Strong Execution Drives Solid Operating Results Across ATI
- Fourth Quarter 2019 Highlights
- Sales of $1.02 billion, down 2% compared to Q4 2018, up 3% excluding divestitures
- Business segment operating profit of $105.3 million, or 10.3% of sales
- $491 million of cash on hand at year-end after reducing debt by $150 million
- Net income attributable to ATI of $56.5 million, or $0.41 per share
- Adjusted net income of $50.2 million, or $0.36 per share
- Full Year 2019 Highlights
- Sales of $4.12 billion, up 2% compared to 2018, up 4% excluding divestitures
- Business segment operating profit of $380.7 million, or 9.2% of sales
- Generated $250 million in cash proceeds from sales of non-core assets
- Net income attributable to ATI of $257.6 million, or $1.85 per share
- Adjusted net income of $165.1 million, or $1.21 per share
PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Allegheny Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: ATI) reported fourth quarter 2019 results, with sales of $1.02 billion and net income attributable to ATI of $56.5 million, or $0.41 per share. Fourth quarter 2019 results include several special charges (pretax): a $21.6 million debt extinguishment charge for the early retirement of $500 million Senior Notes due January 2021, an $11.4 million impairment reserve related to our A&T Stainless joint venture, and a $4.5 million business restructuring charge to streamline ATI’s salaried workforce. Fourth quarter results also include a $41.9 million tax benefit primarily related to the release of a significant portion of our income tax valuation allowances. Excluding the net effect of these special charges and tax benefits, adjusted net income attributable to ATI was $50.2 million, or $0.36 per share. For the fourth quarter 2018, sales were $1.04 billion and net income attributable to ATI was $41.1 million, or $0.30 per share.
For the full year 2019, sales were $4.12 billion and net income attributable to ATI was $257.6 million, or $1.85 per share. In addition to the fourth quarter special items, full year 2019 results include $89.8 million in pretax gains on sales of non-core assets. Excluding these items net-of-tax, 2019 net income attributable to ATI was $165.1 million, or $1.21 per share. This compares to 2018 sales of $4.05 billion and net income attributable to ATI of $222.4 million, or $1.61 per share. On an adjusted basis, 2018 net income attributable to ATI was $207.7 million, or $1.51 per share.
“The team executed well in the fourth quarter, delivering solid results in both operating segments, and successfully capping a challenging year buffeted by industry, supply chain and regulatory headwinds,” said Robert S. Wetherbee, ATI President and Chief Executive Officer. “Excluding divested businesses, we expanded our 2019 aerospace and defense sales by a double-digit percentage versus the prior year, demonstrating our focus on strategic end-markets where materials science matters.
“We continue to build on our foundation for profitable growth in the HPMC segment with several key long-term contract renewals in 2019, including a $2.5 billion agreement with GE Aviation signed in the fourth quarter that both extended and expanded our relationship with this important customer. In the FRP segment, we recorded our third straight year of profitability despite the ongoing negative impacts from global trade policies and domestic tariffs as well as weak standard stainless end-market demand,” said Wetherbee.
“We significantly improved our balance sheet health in 2019, including a $150 million gross debt reduction in the fourth quarter and a pension annuitization earlier in the year,” he said. “We generated significant free cash flow in 2019 through our strong operational performance and the sale of non-strategic assets and ended the year with nearly $500 million of cash on hand,” Wetherbee concluded.
Operating Results By Segment
- HPMC sales increased 1% in the fourth quarter 2019 year-over-year and increased by 10% excluding sales from the recently divested titanium investment castings and industrial forgings businesses. In the fourth quarter 2019, 77% of segment sales were to the aerospace and defense markets, with next-generation jet engine products sales representing 53% of total HPMC jet engine product sales.
- HPMC operating profit increased 22% compared to the prior year period, to $92.8 million, while segment operating profit margins grew by 270 basis points year-over-year to 15.4% of sales. HPMC segment sales and operating profits also improved sequentially versus third quarter 2019, primarily due to higher aerospace and defense markets sales and normal business seasonal patterns.
- FRP fourth quarter 2019 sales were 6% lower compared to the prior year and 11% lower than the third quarter 2019, primarily due to lower demand for oil & gas related products and from the automotive and general industrial markets and in line with global trends. Aerospace and defense markets sales continued to expand, representing 16% of fourth quarter 2019 sales.
- FRP segment operating profit was $12.5 million, or 3% of sales, increasing 11% compared to prior year but declining versus a seasonally stronger third quarter 2019 that benefitted from higher raw material surcharges. FRP segment results for the fourth quarter 2019 compared to the prior year reflect higher retirement benefit expense of approximately $6 million. ATI’s share of the A&T Stainless joint venture improved by nearly $2 million compared to the prior year quarter, but remained unprofitable due to Section 232 tariffs.
Corporate Items
- ATI recorded an $11.4 million impairment reserve for the A&T Stainless joint venture, including ATI’s share of a long-lived asset impairment charge recognized by the joint venture on the carrying value of its production facility in Midland, PA. This charge was excluded from Flat Rolled Products segment results. ATI continues to pursue Section 232 tariff relief on imports of Indonesian-sourced stainless slabs.
- A $4.5 million restructuring charge was recorded in the fourth quarter 2019 to streamline ATI’s salaried workforce, primarily to improve the cost competitiveness of the U.S.-based Flat Rolled Products business.
- Corporate expenses in the fourth quarter 2019 were $16.2 million, or $1.0 million lower than prior year, primarily due to corporate-owned life insurance gains.
- Closed operations and other expenses in the fourth quarter 2019 were $6.3 million, or $1.3 million higher year-over-year, mainly due to higher retirement benefit expenses.
- ATI had a 5% effective tax rate for the fourth quarter 2019, as income tax valuation allowances on U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets remained during the period. At December 31, 2019, ATI determined that a substantial portion of these income tax valuation allowances were no longer required due to improved profitability. As a result, a $41.9 million discrete tax benefit was recognized in the quarter primarily related to reversal of this valuation allowance. Prospectively, the Company expects to record income tax expense using a tax rate between 23% and 25%. However, the Company does not expect to pay any significant U.S federal or state income taxes for the next few years due to net operating loss carryforwards.
- In the fourth quarter 2019, ATI issued $350M of 5.875% Notes due December 2027 (2027 Notes). Proceeds from the 2027 Notes and cash on hand were used to redeem the $500M 5.95% Notes due January 2021. A $21.6 debt extinguishment charge was recorded as part of this action, and ATI’s outstanding debt declined by $150 million.
- Cash on handat December 31, 2019 was $490.8 million and available additional liquidity under the Company’s recently extended asset-based lending (ABL) credit facility was approximately $450 million. For the full year 2019, cash provided by operating activities was $230.1 million, including $88.4 million from managed working capital. ATI contributed $145.0 million to the U.S. defined benefit pension trust during the year. Cash provided by investing activities was $81.7 million, as $250.1 million in proceeds from the sale of businesses and other non-core assets more than offset capital expenditures of $168.2 million. Cash used in financing activities was $203.0 million, primarily due to $176.4 million in aggregate payments related to the redemption of the 2021 Notes and issuance of the 2027 Notes.
Strategy and Outlook
“Looking ahead, we expect to increase first quarter earnings per share year-over-year on a like-tax basis despite aerospace industry challenges,” said Wetherbee. “We are proactively managing our cost structure and will be opportunistic with our capacity to minimize the negative financial impacts from the 737 MAX production stoppage. We will provide more commentary on our full-year 2020 outlook and underlying assumptions in our fourth quarter conference call.”
Allegheny Technologies will conduct a conference call with investors and analysts on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss the financial results. The conference call will be broadcast, and accompanying presentation slides will be available, at ATImetals.com. To access the broadcast, click on “Conference Call”. Replay of the conference call will be available on the Allegheny Technologies website.
This news release contains “forward‑looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain statements in this news release relate to future events and expectations and, as such, constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which may contain such words as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “would,” “should,” “will,” “will likely result,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “projects,” and similar expressions, are based on management’s current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which we are unable to predict or control. Our performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements due to the following factors, among others: (a) material adverse changes in economic or industry conditions generally, including global supply and demand conditions and prices for our specialty metals; (b) material adverse changes in the markets we serve; (c) our inability to achieve the level of cost savings, productivity improvements, synergies, growth or other benefits anticipated by management from strategic investments and the integration of acquired businesses; (d) volatility in the price and availability of the raw materials that are critical to the manufacture of our products; (e) declines in the value of our defined benefit pension plan assets or unfavorable changes in laws or regulations that govern pension plan funding; (f) labor disputes or work stoppages; (g) equipment outages and (h) other risk factors summarized in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and in other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no duty to update our forward‑looking statements.
Creating Value Thru Relentless Innovation™
ATI is a global manufacturer of technically advanced specialty materials and complex components. ATI revenue was $4.1 billion for the twelve month period ended December 31, 2019. Our largest markets are aerospace & defense, particularly jet engines. We also have a strong presence in the oil & gas, energy, medical, automotive, and other industrial markets. ATI is a market leader in manufacturing differentiated specialty alloys and forgings that require our unique manufacturing and precision machining capabilities and our innovative new product development competence. We are a leader in producing powders for use in next-generation jet engine forgings and 3D-printed aerospace products. See more at our website ATIMetals.com.
As part of managing the liquidity in our business, we focus on controlling managed working capital, which is defined as gross accounts receivable, short-term contract assets and gross inventories, less accounts payable and short-term contract liabilities. In measuring performance in controlling this managed working capital, we exclude the effects of LIFO and other inventory valuation reserves and reserves for uncollectible accounts receivable which, due to their nature, are managed separately.
In managing the overall capital structure of the Company, some of the measures that we focus on are net debt to net capitalization, which is the percentage of debt, net of cash that may be available to reduce borrowings, to the total invested and borrowed capital of ATI (excluding noncontrolling interest), and total debt to total ATI capitalization, which excludes cash balances.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005514/en/
Investor Contact:
Scott A. Minder
412-395-2720
scott.minder@atimetals.com
Media Contact:
Natalie Gillespie
412-394-2850
natalie.gillespie@atimetals.com
Source: Allegheny Technologies Incorporated