Earnings Labs

Intrepid Potash, Inc. (IPI)

Q1 2020 Earnings Call· Sun, May 10, 2020

$37.39

-1.42%

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Thank you for standing by. This is the conference operator. Welcome to the Intrepid Potash First Quarter 2020 Results Conference Call. As a reminder, all participants are in listen-only mode and the conference is being recorded. [Operator Instructions] I would now like to turn the conference over to Matt Preston, Vice President of Finance. Please go ahead, sir.

Matt Preston

Analyst

Thanks, Claudia. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us to discuss Intrepid's first quarter 2020 results. With me on the call today is Intrepid's Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, President and CEO, Bob Jornayvaz. As we announced yesterday in our Q1 press release, due to the stay-at-home restrictions still in effect for Denver County, we will not be able to hold a question-and-answer session during today's call. We have scheduled another call for Monday, May 11, at 12 p.m. Eastern Time to respond to investor questions. We will accept e-mail questions before the call and then hold a live question-and-answer session on Monday to answer both e-mail and live questions. Please see yesterday's press release for more information. Please be advised that our remarks today include forward-looking statements as defined by U.S. securities laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from those currently anticipated. These statements are based on the information available to us today, and we assume no obligation to update them. These risks and uncertainties are described in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are incorporated here by reference. During today's call, we will refer to certain non-GAAP financial and operational measures. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in yesterday's press release. Our SEC filings and press releases are available on our website at intrepidpotash.com. I'll now turn the call over to Bob.

Robert Jornayvaz

Analyst

Thank you, Matt. And good morning to everyone. Before I get started on my review of the business, I want to take a moment to address the current environment and how Intrepid is addressing the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, our thoughts go out to those directly impacted by the virus, particularly those who are sick or on the front lines treating patients, as well as those continuing to work in essential services to ensure the well-being of our communities. We acknowledge the many challenges the United States and the world faces. In light of this pandemic and as an essential service provider, we endeavor to be a part of the solution as the world navigates through this unprecedented disruption. As the pandemic has unfolded, our focus has been on managing the risks around COVID-19 and ensuring that we are taking the necessary steps to protect our employees, support the community and manage through this challenging period. In early March, we took decisive action to safeguard our employees, contractors and visitors essential to our operations. For our support staff, we quickly established work-at-home policies across all locations. We implemented social-distancing measures at our mine sites, supported by staggered staffing schedules and appropriate hygiene measures and cleaning protocols in accordance with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We continue to provide all of our employees with the resources to support their well-being. In addition, we have looked for ways to support the local communities in which we operate. In March, we donated our stockpile of personal protective gear to the local hospital in Moab, Utah. Secondly, I want to explain the format of the conference call. To allow for a complete and robust discussion, we have changed the format of our question-and-answer session for this call.…

Matt Preston

Analyst

Thank you, Bob. I’ll echo Bob's comments regarding those impacted by COVID-19 and add my thanks to those on the front lines. First quarter sales were up 11%, and driven by record water sales and strong volumes in our nutrients business. For potash, gross margins were down 54% as higher volumes were offset by lower pricing, higher cost of goods sold and a decline in byproduct sales. Average net realized sales price for potash was $255 in the quarter, down 11% year-over-year. Due to lower winter fill pricing and a shift in mix away from industrial sales towards a higher proportion of agricultural sales. During the quarter, potash gross margins were unfavorably impacted by higher per ton production costs resulting from the below-average evaporation here in 2019. Sales declined year-over-year as increased market availability of salt and a limited supply of magnesium chloride pressured volumes in the quarter. As a reminder, wet weather at our Wendover facility in 2019 and limited the amount of product harvested and available for sale as we enter 2020. We expect to return to normal magnesium chloride production and sales towards the end of the second quarter. During the quarter, we lowered our salt production at our Moab facility, which increased the number of days dedicated to potash production. As a result, potash production was up 25% year-over-year. For Trio, sales volumes were up both domestically and abroad, the lower pricing and higher costs due to increased sales of premium Trio, our highest cost product pressured margins. We saw success in selling into higher-priced international markets, though because international sales tend to carry lower margins, the net effect lowered gross margins in the quarter when compared with the previous year. Our oilfield Solutions segment performed well in the quarter with a 17% increase in sales…

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Analyst

Operator

Operator

This concludes today's conference call. You may disconnect your lines. Thank you for participating, and have a pleasant day.