Neo Performance Materials Reports Strong First Quarter 2021 Results

Q1 2021 Highlights
(unless otherwise noted, all financial amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars)

• Q1 2021 revenue of $130.9 million higher by 44.3% YoY and by 18.5% over Q4 2020.
• Volumes in the quarter of 4,206 tonnes improved by 27.3% YoY and by 14.2% sequentially.
• Operating income of $16.4 million in the quarter sharply higher by 227.7% YoY and by 414.4% sequentially.
• Adjusted Net Income (1) of $15.1 million , or $0.40 per share.
• Adjusted EBITDA (1) of $22.4 million higher by 132.6% YoY and by 82.3% sequentially.
• Cash balance of $55.6 million after distributing $3.1 million in dividends to shareholders.
• A quarterly dividend of Cdn$0.10 per common share was declared on May 12, 2021 for shareholders of record at June 19, 2021 , with a payment date of June 28, 2021 .

TORONTO , May 13, 2021 /CNW/ - Neo Performance Materials Inc. (" Neo ", the " Company ") (TSX: NEO) released its first quarter 2021 financial results. The financial statements and management's discussion and analysis (" MD&A ") of these results can be viewed on Neo's web site at www.neomaterials.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

HIGHLIGHTS OF Q1 2021 CONSOLIDATED PERFORMANCE

Neo reported very strong results in the first quarter of 2021, driven largely by the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and supply chains being refilled. Selling prices also strengthened as rare earth prices continued to rise through most of the first quarter of 2021. On a consolidated basis, for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 , volumes of 4,206 tonnes increased by 14.2%, revenues of $130.9 million increased by 18.5%, operating income of $16.4 million was higher by 414.4%, and Adjusted EBITDA of $22.4 million improved by 82.3%, all as compared to the fourth quarter of 2020. Q1 2021 volumes, revenue, operating income, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net income all were also higher over the prior-year period.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , consolidated revenue was $130.9 million compared to $90.7 million in 2019; an increase of $40.2 million or 44.3%. Neo reported a net income of $7.6 million , or $0.20 per share. Adjusted Net Income (1) totaled $15.1 million , or $0.40 per share.

As of March 31, 2021 , Neo had cash and cash equivalents of $55.6 million plus restricted cash of $4.1 million , compared to $72.2 million plus $4.2 million as at December 31, 2020 . Neo paid $3.1 million in dividends to its shareholders and spent $3.0 million related to withholding taxes paid on issuance of stock-based awards in the three months ended March 31, 2021 . In addition, Neo has approximately $6.4 million available under its credit facilities with $0.5 million drawn as at March 31, 2021 .

"I am pleased to see demand, volumes, and margins return to robust, pre-COVID levels across most of our businesses, resulting in strong operating results in the first quarter," said Constantine Karayannopoulos , CEO of Neo. "The positive trend and momentum driven by strong demand for our current product portfolio, particularly those in the automotive electrification applications supply chain, continue to show promise in the second quarter."

Mr. Karayannopoulos added: "I am also increasingly optimistic that several new product development efforts are likely to achieve commercial viability over the next several quarters. These advanced materials are targeted to new industries and end-markets for Neo, and I look forward to being able to discuss them in more detail as our development efforts advance."

SELECTED FINANCIAL RESULTS

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , revenues of $130.9 million were 44.3% higher than the three months ended March 31, 2020 .

Neo reported an operating income of $16.4 million and a net income of $7.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 . Operating income in the three months ended March 31, 2021 was higher in all three segments.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $22.4 million , an increase of $12.8 million compared $9.6 million in the same period of the prior year. Similar to net operating income, in the three months ended March 31, 2021 , Magnequench and C&O Adjusted EBITDA increased significantly over the same period in the prior year, while Rare Metals Adjusted EBITDA was reasonably similar.

MAGNEQUENCH SEGMENT RESULTS

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , revenue in the Magnequench segment was $64.9 million , compared to $38.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2020 ; an increase of $26.4 million or 68.5%. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , volume increased to 1,725 tonnes, compared to 1,271 tonnes in the same period in 2020; an increase of 35.7%. Generally, the differing rates of change for revenue and volumes are primarily attributed to changes in commodity input material prices and, to a lesser extent, product mix. Magnequench has material pricing pass-through agreements with the vast majority of its customers, which enables Magnequench to pass through changes in material input costs into selling price on a lagged basis.

Operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $11.1 million , an increase of $5.6 million or 100.2%, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020 .

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , volumes in the Magnequench segment saw a continued rebound and strong growth compared to prior periods. Magnequench experienced growth in volumes across almost all key applications but particularly in the automotive segment. A portion of the volume growth can be attributed to customers rebuilding inventory levels and a portion is attributed to new growth in new platforms. For example, the compression magnet production volumes doubled compared to historical levels as Magnequench continues to make progress in this strategic initiative. Volumes for key electrified-automotive applications, such as traction motors and pumps, also saw very strong growth.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , Adjusted EBITDA in the Magnequench segment was $13.4 million , compared to $7.7 million in same period of 2020; an increase of $5.7 million or 74.1%.

CHEMICALS & OXIDES ("C&O") SEGMENT RESULTS

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , revenue in the C&O segment was $54.4 million , compared to $33.5 million in the same period in 2020; an increase of $20.9 million or 62.2%. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , the C&O segment reported operating income of $12 .1 million compared to $3 .0 million in the same period of the prior year; an increase of $9 .1 million or 307.6%.

As with Magnequench, rare earth products saw a sharp increase in selling prices in the first quarter of 2021, continuing a trend from the second half of 2020. The C&O segment also saw strong demand for various rare earth products, particularly magnetic-based products, as the global economy continues its recovery from the economic impacts of COVID-19. The combination of higher prices and higher demand for magnetic rare earth products drove much stronger financial performance for the C&O segment compared to the prior periods, particularly as the segment was continuing to process the lower cost inventory that it had on hand. In environmental catalysts, C&O also saw a strong rebound in demand for many programs and continued growth in some of its newer products, which together exceeded the market growth in the automotive sector, generally. These combined higher volumes also had a positive impact on fixed cost absorption levels which further contributed to higher margins in the quarter.

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , Adjusted EBITDA was $12.9 million , compared to $4.4 million in the same period in the prior year; an increase of $8.5 million or 192.7%.

RARE METALS SEGMENT RESULTS

For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , revenue in the Rare Metals segment was $16.7 million , compared to $20.5 million in the same period in the prior year; a decrease of $3.7 million or 18.3%. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 , the Rare Metals segment reported an operating income of $0.3 million , compared to an operating loss of $0.2 million in the same period of 2020.

The end markets of Rare Metals, primarily aerospace, did not have the same recovery in economic activity as other end markets like automotive or general industrial in the latter half of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. In the three months ended March 31, 2021 , the Rare Metals segment reported lower overall sales compared to the same period in the prior year. The Rare Metals segment did see some strength in certain non-aerospace markets such as in the gallium trichloride market. In addition, the segment made key progress in one of its key strategic initiatives to develop new customers and to qualify more products outside of the aerospace industry. The Rare Metals segment reported positive operating income in the three months ended March 31 , 2021.

Adjusted EBITDA in the Rare Metals segment was $0.9 million for both the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.

CONFERENCE CALL ON THURSDAY MAY 13, 2021 AT 10 AM EASTERN

Management will host a teleconference call on Thursday May 13, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the first quarter 2021 results. Interested parties may access the teleconference by calling (647) 427-7450 (local) or (888) 231-8191 (toll-free long distance) or by visiting http://cnw.en.mediaroom.com/events . A recording of the teleconference may be accessed by calling (416) 849-0833 (local) or (855) 859-2056 (toll-free long distance), and entering pass code 5583257# until June 13, 2021 or by visiting http://cnw.en.mediaroom.com/events.

NON-IFRS MEASURES

This news release refers to certain non-IFRS financial measures such as "Adjusted Net Income", "EBITDA", "Adjusted EBITDA", and "Adjusted EBITDA Margin". These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS, do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Rather, these measures are provided as additional information to complement IFRS financial measures by providing further understanding of Neo's results of operations from management's perspective. Neo's definitions of non-IFRS measures used in this news release may not be the same as the definitions for such measures used by other companies in their reporting. Non-IFRS measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation nor as a substitute for analysis of Neo's financial information reported under IFRS. Neo uses non-IFRS financial measures to provide investors with supplemental measures of its base-line operating performance and to eliminate items that have less bearing on operating performance or operating conditions and thus highlight trends in its core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS financial measures. Neo believes that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS financial measures in the evaluation of issuers. Neo's management also uses non-IFRS financial measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period. For definitions of how Neo defines such financial measures, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" section of Neo's management's discussion and analysis filing for the three months ended March 31, 2021 , available on Neo's web site at www.neomaterials.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

TABLE 5: CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

TABLE 6: CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Comparison of the three months ended March 31, 2021 to the three months ended March 31, 2020 :

TABLE 7: RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO EBITDA, ADJUSTED EBITDA AND FREE CASH FLOW

TABLE 8: RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO ADJUSTED NET INCOME

About Neo Performance Materials

Neo manufactures the building blocks of many modern technologies that enhance efficiency and sustainability. Neo's advanced industrial materials - magnetic powders and magnets, specialty chemicals, metals, and alloys - are critical to the performance of many everyday products and emerging technologies. Neo's products help to deliver the technologies of tomorrow to consumers today. The business of Neo is organized along three segments: Magnequench, Chemicals & Oxides and Rare Metals. Neo is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada ; with corporate offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado , US; Singapore ; and Beijing, China . Neo operates globally with sales and production across 10 countries, being Japan , China , Thailand , Estonia , Singapore , Germany , United Kingdom , Canada , United States , and South Korea . For more information, please visit www.neomaterials.com .

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada . Forward-looking information may relate to future events or future performance of Neo. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, with respect to Neo's objectives and goals, as well as statements with respect to its beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, and intentions, are forward-looking information. Specific forward-looking statements in this discussion include, but are not limited to, the following: expectations regarding certain of Neo's future results and information, including, among other things, revenue, expenses, sales growth, capital expenditures, and operations; statements with respect to current and future market trends that may directly or indirectly impact sales and revenue of Neo; expected use of cash balances; continuation of prudent management of working capital; source of funds for ongoing business requirements and capital investments; expectations regarding sufficiency of the allowance for uncollectible accounts and inventory provisions; analysis regarding sensitivity of the business to changes in exchange rates; impact of recently adopted accounting pronouncements; risk factors relating to intellectual property protection and intellectual property litigation; risk factors relating to national or international economies (including the impact of COVID-19), and other risks present in the jurisdictions in which Neo, its customers, its suppliers, and/or its logistics partners operate, and; expectations concerning any remediation efforts to Neo's design of its internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "continues", "forecasts", "projects", "predicts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. This information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Neo believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information included in this discussion and analysis should not be unduly relied upon. For more information on Neo, investors should review Neo's continuous disclosure filings that are available under Neo's profile at www.sedar.com .

SOURCE Neo Performance Materials, Inc.

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