KRONOS WORLDWIDE INC - Quarter Report: 2007 November (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
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SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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Washington,
D.C. 20549
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FORM
10-Q
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QUARTERLY
REPORT UNDER SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For
the quarter ended September 30, 2007
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Commission
file number 1-31763
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KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC.
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(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its
charter)
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DELAWARE
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76-0294959
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(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
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(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
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5430
LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700
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Dallas,
Texas 75240-2697
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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Registrant's
telephone number, including area
code: (972) 233-1700
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Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for
the
past 90 days. Yes X No
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer X
Non-accelerated filer
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Act). Yes No
X
Number
of shares of the Registrant's common stock outstanding on October 31, 2007:
48,956,549.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INDEX
Page
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||
number
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Part
I.
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FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
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Item
1.
|
Financial
Statements
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets -
|
||
December
31, 2006; September 30, 2007 (Unaudited)
|
3
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) -
|
||
Three
and nine months ended September 30, 2006 (As adjusted);
|
||
Three
and nine months ended September 30, 2007
|
5
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Stockholders'
|
||
Equity
and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) –
|
||
Nine
months ended September 30, 2007
|
6
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) -
|
||
Nine
months ended September 30, 2006 (As adjusted);
|
||
Nine
months ended September 30, 2007
|
7
|
|
Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
|
8
|
|
Item
2.
|
Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial
|
|
Condition
and Results of Operations
|
14
|
|
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
|
23
|
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
23
|
Part
II.
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
25
|
Item
1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
25
|
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
25
|
Items
2, 3, 4 and 5 of Part II are omitted because there is no information
to
report.
|
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In
millions)
ASSETS
|
December
31,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
63.3
|
$ |
86.9
|
||||
Restricted
cash
|
1.5
|
1.1
|
||||||
Accounts
and other receivables, net
|
203.8
|
267.1
|
||||||
Inventories,
net
|
286.5
|
288.6
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other
|
5.7
|
10.5
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
2.1
|
1.4
|
||||||
Total
current assets
|
562.9
|
655.6
|
||||||
Other
assets:
|
||||||||
Investment
in TiO2
manufacturing joint venture
|
113.6
|
117.5
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
264.4
|
193.6
|
||||||
Other
|
18.6
|
18.9
|
||||||
Total
other assets
|
396.6
|
330.0
|
||||||
Property
and equipment:
|
||||||||
Land
|
35.7
|
38.2
|
||||||
Buildings
|
203.2
|
223.7
|
||||||
Equipment
|
884.7
|
971.9
|
||||||
Mining
properties
|
82.1
|
93.7
|
||||||
Construction
in progress
|
17.9
|
41.0
|
||||||
1,223.6
|
1,368.5
|
|||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
761.6
|
871.1
|
||||||
Net
property and equipment
|
462.0
|
497.4
|
||||||
Total
assets
|
$ |
1,421.5
|
$ |
1,483.0
|
||||
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)
(In
millions)
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Current
maturities of long-term debt
|
$ |
.9
|
$ |
23.4
|
||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
166.1
|
203.6
|
||||||
Income
taxes
|
10.3
|
21.9
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
2.2
|
1.6
|
||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
179.5
|
250.5
|
||||||
Noncurrent
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Long-term
debt
|
535.3
|
568.1
|
||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
47.3
|
50.8
|
||||||
Accrued
pension costs
|
185.9
|
195.1
|
||||||
Accrued
postretirement benefit (OPEB) costs
|
9.8
|
11.7
|
||||||
Other
|
15.3
|
30.2
|
||||||
Total
noncurrent liabilities
|
793.6
|
855.9
|
||||||
Stockholders'
equity:
|
||||||||
Common
stock
|
.5
|
.5
|
||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
1,061.6
|
1,061.7
|
||||||
Retained
deficit
|
(406.3 | ) | (513.5 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive loss
|
(207.4 | ) | (172.1 | ) | ||||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
448.4
|
376.6
|
||||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
$ |
1,421.5
|
$ |
1,483.0
|
Commitments
and contingencies (Notes 7 and 10)
See
accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In
millions, except per share data)
Three
months ended
|
Nine
months ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||
(As
adjusted)
|
(As
adjusted)
|
|||||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ |
331.6
|
$ |
343.3
|
$ |
981.0
|
$ |
999.9
|
||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
255.3
|
276.4
|
748.0
|
799.0
|
||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
76.3
|
66.9
|
233.0
|
200.9
|
||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative expense
|
39.4
|
41.8
|
118.5
|
121.9
|
||||||||||||
Other
operating expense, net
|
(1.7 | ) | (3.0 | ) | (8.3 | ) | (4.0 | ) | ||||||||
Income
from operations
|
35.2
|
22.1
|
106.2
|
75.0
|
||||||||||||
Other
income (expense):
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
.8
|
.7
|
2.7
|
1.7
|
||||||||||||
Loss
on prepayment of debt
|
-
|
-
|
(22.3 | ) |
-
|
|||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(9.7 | ) | (10.0 | ) | (33.5 | ) | (29.3 | ) | ||||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
26.3
|
12.8
|
53.1
|
47.4
|
||||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
14.1
|
94.0
|
12.4
|
115.7
|
||||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ |
12.2
|
$ | (81.2 | ) | $ |
40.7
|
$ | (68.3 | ) | ||||||
Basic
and diluted net income (loss)
per
share
|
$ |
.25
|
$ | (1.66 | ) | $ |
.83
|
$ | (1.40 | ) | ||||||
Cash
dividends per share
|
$ |
.25
|
$ |
.25
|
$ |
.75
|
$ |
.75
|
||||||||
Basic
and diluted weighted-average shares used in the calculation of net
income
(loss) per share
|
49.0
|
49.0
|
49.0
|
49.0
|
See
accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(LOSS)
Nine
months ended September 30, 2007
(In
millions)
Additional
|
Accumulated
other
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
stock
|
paid-in
capital
|
Retained
deficit
|
comprehensive
income
(loss)
|
stockholders'
equity
|
Comprehensive
loss
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2006
|
$ |
.5
|
$ |
1,061.6
|
$ | (406.3 | ) | $ | (207.4 | ) | $ |
448.4
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
-
|
-
|
(68.3 | ) |
-
|
(68.3 | ) | $ | (68.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
35.3
|
35.3
|
35.3
|
||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
|
-
|
-
|
(36.7 | ) |
-
|
(36.7 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of common stock
|
-
|
.1
|
-
|
-
|
.1
|
-
|
||||||||||||||||||
Change
in accounting –
FIN
No. 48
|
-
|
-
|
(2.2 | ) |
-
|
(2.2 | ) |
-
|
||||||||||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2007
|
$ |
.5
|
$ |
1,061.7
|
$ | (513.5 | ) | $ | (172.1 | ) | $ |
376.6
|
||||||||||||
Comprehensive
loss
|
$ | (33.0 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
See
accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
millions)
Nine
months ended
September
30,
|
||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||
(As
adjusted)
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$ |
40.7
|
$ | (68.3 | ) | |||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
32.9
|
36.1
|
||||||
Loss
on prepayment of debt
|
22.3
|
-
|
||||||
Call
premium paid on prepayment of debt
|
(20.9 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(7.2 | ) |
99.0
|
|||||
Distributions from (contributions to) to TiO2
manufacturing joint venture
|
.5
|
(3.9 | ) | |||||
Benefit
plan expense greater (less) than cash funding:
|
||||||||
Defined
benefit pension plans
|
.6
|
.2
|
||||||
Other
postretirement benefits
|
(.4 | ) |
.1
|
|||||
Other,
net
|
2.4
|
3.8
|
||||||
Change
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
and other receivables, net
|
(44.9 | ) | (47.5 | ) | ||||
Inventories
|
28.3
|
21.4
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
(2.8 | ) | (4.1 | ) | ||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
5.7
|
25.9
|
||||||
Income
taxes
|
(5.5 | ) |
10.2
|
|||||
Accounts
with affiliates
|
(.1 | ) | (2.4 | ) | ||||
Other,
net
|
(1.3 | ) | (1.8 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
50.3
|
68.7
|
||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(26.8 | ) | (29.4 | ) | ||||
Change
in restricted cash equivalents
|
.5
|
.6
|
||||||
Other,
net
|
-
|
.1
|
||||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(26.3 | ) | (28.7 | ) | ||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Indebtedness:
|
||||||||
Borrowings
|
722.2
|
263.3
|
||||||
Principal
payments
|
(686.6 | ) | (247.3 | ) | ||||
Deferred
financing costs paid
|
(8.8 | ) |
-
|
|||||
Dividends
paid
|
(36.7 | ) | (36.7 | ) | ||||
Other,
net
|
.1
|
-
|
||||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(9.8 | ) | (20.7 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents - net change from:
|
||||||||
Operating,
investing and financing activities
|
14.2
|
19.3
|
||||||
Currency
translation
|
2.5
|
4.3
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
72.0
|
63.3
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ |
88.7
|
$ |
86.9
|
||||
Supplemental
disclosures - cash paid for:
|
||||||||
Interest,
net of amounts capitalized
|
$ |
16.1
|
$ |
19.2
|
||||
Income
taxes, net
|
25.6
|
10.1
|
See
accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
KRONOS
WORLDWIDE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
September
30, 2007
(Unaudited)
Note
1
- Organization
and basis of presentation:
Organization
– We
are a majority-owned subsidiary of Valhi, Inc. (NYSE: VHI). At
September 30, 2007, Valhi held approximately 59% of our outstanding common
stock
and NL Industries, Inc. (NYSE: NL) held an additional 36% of our common stock.
Valhi owns approximately 83% of NL's outstanding common stock. Approximately
93%
of Valhi's outstanding common stock is held by Contran Corporation and its
subsidiaries. Substantially all of Contran's outstanding voting stock
is held by trusts established for the benefit of certain children and
grandchildren of Harold C. Simmons (for which Mr. Simmons is sole trustee),
or
is held directly by Mr. Simmons or other persons or related companies to Mr.
Simmons. Consequently, Mr. Simmons may be deemed to control each of
these companies.
Basis
of presentation– The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements contained in this Quarterly Report have been prepared on the same
basis as the audited Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report
on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 that we filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 13, 2007 (the “2006 Annual Report”),
except as disclosed in Note 11. In our opinion, we have made all
necessary adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) in
order
to state fairly, in all material respects, our consolidated financial position,
results of operations and cash flows as of the dates and for the periods
presented. We have condensed the Consolidated Balance Sheet at
December 31, 2006 contained in this Quarterly Report as compared to our audited
Consolidated Financial Statements at that date, and we have omitted certain
information and footnote disclosures (including those related to the
Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2006) normally included in financial
statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Our results of operations
for the interim periods ended September 30, 2007 may not be indicative of our
operating results for the full year. The Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements contained in this Quarterly Report should be read in
conjunction with our 2006 Consolidated Financial Statements contained in our
2006 Annual Report.
Unless
otherwise indicated, references
in this report to “we”, “us” or “our” refer to Kronos Worldwide, Inc. and its
subsidiaries (NYSE: KRO) taken as a whole.
Note
2 – Accounts and other receivables, net:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Trade
receivables
|
$ |
183.0
|
$ |
238.2
|
||||
Recoverable
VAT and other receivables
|
20.5
|
28.0
|
||||||
Refundable
income taxes
|
1.6
|
1.4
|
||||||
Receivable
from affiliates:
|
||||||||
Income
taxes, net - Valhi
|
-
|
1.4
|
||||||
Other
|
.2
|
-
|
||||||
Allowance
for doubtful accounts
|
(1.5 | ) | (1.9 | ) | ||||
Total
|
$ |
203.8
|
$ |
267.1
|
Note
3 - Inventories, net:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Raw
materials
|
$ |
46.1
|
$ |
64.6
|
||||
Work
in process
|
25.6
|
15.4
|
||||||
Finished
products
|
167.7
|
152.8
|
||||||
Supplies
|
47.1
|
55.8
|
||||||
Total
|
$ |
286.5
|
$ |
288.6
|
Note
4 - Other noncurrent assets:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Deferred
financing costs, net
|
$ |
9.1
|
$ |
8.4
|
||||
Pension
asset
|
5.6
|
6.5
|
||||||
Restricted
marketable debt securities
|
2.8
|
3.2
|
||||||
Other
|
1.1
|
.8
|
||||||
Total
|
$ |
18.6
|
$ |
18.9
|
Note
5 – Accounts payable and accrued liabilities:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ |
88.8
|
$ |
98.4
|
||||
Employee
benefits
|
25.7
|
27.1
|
||||||
Accrued
sales discounts and rebates
|
8.5
|
21.2
|
||||||
Accrued
interest
|
7.5
|
17.1
|
||||||
Payable
to affiliates:
|
||||||||
Louisiana
Pigment Company, L.P.
|
10.4
|
9.1
|
||||||
Income
taxes, net - Valhi
|
.3
|
-
|
||||||
Other
|
.2
|
-
|
||||||
Other
|
24.7
|
30.7
|
||||||
Total
|
$ |
166.1
|
$ |
203.6
|
Note
6 - Long-term debt:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Kronos
International, Inc. -
|
||||||||
6.5%
Senior Secured Notes
|
$ |
525.0
|
$ |
563.6
|
||||
Revolving
credit facilities -
|
||||||||
Kronos
U.S. subsidiaries
|
6.4
|
22.4
|
||||||
Other
|
4.8
|
5.5
|
||||||
Total
debt
|
536.2
|
591.5
|
||||||
Less
current maturities
|
.9
|
23.4
|
||||||
Total
long-term debt
|
$ |
535.3
|
$ |
568.1
|
Revolving
credit facilities - We borrowed a net $16.0 million under our U.S. bank
credit facility during the first nine months of 2007. The average
interest rate on the outstanding borrowings under this facility at September
30,
2007 was 7.75%.
Note
7 - Income taxes:
Nine
months ended
September
30,
|
||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||
(As
adjusted)
|
||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Expected
tax expense, at U.S. Federal statutory income tax rate of
35%
|
$ |
18.6
|
$ |
16.6
|
||||
Incremental
U.S. tax and rate differences on equity in earnings of non-tax group
companies
|
.7
|
(1.2 | ) | |||||
Non-U.S.
tax rates
|
(1.1 | ) | (.1 | ) | ||||
Nondeductible
expenses
|
2.6
|
2.3
|
||||||
U.S.
state income taxes, net
|
.7
|
.4
|
||||||
Change
in reserve for uncertain tax positions
|
(8.1 | ) | (1.1 | ) | ||||
German
tax rate change
|
-
|
90.8
|
||||||
Canadian
tax rate change
|
(1.1 | ) |
-
|
|||||
German
tax attribute adjustment
|
-
|
8.7
|
||||||
Other,
net
|
.1
|
(.7 | ) | |||||
Total
|
$ |
12.4
|
$ |
115.7
|
Following
a European Union Court of
Justice decision and subsequent proceedings which concluded in the second
quarter of 2007 that we believe may favorably impact us, we initiated a new
tax
planning strategy. If we are successful, we would generate a substantial cash
tax benefit in the form of refunds of income taxes we have previously paid
in
Europe which we currently do not expect would affect our future earnings when
received. It may be a number of years before we know if our implementation
of this tax planning strategy will be successful, and accordingly we have not
currently recognized any refundable income taxes that we might ultimately
receive. Partially as a result of and consistent with our initiation of
this tax planning strategy, in the second quarter of 2007 we amended prior-year
income tax returns in Germany. As a consequence of amending our tax
returns, our German corporate and trade tax net operating loss carryforwards
were reduced by an aggregate of euro 13.4 million and euro 22.6 million,
respectively, and, accordingly, we recognized an $8.7 million provision for
deferred income taxes in the second quarter of 2007 related to the adjustment
of
our German tax attributes.
In
July
2007, Germany enacted certain changes in their income tax laws. The
most significant change is the reduction of the German corporate and trade
income tax rates. We have a significant net deferred income tax asset
in Germany, primarily related to the benefit associated with our corporate
and
trade tax net operating loss carryforwards. We measure our net
deferred taxes using the applicable enacted tax rates, and the effect of any
change in the applicable enacted tax rate is recognized in the period of
enactment. Accordingly, we are reporting a decrease in our net
deferred tax asset in Germany of $90.8 million in the third quarter of 2007,
which is recognized as a component of our provision for income
taxes.
Certain
of our non-U.S. tax returns are
being examined and tax authorities may propose tax deficiencies including
interest and penalties. We cannot guarantee that these tax matters
will be resolved in our favor due to the inherent uncertainties involved in
settlement initiatives and court and tax proceedings. We believe we
have adequate accruals for additional taxes and related interest expense which
could ultimately result from tax examinations. We believe the
ultimate disposition of tax examinations should not have a material adverse
effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or
liquidity.
Note
8 – Employee benefit plans:
Defined
benefit plans - The components of net periodic defined benefit pension cost
are presented in the table below.
Three
months ended
|
Nine
months ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ |
1.9
|
$ |
2.0
|
$ |
5.8
|
$ |
5.9
|
||||||||
Interest
cost
|
4.9
|
5.8
|
14.2
|
16.3
|
||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(4.1 | ) | (4.3 | ) | (12.0 | ) | (12.7 | ) | ||||||||
Amortization
of prior service cost
|
.1
|
.2
|
.3
|
.5
|
||||||||||||
Amortization
of net transition obligations
|
.1
|
.1
|
.4
|
.3
|
||||||||||||
Recognized
actuarial losses
|
2.2
|
2.0
|
6.4
|
6.1
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
5.1
|
$ |
5.8
|
$ |
15.1
|
$ |
16.4
|
Postretirement
benefits - The components of net periodic postretirement benefits other
than pensions (“OPEB”) cost are presented in the table below.
Three
months ended
|
Nine
months ended
|
|||||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ |
.1
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
.2
|
$ |
.2
|
||||||||
Interest
cost
|
.2
|
.2
|
.5
|
.5
|
||||||||||||
Amortization
of prior service credit
|
(.1 | ) | (.1 | ) | (.2 | ) | (.2 | ) | ||||||||
Recognized
actuarial losses
|
-
|
.1
|
.1
|
.1
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
.2
|
$ |
.2
|
$ |
.6
|
$ |
.6
|
Contributions
– We expect our 2007 contributions for our pension and postretirement plans
to be consistent with the amounts we disclosed in our 2006 Annual
Report.
Note
9 – Other noncurrent liabilities:
December
31,
2006
|
September
30,
2007
|
|||||||
(In
millions)
|
||||||||
Reserve
for uncertain tax positions
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
14.4
|
||||
Employee
benefits
|
6.9
|
7.4
|
||||||
Insurance
claims and expenses
|
1.9
|
1.7
|
||||||
Other
|
6.5
|
6.7
|
||||||
Total
|
$ |
15.3
|
$ |
30.2
|
Our
reserve for uncertain tax positions
is discussed in Note 11.
Note
10 – Commitments and contingencies:
Litigation
matters – From time-to-time, we are involved in various environmental,
contractual, product liability, patent (or intellectual property), employment
and other claims and disputes incidental to our operations. In
certain cases, we have insurance coverage for these items. We
currently believe the disposition of all claims and disputes, individually
or in
the aggregate, should not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated
financial position, results of operations or liquidity beyond the accruals
we
have already provided for.
Please
refer to our 2006 Annual Report for a discussion of certain other legal
proceedings to which we are a party.
Note
11 – Recent accounting pronouncements:
Uncertain
Tax
Positions. On
January 1, 2007, we adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) FASB
Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 48, Accounting for Uncertain Tax
Positions. FIN 48 clarifies when and how much of a benefit we
can recognize in our consolidated financial statements for certain positions
taken in our income tax returns under Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards (“SFAS”) No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes, and enhances
the disclosure requirements for our income tax policies and
reserves. Among other things, FIN 48 prohibits us from recognizing
the benefits of a tax position unless we believe it is more-likely-than-not
our
position will prevail with the applicable tax authorities and limits the amount
of the benefit to the largest amount for which we believe the likelihood of
realization is greater than 50%. FIN 48 also requires companies to
accrue penalties and interest on the difference between tax positions taken
on
their tax returns and the amount of benefit recognized for financial reporting
purposes under the new standard; our prior income tax accounting policies had
already complied with this aspect of the new standard. We are also
required to reclassify any reserves we have for uncertain tax positions from
deferred income tax liabilities, where they were classified under prior GAAP,
to
a separate current or noncurrent liability, depending on the nature of the
tax
position.
We
accrue
interest and penalties on our uncertain tax positions as a component of our
provision for income taxes. The amount of interest and penalties we
accrued during the first nine months of 2007 was not material, and at September
30, 2007 we had an aggregate of $3.5 million accrued for interest and penalties
for our uncertain tax positions.
At
September 30, 2007 we had approximately $14.8 million accrued for uncertain
tax
positions (including $.4 million classified in other current liabilities),
which
decreased by approximately $1.5 million during the first nine months of 2007
primarily due to the lapse of applicable statute of limitations. Of
the $16.3 million reserve we had recognized at January 1, 2007, $14.1 million
was reclassified from deferred income tax liabilities (where we classified
such
reserves prior to our adoption of FIN 48), and the remainder was accounted
for
as a reduction in our retained deficit in accordance with the transition
provisions of the new standard. In addition, the benefit associated
with approximately $14.7 million of our reserve for uncertain tax positions
at
September 30, 2007 would, if recognized, affect our effective income tax
rate. We do not currently believe that the unrecognized tax benefits
will change significantly within the next twelve months.
We
file
income tax returns in various U.S. federal, state and local
jurisdictions. We also file income tax returns in various foreign
jurisdictions, principally in Germany, Belgium, Norway and
Canada. Our domestic income tax returns prior to 2004 are generally
considered closed to examination by applicable tax authorities. Our
foreign income tax returns are generally considered closed to examination for
years prior to 2002 for Germany, Belgium and Canada and 1997 for
Norway.
Planned
Major Maintenance Activities. In September
2006, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) No. AUG AIR-1, Accounting
for Planned Major Maintenance Activities. Under FSP No. AUG
AIR-1, accruing in advance for major maintenance is no longer
permitted. Upon adoption of this standard, companies that previously
accrued in advance for major maintenance activities are required to
retroactively restate their financial statements to reflect a permitted method
of expense for all periods presented. In the past, we accrued in
advance for planned major maintenance. We adopted this standard
effective December 31, 2006. Accordingly, we have retroactively
adjusted our Consolidated Financial Statements to reflect the direct expense
method of accounting for planned major maintenance (a method permitted under
this standard). The effect of adopting this standard on our
previously reported Consolidated Financial Statements is contained in our 2006
Annual Report.
Fair
Value Option - In the first quarter of 2007 the FASB issued SFAS
No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial
Liabilities. SFAS No. 159 permits companies to choose, at
specified election dates, to measure eligible items at fair value, with
unrealized gains and losses included in the determination of net
income. The decision to elect the fair value option is generally
applied on an instrument-by-instrument basis, is irrevocable unless a new
election date occurs, and is applied to the entire instrument and not only
to
specified risks or cash flows or a portion of the instrument. Items
eligible for the fair value option include recognized financial assets and
liabilities, other than an investment in a consolidated subsidiary, defined
benefit pension plans, OPEB plans, leases and financial instruments classified
in equity. An investment accounted for by the equity method is an
eligible item. The specified election dates include the date the
company first recognizes the eligible item, the date the company enters into
an
eligible commitment, the date an investment first becomes eligible to be
accounted for by the equity method and the date SFAS No. 159 first becomes
effective for the company. If we elect to measure eligible items at
fair value under the standard, we would be required to present certain
additional disclosures for each item we elect. SFAS No. 159 becomes effective
for us on January 1, 2008. We have not yet determined which, if any,
of our eligible items we will elect to be measured at fair value under the
new
standard. Therefore, we are currently unable to determine the impact,
if any, this standard will have on our consolidated financial position or
results of operations.
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS:
Business
and results of operations overview
We
are a
leading global producer and marketer of value-added titanium dioxide pigments
(“TiO2”). TiO2
is used for a
variety of manufacturing applications, including plastics, paints, paper and
other industrial products. For the nine months ended September 30,
2007, approximately one-half of our sales volumes were into European
markets. We believe we are the second largest producer of TiO2 in Europe
with an
estimated 20% share of European TiO2 sales
volumes. In addition, we also have an estimated 15% share of North
American TiO2
sales volumes. Our production facilities are located throughout
Europe and North America.
We
reported a net loss of $81.2
million, or $1.66 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2007 as compared
to
net income of $12.2 million, or $.25 per diluted share, in the third quarter
of
2006. For the first nine months of 2007, we reported a net loss of
$68.3 million, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared to net income of $40.7
million, or $.83 per diluted
share, in the first nine months of 2006. Our diluted earnings per
share declined from the 2006 periods to the 2007 periods primarily due to the
net effects of a charge resulting from the effect of the enactment of
legislation reducing the German income tax rates beginning in 2008, lower income
from operations in 2007, a charge from the redemption of our 8.875% Senior
Secured Notes in 2006, certain income tax benefits we recognized in 2006 and
a
charge associated with the adjustment of certain German income tax attributes
in
2007.
Our
net
loss for the first nine months of 2007 includes (i) a third quarter non-cash
charge of $1.85 per diluted share relating to a decrease in our net deferred
income tax asset in Germany resulting from the reduction in their income tax
rates, (ii) a $1.1 million income tax benefit of $.02 per diluted share due
to a
net decrease in our income tax contingency reserves and (iii) a second quarter
non-cash charge of $.18 per diluted share related to the adjustment of certain
German income tax attributes. Our net income in the first nine months
of 2006 includes (i) a second quarter charge related to the prepayment of our
8.875% Senior Secured Notes of $.30 per diluted share and (ii) an aggregate
income tax benefit of $.19 per diluted share (expense of $.07 per diluted share
in the third quarter of 2006) related to the net effect of the withdrawal of
certain income tax assessments previously made by the Belgian and Norwegian
tax
authorities, the resolution of certain income tax issues related to our German
and Belgian operations and the enactment of a reduction in the Canadian federal
income tax rate.
Forward-looking
information
This
report contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of
1995. Statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not
historical in nature are forward-looking in nature about our future that are
not
statements of historical fact. Statements in this report including,
but not limited to, statements found in Item 2 - "Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," are forward-looking
statements that represent our beliefs and assumptions based on currently
available information. In some cases you can identify these
forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "believes," "intends,"
"may," "should," "could," "anticipates," "expected" or comparable terminology,
or by discussions of strategies or trends. Although we believe the
expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do
not
know if these expectations will be correct. Forward-looking
statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties that
could significantly impact expected results. Actual future results could differ
materially from those predicted. While it is not possible to identify all
factors, we continue to face many risks and uncertainties. Among the
factors that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from
those described herein are the risks and uncertainties discussed in this
Quarterly Report and those described from time to time in our other filings
with
the SEC including, but not limited to, the following:
·
|
Future
supply and demand for our products,
|
·
|
The
extent of our dependence on certain market
sectors,
|
·
|
The
cyclicality of our businesses,
|
·
|
Customer
inventory levels (such as the extent to which our customers may,
from time
to time, accelerate purchases of TiO2
in advance of
anticipated price increases or defer purchases of TiO2
in advance of
anticipated price decreases),
|
·
|
Changes
in raw material and other operating costs (such as energy
costs),
|
·
|
The
possibility of labor disruptions,
|
·
|
General
global economic and political conditions (such as changes in the
level of
gross domestic product in various regions of the world and the impact
of
such changes on demand for TiO2),
|
·
|
Competitive
products and substitute products,
|
·
|
Customer
and competitor strategies,
|
·
|
Potential
consolidation of our competitors
|
·
|
The
impact of pricing and production
decisions,
|
·
|
Competitive
technology positions,
|
·
|
The
introduction of trade barriers,
|
·
|
Fluctuations
in currency exchange rates (such as changes in the exchange rate
between
the U.S. dollar and each of the euro, the Norwegian kroner and the
Canadian dollar),
|
·
|
Operating
interruptions (including, but not limited to, labor disputes, leaks,
natural disasters, fires, explosions, unscheduled or unplanned downtime
and transportation interruptions),
|
·
|
The
timing and amounts of insurance
recoveries,
|
·
|
Our
ability to renew or refinance credit
facilities,
|
·
|
The
ultimate outcome of income tax audits, tax settlement initiatives
or other
tax matters,
|
·
|
The
ultimate ability to utilize income tax attributes or changes in income
tax
rates related to such attributes, the benefit of which has been recognized
under the more likely than not recognition
criteria,
|
·
|
Environmental
matters (such as those requiring compliance with emission and discharge
standards for existing and new
facilities),
|
·
|
Government
laws and regulations and possible changes
therein,
|
·
|
The
ultimate resolution of pending litigation,
and
|
·
|
Possible
future litigation.
|
Should
one or more of these risks materialize (or the consequences of such a
development worsen), or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect,
actual results could differ materially from those forecasted or
expected. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statement whether as a result of changes in information,
future events or otherwise.
Results
of operations
We
consider TiO2
to be a “quality of life” product, with demand affected by gross domestic
product (or “GDP”) in various regions of the world. Over the
long-term, we expect that demand for TiO2 will grow
by 2% to
3% per year, consistent with our expectations for the long-term growth in
GDP. However, even if we and our competitors maintain consistent
shares of the worldwide market, demand for TiO2 in any
interim or
annual period may not change in the same proportion as the change in GDP, in
part due to relative changes in the TiO2 inventory
levels of
our customers. We believe that our customers’ inventory levels are
partly influenced by their expectation for future changes in market TiO2 selling
prices.
The
factors having the most impact on our reported operating results
are:
·
|
Our
TiO2
selling prices,
|
·
|
Foreign
currency exchange rates (particularly the exchange rate for the U.S.
dollar relative to the euro and the Canadian
dollar),
|
·
|
Our
TiO2
sales and production volumes, and
|
·
|
Manufacturing
costs, particularly maintenance and energy-related
expenses.
|
Our
key
performance indicators are our TiO2 average
selling
prices, and our levels of TiO2 sales and
production volumes.
Quarter
ended September 30, 2007 compared to the
Quarter
ended September 30, 2006 -
Three
months ended
September
30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
(As
adjusted)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ |
331.6
|
100 | % | $ |
343.3
|
100 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
255.3
|
77
|
276.4
|
81
|
||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
76.3
|
23
|
66.9
|
19
|
||||||||||||
Other
operating expenses, net
|
41.1
|
12
|
44.8
|
13
|
||||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
$ |
35.2
|
11 | % | $ |
22.1
|
6 | % | ||||||||
%
|
||||||||||||||||
Change
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
operating
statistics:
|
||||||||||||||||
Sales
volumes*
|
132
|
138
|
5 | % | ||||||||||||
Production
volumes*
|
126
|
126
|
- | % | ||||||||||||
Percent
change in net sales:
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
product
pricing
|
(5 | )% | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
sales
volumes
|
5
|
|||||||||||||||
TiO2
product
mix
|
-
|
|||||||||||||||
Changes
in currency exchange rates
|
4
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
|
4 | % |
________________________________
*
Thousands of metric tons
Net
sales – Net sales increased 4% or $11.7 million compared to the third
quarter of 2006 primarily due to a 5% increase in sales volumes and the
favorable effect of changes in currency exchange rates, offset somewhat by
a 5%
decrease in average TiO2 selling
prices. We estimate the favorable effect of changes in currency
exchange rates increased our net sales by approximately $13 million, or 4%,
compared to the same period in 2006. We expect average selling prices
in the fourth quarter of 2007 to be consistent with the average selling prices
in the third quarter of 2007.
Sales
volumes in the third quarter of 2007 were 5% higher compared to 2006 primarily
due to higher sales volumes in North America and export
markets. Sales volumes for the third quarter of 2007 were a third
quarter record. We expect our sales volumes in the fourth quarter of
2007 to be lower than the third quarter of 2007. We expect our sales
volumes for the full year 2007 to exceed 2006.
Cost
of sales - Cost of sales
increased $21.1 million
or 8% in the third quarter of 2007 compared to 2006 due to higher sales volumes
and the effects of changes in currency exchange rates. Cost of sales
as a percentage of net sales increased to 81% in the third quarter of 2007
compared to 77% in the third quarter of 2006 due primarily to the unfavorable
effects of lower average TiO2
selling
prices. TiO2
production volumes in the third
quarter of 2007 were comparable to production volumes of the same period in
2006.
Income
from operations – Income from operations for the third quarter of 2007
declined by 37% to $22.1 million compared to the same period in
2006. Income from operations as a percentage of net sales
declined to 6% in the third quarter of 2007 from 11% in the same period for
2006. This decrease was driven by the decline in gross margin, which
fell to 19% for the third quarter of 2007 compared to 23% for the third quarter
of 2006. Our gross margin has decreased as pricing has not improved
to offset the negative impact of currency exchange rates. This
decrease was partially offset by higher sales volumes. Changes in
currency exchange rates have negatively affected our gross margin and income
from operations. We estimate the negative effect of changes in
foreign currency exchange rates decreased income from operations by
approximately $3 million in the third quarter of 2007 as compared to the same
period in 2006.
Other
non-operating income (expense) – Interest expense increased $.3 million
from $9.7 million in the third quarter of 2006 to $10.0 million in the third
quarter of 2007 due to increased borrowing on our U.S. line of credit and the
effects of currency exchange rates (primarily the euro). Excluding
the effect of currency exchange rates, we expect interest expense in the fourth
quarter of 2007 to be consistent with the third quarter of 2007.
We
have a
significant amount of indebtedness denominated in the euro, primarily the 6.5%
Senior Secured Notes. The interest expense we recognize will vary
with fluctuations in the euro exchange rate.
Provision
for income taxes – Our provision for income taxes was $94.0 million in the
third quarter of 2007 compared to a provision of $14.1 million in the same
period last year. Our provision for income taxes in the third quarter of
2007 includes a $90.8 million charge related to the reduction of our net
deferred income tax asset in Germany resulting from the enactment of legislation
reducing the German income tax rates (see Note 7 to our Condensed Consolidated
Financial Statements) and a $1.2 million income tax benefit due to a net
decrease in our income tax contingency reserves. Our income tax expense
for the third quarter 2006 includes an aggregate provision for income taxes
of
$3.4 million, principally for unfavorable developments with respect to ongoing
income tax audits in Germany.
Nine
months ended September 30, 2007 compared to the
nine
months ended September 30, 2006 -
Nine
months ended
September
30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||
(Dollars
in millions)
|
||||||||||||||||
(As
adjusted)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ |
981.0
|
100 | % | $ |
999.9
|
100 | % | ||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
748.0
|
76
|
799.0
|
80
|
||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
233.0
|
24
|
200.9
|
20
|
||||||||||||
Other
operating expenses, net
|
126.8
|
13
|
125.9
|
13
|
||||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
$ |
106.2
|
11 | % | $ |
75.0
|
7 | % | ||||||||
%
|
||||||||||||||||
Change
|
||||||||||||||||
Ti02
operating
statistics:
|
||||||||||||||||
Sales
volumes*
|
396
|
400
|
1 | % | ||||||||||||
Production
volumes*
|
383
|
386
|
1 | % | ||||||||||||
Percent
change in net sales:
|
||||||||||||||||
TiO2
product
pricing
|
(4 | )% | ||||||||||||||
TiO2
sales
volumes
|
1
|
|||||||||||||||
TiO2
product
mix
|
1
|
|||||||||||||||
Changes
in currency exchange rates
|
4
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
|
2 | % |
_________________________________
|
*
Thousands of metric tons
|
Net
sales – Net sales increased 2% or $18.9 million compared to the nine months
ended September 30, 2006 as the favorable effect of changes in currency exchange
rates and a 1% increase in sales volumes more than offset the unfavorable impact
of a 4% decrease in average prices. We estimate the favorable effect
of changes in currency exchange rates increased our net sales by approximately
$44 million, or 4%, compared to the same period in 2006.
Our
1%
increase in sales volumes in the nine months ended September 30, 2007 is
primarily due to the net effect of higher sales volumes in Europe and export
markets and lower volumes in North America.
Cost
of sales - Cost of sales increased $51 million or 7% in the nine months
ended September 30, 2007, compared to the same period in 2006, due to higher
sales volumes, an increase in manufacturing costs and the effects of changes
in
currency exchange rates. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales
increased to 80% in the nine months ended September 30, 2007, compared to 76%
in
the same period of 2006 as the unfavorable effect of lower average selling
prices and higher manufacturing costs more than offset the favorable effect
of
slightly higher production volumes. TiO2 production
volumes
increased 1% in the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period in
2006, and our operating rates were near full capacity in both
periods.
Income
from operations –
Income from operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2007
declined by 29% to $75 million compared to
the
same period in 2006. The income from operations as a percentage of
net sales declined to 7% in the nine months ended September 30, 2007 from 11%
in
the same period for 2006. The decline in income from operations is
driven by the decline in gross margin, which fell to 20% in 2007 compared to
24%
in 2006. Our gross margin has decreased as pricing has not improved
to offset the impact of higher manufacturing costs, partially offset by higher
sales and production volumes. Changes in currency exchange rates have
affected our gross margin and income from operations. We
estimate the favorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates
increased income from operations by approximately $4 million.
Other
non-operating income (expense) – Interest expense decreased $4.2 million from
$33.5 million in the nine
months
ended September 30, 2006 to $29.3 million in the nine
months
ended September 30, 2007 primarily due to the redemption of the 8.875% Senior
Secured Notes and the issuance of the 6.5% Senior Secured Notes in the second
quarter of 2006.
In
April
2006, we issued our euro 400 million principal amount of 6.5% Senior Secured
Notes, and used the proceeds to redeem our euro 375 million principal amount
of
8.875% Senior Secured Notes. We recognized a $22.3 million pre-tax
interest charge ($14.5 million net of income tax benefit) in the second quarter
of 2006 for the prepayment of the notes, representing (1) the call premium
on
the notes, (2) the write-off of deferred financing costs and (3) write off
of
the existing unamortized premium on the notes.
Provision
for income taxes – Our provision for income taxes was $115.7 million in the
first nine
months of 2007 compared to a provision of $12.4 million in the same
period
last year. Our provision for income taxes in 2007 includes a third quarter
$90.8 million charge related to the reduction of our net deferred income tax
asset in Germany resulting from the enactment of legislation reducing the German
income tax rates (see Note 7 to our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements), a third quarter $1.2 million income tax benefit due to a net
decrease in the Company’s income tax contingency reserves and a second quarter
$8.7 million charge related to the adjustment of certain German income tax
attributes.
Our
income tax expense in 2006 includes (i) an income tax benefit of $2.0 million
related to the favorable resolution of certain income tax audit issues in
Germany and Belgium, (ii) a $2.0 million provision for income taxes related
to
the unfavorable resolution of certain income tax audit issues in Germany, (iii)
an income tax benefit of $9.5 million resulting from the reduction in our income
tax contingency reserves related to favorable developments with income tax
audits in Belgium and Norway, (iv) a $1.4 million provision for income taxes
resulting from the increase in our income tax contingency reserve related to
our
ongoing income tax audits, principally in Germany and (v) a $1.1 million benefit
resulting from the enactment of a reduction in Canadian income tax
rates.
See
Note
7 to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for a tabular
reconciliation of our statutory tax expense to our actual tax
expense.
Currency
exchange
We
have substantial operations and assets located outside the United
States (primarily in Germany, Belgium, Norway and Canada). The
majority of our foreign operations’ sales are denominated in foreign currencies,
principally the euro, other major European currencies and the Canadian
dollar. A portion of our sales generated from our foreign operations
are denominated in the U.S. dollar. Certain raw materials used
worldwide, primarily titanium-containing feedstocks, are purchased in U.S.
dollars, while labor and other production costs are purchased primarily in
local
currencies. Consequently, the translated U.S. dollar value of our
foreign sales and operating results are subject to currency exchange rate
fluctuations which may favorably or adversely impact reported earnings and
may
affect the comparability of period-to-period operating
results. Overall, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates had
the following effects on our net sales and income from operations in 2007 as
compared to 2006.
Three
months ended
September
30, 2007
vs.
2006
|
Nine
months ended
September
30, 2007
vs.
2006
|
|||||||
Increase
(decrease), in millions
|
||||||||
Impact
on:
|
||||||||
Net
sales
|
$ |
13
|
$ |
44
|
||||
Income
from operations
|
(3 | ) |
4
|
Outlook
Through
our debottlenecking program, we have added capacity to our German
chloride-process facility, and equipment upgrades and enhancements in several
locations have allowed us to reduce downtime for maintenance
activities. Our production capacity has increased by approximately
30% over the past ten years with only moderate capital
expenditures. We believe our annual attainable TiO2 production
capacity
for 2007 is approximately 525,000 metric tons, with some additional capacity
expected to be available in 2008 through our continued debottlenecking
efforts.
We
expect income from operations in
the fourth quarter of 2007 will be lower than 2006. Our expectations
as to the future of the TiO2 industry
are based
upon a number of factors beyond our control, including worldwide growth of
gross
domestic product, competition in the marketplace, unexpected or earlier than
expected capacity additions and technological advances. If actual
developments differ from our expectations, our results of operations could
be
unfavorably affected.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Consolidated
cash flows
Operating
activities
Trends
in
cash flows as a result of our operating activities (excluding the impact of
significant asset dispositions and relative changes in assets and liabilities)
are generally similar to trends in our earnings.
Our
cash provided by operating
activities was $68.7 million in the first nine months of 2007 compared to $50.3
million in the first nine months of 2006. This $18.4 million increase
in the amount of cash provided was due primarily to the net effects of the
following items:
·
|
Lower
income from operations in 2007 of $31.2
million;
|
·
|
The
$20.9 million call premium we paid in 2006 when we prepaid our 8.875%
Senior Secured Notes, which GAAP requires to be included in the
determination of cash flows from operating
activities;
|
·
|
Higher
net contributions to our TiO2
joint venture
in 2007 of $4.4 million due to relative changes in their cash
requirements;
|
·
|
Lower
net cash used from relative changes in our inventories, receivables,
payables and accruals of $13.1 million in 2007 due primarily to relative
changes in our inventory levels, as discussed below;
and
|
·
|
Lower
cash paid for income taxes in 2007 of $15.5 million due in part to
the
2006 payment of certain income taxes associated with the settlement
of
prior year income tax audits.
|
Changes
in working capital were
affected by accounts receivable and inventory changes. Our average
days sales outstanding (“DSO”) increased from 61 days at December 31, 2006 to 69
days at September 30, 2007 due to the timing of collection on higher accounts
receivable balances at the end of September. For comparative
purposes, our average DSO increased from 55 days at December 31, 2005 to 65
days
at September 30, 2006. Our average days sales in inventory (“DSI”)
decreased from 68 days at December 31, 2006 to 50 days at September 30, 2007,
as
our sales volumes exceeded our Ti02 production
volumes
during the period, decreasing our finished goods inventory. For
comparative purposes, our average DSI decreased to 46 days at September 30,
2006
from 59 days at December 31, 2005.
Investing
activities
Our
capital expenditures of $26.8 million and $29.4 million in the nine months
ended
September 30, 2006 and 2007, respectively, were primarily for improvements
and
upgrades to existing facilities.
Financing
activities
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2007, we had net borrowings of $16 million
under our U.S. credit facility.
In
each
of the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2007, we paid a quarterly
dividend to stockholders of $.25 per share for an aggregate dividend $36.7
million in each nine-month period.
Outstanding
debt obligations
At
September 30, 2007, our consolidated debt was comprised of:
·
|
euro
400 million principal amount of our 6.5% Senior Secured Notes ($563.6
million at September 30, 2007) due in
2013;
|
·
|
$22.4
million under our U.S. revolving credit facility which matures in
September 2008; and
|
·
|
Approximately
$5.5 million of other indebtedness.
|
Certain
of our credit agreements contain provisions which could result in the
acceleration of indebtedness prior to its stated maturity for reasons other
than
defaults for failure to comply with applicable covenants. For
example, certain credit agreements allow the lender to accelerate the maturity
of the indebtedness upon a change of control (as defined in the agreement)
of
the borrower. In addition, certain credit agreements could result in
the acceleration of all or a portion of the indebtedness following a sale of
assets outside the ordinary course of business. We are in compliance
with all of our debt covenants at September 30, 2007. We expect to
obtain an extension of our U.S. revolving credit facility sometime prior to
the
current September 2008 maturity. See Note 6 to the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our
assets consist primarily of investments in operating subsidiaries, and our
ability to service parent level obligations, including the Senior Secured Notes,
depends in large part upon the distribution of earnings of our subsidiaries,
whether in the form of dividends, advances or payments on account of
intercompany obligations or otherwise. None of our subsidiaries have
guaranteed the Senior Secured Notes, although Kronos International, Inc. (“KII”)
has pledged 65% of the common stock or other ownership interests of certain
of
KII’s first-tier operating subsidiaries as collateral for the Senior Secured
Notes.
Future
cash requirements
Liquidity
Our
primary source of liquidity on an ongoing basis is cash flows from operating
activities. From time-to-time we will incur indebtedness, generally
to (i) fund short-term working capital needs, (ii) refinance existing
indebtedness or (iii) fund major capital expenditures or the acquisition of
other assets outside the ordinary course of business. We will also
from time-to-time sell assets outside the ordinary course of business, the
proceeds of which are generally used to (i) repay existing indebtedness, (ii)
make investments in marketable and other securities, (iii) fund major capital
expenditures or the acquisition of other assets outside the ordinary course
of
business or (iv) pay dividends.
Pricing
within the TiO2
industry is cyclical, and changes in industry economic conditions significantly
impact earnings and operating cash flows. Changes in TiO2 pricing,
production
volumes and customer demand, among other things, could significantly affect
our
liquidity.
We
routinely evaluate our liquidity requirements, alternative uses of capital,
capital needs and availability of resources in view of, among other things,
our
dividend policy, our debt service and capital expenditure requirements and
estimated future operating cash flows. As a result of this process,
we have in the past and may in the future seek to reduce, refinance, repurchase
or restructure indebtedness, raise additional capital, repurchase shares of
our
common stock, modify our dividend policy, restructure ownership interests,
sell
interests in our subsidiaries or other assets, or take a combination of these
steps or other steps to manage our liquidity and capital
resources. Such activities have in the past and may in the future
involve related companies. In the normal course of our business, we
may investigate, evaluate, discuss and engage in acquisition, joint venture,
strategic relationship and other business combination opportunities in the
TiO2
industry. In the event
of any future acquisition or
joint venture opportunity, we may consider using then-available liquidity,
issuing our equity securities or incurring additional indebtedness.
At
September 30, 2007, unused credit available under all of our existing credit
facilities was approximately $148 million. Based upon our expectation
for the TiO2
industry
and anticipated demands on cash resources, we expect to
have sufficient liquidity to meet our future obligations including operations,
capital expenditures, debt service and current dividend policy. If
actual developments differ from our expectations, our liquidity could be
adversely affected.
Capital
expenditures
We
intend
to spend approximately $53 million for major improvements and upgrades to our
existing facilities during 2007, including the $29.4 million we have spent
through September 30, 2007.
Off-balance
sheet financing
We
do not
have any off-balance sheet financing agreements other than the operating leases
discussed in our 2006 Annual Report.
Commitments
and contingencies
See
Notes
7 and 10 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for a description
of
certain income tax examinations currently underway and legal
proceedings.
Recent
accounting pronouncements
See
Note 11 to the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements.
Critical
accounting policies
For
a discussion of our critical
accounting policies, refer to Part I, Item 7 - “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our 2006 Annual
Report. There have been no changes in our critical accounting
policies during the first nine months of 2007.
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET
RISK
We
are exposed to market risk,
including foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and security
prices. For a discussion of such market risk items, refer to Part I,
Item 7A. - “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” in our
2006 Annual Report. There have been no material changes in these
market risks during the first nine months of 2007.
We
have substantial operations located
outside the United States for which the functional currency is not the U.S.
dollar. As a result, the reported amounts of our assets and
liabilities related to our non-U.S. operations, and therefore our consolidated
net assets, will fluctuate based upon changes in currency exchange
rates.
We
periodically use currency forward contracts to manage a very nominal portion
of
foreign exchange rate risk associated with trade receivables denominated in
a
currency other than the holder's functional currency or similar exchange rate
risk associated with future sales. We have not entered into these
contracts for trading or speculative purposes in the past, nor do we currently
anticipate entering into such contracts for trading or speculative purposes
in
the future. To manage our exchange rate risk, at September 30, 2007
we held a series of contracts, with expiration dates ranging from October to
December 2007, to exchange an aggregate of U.S. $15.0 million for an equivalent
amount of Canadian dollars at exchange rates ranging from Cdn. $1.163 to Cdn.
$1.165 per U.S. dollar. At September 30, 2007, the actual exchange
rate was Cdn. $.996 per U.S. dollar. The estimated fair value of such
foreign currency forward contracts at September 30, 2007 is not
significant.
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation
of disclosure controls and procedures
We
maintain a system of disclosure controls and procedures. The term
"disclosure controls and procedures," as defined by Exchange Act 13a-15(e),
means controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit to the SEC under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Act"), is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the
SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include,
without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
we are required to disclose in the reports we file or submit to the SEC under
the Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our
principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, or persons
performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions to be
made regarding required disclosure. Each of Harold C. Simmons, our
Chief Executive Officer, and Gregory M. Swalwell, our Vice President, Finance
and Chief Financial Officer, have evaluated the design and operating
effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30,
2007. Based upon their evaluation, these executive officers have
concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of
September 30, 2007.
Internal
control over financial reporting
We
also
maintain internal control over financial reporting. The term
“internal control over financial reporting,” as defined by Exchange Act
13a-15(f), means a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our
principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing
similar functions, and effected by our board of directors, management and other
personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of
financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external
purposes in accordance with GAAP, and includes those policies and procedures
that:
·
|
Pertain
to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately
and
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our
assets,
|
·
|
Provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary
to permit
preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and
that our
receipts and expenditures are made only in accordance with authorizations
of our management and directors,
and
|
·
|
Provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of
an
unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could
have
a material effect on our Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements.
|
As
permitted by the SEC, our assessment of internal control over financial
reporting excludes (i) internal control over financial reporting of our equity
method investees and (ii) internal control over the preparation of our financial
statement schedules required by Article 12 of Regulation
S-X. However, our assessment of internal control over financial
reporting with respect to our equity method investees did include our controls
over the recording of amounts related to our investment that are recorded in
our
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, including controls over the
selection of accounting methods for our investments, the recognition of equity
method earnings and losses and the determination, valuation and recording of
our
investment account balances.
Changes
in internal control over financial reporting
There
has
been no change to our internal control over financial reporting during the
quarter ended September 30, 2007 that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial
reporting.
Part
II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal
Proceedings
Refer
to Note 10 of the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements and to our 2006 Annual Report for descriptions
of certain legal proceedings.
Item
1A. Risk
Factors
For
a discussion of the risk factors
related to our businesses, refer to Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors,” in our
2006 Annual report. There have been no material changes to such risk
factors during the nine months ended September 30, 2007.
Item
6. Exhibits.
Exhibit
No.
|
31.1
- Certification
|
|
31.2
- Certification
|
|
32.1
- Certification
|
SIGNATURES
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 thereunto
duly authorized.
Kronos
Worldwide,
Inc. (Registrant)
Date
November 5,
2007 By
/s/ Gregory M.
Swalwell
Gregory M. Swalwell
Vice
President,
Finance and Chief
Financial
Officer
(Principal
Financial
Officer)
Date
November 5,
2007 By
/s/ Tim C.
Hafer
Tim C. Hafer
Vice President and Controller
(Principal Accounting Officer)