BIRMINGHAM, AL -- (Marketwired) -- 02/17/15 -- Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WLT), a leading, publicly traded "pure-play" producer of metallurgical ("met") coal for the global steel industry, today announced results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2014.

"We remain focused on improving our operational performance while implementing cost containment measures across our Company," said Walt Scheller, Chief Executive Officer. "For the full year 2014, we aggressively reduced costs -- both in operational and administrative areas -- all while improving production efficiency at our mines; opportunistically restructured our balance sheet to enhance liquidity and provide additional financial flexibility; and ensured that our emphasis on safety remained paramount," said Scheller. "As 2015 unfolds, we will maintain our focus on improving safety, increasing productivity and reducing costs."

Full-Year 2014 Consolidated Financial Results

Walter Energy reported a net loss in 2014 of $470.6 million, or $7.10 per diluted share, compared with a net loss of $359.0 million, or $5.74 per diluted share, in 2013. Included in the Company's financial results are non-cash income tax charges and credits, restructuring and asset impairment costs, transportation take-or-pay costs, gains on the early extinguishment of debt and other items. Excluding these items, the adjusted net loss for 2014 was $449.8 million, or $6.79 per diluted share. The adjusted net loss for 2013 totaled $237.3 million, or $3.79 per diluted share.

Fourth Quarter 2014 Consolidated Financial Results

Walter Energy reported a net loss of $128.1 million, or $1.83 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with a net loss of $174.3 million, or $2.79 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2013. Adjusted net loss for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $137.6 million, or $1.97 per diluted share, as compared with an adjusted net loss for the prior-year period of $63.6 million, or $1.02 per diluted share. A reconciliation of net loss to adjusted net loss is provided in the Company's "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included with this release.

Consolidated revenues totaled $285.6 million, compared with $472.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2013, reflecting a decrease in average met coal selling prices of $25.19 per metric ton ("MT") and a decline in met coal sales of 0.9 million metric tons ("MMTs"). Fourth quarter results also reflected a reduction in met coal cash cost of sales of $6.15 per ton and a 23% reduction in selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses.

Cost of sales in the fourth quarter of 2014 includes costs associated with idling the Company's Canadian mining operations of $8.5 million, representing idle mine costs of $6.5 million and transportation take-or-pay charges of $2.0 million, and $7.1 million of lower of cost or market charges as a result of changes in estimates, which includes haulage and washing costs associated with inventories at our Canadian operations.

In November 2014, the Company issued 3.9 million shares of common stock and paid $5.2 million in cash in exchange for $52.0 million principal amount of 9.875% Senior Notes due 2020, resulting in a net gain of $32.8 million. This debt retirement will reduce annual interest expense by approximately $5.1 million.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for the quarter was a loss of $15.0 million, and adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $24.3 million, compared with EBITDA of $59.9 million and adjusted EBITDA of $59.2 million for the fourth quarter 2013. A reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA is provided in the Company's "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included with this release.

Metallurgical Coal Sales Volume and Pricing

Met coal sales volumes, including both hard coking coal ("HCC") and low-volatility ("low-vol") pulverized coal injection product ("PCI"), totaled 2.0 MMTs, compared with 2.9 MMTs in the prior-year comparable quarter. The decline in met coal sales volumes was primarily due to reduced sales of coal from the idled Canadian mining operations.

HCC sales volumes totaled 1.8 MMTs, compared with 2.4 MMTs in 2013. The average selling price for HCC was $109.92 per MT, down from $137.39 per MT in 2013.

Low-vol PCI sales volumes totaled 0.2 MMTs, down 0.4 MMTs from the prior-year comparable quarter. The selling price for low-vol PCI averaged $99.64 per MT, compared with $118.63 per MT in 2013.

Metallurgical Coal Cash Cost of Sales

Met coal cash cost of sales for the quarter averaged $101.37 per MT, an improvement of $6.15 per MT, or 5.7%, compared with 2013. Performance in the quarter was driven primarily by continued reductions in mining costs, partially offset by the impact of higher than expected costs related to long wall moves.

Full-year cash cost of sales in the Company's underground Alabama operations averaged $94.92 per MT, slightly better than the previous full-year 2014 target of $96.00 per MT.

Metallurgical Coal Production

Met coal production was 1.8 MMTs in the quarter, compared with 3.2 MMTs in the prior-year period, with the decrease primarily resulting from the idling of the Canadian mining operations. Met coal production in Canada for the prior-year quarter totaled 1.0 MMTs. Production volumes were also lower in the Company's Alabama underground operation due to the unfavorable effect of longwall moves in the current-year-period.

Met coal cash cost of production averaged $72.51 per MT, compared with $68.02 per MT in the prior-year comparable quarter, with the increase in the current-year period primarily the result of increased costs due to longwall moves.

Other Expenses

SG&A expenses totaled $15.6 million, compared with $20.3 million in the prior-year quarter reflecting our continued focus on cost reduction.

Interest expense, net totaled $77.8 million compared with $64.3 million in the prior-year period. The increase was primarily due to an increase in long-term debt and higher interest rates.

Income Taxes

The Company recognized an income tax benefit of $22.6 million in the current quarter, compared with a net tax charge of $91.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. The 2013 income tax expense included a $111.2 million non-cash charge for the establishment of a valuation allowance against certain of the Company's U.S. deferred tax assets that had been recorded in prior periods.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures totaled $23.3 million, compared with $45.2 million in the prior-year period, which reflects the Company's continued focus on disciplined spending in light of ongoing weak market conditions. Capital expenditures for the full-year 2014 totaled $93.0 million, compared with $153.9 million for 2013.

Liquidity

Available liquidity was $481.2 million at the end of 2014, consisting of cash and cash equivalents of $468.5 million plus $12.7 million in availability under the Company's $76.9 million revolving credit facilities, net of outstanding letters of credit of $64.2 million.

Outlook

The Company expects met coal sales to total 8.5 to 9.0 MMTs in 2015. Capital expenditures in 2015 are expected to be in line with 2014, and the Company expects to further reduce SG&A expenses by 10%. Cash interest expense is expected to approximate $265 million for the year.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the results prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP") provided throughout this release, the Company has presented the following non-GAAP financial measures: EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net loss and Average Cash Cost of Sales per Ton. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as supplemental information for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide additional insights into the performance of the Company, and they reflect how management analyzes Company performance and compares that performance against other companies. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other entities. A reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP financial measures is provided in the financial section of this release.

Conference Call Webcast

The Company will hold a webcast to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2014 results today, February 17, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. ET. To listen to the live event, visit www.walterenergy.com.

About Walter Energy

Walter Energy is a leading, publicly traded "pure-play" metallurgical coal producer for the global steel industry with strategic access to steel producers in Europe, Asia and South America. The Company also produces thermal coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke and coal bed methane gas. Walter Energy employs approximately 2,700 employees, with operations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. For more information about Walter Energy, please visit www.walterenergy.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are based on information available to management at the time, and they involve judgments and estimates. Forward-looking statements include expressions such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "will," and similar terms and expressions. These forward-looking statements are made based on expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting Walter Energy and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Walter Energy's operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Walter Energy's control, which could cause Walter Energy's actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. The following factors are among those that may cause actual results to differ materially from Walter Energy's forward-looking statements: unfavorable economic, financial and business conditions; a substantial or extended decline in pricing, demand, and other factors beyond Walter Energy's control; failure of Walter Energy's customers to honor or renew contracts; Walter Energy's ability to collect payments from its customers; inherent risks in coal mining that are beyond Walter Energy's control; title defects preventing Walter Energy from (or resulting in additional costs for) mining its mineral interests; concentration of Walter Energy's mining operations in a limited number of areas; a significant reduction of or loss of purchases by Walter Energy's largest customers; unavailability or uneconomical transportation for Walter Energy's coal; significant competition and foreign currency fluctuation; significant cost increases and fluctuations, and delay in the delivery of raw materials, mining equipment and purchased components; work stoppages, labor shortages and other labor relations matters; Walter Energy's ability to hire and retain a skilled labor force; risks associated with Walter Energy's reclamation and mine closure obligations; inaccuracies in Walter Energy's estimates of coal reserves; Walter Energy's ability to develop or acquire coal reserves in an economically feasible manner; challenges to Walter Energy's licenses, permits and other authorizations; failure to meet project development and expansion targets; risks associated with operating in foreign jurisdictions; risks associated with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; risks associated with federal, state and provincial regulatory agencies' authority to order temporary or permanent closure of Walter Energy's mines; increased focus by regulatory authorities on the effects of surface coal mining on the environment; risks related to climate change concerns; risks related to Walter Energy's operations' impact on the environment; risks related to Walter Energy's indebtedness; Walter Energy's ability to generate cash for its financial obligations, to refinance its indebtedness or to obtain additional financing; Walter Energy's ability to incur additional indebtedness; restrictions in Walter Energy's existing and future debt agreements; events beyond Walter Energy's control that may result in an event of default under one or more of its debt instruments; downgrades in Walter Energy's credit ratings; failure to obtain or renew surety bonds on acceptable terms that could affect Walter Energy's ability to secure reclamation and coal lease obligations; costs associated with Walter Energy's pension and benefits, including post-retirement benefits; costs associated with Walter Energy's workers' compensation and certain medical and disability benefits; adverse rulings in current or future litigation; Walter Energy's ability to attract and retain key personnel; Walter Energy's ability to identify or integrate suitable acquisition candidates to promote growth; volatility in the price of Walter Energy's common stock; Walter Energy's ability to pay regular dividends to stockholders; Walter Energy's exposure to indemnification obligations; risks associated with terrorist attacks and threats and escalation of military activity in response to such attacks; risks associated with cyber-attacks or other security breaches; and other risks and uncertainties including those described in Walter Energy's filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements made by Walter Energy in this release, or elsewhere, speak only as of the date on which the statements were made. You are advised to read the risk factors in Walter Energy's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC, which are available on Walter Energy's website at www.walterenergy.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for Walter Energy to predict these events or how they may affect it or its anticipated results. Walter Energy has no duty to, and does not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements in this release, except as may be required by law. In light of these risks and uncertainties, readers should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made in this press release may not occur. All data presented herein is as of the date of this release unless otherwise noted.

For investors:
Mark H. Tubb
205-745-2627
[email protected]
or
For media:
William Stanhouse
205-745-2664
[email protected]

Source: Walter Energy