EX-99.1 2 v131944_ex99-1.htm

 
Exhibit 99.1

Fushi Copperweld Reports Third Quarter 2008
Financial Results

-- 3Q08 Revenues Increased 99.4% to $63.8 Million --
-- 3Q08 Net Income Increased 9.9% to $9.05 Million--
-- Reports Diluted Earnings Per Share of $0.31--

DALIAN, China, November 13, 2008 - Fushi Copperweld, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSIN), the leading global manufacturer and innovator of copper-clad bimetallic wire used in a variety of telecommunication, utility, automotive and other electrical applications, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008.

Revenues for the third quarter of 2008 increased 99.4% to $63.8 million, from revenue of $32.0 million in the prior year's quarter, primarily due to both an increase in sales volume from the Dalian facility and the contribution from the acquisition of Copperweld in October 2007.

Gross profit in the third quarter increased 60.4% year over year to $16.9 million. Gross margin decreased to 26.5%, primarily attributable to lower margins contributed by the Fayetteville and Telford facilities acquired from Copperweld, as well as a decline in gross margin in Dalian.

Operating expenses in the third quarter increased 183.5% to $4.6 million, compared with $1.6 million in the prior year's quarter. This increase was due to a larger sales force and general and administrative expenses in Dalian associated with the increase in sales at that location, as well as the acquisition of Copperweld. On a percentage basis, operating expenses decreased sequentially to 7.3% from 7.6% in the second quarter 2008.

Net income for the 2008 third quarter was $9.0 million, or $0.31 per diluted share. This compares with $8.2 million or $0.33 per diluted share in the third quarter of 2007.

Mr. Li Fu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fushi Copperweld, commented, "We are pleased with our results for the third quarter, which reflect an ongoing integration of Fushi and Copperweld, as well as our continued ramp in production. The third quarter also reflects our ability to continue to grow in an indisputably challenging environment. During the third quarter, our capacity was limited by the Chinese government’s support of the Beijing Olympic Games, which required that businesses cap use of the electrical grid, thereby limiting production. Additionally, copper prices were still on the rise until late in the third quarter, which kept our margins under some pressure. And lastly, as the global economy began to slow we have seen some impact on demand. Still, our revenue growth was strong, and we have maintained a solid capital position that we believe will allow us to weather the current market conditions better than many of our competitors. We plan to continue to take the appropriate steps to ensure our position as a dominant player in the bimetallic industry through domestic and international sales, marketing and manufacturing expertise, branding and technological innovation, and we believe our strong balance sheet provides us with the opportunity to do that."

Mr. Fu continued, "While we are excited about the long term health of our industry, and about Fushi Copperweld specifically, we believe that the short term will bring about some additional challenges for our industry. First, the global economic situation has not yet stabilized, which could impact demand for the near term. And secondly, after the close of the quarter, we saw copper prices drop significantly. Lower copper prices can also have a negative impact on our top line, but we believe this is offset somewhat by our lower working capital needs, allowing us to maintain a strong financial position. Another ancillary outcome of the current environment is that companies in our industry with weaker balance sheets may have a difficult time surviving this environment, leaving a larger market share to those of us with strong balance sheets who are able to weather the storm. Our plan is to continue to stay in close contact with our customers and with the industry, and continue to identify new ways to increase revenues and improve our margins, especially during these challenging times."

 
 

 

Financial Expectations

For the full year 2008, the company now expects fully diluted earnings per share between $1.03 and $1.13 based on an estimated weighted average diluted share count of 28.8 million shares. This diluted EPS estimate excludes a charge of $2.35 million, or $0.08 per diluted share associated with a litigation accrual. This adjustment to guidance reflects falling copper prices, general market uncertainty, and macroeconomic trends. It also accounts for our new organic growth initiatives to diversify and increase sales and cost control measures in response to deteriorating macro conditions. Management continues to anticipate that 2008 will be a year of executing the integration of Fushi Copperweld, and looks to 2009 as the year in which the company can begin to realize the full range of benefits of the combined company, as a result of equipment relocation and additional product lines ramping up.

Going forward, the Company expects that overall it will continue to benefit from the infrastructure buildout in China and sales growth will continue to be increasingly broadly based as it supplies the growing demand in the Chinese industrial sector. Given the Company’s facilities in Dalian, PRC; Fayetteville, TN, USA; and Telford, UK, it is geographically diversified and in a strong position to gain global market share. That said, it expects that the majority of net sales will continue to be generated in Asia.

Conference Call
The Company will conduct a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2008 results today, Thursday, November 13, 2008, at 8:30 am ET. Listeners may access the call by dialing 1-480-629-9039. A live webcast of the conference call will also be available at http://www.fushicopperweld.com, under the Calendar of Events link located on the Investor Relations section or at www.viavid.net. A replay of the call will be available from November 13, 2008 to December 14, 2008. Listeners may access the replay by dialing # 303-590-3030; passcode: 3942239.

About Fushi Copperweld
Fushi Copperweld, Inc. through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Fushi International (Dalian) Bimetallic Cable Co,, Ltd., and Copperweld Bimetallics, LLC,, is the leading manufacturer and innovator of copper cladded bi-metallic engineered conductor products used in the electrical, telecommunications, automotive, utilities and industrial industries. With extensive design and production capabilities and a long-standing dedication to customer service, Fushi-Copperweld, Inc. is the preferred choice bi-metallic products world-wide. For more information, visit: www.fushicopperweld.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements may also include statements about our proposed discussions related to our business or growth strategy, which is subject to change. Such information is based upon expectations of our management that were reasonable when made but may prove to be incorrect.
All of such assumptions are inherently subject to uncertainties and contingencies beyond our control and upon assumptions with respect to future business decisions, which are subject to change. We do not undertake to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. For a description of the risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, see our most recent Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 10-Q, and our subsequent SEC filings. Copies of filings made with the SEC are available through the SEC's electronic data gathering analysis retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov.

 
 

 
 
For more information, please contact:

Nathan Anderson
Director IR & Corporate Development
Email: ir@fushicopperweld.com
Tel: (+1) 931.433.0482

Bill Zima & Ashley Ammon
ICR, Inc.
Tel: (+1) 203.682.8200




(financial tables below)
 
 
 

 


FUSHI COPPERWELD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
                   
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND
 
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
 
FOR THE THREE MONTHS AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 AND 2007
 
   
   
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
 
   
2008
 
2007
 
2008
 
2007
 
   
Unaudited
 
Unaudited
 
Unaudited
 
Unaudited
 
                   
REVENUES
   
63,823,927
 
$
32,014,592
 
$
180,369,083
 
$
79,238,417
 
                           
COST OF GOODS SOLD
   
46,931,400
   
21,481,175
   
131,996,263
   
51,367,707
 
                           
GROSS PROFIT
   
16,892,527
   
10,533,417
   
48,372,820
   
27,870,710
 
                           
OPERATING EXPENSE
                         
Selling expenses
   
1,223,087
   
189,625
   
3,274,048
   
558,735
 
General and administrative expenses
   
3,418,704
   
1,447,530
   
11,335,948
   
4,588,010
 
Total operating expense
   
4,641,791
   
1,637,155
   
14,609,996
   
5,146,745
 
                           
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS
   
12,250,736
   
8,896,262
   
33,762,824
   
22,723,965
 
                           
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)
                         
                           
Interest income
   
176,830
   
565,383
   
529,651
   
1,074,837
 
Interest expense
   
(1,800,738
)
 
(1,523,343
)
 
(7,386,274
)
 
(4,800,554
)
Gain on derivative instrument
   
(32,482
)
 
286,245
   
322,708
   
1,088,768
 
Other income
   
(65,305
)
 
14,077
   
(30,600
)
 
188,693
 
Other expense
   
(6,348
)
 
(5,298
)
 
(149,055
)
 
(84,992
)
                           
Total other expense, net
   
(1,728,043
)
 
(662,936
)
 
(6,713,571
)
 
(2,533,248
)
                           
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES
   
10,522,693
   
8,233,326
   
27,049,253
   
20,190,717
 
                           
Deferred income tax benefit
   
(106,390
)
 
0
   
(1,295,285
)
 
0
 
Current income tax expense
   
1,582,133
   
0
   
4,446,247
   
0
 
                           
Total income tax expense
   
1,475,743
   
-
   
3,150,961
   
-
 
                           
NET INCOME
   
9,046,950
   
8,233,326
   
23,898,292
   
20,190,717
 
                           
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
                         
Unrealized gain or (loss) on marketable securities
   
-
   
-
   
22,301
   
-
 
Foreign currency translation adjustment
   
1,899,163
   
2,250,423
   
14,062,515
   
5,266,973
 
Change in fair value of derivative instrument
   
3,940,908
   
(3,738,571
)
 
3,209,403
   
(4,610,090
)
                           
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
   
14,887,021
 
$
6,745,178
 
$
41,192,511
 
$
20,847,600
 
                           
EARNINGS PER SHARE:
                         
BASIC
   
0.33
 
$
0.37
 
$
0.88
 
$
0.94
 
DILUTED
   
0.31
 
$
0.33
 
$
0.83
 
$
0.85
 
                           
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES:
                         
BASIC
   
27,387,302
   
22,263,618
   
27,263,638
   
21,422,610
 
DILUTED
   
28,446,786
   
25,454,871
   
28,601,237
   
24,335,426
 
                           

 
 

 

FUSHI COPPERWELD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
 
AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 AND DECEMBER 31, 2007
 
           
A S S E T S
 
   
September 30,
 
December 31,
 
   
2008
 
2007
 
   
Unaudited
     
CURRENT ASSETS:
         
Cash
 
$
50,043,410
 
$
79,914,758
 
Marketable Securities
   
-
   
2,977,699
 
Restricted cash
   
1,000,000
   
1,000,000
 
Accounts receivable, trade, net of allowance of bad debt
             
$498,205 and $135,418 as of September 30,2008 and December 31, 2007
   
50,018,459
   
23,611,186
 
Inventories
   
20,444,709
   
12,308,295
 
Notes receivables
   
370,149
   
816,905
 
Other receivables and prepaid expenses
   
496,762
   
997,979
 
Advances to suppliers
   
25,046,960
   
2,341,839
 
Cross currency hedge receivable
   
55,322
   
706,170
 
Deposit in derivative hedge
   
1,000,000
   
-
 
Total current assets
   
148,475,771
   
124,674,831
 
               
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, net
   
107,816,898
   
87,228,600
 
               
OTHER ASSETS:
             
Advances to suppliers, noncurrent
   
17,946,939
   
18,204,775
 
Prepaid land use right
   
-
   
4,559,760
 
Intangible asset, net of accumulated amortization
   
12,617,273
   
5,832,721
 
Deferred loan expense, net
   
3,612,387
   
3,115,930
 
Deferred tax assets
   
4,147,286
   
2,852,000
 
Total other assets
   
38,323,885
   
34,565,186
 
               
 Total assets
 
$
294,616,554
 
$
246,468,617
 
               
L I A B I L I T I E S A N D S H A R E H O L D E R S' E Q U I T Y
               
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
             
Accounts payable, trade
 
$
5,685,839
 
$
3,028,823
 
Revolver line
   
9,410,373
   
7,168,524
 
Short term bank loans
   
17,673,600
   
5,703,360
 
Current portion of long term debts
   
-
   
10,968,000
 
Current portion of notes payable
   
5,000,000
   
-
 
Other payables and accrued liabilities
   
3,118,409
   
5,791,597
 
Customer deposits
   
570,990
   
-
 
Taxes payable
   
2,083,687
   
1,005,259
 
Total current liabilities
   
43,542,897
   
33,665,563
 
               
LONG TERM LIABILITIES:
             
Notes payable, noncurrent
   
40,000,000
   
60,000,000
 
Fair value of derivative instrument
   
5,305,993
   
8,515,396
 
               
 Total liabilities
   
88,848,890
   
102,180,959
 
               
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
   
7,197,794
   
-
 
               
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:
             
Preferred stock,$0.001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized, none issued or outstanding
   
-
   
-
 
Common stock,$0.006 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized,
             
September 30, 2008: 27,503,885 shares issued and 27,403,885 outstanding
             
December 31, 2007: 25,311,304 shares issued and 25,211,304 outstanding
   
164,424
   
151,268
 
Restricted common stock in escrow
   
600
   
600
 
Additional paid in capital
   
90,741,609
   
77,665,064
 
Statutory reserves
   
8,321,726
   
8,321,726
 
Retained earnings
   
78,031,362
   
54,133,070
 
Accumulated other comprehensive income
   
21,310,149
   
4,015,930
 
Total shareholders' equity
   
198,569,869
   
144,287,658
 
               
 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
 
$
294,616,554
 
$
246,468,617
 

 
 

 

FUSHI COPPERWELD, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
           
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2008 AND 2007
 
   
   
2008
 
2007
 
   
Unaudited
 
Unaudited
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
         
Net income
   
23,898,292
   
20,190,717
 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash
   
-
       
provided by (used in) operating activities:
   
-
       
Bad debt expenses
   
355,293
       
Reserve for obsolete inventory
   
401,646
       
Depreciation
   
4,728,235
   
2,029,646
 
Amortization of intangibles
   
256,722
   
174,627
 
Amortization of loan commission
   
2,525,756
   
491,178
 
Interest penalty
   
710,544
       
Amortization of stock option compensation
   
1,437,557
   
887,080
 
Gain on derivative instrument
   
(322,708
)
 
(1,088,768
)
Investment loss on marketable securities
   
16,158
       
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
   
-
       
-
             
Accounts receivable
   
(24,965,036
)
 
(5,426,757
)
Inventories
   
(7,885,132
)
 
(5,175,451
)
Other receivables and prepayments
   
(395,449
)
 
(1,306,764
)
Notes receivables
   
487,946
   
(104,512
)
-
             
Advance to suppliers
   
(22,061,823
)
 
(5,600,003
)
Deferred tax assets
   
(1,295,286
)
     
Accounts payable
   
2,521,359
   
(58,813
)
Other payables and accrued liabilities
   
(2,737,772
)
 
570,231
 
Customer deposits
   
528,731
   
(198,848
)
Taxes payable
   
960,752
   
(177,576
)
-
             
 Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities
   
(20,834,215
)
 
5,205,987
 
               
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
             
Marketable securities
   
2,983,842
       
Payment for Investment deposit
         
(3,000,000
)
Proceeds from derivative instrument
   
973,556
   
802,523
 
Purchase of land use right
   
(1,687,468
)
     
Advance for purchase of land use right
   
-
   
(4,109,757
)
Purchase of property and equipment
   
(15,540,210
)
 
(8,613,889
)
Advances for purchase of equipment
   
(3,148,802
)
 
(25,724,917
)
 Net cash used in investing activities
   
(16,419,082
)
 
(40,646,040
)
               
               
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
             
Repayments to shareholders
   
-
   
(3,985,698
)
Net borrowings for Revolver line
   
2,279,289
       
Proceeds from bank loans
   
16,908,000
   
11,546,600
 
Payments on bank loans
   
(17,268,032
)
 
(12,507,240
)
Net proceeds from convertible notes
   
-
   
56,400,000
 
Proceeds from exercise of stock warrants
   
139,394
   
7,541,346
 
 Net cash provided by financing activities
   
2,058,651
   
58,995,008
 
               
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE ON CASH
   
5,323,298
   
1,984,326
 
               
INCREASE IN CASH
   
(29,871,348
)
 
25,539,281
 
               
CASH, beginning of period
   
79,914,758
   
20,493,551
 
               
CASH, end of period
   
50,043,410
 
$
46,032,832