UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended April 2, 2017

or

☐   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 1-11430

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MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

622 Third Avenue, New York, NY  10017-6707

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(212) 878-1800

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or and emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

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MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-Q

 

 

PART 1.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.

Financial Statements

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC.  AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC.  AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

*

Unaudited

**	Condensed from audited financial statements

See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 1.

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by management of Minerals Technologies Inc. (the “Company”, “MTI”, “we”, or “us”) in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.  Accordingly, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted.  Therefore, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the financial information for the periods indicated, have been included.  The results for the three-month period ended April 2, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017.

Company Operations

The Company is a resource- and technology-based company that develops, produces and markets worldwide a broad range of specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products and supporting systems and services.

 

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company announced the reorganization of its Performance Materials and Construction Technologies business segments into one operating segment, in order to generate greater alignment, speed decision making and accelerate growth.

 

The Company now has 4 reportable segments: Specialty Minerals, Performance Materials, Refractories and Energy Services.

-  The Specialty Minerals segment produces and sells the synthetic mineral product precipitated calcium carbonate ("PCC") and processed mineral product quicklime ("lime"), and mines mineral ores then processes and sells natural mineral products, primarily limestone and talc.

- The Performance Materials segment is a leading global supplier of bentonite and bentonite-related products, chromite and leonardite.  This segment also provides products for non-residential construction, environmental and infrastructure projects worldwide, serving customers engaged in a broad range of construction projects.

- The Refractories segment produces and markets monolithic and shaped refractory materials and specialty products, services and application and measurement equipment, and calcium metal and metallurgical wire products.

- The Energy Services segment provides services to improve the production, costs, compliance, and environmental impact of activities performed in the oil and gas industry.  This segment offers a range of patented and unpatented technologies, products and services for all phases of oil and gas production, refining, and storage throughout the world.

 

Use of Estimates

The Company employs accounting policies that are in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and require management to make estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period.  Significant estimates include those related to revenue recognition, valuation of accounts receivable, valuation of inventories, valuation of long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets, pension plan assumptions, valuation of product liability and asset retirement obligation, income tax, income tax valuation allowances, and litigation and environmental liabilities.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Changes to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the form of accounting standards updates (ASUs) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification.  The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.  ASUs not listed below were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

 

 

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” which will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The underlying principle is that an entity will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers at an amount that the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The guidance provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized. Other major provisions include capitalization of certain contract costs, consideration of time value of money in the transaction price, and allowing estimates of variable consideration to be recognized before contingencies are resolved in certain circumstances. The guidance also requires enhanced disclosures regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts with customers. The guidance is effective for the interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017. The guidance permits the use of either a retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company has elected to use the cumulative effect transition method. The Company has completed a high level accounting diagnostic and is in the process of contract review.  The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures and the Company’s assessment is expected to be completed in mid-2017.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases”, which requires lessees to recognize most leases on-balance sheet, thereby increasing their reported assets and liabilities, in some cases very significantly. Lessor accounting remains substantially similar to current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-02 is effective for public business entities for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. ASU 2016-02 mandates a modified retrospective transition method for all entities.  The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Based on the current status of this assessment, the adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Intangibles – Goodwill and Other

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment”, which no longer requires an entity to perform a hypothetical purchase price allocation to measure goodwill impairment.  Instead, goodwill will be measured using the difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of the reporting unit.  The guidance is effective for the interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted.  The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Compensation- Retirement Benefits

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost”, which requires companies to present the service cost component of the net benefit cost in the same line items in which they report compensation cost. All other components of net periodic benefit cost will be presented outside operating income.  The guidance is effective for the interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

On January 1, 2017, the Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2016-09, “Stock Compensation – Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”, an amendment to account standards codification (“ASC”) 718, which simplifies several aspects of accounting for share-based payments, including accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, statutory withhold rates as well as presentation on the statement of cash flows. The Company has elected to adopt the standard on a prospective basis. As a result of this adoption, the Company recognizes excess tax benefits in the current account period. The cash flow benefit of the excess tax benefit is included as an operating activity in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the period ended April 2, 2017.  Additionally, taxes paid for shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes are reported as financing activities in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Previously, this activity was included in operating activities.  Prior year Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows has not been restated. In accordance with the standard, the Company will continue to account for forfeitures using an estimated forfeiture rate.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 2.

Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Basic earnings per share are based upon the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted earnings per share are based upon the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period assuming the issuance of common shares for all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:

Options to purchase 185,104 shares and 375,644 shares of common stock for the three-month periods ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, respectively, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because they were anti-dilutive, as the exercise prices of the options were greater than the average market price of the common shares. In the first quarter of 2017, the Company adopted the provisions of ASU 2016-09, “Stock Compensation – Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”.  Under the new guidance excess income tax benefits are no longer included in the calculation of assumed proceeds. As such, the dilutive effect of stock options and stock units for the period ended April 2, 2017 is reflective of the new guidance.

Note 3.

Restructuring Charges

During 2014, the Company announced a restructuring program which resulted in a 10% permanent reduction of its workforce.  The reductions included elimination of duplicate corporate functions, deployment of our shared service model, and consolidation and alignment of various corporate functions and regional locations across the Company.

 

At April 2, 2017, the Company had $2.3 million included within accrued liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet for cash expenditures needed to satisfy remaining obligations under these workforce reduction initiatives.  The Company expects to pay these amounts by the end of December 2017.

The following table is a reconciliation of our restructuring liability balance as of April 2, 2017:

Note 4.

Income Taxes

As of April 2, 2017, the Company had approximately $14.0 million of total unrecognized income tax benefits. Included in this amount were a total of $9.6 million of unrecognized income tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the Company’s effective tax rate.  While it is expected that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next 12 months, the Company does not expect the change to have a significant impact on the results of operations or the financial position of the Company.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

The Company’s accounting policy is to recognize interest and penalties accrued relating to unrecognized income tax benefits as part of its provision for income taxes.  The Company had a net increase of approximately $0.2 million during the three months ended April 2, 2017, and had an accrued balance of $1.4 million of interest and penalties as of April 2, 2017.

The Company operates in multiple taxing jurisdictions, both within and outside the U.S.  In certain situations, a taxing authority may challenge positions that the Company has adopted in its income tax filings.  The Company, with a few exceptions (none of which are material), is no longer subject to income tax examinations by tax authorities for years prior to 2010.

Provision for taxes was $10.1 million as compared to $10.7 million in the prior year.  The effective tax rate was 22.2% as compared to 23.7% in prior year.  The lower effective tax rate was primarily due to a change in the tax accounting treatment of share based payments.

Note 5.

Inventories

The following is a summary of inventories by major category:

 

Note 6.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized, but instead are assessed for impairment, at least annually.  The carrying amount of goodwill was $778.7 million as of April 2, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

 

Intangible assets subject to amortization as of April 2, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were as follows:

The weighted average amortization period for intangible assets subject to amortization is approximately 28 years.  Estimated amortization expense is $5.9 million for the remainder of 2017, $7.9 million for 2018-2021, and $164.9 million thereafter.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 7.

Derivative Financial Instruments

As a multinational corporation with operations throughout the world, the Company is exposed to certain market risks. The Company uses a variety of practices to manage these market risks, including, when considered appropriate, derivative financial instruments.  The Company's objective is to offset gains and losses resulting from interest rates and foreign currency exposures with gains and losses on the derivative contracts used to hedge them.  The Company uses derivative financial instruments only for risk management and not for trading or speculative purposes.

By using derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to changes in interest rates and foreign currencies, the Company exposes itself to credit risk and market risk.  Credit risk is the risk that the counterparty will fail to perform under the terms of the derivative contract.  When the fair value of a derivative contract is positive, the counterparty owes the Company, which creates credit risk for the Company.  When the fair value of a derivative contract is negative, the Company owes the counterparty, and therefore, it does not face any credit risk.  The Company minimizes the credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with major financial institutions.

Market risk is the adverse effect on the value of a financial instrument that results from a change in interest rates, currency exchange rates, or commodity prices.  The market risk associated with interest rate and forward exchange contracts is managed by establishing and monitoring parameters that limit the types and degree of market risk that may be undertaken.

Cash flow hedges:

For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges, the Company records the effective portion of the gain or loss in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of shareholders' equity.  The Company subsequently reclassifies the effective portion of gain or loss into earnings in the period during which the hedged transaction is recognized in earnings.

The Company utilizes over-the-counter interest rate swaps to limit exposure to market fluctuations on floating-rate debt.  During the second quarter of 2016, the Company entered into a floating to fixed interest rate swap for an initial aggregate notional amount of $300 million.  The notional amount at April 2, 2017 was $243 million.  This interest rate swap is designated as a cash flow hedge.  The gains and losses associated with this interest rate swap are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The fair value of this swap was an asset of $2.7 million at April 2, 2017 and recorded to other non-current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are based on one or more of three valuation techniques. The three valuation techniques are as follows:

•	Market approach - prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities.

•	Cost approach - amount that would be required to replace the service capacity of an asset or replacement cost.

•	Income approach - techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount based on market expectations, including present value techniques, option-pricing and other models.

The Company primarily applies the income approach for interest rate derivatives for recurring fair value measurements and attempts to utilize valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

The fair value of our interest rate swap contract is determined based on inputs that are readily available in public markets or can be derived from information available in publicly quoted markets and are categorized as Level 2.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 8.

Long-Term Debt and Commitments

The following is a summary of long-term debt:

On May 9, 2014, in connection with the acquisition of AMCOL International Corporation (“AMCOL”), the Company entered into a credit agreement providing for a $1,560 million senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Facility”) and a $200 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility” and, together with the Term Facility, the “Facilities”).

On June 23, 2015, the Company entered into an amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the credit agreement to reprice the $1.378 billion then outstanding on the Term Facility.  As amended, the Term Facility had a $1.078 billion floating rate tranche and a $300 million fixed rate tranche.  On February 14, 2017, the Company entered into an amendment (the “Second Amendment”) to the credit agreement to reprice the $788 million floating rate tranche then outstanding, which extended the maturity and lowered the interest costs by 75 basis points.   Following the Second Amendment, the loans outstanding under the floating rate tranche of the Term Facility will mature on February 14, 2024, the loans outstanding under the fixed rate tranche of the Term Facility will mature on May 9, 2021 and the loans outstanding (if any) and commitments under the Revolving Facility will mature and terminate, as the case may be, on May 9, 2019.  After the Second Amendment, loans under the floating rate tranche of the Term Facility bear interest at a rate equal to an adjusted LIBOR rate (subject to a floor of 0.75%) plus an applicable margin equal to 2.25% per annum.  Loans under the fixed rate tranche of the Term Facility bear interest at a rate of 4.75%.   Loans under the Revolving Facility will bear interest at a rate equal to an adjusted LIBOR rate plus an applicable margin equal to 1.75% per annum.  Such rates are subject to decrease by up to 25 basis points in the event that, and for so long as, the Company’s net leverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) is less than certain thresholds.  The floating rate tranche of the Term Facility was issued at par and the fixed rate tranche of the Term Facility was issued at a 0.25% discount in connection with the First Amendment.  The variable rate tranche of the Term Facility was issued at a 0.25% discount in connection with the Second Amendment.  The variable rate tranche has a 1% required amortization per year.  The Company will pay certain fees under the credit agreement, including customary annual administration fees.  The loans under the fixed rate tranche of the Term Facility are subject to prepayment premiums in the event of certain prepayments prior to the third anniversary of the effective date of the First Amendment, and the loans under the floating rate tranche of the Term Facility are subject to prepayment premiums in the event of certain prepayments prior to the six-month anniversary of the effective date of the Second Amendment.  The obligations of the Company under the Facilities are unconditionally guaranteed jointly and severally by, subject to certain exceptions, all material domestic subsidiaries of the Company (the “Guarantors”) and secured, subject to certain exceptions, by a security interest in substantially all of the assets of the Company and the Guarantors.

The credit agreement contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants that limit or restrict the ability of the Company and its restricted subsidiaries to enter into certain transactions or take certain actions. In addition, the credit agreement contains a financial covenant that requires the Company, if on the last day of any fiscal quarter loans or letters of credit were outstanding under the Revolving Facility (excluding up to $15 million of letters of credit), to maintain a maximum net leverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) of, initially, 5.25 to 1.00 for the four fiscal quarters preceding such day. Such maximum net leverage ratio requirement is subject to decrease during the duration of the facility to a minimum level (when applicable) of 3.50 to 1.00.  During the first quarter of 2017, the Company repaid $20 million on its Term Facility.  As of April 2, 2017, there were no loans and $12.0 million in letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Facility. The Company is in compliance with all the covenants associated with the Revolving Facility as of the end of the period covered by this report.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

The Company has four committed loan facilities for the funding of new manufacturing facilities in China, comprised of facilities of 94.8 million RMB, or approximately $10.3 million and a $1.8 million facility.  In December 2016, the Company entered into a committed loan facility in Japan in the amount of 680 million Yen (approximately $5.8 million).  As of April 2, 2017, on a combined basis, $15.1 million was outstanding under these loan facilities. Principal will be repaid in accordance with the payment schedules ending in 2021.  The Company repaid $0.3 million on these loans in the first quarter of 2017.

As of April 2, 2017, the Company had $35.1 million in uncommitted short-term bank credit lines, of which approximately $5.9 million was in use.

Note 9.

Benefit Plans

The Company and its subsidiaries have pension plans covering the majority of eligible employees on a contributory or non-contributory basis.  The Company also provides postretirement health care and life insurance benefits for the majority of its U.S. retired employees. Disclosures for the U.S. plans have been combined with those outside of the U.S. as the international plans do not have significantly different assumptions, and together represent less than 25% of our total benefit obligation.

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

Amortization amounts of prior service costs and recognized net actuarial losses are recorded, net of tax, as increases to accumulated other comprehensive income.

Employer Contributions

The Company expects to contribute approximately $10 million to its pension plans and $0.6 million to its other postretirement benefit plans in 2017. As of April 2, 2017, $1.5 million has been contributed to the pension plans.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 10.

Comprehensive Income

The following table summarizes the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to the Company:

           The pre-tax amounts in the table above are included within the components of net periodic pension benefit cost (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements) and the tax amounts are included within the provision for taxes on income line within the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

          The major components of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of related tax, attributable to MTI are as follows:

Note 11.

Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations

         The Company records asset retirement obligations for situations in which the Company will be required to incur costs to retire tangible long-lived assets.  The fair value of the liability for an asset retirement obligation is recognized in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made.

         The Company also records liabilities related to land reclamation as a part of asset retirement obligations.  The Company mines various minerals using a surface mining process that requires the removal of overburden.  In certain areas and under various governmental regulations, the Company is obligated to restore the land comprising each mining site to its original condition at the completion of the mining activity.  The obligation is adjusted to reflect the passage of time, mining activities, and changes in estimated future cash outflows.

        The following is a reconciliation of asset retirement obligations as of April 2, 2017:

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

The asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the associated asset.  The current portion of the liability of approximately $2.2 million is included in other current liabilities and the long-term portion of the liability of approximately $19.9 million is included in other non-current liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of April 2, 2017.

Note 12.

Contingencies

The Company is party to a number of lawsuits arising in the normal course of our business.

On May 8, 2013, Armada (Singapore) PTE Limited, an ocean shipping company now in bankruptcy ("Armada") filed a case in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois against AMCOL and certain of its subsidiaries ( Armada (Singapore) PTE Limited v. AMCOL International Corp., et al., United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois , Case No. 13 CV 3455).  We acquired AMCOL and its subsidiaries on May 9, 2014. A co-defendant is Ashapura Minechem Limited, a company located in Mumbai, India (“AML”).  During the relevant time period, 2008-2010, AMCOL owned slightly over 20% of the outstanding AML stock through December 2009, after which it owned approximately 19%.  In 2008, AML entered into two contracts of affreightment (“COA”) with Armada for over 60 ship loads of bauxite from India to China.  After one shipment, AML made no further shipments, which led Armada to file arbitrations in London against AML, one for each COA. AML did not appear in the London arbitrations and default awards of approximately $70 million were entered.  The litigation filed by Armada against AMCOL and AML relates to these awards, which AML has not paid.  The substance of the allegations by Armada is that AML and AMCOL engaged in illegal conduct to thwart Armada’s efforts to collect the arbitration award.  AMCOL recently won a motion for judgement on the pleadings that resulted in the successful dismissal of all but one count in the complaint, including a dismissal of all counts alleging violations of Illinois’ Fraudulent Transfer laws and federal RICO violations.  Fact discovery is scheduled to close in the second quarter of 2017.  We have accrued an estimate of potential damages for the Armada lawsuit, the amount of which was not material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Certain of the Company's subsidiaries are among numerous defendants in a number of cases seeking damages for exposure to silica or to asbestos containing materials. The Company currently has three pending silica cases and 19 pending asbestos cases.  To date, 1,492 silica cases and 48 asbestos cases have been dismissed, not including any lawsuits against AMCOL or American Colloid Company dismissed prior to our acquisition of AMCOL. One new asbestos case, previously disclosed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, was filed in the first quarter of 2017, and a second new asbestos case was filed subsequent to the end of the first quarter. No asbestos or silica cases were dismissed during the quarter.  Most of these claims do not provide adequate information to assess their merits, the likelihood that the Company will be found liable, or the magnitude of such liability, if any. Additional claims of this nature may be made against the Company or its subsidiaries. At this time management anticipates that the amount of the Company's liability, if any, and the cost of defending such claims, will not have a material effect on its financial position or results of operations.

The Company has settled only one silica lawsuit, for a nominal amount, and no asbestos lawsuits to date (not including any that may have been settled by AMCOL prior to completion of the acquisition). We are unable to state an amount or range of amounts claimed in any of the lawsuits because state court pleading practices do not require identifying the amount of the claimed damage. The aggregate cost to the Company for the legal defense of these cases since inception continues to be insignificant. The majority of the costs of defense for these cases, excluding cases against AMCOL or American Colloid, are reimbursed by Pfizer Inc. pursuant to the terms of certain agreements entered into in connection with the Company's initial public offering in 1992. Of the 19 pending asbestos cases all except two allege liability based on products sold largely or entirely prior to the initial public offering, and for which the Company is therefore entitled to indemnification pursuant to such agreements. The two exceptions pertain to one pending asbestos case against American Colloid Company, and one for which no period of alleged exposure has been stated by plaintiffs.  Our experience has been that the Company is not liable to plaintiffs in any of these lawsuits and the Company does not expect to pay any settlements or jury verdicts in these lawsuits.

Environmental Matters

On April 9, 2003, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection issued an administrative consent order relating to our Canaan, Connecticut, plant where both our Refractories segment and Specialty Minerals segment have operations.  We agreed to the order, which includes provisions requiring investigation and remediation of contamination associated with historic use of polychlorinated biphenyls ("PCBs") and mercury at a portion of the site.  We have completed the required investigations and submitted several reports characterizing the contamination and assessing site-specific risks.  We are awaiting regulators’ approval of the risk assessment report, which will form the basis for a proposal by the Company concerning eventual remediation.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

We believe that the most likely form of overall site remediation will be to leave the existing contamination in place (with some limited soil removal), encapsulate it, and monitor the effectiveness of the encapsulation.  We anticipate that a substantial portion of the remediation cost will be borne by the United States based on its involvement at the site from 1942 – 1964, as historic documentation indicates that PCBs and mercury were first used at the facility at a time of U.S. government ownership for production of materials needed by the military.  Pursuant to a Consent Decree entered on October 24, 2014, the United States paid the Company $2.3 million in the 4^th quarter of 2014 to resolve the Company’s claim for response costs for investigation and initial remediation activities at this facility through October 24, 2014.  Contribution by the United States to any future costs of investigation or additional remediation has, by agreement, been left unresolved.  Though the cost of the likely remediation remains uncertain pending completion of the phased remediation decision process, we have estimated that the Company’s share of the cost of the encapsulation and limited soil removal described above would approximate $0.4 million, which has been accrued as of April 2, 2017.

The Company is evaluating options for upgrading the wastewater treatment facilities at its Adams, Massachusetts plant.  This work has been undertaken pursuant to an administrative Consent Order originally issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) on June 18, 2002.  This order was amended on June 1, 2009 and on June 2, 2010.  The amended Order includes the investigation by January 1, 2022 of options for ensuring that the facility's wastewater treatment ponds will not result in unpermitted discharge to groundwater.  Additional requirements of the amendment include the submittal by July 1, 2022 of a plan for closure of a historic lime solids disposal area.  Preliminary engineering reviews completed in 2005 indicate that the estimated cost of wastewater treatment upgrades to operate this facility beyond 2024 may be between $6 million and $8 million.  The Company estimates that the remaining remediation costs would approximate $0.4 million, which has been accrued as of April 2, 2017.

The Company and its subsidiaries are not party to any other material pending legal proceedings, other than routine litigation incidental to their businesses.

Note 13.

Non-controlling interests

The following is a reconciliation of beginning and ending total equity, equity attributable to MTI, and equity attributable to non-controlling interests:

The income attributable to non-controlling interests for the three-month periods ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016 was from continuing operations.  The remainder of income was attributable to MTI.

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

Note 14.

Segment and Related Information

On a regular basis, the Company reviews its segments and the approach used by the chief operating decision maker to assess performance and allocate resources.  Accordingly, in the first quarter of 2017, the Company reorganized the management structure for its Performance Materials and Construction Technologies business units to better reflect the way performance is evaluated and resources allocated. As a result, all of the product lines within these business segments were combined into one operating segment.  Presented below are the restated financial results, by product line, of this operating segment for each quarter of 2016 to conform to the current management structure.

The Company now has 4 reportable segments: Specialty Minerals, Performance Materials, Refractories and Energy Services.  See Note 1 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.  Segment information is as follows:

 

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC. AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

 

A reconciliation of the totals reported for the operating segments to the applicable line items in the condensed consolidated financial statements is as follows:

The Company's sales by product category are as follows:

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

The Board of Directors and Shareholders

Minerals Technologies Inc.:

 

We have reviewed the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet of Minerals Technologies Inc. and subsidiaries as of April 2, 2017, the related condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the three-month periods ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, and the related condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three-month periods ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016.  These condensed consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management.

We conducted our review in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).  A review of interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters.  It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole.  Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

Based on our review, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the condensed consolidated financial statements referred to above for them to be in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated balance sheet of Minerals Technologies Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 17, 2017, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.  In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016, is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheet from which it has been derived.

/s/ KPMG LLP

New York, New York

May 5, 2017

 

ITEM 2.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Executive Summary

Consolidated sales for the first quarter of 2017 were $405.0 million as compared with $410.2 million in the prior year.   Income from operations was $61.7 million and represented 15.2% of sales as compared with $57.6 million and 14.0% of sales in the prior year. Net income was $34.6 million as compared to $33.9 million in the first quarter of 2016.

The Company continued to focus on its strategy of geographic expansion and saw significant growth across all of our businesses in China. We recently signed an agreement for a new 125,000 metric ton PCC satellite facility in Indonesia and expanded our existing facility in Indonesia for an additional 40,000 metric tons. 

 

Long term debt as of April 2, 2017 was $1,050.7 million.  During the first quarter of 2017, we repaid $20 million of our Term Loan debt, for total repayments of $500 million since the acquisition of AMCOL International Corporation (“AMCOL”) in 2014.  Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $172 million as of April 2, 2017.  Our intention continues to be to use excess cash flow primarily to repay debt and to continue to de-lever.

Outlook

Looking forward, we remain cautious about the state of the global economy and the impact it will have on our product lines.

 

The Company will continue to focus on innovation and new product development and other opportunities for sales growth in 2017 from its existing businesses, as follows:

·

Develop multiple high-filler technologies under the FulFill® platform of products, to increase the fill rate in freesheet paper and continue to progress with commercial discussions and full-scale paper machine trials.

·

Develop products and processes for waste management and recycling opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of the paper mill, reduce energy consumption and improve the sustainability of the papermaking process, including our New YieldTM products.

·

Further penetration into the packaging segment of the paper industry.

·

Increase our sales of PCC for paper by further penetration of the markets for paper filling at both freesheet and groundwood mills, particularly in emerging markets.

·

Expand the Company's PCC coating product line using the satellite model.

·

Increase our presence and gain penetration of our bentonite based foundry customers for the Metalcasting industry in emerging markets, such as China and India.

·

Increase our presence and market share in global pet care products, particularly in emerging markets.

·

Deploy new products in pet care such as lightweight litter.

·

Promote the Company's expertise in crystal engineering, especially in helping papermakers customize PCC morphologies for specific paper applications.

·

Expand PCC produced for paper filling applications by working with industry partners to develop new methods to increase the ratio of PCC for fiber substitutions.

·

Develop unique calcium carbonate and talc products used in the manufacture of novel biopolymers, a new market opportunity.

·

Deploy new talc and GCC products in paint, coating and packaging applications.

·

Deploy value-added formulations of refractory materials that not only reduce costs but improve performance.

·

Expand our solid core wire product line into BRIC, Middle Eastern and other Asian countries.

·

Deploy our laser measurement technologies into new applications.

·

Expand our refractory maintenance model to other steel makers globally.

·

Increase our presence and market share in Asia and in the global powdered detergent market.

·

Continue the development of our proprietary Enersol® products for agricultural applications worldwide.

 

·

Pursue opportunities for our products in environmental and building and construction markets in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and South America regions.

·

Increase our presence and market share for geosynthetic clay liners within the Environmental Products product line.

·

Increase our presence and market penetration in filtration and well testing within the Energy Services segment.

·

Increase global market share in services for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) market.

·

Deploy operational excellence principles into all aspects of the organization, including system infrastructure and lean principles.

·

Continue to explore selective small bolt-on type acquisitions to fit our core competencies in minerals and fine particle technology.

However, there can be no assurance that we will achieve success in implementing any one or more of these opportunities.

Three months ended April 2, 2017 as compared with three months ended April 3, 2016

 

Net Sales

Worldwide sales were $405.0 million in the first quarter of 2017 as compared with $410.2 million in the prior year.  Net sales in the United States decreased 8.1% to $224.3 million as compared with $244.2 million in the prior year.  International sales increased 8.9% to $180.7 million from $166.0 million in the prior year.

 

Operating Costs and Expenses

Cost of sales was $291.3 million, a decrease of 2.1% from prior year and was 71.9% of sales as compared with 72.5% of sales in the prior year.  Gross margins improved 2% from 27.5% of sales to 28.1% of sales.

Marketing and administrative costs decreased 4.9% to $44.4 million as compared to $46.7 million in prior year.

Research and development expenses were $5.8 million as compared to $5.9 million in the prior year.

The Company incurred a charge of $1.5 million and $1.6 million for acquisition-related transaction and integration costs during the three months ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, respectively.  In addition, there were $0.3 million and $0.9 million of restructuring charges during the three months ended April 2, 2017 and April 3, 2016, respectively.

Income from Operations

The Company recorded income from operations of $61.7 million as compared to $57.6 million in the comparable prior year period.  Operating income was 15.2% of sales in the first quarter of 2017 compared with 14.0% of sales in 2016, as lower manufacturing costs, including productivity gains, helped to offset the impact of lower sales.

Non-Operating Income (Deductions)

The Company recorded non-operating deductions of $16.2 million in the first quarter of 2017 as compared with $12.4 million in the prior year.  The $16.2 million is comprised of $11.8 million of net interest expense, $3.9 million in debt modification costs and fees relating to the February 2017 repricing of the variable tranche of its Term Loan debt and $0.6 million in foreign exchange gains.  The $12.4 million recorded in the prior year included $14.1 million of net interest expense and $2.4 million of foreign exchange gains.

Provision for Taxes on Income

Provision for taxes on income was $10.1 million as compared to $10.7 million in the prior year.  The effective tax rate was 22.2% as compared to 23.7% in the prior year.  The reduction in the effective tax rate during 2017 was primarily due to a change in the tax accounting treatment of share based payments.

 

Consolidated Net Income

Consolidated net income was $35.6 million for the three months ended April 2, 2017 compared with $34.8 million in the prior year.

The following discussions highlight the operating results for each of our four segments.

Specialty Minerals Segment

Worldwide net sales in the Specialty Minerals segment, which consists of the Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) and Processed Minerals product lines, were $146.2 million, a decrease of $9.4 million or 6.0% compared to the prior year.

Worldwide net sales of PCC products, which are primarily used in the manufacturing process of the paper industry, decreased 7.9% to $110.4 million from $119.9 million in the prior year.  Paper PCC sales decreased 9.5% to $93.4 million as compared with $103.2 million in the prior year, primarily due to several previously announced plant shutdowns in North America which occurred subsequent to the first quarter of 2016.  This was partially offset by 9 percent higher sales in China.

Net sales of Processed Minerals products were $35.8 million, approximately the same level as the prior year.  Ground Calcium Carbonate sales increased 3.9% and Talc sales decreased 4.7% from prior year.

Income from operations for the Specialty Minerals segment was $24.4 million and represented 16.7% of sales as compared with $25.7 million and 16.5% of sales in the prior year.

 

		Three Months Ended
Performance Materials Segment		Apr. 2, 2017				Apr. 3, 2016				Growth
		(millions of dollars)
Net Sales
Metalcasting		$	66.6			$	60.0			$	6.6				11.0	%
Household, Personal Care and Specialty Products			41.1				45.3				(4.2	)			-9.3	%
Environmental Products			10.6				13.4				(2.8	)			-20.9	%
Building Materials			17.4				20.4				(3.0	)			-14.7	%
Basic Minerals			34.2				20.5				13.7				66.8	%
Total net sales		$	169.9			$	159.6			$	10.3				6.5	%
Income from operations		$	28.8			$	28.2
% of net sales			17.0	%			17.7	%

		Three Months Ended
Refractories Segment		Apr. 2, 2017				Apr. 3, 2016				Growth
		(millions of dollars)
Net Sales
Refractory Products		$	56.7			$	53.4			$	3.3				6.2	%
Metallurgical Products			13.5				15.8				(2.3	)			-14.6	%
Total net sales		$	70.2			$	69.2			$	1.0				1.4	%
Income from operations		$	9.2			$	6.8			$	2.4				35.3	%
% of net sales			13.1	%			9.8	%

		Three Months Ended
Energy Services Segment		Apr. 2, 2017				Apr. 3, 2016				Growth
		(millions of dollars)
Net Sales		$	18.7			$	25.8			$	(7.1	)			-27.5	%
Income (loss)  from operations		$	1.7			$	(0.1	)		$	1.8				*
% of net sales			9.1	%			-0.4	%

Exhibit No.			Exhibit Title
15			Letter Regarding Unaudited Interim Financial Information.
31.1			Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification executed by the Company's principal executive officer.
31.2			Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification executed by the Company's principal financial officer.
32			Section 1350 Certifications.
95			Information concerning Mine Safety Violations
99			Risk Factors
101.INS			XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH			XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
101.CAL			XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
101.DEF			XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
101.LAB			XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
101.PRE			XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

		Minerals Technologies Inc.
	By:	/s/Matthew E. Garth
		Matthew E. Garth
		Senior Vice President, Finance and Treasury,
		Chief Financial Office
May 5, 2017