Earnings Labs

SFL Corporation Ltd. (SFL)

Q4 2015 Earnings Call· Mon, Feb 29, 2016

$11.36

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good day, and welcome to the Q4 2015 Ship Finance International Limited Earnings Conference Call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Ole Hjertaker, CEO. Please go ahead, sir.

Ole Hjertaker

CEO

Thank you, and welcome to Ship Finance International and our fourth quarter conference call. With me here today, I have our CFO, Harald Gurvin; and Senior Vice President, André Reppen. Before we begin our presentation, I would like to note that this conference call will contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, estimates or similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our current plans and expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause future activities and results of operations to be materially different from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include conditions in the shipping, offshore and credit markets. For further information, please refer to the Ship Finance's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Board has again declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share. This dividend represents $1.80 per share at an annualized basis or 14% dividend yield based on closing price of $12.56 in Friday. This is the 48th consecutive dividend and we have now paid more than $1.6 billion in dividends since 2004 or more than $20.50 per share. We have increased revenues, EBITDA and net income this quarter compared to last quarter. Aggregate charter revenues recorded in the quarter, including 100% owned subsidiaries accounted for as investment in associate, was $170 million and the EBITDA equivalent cash flow in the third -- fourth quarter was approximately $142 million. Last 12 months, the EBITDA equivalent has been $530 million. The reported net income for the quarter was $54 million or $0.58 per share. This is after gains on the sale of Frontline notes and sale of 2 older Suezmax tankers…

Harald Gurvin

CFO

Thank you, Ole. On this slide, we have shown our pro forma illustration of cash flows for the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. Please note that this is only a guideline to assess the company's performance and is not in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For the fourth quarter, total charter revenues before profit share were $146.4 million or $1.57 per share, slightly up from $145.5 million in the previous quarter. Revenues from Suezmaxes were down in the quarter following the sale of the 3 older Suezmaxes in the third and fourth quarter and lower revenues from the 2 Suezmaxes trading in the spot market in the fourth quarter. Revenues from liners and dry bulk were up in the quarter, following delivery of the first of the 3 container vessels to Maersk during the fourth quarter and the full quarter of our earnings on the 8 Capesize driver carriers to Golden Ocean delivered during the third quarter. Earnings from offshore was slightly down due to reduced charter hire, received on the jack-up drilling rig, Soehanah, during the quarter. We recorded a profit share of $20.6 million under the 50% profit share agreement with Frontline, up from $16.6 million in the previous quarter. We also recorded a profit share of approximately $400,000 relating to 6 of the Handysize driver carriers. Financial investments includes the dividend of $2.75 million received on our shareholding in Frontline in the fourth quarter and interest received on senior secured notes we owned in other companies and the Frontline notes redeemed in December. So overall, this summarizes to an EBITDA of $142 million for the quarter, or $1.52 per share, up from $136 million in the previous quarter. We then move on to the profit and loss statement, as reported under U.S. GAAP. As we have…

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] We have a question from Anthony Broy from Kudzu Corporation.

Anthony Broy

Analyst · Kudzu Corporation

I have a very simple question, and that is, our company, and I have several hundred thousand shares of it, does not do enough, I hate to use the term PR, but it does not give its figures on a regular basis. And I just compare it to NAT, in Nordic. And Nordic has a PE of 10.7; we have a PE of 8. Is there any possibility that we're going to be a little more investor-friendly? That's the question.

Ole Hjertaker

CEO

Thank you. I'm not sure if I understood the question correctly. If you are referring to the price earnings ratio, I think I would like to comment that we have a fundamentally different business model than Nordic American Tankers, or NAT, as you referred to. Their business model is deploying all vessels in the spot market and, therefore, following the spot market up and following it down when it -- as it goes. Our business model is to have a long-term charter coverage, which creates a much longer, call it, much more stability in revenues and then also in earnings over time, we believe. And therefore, you cannot compare quarter-by-quarter, call it, price earnings...

Anthony Broy

Analyst · Kudzu Corporation

I understand that, sir. I understand that. But we don't seem to be getting paid for it. For instance, I think that we have a decent report today and -- not the best in the world, but decent for what we have, and the stock is down. I think that's -- I just think that if we were a little more investor relations-friendly, that wouldn't be happening. And I'm not saying that we have to get naked in front of the world. I'm just saying, instead of 1 release or letting the releases come out on our reports to the SEC, maybe something additional to that, that's all I'm saying.

Ole Hjertaker

CEO

Thank you. And we note that. And we'll discuss that internally.

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] There are no questions at this time.

Ole Hjertaker

CEO

Then I would like to thank everyone for participating in our fourth quarter conference call. If you have any follow-up questions, there are contact details in the press release, where you can get in touch with us through the contact pages on our web page, which is shipfinance.bm. Thank you.

Operator

Operator

This will conclude today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, ladies and gentlemen. You may now disconnect.