EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

LOGO

 

EARNINGS RELEASE    October 24, 2007

  


NORTHWEST PIPE REPORTS QUARTERLY RESULTS

Portland, Oregon, October 24, 2007…Northwest Pipe Company (NASDAQ: NWPX) today reported its quarterly results for the third quarter of 2007. Sales were $92 million for the quarter, approximately the same as for the third quarter of 2006. Net income, however, was substantially higher at $5.1 million for the third quarter of 2007, compared to $4.1 million for the third quarter of 2006.

Water Transmission

Sales in the Water Transmission Group for the third quarter of 2007 were $63.9 million compared to $65.5 million for the third quarter of 2006. Gross profit was $14.3 million, or 22.5% of sales, compared to $12.7 million, or 19.4% of sales in the third quarter of 2006.

“Sales were a little less than our expectations. Margins, however, were very strong, reflecting a positive mix of projects as well as general improvements in productivity,” said Brian W. Dunham, president and CEO of the Company.

Tubular Products

The Tubular Products Group’s sales were $25.2 million in the third quarter of 2007 compared to $22.3 million for the third quarter of 2006. Gross profit increased to $3.1 million, or 12.2% of sales, compared to $2.2 million, or 10.1% of sales for the same period last year.

Fabricated Products

Sales in the Fabricated Products Group were $2.9 million in the third quarter of 2007 compared to $4.7 million for the same period in 2006 and the Group reported a small loss. “Volume in our propane tank business was dramatically lower and we have not yet added enough pipe fittings work to offset this decrease. We expect to see these results improve in the future,” said Dunham.

Fourth Quarter Outlook

The Company is continuing to forecast a stronger fourth quarter in its Water Transmission Group in overall volume. The significant improvement in margins exhibited in the third quarter, however, is not likely to be repeated. “The margin improvement was partially due to a positive mix of projects as indicated earlier,” said Dunham. “Based on our current schedules, the mix will not be as favorable in the


fourth quarter. Margins should still exceed last year’s comparative results, but will not be as strong as the third quarter’s margins.”

“As we have said previously, we expect the Tubular Products Group to have lower sales in the fourth quarter as a result of normal seasonality. Additionally, we will not be continuing our strategic alliance with U.S. Steel,” stated Dunham. The U.S. Steel alliance began in 2005 with Lone Star Steel, who U.S. Steel subsequently acquired. In this arrangement, the Company produced pipe for the oil and gas industry under Lone Star’s label and Lone Star distributed these products. “The termination of this arrangement has impacted our backlog and will also impact our near term sales and earnings,” noted Dunham. “However, we are pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement with a new sales and marketing company for energy tubular products, LSS Group of Houston, Texas. We believe we will be back in the market with our products under our own name in the near future.”

The Fabricated Products Group is expected to increase sales slightly over its current level and generate a small positive margin in the fourth quarter. “We now have several pipe fittings projects slated for this facility,” stated Dunham. “However, we will not see much change in volume or profitability until next year.”

Longer Term Outlook

The Company reported a backlog of $174 million as of September 30, 2007 compared to $195 million at September 30, 2006. “While our backlog is lower, as expected, the fourth quarter should be a strong bidding quarter and we are forecasting an increase in the backlog by the end of the year,” said Dunham. “Furthermore, the 2008 market continues to look very strong and we are continuing to focus on building our capacity to address the opportunities we expect in the years ahead.”

The Company announced the acquisition of Continental Pipe, in Pleasant Grove, Utah, last quarter and is pleased to announce its plans for further expansion at this time. “We have agreed to purchase two new state-of-the-art spiral weld pipe mills from Wilson Byard, Ltd.,” Dunham announced. “These mills will be built jointly by Wilson Byard and Northwest Pipe in our Adelanto, California facility. One of the mills will remain in Adelanto, while the other will be designed to be relatively transportable and will ultimately be deployed at a location to be named later.”

The Company is also in the process of acquiring additional acreage adjacent to its Saginaw, Texas facility. This land will be used to reconfigure some manufacturing operations and future expansion.

About Northwest Pipe Company

Northwest Pipe Company manufactures welded steel pipe and other products in three business groups. Its Water Transmission Group is a leading supplier of large diameter, high-pressure steel pipe products that are used primarily for water infrastructure in North America. Its Tubular Products Group manufactures smaller diameter steel pipe for a wide range of construction, traffic signposts, agricultural, energy, industrial and


mechanical applications. Its Fabricated Products Group manufactures propane tanks and other fabricated products. The Company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has ten manufacturing facilities across the United States and Mexico.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release by Brian Dunham and statements in the sections of this press release captioned “Fourth Quarter Outlook” and “Longer Term Outlook” are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, sees, estimates and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect management’s current views and estimates of future economic and market circumstances, industry conditions, Company performance and financial results. Actual results could vary materially from the description contained herein due to many factors, including project delays, changes in bidding activity, market demand, operating efficiencies, availability and price of raw materials, availability and market acceptance of new products, product pricing, competitive environment, and other risks described from time to time in the Company’s reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements we make today speak only as of today and we do not undertake any obligation to update any such statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after today.

 

CONTACT:    Brian Dunham
   Chief Executive Officer
   503-946-1200

 


NORTHWEST PIPE COMPANY

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Dollar and share amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30
   Nine Months Ended
September 30
 
     2007     2006    2007    2006  

Net Sales:

          

Water Transmission

   $ 63,862     $ 65,481    $ 197,919    $ 172,771  

Tubular Products

     25,209       22,272      77,109      63,765  

Fabricated Products

     2,911       4,665      9,585      12,556  
                              

Net Sales

     91,982       92,418      284,613      249,092  

Cost of Sales:

          

Water Transmission

     49,524       52,756      154,794      140,057  

Tubular Products

     22,127       20,030      68,089      56,961  

Fabricated Products

     3,034       4,422      9,537      11,596  
                              

Total Cost of Sales

     74,685       77,208      232,420      208,614  

Gross Profit/(Loss):

          

Water Transmission

     14,338       12,725      43,125      32,714  

Tubular Products

     3,082       2,242      9,020      6,804  

Fabricated Products

     (123 )     243      48      960  
                              

Gross Profit/(Loss)

     17,297       15,210      52,193      40,478  

Selling, General and Administrative

     7,598       6,989      22,873      20,298  

Gain on sale of assets

             (7,674 )
                              

Operating Income

     9,699       8,221      29,320      27,854  

Interest Expense

     1,653       1,832      5,090      5,320  
                              

Income Before Income Taxes

     8,046       6,389      24,230      22,534  

Provision for Income Taxes

     2,977       2,310      8,965      8,494  
                              

Net Income

   $ 5,069     $ 4,079    $ 15,265    $ 14,040  
                              

Basic Earnings per Share

   $ 0.57     $ 0.59    $ 1.71    $ 2.05  
                              

Diluted Earnings per Share

   $ 0.55     $ 0.57    $ 1.65    $ 1.97  
                              

Shares Used in Per Share Calculation:

          

Basic

     8,971       6,866      8,945      6,854  
                              

Diluted

     9,242       7,162      9,225      7,139  
                              

 


NORTHWEST PIPE COMPANY

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET AND OTHER DATA

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

 

     September 30,
2007
    December 31,
2006
 

Assets:

    

Cash and Cash Equivalents

   $ 191     $ 4,259  

Trade and Other Receivables, Net

     64,554       68,425  

Cost and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings on Uncompleted Contracts

     88,801       74,353  

Inventories

     57,460       79,300  

Other Current Assets

     10,642       11,177  
                

Total Current Assets

     221,648       237,514  

Property and Equipment, Net

     176,296       160,776  

Other Assets

     27,121       26,161  
                

Total Assets

   $ 425,065     $ 424,451  
                

Liabilities:

    

Current Maturities of Long-Term Debt

   $ 4,412     $ 9,663  

Accounts Payable

     20,229       50,865  

Accrued Liabilities

     17,551       10,243  
                

Total Current Liabilities

     42,192       70,771  

Long-Term Note Payable to Financial Institution

     58,345       43,000  

Other Long-Term Debt, Less Current Maturities

     40,547       47,915  

Other Liabilities

     35,082       31,939  
                

Total Liabilities

     176,166       193,625  

Stockholders’ Equity

     248,899       230,826  
                

Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

   $ 425,065     $ 424,451  
                

Other Data:

    

Working Capital

   $ 179,456     $ 166,743  

Capital Expenditures

     17,817       58,428  

Depreciation and Amortization

     3,665       3,782  

Debt as a Percent of Capitalization

     27.8 %     29.5 %