Diana Shipping Inc. (DSX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Thank you for standing by, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Diana Shipping, Inc. conference call on the first quarter, 2026 financial results. We are joined by the company's chief executive officer, Ms. Semiramis Paiu. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. There will be a presentation followed by a Q&A session. To ask a question, press star 1 on your telephone keypad and wait for your name to be announced. Please note that this conference is being recorded. We will now turn the floor over to Ms. Samira Miskalio. Please go ahead.

Thank you. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Diana Kippinging's first quarter 2026 financial results conference call. I am Samira Miskalio, the CEO of the company, and it's my pleasure to present alongside our esteemed team, Mr. Ioannis Afirakis, director and president, Ms. Maria Vedek, co-CFO and Treasurer, Mr. Dave Van der Linden, Chief Financial Officer of Diana Chipping Services SA. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone to review the forward-looking statements on page 4 of the accompanying presentation. The first quarter of 2026 continued to show strong momentum, which carried over from last year. The usual seasonal slowdown in Q1 did not happen, and the Cape Side market had its best first quarter since 2010. Again, this was due to several factors, none of them necessarily demand-driven. We saw more utilization tightening caused by longer sun miles, a substantial dry dock schedule, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Middle East conflict not only caused parts of the dry bar fleet to be tied up in that area, but also an overall reduction in operating speed, especially on the long-haul routes. Cape-sized vessels were the strongest movers. At this time, we have also seen a marked improvement in the camper-max market, which was supported by a spike in coal movements in the Pacific. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam have increased their coal imports to address their energy needs. Interestingly, the growth in grain shipments was also concentrated to other countries besides China. In the quarter, we took period coverage across all sizes in the fleet, again at rates significantly higher than their previous charters. I would like I'd like to mention that although Diana has no vessels directly affected by the Persian Gulf situation, our thoughts are with the many seafarers who must steer for their safety and well-being. Turning to slide 5, let's review our company snapshot as of today. Diana Fipping Inc., founded in 1972 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2005, Our fleet operates a fleet of 36 dry bulk vessels, one of which is mortgage-free. Our fleet has an average age of 12.5 years and a total deadweight capacity of approximately 4 million tons. We anticipate the delivery of two methanol-dual-fuel new-building Campermax dry bulk vessels at the end of 2027 and early 2028, respectively. Fleet utilization reached 99.9% for the three months ended March 31st, 2026, highlighting our effective vessel management strategy. As of the end of the first quarter, we employed 941 individuals at sea and ashore. Financially, our next debt stands at 46% of market value, supported by US$124.5 million in cash reserves as of quarter-end, and total secured revenues of approximately US$168.5 million as of May 20, 2026. Moving on to slide 6, let's go over the key highlights of the first quarter, 2026, and recent developments. In January, we announced our intention to nominate a slate of six highly qualified independent candidates for election at Jennings' annual meeting on June 18th. In March the same year, we increased our offer to US$23.5 per share in cash to acquire all outstanding shares of Genco not already owned by us. The offer is backed by US$1.433 million in full-committed financing from six leading global banks with no financing conditions. The offer is further supported by a definitive agreement with Starbuck Carriers Corp., which will acquire 16 JNCO vessels for US$470.5 million upon closing. In May 2026, we launched a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of JNCO for US$23.5 per share in cash. As of May 20, 2026, we have secured US$123.5 million of contracted revenues for 83% of the remaining ownership days of the year 2026, and have secured US$44.1 million of contracted revenues for 17% of the remaining ownership days of the year 2027. In May 2026, we were awarded the Global Award in the Governance Leader Award category at the Environmental, Social, and Governance Shipping Awards 2026. Today, we are pleased to declare a quarterly cash dividend of one cent per common share with respect to the first quarter of 2026, totaling approximately 1.2 million U.S. dollars. Lastly, just yesterday, we amended our offer price to acquire Genco to 24.8 US dollars per share in cash and have extended the tender offer deadline to June 26, 2026. The revised offer price will be adjusted on a one-for-one basis for any dividends or other distributions declared or paid to shareholders following the announcement of our offer. The new increased offer represents a 39% premium to Genco's undisturbed share price on the day before our initial offer, a 48% premium to its 30-day volume-weighted average price as of that date and its price at approximately 1 times net asset value at what analysts have described as 15 years' high asset value. It should be noted that Genco's share price is currently trading at or around NAB, while the dry-buck peers are currently trading at an average 20% discount to NAB. Before our involvement, Genco traded at an average 30% discount to NAB since 2020. As such, Genco shareholders face significant downside risk in the absence of our offer. If the offer is not completed, Jenko's share price could decline to approximately $18 per share if the stock reverts towards its historical trading. Unfortunately, for six months, the Jenko board has completely refused to engage with us,

Jenko's largest shareholder.

Our previous offers have each been met with silence, and we are hopeful that the Genco board will finally sit down with us to engage in a constructive dialogue. This is the path forward that we strongly prefer, but we have also given Genco shareholders the opportunity to vote for our board nominees, who we are confident will explore all opportunities to maximize value and to tender their shares. We are committed to seeing this through, and you can stay informed by visiting our campaign website at cashforgenco.com. We urge Genco shareholders to vote the gold universal proxy card for Diana's sixth independent director's nominee at the 2026 annual meeting. Again, for more information, please visit our website at cashforgenco.com. Moving on to slide 8. Slide 8 summarizes our recent chartering activities. From February 20, 2026 until May 20, we have secured time charters for five vessels, an ultramax vessel at a daily rate of 16,000 for 408 days, three panamax, camtermax, and post-panamax vessels at an average daily rate of 17,250, Slide 9 highlights our discipline chartering strategy. We focus on staggered medium-to-long-term charters to avoid clustered maturities, ensuring earnings visibility and resilience against market downturns. This discipline chartering strategy has secured for the remaining of 2026 approximately US$124 million in contracted revenues, resulting in an average fixed time charter rate of $18,338 per day. For the rest of 2026, only 17% of days remain unfixed. The average contract duration is 1.24 years, covering some days of 2027. Now, I'll pass the floor to our co-CFO, Maria Dedes, for a more detailed financial analysis. Thank you, Simeon.

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. I will walk you through our financial performance for the first quarter of 2026. Time starter revenues were $54.7 million, slightly lower than $54.9 million in the same quarter last year. The decrease reflects the smaller fleet size compared to the prior year period and was largely offset by a higher time starter equivalent rate achieved during the quarter. Adjusted Debit DAW was $23.3 million for both periods. Net income was $29.1 million compared to $3 million in the first quarter of 2025. Net income attributable to common stockholders was $27.7 million compared to $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2025. Basic and diluted earnings per common share was $0.25 for the first quarter of 2026, compared to $0.01 for the same quarter last year. Profitability of the quarter was supported by the higher time-charted equivalent rate mentioned earlier, decreased interest expense on our steady amortizing debt, increased dividend income, and an unrealized gain on our investment in Genco of $26.4 million. We continue to maintain a strong balance sheet with increased cash and decreased debt compared to year-end 2025. As of March 31, 2026, cash stood at $124.5 million compared to $122.3 million out of December 31, 2025. Long-term debt and finance liabilities net of deferred financing costs decreased to $621.1 million as of March 31, 2026 from $636.1 million as of year end, 2025, reflecting the quarter's debt amortization. We ended the quarter with a strong liquidity position and a conservative net loan to bio of 46%. During the quarter, we operated an average of 36 vessels compared to 37.8 vessels in the same quarter last year, following the sale of Alcmini early in March and Celina in July 2025. This reduction is reflected in lower revenues, operating expenses, and ownership available in operating days. Time charter equivalent averaged $16,035, a 2% increase compared to $16,739 in the first quarter of 2025, with a strong feed utilization of 99.9%. Vessel operating expenses for the quarters decreased by 3% to $19.5 million compared to $20 million in the first quarter of 2025 due to the smaller fleet size. On a per-day basis, daily operating expenses rose by 2% to 6,009, compared to 5,866 in the first quarter of 2025, mainly due to higher crude source, supply, and environmental costs. We maintain a disciplined approach to leverage. The mix of variable rate secured bank debt, the senior unsecured bond with a fixed coupon, and certain leaseback facilities at fixed interest rates provides diversification and stability. Our amortization profile is gradual, with no significant near-term refinancing concentration. Our debt amortization schedule is steady and predictable through 2029 when the $175 million senior unsecured bond matures. We will address this maturity well in advance to ensure liquidity stability, minimize refinancing risks, and maintain predictable cash flows. In this slide, we compare our free cash flow break-even leverage against estimated revenues for 2026 and 2027. As of March 31, 2026, our cash flow break-even rate stood at $16,344 per day, including voyage, operating, and general and administrative expenses, financing costs, and debt amortization. For the remainder of 2026, we have secured 83% of the ownership days at an average time chart rate of $18,338 per day, generating expected revenues of $123.5 million. For 2027, 17% of the ownership days are fixed at an average fine survey rate of $19,858 per day, with expected revenues of $44.1 million. Potential revenues for the remainder of 2026 and for 2027, including the estimated revenues for the unfixed days based on FFA rates as of May 20, 2026, could reach 149.6 million and 252.3 million for 2027, respectively. Overall, our competitive break-even rate reflects disciplined cost control across the fleet. Our contracted revenues provide solid visibility and downside protection, while the market exposure of the unfixed operating days allows us to preserve flexibility in our commercial strategy and participate in improving market conditions. This slide highlights dividend distributions. The company has consistently rewarded shareholders with quarterly dividends since the third quarter of 2021, in both cash and shares. In line with this policy, we declared the dividend of 1 cent per share for the first quarter of 2026, bringing cumulative dividends paid since 2021 to $2.71 per common share. Dividends are declared at the discretion of the board and depend on earnings, cash flows, and capital requirements. I will now hand over to Dave Vandellinden for an overview of the dry bulk market.

Thank you, Maria. And again, welcome to all the participants on this latest quarterly earnings call from Diana Shipping. Slide 15 gives a brief dry bulk market overview and some geopolitical and trade developments. The dry bulk market started 2026 on strong footing, continuing the momentum across all sizes, which we saw in the second half of 2025, and ignoring again the traditional market seasonality. The fact of supporting the market remained the same, not necessarily an explosion in demand, but rather a utilization tightening caused by longer ton miles, the substantial drive on schedule and slower speed. Fessels again outperformed Q1 earnings at 26,405 based on the new 185.5TC index, and the best start of the year since 2010. Midsize Fessels have been catching up nicely, with Q1 earnings averaging 14,577. The 12-month time charter rate has increased on all sizes as well, compared to the previous quarter. Underlining positive sensitive vessels without scrubber, the one-year rate now stands around 34,000 a day. The equivalent rate for modern CAMSR Max is around 20,000 a day, and the modern Ultramax can get about 18,500 a day for a year. Part of this unusually strong first quarter can be attributed to an exceptionally late Chinese New Year, which saw some early restocking activity. However, much like last year, 2026 has so far witnessed significant geopolitical and trade disruptions that continue to alter shipping patterns and frills. Conflict has caused bunker prices to spike, and owners have been deviating their vessels to secure adequate supply of fuel. Long-distance routes like the Brazil and West Africa to China has caused the Cape Sides fleet to lower their average speed by 4%. Strong coal movements, the Australian industry ministry, as well as the South Korean, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese governments, all indicating stronger interest in coal procurement as a near-term solution to alleviate energy security concerns. It is worth noting that analysts see significant effects of the conflict in adjacent industries as well, such as nickel production and agricultural planning. There are many farms, barley and canola, that either need less fertilizer or sell for a higher price. Australian wheat, due to work year-end, could be between 16% and 41% smaller. Economic stimulus measures and infrastructure spending continue to support commodity imports, while India's consistent appetite for coal and iron ore reinforces its position as an increasingly important demand center for dry bulk commodity. Nevertheless, according to the Economic Times, Coal India is planning a 10-year roadmap to slash the 243 million tons of coal that they import currently through increased domestic production and logistical. In the Cape Sides sector, we saw a particularly strong Australian iron ore flow supporting the Pacific, while the Guinean bauxite exports continue to grow unabated. Having said that, there is some concern about a possible export limit to be imposed by the Guinean government in the second half of it. Ship finance notes that the iron ore trade, with all of Chinese seaborn commodity relationships, is changing beneath the surface. The steel industry is beginning to shift away from blast furnaces towards cleaner, higher-grade ore. Australia built an entire export economy around the blast furnace grate and does not produce the new grate at scale, whereas Brazil and West Africa do. China, by rule, the world's greatest, the largest steelmaker, has secured majority control of the Simandu, depositing Guinea, the largest untapped high-grade iron ore reserve on the planet. The Kansomac sector has seen the most impressive growth so far, relatively. Supported by grain shipments in the Atlantic and coal shipments in the Pacific. The Ultramack factor has managed to take advantage of the same trading pattern and has additionally seen an increase in Atlantic coal shipments. However, Indonesia, which is a major factor for these vessel sizes, plans to tighten control over commodity exports, including coal, palm oil, to clamp down on tax evasion and bolster of plunging rupiah. Going to the next slide, we look at some macroeconomic considerations and some key demand drivers. As mentioned before, the year has started historically strong. Iron ore and bauxite support the capeside vessels, and long-haul grain shipments support the mid-size vessels. Supports have been particularly well-supported through Q1, driven by consistently strong shipments from both Australia and Brazil, and complemented by additional cargoes from West Africa and Canada, thereby tightening tonnage in the Atlantic. Total seaborne trade in coal continues to be under pressure, with China's imports recording negative growth for the quarter, combined with an increase of inland imports with Mongolia. That continues to be the big success story. And it's worth noting that in Q1, the Diana-Newcastle max fleet was almost entirely employed in the bauxite trade, Meanwhile, global seaborne grain loading staged a strong recovery in Q1, with access marine data showing volumes rising nearly 11% year-on-year. The U.S. and Brazil together accounted for nearly 50% of the total grain shipments, and it was for the first time since 2022 that the U.S. shipped more volume than Brazil in Q2. Interestingly, China, still the world's largest grain importance, accounted for only a limited share of this growth. Towards the end of the quarter, however, the agricultural sector started facing some headwinds due to war-related uncertainty, revised phytosanitary inspection procedures in Brazil at China's request, and the surge of nitrogen fertilizer prices by nearly 40%. It is worth noting that BIMCO estimates that a strata for Moose disruption has caused the Panama Canal transits, with slots being auctioned at record levels, and delays last seen during the severe 2023 drought. The canal is currently operating near maximum capacity, and any further disruption, such as reduced rainfall during the expected El Nino, may cause vessels to reroute via Cape of Good Hope. Regarding global GDP, it is clear that the impact of the Middle East conflict is starting to bite, with several countries, including Germany, already revising their 2026 forecast. The IMF itself presented three separate scenarios in their latest world economic outlook. A reference forecast whereby the conflict is relatively short-lived, Growth is slightly down to 3.1% for 2026 and 3.2% for 2026. Second scenario is a more protracted conflict for the IMF called the adverse scenario, where world GDP growth forecast of 2026 falls to 2.5%, assuming the Petroleum Spot Price Index And then they also have a severe scenario, which is based on average petroleum spot prices of about 110 barrels in 2026 and 125 in 2027, which could cause the global economy to grow. On slide 17, elevated new building prices remain a deterrent for most protective buyers with values for K-17 years, $176-77 million for late-2029-early-2030 delivery. Extended delivery slots at major shipyards, which remain heavily committed to high-margin container and oil and gas projects, have further constrained ordering appetite. Ordering in the tanker market, however, was the highest on record and is continuing to be very strong. To Clarkson's, the bulk carrier fleet is forecast to grow by 3.2% in 2016, only 1.7% for caves, and Q1 saw the lowest delivery total in cave-sized vessels since 1998. For Tramax and Ultramax vessels, the fleet projected increase is a substantial 4.3% and 4.5% respectively, and the deliveries for both these segments were substantial in Q1. However, this was partly upset by the number of vessels affected by the Middle East conflict, which are either stuck in the Persian Gulf or still have cargo on board destined to that area. Braemar notes that on March 1, 2.2% of the dry bulk fleet capacity was off-market due to the war in the Middle East, either stranded west of the Strait of Hormuz or carrying cargoes bound for Middle East. Today, this figure has fallen to about 1.2%. The impact varies by fleet sector, 22% of the Panamax death rate capacity, 1.4% of Ultramax, and only 0.3% of cable. In order book, according to Ivko Galbraith, it now stands at around 160 million tonne lead weight, nearly 1,800 vessels, which represents nearly 13% of the existing food. It remains cautious. Markets in Pakistan and Bangladesh saw firm fundamentals, despite a shortage of available units, ground rupee depreciation and rising gas costs are dampening buyer activity in India. On the positive side, we have global seaborne trade, which is expected to stay firm for the balance of the year, supported by iron ore demand and minor balks. Stunmiles support with longer iron ore flows. Grain exports from East or South America are expected to remain strong. And the significant dry dock schedule, combined with modest deliveries, especially in the gap size segments, 25 saw a surge in dry dock activity, with more than 3,200 dry dock vessels undergoing special surveys. And 2026 is scheduled to be similar. On the negative side, fleet growth, especially for CABSRMAX and Ultramax, could exceed demand and demolition is expected to stay historically, while seeing a temporary increase is expected to remain under pressure, especially macro and policy risks, also especially in China and Indonesia, as mentioned before, and then, of course, the geopolitical uncertainty, which can highly influence the global economy. It is very hard to predict the medium- to long-term effects of the Middle East conflict on dry bulk and the economy in general. In this note, I will pass a call back to our CEO, Mr. Semyonis Padio, for some important takeaway points from this earnings call.

Thank you, Dave. Thank you. Before concluding today's presentation, I'd like to highlight our ESG performance. At Diana Chipping, Inc., we remain committed to maintaining an industry-leading ESG structure and continuously strengthening our sustainability practices. You can find our latest ESG reports published in September 2025 on our website. In summary, Diana Chipping, Inc. stands on a strong foundation built on over 50 years of industry experience and 21 years on the New York Stock Exchange. A seasoned management team adapts to addressing industry challenges and identifying opportunities. Strong stakeholder relationship and a disciplined strategic approach. A solid balance sheet with a strong cash position and account of signalization efforts when possible to topics.

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 on your telephone keypad. The confirmation tone that will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star 2 to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment, please, while we poll for your questions. First questions come from the line of Christopher Barth-Shett with Arctic Securities. Please proceed with your questions.

Thank you for the presentation. Good afternoon. I was wondering first if you can touch upon the potential JNCO transaction. Given you have upped your offer, are you seeing sort of increased luck that you can get the board of directors of JNCO to initiate discussions? And on the second note, you have this transaction that you have agreed with Starbucks should the transaction go through in terms of that transaction. Shouldn't that also have some type of revision given that the offer is higher and also asset values are higher since the initial offer? And also, if you could share the specific vessels that you have agreed to sell should the transaction go through.

Thank you for the question. We have to, everybody has to understand that the response to your question highly, whether we are there to increase the price further, is highly dependent on whether Jengo will be sitting on the table meaningfully to do so. On the other hand, You understand that we are at a 15-year high, and also there is a point where this deal does not make sense. We have shown to everybody that what we are paying is at the value of the company, and actually most of the shipping deals that have been done recently, they were done at the discount. Thank you, Janis.

And a question on the market, especially related to bulk sites of Guinea. How do you see this risk going into second half, and do you, sort of, personal, believe that it makes sense for Guinea to impose restrictions when, sort of, China is the main part of the market? Thank you, Christopher.

It could be bluster. We've seen things like this with the Guinean government before. It could also be that China is using this to give the impression that the demand is not as strong or that they have been overbuying. It's hard to say. It's hard to say where this is going to go. We remain, at Diana, agnostic on the situation, and we will not change our strategy according to what the government, Tafkini, will do. But, yeah, there is definitely some downside risk, but at the end of the day, I don't think it will be very significant.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. And then a final question for me. Can you please give an update on Winward and how that company is developing? It would be interesting to hear your view on the market there and whether we potentially could see some type of divestment or crystallization of values here on a later stage.

As regards our investment in wind work, we are generally speaking very happy. The momentum is much better than when we started. The prices of new buildings and vessels are similar to ours. They have gone up. The availability of charters, even the period of charters has improved. And we are at this stage where we are evaluating all of our options as regards to our chartering activity, even consolidation. This doesn't mean that we are evaluating all of our options.

Thank you. And then just some final notes on that. Were there any sort of guiding on the value here of the fleet on a market-to-market basis or the NAD for you?

You are asking how we treat this investment in our books. Is that your question? There was a benefit from our investment.

Yes, we had a benefit when the new investor came in, in Windward, and because he entered You said an increased value of the company, so we, Diana, and the other shareholders had a benefit from this new investment.

Also, as we got the values, there was an increase certainly of the values, more than 20% easily. Now the values have gone a little bit down, Thank you.

As a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 on your telephone keypad. I am showing no further questions at this time. I'd like to hand the call back over to management for any closing remarks.

Thank you for joining us for Diana's first quarter of the year, 2026 financial results. We look forward to presenting to you again in the next quarter.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. This does now conclude today's teleconference. We appreciate your participation. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Enjoy the rest of your day.