Operator
Operator
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Peabody Energy Q2 Earnings Call. For the conference, all participant lines are in a listen-only mode. There will be an opportunity for your questions. Instructions will be given at that time. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. I'll turn the conference over to the Senior Vice President, Global Investor and Corporate Communications (sic) [Relations], Mr. Vic Svec. Please go ahead, sir. Victor P. Svec - SVP-Global Investor & Corporate Relations: Okay. Thank you, John, and good morning, everyone. Thanks for taking part in the conference call for BTU. With us today are President and CEO Glenn Kellow, and our newly-appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Amy Schwetz. Amy is a financial executive with two decades of experience and a recognized leader within Peabody. She has held both domestic and international posts with Peabody over the past 10 years. Some of you may also recall Amy from her position within Investor Relations several years ago and we are pleased to welcome her to this new role. And also with us today is Senior Vice President of Finance Walter Hawkins. Now we do have some forward-looking statements today. I'd encourage you to consider those along with the risk factors that we note at the end of our release, as well as the MD&A section of our filed documents, and we also refer you to peabodyenergy.com for additional information. With that, I'll now turn the call over to Amy. Amy B. Schwetz - CFO, Chief Accounting Officer & Executive VP: Thanks, Vic, and good morning, everyone. I've been pleased to be part of Peabody's finance team at both the corporate and operational levels and I look forward to getting reacquainted with many of our investors and analysts over time. Beginning this quarter, we are expanding Peabody's segment reporting disclosures to provide you with additional information and highlight the significant strides the company is making in reducing both operational and administrative costs. I would note that we have also updated our historical supplemental financial information, which is available on our website. I'll begin by discussing our financial results, then review initiatives aimed at improving the company's financial position, and I'll conclude with our many full-year guidance elements. Let's start with a review of the income statement. Second quarter revenues totaled $1.34 billion compared to $1.76 billion in the prior year, primarily due to a substantial 16% reduction in volume along with realized pricing declines in the U.S. and Australia of 8% and 19% respectively. Adjusted EBITDA totaled $87 million. This includes $21 million in restructuring charges that were previously announced. Major factors also affecting adjusted EBITDA include $115 million in lower pricing, $113 million in hedge losses and $40 million in PRB weather impacts. These factors were largely offset by lower costs at the operating level and a sharp decrease in SG&A expenses. We'll explore more of these drivers in a moment. Similar to other companies across the commodities sector, the company recorded a $901 million impairment charge in the quarter. About $700 million is associated with the revaluation of certain Australian met coal assets, largely from our 2011 acquisition. And the remaining $182 million is attributed to U.S. assets that are unaffiliated with our mining operations. Despite significant improvements in the met coal operations, the revaluation of Australian assets was a result of the recent significant reduction in met coal pricing as well as our ongoing strategic review of assets for sale and non-development. We believe in the long-term value of the Australian platform and this business provides significant upside as our cost repositioning takes hold and markets improve. Turning to taxes, we recorded a second quarter income tax benefit of $93 million compared with a $4 million prior-year expense. This is primarily due to a benefit from the reallocation of valuation allowance between other comprehensive income and income from continuing operations. Loss from continuing operations totaled $1.01 billion in the second quarter, largely due to the impairment charge. Diluted loss per share from continuing operations totaled $3.71, including $3.06 per share impact related to asset impairments. Adjusted diluted loss per share totaled $0.65, which includes $0.07 per share from the restructuring charge. I will now review the supplemental information where we have broken out our PRB and Western mining segments in the U.S. and our metallurgical and thermal segments in Australia. In the U.S., adjusted EBITDA of $212 million reflects lower shipments in all regions as well as a reduction in realized pricing. Despite 6.4 million tons in lower volumes, U.S. cost per ton declined 4%. That's a credit to the team given the challenge of fixed-cost distribution over materially lower volume. Within the PRB, revenue per ton of $13.47 declined from the prior period, primarily due to a $1.27 per ton contractual true-up that benefited the second quarter of 2014. During the quarter, heavy storms in Wyoming deferred 5.5 million tons of PRB shipments and resulted in approximately $0.65 per ton margin impact, which totaled $3.11 per ton. Our PRB operations received more than its average annual rainfall in less than two months late in the quarter. While wet weather continued during the first several weeks of July, shipments are ramping back up. You will recall that we have been fully committed in price for 2015 volumes for some time. In the Midwest, volumes declined 1 million tons due to lower demand while costs improved 12% on lower fuel expense and cost-reduction efforts. So we were pleased that we were able to expand unit margins by 13% even with the reduced volumes. The Western U.S. segment is comprised of our Twentymile Mine in Colorado and the Kayenta, Lee Ranch and El Segundo mines in the Southwest, which primarily serve their local markets. Total volumes declined 28% due to lower demand and lower export shipments from Twentymile. However, margins were down only 2% as improved revenue per ton and cost-reduction efforts offset lower volume. Turning to Australia, adjusted EBITDA rose by more than $50 million to $56 million as lower costs more than offset a reduction in volume and a $90 million price impact. Australian costs per ton declined by over $20 to $52 per ton with the majority of the benefit from lower currency and fuel prices. This performance offers a solid demonstration of how Peabody benefits from our Australian platform, apart from the effects of currency hedges. We also expect to make additional improvements to the platform. During the quarter, the Burton Mine added several dollars per ton of costs to our metallurgical segment and we will evaluate the loss-making Burton Mine life beyond the middle of 2016. Metallurgical coal volumes declined by 17% mainly due to the planned reduction at the contractor-operated Burton Mine and the end-of-life closure of the Eaglefield Mine in late 2014. Net cost per ton declined 25% to $79 per short ton, a value that includes both royalties and rail and port costs. Glenn will review the actions we have taken to further reduce costs given the recent market declines. Australian thermal coal cost per ton also declined 25% to $29.91. This segment's low cost and $12 per ton margins are anchored by the Wilpinjong Mine, one of the premier thermal assets in Australia. Our sharp focus on creating a leaner organizational structure in the quarter led to a substantial 30% decline in SG&A costs from the prior year. That's the lowest quarterly level in nearly a decade. Corporate hedging losses totaled $106 million in the quarter, primarily related to currency. We have modified our currency hedging strategy to reduce the duration of the program. We have not layered on any additional currency hedges in nearly a year, and the majority of the remaining hedge losses will roll off over the next two years. With regard to our currency sensitivity, I would note that a $0.05 reduction in the Australian dollar would result in a $27 million adjusted EBITDA benefit in the second half of 2015 and a $69 million benefit in 2016. And we have already seen nearly a $0.05 decline in the Australian dollar since the end of the second quarter. With respect to the collateral package under our secured debt facilities, the company's total consolidated net tangible assets were $10.3 billion at June 30, with $3 billion in principal property and $2.6 billion in non-principal property. I would also note that the impairment and restructuring charges are excluded from our credit agreement calculations, which can significantly differ from our reported financial statements. That's a review of our income statement, key earnings drivers and collateral update. I will now discuss Peabody's cash flows and liquidity, where our near-term approach is to maximize liquidity. Over time we intend to use excess proceeds from asset sales, lower fixed obligations and improving coal markets to reduce debt. We continue to maintain tight capital discipline, with CapEx totaling $26 million in the second quarter. Operating cash outflows totaled $60 million, which includes an $8 million cash outflow for debt extinguishment costs. The company ended the quarter with $2.1 billion of liquidity, including $487 million in cash and $1.5 billion under our fully-committed revolving credit facility. We are fully aware of the adverse impact the coal markets have had on our equity and bond pricing. But I believe Peabody has a number of advantages that differentiate us. We have substantial liquidity with no material debt maturities for more than three years. We continue to qualify for self-bonding and we have had Wyoming, Illinois and Indiana recently renew our self-bonding applications. We are making substantial cost improvements. And we have a large portfolio of assets and reserves located in the strongest mining regions. Independent of market changes, Peabody has multiple cash payments that simply fall off over the next several years, including $275 million of annual LBA reserve payments that end in late 2016, $75 million of VEBA health benefit trust payments that conclude in January of 2017, and over $300 million from the roll-off of foreign currency and diesel fuel hedges based on forward prices. Glenn will further outline our financial focus as part of our key areas of emphasis. Turning to our outlook relative to the second quarter, third quarter adjusted EBITDA results are primarily expected to be impacted by lower benchmark met coal prices, higher PRB shipments on improved weather, and a longwall move in Colorado. Regarding our full-year financial targets, we lowered our Australian met sales guidance by 1 million tons to 14 million tons to 15 million tons as a result of actions taken at a number of our met coal mines. We have 89 million tons of 2016 PRB sales contracted at an average price of $14.23 per ton. We are again revising down our cost estimates in Australia, with Australian cost per ton now targeted to be $53 to $56, nearly 20% below 2014 levels. For the first time, we're introducing annual SG&A guidance. Our 2015 target of $170 million to $180 million implies an $80 million to $90 million run rate for the second half, as we realize the benefits of our restructuring programs. And we further reduced our capital spending to a range of $160 million to $170 million as we benefit from the previous investments across the platform. That's a brief review of our second quarter performance, as well as our 2015 targets. Now I'll turn the call over to Glenn. Glenn L. Kellow - President, Chief Executive Officer & Director: Thanks, Amy, and good morning, everyone. It is a pleasure to welcome Amy to the leadership team. She has broad experience across operations, financial management and capital markets and has been hands-on in contributing to the substantial operational improvements you have seen from Australia over the last two years. There is no question that these are difficult and indeed unprecedented times for both coal markets and related capital markets. In recent months, thermal and met prices eased further; coal, bond and equity prices declined; and several coal peers announced restructurings and were delisted from the stock exchange. Yet even amid these challenges, Peabody has accelerated a host of initiatives to improve our business and create a stronger platform now and as we move forward. Make no mistake, Peabody is committed to work through these highly demanding conditions, as we take aggressive actions on multiple fronts to preserve and enhance long-term value. Today, I'll provide context for the current state of the markets and then discuss specific actions we're advancing within each of our four cornerstone areas of management emphasis. Within the coal markets, seaborne coal prices came under pressure on concerns of global economic growth along with the reduced steel production that outpaced supply reductions. In the U.S., coal demand continued to be impacted by lower natural gas prices and milder summer weather up until recently. Regarding current global coal market drivers, in China weakness in the property sector and significant volatility in equity markets weighed on the overall economy and impacted coal consumption. As a result, domestic demand for steel fell 4% during the first half of the year and metallurgical coal imports declined 30%. China transitioned to become a net exporter of metallurgical coal on an equivalent basis through its exports of steel and coke (15:34) shipments. Steel demand issues and quality standards also pressured PCI coal usage. On the other hand, data suggests that China met coal imports rebounded in June. And while multiple headwinds remain, China and Australia recently signed a bilateral free-trade agreement to eliminate an existing 3% tariff on metallurgical coal by January 2016 and phase out a 6% thermal coal import tariff over a two-year period. This marks an additional differentiator in support of Australian competitiveness in global markets. In sharp contrast to China weakness, India's imports are showing continued strength with seaborne met coal demand rising 24% through June and thermal coal import demand increasing 35%. India's domestic coal quality generally cannot meet steelmaking needs and we would expect additional import demand as the economy grows, new blast furnace capacity is added and infrastructure spending increases. Turning to seaborne coal supply, coal production consignments are taking hold. In 2015, seaborne metallurgical coal supply is expected to decline 15 million tons to approximately 295 million tons. We would expect additional supply reductions around the world and some third-party reports have indicated that even 80% of Chinese met coal production and the majority of seaborne met coal production is now not covering cash costs. We also would agree with consultant Wood Mackenzie, who forecast this year's met coal production to China with Chinese steel demand growing for many years to come. We are also seeing supply reductions in thermal markets with a 17% decline in Indonesian exports and a nearly 50% reduction in U.S. exports in June. Through the first half of the year, Chinese domestic production declined 6% as the government works to address oversupply concerns, and Peabody believes lower prices will continue to accelerate global supply cutbacks as the year progresses. Over time, Peabody expects seaborne fundamentals to improve as China's economy stabilizes, steel and coal fuel generation capacity is brought online and additional production curtailments take hold. Looking now to U.S. markets, as a result of lower natural gas prices we expect 2015 U.S. coal demand to decline 90 million to 100 million tons compared to 2014 levels. Through June, U.S. coal generation declined 14%. Overall U.S. coal production is down 8% through the first half of the year with the rate of production declines doubling in June. Additional supply cutbacks are expected to take hold in the coming months and largely impact higher-cost regions. Peabody expects coal share of U.S. electricity generation to rebound from 35% this year to the upper 30s% by 2017. And while all regions are losing demand due to low gas prices this year, we look for the PRB and Illinois Basin to rebound to higher levels than 2014 by 2017 as natural gas prices lift and higher coal plant utilization and basin switching overcome expected retirements. Overall, the PRB enjoys a considerable cost advantage to other regions. On average, PRB coal dispatches approximately $8 lower per megawatt hour than the next lowest-cost region, the Illinois Basin. I would also like to briefly touch on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent MATS ruling regarding power plant emissions. Peabody views the decision as a positive for the coal industry and it is another sign that aggressive EPA overage is being countered. Other groups have also increased their divested account at (19:41) EPA overage, leaving Congress, the states, business and consumer groups. As you recall, on the last quarterly update I discussed Peabody's four areas of management emphasis. And I would now like to provide a detailed review of our progress for each of these items. First, in terms of operational excellence you've seen us advance a number of initiatives in the second quarter to increase productivity, lower costs and improve cash flows. The actions by the team drove solid margin expansion in Australia in the third quarter. As we saw continued deterioration in met coal prices recently, we've initiated additional actions, including the elimination of more than 300 positions across most of our Australian mining operations. We also are aiming to preserve coking coal and low-volume – PCI volumes to better markets by reducing annual production at the North Goonyella, Coppabella and Metropolitan mines. As a result, we are lowering 2015 metallurgical coal targets by approximately 1 million tons. I would offer my compliments to the entire team on continued cost containment successes even as the company delivered sharply lower volumes in the second quarter. Next, we are pursuing a leaner organization through a three-pronged approach which includes focusing activities, de-layering the organization and implementing a shared services model. As part of this initiative, we have announced that we're reducing approximately 250 salaried positions, representing nearly 25% of our corporate and regional support staff. In fact, we have essentially removed an entire level of middle management from our organization. We were also working to streamline reporting relationships and consolidate activities through office closures, both domestically and internationally. Most recently, we announced the closures of our U.S. regional offices in Indiana and Wyoming, and we continue to evaluate other options for consolidation. As a result of our ongoing efforts, we expect a 20% improvement in SG&A for full-year 2015. Third, within the area of portfolio management you saw significant activity in the third quarter. Soon after taking over my new post, I appointed a new Head of Corporate Development as part of our renewed focus on divestitures. In recent months, we've entered into transactions for $35 million in non-core land and reserves in the Midwest and Australia, with nearly half of that coming through in the first few weeks of the new quarter. While these are tough times in the market, there is still buyer interest for the right assets. As we move forward, we will evaluate potential opportunities based on benefits of liquidity and our views of long-term value. And fourth, we are working to maintain financial strength by ensuring adequate liquidity through operational improvements, cost reductions and asset sales. Amy has reviewed in detail our (22:52) approach to maintain cash and liquidity while deleveraging over time. Given the current state of the markets and our eye on liquidity, we announced today that we have suspended the dividend for the quarter. The board of directors has also authorized a reverse split of common shares, subject to upcoming shareholder approval, to ensure investor access and provide lower listing costs. Our actions to increase efficiency, streamline processes and reduce costs remain essential, while we continue to believe that market factors affecting Peabody are largely cyclical, with stronger industry fundamentals returning in the future. In fact, I remain optimistic about the solid long-term thesis for BTU. Let me recount our many advantages. We have leading positions in the best U.S. coal basins as well as the world's largest and most productive coal mine. We have an Australian platform that benefits from quality, location and a strong U.S. dollar. Our met coal assets are well positioned and our thermal operations are extremely competitive relative to peers. Our business is well capitalized and reserve-rich both in the U.S. and Australia. We have a team that continues to drive lower OpEx, CapEx and SG&A spending in a way that positions us very well. We have underlying potential cash flow drivers in the next 13 months as our Australian hedges and fix charges roll off. We have substantial non-core assets that can be monetized even as we maintain an eye towards value. And we have $2 billion in liquidity and more than three years before our next substantial maturities, offering a long runway for markets to heal. In conclusion, I appreciate the difficult times that all stakeholders have experienced of late. And I assure you that we are committed to moving with speed, focus and purpose towards preserving and enhancing value for the long term. With that, operator, we would be happy to take questions at this time.