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U.S. Silica (SLCA) Earnings & Sales Trail Estimates in Q3

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U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. saw its profits drop in the third quarter of 2018.  The frac sand producer logged a profit of $6.3 million or 8 cents per share in the quarter, down roughly 85% from $41.3 million or 50 cents in the year-ago quarter. The bottom line in the reported quarter was hurt by costs associated with plant capacity expansion and merger and acquisition-related expenses.

Barring one-time items, adjusted earnings came in at 44 cents per share, which trailed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents.

U.S. Silica reported revenues of $423.2 million for the quarter, up around 23% year over year. However, it missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $472.2 million.

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. Quote

Segment Highlights

Revenues in the Oil & Gas division were $302.5 million in the quarter, up roughly 6% year over year. Overall sales volume rose 21% year over year to 3.821 million tons.

Oil & Gas contribution margin was $89.6 million in the quarter, down 22% sequentially and 7% year over year. The company witnessed significantly lower pricing in the back half of the quarter.

Revenues in the Industrial and Specialty Products (ISP) division came in at $120.7 million, up 106% year over year. Overall sales volume rose 6% year over year to 0.983 million tons. ISP contribution margin went up 18% sequentially and 103% year over year to $48.7 million, driven by strong legacy business and the EP Minerals acquisition.

Financials

U.S. Silica had $345.6 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of the quarter, down roughly 25% year over year.

Long-term debt rose to roughly $1,251.1 million from $506.6 million in the prior-year quarter. Total debt was $1,264.5 million. Capital spending in the quarter was $61.6 million. U.S. Silica also generated operating cash flow of $94.7 million during the quarter.

Outlook

U.S. Silica expects capital expenditures for 2018 to be roughly $350 million. It also sees annual effective tax rate to be 11% for the year.

The company envisions a seasonal slowdown in ISP volumes and a seasonal decline in higher margin ground product sales in the fourth quarter as customers idle production facility for major maintenance and holidays.
 
Price Performance

U.S. Silica’s shares have lost 44.3% over the past three months, underperforming the 11.1% decline of the industry. The company’s shares tumbled 12.2% to close at $13.75 yesterday, reflecting the lower-than-expected third-quarter results.



 

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

U.S. Silica currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).

Better-ranked stocks worth considering in the basic materials space include Methanex Corporation (MEOH - Free Report) , KMG Chemicals, Inc. and CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF - Free Report) , each carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Methanex has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 15%. The company’s shares have rallied around 36% over a year.

KMG Chemicals has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 28.5%. The company’s shares are up roughly 38% over a year.

CF Industries has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 6%. The company’s shares have gained around 25% in a year’s time.

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