Jerry Bialek
Analyst · B. Riley. You may proceed
Thank you, Jesse. Let's turn to slide six and I'll walk you through the results for the first quarter. On a consolidated basis, Q1 global shipments were 181,000 tons, supported by higher plant utilization levels and sell-through of finished goods. Realized metal prices improve to help deliver net sales for the quarter of $552 million, a 4% increase sequentially. Looking at Q1 operating results, adjusted EBITDA was $24 million, an improvement of $36 million sequentially. Adjusted net loss was $11.3 million or $0.11 per share. This was an improvement of $20 million compared with prior quarter. In Q1, the major adjusting items were $47.8 million for the unrealized impacts of forward contracts, partially offset by $25.6 million for lower of cost or net realizable value on inventory, and $5.4 million of capacity charges due to the curtailment of Hawesville, the latter of which were reduced to zero by the end of this month. Liquidity remained strong at $241 million at the end of the quarter, consisting of $30 million in cash and $211 million available on our credit facilities. Turning to slide seven to further explain the $36 million sequential improvement in adjusted EBITDA. Realized lagged LME prices were slightly better than anticipated in the outlook we provided during our last call. First quarter realized LME was $2,350 per ton, up $42 versus prior quarter, while realized US Midwest premiums of $573 per ton were up $104. Realized European delivery premiums of $290 per ton were down $209, reflecting a full three months' lag. Together, these factors contributed a $3 million benefit in the quarter. Realized alumina cost was $390 per ton, $10 lower on a sequential basis. Realized coke prices decreased 5% while realized pitch prices increased 10% in line with expectations. Together, alumina and other raw material costs contributed $7 million to EBITDA. Power cost nearly halved from prior quarter for our MISO Indiana Hub exposure as well as a 34% reduction in Nord Pool market prices, adding $35 million of incremental EBITDA, slightly better than expectations. Finally, sales mix was unfavorable resulting from the customer destocking that Jesse referenced and that we had forecasted on our last call. In total, adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter was $24 million, a $36 million improvement sequentially. Now, let's turn to slide eight for a look at cash flow. We started the quarter with $54 million in cash and have a $24 million in adjusted EBITDA. Borrowing against our casthouse facility offset $10 million in CapEx for the Grundartangi casthouse project. All other CapEx totaled $4 million. Hedge settlements contributed $10 million, we repaid $19 million on our revolvers and other debt, and the Hawesville curtailment power charge was $5 million. Working capital other used $29 million of cash during the period, about $20 million of which can be explained by normal fluctuations in inventory and accounts payable, leaving us with Q1 ending cash of $30 million. Now let's move to Slide 9 for insight into our expectations for the second quarter. For Q2, the lagged LME of $2,380 per ton is expected to be up about $30 versus Q1 realized prices. The Q2 lagged US Midwest premium is forecast to be $570 per ton, down slightly and the European delivery premium is expected at $305 per ton or up about $15 per ton versus the first quarter. Lagged realized alumina is expected to be $400 per ton, up slightly. Taken together, the LME, delivery premium pricing, and alumina changes are expected to increase Q2 EBITDA by approximately $5 million versus Q1 level. Power prices continue to show signs of moderation and we expect a slight reduction in total energy costs to contribute approximately $5 million of improvement to EBITDA compared with Q1. We expect the impact from coke and pitch to be neutral to EBITDA compared with the first quarter as a reduction in coke prices is expected to be offset by stubbornly elevated pitch prices. With respect to Jamalco, we expect to breakeven or better impact to adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter. We're excited about future benefits related to increased volume and cost efficiencies and expect Jamalco to be accretive to our financial results at current spot prices beginning in the third quarter. Jesse will elaborate on this in a moment. OpEx and other costs are expected to increase $5 million to $10 million due to maintenance cycles, wage inflation, and the addition of seasonal labor to maintain smelter stability during the summer months. All factors considered, our outlook for Q2 adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in a range of between $25 million to $30 million. Just a few more points to make. From a hedge impact standpoint, we expect a realized gain of between $5 million to $10 million in the second quarter. We expect tax expense of approximately $5 million to $10 million. As a reminder, both of these items fall below EBITDA and impact adjusted net income. Finally, I'd like to point out that we do expect to fund between $10 million to $20 million in working capital at Jamalco during Q2 as we continue to ramp up production there. With that, I'll turn the call back over to Jesse.