EX-99.1 3 exhibit2.htm EX-99.1 EX-99.1

3400 North Wolf Road
Franklin Park, Illinois 60131
(847) 455-7111
(847) 455-6930 (Fax)

A. M. CASTLE & CO.

For Further Information:

     
—————AT THE COMPANY—————   —————AT ASHTON PARTNERS————
Larry A. Boik
  Analyst Contacts:
Vice President-Finance & CFO
  Katie Pyra
(847) 349-2576
  (312) 553-6717
Email: lboik@amcastle.com
  Email:kpyra@ashtonpartners.com

Traded: NYSE (CAS)
Member: S&P SmallCap 600 Index

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007

A. M. Castle & Co. Reports Record Second Quarter Results;
Secondary Equity Offering Proceeds Reduce Debt

FRANKLIN PARK, IL, JULY 31ST — A. M. Castle & Co. (NYSE:CAS), a global distributor of specialty metal and plastic products, value-added services and supply chain solutions, today reported record financial results for the second quarter and six-months ended June 30, 2007.

For the second quarter, consolidated net sales were $372.6 million, an increase of $97.0 million, or 35.2%, from the second quarter of 2006. Net income for the quarter was a record $16.0 million, or $0.78 per diluted share, as compared to $14.1 million or $0.76 per diluted share in the prior year.

Consolidated net sales for the first half of 2007 were $748.0 million, an increase of $193.2 million, or 34.8% from 2006. Net income was $31.6 million, or $1.59 per diluted share, as compared to $29.9 million, or $1.62 per diluted share, in the prior year.

“We are pleased to report record profit levels and continued strong EBITDA margins for the second quarter and first six-months of 2007,” stated Mike Goldberg, President and CEO of A.M. Castle. “Our aerospace business continued to grow in the first half of 2007. We remain bullish on both the Aerospace and Oil and Gas industries as a key element of our targeted growth strategy. We will continue to invest in new opportunities in these targeted industries,” Goldberg further commented.

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Metal segment sales were $343.3 million in the second quarter, an increase of $98.6 million, or 40.3%, versus the second quarter of 2006. The acquisition of Transtar Metals (which was completed on September 5, 2006), contributed 29.7% of the 40.3% increase in sales.

Metal segment sales for the first six-months of the year were $689.9 million, an increase of $194.5 million, or 39.2%, from the same period in 2006. The Transtar acquisition accounted for 29.3% of the increase.

“Volume in the balance of our Metals business was softer when compared to the second quarter and first half of last year,” stated Goldberg. “Yet, our average tons sold per day for the first half of this year were similar to those we experienced in the second half of 2006. Despite lower volume, average metal prices for the second quarter and first half of 2007 were higher across most products, and average nickel prices in particular were higher than the comparable periods last year,” Goldberg concluded.

Plastic segment sales were $29.3 million in the quarter, a $1.6 million decrease versus the second quarter of 2006.

Plastic segment sales for the first half of 2007 were $58.0 million, a decrease of $1.4 million compared to last year.

The Company completed a successful secondary equity offering on May 29, 2007 of 5.0 million shares of its common stock at $33.00 per share. Of this offering, 3.0 million shares were offered by A.M. Castle. Net proceeds of $93.2 million were used to repay debt during the second quarter. As a result, the Company’s debt-to-capital ratio was reduced to 31.2% as of June 30th from 49.4% as of March 30, 2007. The Company also previously announced its move to the NYSE on May 14, 2007 in concert with the offering. “The equity offering allowed us to rebalance our capital structure to provide the financial flexibility to execute our growth strategy,” stated Larry A. Boik, Vice President and CFO of A.M. Castle. In addition, the Company’s move to the NYSE marks another great milestone in our history and is reflective of our outstanding growth and financial performance over the past several years,” concluded Boik.

“We remain committed in executing our specialty metals focus strategy to better position ourselves for the future,” Goldberg added. “The success of the secondary offering was a critical stepin allowing us to take a more active role in the ongoing industry consolidation occurring amongst many of our peers both domestically and internationally.”

Commenting on his near term outlook, Goldberg added, “Typically the second half of any fiscal year is impacted by fewer effective shipping days. In addition, softer market conditions in our non-aerospace business and significant decline of nickel pricing are considerations for the third quarter. Over the balance of the year we will reduce inventory levels and manage our expense levels, to offset current market conditions. Longer term we firmly believe that our competitive product offerings and our focus on high-growth industries will provide superior shareholder value,” Goldberg ended.

The Company announced a cash dividend of $0.06 per share payable August 23, 2007 to shareholders of record at close of business on August 9, 2007.

Webcast Information
Management will hold a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET today to review the Company’s results for the three month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2007. The call can be accessed via the Internet live or as a replay. Those who would like to listen to the call may access the webcast through http://www.amcastle.com.

An archived version of the conference call webcast will be accessible for replay on the above website until the next earnings conference call. A replay of the conference call will also be available for seven days by calling 303-590-3000 (international) or 800-405-2236 and citing code 11093881.

About A. M. Castle & Co.
Founded in 1890, A. M. Castle & Co. is a global distributor of specialty metal and plastic products and supply chain services, principally serving the producer durable equipment sector of the economy. Its customer base includes many Fortune 500 companies as well as thousands of medium and smaller-sized firms spread across a variety of industries. Within its core metals business, it specializes in the distribution of alloy and stainless steels; nickel alloys; aluminum and carbon. Through its subsidiary, Total Plastics, Inc., the Company also distributes a broad range of value-added industrial plastics. Together, Castle operates over 65 locations throughout North America and Europe. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CAS”.

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Safe Harbor Statement / Regulation G Disclosure
This release may contain forward-looking statements relating to future financial results. Actual results may differ materially as a result of factors over which the Company has no control. These risk factors and additional information are included in the Company’s reports on file with the Securities Exchange Commission.

The financial statements included in this release contain a non-GAAP disclosure, EBITDA, which consists of income before provision for income taxes plus depreciation and amortization, and interest expense, less interest income. EBITDA is presented as a supplemental disclosure because this measure is widely used by the investment community for evaluation purposes and provides the reader with additional information in analyzing the Company’s operating results. EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income or any other item calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, or as an indicator of operating performance. Our definition of EBITDA used here may differ from that used by other companies. A reconciliation of EBITDA to net income is provided per U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission requirements.

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME   For the Three           For the Six    
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)   Months Ended           Months Ended    
Unaudited   June 30,           June 30,    
    2007   2006   2007   2006
Net sales
  $ 372,608   $ 275,607   $ 747,959   $ 554,800
Costs and expenses:
                               
Cost of materials (exclusive of depreciation)
  270,263   195,244   539,713   391,343
Warehouse, processing and delivery expense
  34,293   28,981   69,863   58,605
Sales, general, and administrative expense
  33,947   25,071   70,341   49,957
Depreciation and amortization expense
  4,977   2,654   9,873   5,097
Operating income
  29,128   23,657   58,169   49,798
Interest expense, net
  (4,163 )   (958 )   (8,424 )   (2,046 )
Income before income taxes and equity earnings of joint venture
  24,965   22,699   49,745   47,752
Income taxes
  (9,994 )   (9,397 )   (19,871 )   (19,639 )
 
                               
Net income before equity in earnings of joint venture
  14,971   13,302   29,874   28,113
Equity in earnings of joint venture
  1,391   1,056   2,323   2,295
Net income
  16,362   14,358   32,197   30,408
Preferred stock dividends
  (350 )   (243 )   (593 )   (485 )
Net income applicable to common stock
  $ 16,012   $ 14,115   $ 31,604   $ 29,923
 
                               
Basic earnings per share
  $ 0.81   $ 0.83   $ 1.65   $ 1.78
Diluted earnings per share
  $ 0.78   $ 0.76   $ 1.59   $ 1.62
 
                               
EBITDA *
  $ 35,496   $ 27,367   $ 70,365   $ 57,190
 
                               
*Earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization
                               
Reconciliation of EBITDA to net income:
  For the Three
          For the Six        
 
  Months Ended           Months Ended        
 
  June 30,           June 30,        
 
    2007       2006       2007       2006  
Net income
  $ 16,362   $ 14,358   $ 32,197   $ 30,408
Depreciation and amortization expense
  4,977   2,654   9,873   5,097
Interest expense, net
  4,163   958   8,424   2,046
Income taxes
  9,994   9,397   19,871   19,639
EBITDA
  $ 35,496   $ 27,367   $ 70,365   $ 57,190
 
                               
                 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS        
(Dollars in thousands)   As of    
Unaudited   June 30,   Dec 31,
    2007   2006
ASSETS
               
 
               
Current assets
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 13,064     $ 9,526  
Accounts receivable, less allowances of $3,184 at June 30, 2007
               
and $3,112 at December 31, 2006
    187,397       160,999  
Inventories (principally on last-in, first-out basis)
    247,313       202,394  
(latest cost higher by $161,591 at June 30, 2007 and $128,404
               
at December 31, 2006)
               
Other current assets
    16,940       18,743  
Total current assets
    464,714       391,662  
Investment in joint venture
    15,223       13,577  
Goodwill
    101,848       101,783  
Intangible assets
    62,881       66,169  
Prepaid pension cost
    5,632       5,681  
Other assets
    5,564       5,850  
Property, plant and equipment, at cost
               
Land
    5,226       5,221  
Building
    48,944       49,017  
Machinery and equipment
    147,767       141,090  
 
    201,937       195,328  
Less — accumulated depreciation
    (131,249 )     (124,930 )
 
    70,688       70,398  
Total assets
  $ 726,550     $ 655,120  
 
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
               
 
               
Current liabilities
               
Accounts payable
  $ 123,726     $ 117,561  
Accrued liabilities
    29,689       30,152  
Income taxes payable
          931  
Deferred income taxes — current
    18,516       16,339  
Short-term debt
    83,840       123,261  
Current portion of long-term debt
    6,823       12,834  
Total current liabilities
    262,594       301,078  
 
               
Long-term debt, less current portion
    67,185       90,051  
Deferred income taxes
    30,809       31,782  
Other non-current liabilities
    17,570       16,302  
Commitments and contingencies
               
Stockholders’ equity
               
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value - 10,000,000 shares
               
authorized; 0 shares issued at June 30, 2007 and 12,000 shares
               
issued and outstanding at December 31, 2006
          11,239  
Common stock, $0.01 par value — authorized 30,000,000
               
shares; issued and outstanding 22,037,535 at June 30, 2007
               
and 17,085,091 at December 31, 2006
    218       170  
Additional paid-in capital
    177,666       69,775  
Retained earnings
    190,173       160,625  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
    (14,845 )     (18,504 )
Deferred unearned compensation
    (1,333 )     (1,392 )
Treasury stock, at cost - 233,077 shares at June 30, 2007
               
and 362,114 shares at December 31, 2006
    (3,487 )     (6,006 )
Total stockholders’ equity
    348,392       215,907  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
  $ 726,550     $ 655,120  
 
               

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A.M. CASTLE & CO.        
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS        
(Dollars in thousands)        
Unaudited        
    YTD Jun   YTD Jun
    2007   2006
Cash flows from operating activities:
               
Net income
  $ 32,197   $ 30,408
Depreciation and amortization
  9,873   5,097
Adjustments for other non-cash items
  3,726   (632 )
Cash flows from earnings
  45,796   34,873
Change in working capital and other:
               
Accounts receivable
  (25,153 )   (21,644 )
Inventories
  (43,611 )   (20,089 )
Accounts payable and accruals
  8,195   21,681
Income taxes payable
  (1,861 )   (6,588 )
Other
  5,472   518
Cash flows from changes in working capital
  (56,958 )   (26,122 )
Cash flows from operating activities
  (11,162 )   8,751
Cash flows from investing activities:
               
Capital expenditures
  (8,371 )   (7,804 )
Other
  23  
Cash used in investing activities
  (8,348 )   (7,804 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
               
Funding from, payments of long/short term debt
  (68,459 )   (743 )
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and other
  93,533   6,174
Common and preferred stock dividends
  (2,401 )   (1,207 )
Cash provided by financing activities
  22,673   4,224
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
  375   419
Net increase in cash
  3,538   5,590
Cash — beginning of year
  $ 9,526   $ 37,392
 
               
Cash — end of period
  $ 13,064   $ 42,982
 
               
Ending Debt, Net of Cash Position
  $ 144,784   $ 36,820
 
               
Debt-to-Total Capital
  31.2 %     27.3 %
 
               

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