MRC GLOBAL INC. - Quarter Report: 2020 June (Form 10-Q)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

(in millions, except per share amounts)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

(in millions, except per share amounts)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

(in millions)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

(in millions)

See notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

(in millions)

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

MRC GLOBAL INC.

NOTE 1 – BACKGROUND AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Business Operations: MRC Global Inc. is a holding company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Our wholly owned subsidiaries are global distributors of pipe, valves, fittings (“PVF”) and related infrastructure products and services across each of the upstream production (exploration, production and extraction of underground oil and gas), midstream pipeline (gathering and transmission of oil and gas), gas utilities (gas utilities and the storage and distribution of oil and gas) and downstream and industrial (crude oil refining and petrochemical and chemical processing and general industrials) sectors. We have branches in principal industrial, hydrocarbon producing and refining areas throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australasia, the Middle East and Caspian. We obtain products from a broad range of suppliers.

Basis of Presentation: We have prepared our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X for interim financial statements. These statements do not include all information and footnotes that generally accepted accounting principles require for complete annual financial statements. However, the information in these statements reflects all normal recurring adjustments which are, in our opinion, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that will be realized for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. We have derived our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 from the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019. You should read these condensed consolidated financial statements in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MRC Global Inc. and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the “Company” or by such terms as “we,” “our” or “us”). All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Recent Issued Accounting Pronouncements: In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) ("ASU 2020-04"), which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The amendments are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. We are currently evaluating the impacts of the the provisions of ASU 2020-04 on our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, an update intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. This guidance removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This accounting standards update will be effective for annual and interim financial statement periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this accounting standards update, but do not expect the adoption to materially impact our consolidated financial statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards: In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which requires that an entity measure impairment of certain financial instruments, including trade receivables, based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. We adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020. The adoption of this new standard resulted in the recognition of $1 million of incremental bad debt expense in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.

NOTE 2 – REVENUE RECOGNITION

Revenue is recognized when control of promised goods or services is transferred to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Substantially all of our revenue is recognized when products are shipped or delivered to our customers, and payment is due from our customers at the time of billing with a majority of our customers having 30-day terms. Returns are estimated and recorded as a reduction of revenue. Amounts received in advance of shipment are deferred and recognized when the performance obligations are satisfied. Sales taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are accounted for on a net basis and, therefore, are excluded from sales in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Cost of sales includes the cost of inventory sold and related items, such as vendor rebates, inventory allowances and reserves and shipping and handling costs associated with inbound and outbound freight, as well as depreciation and amortization and amortization of intangible assets. In some cases, particularly with third-party pipe shipments, shipping and handling costs are considered separate performance obligations, and as such, the revenue and cost of sales are recorded when the performance obligation is fulfilled.

Our contracts with customers ordinarily involve performance obligations that are one year or less. Therefore, we have applied the optional exemption that permits the omission of information about our unfulfilled performance obligations as of the balance sheet dates.

Contract Balances: Variations in the timing of revenue recognition, invoicing and receipt of payment result in categories of assets and liabilities that include invoiced accounts receivable, uninvoiced accounts receivable, contract assets and deferred revenue (contract liabilities) on the consolidated balance sheets.

Generally, revenue recognition and invoicing occur simultaneously as we transfer control of promised goods or services to our customers. We consider contract assets to be accounts receivable when we have an unconditional right to consideration and only the passage of time is required before payment is due. In certain cases, particularly those involving customer-specific documentation requirements, invoicing is delayed until we are able to meet the documentation requirements. In these cases, we recognize a contract asset separate from accounts receivable until those requirements are met, and we are able to invoice the customer. Our contract asset balance associated with these requirements as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 was $16 million and $26 million, respectively. These contract asset balances are included within accounts receivable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

We record contract liabilities, or deferred revenue, when cash payments are received from customers in advance of our performance, including amounts which are refundable. The deferred revenue balance at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 was $5 million and $4 million, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, we recognized $2 million and $4 million of revenue that was deferred as of December 31, 2019, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, we recognized $1 million and $6 million of revenue that was deferred as of December 31, 2018.  Deferred revenue balances are included within accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Disaggregated Revenue: Our disaggregated revenue represents our business of selling PVF to the energy sector across each of the upstream production (exploration, production and extraction of underground oil and gas), midstream pipeline (gathering and transmission of oil and gas), gas utilities and downstream and industrial (crude oil refining and petrochemical and chemical processing and general industrials) sectors in each of our reportable segments. Each of our end markets and geographical reportable segments are impacted and influenced by varying factors, including macroeconomic environment, commodity prices, maintenance and capital spending and exploration and production activity. As such, we believe that this information is important in depicting the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of our contracts with customers.

The following table presents our revenue disaggregated by revenue source (in millions):

NOTE 3 – INVENTORIES

The composition of our inventory is as follows (in millions):

The Company uses the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) method of valuing U.S. inventories. The use of the LIFO method has the effect of reducing net income during periods of rising inventory costs (inflationary periods) and increasing net income during periods of falling inventory costs (deflationary periods). Valuation of inventory under the LIFO method can be made only at the end of each year based on the inventory levels and costs at that time. Accordingly, interim LIFO calculations are based on management’s estimates of expected year-end inventory levels and costs and are subject to the final year-end LIFO inventory determination. Our inventory quantities are expected to be reduced for the current year, resulting in a liquidation of a LIFO inventory layer that was carried at a lower cost prevailing from a prior year, as compared with current costs in the current year (a “LIFO decrement”). A LIFO decrement results in the erosion of layers created in earlier years, and, therefore, a LIFO layer is not created for years that have decrements. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the effect of this LIFO decrement decreased cost of sales by approximately $5 million and $8 million, respectively.  

In the second quarter of 2020, we incurred non-cash inventory-related charges totaling $34 million necessary to reduce the carrying value of certain products determined to be excess or obsolete to their net realizable value based on our current market outlook for these products. This amount includes $19 million in our U.S. segment, $1 million in our Canada segment, and $14 million in our International segment due to increased reserves for excess and obsolete inventory as well as the exit of the Thailand business. We may continue to sell to customers in Thailand from time-to-time on an export basis.

NOTE 4 – LEASES

We lease certain distribution centers, warehouses, office space, land and equipment. Substantially all of these leases are classified as operating leases. We recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet.

Many of our facility leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term from one year to 15 years with a maximum lease term of 30 years, including renewals. The exercise of lease renewal options is at our sole discretion; therefore, renewals to extend the terms of most leases are not included in our right of use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities as they are not reasonably certain of exercise. In the case of our regional distribution centers and certain corporate offices, where the renewal is reasonably certain of exercise, we include the renewal period in our lease term. Leases with escalation adjustments based on an index, such as the consumer price index, are expensed based on current rates. Leases with specified escalation steps are expensed based on the total lease obligation ratably over the life of the lease. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are limited by the expected lease term. Non-lease components, such as payment of real estate taxes, maintenance, insurance and other operating expenses, have been excluded from the determination of our lease liability.

As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of the lease payments using a portfolio approach. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

Expense associated with our operating leases was $9 million and $19 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $11 million and $21 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, which is classified in selling, general and administrative expenses.  Cash paid for leases recognized as liabilities was $11 million and $22 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $11 million and $21 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.  

The maturity of lease liabilities is as follows (in millions):

Amounts maturing after 2024 include expected renewals for leases of regional distribution centers and certain corporate offices through dates up to 2048.

The term and discount rate associated with leases are as follows:

During the second quarter of 2020, actions were taken to close a number of facilities as part of a broader plan to streamline operations and reduce costs.  In connection with these closures, we incurred charges totaling $15 million related to impairments of right of use assets, lease abandonments and charges associated with contractual obligations under lease agreements.  These are reflected in selling, general and administrative expense in the accompanying statement of operations and amounted to $2 million, $1 million, and $12 million in our U.S., Canada and International segments, respectively.

NOTE 5 – GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSET IMPAIRMENT

We apply a fair value-based impairment test to the carrying value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis (as of October 1) and, if certain events or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss may have been incurred, on an interim basis.

In the first half of 2020, demand for oil and natural gas declined sharply as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic.  This disruption in demand and the resulting decline in the price of oil has had a dramatic negative impact on our business.  We experienced a significant reduction in sales beginning in April 2020 which continued throughout the second quarter.  At this time, there remains ongoing uncertainty around the timing and extent of any recovery. We have taken a more pessimistic long-term outlook due to the significant reduction in the demand for oil, the implications of that demand destruction on the price of oil for an extended period of time and actions our customers have taken to curtail costs and reduce spending. As a result of these developments, we concluded that it was more likely than not the fair values of our U.S. and International reporting units were lower than their carrying values.  Accordingly, we completed an interim goodwill impairment test as of April 30, 2020.  This test resulted in a $217 million goodwill impairment charge comprised of $177 million in our U.S. reporting unit and $40 million in our International reporting unit. 

As a result of the same factors that necessitated an interim impairment test for goodwill, we completed an interim impairment test for our U.S. indefinite-lived tradename asset.  This test resulted in an impairment charge of $25 million.  The remaining balance of the indefinite-lived tradename was $107 million as of June 30, 2020. The U.S. tradename is our only indefinite-lived intangible asset.

Our impairment methodology uses discounted cash flow and multiples of cash earnings valuation techniques, acquisition control premium and valuation comparisons to similar businesses to determine the fair value of a reporting unit. Each of these methods involves Level 3 unobservable market inputs and require us to make certain assumptions and estimates including future operating results, the extent and timing of future cash flows, working capital requirements, sales prices, profitability, discount rates, sales growth trends and cost trends.  As of June 30, 2020, the discount rates utilized to value the reporting units were in a range from 9.75% to 11.25%. We utilized third-party valuation advisors to assist us with these valuations. These impairment assessments incorporate inherent uncertainties, which are difficult to predict in volatile economic environments. While we believe that our assumptions and estimates are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from projected results which could result in the recognition of additional impairment charges in future periods.

NOTE 6 – LONG-TERM DEBT

The components of our long-term debt are as follows (in millions):

Senior Secured Term Loan B: We have a Senior Secured Term Loan B (the “Term Loan”) with an original principal amount of $400 million, which amortizes in equal quarterly installments of 1% per year with the balance payable in September 2024, when the facility matures. The Term Loan has an applicable interest rate margin of 300 basis points in the case of loans incurring interest based on LIBOR, and 200 basis points in the case of loans incurring interest based on the base rate. The Term Loan allows for incremental increases in facility size by up to an aggregate of $200 million, plus an additional amount such that the Company’s first lien leverage ratio (as defined under the Term Loan) would not exceed 4.00 to 1.00. MRC Global (US) Inc. is the borrower under this facility, which is guaranteed by MRC Global Inc. as well as all of its wholly owned U.S. subsidiaries. In addition, it is secured by a second lien on the assets securing our Global ABL Facility, defined below, (which includes accounts receivable and inventory) and a first lien on substantially all of the other assets of MRC Global Inc. and those of its U.S. subsidiaries, as well as a pledge of all of the capital stock of our domestic subsidiaries and 65% of the capital stock of first tier, non-U.S. subsidiaries. We are required to repay the Term Loan with certain asset sales and insurance proceeds. In addition, on an annual basis, we are required to repay an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow, as defined in the Term Loan, reducing to 25% if our first lien leverage ratio is no more than 2.75 to 1.00. No payment of excess cash flow is required if the first lien leverage ratio is less than or equal 2.50 to 1.00. In addition, the Term Loan contains a number of customary restrictive covenants.

In March 2020, we purchased and retired $3 million of the outstanding interests in the Term Loan at a cost of $2 million. We recognized a gain of $1 million on the extinguishment of the debt in the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Global ABL Facility: We have an $800 million multi-currency asset-based revolving credit (the “Global ABL Facility”) that matures in September 2022. This facility is comprised of revolver commitments of $675 million in the United States, $65 million in Canada, $18 million in Norway, $15 million in Australia, $13 million in the Netherlands, $7 million in the United Kingdom and $7 million in Belgium. It contains an accordion feature that allows us to increase the principal amount of the facility by up to $200 million, subject to securing additional lender commitments. MRC Global Inc. and each of its current and future wholly owned material U.S. subsidiaries guarantee the obligations of our borrower subsidiaries under the Global ABL Facility. Additionally, each of our non-U.S. borrower subsidiaries guarantees the obligations of our other non-U.S. borrower subsidiaries under the Global ABL Facility. Outstanding obligations are generally secured by a first priority security interest in accounts receivable and inventory. Availability is dependent on a borrowing base comprised of a percentage of eligible accounts receivable and inventory which is subject to redetermination from time to time. Excess Availability, as defined under our Global ABL Facility, was $411 million as of June 30, 2020.

Interest on Borrowings: The interest rates on our borrowings outstanding at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, including a floating to fixed interest rate swap and amortization of debt issuance costs, are as set forth below:

NOTE 7 – REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK

Preferred Stock Issuance

In June 2015, we issued 363,000 shares of Series A Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) and received gross proceeds of $363 million. The Preferred Stock ranks senior to our common stock with respect to dividend rights and rights on liquidation, winding-up and dissolution. The Preferred Stock has a stated value of $1,000 per share, and holders of Preferred Stock are entitled to cumulative dividends payable quarterly in cash at a rate of 6.50% per annum. In June 2018, the holders of Preferred Stock designated one member to our Board of Directors. If we fail to declare and pay the quarterly dividend for an amount equal to six or more dividend periods, the holders of the Preferred Stock would be entitled to designate an additional member to our Board of Directors. Holders of Preferred Stock are entitled to vote together with the holders of the common stock as a single class, in each case, on an as-converted basis, except where a separate class vote of the common stockholders is required by law. Holders of Preferred Stock have certain limited special approval rights, including with respect to the issuance of pari passu or senior equity securities of the Company.

The Preferred Stock is convertible at the option of the holders into shares of common stock at an initial conversion rate of 55.9284 shares of common stock for each share of Preferred Stock, which represents an initial conversion price of $17.88 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment. Effective June 10, 2020, the Company has the option to redeem, in whole but not in part, all the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock at 105% of par value, subject to certain redemption price adjustments. We may elect to convert the Preferred Stock, in whole but not in part, into the relevant number of shares of common stock if the last reported sale price of the common stock has been at least 150% of the conversion price then in effect for a specified period. The conversion rate is subject to customary anti-dilution and other adjustments.

Holders of the Preferred Stock may, at their option, require the Company to repurchase their shares in the event of a fundamental change, as defined in the agreement. The repurchase price is based on the original $1,000 per share purchase price except in the case of a liquidation in which case they would receive the greater of $1,000 per share and the amount that would be received if they held common stock converted at the conversion rate in effect at the time of the fundamental change. Because this feature could require redemption as a result of the occurrence of an event not solely within the control of the Company, the Preferred Stock is classified as temporary equity on our balance sheet.

NOTE 8 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Share Repurchase Program

From time to time, the Company’s board of directors has authorized repurchase programs for shares of the Company’s common stock. As of June 30, 2020, there were no remaining authorizations outstanding under these programs. There were 82,067,573 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2020.

The following table summarizes the share repurchase activity:

Equity Compensation Plans

Our 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan originally had 3,250,000 shares reserved for issuance under the plan. In both April 2015 and 2019, our shareholders approved an additional 4,250,000 and 2,500,000 shares, respectively, for reservation for issuance under the plan. The plan permits the issuance of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based and cash-based awards. Since the adoption of the 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors has periodically granted stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and performance share units to directors and employees, but no other types of awards have been granted under the plan. Options and stock appreciation rights may not be granted at prices less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the grant, nor for a term exceeding ten years. For employees, vesting generally occurs over a three year to five year period on the anniversaries of the date specified in the employees’ respective agreements, subject to accelerated vesting under certain circumstances set forth in the agreements. Vesting for directors generally occurs on the one year anniversary of the grant date. In 2020, 336,325 performance share unit awards, 169,603 restricted stock shares and 1,309,157 shares of restricted stock units have been granted to employees. To date, 9,526,444 shares have been granted under this plan. A Black-Scholes option-pricing model is used to estimate the fair value of the stock options. A Monte Carlo simulation is completed to estimate the fair value of performance share unit awards with a stock price performance component. We expense the fair value of all equity grants, including performance share unit awards, on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets consists of the following (in millions):

Earnings per Share 

Earnings per share are calculated in the table below (in millions, except per share amounts):

Equity awards and shares of Preferred Stock are disregarded in the calculation of diluted earnings per share if they are determined to be anti-dilutive. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, all of the shares of the Preferred Stock were anti-dilutive. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, we had approximately 4.2 million and 3.7 million anti-dilutive stock options, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, we had approximately 2.6 million anti-dilutive stock options. There were 0.3 million and 0.5 million anti-dilutive restricted stock, restricted units or performance stock unit awards for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. There were no anti-dilutive restricted stock, restricted units or performance stock unit awards for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019.

NOTE 9 – SEGMENT INFORMATION

Our business is comprised of three operating and reportable segments: U.S., Canada and International. Our International segment consists of our operations outside of the U.S. and Canada. These segments represent our business of selling PVF to the energy sector across each of the upstream production (exploration, production and extraction of underground oil and gas), midstream pipeline (gathering and transmission of oil and gas), gas utilities and downstream and industrial (crude oil refining and petrochemical and chemical processing and general industrials) sectors.

The following table presents financial information for each reportable segment (in millions):

Our sales by product line are as follows (in millions):

NOTE 10 – FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

From time to time, we use derivative financial instruments to help manage our exposure to interest rate risk and fluctuations in foreign currencies.

Interest Rate Swap: In March 2018, we entered into a five year interest rate swap that became effective on March 31, 2018, with a notional amount of $250 million from which the Company will receive payments at 1-month LIBOR and make monthly payments at a fixed rate of 2.7145% with settlement and reset dates on or near the last business day of each month until maturity. The fair value of the swap at inception was zero.

We have designated the interest rate swap as an effective cash flow hedge utilizing the guidance under ASU 2017-12. As such, the valuation of the interest rate swap is recorded as an asset or liability, and the gain or loss on the derivative is recorded as a component of other comprehensive income. Interest rate swap agreements are reported on the accompanying balance sheets at fair value utilizing observable Level 2 inputs such as yield curves and other market-based factors. We obtain dealer quotations to value our interest rate swap agreements. The fair value of our interest rate swap is estimated based on the present value of the difference between expected cash flows calculated at the contracted interest rates and the expected cash flows at current market interest rates. The fair value of the interest rate swap was a liability of $17 million and $9 million as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts: Foreign exchange forward contracts are reported at fair value utilizing Level 2 inputs, as the fair value is based on broker quotes for the same or similar derivative instruments. Our foreign exchange derivative instruments are freestanding, have not been designated as hedges and, accordingly, changes in their fair market value are recorded in earnings. The total notional amount of our forward foreign exchange contracts and options was approximately $24 million and $21 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The fair value of our foreign exchange contracts was not material as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

With the exception of long-term debt, the fair values of our financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximate carrying value. The carrying value of our debt was $474 million and $551 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. We estimate the fair value of the Term Loan using Level 2 inputs, or quoted market prices. The fair value of our debt was $455 million and $554 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 respectively.

NOTE 11 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Litigation

Asbestos Claims.    We are one of many defendants in lawsuits that plaintiffs have brought seeking damages for personal injuries that exposure to asbestos allegedly caused. Plaintiffs and their family members have brought these lawsuits against a large volume of defendant entities as a result of the defendants’ manufacture, distribution, supply or other involvement with asbestos, asbestos containing-products or equipment or activities that allegedly caused plaintiffs to be exposed to asbestos. These plaintiffs typically assert exposure to asbestos as a consequence of third-party manufactured products that our MRC Global (US) Inc. subsidiary purportedly distributed. As of June 30, 2020, we are named a defendant in approximately 603 lawsuits involving approximately 1,179 claims. No asbestos lawsuit has resulted in a judgment against us to date, with a majority being settled, dismissed or otherwise resolved. Applicable third-party insurance has substantially covered these claims, and insurance should continue to cover a substantial majority of existing and anticipated future claims. Accordingly, we have recorded a liability for our estimate of the most likely settlement of asserted claims and a related receivable from insurers for our estimated recovery, to the extent we believe that the amounts of recovery are probable. It is not possible to predict the outcome of these claims and proceedings. However, in our opinion, the likelihood that the ultimate disposition of any of these claims and legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements is remote.

Other Legal Claims and Proceedings.    From time to time, we have been subject to various claims and involved in legal proceedings incidental to the nature of our businesses. We maintain insurance coverage to reduce financial risk associated with certain of these claims and proceedings. It is not possible to predict the outcome of these claims and proceedings. However, in our opinion, the likelihood that the ultimate disposition of any of these claims and legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements is remote.

Product Claims.    From time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, our customers may claim that the products that we distribute are either defective or require repair or replacement under warranties that either we or the manufacturer may provide to the customer. These proceedings are, in the opinion of management, ordinary and routine matters incidental to our normal business. Our purchase orders with our suppliers generally require the manufacturer to indemnify us against any product liability claims, leaving the manufacturer ultimately responsible for these claims. In many cases, state, provincial or foreign law provides protection to distributors for these sorts of claims, shifting the responsibility to the manufacturer. In some cases, we could be required to repair or replace the products for the benefit of our customer and seek our recovery from the manufacturer for our expense. In our opinion, the likelihood that the ultimate disposition of any of these claims and legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements is remote.

Customer Contracts

We have contracts and agreements with many of our customers that dictate certain terms of our sales arrangements (pricing, deliverables, etc.). While we make every effort to abide by the terms of these contracts, certain provisions are complex and often subject to varying interpretations. Under the terms of these contracts, our customers have the right to audit our adherence to the contract terms. Historically, any settlements that have resulted from these customer audits have not been material to our consolidated financial statements.

Purchase Commitments

We have purchase obligations consisting primarily of inventory purchases made in the normal course of business to meet operating needs. While our vendors often allow us to cancel these purchase orders without penalty, in certain cases, cancellations may subject us to cancellation fees or penalties depending on the terms of the contract.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As used in this Form 10-Q, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references to the “Company,” “MRC Global,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to MRC Global Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (as well as other sections of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q) contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include those preceded by, followed by or including the words “will,” “expect,” “intended,” “anticipated,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “propose,” “plan,” “estimate,” “enable” and similar expressions, including, for example, statements about our business strategy, our industry, our future profitability, growth in the industry sectors we serve, our expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, prospects and assumptions, and estimates and projections of future activity and trends in the oil and natural gas industry. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These statements are based on management’s expectations that involve a number of business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, including the factors described under “Risk Factors,” that may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among other things:

Undue reliance should not be placed on our forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except to the extent law requires.

Overview

We are the largest distributor of pipe, valves and fittings (“PVF”) and other infrastructure products and services to the energy industry, based on sales. We provide innovative supply chain solutions and technical product expertise to customers globally through our leading position across each of our diversified end-markets including the upstream production (exploration, production and extraction of underground oil and gas), midstream pipeline (gathering and transmission of oil and gas), gas utilities and downstream and industrial (crude oil refining and petrochemical and chemical processing and general industrials) sectors. We offer over 200,000 SKUs, including an extensive array of PVF, oilfield supply, valve automation and modification, measurement, instrumentation and other general and specialty products from our global network of over 10,000 suppliers. With nearly 100 years of history, our approximate 2,850 employees serve over 13,000 customers through approximately 240 service locations including regional distribution centers, branches, corporate offices and third party pipe yards, where we often deploy pipe near customer locations. We seek to provide best-in-class service to our customers by satisfying the most complex, multi-site needs of many of the largest companies in the energy sector as their primary PVF supplier. We believe the critical role we play in our customers’ supply chain, together with our extensive product and service offerings, broad global presence, customer-linked scalable information systems and efficient distribution capabilities, serve to solidify our long-standing customer relationships and drive our growth. As a result, we have an average relationship of over 25 years with our 25 largest customers.

Key Drivers of Our Business

Our revenue is predominantly derived from the sale of PVF and other oilfield and industrial supplies to the energy sector globally. Our business is, therefore, dependent upon both the current conditions and future prospects in the energy industry and, in particular, maintenance and expansionary operating and capital expenditures by our customers in the upstream production, midstream pipeline, gas utilities and downstream and industrial sectors of the industry. Long-term growth in spending has been driven by several factors, including demand growth for petroleum and petroleum derived products, underinvestment in global energy infrastructure, growth in shale and unconventional exploration and production (“E&P”) activity, and anticipated strength in the oil, natural gas, refined products and petrochemical sectors. The outlook for future oil, natural gas, refined products and petrochemical PVF spending is influenced by numerous factors, including the following:

Recent Trends and Outlook

During the first six months of 2020, the average oil price of West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) decreased to $36.58 per barrel from $57.39 per barrel in the first six months of 2019. Natural gas prices decreased to an average price of $1.80/MMBtu (Henry Hub) for the first six months of 2020 compared to $2.74/MMBtu (Henry Hub) for the first six months of 2019. North American drilling rig activity decreased 39% in the first six months of 2020 as compared to the first six months of 2019. U.S. well completions were down 36% in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

The energy industry, and our business in turn, is cyclical in nature. In 2019, our customers demonstrated an increased focus on returns on invested capital, which drove a more disciplined approach to spending that continues to impact each of our business sectors. In the first half of 2020, demand for oil and natural gas declined sharply as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic. As various governments implemented COVID-19 isolation orders, transportation use declined, energy use declined and manufacturing declined. As a result, the need for oil consumption dropped dramatically. At the same time, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and other oil producing nations were initially unable to reach an agreement on oil production levels.  This lack of agreement, between Saudi Arabia and Russia in particular, escalated concerns over the potential for oversupply of oil during a period of weakened demand thereby causing a significant, sustained decline in commodity prices.  Major oil-producing nations did reduce oil production during the second quarter of 2020 to help offset the virus-related demand destruction but have recently announced their intention to start easing these cuts beginning in August 2020 due to current trends indicating a modest increase in oil demand. However, the expected level of oil demand in the near term is projected to be substantially lower than prior year levels. There remains significant uncertainty regarding the timing and extent of any recovery, including the possibility of a global recession or depression and any possible structural shift in the global economy and its demand for oil and natural gas as a result of changes in the way people work, travel and interact. As a result, spending plan estimates by sell-side research analysts indicate a decrease in oil and gas industry spending in 2020 of as much as 30% globally, including up to 50% in the U.S. upstream market. These reductions in spending directly impact both the upstream production and midstream pipeline components of our business. In addition, we have seen our customers in the downstream sector seek to defer turnarounds and routine maintenance and idle facilities in order to preserve liquidity and comply with COVID-19 related limitations on employee activities. Furthermore, approximately 80% of our business is concentrated in the U.S. market where the majority of industry spend reductions are occurring. Given these recent developments, the risk of resurgence of the COVID-19 virus and the continuing focus on capital discipline by oil and gas exploration and production operators, we experienced a sharp decline in sales during the second quarter of 2020 and expect the market to remain challenged until there is a step-change improvement related to COVID-19 concerns, improving the outlook for global oil demand.

Because of the challenging outlook for the remainder of 2020, we have taken a number of steps to further reduce our operating costs. These steps include the following:

In addition to these efforts, we are actively managing our investment in working capital to an appropriate level, which can allow us to generate cash and reduce our indebtedness. 

During the second quarter of 2020, we closed 11 branches and took other actions to reduce our costs associated with leased branches.  As a result of these actions, we incurred charges totaling $15 million related to impairment of right of use assets, lease abandonment and charges associated with contractual obligations under lease agreements.  Through these branch closures and other reductions in force, we reduced headcount by over 300 employees during the second quarter of 2020.  In connection with these reductions, we incurred severance costs of $7 million during the quarter. We continue to take actions to further reduce operating costs and have plans to close additional facilities and further reduce headcount in the third quarter. Additional severance, restructuring and closure costs may be incurred to complete these actions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we have continued to operate our business. Our video and audio conferencing and enterprise resource planning and other operational systems have enabled our office employees to work from home, performing their job functions with minimal disruption or impact on our internal control environment. We required our employees to work from home as a result of governmental isolation orders and, in many cases, in advance of those orders for the health and safety of our employees. We have limited employee travel to local deliveries of our products. Our warehouses and regional distribution centers have remained open. Under various isolation orders by national, state, provincial and local governments, we have been exempted as an “essential” business as the products we sell are necessary for the maintenance and functioning of the energy infrastructure. We have taken measures to safeguard the health and welfare of our employees, including (among other things) social distancing measures while at work, certain screening, providing personal protection equipment such as face masks and hand sanitizer and providing “deep” cleaning services at Company facilities. Currently, of our approximate 2,850 employees, we have 27 employees with current cases of COVID-19. If we were to develop a COVID-19 hotspot at one of our facilities, we have plans to isolate those in contact with the impacted employees and to either staff the facility with employees from other facilities or supply product to customers from other facilities. We monitor guidelines of the Center for Disease Control ("CDC") and other authorities on an ongoing basis, and as various governmental isolation orders evolve, we continue to review our operational plans to continue operating our business while addressing the health and safety of our employees and those with whom our business comes into contact.

As a distribution business, we have also closely monitored the ability of our suppliers and transportation providers to continue the functioning of our supply chain, particularly in cases where there are limited alternative sources of supply. While there have been some temporary interruptions of manufacturing for some of our products, especially those who manufacture product or components in China, South Korea and Italy, many of these manufacturers have now resumed production. We have not experienced significant delays by transportation providers. Our inventory position for most products has allowed us to continue supply to most customers with little interruption. In those instances where there is interruption, we are working with our customers to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 delay. We continue to monitor the situation and have ongoing dialogue with our customers regarding the status of impacted orders.

In recent years, the United States imposed tariffs on imports of some products that we distribute. Although these actions generally cause the price we pay for products to increase, we are generally able to leverage long-standing relationships with our suppliers and the volume of our purchases to receive market competitive pricing. In addition, our contracts with customers generally allow us to react quickly to price increases through mechanisms that enable us to pass those increases along to customers as they occur. Of course, the price increases that tariffs and quotas engender may be offset by the pricing impacts of lower demand that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. These issues are dynamic and continue to evolve. To the extent our products are further impacted by higher prices caused by tariffs and quotas, the ultimate impact on our revenue and cost of sales, which is determined using the last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) inventory costing methodology, remains subject to uncertainty and volatility.

Effective January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally exited the European Union (“EU”). Following the exit, there is a transition period until December 31, 2020. During the transition period, the U.K.'s trading relationship with the EU will remain the same while the two sides negotiate a free trade deal. At the same time, many other aspects of the U.K.'s future relationship with the EU - including law enforcement, data sharing and security - will also be negotiated. If a trade agreement is timely completed, the U.K.'s new trading relationship with the EU can begin immediately after the transition. If not, there would be no trade agreement, which could negatively impact our business, including any commodity pricing, transfer pricing and other cross border issues. However, we have a physical presence in both the U.K. and EU member states that would allow us to continue to operate and to serve our customers as needed. In 2019, 2.4% of our revenue was derived from our U.K. business.

We determine backlog by the amount of unshipped customer orders, either specific or general in nature, which the customer may revise or cancel in certain instances. The table below details our backlog by segment (in millions):

Approximately 3% of our June 30, 2019 ending backlog was associated with two customers in our U.S. segment. In addition, approximately 2% of our ending backlog for June 30, 2019 was associated with one customer in our International segment. In each case, these were related to significant customer projects that were substantially completed before the end of 2019. Excluding these projects, our backlog as of June 30, 2020 had decreased 23% and 28% from December 31, 2019 and June 30, 2019, respectively. There can be no assurance that the backlog amounts will ultimately be realized as revenue or that we will earn a profit on the backlog of orders, but we expect that substantially all of the sales in our backlog will be realized in the next twelve months.

The following table shows key industry indicators for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019: