8-K

STAR GROUP, L.P. (SGU)

8-K 2022-02-02 For: 2022-02-02
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Added on April 06, 2026

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_________________

FORM 8-K

_________________

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  February 2, 2022

_______________________________

STAR GROUP, L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

_______________________________

Delaware 001-14129 06-1437793
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

9 West Broad Street, Suite 310

Stamford, CT 06902

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(203) 328-7310

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

_______________________________

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Units SGU New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On February 2, 2022, Star Group, L.P., a Delaware partnership, issued a press release announcing its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2021.  A copy of the press release is furnished within this report as Exhibit 99.1.

The information in this report is being furnished and is not deemed as "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, unless specifically stated so therein.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

Exhibit 99.1   A copy of the Star Group, L.P. Press Release dated February 2, 2022.

Exhibit 104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

STAR GROUP, L.P.
By: Kestrel Heat, LLC (General Partner)
Date: February 2, 2022 By: /s/ Richard F. Ambury
Richard F. Ambury
Chief Financial Officer<br>Principal Financial Officer

EdgarFiling EXHIBIT 99.1

Star Group, L.P. Reports Fiscal 2022 First Quarter Results

STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Group, L.P. (the "Company" or "Star") (NYSE:SGU), a home energy distributor and services provider, today announced financial results for the fiscal 2022 first quarter ended December 31, 2021.

Three Months Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to the Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 For the fiscal 2022 first quarter, Star reported a 30.8 percent increase in total revenue to $488.3 million compared with $373.3 million in the prior-year period, reflecting an increase in selling prices in response to higher wholesale product costs partially offset by a decrease in total volume sold.

The volume of home heating oil and propane sold during the fiscal 2022 first quarter decreased by 2.5 million gallons, or 2.8 percent, to 87.0 million gallons as the additional volume provided from acquisitions and other factors was reduced by the impact of warmer weather and net customer attrition. Temperatures in Star's geographic areas of operation for the fiscal 2022 first quarter were 6.3 percent warmer than during the fiscal 2021 first quarter and 18.6 percent warmer than normal, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Star’s net income declined by $23.4 million in the quarter, to $14.5 million, primarily due to an unfavorable non-cash change in the fair value of derivative instruments of $30.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in income tax expense of $9.0 million.

First quarter Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $0.9 million, or 1.9 percent, to $44.5 million, as the impact from the decline in home heating oil and propane volume and higher operating expenses (including a $1.8 million unfavorable change in the impact from the Company’s weather hedge) more than offset an increase in home heating oil and propane per gallon margins. As of December 31, 2021, Star recorded a benefit of $2.2 million under its weather hedging contract (versus $4.0 million in the prior-year period), reducing delivery and branch expense. The final benefit (if any) for fiscal 2022 may be lower or higher depending on the accumulation of actual heating degree-days recorded in the period January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022; thus far, temperatures recorded for January 2022 have been colder than expected.

“Despite temperatures that were 6.3 percent warmer than last year and 18.6 percent warmer than normal, negatively affecting demand, I’m pleased with our overall results in the quarter which included solid margin management and expense control as well as improved customer retention,” said Jeff Woosnam, Star Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We also continued to make progress with our acquisition program during the period, adding three heating oil dealers that brought with them approximately 3.0 million gallons of annual product sales. It’s too early to say how fiscal 2022 will play out, but we were encouraged to see much colder weather in January and believe we are well positioned to address whatever challenges or opportunities might present themselves for the remainder of the heating season.”

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (Non-GAAP Financial Measures) EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings from continuing operations before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, (increase) decrease in the fair value of derivatives, other income (loss), net, multiemployer pension plan withdrawal charge, gain or loss on debt redemption, goodwill impairment, and other non-cash and non-operating charges) are non-GAAP financial measures that are used as supplemental financial measures by management and external users of the Company’s financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to assess Star’s position with regard to the following:

  • compliance with certain financial covenants included in our debt agreements;
  • financial performance without regard to financing methods, capital structure, income taxes or historical cost basis;
  • operating performance and return on invested capital compared to those of other companies in the retail distribution of refined petroleum products, without regard to financing methods and capital structure;
  • ability to generate cash sufficient to pay interest on our indebtedness and to make distributions to our partners; and
  • the viability of acquisitions and capital expenditure projects and the overall rates of return of alternative investment opportunities.

The method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may not be consistent with that of other companies, and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA both have limitations as analytical tools and so should not be viewed in isolation but in conjunction with measurements that are computed in accordance with GAAP. Some of the limitations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are as follows:

  • EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect cash used for capital expenditures;
  • although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated or amortized often will have to be replaced and EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash requirements for such replacements;
  • EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, working capital;
  • EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash necessary to make payments of interest or principal on indebtedness; and
  • EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect the cash required to pay taxes.

REMINDER: Members of Star's management team will host a webcast and conference call at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, February 3, 2022. The webcast will be accessible on the company’s website, at www.stargrouplp.com, and the telephone number for the conference call is 888-346-3470 (or 412-317-5169 for international callers).

About Star Group, L.P. Star Group, L.P. is a full service provider specializing in the sale of home heating products and services to residential and commercial customers to heat their homes and buildings. The Company also sells and services heating and air conditioning equipment to its home heating oil and propane customers and, to a lesser extent, provides these offerings to customers outside of its home heating oil and propane customer base. In certain of Star's marketing areas, the Company provides plumbing services, primarily to its home heating oil and propane customer base. Star also sells diesel, gasoline and home heating oil on a delivery only basis. We believe Star is the nation's largest retail distributor of home heating oil based upon sales volume. Including its propane locations, Star serves customers in the more northern and eastern states within the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic U.S. regions. Additional information is available by obtaining the Company's SEC filings at www.sec.gov and by visiting Star's website at www.stargrouplp.com, where unit holders may request a hard copy of Star’s complete audited financial statements free of charge.

Forward Looking Information This news release includes "forward-looking statements" which represent the Company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties, including those associated with the severity and duration of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic, the pandemic’s impact on the U.S. and global economies, the timing, scope and effectiveness of federal, state and local governmental responses to the pandemic, the effect of weather conditions on our financial performance; the price and supply of the products that we sell; the consumption patterns of our customers; our ability to obtain satisfactory gross profit margins; our ability to obtain new customers and retain existing customers; our ability to make strategic acquisitions; the impact of litigation; our ability to contract for our current and future supply needs; natural gas conversions; future union relations and the outcome of current and future union negotiations; the impact of current and future governmental regulations, including climate change, environmental, health and safety regulations; the ability to attract and retain employees; customer creditworthiness; counterparty creditworthiness; marketing plans; cyber-attacks; inflation; global supply chain issues; labor shortages; general economic conditions and new technology. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "seek," "estimate" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" and "Business Strategy" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Form 10-K") for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2021. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations ("Cautionary Statements") are disclosed in this news release and in the Company’s Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Currently, one of the most significant factors, however, is the potential adverse effect of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance of the Company and its customers and counterparties and the global economy and financial markets. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts us and our customers will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic, the actions taken to contain the pandemic or mitigate its impact, and the direct and indirect economic effects of the pandemic and containment measures, among others. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the Cautionary Statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date of this news release.

(financials follow)

STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

September 30,
(in thousands) 2021 2021
ASSETS (unaudited)
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents 21,239 $ 4,767
Receivables, net of allowance of 4,662 and 4,779, respectively 178,774 99,680
Inventories 77,735 61,183
Fair asset value of derivative instruments 16,603 26,222
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 44,932 30,140
Total current assets 339,283 221,992
Property and equipment, net 100,788 99,123
Operating lease right-of-use assets 95,873 95,839
Goodwill 254,198 253,398
Intangibles, net 92,777 95,474
Restricted cash 250 250
Captive insurance collateral 69,482 69,933
Deferred charges and other assets, net 18,103 17,854
Total assets 970,754 $ 853,863
LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS' CAPITAL
Current liabilities
Accounts payable 52,225 $ 37,291
Revolving credit facility borrowings 123,682 8,618
Current maturities of long-term debt 13,000 17,621
Current portion of operating lease liabilities 16,467 16,446
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 126,588 121,221
Unearned service contract revenue 69,773 56,972
Customer credit balances 72,864 86,828
Total current liabilities 474,599 344,997
Long-term debt 89,183 92,385
Long-term operating lease liabilities 84,226 84,019
Deferred tax liabilities, net 28,439 29,014
Other long-term liabilities 18,948 25,244
Partners' capital
Common unitholders 292,139 295,063
General partner (2,963 ) (2,821 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of taxes (13,817 ) (14,038 )
Total partners' capital 275,359 278,204
Total liabilities and partners' capital 970,754 $ 853,863

All values are in US Dollars.

STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three MonthsEnded December 31,
(in thousands, except per unit data - unaudited) 2021 2020
Sales:
Product $ 411,265 $ 300,332
Installations and services 77,005 72,988
Total sales 488,270 373,320
Cost and expenses:
Cost of product 274,594 172,147
Cost of installations and services 74,048 69,303
(Increase) decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments 13,403 (17,395 )
Delivery and branch expenses 88,989 80,687
Depreciation and amortization expenses 8,448 7,957
General and administrative expenses 6,676 6,241
Finance charge income (512 ) (406 )
Operating income 22,624 54,786
Interest expense, net (2,058 ) (1,851 )
Amortization of debt issuance costs (239 ) (247 )
Income before income taxes 20,327 52,688
Income tax expense 5,838 14,828
Net income $ 14,489 $ 37,860
General Partner's interest in net income 122 296
Limited Partners' interest in net income $ 14,367 $ 37,564
Per unit data (Basic and Diluted):
Net income available to limited partners $ 0.37 $ 0.89
Dilutive impact of theoretical distribution of earnings 0.05 0.15
Basic and diluted income per Limited Partner Unit: $ 0.32 $ 0.74
Weighted average number of Limited Partner units outstanding (Basic and Diluted) 38,789 42,246

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION STAR GROUP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES

RECONCILIATION OF EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA (Unaudited)

Three MonthsEnded December 31,
(in thousands) 2021 2020
Net income $ 14,489 $ 37,860
Plus:
Income tax expense 5,838 14,828
Amortization of debt issuance costs 239 247
Interest expense, net 2,058 1,851
Depreciation and amortization 8,448 7,957
EBITDA 31,072 62,743
(Increase) / decrease in the fair value of derivative instruments 13,403 (17,395 )
Adjusted EBITDA 44,475 45,348
Add / (subtract)
Income tax expense (5,838 ) (14,828 )
Interest expense, net (2,058 ) (1,851 )
Recovery for losses on accounts receivable (288 ) (476 )
Increase in accounts receivables (78,794 ) (62,989 )
Increase in inventories (16,388 ) (7,177 )
Decrease in customer credit balances (14,504 ) (8,987 )
Change in deferred taxes (684 ) 3,601
Change in other operating assets and liabilities 8,214 20,358
Net cash used in operating activities $ (65,865 ) $ (27,001 )
Net cash used in investing activities $ (7,034 ) $ (35,903 )
Net cash provided by financing activities $ 89,371 $ 24,840
Home heating oil and propane gallons sold 87,000 89,500
Other petroleum products 39,300 37,700
Total all products 126,300 127,200
CONTACT:
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Star Group, L.P. Chris Witty
Investor Relations Darrow Associates
203/328-7310 646/438-9385 or cwitty@darrowir.com

Source: Star Group, L.P.