Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. Announces Record First Quarter 2021 Financial Results
05/04/2021 - 06:03 PM
Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCCI), a leading provider of parts cleaning, used oil re-refining, and hazardous and non-hazardous waste services primarily focused on small and mid-sized customers, today announced results for the first quarter which ended March 27, 2021.
First Quarter Review
Revenue for the first quarter of 2021 was $105.4 million compared to $107.3 million for the same quarter of 2020, a decrease of 1.8% .
Overall Operating Margin jumped to 24.8% due to strong Oil Business segment results, compared to 18.4% during the first quarter of 2020. Our first quarter corporate SG&A expense was $13.4 million , or 12.8% of revenues, compared to 12.5 million, or 11.6% of revenues, for the first quarter of 2020.
Net income for the first quarter was $9.2 million compared to $5.3 million in the year earlier quarter. Diluted earnings per share was $0.39 compared to $0.23 in the year-ago quarter.
During the first quarter we amended our credit agreement and paid off our $30 million Term A loan. As of the end of the first quarter we had no debt outstanding under our revolving loan and we had $46.7 million of cash on our balance sheet.
President and CEO Brian Recatto commented, "We are very pleased with the level of profitability achieved during the first quarter and realize it would not have been possible without the support of our loyal customers and the unrelenting efforts of our entire team."
Segments
Our Environmental Services segment includes parts cleaning, containerized waste, wastewater and vacuum, antifreeze recycling, and field services. Environmental Services revenue was $69.5 million during the quarter compared to our record performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 of $77.5 million . The 10.3% decrease in revenue was mainly due to a large field services project which occurred during the first quarter of 2020 but did not reoccur during the first quarter of fiscal 2021 as well as lingering impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Services profit before corporate selling, general, and administrative expenses was $16.0 million , or 23.0% of revenue, compared to $18.8 million , or 24.2% of revenue, in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in operating margin was mainly driven by lower revenue, higher disposal and health and welfare costs as well as lower labor cost efficiency.
Recatto commented, "During the first quarter our team continued to make progress in overcoming the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud of the fact that our team worked hard to provide the great service our customers have come to expect while doing so in a safe manner despite the disruptive winter storms which occurred in several parts of the U.S. market."
Our Oil Business segment includes used oil collection activities, re-refining activities, and sales of recycled fuel oil. During the first quarter of fiscal 2021, Oil Business revenues were a first quarter record of $35.9 million , an increase of $6.1 million , or 21% , compared to $29.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. A 20% increase in lubricating base oil revenue was the main driver of the increase along with an increase in used oil collection revenue compared to the prior year quarter. Oil Business segment operating margin increased sharply to a record 28.1% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 3.1% in the first quarter of fiscal 2020. The higher operating margin compared to the first quarter of 2020 was mainly due to a $0.34 per gallon increase in the spread between the netback (sales price net of freight impact) on our base oil sales and the price paid/charged to our customers for the removal of their used oil.
Recatto commented, "We continued to execute well at our re-refinery during the first quarter which enabled us to produce 12% more base oil volume compared to the prior year quarter. This allowed us to take advantage of favorable base oil pricing conditions and produce record profitability in our Oil Business segment."
COVID-19 Update
During the first quarter of 2021, we continued executing the Company's pandemic response plan to combat the COVID-19 outbreak-induced downturn in our business and remain focused on ensuring the health and safety of all our employees and their families.
Safe Harbor Statement
All references to the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc., and its subsidiaries. This release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current management expectations. Generally, the words "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "should," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," "would" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements or industry results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others: developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting impact on our business and operations, general economic conditions and downturns in the business cycles of automotive repair shops, industrial manufacturing businesses and small businesses in general; increased solvent, fuel and energy costs and volatility, including a drop in the price of crude oil, the selling price of lubricating base oil, solvent, fuel, energy, and commodity costs; our ability to enforce our rights under the FCC Environmental purchase agreement; our ability to pay our debt when due and comply with our debt covenants; our ability to successfully operate our used oil re-refinery and to cost-effectively collect or purchase used oil or generate operating results; increased market supply or decreased demand for base oil; further consolidation and/or declines in the United States automotive repair and manufacturing industries; the impact of extensive environmental, health and safety and employment laws and regulations on our business; legislative or regulatory requirements or changes adversely affecting our business; competition in the industrial and hazardous waste services industries and from other used oil re-refineries; claims and involuntary shutdowns relating to our handling of hazardous substances; the value of our used solvents and oil inventory, which may fluctuate significantly; our ability to expand our non-hazardous programs for parts cleaning; our dependency on key employees; our level of indebtedness, which could affect our ability to fulfill our obligations, impede the implementation of our strategy, and expose us to interest rate risk; the impact of legal proceedings and class action litigation on us and our ability to estimate the cash payments we will make under litigation settlements; our ability to effectively manage our network of branch locations; the control of The Heritage Group over the Company; and the risks identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 2, 2021. Given these uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update or revise them or provide reasons why actual results may differ. The information in this release should be read in light of such risks and in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this release.
About Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.
Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. provides parts cleaning, used oil re-refining, and hazardous and non-hazardous waste services primarily to small and mid-sized customers in the vehicle maintenance sector as well as manufacturers and other industrial businesses. Our service programs include parts cleaning, containerized waste management, used oil collection and re-refining, wastewater and vacuum, waste antifreeze collection, recycling and product sales, and field services. These services help our customers manage their used chemicals and liquid and solid wastes, while also helping to minimize their regulatory burdens. Our customers include businesses involved in vehicle maintenance operations, such as car dealerships, automotive repair shops, and trucking firms, as well as small-to-medium sized manufacturers, such as metal product fabricators and printers, and other industrial businesses. Through our used oil re-refining program during fiscal 2020, we recycled approximately 61 million gallons of used oil into high quality lubricating base oil, and we are a supplier to firms that produce and market finished lubricants. Through our antifreeze program during fiscal 2020 we recycled approximately 3.7 million gallons of spent antifreeze which was used to produce a full line of virgin-quality antifreeze products. Through our parts cleaning program during fiscal 2020 we recycled 4 million gallons of used solvent into virgin-quality solvent to be used again by our customers. Through our containerized waste program during fiscal 2020 we collected 20 tons of regulated waste which was sent for energy recovery. Through our wastewater and vacuum services program during fiscal 2020 we treated approximately 52 million gallons of wastewater. Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, and operates through 89 branches serving approximately 89,000 customer locations.
Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call on Wednesday May 5, 2021 at 9:30 AM Central Time, during which management will give a brief presentation focusing on the Company's operations and financial results. Interested parties can listen to the audio webcast available through our company website, http://crystal-clean.com/investor-relations/ , and can participate on the call by dialing (833) 772-0398. After dialing the number, you will be required to provide the following passcode before being joined to the conference call: 4669677.
The Company uses its website to make information available to investors and the public at www.crystal-clean.com .
Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In Thousands, Except Share and Par Value Amounts)
(Unaudited)
March 27,
January 2,
2021
2021
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$
46,669
$
67,575
Accounts receivable - net
52,614
48,479
Inventory - net
25,530
24,978
Assets held for sale
2,446
2,446
Other current assets
5,574
8,005
Total current assets
132,833
151,483
Property, plant and equipment - net
154,747
153,016
Right of use assets
76,089
78,942
Equipment at customers - net
23,930
23,111
Software and intangible assets - net
18,484
19,576
Goodwill
35,541
Heritage-Crystal Clean Inc
HCCI Rankings
#272 Ranked by Stock Gains
HCCI Stock Data
Industry
All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services
Sector
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
Tags
Environmental Services, All Other Miscellaneous Waste Management Services , Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services, Industrial Services
About HCCI
heritage-crystal clean, inc. provides parts cleaning, used oil re-refining, and hazardous and non-hazardous waste services to small and mid-sized customers in both the manufacturing and vehicle service sectors. our service programs include parts cleaning, containerized waste management, used oil collection and re-refining, and vacuum truck services. these services help our customers manage their used chemicals and liquid and solid wastes, while also helping to minimize their regulatory burdens. our customers include businesses involved in vehicle maintenance operations, such as car dealerships, automotive repair shops, and trucking firms, as well as small manufacturers, such as metal product fabricators and printers. through our used oil re-refining program, we recycle used oil into high quality lubricating base oil, and we are a supplier to firms that produce and market finished lubricants. heritage-crystal clean, inc. is headquartered in elgin, illinois, and operates through 74 branc
