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U.S. Silica (SLCA) Earnings and Sales Surpass Estimates in Q3

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U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. reported a net income of $32.1 million or 41 cents per share in third-quarter 2022 compared with a loss of $20 million or 27 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

Barring one-time items, the adjusted earnings were 43 cents, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 38 cents.

U.S. Silica generated revenues of $418.8 million, up around 57% year over year. The figure surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $415.2 million.

The company benefited from strong customer demand across its business segments and a full quarter of price increases to counter inflationary impacts in its Industrial & Specialty Products segment.

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

 

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. Quote

Segment Highlights

Revenues in the Oil & Gas division amounted to $267.5 million in the reported quarter, up 89% year over year and 10% sequentially. Sales volume increased 20% year over year to 3.498 million tons. The Oil & Gas contribution margin rose 10% sequentially and 232% year over year to $85.3 million or $24.38 per ton.

Revenues in the Industrial & Specialty Products division amounted to $151.4 million in the quarter, up 21% year over year and 5% sequentially. Sales volume increased 5% year over year to 1.126 million tons. The segment’s contribution margin was $46.5 million or $41.32 per ton in the quarter, up 1% sequentially and 13% year over year.

Financials

At the end of the quarter, the company’s cash and cash equivalents were $267.1 million, up around 7% year over year. Long-term debt was $1,089.7 million, down around 9% year over year.

Outlook

For the fourth quarter of 2022, U.S. Silica noted that its two business segments are well-placed in their respective markets. It has a strong portfolio of Industrial and Specialty Products that serve several essential, high-growth and attractive end markets, backed by a strong pipeline of new products under development, the company noted. It also sees growth in its underlying base business along with pricing hikes and surcharges to continue to combat inflationary impacts.

In the Oil & Gas segment, the company expects a multi-year growth cycle. The strength in WTI crude oil and natural gas prices supports an active well completions environment in the balance of 2022 and into 2023.

The company is focused on delivering free cash flow in 2022, deleveraging its balance sheet and plans to be operating cash flow positive in 2022. It forecasts capital expenditures in the range of $40-50 million.

Price Performance

Shares of U.S. Silica have gained 29.5% in the past year against a 17.1% decline of the industry.

 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

 

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

U.S. Silica currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM - Free Report) , Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) and Commercial Metals Company (CMC - Free Report) .

Sociedad has a projected earnings growth rate of 530.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SQM’s current-year earnings has been revised 2.1% upward in the past 60 days.

Sociedad has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 27.2%. SQM has rallied roughly 43% in a year. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Albemarle, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, has a projected earnings growth rate of 430.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB's current-year earnings has been revised 5.8% upward in the past 60 days.

Albemarle’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 24.2%, on average. ALB has gained around 2% in a year.

Commercial Metals currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMC's current-year earnings has been revised 3.8% upward in the past 60 days.

Commercial Metals’ earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 19.7%, on average. CMC has gained around 34% in a year.


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