Air Products Reports Very Strong Fiscal 2019 Second Quarter Results

Q2 FY19 (all from continuing operations; comparisons versus prior year):

• GAAP EPS of $1.90, up one percent; GAAP net income of $421 million
• Adjusted EPS of $1.92*, up 12 percent; adjusted EPS up 17 percent on a constant currency basis
• Record adjusted EBITDA margin of 37.7 percent*, up 340 basis points

Guidance

• Increasing fiscal 2019 full-year adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $8.15 to $8.30* per share, up 10 percent* over prior year at midpoint; fiscal 2019 third quarter adjusted EPS guidance of $2.10 to $2.15 per share*, up eight to 10 percent* over fiscal 2018 third quarter
• Increasing expected fiscal year 2019 capital spending to a range of $2.4 to $2.5 billion 

*The results and guidance in this release, including in the highlights above, include references to non-GAAP continuing operations measures and are identified by the word “adjusted” preceding the measure. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results can be found below.

Air Products (NYSE:APD) reported GAAP net income from continuing operations of $421 million and GAAP diluted EPS from continuing operations of $1.90 for its fiscal second quarter ended March 31, 2019. These results include a $0.02 EPS charge from a pension settlement.

On a non-GAAP basis, quarterly adjusted net income from continuing operations of $425 million and adjusted diluted EPS from continuing operations of $1.92 increased 13 and 12 percent respectively over the prior year. On a constant currency basis, diluted adjusted EPS from continuing operations increased 17 percent.

Second quarter sales of $2.2 billion increased one percent over the prior year. Volumes and pricing both increased three percent; this strong performance was roughly offset by four percent unfavorable currency and two percent from a contract modification to a tolling agreement in India, which impacts sales but not profits. Excluding the Jazan project, volumes grew five percent due to positive base business volumes and additional new plant onstreams, including the Lu'An gasification facility in Asia. Pricing improved in all three regions and across merchant product lines.

Adjusted EBITDA of $825 million increased 12 percent over the prior year, driven by the higher volumes and positive pricing, partially offset by unfavorable currency and higher costs. Record adjusted EBITDA margin of 37.7 percent increased 340 basis points over the prior year.

Commenting on the results, Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "The committed and motivated team at Air Products continues to generate superior performance, delivering our 20th consecutive quarter of adjusted EPS growth despite unfavorable currency. The team also drove us to a new record adjusted quarterly EBITDA margin, which is up more than 1,200 basis points from five years ago when we first began our journey to be the safest, most diverse and most profitable industrial gas company it the world. We have a differentiated position of financial strength and technology that enables us to continue deploying capital into strategic, high-return, value-creating projects while also continuing to return cash to shareholders through our dividend."

Second Quarter Results by Business Segment

• Industrial Gases – Americas sales of $992 million increased nine percent over the prior year. Volumes increased five percent and pricing and higher energy pass-through each contributed three percent, partially offset by two percent unfavorable currency. Adjusted EBITDA of $398 million increased 10 percent over the prior year, primarily driven by higher volumes and pricing. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 40.2 percent increased 60 basis points from the prior year; excluding the impact of higher energy pass-through, adjusted EBITDA margin increased 150 basis points.

• Industrial Gases – EMEA sales of $494 million decreased 12 percent from prior year. Strong pricing contributed three percent, volumes were stable, and higher energy pass-through added one percent. These results were offset by seven percent unfavorable currency and a nine percent decrease from the India contract modification. Adjusted EBITDA of $182 million increased two percent over the prior year; on a constant currency basis, adjusted EBITDA increased nine percent. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 36.8 percent increased 500 basis points over the prior year; excluding the impact of the India contract modification, adjusted EBITDA margin was up approximately 200 basis points.

• Industrial Gases – Asia sales of $625 million increased 12 percent over the prior year. Volumes increased 12 percent, driven primarily by new projects including the Lu'An project; pricing increased five percent; and currency was negative five percent. Adjusted EBITDA of $298 million increased 32 percent, and record adjusted EBITDA margin of 47.7 percent was up 700 basis points over the prior year on strong volumes and pricing.

Outlook

Ghasemi said, "Our results this quarter show how focused our people are on the day-to-day operational performance of our business. Additionally, we are forging a new path for growth through successful execution of world-scale projects. As a result, we remain confident that we will continue to deliver on our commitments."

Air Products is increasing full-year fiscal 2019 adjusted EPS guidance from a previous range of $8.05 to $8.30 to a new range of $8.15 to $8.30 per share, which is up 10 percent over prior year at midpoint. For the fiscal 2019 third quarter, Air Products expects adjusted EPS of $2.10 to $2.15 per share, up eight to 10 percent over the fiscal 2018 third quarter.

Air Products is increasing its expected capital expenditures to a range of $2.4 to $2.5 billion for full-year fiscal 2019.

Effective October 1, 2018, Air Products adopted the new revenue recognition standard, which had no material impact on the company’s financial statements. Management has provided adjusted EPS on a continuing operations basis. While Air Products might have additional impacts from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act adopted in late 2017, or incur additional costs for items such as cost reduction actions and pension settlements in future periods, it is not possible, without unreasonable efforts, to identify the amount or significance of these events or the potential for other transactions that may impact future GAAP EPS or the effective tax rate. Management does not believe these items to be representative of underlying business performance. Management is unable to reconcile, without unreasonable effort, the Company’s forecasted range of adjusted EPS to a comparable GAAP range.

Earnings Teleconference
Access the Q2 earnings teleconference scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 24, 2019 by calling 323-794-2094 and entering passcode 3807821, or access the Event Details page on Air Products’ Investor Relations web site.

View entire earnings release with all financial tables.