 million in the prior year. Domestic pipe sales increased $100.4 million, or 36.7%, to $374.0 million. Domestic allied products & other sales increased $10.1 million, or 8.7%, to $127.0 million. Infiltrator sales increased $24.6 million, or 24.1%, to $126.7 million. These increases were driven by double-digit sales growth in both the U.S. construction and agriculture end markets. International sales increased $29.5 million, or 82.4%, to $65.4 million, driven by double-digit sales growth in the Canadian, Mexican and Exports businesses.

Gross profit increased $12.6 million, or 6.7%, to $201.1 million as compared to $188.5 million in the prior year. The increase is primarily due an increase in sales volume and pricing on pipe, on-site septic and allied products. These increases were partially offset by inflationary cost pressure on materials, transportation and labor.

Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP) increased $7.1 million, or 4.5%, to $166.6 million, as compared to $159.5 million in the prior year. The increase is primarily due to the factors mentioned above. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA was 24.9% as compared to 31.4% in the prior year.

Reconciliations of GAAP to Non-GAAP financial measures for Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow have been provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

Net cash provided by operating activities was $104.3 million, as compared to $133.7 million in the prior year. Free cash flow (Non-GAAP) was $78.8 million, as compared to $123.4 million in the prior year. Net debt (total debt and finance lease obligations net of cash) was $698.9 million as of June 30, 2021, an increase of $52.4 million from March 31, 2021.

ADS had total liquidity of $480 million, comprised of cash of $143 million as of June 30, 2021 and $337 million of availability under committed credit facilities. As of June 30, 2021, the Company’s leverage ratio was 1.2 times.

In the three months ended June 30, 2021, the Company repurchased 1.1 million shares of its common stock for a total cost of $115.4 million. As of June 30, 2021, the Company had approximately $176.7 million available under its existing share repurchase authorization.

Fiscal 2022 Outlook

Based on current visibility, backlog of existing orders and business trends, the Company raised its net sales targets for fiscal 2022. Net sales are now expected to be in the range of $2.5 billion to $2.6 billion. Adjusted EBITDA is unchanged and expected to be in the range of $635 to $665 million. Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $130 million to $150 million.

Webcast Information

The live webcast will be accessible via the "Events Calendar” section of the Company’s Investor Relations website, www.investors.ads-pipe.com. Participants may also Register Here for this conference call or copy and paste the following text into your browser: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2558055. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation through email, including dial in details and unique conference call codes for entry. Registration is open through the live call. To ensure participants are connected for the full call, please register at least 10 minutes before the start of the call. An archived version of the webcast will be available following the call.

About the Company

Advanced Drainage Systems is a leading provider of innovative water management solutions in the stormwater and on-site septic wastewater industries, providing superior drainage solutions for use in the construction and agriculture marketplace. For over 50 years, the Company has been manufacturing a variety of innovative and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials. Its innovative products are used across a broad range of end markets and applications, including non-residential, residential, infrastructure and agriculture applications. The Company has established a leading position in many of these end markets by leveraging its national sales and distribution platform, overall product breadth and scale and manufacturing excellence. Founded in 1966, the Company operates a global network of approximately 60 manufacturing plants and 30 distribution centers. To learn more about ADS, please visit the Company’s website at www.adspipe.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Company’s current expectations, estimates and projections regarding the Company’s business, operations and other factors relating thereto. Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those reflected in forward-looking statements relating to our operations and business include: fluctuations in the price and availability of resins and other raw materials and our ability to pass any increased costs of raw materials on to our customers in a timely manner; volatility in general business and economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, including the adverse impact on the U.S. and global economy of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the impact of COVID-19 in the near, medium and long-term on our business, results of operations, financial position, liquidity or cash flows, and other limitation factors relating to availability of credit, interest rates, fluctuations in capital and business and consumer confidence; cyclicality and seasonality of the non-residential and residential construction markets and infrastructure spending; the risks of increasing competition in our existing and future markets, including competition from both manufacturers of high performance thermoplastic corrugated pipe and manufacturers of products using alternative materials, and our ability to continue to convert current demand for concrete, steel and PVC pipe products into demand for our high performance thermoplastic corrugated pipe and Allied Products; uncertainties surrounding the integration and realization of anticipated benefits of acquisitions and similar transactions, including Infiltrator Water Technologies; the effect of weather or seasonality; the loss of any of our significant customers; the risks of doing business internationally; the risks of conducting a portion of our operations through joint ventures; our ability to expand into new geographic or product markets, including risks associated with new markets and products associated with our recent acquisition of Infiltrator Water Technologies; our ability to achieve the acquisition component of our growth strategy; the risk associated with manufacturing processes; our ability to manage our assets; the risks associated with our product warranties; our ability to manage our supply purchasing and customer credit policies; our ability to control labor costs and to attract, train and retain highly-qualified employees and key personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; changes in laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations; the risks associated with our current levels of indebtedness, including borrowings under our existing credit agreement and outstanding indebtedness under our existing senior notes; fluctuations in our effective tax rate, including from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017; our ability to meet future capital requirements and fund our liquidity needs; and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s filings with the SEC. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for the Company to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking information included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the Company’s expectations, objectives or plans will be achieved in the timeframe anticipated or at all. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Financial Statements 

 

ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

June 30,

 

(Amounts in thousands, except per share data)

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net sales

$

669,300

 

 

$

508,639

 

Cost of goods sold

 

468,179

 

 

 

320,136

 

Gross profit

 

201,121

 

 

 

188,503

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

76,221

 

 

 

61,776

 

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and costs from exit and disposal activities

 

(11

)

 

 

1,647

 

Intangible amortization

 

15,645

 

 

 

17,982

 

Income from operations

 

109,266

 

 

 

107,098

 

Other expense:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

7,907

 

 

 

9,970

 

Derivative gains and other income, net

 

(2,014

)

 

 

(567

)

Income before income taxes

 

103,373

 

 

 

97,695

 

Income tax expense

 

26,455

 

 

 

27,200

 

Equity in net income of unconsolidated affiliates

 

(205

)

 

 

(173

)

Net income

 

77,123

 

 

 

70,668

 

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interest

 

1,136

 

 

 

202

 

Net income attributable to ADS

 

75,987

 

 

 

70,466

 

Dividends paid to participating securities

 

(1,635

)

 

 

(1,368

)

Net income available to common stockholders and participating securities

 

74,352

 

 

 

69,098

 

Undistributed income allocated to participating securities

 

(10,933

)

 

 

(11,242

)

Net income available to common stockholders

$

63,419

 

 

$

57,856

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

71,534

 

 

 

69,380

 

Diluted

 

73,124

 

 

 

70,126

 

Net income per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

0.89

 

 

$

0.83

 

Diluted

$

0.87

 

 

$

0.83

 

Cash dividends declared per share

$

0.11

 

 

$

0.09

 

 

ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(unaudited)

 

 

As of

 

(Amounts in thousands)

June 30, 2021

 

 

March 31, 2021

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

$

142,833

 

 

$

195,009

 

Receivables, net

 

303,736

 

 

 

236,191

 

Inventories

 

330,713

 

 

 

300,961

 

Other current assets

 

18,314

 

 

 

10,817

 

Total current assets

 

795,596

 

 

 

742,978

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

518,229

 

 

 

504,275

 

Other assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodwill

 

599,255

 

 

 

599,072

 

Intangible assets, net

 

466,384

 

 

 

482,016

 

Other assets

 

95,154

 

 

 

85,491

 

Total assets

$

2,474,618

 

 

$

2,413,832

 

LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current maturities of debt obligations

$

7,000

 

 

$

7,000

 

Current maturities of finance lease obligations

 

18,934

 

 

 

19,318

 

Accounts payable

 

229,300

 

 

 

171,098

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

124,081

 

 

 

116,151

 

Accrued income taxes

 

28,135

 

 

 

4,703

 

Total current liabilities

 

407,450

 

 

 

318,270

 

Long-term debt obligations, net

 

780,565

 

 

 

782,220

 

Long-term finance lease obligations

 

35,241

 

 

 

32,964

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

162,988

 

 

 

162,185

 

Other liabilities

 

62,480

 

 

 

54,767

 

Total liabilities

 

1,448,724

 

 

 

1,350,406

 

Mezzanine equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redeemable convertible preferred stock

 

228,532

 

 

 

240,944

 

Deferred compensation — unearned ESOP shares

 

(8,942

)

 

 

(11,033

)

Total mezzanine equity

 

219,590

 

 

 

229,911

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock

 

11,589

 

 

 

11,578

 

Paid-in capital

 

950,963

 

 

 

918,587

 

Common stock in treasury, at cost

 

(139,313

)

 

 

(10,959

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(22,794

)

 

 

(24,220

)

Retained deficit

 

(8,666

)

 

 

(75,202

)

Total ADS stockholders’ equity

 

791,779

 

 

 

819,784

 

Noncontrolling interest in subsidiaries

 

14,525

 

 

 

13,731

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

806,304

 

 

 

833,515

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and stockholders’ equity

$

2,474,618

 

 

$

2,413,832

 

 

ADVANCED DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

Cash Flow from Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

$

77,123

 

 

$

70,668

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

34,656

 

 

 

35,781

 

Deferred income taxes

 

64

 

 

 

(2,357

)

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and costs from exit and disposal activities

 

(11

)

 

 

1,647

 

ESOP and stock-based compensation

 

20,806

 

 

 

12,462

 

Amortization of deferred financing charges

 

95

 

 

 

98

 

Fair market value adjustments to derivatives

 

(675

)

 

 

(1,082

)

Equity in net income of unconsolidated affiliates

 

(205

)

 

 

(173

)

Other operating activities

 

450

 

 

 

269

 

Changes in working capital:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Receivables

 

(67,388

)

 

 

(42,093

)

Inventories

 

(28,985

)

 

 

44,140

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

(7,442

)

 

 

(3,520

)

Accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other liabilities

 

75,860

 

 

 

17,893

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

104,348

 

 

 

133,733

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital expenditures

 

(25,546

)

 

 

(10,295

)

Other investing activities

 

53

 

 

 

435

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(25,493

)

 

 

(9,860

)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Payments on syndicated Term Loan Facility

 

(1,750

)

 

 

(1,750

)

Payments on Revolving Credit Agreement

 

-

 

 

 

(50,000

)

Payments on finance lease obligations

 

(5,379

)

 

 

(5,700

)

Repurchase of common stock

 

(102,013

)

 

 

-

 

Dividends paid to noncontrolling interest holder

 

(957

)

 

 

-

 

Cash dividends paid

 

(9,451

)

 

 

(7,737

)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

1,336

 

 

 

2,239

 

Share withholding for tax purposes

 

(12,976

)

 

 

-

 

Other financing activities

 

(131

)

 

 

-

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(131,321

)

 

 

(62,948

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

 

290

 

 

 

52

 

Net change in cash

 

(52,176

)

 

 

60,977

 

Cash at beginning of period

 

195,009

 

 

 

174,233

 

Cash at end of period

$

142,833

 

 

$

235,210

 

Selected Financial Data

The following tables set forth net sales by reportable segment for each of the periods indicated.

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

June 30, 2021

 

 

June 30, 2020

 

 

Net Sales

 

 

Intersegment
Net Sales

 

 

Net Sales
from External
Customers

 

 

Net Sales

 

 

Intersegment
Net Sales

 

 

Net Sales
from External
Customers

 

Pipe

$

374,010

 

 

$

(1,903

)

 

$

372,107

 

 

$

273,652

 

 

$

(1,845

)

 

$

271,807

 

Infiltrator Water Technologies

 

126,742

 

 

 

(19,037

)

 

 

107,705

 

 

 

102,153

 

 

 

(18,068

)

 

 

84,085

 

International

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International - Pipe

 

50,838

 

 

 

(2,914

)

 

 

47,924

 

 

 

26,950

 

 

 

 

 

 

26,950

 

International - Allied Products

 

14,528

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,528

 

 

 

8,879

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,879

 

Total International

 

65,366

 

 

 

(2,914

)

 

 

62,452

 

 

 

35,829

 

 

 

 

 

 

35,829

 

Allied Products & Other

 

127,036

 

 

 

 

 

 

127,036

 

 

 

116,918

 

 

 

 

 

 

116,918

 

Intersegment Eliminations

 

(23,854

)

 

 

23,854

 

 

 

 

 

 

(19,913

)

 

 

19,913

 

 

 

 

Total Consolidated

$

669,300

 

 

$

 

 

$

669,300

 

 

$

508,639

 

 

$

 

 

$

508,639

 

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)

The Company established an ESOP to enable employees to acquire stock ownership in ADS in the form of redeemable convertible preferred shares (“preferred shares”). All preferred shares will be converted to common shares by plan maturity, which will be no later than March 2023. The ESOP’s conversion of preferred shares into common shares will have a meaningful impact on net income, net income per share and common shares outstanding. The common shares outstanding will be greater after conversion.

Net Income (Loss)

The impact of the ESOP on net (loss) income includes the ESOP deferred compensation attributable to the preferred shares allocated to employee accounts during the period, which is a non-cash charge to our earnings and not deductible for income tax purposes.

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

June 30,

 

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Net income attributable to ADS

$

75,987

 

 

$

70,466

 

 

ESOP deferred stock-based compensation

$

14,155

 

 

$

6,863

 

 

Common shares outstanding

The conversion of the preferred shares will increase the number of common shares outstanding. Preferred shares will convert to common shares at plan maturity, or upon retirement, disability, death or vested terminations over the life of the plan.

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

June 30,

 

 

(Shares in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding - Basic

 

71,534

 

 

 

69,380

 

 

Conversion of preferred shares

 

14,817

 

 

 

16,585

 

 

Unvested restricted shares

 

-

 

 

 

2

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). ADS management uses non-GAAP measures in its analysis of the Company’s performance. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP results available in the accompanying tables.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes references to organic results, Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, non-GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP. These measures are not intended to be substitutes for those reported in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures that comprise net income before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, non-cash charges and certain other expenses. The Company’s definition of Adjusted EBITDA may differ from similar measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. Adjusted EBITDA is a key metric used by management and the Company’s board of directors to assess financial performance and evaluate the effectiveness of the Company’s business strategies. Accordingly, management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as the Company’s management and board of directors. In order to provide investors with a meaningful reconciliation, the Company has provided below reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA to net income.

Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that comprises cash flow from operating activities less capital expenditures. Free Cash Flow is a measure used by management and the Company’s board of directors to assess the Company’s ability to generate cash. Accordingly, management believes that Free Cash Flow provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our ability to generate cash flow from operations after capital expenditures. In order to provide investors with a meaningful reconciliation, the Company has provided below a reconciliation of cash flow from operating activities to Free Cash Flow.

The following tables present a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income and Free Cash Flow to Cash Flow from Operating Activities, the most comparable GAAP measures, for each of the periods indicated.

Reconciliation of Segment Adjusted Gross Profit to Gross profit

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

June 30,

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

Segment Adjusted Gross Profit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pipe

$

84,143

 

 

$

90,599

 

International

 

21,378

 

 

 

11,408

 

Infiltrator Water Technologies

 

59,402

 

 

 

47,928

 

Allied Products & Other

 

63,299

 

 

 

60,468

 

Intersegment Elimination

 

(14

)

 

 

(358

)

Total Segment Adjusted Gross Profit

 

228,208

 

 

 

210,045

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

17,532

 

 

 

16,423

 

ESOP and stock-based compensation expense

 

9,555

 

 

 

4,939

 

COVID-19 related expenses

 

-

 

 

 

180

 

Total Gross Profit

$

201,121

 

 

$

188,503

 

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

June 30,

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net income

$

77,123

 

 

$

70,668

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

34,656

 

 

 

35,781

 

Interest expense

 

7,907

 

 

 

9,970

 

Income tax expense

 

26,455

 

 

 

27,200

 

EBITDA

 

146,141

 

 

 

143,619

 

Loss on disposal of assets and costs from exit and disposal activities

 

(11

)

 

 

1,647

 

ESOP and stock-based compensation expense

 

20,806

 

 

 

12,462

 

Transaction costs

 

43

 

 

 

656

 

Strategic growth and operational improvement initiatives

 

-

 

 

 

1,755

 

COVID-19 related expenses (a)

 

-

 

 

 

564

 

Other adjustments(b)

 

(397

)

 

 

(1,233

)

Adjusted EBITDA

$

166,582

 

 

$

159,470

 

 (a)

Includes expenses directly related to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including adjustments to our pandemic pay program and expenses associated with our 3rd party crisis management vendor.

 (b)

Includes derivative fair value adjustments, foreign currency transaction (gains) losses, the proportionate share of interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization related to the South American Joint Venture, which is accounted for under the equity method of accounting and executive retirement expense.

Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to Cash flow from Operating Activities

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

(Amounts in thousands)

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net cash flow from operating activities

$

104,348

 

 

$

133,733

 

Capital expenditures

 

(25,546

)

 

 

(10,295

)

Free cash flow

$

78,802

 

 

$

123,438

 

 

Contacts

Michael Higgins
VP, Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations
(614) 658-0050
Mike.Higgins@ads-pipe.com

Contacts

Michael Higgins
VP, Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations
(614) 658-0050
Mike.Higgins@ads-pipe.com