WLKP Westlake Chemical Partners LP

• Declared quarterly distribution of $0.4714 per unit; 35th consecutive quarterly distribution

Westlake Chemical Partners LP (NYSE: WLKP) (the "Partnership") today reported net income attributable to the Partnership in the first quarter of 2023 of $14.9 million, or $0.42 per limited partner unit, a decrease of $1.3 million compared to first quarter 2022 net income of $16.2 million. The Partnership's net income in the first quarter of 2023 was the result of strong production volumes with the decrease in net income compared to the first quarter of 2022 attributable to higher interest expense. Cash flows from operating activities in the first quarter of 2023 were $144.9 million, an increase of $40.1 million compared to first quarter 2022 cash flows from operating activities of $104.8 million. The increase was primarily due to favorable working capital changes. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, MLP distributable cash flow was $17.6 million, a decrease of $1.7 million compared to first quarter 2022 MLP distributable cash flow. The decrease in MLP distributable cash flow was primarily attributable to higher interest expense partially offset by the higher earnings and lower maintenance capital spending at OpCo.

First quarter 2023 net income attributable to the Partnership of $14.9 million decreased by $1.9 million compared to fourth quarter 2022 net income of $16.8 million due to higher interest expense. First quarter 2023 cash flows from operating activities of $144.9 million increased by $22.3 million compared to fourth quarter 2022 cash flows from operating activities of $122.6 million due to the timing of payments from Westlake related to the 2022 buyer deficiency fee. First quarter 2023 MLP distributable cash flow of $17.6 million decreased by $2.7 million compared to fourth quarter 2022 MLP distributable cash flow of $20.3 million, primarily due to higher interest expense and higher maintenance capital spending at OpCo.

"The Partnership's performance in the first quarter of 2023 reflects strong production volumes and a modest improvement in third-party ethylene margins from the fourth quarter of 2022. We remain well positioned to deliver solid earnings and cash flows as we continue to benefit from robust production levels paired with our sales agreement with Westlake that delivers a fixed margin on 95% of our production," said Albert Chao, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As we look to the remainder of 2023, we have already sold or contracted the majority of our third-party volume at favorable prices compared to the second half of 2022, and we are excited about the strong underlying fundamentals of the Partnership and continuing to deliver a premium value and predictable cash flows to our unitholders."

On May 2, 2023, the Partnership announced that the Board of Directors of Westlake Chemical Partners GP LLC had approved a quarterly distribution for the first quarter of 2023 of $0.4714 per unit to be payable on May 26, 2023 to unitholders of record as of May 12, 2023, representing the 35th consecutive quarterly distribution to our unitholders. MLP distributable cash flow provided trailing twelve-month coverage of 1.12x the declared distributions for the first quarter of 2023.

OpCo's Ethylene Sales Agreement with Westlake is designed to provide for stable and predictable cash flows. The agreement provides that 95% of OpCo's ethylene production is sold to Westlake for a cash margin of $0.10 per pound, net of operating costs, maintenance capital expenditures and reserves for future turnaround expenditures.

The statements in this release and the related teleconference relating to matters that are not historical facts, such as those with respect to the ability to deliver value, returns, predictable cash flows and distributions to unitholders, demand for ethylene and expected margins and production volumes, contracted volumes, the expectation that strong distributions will continue, and the nature of the sales agreement with Westlake, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially, based on factors including, but not limited to, the COVID-19 pandemic and the response thereto; operating difficulties; the volume of ethylene that we are able to sell; the price at which we are able to sell ethylene; changes in the price and availability of feedstocks; changes in prevailing economic conditions, including inflation, interest rates and possible recession; actions and commitments of Westlake Corporation; actions of third parties; inclement or hazardous weather conditions, including flooding, and the physical impacts of climate change; environmental hazards; changes in laws and regulations (or the interpretation thereof); inability to acquire or maintain necessary permits; inability to obtain necessary production equipment or replacement parts; technical difficulties or failures; labor disputes; difficulty collecting receivables; inability of our customers to take delivery; fires, explosions or other industrial accidents; our ability to borrow funds and access capital markets; and other risk factors. For more detailed information about the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, please refer to the Partnership's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC in March 2023.

This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100.0%) of the Partnership's distributions to non-U.S. investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, the Partnership's distributions to non-U.S. investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable effective tax rate.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release makes reference to certain "non-GAAP" financial measures, such as MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA. For this purpose, a non-GAAP financial measure is generally defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as a numerical measure of a registrant's historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that (1) excludes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of excluding amounts, that are included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") in the statement of income, balance sheet or statement of cash flows (or equivalent statements) of the registrant; or (2) includes amounts, or is subject to adjustments that have the effect of including amounts, that are excluded from the most directly comparable measure so calculated and presented. We report our financial results in accordance with U.S. GAAP, but believe that certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA, provide useful supplemental information to investors regarding the underlying business trends and performance of our ongoing operations and are useful for period-over-period comparisons of such operations. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We define MLP distributable cash flow as distributable cash flow less distributable cash flow attributable to Westlake Corporation's noncontrolling interest in OpCo and distributions attributable to the incentive distribution rights holder. MLP distributable cash flow does not reflect changes in working capital balances. We define EBITDA as net income before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. MLP distributable cash flow and EBITDA are non-GAAP supplemental financial measures that management and external users of our consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts, investors, lenders and rating agencies, may use to assess our operating performance as compared to other publicly traded partnerships, our ability to incur and service debt and fund capital expenditures and the viability of acquisitions and other capital expenditure projects and the returns on investment of various investment opportunities. Reconciliations of MLP distributable cash flow to net income and to net cash provided by operating activities and of EBITDA to net income, income from operations and net cash provided by operating activities can be found in the financial schedules at the end of this press release.

Westlake Chemical Partners LP

Westlake Chemical Partners is a limited partnership formed by Westlake Corporation to operate, acquire and develop ethylene production facilities and other qualified assets. Headquartered in Houston, the Partnership owns a 22.8% interest in Westlake Chemical OpCo LP. Westlake Chemical OpCo LP's assets consist of three ethylene production facilities in Calvert City, Kentucky, and Lake Charles, Louisiana and an ethylene pipeline. For more information about Westlake Chemical Partners LP, please visit http://www.wlkpartners.com.

Westlake Chemical Partners LP Conference Call Information:

A conference call to discuss Westlake Chemical Partners' first quarter 2023 results will be held Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (12:00 PM Central Time). To access the conference call, it is necessary to pre-register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI16a50f5d0c114b199639e3cf58096652. Once registered, you will receive a phone number and unique PIN number.

A replay of the conference call will be available beginning two hours after its conclusion. The conference call and replay will be available via webcast at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/cmm2ahd6.

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP ("WESTLAKE PARTNERS")

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands of dollars, except per unit data)

Revenue

 

 

 

 

Net sales—Westlake Corporation ("Westlake")

 

$

257,471

 

 

$

290,657

 

Net co-products, ethylene and other sales—third parties

 

 

50,206

 

 

 

71,743

 

Total net sales

 

 

307,677

 

 

 

362,400

 

Cost of sales

 

 

201,604

 

 

 

270,961

 

Gross profit

 

 

106,073

 

 

 

91,439

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

7,914

 

 

 

8,227

 

Income from operations

 

 

98,159

 

 

 

83,212

 

Other income (expense)

 

 

 

 

Interest expense—Westlake

 

 

(7,315

)

 

 

(2,199

)

Other income (expense), net

 

 

820

 

 

 

(25

)

Income before income taxes

 

 

91,664

 

 

 

80,988

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

212

 

 

 

163

 

Net income

 

 

91,452

 

 

 

80,825

 

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest in Westlake Chemical OpCo LP ("OpCo")

 

 

76,560

 

 

 

64,631

 

Net income attributable to Westlake Partners

 

$

14,892

 

 

$

16,194

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income per limited partner unit attributable to Westlake Partners (basic and diluted)

 

 

 

 

Common units

 

$

0.42

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions declared per unit

 

$

0.4714

 

 

$

0.4714

 

 

 

 

 

 

MLP distributable cash flow

 

$

17,551

 

 

$

19,291

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distributions declared

 

 

 

 

Limited partner units—publicly and privately held

 

$

9,946

 

 

$

9,943

 

Limited partner units—Westlake

 

 

6,657

 

 

 

6,657

 

Total distributions declared

 

$

16,603

 

 

$

16,600

 

EBITDA

 

$

125,615

 

 

$

114,469

 

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

 

 

 

March 31, 2023

 

December 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands of dollars)

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

104,588

 

 

$

64,782

 

Receivable under the Investment Management Agreement—Westlake

 

 

52,079

 

 

 

64,996

 

Accounts receivable, net—Westlake

 

 

50,453

 

 

 

90,965

 

Accounts receivable, net—third parties

 

 

19,691

 

 

 

20,030

 

Inventories

 

 

5,466

 

 

 

4,715

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

153

 

 

 

305

 

Total current assets

 

 

232,430

 

 

 

245,793

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

 

977,469

 

 

 

990,213

 

Other assets, net

 

 

132,779

 

 

 

135,973

 

Total assets

 

$

1,342,678

 

 

$

1,371,979

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities (accounts payable and accrued and other liabilities)

 

$

51,482

 

 

$

66,941

 

Long-term debt payable to Westlake

 

 

399,674

 

 

 

399,674

 

Other liabilities

 

 

1,644

 

 

 

1,656

 

Total liabilities

 

 

452,800

 

 

 

468,271

 

Common unitholders—publicly and privately held

 

 

479,617

 

 

 

480,643

 

Common unitholder—Westlake

 

 

53,173

 

 

 

53,859

 

General partner—Westlake

 

 

(242,572

)

 

 

(242,572

)

Total Westlake Partners partners' capital

 

 

290,218

 

 

 

291,930

 

Noncontrolling interest in OpCo

 

 

599,660

 

 

 

611,778

 

Total equity

 

 

889,878

 

 

 

903,708

 

Total liabilities and equity

 

$

1,342,678

 

 

$

1,371,979

 

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands of dollars)

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

91,452

 

 

$

80,825

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

26,636

 

 

 

31,282

 

Net loss on disposition and other

 

 

942

 

 

 

3,962

 

Other balance sheet changes

 

 

25,830

 

 

 

(11,259

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

144,860

 

 

 

104,810

 

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

 

Additions to property, plant and equipment

 

 

(12,656

)

 

 

(20,342

)

Investments with Westlake under the Investment Management Agreement

 

 

(90,116

)

 

 

(55,000

)

Maturities of investments with Westlake under the Investment Management Agreement

 

 

103,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

Net cash provided by (used for) investing activities

 

 

228

 

 

 

(25,342

)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from debt payable to Westlake

 

 

39,000

 

 

 

—

 

Repayment of debt payable to Westlake

 

 

(39,000

)

 

 

—

 

Quarterly distributions to noncontrolling interest retained in OpCo by Westlake

 

 

(88,678

)

 

 

(60,688

)

Quarterly distributions to unitholders

 

 

(16,604

)

 

 

(16,603

)

Net cash used for financing activities

 

 

(105,282

)

 

 

(77,291

)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

39,806

 

 

 

2,177

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

64,782

 

 

 

17,057

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

104,588

 

 

$

19,234

 

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP

RECONCILIATION OF MLP DISTRIBUTABLE CASH FLOW TO NET INCOME

AND NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands of dollars)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

$

122,574

 

 

$

144,860

 

 

$

104,810

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities and other

 

 

(31,314

)

 

 

(53,408

)

 

 

(23,985

)

Net income

 

 

91,260

 

 

 

91,452

 

 

 

80,825

 

Add:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation, amortization and disposition of property, plant and equipment

 

 

29,711

 

 

 

27,003

 

 

 

34,253

 

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contribution to turnaround reserves

 

 

(7,364

)

 

 

(7,306

)

 

 

(7,204

)

Maintenance capital expenditures

 

 

(7,077

)

 

 

(8,024

)

 

 

(13,453

)

Distributable cash flow attributable to noncontrolling interest in OpCo

 

 

(86,269

)

 

 

(85,574

)

 

 

(75,130

)

MLP distributable cash flow

 

$

20,261

 

 

$

17,551

 

 

$

19,291

 

WESTLAKE CHEMICAL PARTNERS LP

RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA TO NET INCOME, INCOME FROM OPERATIONS AND NET CASH

PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands of dollars)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

$

122,574

 

 

$

144,860

 

 

$

104,810

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities and other

 

 

(31,314

)

 

 

(53,408

)

 

 

(23,985

)

Net income

 

 

91,260

 

 

 

91,452

 

 

 

80,825

 

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

883

 

 

 

820

 

 

 

(25

)

Interest expense—Westlake

 

 

(4,704

)

 

 

(7,315

)

 

 

(2,199

)

Provision for income taxes

 

 

(195

)

 

 

(212

)

 

 

(163

)

Income from operations

 

 

95,276

 

 

 

98,159

 

 

 

83,212

 

Add:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

29,392

 

 

 

26,636

 

 

 

31,282

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

883

 

 

 

820

 

 

 

(25

)

EBITDA

 

$

125,551

 

 

$

125,615

 

 

$

114,469

 

 

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