EX-99 2 exhibit1.htm EX-99 EX-99

CONFIDENTIAL

The Andersons, Inc.
480 W. Dussel Drive
Maumee, OH 43537

     
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  AT THE COMPANY:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008
  Gary Smith (419) 891-6417

THE ANDERSONS, INC. REPORTS RECORD EARNINGS FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Grain & Ethanol and Plant Nutrient Businesses Lead Earnings Growth

MAUMEE, OHIO, FEBRUARY 6, 2008—The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE), today announced that both its full year and fourth quarter results established new records for the company. For the full year, net income was $68.8 million, or $3.75 per diluted share, on $2.4 billion of revenues. In 2006, the company’s full year net income was $36.3 million, or $2.19 per share, and total revenues were $1.5 billion. The fourth quarter net income was $23.5 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, and total revenues were $785 million. In the same three month period of 2006, the company reported net income of $13.8 million, or $0.76 per share, on revenues of $463 million.

The Grain & Ethanol Group’s 2007 operating income of $65.9 million was more than double its previous income record of $28.0 million achieved in 2006. Total revenues were $1.5 billion for the year. This included $407 million of grain and ethanol sales made by the group in accordance with origination and marketing agreements between the company and its ethanol joint ventures, for which it receives a fee. The group’s 2006 revenues were $791 million. Total revenues in the Grain & Ethanol Group have increased for both the quarter and year due to a considerable increase in both the volume and price of grain sold, and due to an increase in the gallons of ethanol sold. Income from the ethanol investments grew significantly during the year because of the three ethanol plants in operation or under development; the Albion, MI plant began production in August 2006, the Clymers, IN plant began production in April 2007 and the third plant in Greenville, OH is scheduled to begin production within the next week. The group’s grain business also benefited from higher space and fee income. Additionally, income from the group’s investment in Lansing Trade Group LLC was more than double the prior year. For the fourth quarter, the Grain & Ethanol Group’s operating income was $30.1 million, in contrast to $12.3 million earned in the same three month period of 2006. Total revenues for the quarter were $548 million, including $144 million of grain and ethanol sales made by the group in accordance with origination and marketing agreements with the ethanol joint ventures, for which only a fee is received. In comparison, the group’s fourth quarter revenues last year were $305 million.

The Rail Group’s operating income for 2007 was $19.5 million, which is the same as 2006. Revenues of $130 million for the year were up from $113 million in the prior year. The group grew the rail fleet by more than 8 percent during 2007, and ended the year with more than 22,700 cars and locomotives. The group’s average lease rates have remained stable. The average utilization rate (the percentage of the fleet’s railcars in service) for 2007 was 92.6%, which was down from the 2006 average of 95.2%; however the year ended with a utilization rate of 93.4%. Including gains from railcar sales and related leases entered into during the year, gross profit in the group’s leasing business was slightly higher than year earlier results. The railcar repair and manufacturing businesses experienced declines in gross profit during the year, but saw some improvement in the fourth quarter. The Rail Group generated $3.8 million in operating income in the fourth quarter of 2007 on $28 million of revenues. In 2006, operating income for the same three month period was $3.4 million and revenues amounted to $24 million.

In 2007, the Plant Nutrient Group exceeded income records ending the year with operating income of $27.1 million on $466 million of revenues. This compares to the prior year operating income of $3.3 million on revenues of $265 million. The 2007 income is more than double the group’s prior record of $10.4 million, established in 2005. Total nutrient volume for the year increased by more than 40 percent; this was influenced by both an approximate 20 percent increase in corn acreage and market share growth. Margin improvement also contributed significantly to the improved bottom line. For the fourth quarter, the group’s operating income was $8.7 million on $140 million of revenues. Last year its operating income was $1.3 million on revenues of $67 million for the same three month period. Sales volume remained high in the fourth quarter as a result of increased wheat acres and stepped up buying in the face of further escalation of nutrient prices and robust demand driven by anticipated strong corn acres in 2008.

The Turf & Specialty Group’s full year operating income was $0.1 million on $104 million of revenues. In 2006, the group had operating income of $3.2 million, and total revenues were $111 million. The 2007 shortfall in the lawn business was attributable to reduced sales of insecticide and fungicide products, and the escalation of raw material costs. The cob business had lower earnings during 2007 mainly due to the need to outsource a portion of the cob from competitors, which resulted in a significantly higher cob cost for the year. The group incurred an operating loss of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter on $19 million of revenues. Last year, its operating income was $0.2 million for the same period, and revenues were $18 million.

Total sales for the Retail Group were $180 million in 2007, or 1.9 percent above the 2006 total of $177 million. Same store sales, however, were down approximately 1 percent. The group reported operating income of $0.1 million in 2007 after recording a $1.9 million impairment charge on certain retail assets. In the prior year, the group earned operating income of $3.2 million. The Retail Group’s fourth quarter operating loss was $0.6 million on $50 million of revenues, which includes the impairment. Last year, operating income was $1.9 million, and total revenues were $49 million in the same three month period.

“To be reporting record breaking results for the fourth consecutive year is truly gratifying. Our Grain & Ethanol and Plant Nutrient groups achieved phenomenal income growth this year, and the Rail Group maintained solid performance despite some tightening in the rail industry,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Anderson. Mr. Anderson added, “To see the results of our strategic growth initiatives is very satisfying. Our investments in the ethanol business and Lansing Trade Group, and continual expansion of the rail business are clearly paying dividends. It was also rewarding to watch the Plant Nutrient Group rebound from the tough market realities of 2006 and end 2007 with record earnings -— what a difference a year can make. My thanks to all our employees whose hard work made our current year performance possible.”

The company will host a webcast on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. ET, to discuss its performance and full year outlook. This can be accessed under the heading “Investor Relations” on its website at www.andersonsinc.com.

The Andersons, Inc. is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar leasing and repair, turf products production, and general merchandise retailing. Founded in Maumee, Ohio, in 1947, the company now has operations in eight U.S. states plus rail equipment leasing interests in Canada and Mexico.

This release contains forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Without limitation, these risks include economic, weather and regulatory conditions, competition, and the risk factors set forth from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes that the assumptions upon which the financial information and its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct.

The Andersons, Inc. is located on the Internet at www.andersonsinc.com

FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW . . .

                                 
The Andersons, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income
(Unaudited) 
    Three Months ended   Year ended
    December 31   December 31
(in thousands, except for per share amounts)   2007   2006   2007   2006
 
                               
Sales and merchandising revenues
  $ 784,634     $ 463,415     $ 2,379,059     $ 1,458,053  
Cost of sales and merchandising revenues
    709,957       404,449       2,139,347       1,258,813  
 
                               
Gross profit
    74,677       58,966       239,712       199,240  
 
                               
Operating, administrative and general expenses
    51,664       41,301       169,753       150,576  
Interest expense
    5,662       3,786       19,048       16,299  
Other income / gains:
                               
Equity in earnings of affiliates
    14,689       2,911       31,863       8,190  
Other income, net
    2,591       2,151       21,731       13,914  
Minority interest in net loss / (income) of subsidiary
    291             1,356        
 
                               
Income before income taxes
    34,922       18,941       105,861       54,469  
Income taxes
    11,430       5,163       37,077       18,122  
 
                               
Net income
  $ 23,492     $ 13,778     $ 68,784     $ 36,347  
 
                               
 
                               
Per common share:
                               
Basic earnings
  $ 1.31     $ 0.78     $ 3.86     $ 2.27  
 
                               
Diluted earnings
  $ 1.28     $ 0.76     $ 3.75     $ 2.19  
 
                               
Dividends paid
  $ 0.078     $ 0.045     $ 0.220     $ 0.178  
 
                               
 
                               
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic
    17,928       17,611       17,833       16,007  
 
                               
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted
    18,320       18,122       18,326       16,566  
 
                               
 
                               

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The Andersons, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
    December 31   December 31
(in thousands)   2007   2006
 
               
Assets
               
Current assets:
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 22,300     $ 23,398  
Restricted cash
    3,726       3,801  
Accounts receivable (net)
    106,257       87,698  
Margin deposits (net)
    30,467       15,273  
Inventories
    502,904       296,457  
Commodity derivative assets — current
    205,956       85,338  
Other current assets
    43,281       33,325  
 
               
Total current assets
    914,891       545,290  
 
               
Investments and other assets
    137,518       72,335  
Commodity derivative assets
    29,458       20,862  
Railcar assets leased to others (net)
    153,235       145,059  
Property, plant and equipment (net)
    99,886       95,502  
 
  $ 1,334,988     $ 879,048  
 
               
 
               
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity
               
Current liabilities:
               
Short-term borrowings
  $ 245,500     $ 75,000  
Commodity derivative liabilities — current
    122,488       43,173  
Other current liabilities
    369,224       265,040  
 
               
Total current liabilities
    737,212       383,213  
 
               
Deferred items and other long-term liabilities
    49,631       41,267  
Commodity derivative liability
    2,090       26,531  
Long-term debt non-recourse
    56,277       71,624  
Long-term debt
    133,195       86,238  
Minority interest
    12,219       -  
Shareholders’ equity
    344,364       270,175  
 
  $ 1,334,988     $ 879,048  
 
               
 
               

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Segment Data
                             
 
  Grain &           Plant   Turf &                        
 
  Ethanol   Rail   Nutrient   Specialty   Retail   Other   Total
 
                                                       
Quarter ended December 31, 2007
                                                       
Revenues from external customers
  $ 548,222     $ 27,681     $ 140,258     $ 18,921     $ 49,552     $     $ 784,634  
 
                                                       
Gross Profit
    32,399       8,142       15,328       4,747       14,061             74,677  
 
                                                       
Other income / Equity in earnings of affiliates
    16,190       273       103       58       373       283       17,280  
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    30,077       3,803       8,692       (785 )     (636 )     (6,229 )     34,922  
 
                                                       
Quarter ended December 31, 2006
                                                       
Revenues from external customers
  $ 305,279     $ 23,768     $ 67,117     $ 17,955     $ 49,296     $     $ 463,415  
 
                                                       
Gross Profit
    25,059       7,736       6,257       5,327       14,587             58,966  
 
                                                       
Other income / Equity in earnings of affiliates
    3,799       69       234       28       168       764       5,062  
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    12,302       3,428       1,349       173       1,856       (167 )     18,941  
 
                                                       
Year ended December 31, 2007
                                                       
Revenues from external customers
  $ 1,498,652     $ 129,932     $ 466,458     $ 103,530     $ 180,487     $     $ 2,379,059  
 
                                                       
Gross Profit
    79,367       37,040       50,602       19,738       52,965             239,712  
 
                                                       
Other income / Equity in earnings of affiliates
    43,591       1,038       909       438       840       6,778       53,594  
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    65,934       19,505       27,055       95       139       (6,867 )     105,861  
 
                                                       
Year ended December 31, 2006
                                                       
Revenues from external customers
  $ 791,207     $ 113,326     $ 265,038     $ 111,284     $ 177,198     $     $ 1,458,053  
 
                                                       
Gross Profit
    62,809       37,817       24,123       21,728       52,763             199,240  
 
                                                       
Other income / Equity in earnings of affiliates
    15,867       511       1,015       1,115       865       2,731       22,104  
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    27,955       19,543       3,287       3,246       3,152       (2,714 )     54,469  

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