UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 7, 2011
Star Gas Partners, L.P.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
001-14129 |
06-1437793 |
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
(203) 328-7310
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below): |
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[ ] | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
[ ] | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
[ ] | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
[ ] | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
On February 7, 2011, Star Gas Partners, L.P., a Delaware partnership (the "Partnership"), issued a press release announcing its financial results for its fiscal first quarter ending December 31, 2010. A copy of the press release is furnished within this report as Exhibit 99.1. The information in this report is being furnished, and is not deemed as "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, unless specifically stated so therein.
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
Exhibit 99.1 A copy of the Star Gas Partners, L.P. Press Release dated February 7, 2011.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: February 7, 2011 | Star Gas Partners, L.P. By: Kestrel Heat, LLC (General Partner) |
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By: | /s/ RICHARD F. AMBURY Richard F. Ambury Chief Financial Officer Principal Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT 99.1
STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 7, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Gas Partners, L.P. (the "Partnership" or "Star") (NYSE:SGU), a home energy distributor and services provider specializing in heating oil, today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 first quarter, the three-month period ended December 31, 2010.
For the fiscal 2011 first quarter, Star reported a 31.7 percent increase in total revenues to $459.5 million, compared with total revenues of $348.8 million in the year ago period, due to an increase in home heating oil and propane volume of 17.4 percent and higher selling prices.
Home heating oil and propane volume for the fiscal 2011 first quarter increased by 16.7 million gallons to 112.7 million gallons, reflecting additional volume provided from acquisitions and colder temperatures, somewhat reduced by net customer attrition. Temperatures in Star's geographic areas of operations for the fiscal 2011 first quarter were 5.4 percent colder than the fiscal 2010 first quarter and 2.4 percent colder than normal, as reported by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
During the fiscal 2011 first quarter, net income increased by $8.6 million, to $20.6 million, due largely to a favorable change in the fair value of derivative instruments along with the aforementioned impact of acquisitions and colder temperatures. During the first quarter of fiscal 2011, Star also recorded a charge of $1.7 million in connection with refinancing its long term debt, with no similar charge during the first quarter of fiscal 2010.
Adjusted EBITDA increased by $7.6 million, to $34.3 million, during the fiscal 2011 first quarter, as the impact of colder temperatures and the Adjusted EBITDA provided by acquisitions more than offset net customer attrition in the base business.
"The Partnership's solid results this quarter reflect the positive impact of acquisitions added in fiscal 2010 along with colder temperatures versus last year," said Dan Donovan, Star Gas Partners Chief Executive Officer. "We continue to keep a lid on costs and stay focused on customer service, while our strong operating results have allowed us to increase the Partnership's quarterly distribution by 6.9 percent. Fiscal 2011 is off to a good start, and we remain dedicated to taking the right steps – including additional acquisitions and other strategic initiatives – to enhance unitholder value going forward."
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Financial Measures)
EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, (increase) decrease in the fair value of derivatives, gain or loss on debt redemption, goodwill impairment, and other non-cash and non-operating charges) are non-GAAP financial measures that are used as supplemental financial measures by management and external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to assess:
The method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may not be consistent with that of other companies and each of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA has its limitations as an analytical tool, should not be considered in isolation and should be viewed in conjunction with measurements that are computed in accordance with GAAP. Some of the limitations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are:
REMINDER: Star Gas management will host a conference call and webcast tomorrow, February 8, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. (ET). The conference call dial-in number is 888-335-0893 or 970-315-0470 (for international callers). A webcast is also available at www.star-gas.com/events.cfm and at www.vcall.com
About Star Gas Partners, L.P.
Star Gas Partners, L.P., is the nation's largest retail distributor of home heating oil. Additional information is available by obtaining the Partnership's SEC filings at www.sec.gov and by visiting Star's website at www.star-gas.com, where unit holders may request a hard copy of Star's complete audited financial statements free of charge.
Forward Looking Information
This news release includes "forward-looking statements" which represent the Partnership's expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including those associated with the effect of weather conditions on our financial performance; the price and supply of home heating oil/propane; the consumption patterns of our customers; our ability to obtain satisfactory gross profit margins; our ability to obtain new customers and retain existing customers; our ability to make strategic acquisitions; the impact of litigation; our ability to contract for our current and future supply needs; natural gas conversions; future union relations and the outcome of current and future union negotiations; the impact of future governmental regulations, including environmental, health and safety regulations; the ability to attract and retain employees; customer creditworthiness; counterparty creditworthiness; marketing plans; and general economic conditions. All statements other than state ments of historical facts included in this news release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "seek," "estimate" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Partnership believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" and "Business Strategy" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Form 10-K") for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 and under the heading "Risk Factors" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (the "Form 10-Q") for the fiscal Quarter ended December 31, 2010. Important factors that could cause actual results to di ffer materially from the Partnership's expectations ("Cautionary Statements") are disclosed in this news release and in the Form 10-Q and Form 10-K. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Partnership or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the Cautionary Statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Partnership undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this news release.
(financials follow)
STAR GAS PARTNERS, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | ||
December 31, | September 30, | |
(in thousands) | 2010 | 2010 |
(unaudited) | ||
ASSETS | ||
Current assets | ||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 13,804 | $ 61,062 |
Receivables, net of allowance of $7,534 and $5,443, respectively | 182,965 | 70,443 |
Inventories | 77,357 | 66,734 |
Fair asset value of derivative instruments | 18,092 | 7,158 |
Current deferred tax asset, net | 6,599 | 20,247 |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 30,114 | 21,219 |
Total current assets | 328,931 | 246,863 |
Property and equipment, net | 45,078 | 44,712 |
Goodwill | 199,052 | 199,052 |
Intangibles, net | 56,383 | 58,894 |
Long-term deferred tax asset, net | 24,932 | 26,551 |
Deferred charges and other assets, net | 9,425 | 6,436 |
Total assets | $ 663,801 | $ 582,508 |
LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS' CAPITAL | ||
Current liabilities | ||
Accounts payable | $ 33,407 | $ 16,626 |
Revolving credit facility borrowings | 13,076 | -- |
Fair liability value of derivative instruments | -- | 1,586 |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 78,672 | 68,854 |
Unearned service contract revenue | 49,233 | 40,110 |
Customer credit balances | 45,737 | 68,762 |
Total current liabilities | 220,125 | 195,938 |
Long-term debt | 124,198 | 82,770 |
Other long-term liabilities | 23,510 | 23,889 |
Partners' capital | ||
Common unitholders | 322,687 | 307,092 |
General partner | 348 | 290 |
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes | (27,067) | (27,471) |
Total partners' capital | 295,968 | 279,911 |
Total liabilities and partners' capital | $ 663,801 | $ 582,508 |
(tables follow)
STAR GAS PARTNERS, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES | ||
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | ||
Three Months Ended December 31, |
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(in thousands, except per unit data - unaudited) | 2010 | 2009 |
Sales: | ||
Product | $ 404,968 | $ 301,765 |
Installations and service | 54,533 | 47,054 |
Total sales | 459,501 | 348,819 |
Cost and expenses: | ||
Cost of product | 301,672 | 214,515 |
Cost of installations and service | 52,622 | 45,672 |
(Increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments | (13,906) | (3,392) |
Delivery and branch expenses | 65,961 | 56,822 |
Depreciation and amortization expenses | 4,577 | 3,535 |
General and administrative expenses | 4,924 | 5,053 |
Operating income | 43,651 | 26,614 |
Interest expense | (4,220) | (4,270) |
Interest income | 532 | 394 |
Amortization of debt issuance costs | (694) | (656) |
Loss on redemption of debt | (1,700) | -- |
Income before income taxes | 37,569 | 22,082 |
Income tax expense | 17,011 | 10,077 |
Net income | $ 20,558 | $ 12,005 |
General Partner's interest in net income | 99 | 54 |
Limited Partners' interest in net income | $ 20,459 | $ 11,951 |
Per unit data (Basic and Diluted): | ||
Net income available to limited partners | $ 0.30 | $ 0.16 |
Dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60 |
0.04 | 0.01 |
Limited Partner's interest in net income under FASB ASC 260-10-45-60 | $ 0.26 | $ 0.15 |
Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding (Basic and Diluted) |
67,078 | 72,661 |
(supplemental information follows)
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION | ||
STAR GAS PARTNERS, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES |
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RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA | ||
(unaudited) | ||
Three Months Ended December 31, |
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(in thousands) | 2010 | 2009 |
Net income | $ 20,558 | $ 12,005 |
Plus: | ||
Income tax expense | 17,011 | 10,077 |
Amortization of debt issuance cost | 694 | 656 |
Interest expense, net | 3,688 | 3,876 |
Depreciation and amortization | 4,577 | 3,535 |
EBITDA from continuing operations | 46,528 | 30,149 |
(Increase) / decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments | (13,906) | (3,392) |
Loss on redemption of debt | 1,700 | -- |
Adjusted EBITDA | 34,322 | 26,757 |
Add / (subtract) | ||
Income tax expense | (17,011) | (10,077) |
Interest expense, net | (3,688) | (3,876) |
Provision for losses on accounts receivable | 2,648 | 2,148 |
Increase in accounts receivables | (115,161) | (76,952) |
Increase in inventories | (10,324) | (9,387) |
Decrease in customer credit balances | (23,134) | (21,790) |
Change in deferred taxes | 14,980 | 9,482 |
Change in other operating assets and liabilities | 28,658 | 10,708 |
Net cash used in operating activities | $ (88,710) | $ (72,987) |
Net cash used in investing activities | $ (3,182) | $ (1,555) |
Net cash provided by financing activities | $ 44,634 | $ 21,947 |
Home heating oil and propane gallons sold | 112,700 | 96,000 |
CONTACT: Star Gas Partners Investor Relations 203/328-7310 Chris Witty Darrow Associates 646/438-9385 or cwitty@darrowir.com