EX-99.1 2 a06-21299_3ex99d1.htm EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

News Release

 

IPSCO REPORTS RECORD QUARTERLY EARNINGS

 

Strong Shipments of Plate, Energy Tubular and Large Diameter Pipe Products

*Results Are Reported in U.S. Dollars on a U.S. GAAP Basis*

[Lisle, Illinois] [October 24, 2006] — IPSCO Inc. (NYSE/TSX:IPS) announced today record net income for the third quarter of 2006 of $197.1 million ($4.15 per diluted share) compared to $134.0 million ($2.78 per diluted share) for the third quarter of 2005 and $156.4 million ($3.25 per diluted share) in the second quarter of 2006. For the first nine months of 2006 net income was $504.2 million ($10.51 per diluted share) as compared to $415.6 million ($8.44 per diluted share) for the comparable period of the prior year.

“Record sales volume and higher margins driven by record average product pricing pushed earnings above the high end of our guidance for the quarter. In addition, earnings per share were favorably impacted by $0.37 as a result of a lower effective tax rate estimate for the year,” said David Sutherland, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Sales for the quarter were a record $996.9 million, an increase of 37.3% or $270.8 million over the same quarter last year and up 11.6% or $103.3 million from the second quarter. Total shipments for the quarter of 1,042,000 tons were a new record, an increase of 194,000 tons compared to last year and 41,000 tons higher than the prior quarter. IPSCO’s third quarter average product price of $957 per ton, also a new record, was up $101 per ton from a year ago and $64 per ton higher than the second quarter this year.

Steel mill product shipments of 691,000 tons increased 30.9% over last year and were down 1.6% from the record achieved in the prior quarter. Record tubular shipments of 351,000 tons, driven by greater large diameter sales volumes and stronger U.S. energy tubular shipments, increased 9.5% over the prior year. Tubular shipments increased 17.3% from the prior quarter due primarily to increases in large diameter pipe and Canadian energy tubular shipments partially offset by lower U.S. tubular shipments.

Gross income for the quarter was $314.6 million or 31.6% of sales compared to $224.9 million or 31.0% in the third quarter of 2005. Compared to the prior quarter, margins increased from 29.3% due to higher average steel mill product prices and a higher percentage of tubular product sales.

Operating income for the quarter was $288.9 million or 29.0% compared to $201.8 million or 27.8% in the prior year and $242.9 million or 27.2% in the prior quarter. Operating income per ton was $277 compared to $238 per ton in the third quarter of 2005 and $243 per ton in the prior quarter.

Selling, general and administration expenses were $25.7 million for the quarter; $2.6 million higher than the same period last year and $7.0 million higher than the prior quarter.




Share-based payment expense was $2.7 million in the third quarter compared to income of $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2006.

Foreign exchange loss for the quarter was $2.5 million ($0.04 per diluted share) compared to gains of $18.1 million ($0.24 per diluted share) in the prior year and $5.1 million ($0.07 per diluted share) in the prior quarter due to fluctuations in the Canadian/U.S. exchange rate.

In the third quarter, the estimate of the 2006 annual effective tax rate was reduced to 36.0% resulting in an effective tax rate for the quarter of 32.0%. This compares to a 38.1% rate in the prior year and a 37.6% rate in the prior period. The reduction in the estimate of the tax rate is primarily due to the planned reinvestment of U.S. earnings through the announced pending acquisition of NS Group and the resulting decrease of potential U.S. withholding tax liability on remitting funds to Canada. We expect the acquisition will have a sustainable positive effect on the annual tax rate for the near term. The current quarter effective tax rate increased net earnings by $0.37 per diluted share as compared to the third quarter of 2005 and increased net earnings by $0.34 per diluted share compared to the prior quarter.

Outlook

We expect end-user demand for plate and energy tubular goods will continue to be strong. While energy prices have fallen recently we expect them to remain at levels sufficient to maintain high drilling activity and resultant demand for OCTG products. However, demand from service centers and distributor customers is declining in the fourth quarter as these customers reduce inventories. As previously announced, we will be adjusting our production accordingly, utilizing this opportunity to accelerate maintenance of our equipment that has been running at capacity during this record year and to better align our own inventories.

We expect total shipment levels to remain comparable to the prior quarter. However, unabsorbed overhead and higher maintenance expenses resulting from these production curtailments and a less favorable product mix related to lower large diameter sales will cause some margin compression. While demand for large diameter spiral pipe continues to be exceptionally strong, actual fourth quarter sales are expected to be lower than in the third quarter. Excluding any impact of the NS Group acquisition, foreign exchange gains or losses, and share price volatility, and assuming an effective tax rate of 36%, we forecast the fourth quarter earnings to be in the range of $3.30 to $3.50 per diluted share.

The NS Group transaction continues to be on schedule for closing prior to year end. The expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to our acquisition of NS Group. Consummation of the merger, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter 2006, remains subject to other customary closing conditions, including approval of the merger by NS Group’s shareholders.

IPSCO has scheduled the live webcast of its 2006 third quarter conference call at 10:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, October 24, 2006. During the call IPSCO President and CEO, David Sutherland, Senior Vice President and CFO, Vicki Avril and Executive Vice President - Steel and Chief Commercial Officer, John Tulloch will discuss IPSCO Inc.’s third quarter results.

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Persons wishing to listen to the webcast may access it in the Investor Information, Presentations section on the Company’s website at www.ipsco.com. The conference call, including the question and answer portion, will also be archived on IPSCO’s web site for three months.

IPSCO, traded as “IPS” on both the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange, operates steel mills at three locations and pipe mills at six locations in the United States and Canada. IPSCO is a low cost North American steel producer, and has a combined annual steel making capacity of 3,500,000 tons. The Company’s tubular facilities produce a wide range of tubular products including oil and gas well casing and tubing, line pipe, standard pipe and hollow structurals. Steel can also be further processed at IPSCO’s five temper leveling or coil processing facilities. For more information about IPSCO, log on to www.ipsco.com.

This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words “believes”, “expect”, “will”, “can” and other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects and which do not relate to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Although IPSCO Inc. believes that the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by forward-looking statements include: weather conditions affecting the oil patch; drilling rig availability; demand for oil and gas; supply, demand and price for scrap metal and other raw materials; supply, demand and price for electricity and natural gas; demand and prices for products produced by the Company; general economic conditions; and changes in financial markets. These and other factors are outlined in IPSCO’s regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulators, including those in IPSCO’s 2005 Form 10-K, and its MD&A, particularly as discussed under the heading “Business Risks and Uncertainties”. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact:
Tom Filstrup, Director of Investor Relations
Tel. 630.810.4772
tfilstrup@ipsco.com
Release #06-24

# # #

3




IPSCO Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(unaudited)
(thousands of United States Dollars except for per share and ton data)

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

For the Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

2006

 

2005

 

Plate and Coil Tons Produced (thousands)

 

946.8

 

759.3

 

2,794.9

 

2,434.5

 

Finished Tons Shipped (thousands)

 

1,041.7

 

847.8

 

3,048.1

 

2,507.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales

 

$

996,867

 

$

726,079

 

$

2,793,321

 

$

2,180,491

 

Cost of sales

 

682,290

 

501,204

 

1,937,726

 

1,457,676

 

Gross income

 

314,577

 

224,875

 

855,595

 

722,815

 

Selling, general and administration

 

25,696

 

23,075

 

76,776

 

57,553

 

Operating income

 

288,881

 

201,800

 

778,819

 

665,262

 

Other expenses (income):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest on long-term debt

 

6,120

 

8,784

 

17,661

 

29,187

 

Net interest income

 

(9,482

)

(4,456

)

(24,705

)

(10,479

)

Loss on early extinguishment of debt

 

 

690

 

 

10,939

 

Foreign exchange loss (gain)

 

2,497

 

(18,080

)

(1,262

)

(19,233

)

Other

 

(135

)

(1,767

)

(353

)

(1,782

)

Income Before Income Taxes

 

289,881

 

216,629

 

787,478

 

656,630

 

Income Tax Expense

 

92,792

 

82,602

 

283,320

 

240,982

 

Net Income

 

$

197,089

 

$

134,027

 

$

504,158

 

$

415,648

 

Earnings per Common Share

- Basic

 

$

4.19

 

$

2.81

 

$

10.61

 

$

8.52

 

 

- Diluted

 

$

4.15

 

$

2.78

 

$

10.51

 

$

8.44

 

Denominator for Earnings per Common Share - Basic (thousands)

 

47,016

 

47,764

 

47,497

 

48,786

 

Denominator for Earnings per Common Share - Diluted (thousands)

 

47,478

 

48,162

 

47,949

 

49,256

 

Dividends Declared per Common Share (Canadian dollars)

 

$

0.20

 

$

0.14

 

$

0.58

 

$

0.40

 

 

IPSCO Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF RETAINED EARNINGS
(unaudited)
(thousands of United States Dollars)

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

For the Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

2006

 

2005

 

Retained Earnings at Beginning of Period

 

$

1,557,694

 

$

1,058,958

 

$

1,341,659

 

$

884,859

 

Net Income

 

197,089

 

134,027

 

504,158

 

415,648

 

Common Share Repurchase

 

(2,029

)

(9,018

)

(77,125

)

(106,086

)

Dividends on Common Shares

 

(8,457

)

(5,706

)

(24,395

)

(16,160

)

Retained Earnings at End of Period

 

$

1,744,297

 

$

1,178,261

 

$

1,744,297

 

$

1,178,261

 

 




IPSCO Inc.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited)
(thousands of United States Dollars)

 

 

For the Three Months Ended

 

For the Nine Months Ended

 

 

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

Sept 30

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

2006

 

2005

 

Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

197,089

 

$

134,027

 

$

504,158

 

$

415,648

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation

 

3,373

 

2,300

 

5,021

 

3,281

 

Depreciation of capital assets

 

18,936

 

19,901

 

52,231

 

59,991

 

Amortization of deferred charges

 

507

 

409

 

1,506

 

1,284

 

Deferred income taxes

 

1,259

 

17,935

 

(4,874

)

62,357

 

Loss on early extinguishment of debt

 

 

690

 

 

10,939

 

Unrealized foreign exchange gain

 

 

(18,714

)

 

(20,653

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, less allowances

 

3,704

 

(27,533

)

2,575

 

57,915

 

Inventories

 

(103,337

)

29,674

 

(235,651

)

(24,831

)

Other

 

315

 

(1,614

)

3,049

 

2,528

 

Accounts payable and accrued charges

 

50,333

 

29,142

 

19,398

 

(39,132

)

Change in deferred pension liability

 

(283

)

(660

)

(726

)

(315

)

Income taxes payable

 

(7,296

)

33,521

 

(44,746

)

21,155

 

Net cash provided by operations

 

164,600

 

219,078

 

301,941

 

550,167

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenditures for capital assets

 

(19,443

)

(19,545

)

(61,853

)

(41,716

)

Proceeds from mortgage receivable, net

 

7,425

 

1,955

 

8,396

 

3,782

 

Acquisition costs

 

(4,371

)

293

 

(4,371

)

194

 

Net cash used for investing activities

 

(16,389

)

(17,297

)

(57,828

)

(37,740

)

Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common share dividends

 

(8,457

)

(5,706

)

(24,395

)

(16,160

)

Common shares issued pursuant to share option plan

 

2,330

 

4,387

 

7,813

 

20,810

 

Common share repurchase

 

 

(11,564

)

(85,500

)

(132,721

)

Repayment of long-term debt

 

877

 

(2,458

)

(4,114

)

(130,295

)

Net cash used for financing activities

 

(5,250

)

(15,341

)

(106,196

)

(258,366

)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(1,407

)

2,742

 

22,565

 

4,248

 

Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

141,554

 

189,182

 

160,482

 

258,309

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period

 

601,992

 

423,901

 

583,064

 

354,774

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period

 

$

743,546

 

$

613,083

 

$

743,546

 

$

613,083

 

 




IPSCO Inc.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited)
(thousands of United States Dollars)

 

 

Sept 30

 

Dec 31

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

Current Assets

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

743,546

 

$

583,064

 

Accounts receivable, less allowances

 

376,334

 

388,943

 

Inventories

 

764,053

 

506,237

 

Deferred income taxes

 

37,999

 

30,227

 

Other

 

5,406

 

8,615

 

 

 

1,927,338

 

1,517,086

 

Non-Current Assets

 

 

 

 

 

Capital assets

 

1,063,291

 

1,056,186

 

Other

 

56,710

 

65,747

 

 

 

1,120,001

 

1,121,933

 

Total Assets

 

$

3,047,339

 

$

2,639,019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued charges

 

$

335,975

 

$

303,589

 

Income and other taxes payable

 

 

41,073

 

Current portion of long-term debt

 

20,879

 

4,114

 

 

 

356,854

 

348,776

 

Long-Term Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt

 

292,175

 

313,053

 

Other

 

44,538

 

44,584

 

Deferred income taxes

 

189,939

 

191,973

 

 

 

526,652

 

549,610

 

Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

Common shares

 

414,499

 

419,272

 

Contributed surplus

 

22,202

 

15,548

 

Retained earnings

 

1,744,297

 

1,341,659

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(17,165

)

(35,846

)

 

 

2,163,833

 

1,740,633

 

Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

$

3,047,339

 

$

2,639,019

 

 




IPSCO Inc.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
(unaudited)

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

 

 

Third Quarter

 

Third Quarter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liquid Steel Production (in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

Regina

 

276.6

 

249.5

 

Montpelier

 

346.9

 

263.4

 

Mobile

 

387.3

 

306.2

 

Total Tons - Production

 

1,010.8

 

819.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product Production (in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

Coil & Discrete Plate

 

946.8

 

759.3

 

Cut Plate

 

158.9

 

135.6

 

Total Steel Mill

 

1,105.7

 

894.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large Diameter

 

79.5

 

61.0

 

Small Diameter

 

253.1

 

229.0

 

Total Tubulars

 

332.6

 

290.0

 

Total Production

 

1,438.3

 

1,184.9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shipments (in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

Coil & Discrete Plate

 

536.6

 

393.1

 

Cut Plate

 

154.4

 

134.6

 

Total Steel Mill

 

691.0

 

527.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Tubulars

 

216.6

 

216.3

 

Large Diameter

 

81.5

 

45.4

 

Non-energy

 

52.6

 

58.4

 

Total Tubulars

 

350.7

 

320.1

 

Total Tons Shipped

 

1,041.7

 

847.8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geographic Sales Mix (millions of US Dollars)

 

 

 

 

 

Canada

 

$

289.7

 

$

266.7

 

United States

 

$

707.2

 

$

459.4

 

Total

 

$

996.9

 

$

726.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sales By Product (millions of US Dollars)

 

 

 

 

 

Steel Mill Products

 

$

566.5

 

$

379.5

 

Tubular Products

 

$

430.4

 

$

346.6

 

Total

 

$

996.9

 

$

726.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Selling Price per Ton (in US Dollars)

 

 

 

 

 

Steel Mill Products

 

$

819.8

 

$

719.2

 

Tubular Products

 

$

1,227.3

 

$

1,082.8

 

Total

 

$

957.0

 

$

856.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Profit per Ton (in US Dollars)

 

$

277.0

 

$

238.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchased Steel-Tons (in thousands)

 

155

 

57