PW Eagle Reports Second Quarter EarningsSecond Quarter Fiscal 2003 Results Conference Call and Webcast Scheduled for Monday, August 11, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. Central TimeMINNEAPOLIS August 8, 2003 PW Eagle, Inc. (Nasdaq-NMS: PWEI) today reported its financial results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2003. The results of the first six months as reported include the results of operations for the recently acquired Uponor ETI (now Extrusion Technologies, Inc., or ETI) from March 14, 2003, the date of acquisition. A summary of the unaudited consolidated results for the three and six month periods ending June 30, 2003 and 2002 is set forth in the following table: Consolidated Income Statement Information
Included in the information reported above for the three month period ending June 30, 2003, is a non-cash inventory write down of approximately $2.1 million based upon reducing the value of our inventory to the lower of cost or market, reducing our reported EBITDA by a corresponding amount and resulting in our reporting a loss for the second quarter. PW Eagle also reported pro forma financial information assuming that its March 14, 2003 acquisition of ETI took place on January 1, 2002. The pro forma financial information includes certain adjustments to reflect what the Company will experience on an ongoing basis. A summary of the unaudited pro forma financial information for the three and six month periods ending June 30, 2003 and 2002, and the year ended December 31, 2002 is set forth in the following table: Pro Forma Consolidated Income Statement Information
William H. Spell, PW Eagle CEO, stated, The PVC pipe industry as a whole experienced a significant slowdown in demand and reduction in selling prices during the second quarter. We believe the reduction in demand for PVC pipe was due to poor weather that deferred construction activity, an unsettled economy and the high levels of inventory at distributors resulting from their heavy purchases in the first quarter as pipe prices increased. In addition, PVC pipe and resin prices peaked in April and then began to decrease, further discouraging distributors from purchasing pipe products in expectation of lower future pipe prices. PW Eagle and its subsidiary, Extrusion Technologies, Inc. experienced a reduction in demand for pipe in the second quarter when compared to both the first quarter of 2003 and the second quarter of the prior year. Mr. Spell continued, We are disappointed with the results of the second quarter. As a result of poor industry conditions, we have, and are continuing to take action to mitigate the impact of this slowdown, including curtailing production and instituting cost control measures. PW Eagle was in violation of certain financial institution loan covenants as of June 30, 2003. The financial institutions have since waived the condition of non-compliance with these covenants. Under the current business conditions and debt structure, it is likely that the Company will be in violation of these same covenants in future periods, and, therefore must reclassify a portion of its long term debt from long term to current as of June 30, 2003. It is also likely under current business conditions and debt structure, that the Company will be in violation of financial covenants with other financial institutions in future periods. Mr. Spell continued, We are working diligently during this difficult time to strengthen our balance sheet, deleverage the Company and improve our operating results. In July, we entered into an agreement to sell our idled plant and property in Phoenix, Arizona for $2.5 million and expect to complete the sale during the third quarter. In addition, we have entered into discussions with our lenders to develop plans to further strengthen our balance sheet and to ensure compliance with all financial covenants on September 30, 2003. We continue to identify synergies and cost savings resulting from our acquisition of ETI and are accelerating our efforts to capture these benefits and becoming a more effective and efficient producer and marketer of plastic pipe products. Looking ahead, Mr. Spell said, We believe that demand for our products in the third quarter will improve over the second quarter of this year and the third quarter of 2002 as demand for pipe increases due to improved weather and an improving economy. We also believe our distributors have lowered their inventories and will begin to purchase product at a rate that reflects the actual demand for our products. However, we believe our margins will remain depressed until pipe prices increase. We will continue to manage costs and seek ways of enhancing sales of our high margin products. For the remainder of 2003 we expect to experience the normal seasonality in our business and our results will be highly dependent on the performance of the economy as a whole and particularly within our market areas. Second Quarter 2003 Webcast & Conference CallPW Eagle will hold its second quarter 2003 webcast and conference call on Monday, August 11, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss the Companys performance for the second quarter and first six months of 2003. The conference call will be available live on the Internet at www.pweagleinc.com. The call will also be archived at that location for one week following its original webcast. The conference call telephone number is 1-800-289-0495. Use 122978 as the confirmation code to access the call and please call a few minutes before the beginning of the call. About the CompanyPW Eagle, Inc. is a leading producer of PVC pipe and also produces polyethylene pipe and water meter boxes. The Company operates thirteen manufacturing facilities in the United States. PW Eagles common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol PWEI. Information Available on our WebsiteThis press release and our periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission are available on our website at www.pweagleinc.com under the heading Investor Relations. THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND ACTUAL RESULTS MAY DIFFER # # # |
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