Deltic Timber Corporation (NYSE:DEL):

 
DELTIC TIMBER CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA SUMMARY
       
 
THIRD QUARTER 2017 2016
 
Net sales $ 61,656,000 53,541,000
 
Net income 2,502,000 1,487,000
 
Earnings per common share
Basic .21 .12
Assuming dilution .20 .12
 
Average common shares outstanding
Basic 12,070,795 11,990,556
Assuming dilution 12,155,853 12,023,406
 
 
 
 
YEAR-TO-DATE 2017 2016
 
Net sales $ 170,224,000 160,870,000
 
Net income 6,299,000 6,102,000
 
Earnings per common share
Basic .52 .50
Assuming dilution .52 .50
 
Average common shares outstanding
Basic 12,067,663 12,005,116
Assuming dilution 12,165,024 12,064,582
 

Deltic Timber Corporation (NYSE:DEL), a natural resources company, today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2017.

Third Quarter 2017 Highlights

  • Net sales totaled $61.6 million, compared to $53.5 million for third quarter 2016
  • Net income was $2.5 million, or $.20 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.5 million, or $.12 per diluted share, for the same period of 2016

Financial results for the third quarter of 2017 benefited from increased operating income in the Woodlands and Real Estate segments combined with lower corporate general and administrative expenses. The Manufacturing segment results were lower than third quarter 2016 due to planned maintenance at the Del-Tin Fiber medium density fiberboard ("MDF") plant to replace the press chains and a press belt. In addition, $2 million of debt was repaid on our revolving credit facility during the third quarter of 2017.

Woodlands Segment

Third Quarter 2017 Highlights

  • Sold 196,635 tons of pine sawtimber, 4% above Q3 2016
  • Pine sawtimber prices averaged $28/ton, unchanged from previous year quarter
  • Sold 153,665 tons of pine pulpwood, 23% above Q3 2016
  • Pine pulpwood prices averaged $7/ton, unchanged from previous year quarter

Woodlands Segment Financial Results

         
($ in millions)   Q3 2017     Q3 2016     Q2 2017
Segment net sales $ 11.3 9.0 10.2
Segment operating income $ 5.4 4.1 5.0
 

Woodlands segment operating income increased in third quarter of 2017 compared to third quarter 2016 principally due to higher volumes of sawtimber and pulpwood sold, despite significant wet weather in July and August. The increase in volume sold was mainly due to timber deed sales.

Manufacturing Segment

Third Quarter 2017 Highlights

  • Sold 80.5 million board feet of lumber, 16% above Q3 2016
  • Lumber prices averaged $15/MBF lower than Q3 2016
  • Sold 23.9 million square feet of MDF, 8% below Q3 2016
  • MDF prices decreased slightly compared to Q3 2016
  • Replaced press chains and press belt in MDF plant, improving production efficiency

Manufacturing Segment Financial Results

     
($ in millions)   Q3 2017   Q3 2016   Q2 2017
Segment net sales $ 48.3 46.5 45.5
Segment operating income $ 3.7 5.7 4.0
 

Manufacturing segment operating income decreased in third quarter 2017 compared to third quarter 2016, principally as a result of higher operating expenses in lumber and MDF and lower average sales prices for lumber, partially offset by higher lumber sales volumes. The MDF plant’s operating results were adversely impacted in the third quarter 2017 compared to previous year quarter due to the planned downtime in August to replace press chains and a press belt. Since the outage, the plant has been running at over 90% uptime and producing in excess of 20% of higher margin thin board.

Real Estate Segment

Third Quarter 2017 Highlights

  • Sold 72 residential lots compared to 25 lots in Q3 2016
  • Residential lot sales prices averaged $63,000/lot, down 10% from Q3 2016, due to mix

Real Estate Segment Financial Results

     
($ in millions)   Q3 2017   Q3 2016   Q2 2017
Segment net sales $ 6.2 3.3 5.4
Segment operating income/(loss) $ 1.0 (.2 ) 1.8
 

Real Estate segment operating income was higher in the third quarter of 2017 compared to third quarter 2016 due to increased residential lot sales, partially offset by lower average pricing per residential lot due to mix of lots sold. Lot sales reflect the closings of our successful Wildwood smaller lot offerings. Due to favorable demand, additional lot offerings are planned in fourth quarter in Wildwood as well as in three neighborhoods in Chenal Valley.

Corporate Segment General and Administrative Expense, Interest Expense, and Income Tax Expense

Corporate segment general and administrative expense was $4.1 million, compared to $5.4 million for the same period of 2016. The decrease reflects lower salaries and incentive expense as well as the benefit of cost reduction initiatives. Income tax expense in the third quarter of 2017 was $1.6 million, compared to a $.9 million in the prior-year’s third quarter.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures were $8 million in the third quarter 2017 compared to $14.8 million for the third quarter of 2016. There were timberland acquisition expenditures of $.4 million in the third quarter of 2017 compared to timberland acquisition expenditures of $.5 million during the same period of 2016.

Outlook

Regarding the outlook for the fourth quarter and full year of 2017, Deltic currently anticipates the pine sawtimber harvest to be 275,000 to 300,000 tons and 885,000 to 910,000 tons, respectively, depending on weather conditions. Finished lumber sales volume is estimated to be 75 to 85 million board feet for the fourth quarter of 2017 and 295 to 305 million board feet for full-year 2017. MDF sales volume for the fourth quarter and year of 2017 is forecast to be 20 to 30 million square feet and 95 to 105 million square feet, respectively. Actual sales volumes for both finished lumber and MDF are dependent upon market conditions. Residential lot sales are projected at 70 to 80 lots for the fourth quarter and 150 to 160 lots for full-year of 2017. Commercial acreage within Chenal Valley continues to receive increased interest, with negotiations currently surrounding several tracts. However, due to the volatile nature of commercial real estate transactions and significant number of factors involved, it is difficult to anticipate future closings.

Separately, Deltic announced earlier today that it has entered into a merger agreement with Potlatch Corporation. For more information regarding the agreement, please refer to the Form 8-K filed August 23, 2017, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements included herein that are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Such statements reflect the Company’s current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those included in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the cyclical nature of the industry, changes in interest rates, credit availability, general economic conditions, adverse weather, cost and availability of materials used to manufacture the Company’s products, natural gas pricing and volumes produced, and the other risk factors described from time to time in the reports and disclosure documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Conference Call

Deltic participated in a joint conference call with Potlatch earlier today, therefore the Company will not hold the third quarter 2017 earnings conference call originally planned for Thursday, November 2, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time.

About Deltic

Deltic Timber Corporation is a natural resources company focused on the efficient and environmentally responsible management of its land holdings. The Company owns approximately 530,000 acres of timberland, operates two sawmills and a medium density fiberboard plant, and is engaged in real estate development. Headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas, the Company’s operations are located primarily in Arkansas and north Louisiana.