Enerflex Reports Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Quarterly Dividend

CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enerflex Ltd. (TSX:EFX) (“Enerflex” or “the Company” or “we” or “our”), a leading supplier of products and services to the global energy industry, today reported its financial and operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018.

Summary Table of Second Quarter and First Half of 2018 Financial and Operating Results

1. Earnings before Interest (Finance Costs), Income Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”) and Earnings before Interest (Finance Costs) and Taxes (“EBIT”) are considered non-GAAP measures, which may not be comparable with similar non-GAAP measures used by other entities.
2. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure. Please refer to the full reconciliation of these items in the Adjusted EBITDA section.
3. Determined by taking the trailing 12-month period.
4. Bookings and backlog are considered non-GAAP measures that do not have standardized meanings as prescribed by GAAP, and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other entities.

“During the second quarter, Enerflex delivered solid financial results with revenues of $405 million and EBIT of $29 million. Bookings of $373 million, predominately driven by the USA region, represent Enerflex’s second strongest quarter for bookings since 2014. As a result of our recent performance and the strong backlog of over $749 million, Enerflex’s near-term outlook remains healthy,” said J. Blair Goertzen, Enerflex’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The USA continues to be the region with the highest activity levels and has significantly improved recurring revenues with the on-going investment in Contract Compression rental assets. Rest of World delivered improved results for both Engineered Systems and Service revenues, contributing to the overall quarterly performance.  In Canada, the Company continues to be impacted by lower activity in the region, however, with the recent resolution of some transportation issues and progress in liquefied natural gas projects, we are starting to see signs of some improvements in this region, demonstrated by $160 million of bookings recorded subsequent to quarter-end. Consolidated bookings subsequent to quarter-end totaled $294 million. Enerflex’s geographic and product line diversification strategy allows the Company to deliver strong financial results without being dependant on a single region or product line.”

Quarterly Overview

• Second quarter bookings were strong at $373 million, led by the USA segment bookings of $302 million.  The USA bookings were across all Engineered Systems offerings and with a variety of customers.  Canadian bookings continued to be impacted by challenging market conditions and have declined to $47 million compared to $121 million in 2017.  The Rest of World (“ROW”) segment bookings of $24 million are reflective of the fact that ROW bookings tend to be larger but less frequent. 
• Backlog of $749 million increased from $671 million at December 31, 2017 due to the strength of the USA segment bookings outpacing Engineered Systems revenue recognized.  The amount of this key leading indicator of future revenues is at one of the highest levels seen since 2014.
• EBIT for the quarter is $29 million, which is down from $33 million in the comparative period.  This $4 million decline is driven by a $5 million decrease in gross margin offset by $1 million decrease in SG&A expenses. 
• The Company invested $17 million in rental assets during the quarter, continuing the organic expansion of the USA rental fleet, which has grown 32% since the acquisition of the contract compression business from Mesa Compression, LLC (“Mesa”).
• Subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company received a partial ruling related to the Oman Oil Exploration and Production LLC (“OOCEP”) arbitration.  The tribunal awarded Enerflex an amount of $30.2 million U.S. dollars, which is comprised of the full final milestone payment of $23.3 million U.S. dollars, variation claims in respect of additional costs and delays in construction of $4.0 million U.S. dollars, and interest on the outstanding amounts of $3.0 million U.S. dollars.  The tribunal also dismissed the respondent’s counterclaim for liquidated damages in its entirety.  The earnings impact, net of tax, is $5.9 million U.S. dollars and will be recognized in the third quarter results.  The allocation of costs and expenses of the proceedings will be the subject of a separate final award by the tribunal, which is expected at a later date. 
• Subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company recorded bookings of approximately $294 million, a significant portion of which was in the Canada segment.
• Subsequent to June 30, 2018, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.095 per share, payable on October 4, 2018, to shareholders of record on August 23, 2018.

Second Quarter Results Summary
Engineered Systems revenue decreased by $42 million when compared to the second quarter of 2017, driven primarily by weakness in Canadian bookings over the past year and lower revenues in the USA segment due to higher activity levels and revenues in 2017.  Rental revenues increased due to the contributions of Mesa assets acquired and the new build-own-operate-maintain (“BOOM”) revenues in Colombia.  Service revenues have increased due to higher activity levels in the United States and Australia.  Gross margins decreased due to the lower revenues while the gross margin percentage is consistent with the prior year.  SG&A costs were down slightly compared to the same period of 2017 due to lower legal costs associated with the OOCEP arbitration and foreign exchange impacts, offset by higher compensation costs. 

Second Quarter Segmented Results
USA
Revenue in the USA segment was $219 million, a decrease of $9 million from the same period in 2017.  Engineered Systems revenue declined, driven largely by the inclusion of some large projects last year, offset by higher revenue in the Service and Rental product lines.   EBIT declined by $5 million due to lower revenues in Engineered Systems and higher SG&A costs driven by higher compensation costs, partially offset by warranty releases driven by improved warranty experience. 

Rest of World
Revenue in the Rest of World segment increased by $11 million due to higher Engineered Systems revenue in Colombia and higher Service revenue, primarily in Australia.  The increased revenues resulted in a corresponding increase in operating income.  SG&A costs decreased as there were no third-party costs associated with the OOCEP arbitration and favourable foreign exchange impacts. 

Canada
Canadian revenue decreased by $31 million due to lower Engineered Systems revenue driven by weak bookings over the last 12 months.  Service and Rental revenues are down as they were both negatively impacted by lower parts and equipment sales.  Operating income decreased by $4 million due to the lower revenues. 

Outlook
The second quarter saw a return to stronger financial results based on the strength of performance in the USA segment.  Bookings remain healthy in the USA segment due to strong market conditions.  Bookings in Canada increased slightly over the previous two quarters and the Company continues to bid on a number of projects. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, the Company recorded bookings of approximately $294 million, a significant portion of which was in the Canada segment. Continued strength in the backlog provides solid visibility over revenues for the balance of 2018.  The Company’s strategy of regional and product diversification positions Enerflex to focus on areas where activity will remain strong. 

Adjusted EBITDA
The Company’s results include items that are unique and items that management and users of the financial statements add back when evaluating the Company’s results. The presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation from EBIT or EBITDA as determined under IFRS.  Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as a replacement for measures prepared as determined under IFRS.

The items that have been adjusted for presentation purposes relate generally to four categories: 1) impairment or gains on idle facilities; 2) restructuring activities; 3) acquisition costs; and, 4) share-based compensation.  Identification of these items allows for an understanding of the underlying operations of the Company based on the current assets and structure. Enerflex has presented the impact of share-based compensation as it is an item that can fluctuate significantly with share price changes during a period based on factors that are not specific to the long-term performance of the Company. The disposal of idle facilities is isolated within Adjusted EBITDA as they are not reflective of the ongoing operations of the Company and are idled as a result of restructuring activities.

There were no costs related to the ongoing arbitration proceedings with OOCEP during the quarter.  The second quarter of 2017 included approximately $2 million of arbitration related costs.   These amounts are not adjusted for in the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA.

Dividend
Subsequent to the end of the second quarter 2018, Enerflex declared a quarterly dividend of $0.095 per share, payable on October 4, 2018, to shareholders of record on August 23, 2018. 

Quarterly Results Material
This press release should be read in conjunction with Enerflex’s Interim Condensed Financial Statements as at and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, and the accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis, both of which will be available on the Enerflex website at www.enerflex.com under the Investors section and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Conference Call and Webcast Details
Enerflex will host a conference call for analysts, investors, members of the media, and other interested parties on Friday, August 10, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. MDT to discuss the second quarter 2018 financial results and operating highlights. The call will be hosted by Mr. J. Blair Goertzen, President and Chief Executive Officer and Mr. D. James Harbilas, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Enerflex.

If you wish to participate in this conference call, please call 1.844.231.9067 or 1.703.639.1277.  Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. No passcode is required. The live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Enerflex website at www.enerflex.com under the Investors section on August 10, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. MDT. A replay of the teleconference will be available on August 10, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. MDT until August 17, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. MDT.  Please call 1.855.859.2056 or 1.404.537.3406 and enter conference ID 7188829.

About Enerflex
Enerflex Ltd. is a single source supplier of natural gas compression, oil and gas processing, refrigeration systems, and electric power generation equipment – plus related engineering and mechanical service expertise. The Company’s broad in-house resources provide the capability to engineer, design, manufacture, construct, commission, and service hydrocarbon handling systems.  Enerflex’s expertise encompasses field production facilities, compression and natural gas processing plants, gas lift compression, refrigeration systems, and electric power equipment servicing the natural gas production industry.

Headquartered in Calgary, Canada, Enerflex has approximately 2,200 employees worldwide. Enerflex, its subsidiaries, interests in associates and joint-ventures operate in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Enerflex’s shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “EFX”.  For more information about Enerflex, go to www.enerflex.com.

Advisory Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements relate to management’s expectations about future events, results of operations and the Company’s future performance (both operational and financial) and business prospects. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “plan”, “contemplate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “propose”, “might”, “may”, “will”, “shall”, “project”, “should”, “could”, “would”, “believe”, “predict”, “forecast”, “pursue”, “potential”, “objective” and “capable” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. In particular, this press release includes (without limitation) forward-looking information pertaining to: the anticipated duration of weak natural gas prices and the effect thereof in Canada and USA markets; expected bookings; and the nature and scope of challenges and opportunities in the Rest of World segment. In developing the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has made certain assumptions with respect to general economic and industry growth rates, commodity prices, currency exchange and interest rates, competitive intensity and regulatory approvals. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which are difficult to predict and may affect the Company’s operations, including, among other things: the impact of general economic conditions; industry conditions, including the adoption of new environmental, taxation and other laws and regulations and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced; volatility of oil and gas prices; oil and gas product supply and demand; risks inherent in the ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet current and future obligations, including future dividends to shareholders of the Company; increased competition; the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management; labour unrest; political unrest; fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates; stock market volatility; opportunities available to, or pursued by, the Company; obtaining financing;  and other factors, many of which are beyond its control. The foregoing list of factors and risks is not exhaustive. For an augmented discussion of the risk factors and uncertainties that affect or may affect Enerflex, the reader is directed to the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Enerflex’s most recently filed Annual Information Form, as well as Enerflex’s other publicly filed disclosure documents, available on www.sedar.com. While the Company believes that there is a reasonable basis for the forward-looking information and statements included in this press release, as a result of such known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. The forward-looking information included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon. The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by the above cautionary statement. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date hereof and, other than as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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