BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE: EAF) ('GrafTech,' the 'Company,' 'we,' or 'our') today announced unaudited financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
First Quarter 2024 Highlights
Net loss of $31 million, or $0.12 per share(1), and adjusted EBITDA(2) of $0.2 million
Net cash used in operating activities of $1 million and adjusted free cash flow(2) of negative $11 million
Significant cost improvement reflects actions to aggressively address all elements of our cost structure
CEO Comments
'While we are not satisfied with breakeven EBITDA performance, we delivered on our outlook and stated initiatives for the quarter,' said Timothy Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer and President. 'As the commercial environment remains weak, we are focused on managing what is within our control. Specifically, we are successfully executing our strategic initiatives to reduce our costs, while preserving our ability to capitalize on long-term growth opportunities. Our actions to aggressively address all elements of our cost structure are beginning to yield benefits, as reflected in an 18% decline in our first quarter cash costs on a per metric ton basis compared to the first quarter of 2023.'
'On the commercial front, we are pleased to have a significant arbitration resolved in our favor during the first quarter,' said Mr. Flanagan. 'As we turn the page and move ahead, we are significantly enhancing our customer engagement efforts with a particular focus on strengthening relationships with existing customers while also fostering new ones with prospective customers. We are also taking actions to enhance our customer value proposition to further differentiate GrafTech from our competitors. With these initiatives, we are confident in our ability to meet the needs of our existing and prospective customers, now and in the future.'
Outlook
We expect demand for graphite electrodes in the near term will remain weak, reflecting persistent challenges in the commercial environment as steel industry production remains constrained by global economic uncertainty. Given these trends, challenging pricing dynamics have persisted in most regions. As a result, we remain selective in the commercial opportunities we choose to pursue. Sales volume in the second quarter of 2024 is expected to be broadly in line with sales volume for the first quarter of 2024 and we continue to expect a modest year-over-year improvement in sales volume for the full year.
We now expect the year-over-year decline in our full year 2024 cash cost of goods sold per MT to exceed our previous guidance of a low-teen percentage point decline compared to 2023. Reflecting the progress we are making on addressing our cost structure, we now anticipate a mid-teen percentage point decline compared to 2023. The significant improvement in our year-over-year costs reflects (1) the strategic actions we are taking to reduce our fixed manufacturing costs, (2) the benefit of additional actions we are taking to reduce our variable costs, including certain raw materials and energy and (3) the anticipated improvement in our sales and production volume levels. In addition, we continue to closely manage our working capital levels and capital expenditures. We continue to anticipate our full-year 2024 capital expenditures will be in the range of $35 million to $40 million.
Longer term, we remain confident that the steel industry's accelerating efforts to decarbonize will lead to increased adoption of the electric arc furnace method of steelmaking, driving long-term demand growth for graphite electrodes. We also anticipate the demand for petroleum needle coke, the key raw material we use to produce graphite electrodes, to accelerate driven by its utilization in producing synthetic graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries for the growing electric vehicle market. We believe that the near-term actions we are taking, supported by an industry-leading position and our sustainable competitive advantages, including our substantial vertical integration into petroleum needle coke via our Seadrift facility, will optimally position GrafTech to benefit from that long-term growth.
About GrafTech
GrafTech International Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of high-quality graphite electrode products essential to the production of electric arc furnace steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The Company has a competitive portfolio of low-cost, ultra-high power graphite electrode manufacturing facilities, with some of the highest capacity facilities in the world. We are the only large-scale graphite electrode producer that is substantially vertically integrated into petroleum needle coke, our key raw material for graphite electrode manufacturing. This unique position provides us with competitive advantages in product quality and cost.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release and related discussions may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, financial projections, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and future economic performance. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding future estimated volume, pricing and revenue, anticipated levels of capital expenditures and cost of goods sold, anticipated reduction in our costs resulting from our cost rationalization initiatives and one-time costs of implementation and guidance relating to adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as 'will,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'estimate,' 'project,' 'believe,' 'anticipate,' 'expect,' 'foresee,' 'intend,' 'should,' 'would,' 'could,' 'target,' 'goal,' 'continue to,' 'positioned to,' 'are confident,' or the negative versions of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon our historical performance and on our current plans, estimates and expectations considering information currently available to us. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us that the future plans, estimates, or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Our expectations and targets are not predictions of actual performance and historically our performance has deviated, often significantly, from our expectations and targets. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, financial results, financial condition, business, prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe that these factors include, but are not limited to: our dependence on the global steel industry generally and the electric arc furnace steel industry in particular; the cyclical nature of our business and the selling prices of our products, which may continue to decline in the future, and may lead to periods of reduced profitability and net losses or adversely impact liquidity; the sensitivity of our business and operating results to economic conditions, including any recession, and the possibility others may not be able to fulfill their obligations to us in a timely fashion or at all; the possibility that we may be unable to implement our business strategies in an effective manner; the possibility that global graphite electrode overcapacity may adversely affect graphite electrode prices; the competitiveness of the graphite electrode industry; our dependence on the supply of raw materials, including decant oil and petroleum needle coke, and disruptions in supply chains for these materials; our primary reliance on one facility in Monterrey, Mexico for the manufacturing of connecting pins; the availability and cost of electric power and natural gas, particularly in Europe; our manufacturing operations are subject to hazards; the legal, compliance, economic, social and political risks associated with our substantial operations in multiple countries; the possibility that fluctuation of foreign currency exchange rates could materially harm our financial results; the possibility that our results of operations could further deteriorate if our manufacturing operations were substantially disrupted for an extended period, including as a result of equipment failure, climate change, regulatory issues, natural disasters, public health crises, such as a global pandemic, political crises or other catastrophic events; the risks and uncertainties associated with litigation, arbitration, and like disputes, including disputes related to contractual commitments; our dependence on third parties for certain construction, maintenance, engineering, transportation, warehousing and logistics services; the possibility that we are subject to information technology systems failures, cybersecurity attacks, network disruptions and breaches of data security; the possibility that we are unable to recruit or retain key management and plant operating personnel or successfully negotiate with the representatives of our employees, including labor unions; the sensitivity of long-lived assets on our balance sheet to changes in the market; our dependence on protecting our intellectual property and the possibility that third parties may claim that our products or processes infringe their intellectual property rights; the impact of inflation and our ability to mitigate the effect on our costs; the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical events on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and the disruptions and inefficiencies in our supply chain that may occur as a result of such events; the possibility that our indebtedness could limit our financial and operating activities or that our cash flows may not be sufficient to service our indebtedness; the possibility that disruptions in or our ability to access the capital and credit markets could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, or those of our customers and suppliers; the possibility that restrictive covenants in our financing agreements could restrict or limit our operations; recent increases in benchmark interest rates and the fact that any future borrowings may subject us to interest rate risk; changes in, or more stringent enforcement of, health, safety and environmental regulations applicable to our manufacturing operations and facilities; the possibility that the cash dividends on our common stock, which are currently suspended, will remain suspended and we may not pay cash dividends on our common stock in the future and the outcome of our proxy contest.
These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the Risk Factors and other cautionary statements that are included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements made in this press release relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from what we may have expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We caution that you should not place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements. You should specifically consider the factors identified in this press release that could cause actual results to differ before making an investment decision to purchase our common stock. Furthermore, new risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us.
Contact:
Michael Dillon
Tel: 216-676-2000
Email: investor.relations@graftech.com
GRAFTECH INTERNATIONAL LTD. 
