Interfor Reports Q2’24 Results

Adjusted EBITDA loss of $17 million and Net Loss of $76 million

BURNABY, British Columbia, Aug. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INTERFOR CORPORATION (“Interfor” or the “Company”) (TSX: IFP) recorded a Net loss in Q2’24 of $75.8 million, or $1.47 per share, compared to a Net loss of $72.9 million, or $1.42 per share in Q1’24 and a Net loss of $14.1 million, or $0.27 per share in Q2’23.  

Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $16.7 million on sales of $771.2 million in Q2’24 versus a loss of $22.3 million on sales of $813.2 million in Q1’24 and Adjusted EBITDA of $41.9 million on sales of $871.8 million in Q2’23.

Notable items:

• Production Curtailments to Reflect Ongoing Weak Lumber Market
  • In Q2’24, lumber production totalled 1.0 billion board feet, representing a 35 million board foot decrease over the prior quarter. This decrease partially reflects the temporary production curtailments announced on April 30, 2024 and the indefinite curtailment of the Philomath, OR sawmill.
  • Lumber prices continue to reflect an imbalance of lumber supply and demand, with demand continuing to be impacted by the elevated interest rate environment and ongoing economic uncertainty. Lumber prices decreased slightly during Q2’24 as reflected in Interfor’s average selling price of $602 per mfbm, down $8 per mfbm versus Q1’24.
  • In response to the ongoing market weakness, Interfor plans to temporarily reduce its total lumber production by approximately 280 to 350 million board feet between August and December of 2024, representing 15 to 18% of its normal operating stance. The Company will continue to monitor market conditions across all its operations and adjust its plans accordingly.
• Financial Position
  • Interfor’s net debt to invested capital ratio was 35.0% at quarter-end, which was comparable to the preceding quarter-end ratio of 34.7%.
  • The Company’s financial position benefited in the second quarter from $48.0 million of positive operating cash flow, including a $72.0 million reduction of working capital. This reduction of working capital was due in part to seasonal factors as well as the realization of sustainable operational efficiencies.
  • The Company’s available liquidity improved $30.8 million quarter-over-quarter to $330.5 million at June 30, 2024.
  • The collection of income tax refunds of approximately $59.0 million and the ongoing monetization of Coastal B.C. operations continue to be expected in the second half of 2024.
    

• Ongoing Monetization of Coastal B.C. Operations
  • The Company sold Coastal B.C. forest tenures totalling approximately 50,000 cubic metres of allowable annual cut (“AAC”) and related assets and liabilities for proceeds of $8.3 million and a gain of $8.2 million. Interfor held approximately 1,137,000 cubic metres of AAC for disposition at June 30, 2024, subject to approvals from the Ministry of Forests.
  • Subsequent to quarter-end on July 29, 2024, Interfor sold 104,689 cubic metres of AAC for cash proceeds of $13.2 million.
• Sale of Property and Assets of the former Philomath, OR sawmill
  • On June 27, 2024, the Company sold property and assets of the former Philomath, OR sawmill for cash consideration of US$15.0 million. A net non-cash charge of $4.3 million was recorded in conjunction with the disposition.
• Capital Investments
  • Capital spending was $17.9 million, including $6.6 million of discretionary investment focused mainly on the multi-year rebuild of the Thomaston, GA sawmill.
  • Total capital expenditures for 2024 are now estimated to be approximately $70.0 million, reduced by $20.0 million from prior guidance. This reduction is the result of a review of project returns considering the ongoing lumber market weakness.
• Softwood Lumber Duties
  • Interfor expensed $10.8 million of duties in the quarter, representing the full amount of countervailing (“CV”) and anti-dumping (“AD”) duties incurred on shipments of softwood lumber from its Canadian operations to the U.S. at a combined rate of 8.05%.
  • Interfor has cumulative duties of US$569.1 million, or approximately $11.05 per share on an after-tax basis, held in trust by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as at June 30, 2024. Except for US$161.8 million recorded as a receivable in respect of overpayments arising from duty rate adjustments and the fair value of rights to duties acquired, Interfor has recorded the duty deposits as an expense.
    

Outlook

North American lumber markets over the near term are expected to remain depressed as the economy continues to adjust to inflationary pressures, elevated interest rates, labour shortages and geo-political uncertainty, and as industry-wide lumber production continues to adjust to match demand.

Interfor expects that over the mid-term, lumber markets will continue to benefit from favourable underlying supply and demand fundamentals. Positive demand factors include the advanced age of the U.S. housing stock, a shortage of available housing and various demographic factors, while growth in lumber supply is expected to be limited by extended capital project completion and ramp-up timelines, labour availability and constrained global fibre availability.

Interfor’s strategy of maintaining a diversified portfolio of operations in multiple regions allows the Company to both reduce risk and maximize returns on capital over the business cycle.   In the event of a sustained lumber market downturn, Interfor maintains flexibility to significantly reduce capital expenditures and working capital levels, and to proactively adjust its lumber production to match demand.

Financial and Operating Highlights¹  

Notes:

1. Figures in this table may not equal or sum to figures presented elsewhere due to rounding.
2. Financial information presented for interim periods in this release is prepared in accordance with IFRS and is unaudited.
3. Refer to the Non-GAAP Measures section of this release for definitions and reconciliations of these measures to figures reported in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements.
4. Gross sales including duties and freight.
5. Based on Random Lengths Benchmark Lumber Pricing.
6. Based on Bank of Canada foreign exchange rates.

Liquidity

Balance Sheet

Interfor’s Net debt at June 30, 2024 was $876.9 million, or 35.0% of invested capital, representing an increase of $34.2 million from the level of Net debt at December 31, 2023.

As at June 30, 2024 the Company had net working capital of $314.4 million and available liquidity of $330.5 million, based on the available borrowing capacity under its $600.0 million Revolving Term Line (“Term Line”).

The Term Line and Senior Secured Notes are subject to financial covenants, including a maximum net debt to total capitalization ratio of 50.0% and a minimum EBITDA interest coverage ratio of two times, which becomes effective if the net debt to total capitalization ratio exceeds 42.5%.   As at June 30, 2024, Interfor was fully in compliance with all covenants relating to the Term Line and Senior Secured Notes.

Management believes, based on circumstances known today, that Interfor has sufficient working capital and liquidity to fund operating and capital requirements for the foreseeable future.  

On March 26, 2024, the Company issued US$33.3 million of Series I Senior Secured Notes, bearing interest at 6.37% with principal repayment due at final maturity on March 26, 2030. The proceeds were used to settle US$33.3 million of principal under the Company’s existing Series C Senior Secured Notes due on March 26, 2024.

Capital Resources

The following table summarizes Interfor’s credit facilities and availability as of June 30, 2024:

Interfor’s Term Line matures in December 2026 and its Senior Secured Notes have maturities in the years 2025-2033.

As of June 30, 2024, the Company had commitments for capital expenditures totalling $32.4 million for both maintenance and discretionary capital projects.

Non-GAAP Measures

This MD&A makes reference to the following non-GAAP measures: EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Net debt to invested capital and Annualized return on capital employed which are used by the Company and certain investors to evaluate operating performance and financial position. These non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

The following table provides a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to figures as reported in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements (unaudited for interim periods) prepared in accordance with IFRS:

Notes:

1. Figures in this table may not equal or sum to figures presented elsewhere due to rounding.
2. Net debt to invested capital as of the period end.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking information about the Company’s business outlook, objectives, plans, strategic priorities and other information that is not historical fact. A statement contains forward-looking information when the Company uses what it knows and expects today, to make a statement about the future. Statements containing forward-looking information may include words such as: will, could, should, believe, expect, anticipate, intend, forecast, projection, target, outlook, opportunity, risk or strategy. Readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this release, and undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this release are described in Interfor’s second quarter and annual Management’s Discussion and Analysis under the heading “Risks and Uncertainties”, which are available on www.interfor.com and under Interfor’s profile on www.sedarplus.ca. Material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking information in this release include the timing and value of proceeds received from the disposition of Coast B.C. forest tenures; availability and cost of logs; competition; currency exchange sensitivity; environment; government regulation; health and safety; Indigenous reconciliation; information technology and cyber security; labour availability; logistics availability and cost; natural and man-made disasters and climate change; price volatility; residual fibre revenue; softwood lumber trade; and tax exposures. Unless otherwise indicated, the forward-looking statements in this release are based on the Company’s expectations at the date of this release. Interfor undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking information or statements, except as required by law.

ABOUT INTERFOR

Interfor is a growth-oriented forest products company with operations in Canada and the United States. The Company has annual lumber production capacity of approximately 5.0 billion board feet and offers a diverse line of lumber products to customers around the world. For more information about Interfor, visit our website at www.interfor.com.

The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for Q2’24 are available at www.sedarplus.ca and www.interfor.com.

There will be a conference call on Friday, August 9, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) hosted by INTERFOR CORPORATION for the purpose of reviewing the Company’s release of its second quarter 2024 financial results.

The dial-in number is 1-888-390-0546 or webcast URL: https://app.webinar.net/NYD9jBVj8xr. The conference call will also be recorded for those unable to join in for the live discussion and will be available until September 9, 2024. The number to call is 1-888-390-0541, Passcode 530436#.

For further information:
Richard Pozzebon, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(604) 422-3400