Highest First Quarter Net Sales in a Decade; Strategic Initiatives and Refreshed Operating ModelContributed to Top-Line Growth
Business Highlights
- New corporate strategy announced at Investor Day expected to drive continued profitable growth and increase shareholder value over the mid-term
- Delivered $786 million of net sales for the quarter, a 3% increase, compared Q1 2017; on an adjusted basis, net sales increased 4% compared to Q1 2017
- Improved pricing across all divisions, including highest U.S. Wallboard price in 12 years (+9% sequential price)
- U.S. Wallboard and Surfaces operating profit decreased on lower volumes resulting from the timing of pre-buy and adverse weather conditions in Q1, coupled with higher costs
- U.S. Performance Materials revenue increased 7% compared to Q1 2017; on an adjusted basis, net sales increased 8% primarily due to price initiatives
- U.S. Ceilings net sales up 23% compared to Q1 2017 as price and volume improved across tile and grid products; newly acquired Ceilings Plus expands USG’s specialty products portfolio
- USG Boral net sales increased 4% while USG’s equity income contracted $4 million due to margin compression from inflationary input costs
- Advanced Manufacturing delivered $4 million of incremental EBITDA; on track for incremental $25 million of EBITDA in 2018
- Deployed strategic capital to lower cost position and fuel future growth
- 1.8 million shares repurchased in Q1 for approximately $62 million; through the end of Q1, the Company repurchased $246 million of USG shares, out of up to $500 million approved by the Board
- Excellent safety performance in the first quarter, with 98% of plants having worked without a lost time injury
USG Corporation (NYSE:USG), an industry leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions, on Apr. 25 reported financial results for the first quarter of 2018, including sales of $786 million and adjusted net sales of $796 million, a 4 percent increase over the prior year, driven primarily by price improvement across its businesses.
“It is encouraging to see increased sales and strategic progress in the first quarter that are necessary to enable us to meet our 2020 financial targets. As we previously indicated, our wallboard volumes were impacted by the timing of our U.S. wallboard price increase and the frequent storms that affected many regions of the country. However, we are encouraged to see shipping volumes increase over the last six weeks, as our Sheetrock® brand and industry leading technology continue to be preferred by contractors,” said Jennifer Scanlon, president and chief executive officer of USG Corporation. “This reinforces our confidence in our strategy, which includes organic growth from our logical portfolio of products. Our relentless focus on serving our customers, lowering our cost position and expanding our margins will continue to guide us through the rest of the year. We remain confident in our 2018 outlook for all of our segments and continue to believe that 2019 will be the breakout profit year of our strategy.”
Ms. Scanlon continued, “We undertook significant actions over the last two years which completely transformed our company and laid the foundation for continued improvements in our cost position, profitability, capital structure and portfolio. This is an exciting time for USG because, now, as a pure manufacturer, we have the opportunity and available capital to focus on growth and shareholder value creation with a balance sheet that supports our plan.”
Consolidated First-Quarter Results
First quarter net sales were $786 million on a consolidated basis, compared to $767 million in the first quarter of 2017. Adjusted net sales were $796 million in the first quarter of 2018, compared to $767 million in the first quarter of 2017. Operating profit decreased to $46 million from $84 million, while adjusted operating profit decreased to $68 million from $97 million in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017. The lower operating profit in the first quarter of 2018 was driven primarily by lower volumes in our U.S. Wallboard & Surfaces segment, resulting from the timing of pre-buy and adverse weather conditions, higher labor costs due to retained staffing levels with lower Q1 wallboard volumes in advance of expected increase in demand through the remainder of 2018, and investments across all our business to drive future growth. A full reconciliation of GAAP to adjusted metrics is provided in the attached schedule.
USG recorded $37 million in net income, or $0.25 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2018, compared to net income of $55 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2017. On an adjusted basis, net income of $46 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2018 decreased from $55 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2017.
The Company remains on track with Advanced Manufacturing, which delivered $4 million of incremental EBITDA this quarter. The program is expected to deliver incremental $25 million of EBITDA in 2018. In addition, the Company deployed strategic capital to lower its cost position and to fuel future growth. Its 2018 SG&A target has not changed.
During the first quarter of 2018, USG repurchased 1.8 million shares of its common stock for approximately $62 million. Since the program began in 2017 through the first quarter of 2018, the Company has repurchased $246 million USG shares of up to $500 million approved by the Board.
U.S. Wallboard & Surfaces
The U.S. Wallboard & Surfaces segment generated $49 million of operating profit in the first quarter of 2018. On an adjusted basis, operating profit of $51 million decreased by $28 million over the first quarter of 2017. Wallboard price increased 9% from the fourth quarter of 2017 and 1% from the first quarter of 2017, due primarily to a January 2018 price increase. As noted above, the first quarter 2018 results were affected by wallboard volumes decreasing by approximately 12%. Additionally, wallboard costs were $14 million higher than the prior year as we retained staffing levels, incurred costs to start-up a lower-cost line and saw modest input cost inflation.
U.S. Performance Materials
The U.S. Performance Materials segment net sales increased by $6 million and adjusted net sales increased by $7 million year over year due to a higher average realized selling price. The segment generated $1 million of operating profit in the first quarter of 2018. On an adjusted basis, operating profit of $1 million in the U.S. Performance Materials segment declined by $5 million over the first quarter of 2017 due to investments to increase capacity, lower the cost position and accelerate the adoption of new products. These investments are necessary to meet the Company’s 2020 financial targets for this segment.
U.S. Ceilings
The U.S. Ceilings segment generated $19 million of operating profit in the first quarter of 2018. On an adjusted basis, operating profit of $23 million increased by $3 million from the first quarter of 2017 due to improved pricing and volumes across tile and grid products, and an incremental $2 million from the Specialty product category.
USG Boral
The USG Boral business generated $9 million of equity income in the first quarter of 2018. Equity income decreased $4 million compared to the first quarter of 2017. USG Boral recorded a 4% increase in net sales compared to the first quarter of 2017, although higher input costs resulted in a decrease in equity income.
The full text of USG’s 1Q18 earnings release, including all tables, is available on the USG investor relations website, investor.usg.com. A replay of the company’s Apr. 25 webcast, including accompanying presentation materials, will be available on the USG website until May 25, 2018. In addition, a telephonic replay of the call will be available until Friday, May 25, 2018. The replay dial-in number is 1- 888-843-7419 (1-630-652-3042 for international callers), and the pass code is 46755508.
About USG Corporation
USG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets around the world through its Gypsum, Performance Materials, Ceilings, and USG Boral divisions. Its wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing and roofing products provide the solutions that enable customers to build the outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. Its USG Boral Building Products joint venture is a leading plasterboard and ceilings producer across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. For additional information, visit www.usg.com.