Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (BW) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Good afternoon. Thank you for attending the Babcock and Wilcox Enterprises fourth quarter 2024 conference call. All lines will be muted during the presentation portion of the call with an opportunity for questions and answers at the end. I would like to turn the conference over to your host, Sharon Brooks, B&W's Director of Communications. Thank you. You may proceed, Mrs. Brooks.

Thank you, Cameron, and thanks to everyone for joining us on Babcock and Wilcox Enterprises' fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings conference call. I'm Sharon Brooks, Director of Communications and Marketing. Joining the call today are Kenny Young, B&W's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Cameron Freymeyer, Chief Financial Officer, to discuss our fourth quarter results. During this call, certain statements we make will be forward-looking. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those set forth in our safe harbor provision for forward-looking statements that can be found at the end of our earnings press release and in our annual report on Form 10-K that has been filed with the SEC today. Additionally, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. We also provide non-GAAP information, including regarding certain of our historical and targeted results to supplement the results provided in accordance with GAAP. This information should not be considered superior to or as a substitute for the Comparable Gap Measures. A reconciliation of historical non-gap measures can be found in our earnings release published this afternoon and in our company overview presentation filed on Form 8K today and posted on the Investor Relations section of our website at babcock.com. I will now turn the call over to Kenny.

Thanks, Sharon. Well, good afternoon, everyone, and thanks for joining us on our fourth quarter and full-year 2024 earnings call. In 2024, we took specific actions that aligned with our business strategy that also paved the way to refinance or reduce our current debt obligations in 2025. With intent, we are shifting our focus on continued operations toward greater predictable revenues and margins, particularly from our thermal operations, based on tailwinds of increased demand from the utility and industrial power generation sectors. We also see new biomass energy plants becoming a reality in North America and anticipate possible bookings later this year. We saw improvements across many of our top metrics during the fourth quarter of 2024, including improvements in revenues, operating income, and adjusted EBITDA when compared to 20. Our fourth quarter revenue came in at $200.8 million compared to $174. It was an increase of 15%. Operating income from continued operations increased to 11 points compared to in the fourth quarter. Reflecting the continued strong adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was 24 points, which was a 55% year-over-year increase compared to the fourth quarter. Our margins are benefiting from our strategic shift to reduce reliance on high-interest, low-margin new-build projects. And after taking into account the recent divestitures, we have revised our full-year 2025 EBITDA target range to be $70 to $85 million, excluding BrightLoop and ClimateBright expenses. Importantly, we continue to invest in our BrightLoop opportunities and continue to anticipate spending in the range of $10 to $15 million in 2025 on our BrightLoop projects and technology advancement, including CapEx, which is apart from the Maslin construction. Transitioning to our full year financial performance on a continuing operations basis, we continue to display year-over-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA, excluding BrightLoop and ClimateBright, with a 13% increase from 2023 on yearly totals. We expect our improving adjusted EBITDA performance trend to continue as we move through 2025, leading to our full year 2025 adjusted EBITDA target range of 70 to 85 million. We remain stable across the year with the largest positive impact seen in our environmental segment and perhaps the strength and backlog numbers. We continue to see strong demand for our diverse portfolio technologies, which is driving our increased bookings of approximately $900 million in 2024 and a backlog now of over $540 million as we enter 2025. Specifically in 2020, we're increasing bookings and 47% in our backlog. We believe that these results are firm while underpinning and beyond. We believe in the fuel by demand. We are seeing utility and industrial clients, including the oil. While evaluating, we expect these tailwinds to increase the amount of front-end engineering design or feed. Today, we have energy opportunities globally with utility and industrial companies. Our investments of decarbonization technology to support the world's energy transition are progressing well, and we're making steady progress on our Bright Loop project in Massillon, Ohio, with a target of producing funding for the development of a process and the business towards deploying these technologies at scale carbon capture solutions. During 2024, we made further progress on our stated strategy to divest non-strategic assets to improve our balance sheet, avoid internationally large new build projects, and reduce associated costs. Importantly, we remain in negotiation with certain bondholders to potentially reduce. I'll now turn the call over to Cameron to discuss the financial details for the as previous CFO.

I'm excited to review our full year 2024 results in addition to commenting on our financial position entering 2025. For further detail, I call your attention to the fact that we filed our 10k with the SEC this afternoon and you can refer to it for further details beyond what we discussed in this call. On a continuing operations basis, our 2024 consolidated revenues were $717.3 million, which remained stable compared to the revenue levels in the prior year. Net loss from continuing operations in 2024 was $73 million, which was a better result compared to the net loss of continuing operations of $75.8 million in 2023. Primarily related to an overall decrease in our costs and expenses offset partially by higher interest expense and banking fees. In addition, we had a loss per share of 96 cents in 2024 compared to a loss per share of $1.02 in 2023. Our adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $68.9 million compared to $60.8 million in 2023. Bookings and backlog performed very well across the year, with year-end bookings coming in at $889.6 million, a 39% increase from the $638.7 million in 2023, while backlogs saw a 47% increase from $368.2 million in 2023 to $540.1 million in 2024. SPIG, B&W Renewable Services, and Volant were reclassified into discontinued operations for 2024, and their results are no longer reflected in our continuing operations. Our parts and services core business remains strong even with recent coal plant closures and natural gas conversions. Our robust backlog of $540.1 million and the strength of our parts business gives us confidence in our full year 2025 adjusted EBITDA target range of $70 to $85 million. I will now turn to our balance sheet and liquidity and comment on our positive outlook for improving cash flow trends in 2025. Total debt at December 31st, 2024 was $464.6 million, of which $124 million would have come due in January of 2027, but due to the springing maturity related to the $193 million of senior notes is now due November of 2025 and therefore has been classified as current. In addition, the $193 million of senior notes will be due February 2026 and is within 12 months from the date of our 10-K filing. The company has had cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash balance of $127.6 million as of December 31st. Given the size of the debt and the classification of the debt now being current, this raises a substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern. However, it is important to point out that management believes it is taking all the necessary actions to address the current senior notes that would remove the springing date as our senior debt, and if successful, we believe these actions will alleviate the going concern. The significant steps we have taken to strategically realign B&W in recent quarters positions us for improved cash flow generation in the years ahead. Specifically, as Kenny mentioned, we completed the sale of our SPIG and GMAB businesses for net proceeds of $33.4 million in the fourth quarter, which improved our balance sheet and demonstrated our ability to continue to execute against our stated strategy to sell certain assets. The company's core business continues to perform ahead of expectations, and we anticipate returning to positive cash flows in 2025. Looking forward, one of our top priorities is refinancing of our current debt obligations. We are in discussions regarding refinancing of our debt with key bondholders as well as junior lenders and remain in process to sell certain other assets. The proceeds of these sales will be used primarily to pay down existing debt and working capital moving forward. Alan, I'll turn the call back over to Kenny.

Thanks, Cameron. Well, in closing, we continue to execute against our strategic plan and remain intently focused on driving further improvements on our balance sheet. Our global pipeline of over $7.6 billion in identified project opportunities remains healthy across all segments, and we anticipate prospects for new bookings and stronger financial performance throughout 2025. B&W has deep industry expertise with clean energy and carbon capture technologies and with our long history in traditional energy sources and highly experienced and capable employees, we believe we are well-positioned to deliver improved value and consistent growth for everyone, including our shareholders. I would like to wrap up today by recognizing and thanking our customers as well as our employees who help meet the challenges of energy demand around the world. I will now turn the call back over to Cameron, who will help us with a few questions. Cameron?

We will now begin the question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star, followed by one on your telephone keypad. If for any reason you would like to remove that question, please press star, followed by two. Again, to ask a question, press star, one. And as a reminder, if you are using a speakerphone, please remember to pick up your handset before asking a question. And we will pause here briefly as questions are registered. The first question is from the lineup, Aaron Svichalo with Craig Hallam. You may proceed.

Hi, Kenny and Cameron. Thanks for taking the questions. You know, first for me on the guidance, a little bit wider range than normal to start the year. Can you just kind of discuss some of the puts and takes there? What might get you to the top end versus the low end? And just kind of confidence as we head through the year, how that builds, especially considering the new large coal to gas project.

Yeah, I think there's a couple key metrics in there. I mean, first of all, with the introduction of all of the tariffs that have been recently announced, you know, has some ups and downs as it relates to our business. Typically, the tariffs are all passed through to customers in this particular case, but really don't know the economic impact of what customers may do, either, you know, delay a start of a project or delay a project to wait for hopefully the tariffs get removed and affect the margin of the project for the customer standpoint. So we just don't know the outcome of that particular piece and how that's going to play out, obviously, over the course of the year. So we're just keeping an eye on the tariff aspect on one hand. And then, you know, obviously, we need to get through some of the debt restructuring and financing, which, you know, on that particular front, to manage through, you know, particularly on the business from a cost standpoint. point. So we just need to see how that shakes out. So there's a couple of key areas that we're focused on that gives us, you know, to step back and say, hey, let's give a little bit of range here. So we just don't know the impact of some of these, you know, in particular, some of the tariffs that are being introduced.

Right.

And on that, I mean, I know it's still early and obviously evolving by the day, but, you know, what's your kind of current thoughts on, are you seeing an impact there, any kind of delays in project timing versus, you know, how you were maybe thinking about it a quarter or two ago no well the answer is we're in discussions with with several customers on several aspects right we have we bring in uh obviously equipment around the world or pieces of some of the projects that we execute on in north america come in from around the world obviously some things get exported out of the u.s to other places in the world so you know we've got the tariff issue on both sides of the equation on on some projects so too early to know specific, like, project by project, but we are in talks with customers directly about, you know, certain projects that we're involved in, you know, the potential cost of those tariffs and what the customer may or may not want to do. You know, some of those could be minor. I mean, it could be $10,000 or $15,000, you know, or a couple hundred thousand. There are other cases where the tariffs might be more material, you know, more into the, you know, the $5 to $7 million range, depending on the scope and, you know, some of the aspects that are being considered there. So we have to work with a customer and see how they want to handle that. Obviously, when the equipment transfers across the borders, the tariffs got to be paid immediately. And so that gets reflected back onto the client, in some cases, back within their customers as well, too. So it all depends.

But no definitive outcome, I would say, yet at this time. we're just kind of consciously in dialogue and discussions and you know as you said it changes daily so who knows and hopefully some of these tariffs get uh get removed or get reversed and and business go understood and then you know appreciate the update on on mass alone um can can you maybe give an update on uh the um wyoming project you know kind of where that stands you know next guideposts we should kind of look for there is there any impact you know from kind of IRA and, again, just kind of broader federal noise there, an update there would be great.

Yeah, no, no, no problem. It's obviously from the IRA standpoint, which is all part of the conversation going on in D.C., I think the general feedback that we received is there's some confidence that the IRA credits will move forward. Specifically on Wyoming, on that project, we are working with Black Hills. They're looking to get some financing on this initial project out of the Department of Energy. There are discussions in and around that. And obviously, some of the budgetary items need to settle as it relates to that. And we feel like we do have congressional support as it relates to that particular project. And we have appropriations like we're sitting in the DOE that would help that particular project to just need to get things a little settled in the administration here to get that pushed forward. But we are working with Black Hills on that as they're trying. So just working through some of those scenarios still here in the Department of Energy. But, you know, it's all positive. It's just got to get to the right, you know, yes, rather than a series of, you know, well, give us another week here to figure out what's going on. So that, you know, a little caught up in that. It's a brand-new administration. Obviously, they're making a lot of noise in a very short period of time, but they've only been in place for a couple months, so they're still trying to work through some of the dynamics and how all that's going to shake out under the loan program and how they're going to proceed. So we're working with them and side-by-side on that front. So anticipated getting done here, but we're working with them on that front.

Right. Thanks for that. And then maybe last, you know, so the EPA is reconsidering some of the emissions regulations. Can you just maybe give an update there what that could mean for the thermal business, both on, you know, existing kind of power generation assets and then some of the coal to gas conversion opportunities you have in the pipeline?

Yeah, no, good question. We do get asked that a lot by a lot of people. It's kind of interesting. I mean, at just high level, it's, you know, the general feeling, I guess, amongst you. utilities, it's a little, you know, if utilities are solid on fossil fuels, in particular coal aspect, and they've got new cases around it, a lot of those are going to, you know, stay in place for the foreseeable future, you know, regardless of what the EPA aspects are that are out there. I think, you know, those clients that are looking at natural gas conversions for the long run are typically looking at, you know, overall operational costs of, you know, coal versus natural gas, and those conversions tend to have a 20-year capital life cycle. So we don't typically see a big swing and a shift either way based on the regulatory aspect coming out of the EPA, because it's hard for the utilities to obviously re-address their capital needs every four years based on a different policy that might be invoked in D.C. So I don't know that it'll have a big impact. It obviously clearly supports the continuation of where coal plants are, you know, will continue any changes of those. You know, it could possibly delay not a material impact natural gas. That's fine, too, as well, and we can provide that conversion.

Good. Thanks for taking the questions. I'll turn it over.

Yeah. Thanks, Aaron.

The next question is from the line of Rob Brown with Lake Street Capital Market. You may proceed. Good afternoon. Hey, Rob.

On the – yeah, I'm starting workings in the quarter, but I just want to get a sense in how the pipeline's shaping up for this year. Are you seeing that kind of bookings level continue? How should we think about the, I guess, the bookings run rates into this?

You've faded out, Rob, right at the end of that, but I think you were asking how do we kind of see the pipeline shaping up this year? in bookings okay correct yeah no problem so you know as I briefly mentioned the remarks I mean overall we we feel pretty solid about our pipeline they have been for quite some time and the opportunities are actually growing and expanding you know we're starting to as we see some of the feed studies now some of the the newer plants when we're looking at but we're still seeing a lot of the data center. And so, you know, we, some of the work there, we do kind of feel like that one or two of those may wind up being booked this year. A positive outcome for us and get some bookings in there as well, too. So we're excited about that. You know, and we continue to ramp up, I mean, less and less on the internationally as a national side. Other aspects, we think that's the right decision to make. And we think there's, you know, larger volumes here in North America to pursue. So, you know, I think we'll see a steady aspect of our thermal business, you know, is doing quite well. We continue to expand on the parts and services side of thermal on the international basis, and we see that continuing on for the foreseeable future on that aspect of it. And like I mentioned, a couple of biomass and other opportunities emerge here in the United States, you know, toward the later part of the year. So we're excited about those as well.

Okay, great.

And then on the west virginia project you talked about 10 million of support what what's the next steps there and it reminds us of the size of that project yeah so so overall that estimated to be around 140 150 million dollar project for us and uh we're we're in discussions with certain outside investors that would take that project over the 10 million uh provided by the state it specifically helps us Let's do all of the early engineering work on the project. We have secured the land for that location, or we're finalizing the agreements, I think, about to sign for that, but we'll secure the land for that location and complete that aspect in Mason County, and it's close to be nameless, but a large data center. So that's happening, and the payments on the $10 million, there's milestone aspects that But I think we've hit roughly about $5 million out of the 10, or close to $5 million out of the 10, you know, with the company that we'll probably retain for the project. And so some of the funding will the project and get it off the ground to completion so that we can get to FID on that a little bit quicker. And some firms on that front as well, too. So the funding is nice to have because obviously it helps cover internal costs and other aspects that go specifically into that project. So that's exciting to do.

Okay, great.

That was the last question. I will now turn the call back over to the management team for any closing remarks.

Thank you for joining us. That concludes our conference call today. A replay will be available for a limited time on the B&W website.

That concludes today's Babcock and Wilcox fourth quarter 2024 earnings conference call. Thank you for your participation and enjoy the rest of your day.