EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

 

Exhibit 99.1

NuStar Energy L.P. Reports Higher than Anticipated Third Quarter 2010

Earnings and Increases Quarterly Distribution

2010 Fourth Quarter and Full Year results expected to be higher than 2009

SAN ANTONIO, October 25, 2010 – NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) today announced distributable cash flow available to limited partners for the third quarter of $84.0 million, or $1.30 per unit, compared to 2009 third quarter distributable cash flow of $61.5 million, or $1.13 per unit.

The partnership also announced that its board of directors has declared a third quarter 2010 distribution of $1.075 per unit, which is $0.01 per unit or approximately 1% higher than the second quarter 2010 and third quarter 2009 distributions of $1.065 per unit. The third quarter 2010 distribution will be paid on November 5, 2010, to holders of record as of November 1, 2010. Distributable cash flow available to limited partners covers the distribution to the limited partners by 1.21 times for the third quarter of 2010.

NuStar Energy L.P. reported third quarter net income applicable to limited partners of $58.4 million, or $0.90 per unit, compared to $56.1 million, or $1.03 per unit, earned in the third quarter of 2009. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were $131.0 million for the third quarter of 2010 compared to $124.4 million for the third quarter of 2009.

“I am excited to announce that our third quarter results were better than we expected when earnings guidance was provided in early August,” said Curt Anastasio, Chief Executive Officer and President of NuStar Energy L.P. and NuStar GP Holdings, LLC. “Higher than projected throughputs on our crude, refined products and ammonia pipelines and improved asphalt margins in our asphalt and fuels marketing segment caused our results to be higher than anticipated.”

“I am particularly pleased that, all three of our business segments generated higher operating income and EBITDA in the third quarter of 2010 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 when compared to the same periods in 2009. As a result of these strong results, we were able to increase our third quarter 2010 distribution,” said Anastasio.

-More-


 

Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2010 EBITDA Projected to be Higher than 2009

“For the fourth quarter of 2010, we are projecting EBITDA to be in the range of $110 to $130 million, which would be the highest fourth quarter in our history and $20 to $40 million higher than the fourth quarter of 2009. Incremental EBITDA from internal growth projects coming online in the storage segment, additional profits attributable to the Mobile County, Alabama storage terminal acquisition that was completed in May 2010, and increased earnings from our fuels marketing operations will contribute to increased EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2010,” said Anastasio.

Commenting on the full-year outlook for the fee-based storage and transportation business segments, Anastasio said, “We expect incremental EBITDA in our storage segment to be $14 to $18 million higher than 2009. This is lower than previous guidance largely because the start-up of one of our internal growth projects has been delayed by approximately 30 days and vessel activity at our St. Eustatius terminal has been negatively impacted by tropical storms during the third quarter. The good news is that EBITDA in our transportation segment is now projected to be $5 to $10 million higher than 2009 due to higher throughputs and a customer turnaround being delayed until 2011.”

In regard to the margin-based asphalt and fuels marketing segment Anastasio added, “Improving asphalt margins in the third and fourth quarters of 2010 as well as continued strong earnings results in our fuels marketing operations should cause EBITDA in this segment to be $25 to $35 million higher than the $80 million of EBITDA earned last year.”

Turkey Terminal Acquisition

“We expect to close our previously announced $50 to $60 million acquisition of a 75% controlling interest in a joint venture in Mersin, Turkey in December 2010. The joint venture will own two terminals with a storage capacity of 1.3 million barrels, a two-thirds interest in an off-shore ship platform, and land that can be used for the construction of additional terminal operations. The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to NuStar Energy’s distributable cash flow per unit,” said Anastasio.

Eagle Ford Shale Project

“Last week NuStar and Koch Pipeline Company reached agreement on a pipeline connection and capacity lease agreement. Under this agreement, NuStar will reactivate a previously idled pipeline in South Texas that will now be utilized to transport Eagle Ford Shale crude oil production to Corpus Christi, Texas refineries and terminals. We expect this project to be completed and in service in the second quarter of 2011,” stated Anastasio.


 

“With the EBITDA benefits from our large strategic capital spending program and our upcoming Turkey terminal acquisition, EBITDA and distributable cash flow growth should continue into 2011 and beyond,” said Anastasio.

A conference call with management is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. CT) today, October 25, 2010, to discuss the financial and operational results for the third quarter of 2010. Investors interested in listening to the presentation may call 800/622-7620, passcode 12873811. International callers may access the presentation by dialing 706/645-0327, passcode 12873811. The company intends to have a playback available following the presentation, which may be accessed by calling 800/642-1687, passcode 12873811. A live broadcast of the conference call will also be available on the company’s Web site at www.nustarenergy.com.

NuStar Energy L.P. is a publicly traded, limited partnership based in San Antonio, with 8,417 miles of pipeline; 88 terminal and storage facilities that store and distribute crude oil, refined products and specialty liquids; and two asphalt refineries with a combined throughput capacity of 104,000 barrels per day. The partnership’s combined system has over 93 million barrels of storage capacity. One of the largest asphalt refiners and marketers in the U.S. and the second largest independent liquids terminal operator in the nation, NuStar has operations in the United States, the Netherlands Antilles, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit NuStar Energy L.P.’s Web site at www.nustarenergy.com.

This release serves as qualified notice to nominees under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.1446-4(b)(4) and (d). Please note that 100% of NuStar’s distributions to foreign investors are attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, all of NuStar’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest effective tax rate for individuals and corporations, as applicable. Nominees, and not NuStar, are treated as the withholding agents responsible for withholding on the distributions received by them on behalf of foreign investors.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding future events. All forward-looking statements are based on the partnership and company’s beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the partnership and company. These statements reflect the partnership and company’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions are discussed in NuStar Energy L.P. and NuStar GP Holdings, LLC’s 2009 annual reports on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


 

NuStar Energy L.P. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Financial Information

(Unaudited, Thousands of Dollars, Except Unit Data and Per Unit Data)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2010     2009     2010     2009  

Statement of Income Data:

        

Revenues:

        

Services revenues

   $ 201,390      $ 190,439      $ 585,772      $ 549,133   

Product sales

     936,989        1,060,808        2,623,077        2,323,960   
                                

Total revenues

     1,138,379        1,251,247        3,208,849        2,873,093   

Costs and expenses:

        

Cost of product sales

     860,942        989,868        2,422,751        2,138,524   

Operating expenses

     121,748        118,190        363,028        332,017   

General and administrative expenses

     26,860        19,213        76,324        67,529   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     38,539        36,786        114,653        108,323   
                                

Total costs and expenses

     1,048,089        1,164,057        2,976,756        2,646,393   
                                

Operating income

     90,290        87,190        232,093        226,700   

Equity earnings from joint venture

     2,454        2,374        7,571        7,698   

Interest expense, net

     (20,583     (19,791     (58,059     (60,526

Other (expense) income, net

     (235     (1,961     14,882        25,883   
                                

Income before income tax expense

     71,926        67,812        196,487        199,755   

Income tax expense

     3,616        3,372        9,052        12,225   
                                

Net income

   $ 68,310      $ 64,440      $ 187,435      $ 187,530   
                                

Net income applicable to limited partners

   $ 58,375      $ 56,097      $ 158,950      $ 162,865   
                                

Net income per unit applicable to limited partners

   $ 0.90      $ 1.03      $ 2.55      $ 2.99   
                                

Weighted average limited partner units outstanding

     64,610,549        54,460,549        62,386,373        54,460,549   

EBITDA (Note 1)

   $ 131,048      $ 124,389      $ 369,199      $ 368,604   

Distributable cash flow (Note 1)

   $ 94,202      $ 69,920      $ 243,372      $ 279,292   
     September 30,
2010
    September 30,
2009
          December 31,
2009
 

Balance Sheet Data:

        

Debt, including current portion (a)

   $ 1,990,507      $ 1,925,792        $ 1,849,763   

Partners’ equity (b)

     2,690,235        2,217,240          2,484,968   

Debt-to-capitalization ratio (a) / ((a)+(b))

     42.5     46.5       42.7


NuStar Energy L.P. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Financial Information - Continued

(Unaudited, Thousands of Dollars, Except Barrel Data)

 

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2010     2009     2010     2009  

Segment Data:

        

Storage:

        

Throughput (barrels/day)

     673,121        708,281        666,635        667,005   

Throughput revenues

   $ 19,139      $ 19,892      $ 56,085      $ 59,648   

Storage lease revenues

     111,998        105,341        330,493        300,700   
                                

Total revenues

     131,137        125,233        386,578        360,348   

Operating expenses

     66,153        63,166        198,186        176,794   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     19,349        18,034        57,004        52,472   
                                

Segment operating income

   $ 45,635      $ 44,033      $ 131,388      $ 131,082   
                                

Transportation:

        

Refined products pipelines throughput (barrels/day)

     526,825        544,345        529,380        576,165   

Crude oil pipelines throughput (barrels/day)

     382,845        318,567        381,606        350,034   
                                

Total throughput (barrels/day)

     909,670        862,912        910,986        926,199   

Revenues

   $ 80,597      $ 78,015      $ 232,817      $ 221,151   

Operating expenses

     30,488        29,966        88,784        82,856   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     12,597        12,624        38,029        37,901   
                                

Segment operating income

   $ 37,512      $ 35,425      $ 106,004      $ 100,394   
                                

Asphalt and fuels marketing:

        

Product sales

   $ 937,074      $ 1,060,808      $ 2,625,994      $ 2,323,960   

Cost of product sales

     864,904        993,648        2,438,703        2,150,450   
                                

Gross margin

     72,170        67,160        187,291        173,510   

Operating expenses

     31,575        34,128        96,924        93,676   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     5,138        4,922        15,254        14,536   
                                

Segment operating income

   $ 35,457      $ 28,110      $ 75,113      $ 65,298   
                                

Consolidation and intersegment eliminations:

        

Revenues

   $ (10,429   $ (12,809   $ (36,540   $ (32,366

Cost of product sales

     (3,962     (3,780     (15,952     (11,926

Operating expenses

     (6,468     (9,070     (20,866     (21,309
                                

Total

   $ 1      $ 41      $ 278      $ 869   
                                

Consolidated Information:

        

Revenues

   $ 1,138,379      $ 1,251,247      $ 3,208,849      $ 2,873,093   

Cost of product sales

     860,942        989,868        2,422,751        2,138,524   

Operating expenses

     121,748        118,190        363,028        332,017   

Depreciation and amortization expense

     37,084        35,580        110,287        104,909   
                                

Segment operating income

     118,605        107,609        312,783        297,643   

General and administrative expenses

     26,860        19,213        76,324        67,529   

Other depreciation and amortization expense

     1,455        1,206        4,366        3,414   
                                

Consolidated operating income

   $ 90,290      $ 87,190      $ 232,093      $ 226,700   
                                


NuStar Energy L.P. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Financial Information - Continued

(Unaudited, Thousands of Dollars, Except Per Unit Data)

 

 

Notes:

 

  1. NuStar Energy L.P. utilizes two financial measures, EBITDA and distributable cash flow, which are not defined in United States generally accepted accounting principles. Management uses these financial measures because they are widely accepted financial indicators used by investors to compare partnership performance. In addition, management believes that these measures provide investors an enhanced perspective of the operating performance of the partnership’s assets and the cash that the business is generating. Neither EBITDA nor distributable cash flow are intended to represent cash flows for the period, nor are they presented as an alternative to net income. They should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes for a measure of performance prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

The following is a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and distributable cash flow:

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2010     2009     2010     2009  

Net income

   $ 68,310      $ 64,440      $ 187,435      $ 187,530   

Plus interest expense, net

     20,583        19,791        58,059        60,526   

Plus income tax expense

     3,616        3,372        9,052        12,225   

Plus depreciation and amortization expense

     38,539        36,786        114,653        108,323   
                                

EBITDA

     131,048        124,389        369,199        368,604   

Less equity earnings from joint ventures

     (2,454     (2,374     (7,571     (7,698

Less interest expense, net

     (20,583     (19,791     (58,059     (60,526

Less reliability capital expenditures

     (13,841     (16,424     (38,327     (32,915

Less income tax expense

     (3,616     (3,372     (9,052     (12,225

Plus distributions from joint venture

     2,450        2,750        7,500        6,750   

Mark-to-market impact on hedge transactions (a)

     1,198        (15,258     (20,318     17,302   
                                

Distributable cash flow

     94,202        69,920        243,372        279,292   

General partner’s interest in distributable cash flow

     (10,160     (8,382     (29,371     (24,876
                                

Limited partners’ interest in distributable cash flow

   $ 84,042      $ 61,538      $ 214,001      $ 254,416   
                                

Distributable cash flow per limited partner unit

   $ 1.30      $ 1.13      $ 3.40      $ 4.67   

 

(a) Distributable cash flow excludes the impact of unrealized mark-to-market gains and losses which arise from valuing certain derivative contracts that hedge a portion of our inventory but do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. The gain or loss associated with these contracts is realized in distributable cash flow when the contracts are settled.