Pedro Alfonso Rosales Navarro
Analyst · Morgan Stanley
Thanks, Jaime. Please go to Slide 14. In the first quarter of 2013, there was an increase in Barrancabermeja refinery throughput due to a higher operational availability because of lower maintenance activity than those carried out during first quarter last year. Cartagena throughput also increased when compared with the first quarter of 2012 when there was less availability of light crude oil. Gross margins in Barrancabermeja in the first quarter of 2013 increased significantly compared with the same period of 2012 due to the lower cost of crude oil and barrel international prices for gasoline and diesel, which were 65% of the total production of the refinery. Similar behavior was observed in Cartagena, but in lower proportion, taking into account its configuration, less flexible than that of Barrancabermeja refinery. Regarding the main refining projects, at the end of the first quarter of 2013, the modernization of the Barrancabermeja refinery reached 15% progress and the utilities master plan, 67%. In addition, the Cartagena refinery modernization and expansion plan reached 79.4% progress as follows. Detail engineering, 99.9%; procurement, 97.9%; modules fabrication, 100%; and construction, which began in October 2011, 44.7%. It is worth mentioning that the construction weekly progress in 2013 has doubled when compared to 2012. Let's move on to the financial results of the Refining segment. In the first quarter, the segment had an EBITDA of COP 261 billion, higher than in the same period last year and in line with a higher gross Refining margin observed. Despite good operational results, we generated a net loss of COP 157 billion due mainly to losses in Reficar. Now please turn to Slide 16 to review the sales and marketing results. Total sales volume increased in 14,000 barrels per day between the first quarter of 2013 and 2012, mainly due to higher sales to the free trade zone and more local sales of crude oil for blending of bunkers. Our exports fell 2.6% due to less availability of Caño Limón, Magdalena and Vasconia crude oil, and a reduction in deliveries of natural gas due to the increased demand from power generators in Colombia. The prices of the export basket of crude and products decreased compared with the first quarter of 2012 in line with the international market trends, driven by the uncertainty on the economic recovery of Europe and lower demand of crude oil from U.S. refineries. The main destination of our crude oil exports was U.S., followed by the Far East and Central America. In the last 12 months, the share of the Far East rose from 20% to 36%, becoming an increasingly important market for our heavy crudes. Regarding crude pricing, during the first quarter of 2013, oil export basket was referenced at 62% to Brent, 37% to Maya and 1% to other benchmarks. Now I turn the presentation to Adriana Echeverri, who will comment on the financial results of Ecopetrol.
Adriana Marcela Echeverri Gutiérrez: Thanks, Pedro. Please, let's turn to Slide 18. In spite of the higher volume sold, total sales went down 4% in the first quarter of 2013 when compared with the same period of 2012, mainly due to the lower average prices of crude oil and products of 5.7%. At the end of the first quarter of this year, close to 2 million barrels of crude oil exported to India were in-transit and around 1 million barrels were being loaded in our export port. All those will be booked in our sales for the second quarter of this year. Let's turn to Slide 19 where we will review the main financial results in the first quarter of this year. As mentioned, our revenues were lower than those in the first quarter of 2012, mainly due to the decrease in sale prices. Regarding costs, viable charges rose mainly due to the following factors. First, we had a higher cost of Transportation services as a result of the implementation of the tariff set by the Ministry of Mines and Energy for Ocensa pipeline, given the new profit center model for Transportation; second, the rising volumes of imported products, mainly diesel and gasoline; and third, we had a larger cost of amortization and depletion due to higher capitalizations and production. Fixed costs also increased due to the following activities from our operations. First, we had higher maintenance of the Transportation infrastructure as part of the integrity plan that began in 2012 and that will continue until year 2016, as well as the maintenance of the electro-submersible and artificial lifting systems in Chichimene and Castilla fields. Second, in the last quarters, we have been a rising contracted services because of graded sub-soil selectivity, water volumes management and higher bottom sediment and water, primarily at the Rubiales and Quifa fields. Third, there was an additional negative affect coming from the recent tax reform in Colombia by which gasoline, diesel and asphalt are now exempt from value-added tax, causing that VAT paid of those used, not to be deductible for income tax as before, and now, therefore, has to be accounted as a higher cost. And fourth, higher labor costs due to the increasing headcount, retaining program actions and the regular of increase of salaries effective from July 1, 2012. Regarding the operating expenses, there was a decrease when compared with the first quarter of 2012. This was due mainly to a lower provision for pension liabilities and less exploration and product expenses. This offset the higher cost of agreements for infrastructure protection and surveillance. Consequently, operating income amounted to COP 5.7 trillion in the first quarter of this year, equivalent to an operating margin of 38.5%. The nonoperating result improved mainly due to a reduction of COP 409 billion in the exchange rate loss in the first quarter of 2013. This effect was partially offset by first, the lower result of the subsidiaries accounted under the equity method, amounted to COP 154 billion in the first quarter of 2013, compared to COP 444 billion in the first quarter of last year. And second, a decline in the net financial income due to lower returns on bank deposits and higher interest expenses compared to the first quarter of last year. The lower tax expense is explained mainly by the decline in net income in the first quarter of this year, compared with the first quarter of 2012. Accordingly, net income amounted to COP 3.5 trillion, equivalent to an net margin of 24%. EBITDA was COP 6.9 trillion, equivalent to an EBITDA margin of 47%. Let's move on to Slide #20. Here, we present the company's cash flow and balance sheet as of the end of March of this year. The initial cash balance was COP 10.7 trillion. Internal cash generation in our resources added COP 15 trillion that funded the operation, the CapEx and the payment of the third installment of the 2011 ordinary dividend and the extraordinary dividend to the nation. So the ending balance of cash and cash investments was COP 8.6 trillion. The indebtedness during this year remains low with a 12-month debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 0.21. As previously mentioned, in the first quarter of the year, Fitch ratings confirmed that we're local and international ratings at BBB and BBB-, respectively, and improved the outlook of Ecopetrol from stable to positive after the upgrade in the outlook of the Republic of Colombia. In addition, Moody's confirmed our BAA 2 rating with outlook stable. On Slide #21, we find an overview of the financial results of the corporate group. In the first quarter of 2013, group's net income amounted to COP 3.4 trillion and EBITDA was COP 7.4 trillion, while EBITDA margin was 44%. EBITDA decreased mainly as a result of lower revenues of the group in the first quarter of 2013. In general terms, affiliates and subsidiaries from E&P and Refining reduced their net results. Among Transportation companies, Ocensa begun to operate it under the new profit center model, starting in the first quarter of this year. The higher revenues without eliminations came from Reficar with COP 1,938,000,000,000 followed by Hocol with COP 771 billion and Ocensa with COP 467 billion. The higher EBITDA, net of noncontrolling interest came from Ocensa with COP 270 billion, followed by Hocol with COP 200 billion and Equion with COP 94 billion. The higher net income, net of noncontrolling interest, came from Ocensa with COP 174 billion, Hocol with COP 91 billion and ODL with COP 37 billion. On the other hand, the higher losses were reported by Reficar with COP 118 billion and Ecopetrol America Inc. with COP 51 billion. Now I turn the presentation back to Mr. Gutierrez, who will comment on the milestones in internal consolidation and the corporate social responsibility.