Marco Levi
Analyst · Seaport Research Partners
Thank you, Alex, and thank you all for joining us today. We appreciate your continued interest in Ferroglobe. While 2025 presented significant external challenges, including muted demand, tariff uncertainty, delayed trade measures and elevated levels of predatory imports. It was a year in which Ferroglobe made important strategic progress and substantially strengthen its position for future growth. . Most importantly, we achieved significant and impactful trade measures in both the European Union and the United States. In Europe, the European Commission voted to protect the Ferroglobe industry by implementing safeguards targeting a 25% reduction in imports relative to the baseline of average imports by country and product from 2022 through 2024. During those years, on imports of ferrosilicon averaged approximately 450,000 tons and manganese [indiscernible] averaged approximately 900,000 tons. These [indiscernible] create substantial opportunity for domestic producers, including Ferroglobe to gain market share under a more balanced competitive framework while ensuring security of EU supply chains for critical and strategic materials. We are encouraged by the European Commission's advocacy to support and strengthen the long-term sustainability of local industry. To further enhance the new manufacturing base and drive economic growth, the main Europe pledge was signed by more than 1,000 business leaders. This is similar to the Bay American plunge, encouraging increased use of products with domestic content. In the United States, the International Trade Commission rolled in favor of imposing antidumping and countervailing duties on federal silicon imports from Brazil, Kazakhstan and Malaysia after having rolled similarly against Russia in 2024. These decisions meaningfully improve the long-term outlook for the U.S. ferrosilicon market. To capitalize on improving pheroceuticaleconomics, we have converted 3 furnaces from silicon metal to ferrosilicon. one in the U.S. and two in Europe. This highlights the benefits of our diversified global footprint, which enables us to optimize production in response to market dynamics and geopolitical factors. With respect to silicon metal in the U.S. The case was delayed due to the government shutdown. Prior to the shutdown, the preliminary decision in September indicate strong measures against Angola, Australia, Laos, Norway and Thailand. The preliminary combined antidumping and countervailing duties range from 21% for Norway to 334% for [indiscernible]. We now expect the final decision on ongoing as in Thailand later today with Australia and Norway anticipated in June. Operationally, we executed with discipline and focus. Through proactive cost onto measures, including a hiring freeze and reduced discretionary and CapEx spending, we successfully navigated through weaker demand and lower pricing while maintaining a solid balance sheet. After the Safeguard announcement on November 18, [indiscernible] index prices for ferrosilicon and manganese alloys in Europe jumped approximately 20%. While paraceuticals has retreated some in recent weeks. Is still up more than 10% since the safeguard announcement. Our outlook for silicon metal remains more measured due to its exclusion from new safeguards and continued aggressive imports from China and increasingly from Angola. In the U.S., the silicon market is expected to grow modestly according to CRU. We are actively starting longer-term opportunities associated with our idled operations in Venezuela. This site includes 3 large pheroceuticalfurnaces and manganese alloy furnace, originally design into produced silicon metal, which can be converted back to [indiscernible]. In addition, the facility includes a Soderberg based plant that could be used to produce electrodes. While it is too early to determine the timing and conditions of the infrastructure and operations, the asset base represents a potential opportunity for the future. given Venezuela's proximity to the U.S. market, this opportunity could become strategically meaningful over time. We also took important steps to enhance our long-term cost structure and operating flexibility signing a new competitive 10-year French energy agreement effective January 1, 2026. In addition to competitive energy prices, this agreement provides greater flexibility, enabling us to produce up to 12 months a year in France. Combined with implementation of safeguards, this flexibility meaningfully improves the earnings potential of our [indiscernible] business by allowing higher volumes to leverage our fixed operating costs. Beyond our core operations, we continued to invest in long-term opportunities increasing our total investment in [indiscernible] to $10 million in 2025, reflecting strong technological progress in the development of advanced silicon reach EV batteries. In addition to ongoing collaboration with automotive OEMs, Corcel is expected to begin initial shipments to defense and robotics customers in the first quarter of this year. Furthermore, we are in the process of finalizing the multiyear supply agreement with [indiscernible]. For those who are new to the [indiscernible] story, silicon rechannels offer lower-cost batteries with increased capacity, longer driving range, faster charging and maybe most importantly, reduce reliance on graphite of which more than 90% is produced in China. We believe this technology has the potential to become increasingly strategic over time. Alongside these trade developments and operational enhancements, we continue to execute on shareholder-friendly capital allocation. We increased our first quarter 2025 dividend by 8% to [indiscernible] per share. and we are increasing it again by 7% to $0.015 per share starting in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, during the early part of 2025, we selectively executed discretional share repurchases, acquiring 1.2 million shares at an average price of $3.55 per share. Looking forward to 2026. Ferroglobe is well positioned to benefit from the cumulative impact of the trade actions. We expect most of our segments to post considerable growth in 2026 and we anticipate revenues improving to a range of $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion, an increase of 20% at the midpoint over 2025. This expectation is driven primarily by strong volume growth in the [indiscernible] based and manganese-based alloys segment. The implementation of EU [indiscernible] Safeguard in the U.S. ferrosilicon antidumping and anticircumvention rulings give us increased confidence in this outlook. Next slide, please. Our shipments increased by 13% to 165,000 tons on the strength of silicon-based and manganese-based alloys resulting in a 6% increase in quarterly revenue to $329 million. Our adjusted EBITDA declined slightly to $15 million while our free cash flow was negative $19 million. Beatriz will provide more detailed comments in your section. Next slide, please. I'll update on our segments, starting with silicon metal on Slide 5. This may sound like a repeat of last quarter, but the situation remains essentially unchanged. The demand is still weak across our regions. And Europe is still plugged by unabated predatory imports from China, which roughly doubled in 2025. As well as by rising imports from Angola up nearly fourfold, driving prices to unsustainable levels. As a critical and strategic material, the European Commission should ensure sufficient production to meet basic demand. Overall, volumes and revenues declined by approximately 3% due to an 8% decline in U.S. shipments, partially offset by a 5% increase in shipments in the year. It is important to note that the [indiscernible] shipments in the fourth quarter were up from a very weak third quarter. We idled our EU silicon metal plans in the fourth quarter to the extremely low unprofitable prices. Within the silicon metal segment, the [indiscernible] sector is performing better in relative terms, as highlighted by the recent recovery in aluminum prices compared to the weak polysilicon sector. The chemical sector remains weak, also due to imported siloxane and silicones from China into Europe and the U.S. The U.S. index prices rose a modest 2% in the fourth quarter over the third quarter. EU prices declined by 7%, primarily due to imports. For the year, European prices are down by 1/3, while U.S. index is up less than 2%. In the U.S., we expect the volumes to improve in the second half of 2026 as the antidumping and anti-silconvention measures are expected to be finalized in February and June. Next slide, please. The story is quite different in our other product segments. Globally, silicon base allows had a very strong fourth quarter Total volumes increased by 19% to 51,000 tonnes with EU and North America increasing 25% and 14%, respectively. Pricing trends were mixed in the fourth quarter. The EU ferrosilicon index rebounded strongly in the quarter, rising 22% to EUR 1,495 from Q3. driven by the implementation of secrets in November. In the U.S., the ferrosilicon index retreated a modest 4% during the quarter. For the full year, the European index gained 12%. The U.S. index is down less than 2% for the year. Overall, we are optimistic than 2026 will be a stronger year for total silicon base alloy sales for Ferroglobe. We have already booked incremental business for 2026 in Europe and in U.S. An additional catalyst for the second half of the year is expected from enhanced EU steel safeguards with a proposal to reduce import quarters by 50% and double tariffs to 50% for exceeding the quarter. It is anticipated that domestic production will be ramped up as a result. These measures are expected to take place on July 1, 2026. Next slide, please. Our manganese segment reported another strong quarter with a 16% volume increase to 81,000 tonnes, up from 70,000 tons in the third quarter. We benefit from a larger customer base as well as safeguards. EU sales, which accounts for more than 90% of our manganese volumes grew 18%. Manganese alloy index prices improved substantially in the fourth quarter with ferromanganese and silicomanganese increasing 16% and 21%, respectively. The combination of solid demand from our European steel customers, whose business is expected to grow by 3% in 2026 in and EU and [indiscernible] should propel a robust volume increase in 2026. Accordingly, we are optimistic about the European market opportunity for manganese this year. I would now like to turn the call over to Beatriz Garcia-Cos, our Chief Financial Officer, to review the financial results in more detail. Deric?
Beatriz García-Cos Muntañola: Thank you, Marco. Please turn to Slide 9 for a review of the fourth quarter income statement. Fourth quarter sales grew 6% over the prior quarter to $329 million. while raw material costs increased 23%, excluding the $40 million impact of [indiscernible] for all power purchase agreements. Fourth quarter raw materials and energy as a percentage of sales increased from 58% to 67%, primarily due to temporary hiding in France, again, excluding PP&A, or purchase price agreements. These PPAs are mark-to-market using fair value, given the long-term nature of our EDF contract which accounts for the majority of the PPA impact. We will continue to strip out PP&A mark-to-market volatility to provide a clearer view of our underlying operational performance. A strong silicon-based alloys and manganese-based alloys volumes drove the increased sales with quarter-over-quarter volumes increasing 19% and 16%, respectively. Silicon metal volumes declined by 3%. Volume improvements were partially offset by a 6% decline in average selling price of silicon-based alloys and Manganese Vazalore, with silicon metal prices essentially flat. Adjusted EBITDA declined 20% from the prior quarter to $15 million versus $18 million. Adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 4% driven by lower prices and elevated costs as result of AI in France. Next slide, please. Moving to Product segment adjusted EBITDA bridges Silicon metal revenue declined 3% sequentially to $96 million in Q4, driven by a 3% decrease in shipments to 33,000 tons. The average selling price was essentially flat at $2,157 per ton. Volumes remain constrained due to soft markets in the U.S. by Chinese and Angolan dumping of silicon metal in the European Union. Silicon metal adjusted EBITDA declined from $12 million to $1 million in Q4. with margins decreasing to 1%. The margin compression was primarily due to Island in France, slightly offset by improved cost in North America. Next slide, please. Silicon-based alloys revenue grew 12% to $104 million, driven by a 19% sequential increase in volumes to 51,000 tons, partially offset by a 6% decline in average selling prices to 2020 per ton. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $60 million in the fourth quarter from $12 million in the third quarter. Margins expanded by 160 basis points to 15%. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA and margins result from lower cost in the Spain partially offset by early aiming in France. Next slide, please. Manganese base alloys revenue increased 10% and to $93 million from $84 million in the prior quarter. Improvement was primarily due to a 16% increase in volumes to 81,000 tons. Fourth quarter average selling price declined 6% to 1,147 mainly due to a lag versus index prices. Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter doubled to $9 million, while adjusted EBITDA margins increased from 5% to 9%. This margin expansion was primarily driven by improved performance in Norway and higher overall volumes. Next slide, please. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year was $28 million, down from $154 million in 2024, and the adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 2%. The price decline driven by weak demand and increased imports to Europe had a significant impact on adjusted EBITDA,; accounting for more than 80% or $104 million of the decline. Reduced volumes account for another 16% of the EBITDA decline. Cost impact on adjusted EBITDA was negligible, while head office and noncore business detract less than $3 million from adjusted EBITDA. Next slide, please. There are lots of details on this slide. So I will just highlight a few of the most important items. For the full year, we generated $51 million in cash from operations, driven by a $48 million improvement in net working capital. We curtailed CapEx by $60 million to $63 million in 2025. For the year, our free cash flow was negative $12 million. During the fourth quarter, we consumed $4 million in operating cash flow due to weak EBITDA and an increase in net working capital of $8 million. For the year, we reduced our net working capital by $48 million, in line with our target of $50 million. Energy rebate was $7 million for the fourth quarter. As we operate under the new contract in France in 2026, we don't expect energy rebates going forward. which will help align our adjusted EBITDA generation more closely with our cash flow. Fourth quarter capital expenditures totaled $14 million representing a $5 million reduction versus the third quarter. Next slide, please. Despite the headwinds in 2025, our balance sheet remains strong. In total, we paid $10.5 million in dividends during the year, and we are again increasing our dividend starting in the first quarter of 2026, our quarterly dividend will increase 7% to $0.15 per share. It will be paid on March 30 to shareholders of record on March 23. While we did not repurchase any shares in the second half, we bought back 1.3 million shares for the first half. Our discretionary share repurchase plan remains in place. Our net debt position increased to 30 million in 2025, and we remain in a solid financial position to support growth in 2026. We reduced our 2025 CapEx by 20% to $63 million. At this time, I will turn the call back to Marco.