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Exhibit 99.1

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

Contact – (713) 960-9111

Investors – Steve Bender

Media – David R. Hansen

 

 

Westlake Announces Second Quarter Earnings

 

   

Record quarterly earnings of $115.5 million.

 

   

Refinanced $250 million of 6  5/8% Notes with 3.6% Notes due 2022.

Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK) today reported net income for the three months ended June 30, 2012 of $115.5 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, on sales of $914.0 million. This represents an increase in net income of $34.5 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, over the quarter ended June 30, 2011 net income of $81.0 million, or $1.21 per diluted share, on net sales of $925.0 million. Net income in the second quarter of 2012 benefited by $8.5 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, as a result of a pre-tax gain of $16.0 million from the sale of Georgia Gulf securities offset by pre-tax expense of $3.0 million related to the Company’s proposal to acquire Georgia Gulf Corporation, which was terminated. Sales for the second quarter of 2012 decreased by $11.0 million compared to the second quarter of 2011, primarily attributable to lower sales prices for most of the Company’s major products and lower sales volume for PVC resin and building products, partially offset by higher olefins and feedstock sales volumes. Income from operations increased to $171.0 million for the second quarter of 2012 as compared to $138.4 million for the second quarter of 2011, primarily driven by lower feedstock and energy costs, improved building products margins and higher caustic sales volume when compared to the same period in 2011.

Second quarter 2012 net income of $115.5 million, or $1.72 per diluted share, increased by $27.7 million from the $87.8 million, or $1.31 per diluted share, reported by the Company in the first quarter of 2012. Sales in the second quarter of 2012 were $914.0 million compared to sales of $1,034.9 million in the first quarter of 2012, a decrease of $120.9 million. The decrease in sales was largely the result of lower sales volumes for PVC resin and building products, and lower sales prices for polyethylene. Second quarter 2012 income from operations of $171.0 million increased $25.4 million from the income from operations in the first quarter of 2012 of $145.6 million primarily due to higher integrated olefins margins as a result of lower feedstock costs.

Albert Chao, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are pleased to report record earnings in the second quarter of 2012. Our Olefins and Vinyls segments both benefited from lower cost feedstocks in the second quarter, as ethane and propane decreased to their lowest prices in years as a result of ample supply made possible by shale gas production. Our Olefins segment reported record quarterly income from operations, and our Vinyls segment delivered solid improvement in results benefiting from the lower feedstock costs. We believe North American shale gas production will continue to give our business a significant cost advantage as a result of low cost energy and natural gas liquids based ethylene feedstock. Our integration strategy, which includes plans to expand our ethylene units and add chlor-alkali capacity, is designed to capture the benefit of this advantageous cost position.”

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2012 was $203.3 million, or $3.03 per diluted share, on net sales of $1,948.8 million. This represents an increase in net income of $38.7 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, from the six months ended June 30, 2011 net income of $164.6 million, or $2.46 per diluted share, on net sales of $1,792.3 million. Sales for the six months ended June 30, 2012 increased by $156.5 million compared to the prior year, primarily driven by higher olefins and feedstock sales volumes. Income from operations was $316.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012 as compared to $279.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011. The improvement in income from operations was primarily due to lower feedstock and energy costs and improved caustic and building products margins.

EBITDA (earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $223.8 million for the second quarter of 2012 increased $41.4 million compared to $182.4 million in the first quarter of 2012. EBITDA for the second quarter of 2012 increased $51.0 million compared to EBITDA of $172.8 million in the second quarter of 2011. A reconciliation of EBITDA to reported net income and to net cash provided by operating activities can be found in the financial schedules at the end of this press release.


Net cash provided by operating activities was $322.6 million in the first six months of 2012. Capital expenditures for the first six months of 2012 were $140.6 million. At June 30, 2012, the Company had cash balances of $1,131.0 million, including $20.5 million of restricted cash, and the Company’s long-term debt was $764.6 million. The restricted cash is designated for qualifying amounts spent for capital additions in Louisiana. In July 2012, the Company refinanced $250 million of its 6  5/8% senior notes due 2016 with newly issued 3.6% senior notes due 2022.

OLEFINS SEGMENT

Income from operations increased by $23.1 million to $155.9 million in the second quarter of 2012 from the $132.8 million reported in the second quarter of 2011. This increase was mainly attributable to higher olefins integrated product margins as compared to the prior year period. Margins improved as a result of significantly lower feedstock and energy costs in the quarter, which were only partially offset by lower sales prices.

Income from operations for the second quarter of 2012 for the Olefins segment of $155.9 million increased $26.7 million from the $129.2 million reported in the first quarter of 2012. This increase in income from operations was primarily due to higher olefins integrated product margins as a result of a decrease in feedstock cost that was only partially offset by a decrease in sales prices.

Income from operations in the first six months of 2012 was $285.1 million, an increase of $7.1 million from the $278.0 million in the first six months of 2011. This increase was mainly attributable to higher olefins integrated product margins as compared to the prior year period. Margins improved as a result of lower feedstock and energy costs, which were only partially offset by lower sales prices.

VINYLS SEGMENT

The Vinyls segment reported income from operations of $22.6 million in the second quarter of 2012 compared to income from operations of $10.3 million in the second quarter of 2011. This increase was primarily driven by lower feedstock costs, improved building products margins and higher caustic sales volumes as compared to the prior year period.

The Vinyls segment income from operations of $22.6 million in the second quarter of 2012 increased $1.5 million compared to operating income of $21.1 million in the first quarter of 2012. The increase in second quarter 2012 income from operations is primarily a result of lower feedstock costs and higher building product margins as compared to the first quarter of 2012.

The Vinyls segment reported income from operations of $43.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012 as compared to income from operations of $7.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011, an increase of $36.3 million. The improvement in income from operations was primarily due to lower feedstock and energy costs and higher caustic and building products margins.

The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts, including statements regarding shale gas production, the low cost of natural gas liquids based ethylene feedstock and our ability to take advantage thereof, our integration strategy and our plans to expand our ethylene units and add chlor-alkali capacity are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially, based on factors including, but not limited to: general economic and business conditions; the cyclical nature of the chemical industry; availability, cost and volatility of raw materials and utilities, including natural gas from shale production; uncertainties associated with the United States and worldwide economies, including those due to global economic and financial conditions; governmental regulatory actions, including environmental regulation; political unrest; industry production capacity and operating rates; the supply/demand balance for Westlake’s products; competitive products and pricing pressures; access to capital markets; technological developments; the effect and results of litigation and settlements of litigation; operating interruptions; and other risk factors. For more detailed information about the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, please refer to Westlake’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which was filed with the SEC in February 2012.


In this release, Westlake refers to a non-GAAP financial measure, EBITDA. EBITDA is calculated as net income before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. The body of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States is commonly referred to as “GAAP.” For this purpose a non-GAAP financial measure is generally defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as one that purports to measure historical and future financial performance, financial position or cash flows, but excludes or includes amounts that would not be so adjusted in the most comparable GAAP measures. We have included EBITDA in this release because our management considers it an important supplemental measure of our performance and believes that it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry, some of which present EBITDA when reporting their results. We regularly evaluate our performance as compared to other companies in our industry that have different financing and capital structures and/or tax rates by using EBITDA. EBITDA allows for meaningful company-to-company performance comparisons by adjusting for factors such as interest expense, depreciation and amortization and taxes, which often vary from company to company. In addition, we utilize EBITDA in evaluating acquisition targets. Management also believes that EBITDA is a useful tool for measuring our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements, and EBITDA is commonly used by us and our investors to measure our ability to service indebtedness. EBITDA is not a substitute for the GAAP measures of earnings or of cash flow and is not necessarily a measure of our ability to fund our cash needs. In addition, it should be noted that companies calculate EBITDA differently and, therefore, EBITDA as presented in this release may not be comparable to EBITDA reported by other companies. EBITDA has material limitations as a performance measure because it excludes (1) interest expense, which is a necessary element of our costs and ability to generate revenues because we have borrowed money to finance our operations, (2) depreciation, which is a necessary element of our costs and ability to generate revenues because we use capital assets and (3) income taxes, which is a necessary element of our operations. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using EBITDA only supplementally. A table included in the financial schedules at the end of this release reconciles EBITDA to net income and to net cash provided by operating activities.

Westlake Chemical Corporation Conference Call Information:

A conference call to discuss Westlake Chemical Corporation’s second quarter 2012 results will be held Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. CDT). To access the conference call, dial (800) 638-4930, or (617) 614-3944 for international callers, approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and reference passcode 50015158.

A replay of the conference call will be available beginning two hours after its conclusion until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, August 9, 2012. To hear a replay, dial (888) 286-8010, or (617) 801-6888 for international callers. The replay passcode is 23500734.

The conference call will also be available via webcast at:

http://phoenix.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=180248&p=irol-eventDetails&EventId=4804745 and the earnings release can be obtained via the company’s Web page at: http://www.westlake.com/fw/main/IR_Home_Page-123.html.


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
June 30,
    Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2012     2011     2012     2011  
     (In thousands of dollars, except per share data)  

Net sales

   $ 913,958      $ 925,049      $ 1,948,825      $ 1,792,301   

Cost of sales

     712,062        757,954        1,574,292        1,457,622   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     201,896        167,095        374,533        334,679   

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     30,918        28,726        57,930        55,673   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income from operations

     170,978        138,369        316,603        279,006   

Interest expense

     (11,571     (12,802     (23,748     (25,722

Gain from sales of equity securities

     15,952        —          15,952        —     

Other income, net

     1,107        1,632        2,454        2,839   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     176,466        127,199        311,261        256,123   

Provision for income taxes

     60,965        46,150        107,947        91,530   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 115,501      $ 81,049      $ 203,314      $ 164,593   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Earnings per share:

        

Basic

   $ 1.73      $ 1.22      $ 3.05      $ 2.48   

Diluted

   $ 1.72      $ 1.21      $ 3.03      $ 2.46   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

 

     June 30,
2012
     December 31,
2011
 
     (In thousands of dollars)  

ASSETS

     

Current assets

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 1,110,538       $ 825,901   

Accounts receivable, net

     418,000         407,372   

Inventories

     407,124         490,777   

Other current assets

     35,108         32,106   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     1,970,770         1,756,156   

Property, plant and equipment, net

     1,309,752         1,232,066   

Restricted cash

     20,452         96,283   

Other assets, net

     140,964         182,316   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 3,441,938       $ 3,266,821   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

     

Current liabilities (accounts payable and accrued liabilities)

   $ 338,077       $ 364,595   

Long-term debt

     764,604         764,563   

Other liabilities

     386,946         381,351   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     1,489,627         1,510,509   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity

     1,952,311         1,756,312   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 3,441,938       $ 3,266,821   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2012     2011  
     (In thousands of dollars)  

Cash flows from operating activities

    

Net income

   $ 203,314      $ 164,593   

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     71,177        65,383   

Deferred income taxes

     6,720        15,949   

Other balance sheet changes

     41,403        (120,620
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     322,614        125,305   

Cash flows from investing activities

    

Additions to property, plant and equipment

     (140,568     (69,178

Construction of assets pending sale-leaseback

     (1,760     —     

Proceeds from disposition of assets

     415        2,456   

Proceeds from repayment of loan to affiliate

     596        596   

Proceeds from sales of equity securities

     46,027        —     

Purchase of investments

     (2,961     —     

Settlements of derivative instruments

     511        (222
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used for investing activities

     (97,740     (66,348

Cash flows from financing activities

    

Capitalized debt issuance costs

     (98     —     

Dividends paid

     (9,838     (8,446

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     4,508        5,323   

Purchase of common shares for treasury

     (10,784     —     

Utilization of restricted cash

     75,975        26,189   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     59,763        23,066   

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     284,637        82,023   

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     825,901        630,299   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 1,110,538      $ 712,322   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

SEGMENT INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
June 30,
    Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2012     2011     2012     2011  
     (In thousands of dollars)  

Net external sales

        

Olefins

   $ 672,719      $ 645,315      $ 1,404,990      $ 1,250,395   

Vinyls

     241,239        279,734        543,835        541,906   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 913,958      $ 925,049      $ 1,948,825      $ 1,792,301   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

        

Olefins

   $ 155,891      $ 132,767      $ 285,098      $ 278,023   

Vinyls

     22,583        10,290        43,665        7,442   

Corporate and other

     (7,496     (4,688     (12,160     (6,459
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 170,978      $ 138,369      $ 316,603      $ 279,006   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

        

Olefins

   $ 24,070      $ 21,608      $ 47,833      $ 43,252   

Vinyls

     11,589        11,041        23,098        21,815   

Corporate and other

     124        156        246        316   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 35,783      $ 32,805      $ 71,177      $ 65,383   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other income (expense), net

        

Olefins

   $ 1,001      $ 904      $ 1,957      $ 1,084   

Vinyls

     (272     (30     (31     481   

Corporate and other

     378        758        528        1,274   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 1,107      $ 1,632      $ 2,454      $ 2,839   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA TO NET INCOME AND TO NET CASH

PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,
     Three Months Ended
June 30,
    Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
     2012      2012      2011     2012      2011  
     (In thousands of dollars)  

EBITDA

   $  182,366       $  223,820       $  172,806      $  406,186       $  347,228   

Less:

             

Provision for income taxes

     46,982         60,965         46,150        107,947         91,530   

Interest expense

     12,177         11,571         12,802        23,748         25,722   

Depreciation and amortization

     35,394         35,783         32,805        71,177         65,383   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income

     87,813         115,501         81,049        203,314         164,593   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

     21,453         91,127         (4,937     112,580         (55,237

Deferred income taxes

     791         5,929         8,533        6,720         15,949   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

   $ 110,057       $ 212,557       $ 84,645      $ 322,614       $ 125,305   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 


WESTLAKE CHEMICAL CORPORATION

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Product Sales Price and Volume Variance by Operating Segments

 

     Second Quarter 2012  vs.
Second Quarter 2011
  Second Quarter 2012  vs.
First Quarter 2012
     Average
Sales Price
  Volume   Average
Sales Price
  Volume

Olefins

       -12.7 %       +16.9 %       -4.5 %       -3.6 %

Vinyls

       -4.8 %       -9.0 %       -0.4 %       -19.8 %

Company

       -10.3 %       +9.1 %       -3.3 %       -8.4 %

Average Quarterly Industry Prices (1)

 

     Quarter Ended  
     June 30,
2011
     September 30,
2011
     December 31,
2011
     March 31,
2012
     June 30,
2012
 

Ethane (cents/lb)

     26.2         26.3         28.8         18.9         13.6   

Propane (cents/lb)

     35.4         36.4         34.1         29.8         23.1   

Ethylene (cents/lb) (2)

     57.5         55.6         54.6         55.2         46.8   

Polyethylene (cents/lb) (3)

     103.7         96.0         92.7         99.0         95.0   

Styrene (cents/lb) (4)

     76.3         73.3         64.0         74.3         73.8   

Caustic soda ($/short ton) (5)

     536.7         570.0         613.3         603.3         580.0   

Chlorine ($/short ton) (6)

     351.7         348.3         305.8         274.2         267.7   

PVC (cents/lb) (7)

     54.8         55.2         51.8         56.8         55.5   

 

(1) Industry pricing data was obtained through IHS Chemical. We have not independently verified the data.
(2) Represents average North American contract prices of ethylene over the period as reported by IHS Chemical.
(3) Represents average North American contract prices of polyethylene low density film over the period as reported by IHS Chemical.
(4) Represents average North American contract prices of styrene over the period as reported by IHS Chemical.
(5) Represents average North American acquisition prices of caustic soda (diaphragm grade) over the period as reported by IHS Chemical.
(6) Represents average North American contract prices of chlorine (into chemicals) over the period as reported by IHS Chemical.
(7) Represents average North American contract prices of PVC over the period as reported by IHS Chemical. During the first quarter of 2012, IHS Chemical made a 23 cents per pound non-market downward adjustment to PVC resin prices. For comparability, we adjusted each of the prior year periods’ PVC resin prices downward by 23 cents per pound based on the first quarter 2012 IHS Chemical non-market adjustment.