For the first quarter of 2024, Methanex (TSX:MX) (NASDAQ:MEOH)
reported net income attributable to Methanex shareholders of $53
million ($0.77 net income per common share on a diluted basis)
compared to net income of $33 million ($0.50 net income per common
share on a diluted basis) in the fourth quarter of 2023. Net income
in the first quarter of 2024 was higher compared to the prior
quarter primarily due to a higher average realized price and the
positive impact of the mark-to-market portion of share-based
compensation due to changes in Methanex's share price. Adjusted
EBITDA for the first quarter of 2024 was $160 million and Adjusted
net income was $44 million ($0.65 Adjusted net income per common
share). This compares with Adjusted EBITDA of $148 million and
Adjusted net income of $35 million ($0.52 Adjusted net income per
common share) for the fourth quarter of 2023.
Our average realized price in the first quarter
was $343 per tonne compared to $322 per tonne in the fourth quarter
of 2023. In the first quarter, methanol supply was constrained due
to the seasonal diversions of natural gas in Iran and China and
planned and unplanned outages in the Atlantic leading to lower
inventories and increasing methanol prices through the quarter.
In the first quarter, we returned $12.5 million
to shareholders through the regular dividend. We ended the quarter
with $407 million in cash, or approximately $378 million in cash
excluding non-controlling interests and including our share of cash
in the Atlas joint venture. We also have an undrawn $300 million
revolving credit facility with a new $200 million tranche that was
added to provide additional financial flexibility.
Rich Sumner, President & CEO of Methanex,
said, “Our global team responded well to the delay in the start-up
of G3, maintaining safe operations and a flexible supply chain
while we investigated the root cause of the incident. We will
continue to focus on safety and ensuring the G3 plant meets our
quality expectations. Our business delivered a strong operational
and financial quarter in the midst of a dynamic global
landscape."
FURTHER INFORMATION
The information set forth in this news release
summarizes Methanex's key financial and operational data for the
first quarter of 2024. It is not a complete source of information
for readers and is not in any way a substitute for reading the
first quarter 2024 Management’s Discussion and Analysis
("MD&A") dated April 24, 2024 and the unaudited condensed
consolidated interim financial statements for the period ended
March 31, 2024, both of which are available from the Investor
Relations section of our website at www.methanex.com. The MD&A
and the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial
statements for the period ended March 31, 2024 are also
available on the Canadian Securities Administrators' SEDAR+ website
at www.sedarplus.ca and on the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission's EDGAR website at www.sec.gov.
FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL
DATA
|
Three Months Ended |
($ millions except per share amounts and where noted) |
Mar 312024 |
Dec 312023 |
Mar 312023 |
Production (thousands of tonnes) (attributable to Methanex
shareholders)1 |
1,721 |
1,779 |
1,660 |
Sales volume (thousands of
tonnes) |
|
|
|
Methanex-produced methanol |
1,681 |
1,712 |
1,649 |
Purchased methanol |
807 |
890 |
848 |
Commission sales |
182 |
260 |
308 |
Total sales volume1 |
2,670 |
2,862 |
2,805 |
|
|
|
|
Methanex average
non-discounted posted price ($ per tonne)2 |
471 |
421 |
471 |
Average realized price ($ per
tonne)3 |
343 |
322 |
371 |
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
916 |
922 |
1,038 |
Net income (attributable to
Methanex shareholders) |
53 |
33 |
60 |
Adjusted net income4 |
44 |
35 |
76 |
Adjusted EBITDA4 |
160 |
148 |
209 |
Cash flows from operating
activities |
91 |
195 |
162 |
|
|
|
|
Basic net income per common
share |
0.78 |
0.50 |
0.87 |
Diluted net income per common
share |
0.77 |
0.50 |
0.87 |
Adjusted net income per common
share4 |
0.65 |
0.52 |
1.11 |
|
|
|
|
Common share information
(millions of shares) |
|
|
|
Weighted average number of common shares |
67 |
67 |
69 |
Diluted weighted average number of common shares |
68 |
68 |
69 |
Number of common shares outstanding, end of period |
67 |
67 |
68 |
|
|
|
|
1 Methanex-produced methanol represents our equity share of
volume produced at our facilities and excludes volume marketed on a
commission basis related to the 36.9% of the Atlas facility and 50%
of the Egypt facility that we do not own. |
2 Methanex average non-discounted posted price represents the
average of our non-discounted posted prices in North America,
Europe, China and Asia Pacific weighted by sales volume. Current
and historical pricing information is available
at www.methanex.com. |
3 The Company has used Average realized price ("ARP")
throughout this document. ARP is calculated as revenue divided by
the total sales volume. It is used by management to assess the
realized price per unit of methanol sold, and is relevant in a
cyclical commodity environment where revenue can fluctuate in
response to market prices. |
4 Note that Adjusted net income, Adjusted net income per
common share, and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures and ratios
that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and
therefore are unlikely to be comparable to similar measures
presented by other companies. Refer to theAdditional Information
-Non-GAAP Measuressection on page 13 of our first quarter MD&A
dated April 24, 2024 for a description of each non-GAAP
measure. |
|
|
|
|
- A reconciliation from net income
attributable to Methanex shareholders to Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted
net income and the calculation of Adjusted net income per common
share is as follows:
|
Three Months Ended |
($
millions) |
Mar 312024 |
|
Dec 312023 |
|
Mar 312023 |
|
Net income attributable to Methanex shareholders |
$ |
53 |
|
$ |
33 |
|
$ |
60 |
|
Mark-to-market impact of share-based compensation |
|
(10 |
) |
|
3 |
|
|
20 |
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
95 |
|
|
100 |
|
|
98 |
|
Finance costs |
|
28 |
|
|
30 |
|
|
31 |
|
Finance income and other |
|
(3 |
) |
|
(11 |
) |
|
(11 |
) |
Income tax expense (recovery) |
|
6 |
|
|
(14 |
) |
|
14 |
|
Earnings of associate adjustment |
|
9 |
|
|
15 |
|
|
19 |
|
Non-controlling interests adjustment |
|
(18 |
) |
|
(8 |
) |
|
(22 |
) |
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ |
160 |
|
$ |
148 |
|
$ |
209 |
|
|
Three Months Ended |
($
millions except number of shares and per share amounts) |
Mar 312024 |
|
Dec 312023 |
|
Mar 312023 |
|
Net income attributable to Methanex shareholders |
$ |
53 |
|
$ |
33 |
|
$ |
60 |
|
Mark-to-market impact of share-based compensation, net of tax |
|
(9 |
) |
|
3 |
|
|
17 |
|
Impact of Egypt gas contract revaluation, net of tax |
|
— |
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
(1 |
) |
Adjusted net income |
$ |
44 |
|
$ |
35 |
|
$ |
76 |
|
Diluted weighted average
shares outstanding (millions) |
|
68 |
|
|
68 |
|
|
69 |
|
Adjusted net income per common share |
$ |
0.65 |
|
$ |
0.52 |
|
$ |
1.11 |
|
-
We recorded net income attributable to Methanex shareholders of $53
million in the first quarter of 2024 compared to net income of $33
million in the fourth quarter of 2023. Net income in the first
quarter of 2024 was higher compared to the prior quarter primarily
due to a higher average realized price and the positive impact of
the mark-to-market portion of share-based compensation due to
changes in Methanex's share price, offset by the one-time impact of
the ineffective portion of natural gas hedges at our Geismar site
recognized during the first quarter of 2024.
- We recorded
Adjusted EBITDA of $160 million for the first quarter of 2024
compared to $148 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. We
recorded Adjusted net income of $44 million for the first quarter
of 2024 compared to Adjusted net income of $35 million for the
fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted EBITDA was higher in the first
quarter of 2024 primarily due to a higher average realized price,
partially offset by the one-time impact of the ineffective portion
of natural gas hedges for our Geismar site.
- We sold
2,670,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2,862,000
tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2023. Sales of Methanex-produced
methanol were 1,681,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2024
compared to 1,712,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2023. The
restart of Egypt in February led to a slight build in produced
inventory in the first quarter.
- Production for
the first quarter of 2024 was 1,721,000 tonnes compared to
1,779,000 tonnes for the fourth quarter of 2023. Production was
slightly lower in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the fourth
quarter of 2023 mainly due to lower production in New Zealand which
was partially offset by higher production in Egypt.
-
Work is progressing to safely repair the Geismar 3 ("G3") plant and
we believe that the plant is on track to start up in the third
quarter of 2024. Repair costs are expected to be $15 million and
the total capital cost for the project is expected to remain at
approximately $1.30 billion. The remaining capital cost is fully
funded with cash on hand. The operating cost impact of the delay is
approximately $5 million per month and in the first quarter delay
costs were approximately $25 million due to take-or-pay on
utilities contracts, the organization build-up of fixed costs, and
the accounting recognition of over-hedged gas costs. These
operating costs are included in Adjusted EBITDA.
- In the first
quarter of 2024 we paid a quarterly dividend of $0.185 per common
share for a total of $12.5 million.
- At March 31,
2024, we had a strong liquidity position including a cash balance
of $407 million, or approximately $378 million excluding
non-controlling interests and including our share of cash in the
Atlas joint venture. With the renewal of our revolving credit
facility, along with the addition of the $200 million tranche in
April, we have a total of $500 million of facilities providing
financial flexibility.
PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
|
Q1 2024 |
Q4 2023 |
Q1 2023 |
(thousands of tonnes) |
Operating Capacity1 |
Production |
Production |
Production |
USA (Geismar) |
550 |
571 |
587 |
449 |
New Zealand2 |
430 |
277 |
344 |
403 |
Trinidad (Methanex
interest)3 |
490 |
258 |
283 |
256 |
Chile |
425 |
391 |
403 |
249 |
Egypt (50% interest) |
158 |
83 |
20 |
161 |
Canada
(Medicine Hat) |
150 |
141 |
142 |
142 |
|
2,203 |
1,721 |
1,779 |
1,660 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 The operating capacity of our production facilities may be higher
or lower than original nameplate capacity as, over time, these
figures have been adjusted to reflect ongoing operating
efficiencies at these facilities. Actual production for a facility
in any given year may be higher or lower than operating capacity
due to a number of factors, including natural gas availability,
feedstock composition, the age of the facility's catalyst,
turnarounds and access to CO2from external suppliers for certain
facilities. We review and update the operating capacity of our
production facilities on a regular basis based on historical
performance. |
2 The operating capacity of New Zealand is made up of the two
Motunui facilities. |
3 The operating capacity of Trinidad is made up of the Titan (100%
interest) and Atlas (63.1% interest) facilities. Refer to
theTrinidadsection below. |
Key production and operational highlights during
the first quarter include:
United States
Geismar produced 571,000 tonnes in the first
quarter of 2024 compared to 587,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of
2023.
New Zealand
New Zealand produced 277,000 tonnes in the first
quarter of 2024 compared to 344,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of
2023. Production in the first quarter was lower compared to the
fourth quarter because of lower gas deliveries due to planned
natural gas infrastructure maintenance at our suppliers' gas
fields. Our production guidance for 2024 is between 1.0 - 1.1
million tonnes. 2024 natural gas supply is expected to be impacted
by a combination of our suppliers' planned natural gas
infrastructure maintenance outages as well as lower than expected
output from existing wells. While upstream investment has been made
by our gas suppliers in New Zealand over the past two years, recent
gas production results have been lower than expected and we are
closely monitoring production results in 2024.
Trinidad
Atlas produced 258,000 tonnes (Methanex
interest) in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 283,000 tonnes
in the fourth quarter of 2023. Production was lower in the first
quarter due to an unplanned outage. In October 2023, Methanex
signed a two-year natural gas supply agreement with the National
Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) for its currently idled,
wholly owned, Titan methanol plant (875,000 tonnes per year
capacity) to restart operations in September 2024. Simultaneously,
the Atlas plant (Methanex interest 63.1% or 1,085,000 tonnes per
year capacity) will be idled in September 2024, when its legacy
20-year natural gas supply agreement expires. We are planning for
the Titan restart with minimal capital required.
Chile
Chile produced 391,000 tonnes in the first
quarter of 2024 compared to 403,000 tonnes in the fourth quarter of
2023. Production was similar in the first quarter compared to the
fourth quarter with full gas deliveries from Argentina, although
the resulting production was at lower than capacity due to catalyst
constraints. We estimate production for 2024 will be between 1.1 -
1.2 million tonnes which is underpinned by year-round natural gas
supply from Chile for about 30 – 35% of our requirements with the
remaining 65 – 70% being delivered from Argentina during the
Southern hemisphere non-winter months. Over the coming months we
will be replacing the catalyst in Chile IV which we expect will
improve efficiency and increase production compared to the first
quarter of 2024 when it is expected to restart in September 2024.
Natural gas development and related infrastructure investments in
Argentina continue to progress and we are working with our natural
gas suppliers on extending the period of full gas availability to
our plants.
Egypt
Egypt produced 166,000 tonnes (Methanex interest
- 83,000 tonnes) in the first quarter of 2024 compared to 40,000
tonnes (Methanex interest - 20,000 tonnes) in the fourth quarter of
2023. The plant restarted and reached full operating rates in
February after an unplanned outage in mid-October caused by a
mechanical failure in the synthesis gas compressor.
Canada
Medicine Hat produced 141,000 tonnes in the
first quarter of 2024 compared to 142,000 tonnes in the fourth
quarter of 2023.
2024 Production Outlook
We are updating our expected production guidance
for 2024 to approximately 7.0 million tonnes (Methanex interest).
Our 2024 production guidance has been lowered primarily because of
the Geismar 3 start-up delay. This expected production guidance is
based on the mid-point of Chile and New Zealand production
guidance, G3 starting up in the third quarter and operating at full
rates in the fourth quarter, Egypt restart in the first half of
February, and all other plants operating at full rates. Actual
production may vary by quarter based on timing of turnarounds, gas
availability, unplanned outages and unanticipated events.
CONFERENCE CALL
A conference call is scheduled for April 25,
2024 at 11:00 am ET (8:00 am PT) to review these first quarter
results. To access the call, dial the conferencing operator fifteen
minutes prior to the start of the call at (646) 307-1963, or toll
free at (800) 715-9871. The conference ID for the call is #9072911.
A simultaneous audio-only webcast of the conference call can be
accessed from our website at
www.methanex.com/investor-relations/events and will also be
available following the call.
ABOUT METHANEX
Methanex is a Vancouver-based, publicly traded
company and is the world’s largest producer and supplier of
methanol to major international markets. Methanex shares are listed
for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada under the
trading symbol "MX" and on the NASDAQ Global Market in the United
States under the trading symbol "MEOH".
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION WARNING
This first quarter 2024 press release contains
forward-looking statements with respect to us and the chemical
industry. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to
numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the
Company's control. Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should
not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may
vary materially from the forward-looking information. Methanex does
not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking
information as a result of any new information, future events or
otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Refer to
Forward-Looking Information Warning in the first quarter 2024
Management's Discussion and Analysis for more information which is
available from the Investor Relations section of our website at
www.methanex.com, the Canadian Securities Administrators' SEDAR+
website at www.sedarplus.ca and on the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR website at
www.sec.gov.
NON-GAAP MEASURES
The Company has used the terms Adjusted EBITDA,
Adjusted net income, and Adjusted net income per common share
throughout this document. These items are non-GAAP measures and
ratios that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by
GAAP. These measures represent the amounts that are attributable to
Methanex Corporation shareholders and are calculated by excluding
the mark-to-market impact of share-based compensation as a result
of changes in our share price, the impact of the Egypt gas contract
revaluation and the impact of certain items associated with
specific identified events. Refer to Additional Information -
Non-GAAP Measures on page 13 of the Company's MD&A for the
period ended March 31, 2024 for reconciliations to the most
comparable GAAP measures. Unless otherwise indicated, the financial
information presented in this release is prepared in accordance
with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued
by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB").
For further information, contact:Sarah HerriottDirector,
Investor RelationsMethanex Corporation604-661-2600
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