Dow Reports 13% Sales Drop in Q2

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Second Quarter 2015 Highlights

• Dow reported earnings per share of $0.97, or operating earnings per share of $0.91(1). This compares with earnings of $0.73 per share in the year-ago period, or earnings of $0.74 per share on an operating basis – up 23 percent versus the year-ago period. Results in the quarter were impacted by a $375 million pre-tax charge, or $0.21 per share, associated with the previously announced restructuring program, costs related to portfolio and productivity actions of $0.03 per share, and the favorable impact of $0.30 per share related to the consolidation of Univation Technologies, LLC.
• Sales were $12.9 billion, down 13 percent year over year, with declines driven primarily by currency and lower oil price. Sequentially, sales grew 4 percent with gains across all geographic areas. Sales increases were led by Greater China (up 14 percent) and the United States (up 6 percent).
• Volume rose 2 percent, or 3 percent excluding Hydrocarbons and Energy and divestments on a year-over-year basis led by Performance Plastics (up 9 percent). On the same basis, geographic volume growth was led by Greater China (up 9 percent), Europe (up 6 percent) and the United States (up 2 percent). Sequentially, volume grew 4 percent excluding Hydrocarbons and Energy and divestments, led by Greater China (up 12 percent), the United States (up 5 percent) and Latin America (up 3 percent).
• EBITDA(2) rose to $2.4 billion, or $2.5 billion on an operating basis(3) – up $210 million versus the year-ago period. Gains were led by Performance Plastics, Performance Materials & Chemicals and Agricultural Sciences. Performance Plastics operating EBITDA represented a new second quarter record. Overall, the Company achieved a first-half EBITDA of $5.4 billion, or a record $4.9 billion on an operating basis.
• Operating EBITDA margin(4) expanded to 19 percent, up 396 basis points versus the year-ago period. Gains were due to strong margins in Performance Plastics and Performance Materials & Chemicals. This represents the highest second quarter operating EBITDA margin since 2005.
• Year-to-date, cash from operations was $2.7 billion, up $700 million versus the same period last year. On the same basis, Dow has returned $1.5 billion to shareholders through declared dividends and share repurchases.
• The Company announced a series of execution milestones in its portfolio management program including: the achievement of several significant regulatory clearances for the chlor-alkali and derivatives divestiture transaction; the mechanical completion and initiation of commissioning of the propane dehydrogenation unit in Texas Operations; the consolidation of Univation Technologies, LLC; and the signing of a definitive agreement for the divestiture of its post-harvest specialty chemical business, AgroFresh. Dow also achieved regulatory clearances for its ARYLEXTM and ISOCLASTTM actives in Europe and announced the first commercial sale of ENLIST DUOTM herbicide in the United States in the quarter.

Comment

Andrew N. Liveris, Dow’s chairman and chief executive officer, stated:

“Dow’s outstanding second quarter and first-half results illustrate our relentless focus on execution against our strategy and proactive self-help actions to deliver strong financial performance. Through disciplined commercial and operational excellence, coupled with underlying strength in demand for Dow products, we once again generated significant earnings growth, margin expansion and strong free cash flow in the quarter – in the midst of record-level growth capital spending. I am proud of the Dow team for achieving all-time second quarter operating EBITDA records.

“Our strategy is delivering, as evidenced by the Company’s consistently improving financial performance for the past eleven quarters. We continue to realize a strong competitive advantage from productivity, the benefits of our investments in propane flexibility and our backbone of physical and technology integration. We have also accelerated our customer-driven execution by combining the power of rapid test R&D with high-touch marketing to drive the development of innovative and in-demand material and ag-science solutions. We are accessing big data more quickly, which in turn, is improving the Company’s insight and information quality and allowing us to operate more effectively and meet ever-evolving customer needs. These actions continue to raise both our current earnings and the earnings potential of our enterprise.”

Review of Second Quarter Results

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) reported earnings per share of $0.97 or operating earnings per share of $0.91. This compares with earnings of $0.73 per share in the year-ago period, or earnings of $0.74 per share on an operating basis – up 23 percent versus the year-ago period.

Sales were $12.9 billion, down 13 percent year over year, with declines driven primarily by currency and lower oil price. Sequentially, sales grew 4 percent with gains across all geographic areas. Sales increases were led by Greater China (up 14 percent) and the United States (up 6 percent).

Volume rose 2 percent, or 3 percent excluding Hydrocarbons and Energy and divestments on a year-over-year basis led by Performance Plastics (up 9 percent). On the same basis, geographic volume growth was led by Greater China (up 9 percent), Europe (up 6 percent) and the United States (up 2 percent). Sequentially, volume grew 4 percent excluding Hydrocarbons and Energy and divestments, led by Greater China (up 12 percent), the United States (up 5 percent) and Latin America (up 3 percent).

EBITDA rose to $2.4 billion, or $2.5 billion on an operating basis – up $210 million versus the year-ago period. Gains were led by Performance Plastics, Performance Materials & Chemicals and Agricultural Sciences. Performance Plastics operating EBITDA represented a new second quarter record. Overall, the Company achieved a first-half EBITDA of $5.4 billion, or a record $4.9 billion on an operating basis.

Operating EBITDA margin expanded to 19 percent, up 396 basis points versus the year-ago period. Gains were due to strong margins in Performance Plastics and Performance Materials & Chemicals. This represents the highest second quarter operating EBITDA margin since 2005.

Certain Items in the current quarter included pre-tax charges of $375 million, or $0.21 per share, associated with the previously announced restructuring program, costs related to portfolio and productivity actions of $0.03 per share, and the favorable impact of $0.30 per share related to the consolidation of Univation Technologies, LLC. (See Supplemental Information at the end of the release for a description of Certain Items affecting results.)

Research and Development (R&D) expenses and Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) expenses together increased 3 percent versus the year-ago period due primarily to an increase in employee performance-based compensation.

Year-to-date, cash from operations was $2.7 billion, up $700 million versus the same period last year. On the same basis, Dow has returned $1.5 billion to shareholders through declared dividends and share repurchases.

The Company announced a series of execution milestones in its portfolio management program including: the achievement of several significant regulatory clearances for the chlor-alkali and derivatives divestiture transaction; the mechanical completion and initiation of commissioning of the propane dehydrogenation unit in Texas Operations; the consolidation of Univation Technologies, LLC; and the signing of a definitive agreement for the divestiture of its post-harvest specialty chemical business, AgroFresh. Dow also achieved regulatory clearances for its ARYLEXTM and ISOCLASTTM actives in Europe and announced the first commercial sale of ENLIST DUOTM herbicide in the United States in the quarter.

About Dow

Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company is driving innovations that extract value from the intersection of chemical, physical and biological sciences to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, clean energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's integrated, market-driven, industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 180 countries and in high-growth sectors such as packaging, electronics, water, coatings and agriculture. In 2014, Dow had annual sales of more than $58 billion and employed approximately 53,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 6,000 product families are manufactured at 201 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.