Martin Midstream Partners Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Declares Quarterly Cash Distribution

Author's Avatar
Jul 19, 2023

Martin Midstream Partners L.P. (Nasdaq:MMLP) (“MMLP” or the "Partnership") today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2023.

Bob Bondurant, President and Chief Executive Officer of Martin Midstream GP LLC, the general partner of the Partnership, stated, “The Partnership continued to benefit from our diversified business model in the second quarter as strength in our Transportation segment offset challenges in our Sulfur and Specialty Products segments which both have exposure to a currently difficult agricultural market. As of May 1st, 2023, we sold all remaining butane inventory completing our exit from the butane optimization business. This allowed us to further reduce debt by $39.5 million from $500.0 million at March 31, 2023 to $460.5 million at June 30, 2023. While we will utilize our NGL underground storage facility under a fee-based butane logistics model, going forward we have removed the volatility in our Specialty Products segment earnings related to the butane optimization business, which had negative adjusted EBITDA of $15.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

“Considering our ongoing operations, which does not include losses associated with the butane optimization business, the second quarter adjusted EBITDA of $31.8 million, was in line with our forecast and reaffirms our guidance of $115.4 million in adjusted EBITDA for the year 2023.”

SECOND QUARTER 2023 OPERATING RESULTS BY BUSINESS SEGMENT

TERMINALLING AND STORAGE (“T&S”)

T&S operating income (loss) for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $4.4 million and ($0.1) million, respectively.

Adjusted segment EBITDA for T&S was $9.6 million and $7.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, reflecting contractual index-based fee increases combined with reduced operating expenses across our divisions.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation operating income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $9.0 million and $11.2 million, respectively.

Adjusted segment EBITDA for Transportation was $12.1 million and $14.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, reflecting higher marine day rates, offset by increased expenses in our land transportation division.

SULFUR SERVICES

Sulfur Services operating income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $5.3 million and $9.1 million, respectively.

Adjusted segment EBITDA for Sulfur Services was $8.0 million and $13.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, reflecting reduced demand in our fertilizer business in part due to a delay in the planting season related to weather conditions, leading to higher inventories and declining prices.

SPECIALTY PRODUCTS

Specialty Products operating income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 was $2.5 million and $5.6 million, respectively. Included in the Specialty Products results is an operating loss of $2.6 million and $0.9 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, attributable to the butane optimization business.

Adjusted segment EBITDA for Specialty Products was $(0.4) million and $7.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, primarily reflecting decreased NGL margins combined with lower demand in our lubricants packaging business. Included in the Specialty Products results is negative adjusted EBITDA of ($6.3) million and ($0.6) million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, attributable to the butane optimization business. Adjusted Segment EBITDA for Specialty Products after giving effect to the May 2023 exit of the butane optimization business was $5.9 million and $7.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

UNALLOCATED SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE (“USGA”)

USGA expenses included in operating income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $3.9 million and $4.4 million, respectively.

USGA expenses included in adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022 were $3.9 million and $4.3 million, respectively.

CAPITALIZATION

At June 30, 2023, the Partnership had $460.5 million of total debt outstanding, including $60.5 million drawn on its $175 million revolving credit facility maturing in 2027 and $400 million of senior secured second lien notes due 2028. At June 30, 2023, the Partnership had liquidity of approximately $56.3 million from available capacity under its revolving credit facility. The Partnership’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the revolving credit facility, was 4.14 times at June 30, 2023, compared to 4.25 times at March 31, 2023, a reduction of 0.11 times. The Partnership was in compliance with all debt covenants as of June 30, 2023.

QUARTERLY CASH DISTRIBUTION

The Partnership has declared a quarterly cash distribution of $0.005 per unit for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. The distribution is payable on August 14, 2023 to common unitholders of record as of the close of business on August 7, 2023. The ex-dividend date for the cash distribution is August 4, 2023.

QUALIFIED NOTICE TO NOMINEES

Partnership:

Martin Midstream Partners L.P.

Unit Class:

Common

CUSIP #:

573331105

RE:

Qualified Notice Pursuant to U.S. Treasury Regulation §1.1446-4

Record Date:

August 7, 2023

Payable Date:

August 14, 2023

Per Unit Amount:

$0.005

Section I: This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100.0%) of the Partnership's distributions to non-U.S. investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, the Partnership's distributions to non-U.S. investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate.

Section II: The entire amount of the distribution realized per U.S. Treasury Regulation 1.1446(f)-4(c)(2)(iii) is in excess of cumulative net taxable income.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The Partnership had net income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 of $1.1 million, or $0.03 per limited partner unit. The Partnership had net income for the three months ended June 30, 2022 of $6.6 million, or $0.17 per limited partner unit. Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $25.5 million compared to $38.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA after giving effect to the May 2023 exit of the butane optimization business for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $31.8 million compared to $38.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $49.5 million, compared to ($2.5) million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Distributable cash flow for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $9.7 million compared to $22.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022.

The Partnership had a net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2023 of $4.0 million, a loss of $0.10 per limited partner unit. The Partnership had net income for the six months ended June 30, 2022 of $18.1 million, or $0.46 per limited partner unit. Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $47.3 million compared to $78.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Adjusted EBITDA after giving effect to the May 2023 exit of the butane optimization business for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $62.4 million compared to $73.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Net cash provided by operating activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $98.8 million compared to $28.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Distributable cash flow for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $19.2 million compared to $38.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were $195.6 million compared to $267.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were $440.2 million compared to $546.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022.

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are non-GAAP financial measures which are explained in greater detail below under the heading "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information." The Partnership has also included below a table entitled "Reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Distributable Cash Flow and Adjusted Free Cash Flow" in order to show the components of these non-GAAP financial measures and their reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP measurement.

An attachment included in the Current Report on Form 8-K to which this announcement is included contains a comparison of the Partnership’s adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter 2023 to the Partnership's adjusted EBITDA guidance for the second quarter 2023.

Investors' Conference Call

Date: Thursday, July 20, 2023
Time: 8:00 a.m. CT (please dial in by 7:55 a.m.)
Dial In #: (888) 330-2384
Conference ID: 8536096
Replay Dial In # (800) 770-2030 – Conference ID: 8536096

A webcast of the conference call along with the Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Summary will also be available by visiting the Events and Presentations section under Investor Relations on our website at www.MMLP.com.

About Martin Midstream Partners

MMLP, headquartered in Kilgore, Texas, is a publicly traded limited partnership with a diverse set of operations focused primarily in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. MMLP’s primary business lines include: (1) terminalling, processing, and storage services for petroleum products and by-products; (2) land and marine transportation services for petroleum products and by-products, chemicals, and specialty products; (3) sulfur and sulfur-based products processing, manufacturing, marketing and distribution; and (4) marketing, distribution, and transportation services for natural gas liquids and blending and packaging services for specialty lubricants and grease. To learn more, visit www.MMLP.com. Follow Martin Midstream Partners L.P. on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements about the Partnership’s outlook and all other statements in this release other than historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements and all references to financial estimates rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, including (i) the effects of the continued volatility of commodity prices and the related macroeconomic and political environment and (ii) other factors, many of which are outside its control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. While the Partnership believes that the assumptions concerning future events are reasonable, it cautions that there are inherent difficulties in anticipating or predicting certain important factors. A discussion of these factors, including risks and uncertainties, is set forth in the Partnership’s annual and quarterly reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The Partnership disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, including financial estimates, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise except where required to do so by law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

To assist management in assessing our business, we use the following non-GAAP financial measures: earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), adjusted EBITDA (as defined below), distributable cash flow available to common unitholders (“distributable cash flow”), and free cash flow after growth capital expenditures and principal payments under finance lease obligations ("adjusted free cash flow"). Our management uses a variety of financial and operational measurements other than our financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP to analyze our performance.

Certain items excluded from EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing an entity's financial performance, such as cost of capital and historical costs of depreciable assets.

EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. We define adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA before unit-based compensation expenses, gains and losses on the disposition of property, plant and equipment, impairment and other similar non-cash adjustments. Adjusted EBITDA is used as a supplemental performance and liquidity measure by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts, and others, to assess:

  • the financial performance of our assets without regard to financing methods, capital structure, or historical cost basis;
  • the ability of our assets to generate cash sufficient to pay interest costs, support our indebtedness, and make cash distributions to our unitholders; and
  • our operating performance and return on capital as compared to those of other companies in the midstream energy sector, without regard to financing methods or capital structure.

The GAAP measures most directly comparable to adjusted EBITDA are net income (loss) and net cash provided by (used in) operating activities. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income (loss), operating income (loss), net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies because other companies may not calculate adjusted EBITDA in the same manner.

Adjusted EBITDA does not include interest expense, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization. Because we have borrowed money to finance our operations, interest expense is a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate cash available for distribution. Because we have capital assets, depreciation and amortization are also necessary elements of our costs. Therefore, any measures that exclude these elements have material limitations. To compensate for these limitations, we believe that it is important to consider net income (loss) and net cash provided by (used in) operating activities as determined under GAAP, as well as adjusted EBITDA, to evaluate our overall performance.

Distributable cash flow. We define distributable cash flow as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less cash received (plus cash paid) for closed commodity derivative positions included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), plus changes in operating assets and liabilities which (provided) used cash, less maintenance capital expenditures and plant turnaround costs. Distributable cash flow is a significant performance measure used by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to compare basic cash flows generated by us to the cash distributions we expect to pay unitholders. Distributable cash flow is also an important financial measure for our unitholders since it serves as an indicator of our success in providing a cash return on investment. Specifically, this financial measure indicates to investors whether or not we are generating cash flow at a level that can sustain or support an increase in our quarterly distribution rates. Distributable cash flow is also a quantitative standard used throughout the investment community with respect to publicly-traded partnerships because the value of a unit of such an entity is generally determined by the unit's yield, which in turn is based on the amount of cash distributions the entity pays to a unitholder.

Adjusted free cash flow. We define adjusted free cash flow as distributable cash flow less growth capital expenditures and principal payments under finance lease obligations. Adjusted free cash flow is a significant performance measure used by our management and by external users of our financial statements and represents how much cash flow a business generates during a specified time period after accounting for all capital expenditures, including expenditures for growth and maintenance capital projects. We believe that adjusted free cash flow is important to investors, lenders, commercial banks and research analysts since it reflects the amount of cash available for reducing debt, investing in additional capital projects, paying distributions, and similar matters. Our calculation of adjusted free cash flow may or may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other entities.

The GAAP measure most directly comparable to distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow is net cash provided by (used in) operating activities. Distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow should not be considered alternatives to, or more meaningful than, net income (loss), operating income (loss), Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities, or any other measure of liquidity presented in accordance with GAAP. Distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow have important limitations because they exclude some items that affect net income (loss), operating income (loss), and net cash provided by (used in) operating activities. Distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies because other companies may not calculate these non-GAAP metrics in the same manner. To compensate for these limitations, we believe that it is important to consider net cash provided by (used in) operating activities determined under GAAP, as well as distributable cash flow and adjusted free cash flow, to evaluate our overall liquidity.

MMLP-F

MARTIN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS L.P.

CONSOLIDATED AND CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands)

June 30, 2023

December 31,
2022

(Unaudited)

(Audited)

Assets

Cash

$

57

$

45

Accounts and other receivables, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $496 and $496, respectively

57,022

79,641

Inventories

50,865

109,798

Due from affiliates

2,356

8,010

Other current assets

6,926

13,633

Total current assets

117,226

211,127

Property, plant and equipment, at cost

902,605

903,535

Accumulated depreciation

(593,324

)

(584,245

)

Property, plant and equipment, net

309,281

319,290

Goodwill

16,671

16,671

Right-of-use assets

45,221

34,963

Deferred income taxes, net

12,519

14,386

Other assets, net

1,899

2,414

Total assets

$

502,817

$

598,851

Liabilities and Partners’ Capital (Deficit)

Current installments of long-term debt and finance lease obligations

$

$

9

Trade and other accounts payable

48,469

68,198

Product exchange payables

310

32

Due to affiliates

2,306

8,947

Income taxes payable

450

665

Other accrued liabilities

37,249

33,074

Total current liabilities

88,784

110,925

Long-term debt, net

436,481

512,871

Operating lease liabilities

33,827

26,268

Other long-term obligations

7,482

8,232

Total liabilities

566,574

658,296

Commitments and contingencies

Partners’ capital (deficit)

(63,757

)

(59,445

)

Total partners’ capital (deficit)

(63,757

)

(59,445

)

Total liabilities and partners' capital (deficit)

$

502,817

$

598,851

MARTIN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS L.P.

CONSOLIDATED AND CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per unit amounts)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 30,

June 30,

2023

2022

2023

2022

Revenues:

Terminalling and storage *

$

21,684

$

20,423

$

42,542

$

39,820

Transportation *

54,750

55,832

110,473

102,542

Sulfur services

3,357

3,084

6,715

6,168

Product sales: *

Specialty products

78,872

133,788

211,141

287,759

Sulfur services

36,973

53,869

69,294

109,908

115,845

187,657

280,435

397,667

Total revenues

195,636

266,996

440,165

546,197

Costs and expenses:

Cost of products sold: (excluding depreciation and amortization)

Specialty products *

71,570

119,859

189,565

253,651

Sulfur services *

25,654

37,063