– Delivered 2023 Gross Profit of $15.7 Million, Versus Gross Loss of $27.6 Million in 2022 –
– Improved 2023 Net Loss by $13.6 Million and Adjusted EBITDA by $26.5 Million over 2022 –
– Signed Letter of Intent with Vault 44.01 for CO2 Storage –
PEKIN, Ill., March 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO), a producer and distributor of renewable fuel and essential ingredients and the largest producer of specialty alcohols in the U.S., reported its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. For the fourth quarter of 2023, gross loss improved $18.8 million and Adjusted EBITDA improved $19.0 million over the fourth quarter of 2022. For the full year 2023, gross profit improved $43.2 million and Adjusted EBITDA improved $26.5 million over 2022.
“During 2023, our investments to diversify revenue, improve capacity utilization rates, reduce costs and expand operating margins contributed to our financial improvements and positioned Alto for stronger performance in 2024 and beyond,” said Bryon McGregor, President and CEO of Alto Ingredients. “Currently, the overall outlook for 2024 is favorable, which should lead to crush margin improvements over the next few months and produce positive spreads through most of the year. We are conducting ongoing maintenance across our asset portfolio to increase reliability and production run rates that we expect will position Alto well heading into the more robust summer months.”
Alto is implementing a carbon capture and storage (CCS) program. In a separate release issued today, Alto announced it signed a letter of intent with Vault 44.01 to partner for safe and permanent CO2 storage deep underground in a secure geologic reservoir located in close proximity to the company’s Pekin campus, thereby substantially reducing CO2 emissions from the ethanol production process and providing direct value to the surrounding area.
“Additionally, we have prioritized our CCS initiative and are encouraged by recent progress on many aspects, including overall system design, community outreach, financing, EPA application preparation, and vendor negotiations. Further, we are evaluating new options that would enable us to substantially reduce the capital required to pursue CCS, lower our carbon footprint, and reduce our long-term energy costs. Although markets are dynamic, we remain agile and financially prudent and seek to capitalize on the most promising and profitable opportunities. We are enthusiastic about our prospects and confident in our long-term growth strategy,” concluded McGregor.
Financial Results for the Three Months Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to 2022
Net sales were $273.6 million, compared to $328.4 million.Cost of goods sold was $276.2 million, compared to $349.8 million.Gross loss was $2.5 million, compared to a gross loss of $21.3 million.Selling, general and administrative expenses were $8.5 million, compared to $7.6 million.An asset impairment charge of $6.0 million resulted from an annual goodwill valuation related to Eagle Alcohol.Operating loss was $17.2 million, compared to an operating loss of $31.1 million.Net loss available to common stockholders was $19.3 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $33.4 million, or $0.46 per share.Adjusted EBITDA was positive $3.5 million, compared to negative $15.5 million.
Cash and cash equivalents were $30.0 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $36.5 million at December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2023, the company’s borrowing availability was $98.3 million including $33.3 million under the company’s operating line of credit and $65.0 million under its term loan facility, subject to certain conditions.
The company has engaged equipment manufacturers and independent third-party engineers in conjunction with its vendor, Harvesting Technology, to address issues with the Magic Valley facility’s corn oil and high protein system. The team recommended design modifications to achieve the intended production rate, quality, and consistency. To minimize the financial impact of first quarter 2024 negative regional crush margins at the facility and to expedite the installation of additional equipment, the company temporarily hot-idled the plant. The company intends to restart production in the second quarter of 2024, once the upgrades are complete and crush margins have improved.
Financial Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to 2022
Net sales were $1,222.9 million, compared to $1,335.6 million.Cost of goods sold was $1,207.3 million, compared to $1,363.2 million.Gross profit was $15.7 million, compared to a gross loss of $27.6 million.Selling, general and administrative expenses were $32.7 million, compared to $31.6 million.Asset impairment charges of $6.5 million consist of the aforementioned $6.0 million related to Eagle Alcohol goodwill and $0.5 million in right of use lease impairment.Operating loss was $23.8 million, compared to an operating loss of $61.4 million.Net loss available to common stockholders was $29.3 million, or $0.40 per share, compared to a loss of $42.9 million, or $0.60 per share.Adjusted EBITDA was positive $20.8 million, compared to negative Adjusted EBITDA of $5.7 million.
To increase transparency to operating physical margins, the company now excludes the impact of unrealized non-cash gains and losses on derivative instruments in calculating Adjusted EBITDA. Unrealized gains and losses on derivatives are commodity price driven, mark-to-market non-cash adjustments of derivative instruments for open positions related to future sales. Reconciliations of prior periods reflecting this change are available on the company’s website.
Fourth Quarter and Year-end 2023 Results Conference Call
Management will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 11, 2024, and will deliver prepared remarks via webcast followed by a question-and-answer session.
The webcast for the conference call can be accessed from Alto Ingredients’ website at www.altoingredients.com. Alternatively, to receive a number and unique PIN by email, register here. To dial directly twenty minutes prior to the scheduled call time, dial (833) 630-0017 domestically and (412) 317-1806 internationally. The webcast will be archived for replay on the Alto Ingredients website for one year. In addition, a telephonic replay will be available at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 11, 2024 through 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, March 18, 2024. To access the replay, please dial 877-344-7529. International callers should dial 00-1 412-317-0088. The pass code will be 7345177.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
Management believes that certain financial measures not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) are useful measures of operations. The company defines Adjusted EBITDA as unaudited consolidated net income (loss) before interest expense, interest income, provision for income taxes, asset impairments, loss on extinguishment of debt, unrealized derivative gains (losses), acquisition-related expense and depreciation and amortization expense. A table is provided at the end of this release that provides a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss). Management provides this non-GAAP measure so that investors will have the same financial information that management uses, which may assist investors in properly assessing the company’s performance on a period-over-period basis. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or any other measure of performance under GAAP, or to cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities as an indicator of cash flows or as a measure of liquidity. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider this measure in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the company’s results as reported under GAAP.
About Alto Ingredients, Inc.
Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) produces and distributes renewable fuel and essential ingredients and is the largest producer of specialty alcohols in the United States. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit www.altoingredients.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Statements and information contained in this communication that refer to or include Alto Ingredients’ estimated or anticipated future results or other non-historical expressions of fact are forward-looking statements that reflect Alto Ingredients’ current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of the communication. Forward looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Alto Ingredients’ projected outlook, future performance, margin improvements and crush spreads; Alto Ingredients’ plant improvement and other capital projects, including CCS and its financing, costs, timing and effects; the timing and effects of Alto Ingredients’ efforts to correct production rate, quality and consistency challenges of its corn oil and high-protein system at its Magic Valley facility; and Alto Ingredients’ other plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. It is important to note that Alto Ingredients’ plans, objectives, expectations and intentions are not predictions of actual performance. Actual results may differ materially from Alto Ingredients’ current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Alto Ingredients’ business and plans. These factors include, among others, Alto Ingredients’ ability to finalize definitive documentation with Vault on acceptable terms and to fund and execute the CCS project as intended; adverse economic and market conditions, including for renewable fuels, specialty alcohols and essential ingredients; export conditions and international demand for the company’s products; fluctuations in the price of and demand for oil and gasoline; raw material costs, including production input costs, such as corn and natural gas; adverse impacts of inflation and supply chain constraints; and the cost, ability to fund, timing and effects of, including the financial and other results deriving from, Alto Ingredients’ plant improvement and other capital projects, including CCS and corn oil and high-protein at Magic Valley, and other business initiatives and strategies. These factors also include, among others, the inherent uncertainty associated with financial and other projections and large-scale capital projects; the anticipated size of the markets and continued demand for Alto Ingredients’ products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the risks and uncertainties normally incident to the alcohol production, marketing and distribution industries; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; successful compliance with governmental regulations applicable to Alto Ingredients’ facilities, products and/or businesses; changes in laws, regulations and governmental policies, including with respect to the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax and other benefits Alto Ingredients expects to derive from CCS; the loss of key senior management or staff; and other events, factors and risks previously and from time to time disclosed in Alto Ingredients’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, specifically, those factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section contained in Alto Ingredients’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2023.
Company IR and Media Contact:
Michael Kramer, Alto Ingredients, Inc., 916-403-2755, Investorrelations@altoingredients.com
IR Agency Contact:
Kirsten Chapman, LHA Investor Relations, 415-433-3777, Investorrelations@altoingredients.com
ALTO INGREDIENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended
December 31,Year Ended
December 31, 2023
2022
2023
2022 Net sales$273,625 $328,437 $ 1,222,940 $ 1,335,621 Cost of goods sold 276,150 349,765 1,207,287 1,363,171 Gross profit (loss) (2,525) (21,328) 15,653 (27,550)Selling, general and administrative expenses (8,523) (7,551) (32,664) (31,579)Loss on disposal of assets (153) (2,230) (293) (2,230)Asset impairments (5,970) — (6,544) — Loss from operations (17,171) (31,109) (23,848) (61,359)Income from cash grant — — 2,812 22,652 Interest expense, net (2,126) (968) (7,425) (1,827)Other income, net 449 930 553 862 Loss before provision for income taxes (18,848) (31,147) (27,908) (39,672)Provision for income taxes 97 1,925 97 1,925 Consolidated net loss$(18,945)$(33,072)$ (28,005)$ (41,597)Preferred stock dividends$(319)$(319)$ (1,265)$ (1,265)Net loss available to common stockholders$(19,264)$(33,391)$ (29,270)$ (42,862)Net loss per share, basic and diluted$ (0.26)$ (0.46)$ (0.40)$ (0.60)Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted 72,969 73,276 73,339 71,944
ALTO INGREDIENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited, in thousands, except par value) December 31,December 31,ASSETS20232022Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents$ 30,014$ 36,456Restricted cash 15,466 13,069Accounts receivable, net 58,729 68,655Inventories 52,611 66,628Derivative instruments 2,412 4,973Other current assets 9,538 9,340Total current assets 168,770 199,121Property and equipment, net 248,748 239,069Other Assets: Right of use operating lease assets, net 22,597 18,937Intangible assets, net 8,498 9,087Goodwill — 5,970Other assets 5,628 6,137Total other assets 36,723 40,131Total Assets$ 454,241$ 478,321
ALTO INGREDIENTS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)
(unaudited, in thousands, except par value) December 31,December 31,LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY20232022Current Liabilities: Accounts payable$ 20,752 $ 28,115 Accrued liabilities 20,205 26,556 Current portion – operating leases 4,333 3,849 Derivative instruments 13,849 6,732 Other current liabilities 6,149 12,765 Total current liabilities 65,288 78,017 Long-term debt, net 82,097 68,356 Operating leases, net of current portion 19,029 15,062 Other liabilities 8,270 8,797 Total Liabilities 174,684 170,232 Stockholders’ Equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000 shares authorized; Series A: 0 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 Series B: 927 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 1 1 Common stock, $0.001 par value; 300,000 shares authorized; 75,703 and 75,154 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively 76 75 Non-voting common stock, $0.001 par value; 3,553 shares authorized; 1 share issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 — — Additional paid-in capital 1,040,912 1,040,834 Accumulated other comprehensive income 2,481 1,822 Accumulated deficit (763,913) (734,643)Total Stockholders’ Equity 279,557 308,089 Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity$ 454,241 $ 478,321
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss
Three Months Ended
December 31,
Years Ended
December 31,
(unaudited)2023
2022
2023
2022
Consolidated net loss$(18,945)$(33,072)$(28,005)$(41,597) Adjustments: Interest expense, net 2,126 968 7,425 1,827 Interest income (265) (169) (854) (510) Unrealized derivative losses 8,162 8,037 9,679 4,017 Acquisition-related expense 700 875 2,800 3,500 Asset impairments 5,970 — 6,544 — Provision for income taxes 97 1,925 97 1,925 Depreciation and amortization expense 5,698 5,973 23,080 25,095 Total adjustments 22,488 17,609 48,771 35,854 Adjusted EBITDA$3,543 $(15,463)$20,766 $(5,743)
Segment Financials
(unaudited)Three Months Ended
December 31,
Years Ended
December 31,
2023 20222023
2022
Net sales Pekin Campus production, recorded as gross: Alcohol sales$113,588 $127,775 $502,217 $521,273 Essential ingredient sales 48,483 56,201 217,702 225,871 Intersegment sales 307 353 1,427 1,212 Total Pekin Campus sales 162,378 184,329 721,346 748,356 Marketing and distribution: Alcohol sales, gross$46,844 $54,879 $262,587 $227,626 Alcohol sales, net 73 250 365 1,225 Intersegment sales 2,920 3,099 11,654 12,459 Total marketing and distribution sales 49,837 58,228 274,606 241,310 Western production, recorded as gross: Alcohol sales$44,496 $62,124 $166,971 $253,605 Essential ingredient sales 16,650 23,461 57,264 90,209 Intersegment sales 35 7 134 22 Total Western production sales 61,181 85,592 224,369 343,836 Corporate and other 3,491 3,747 15,834 15,812 Intersegment eliminations (3,262) (3,459) (13,215) (13,693)Net sales as reported$273,625 $328,437 $1,222,940 $1,335,621 Cost of goods sold: Pekin Campus production$163,497 $200,240 $710,088 $772,755 Marketing and distribution 46,311 55,620 259,234 229,288 Western production 65,042 92,260 230,445 353,775 Corporate and other 2,802 3,173 12,122 12,167 Intersegment eliminations (1,502) (1,528) (4,602) (4,814)Cost of goods sold as reported$276,150 $349,765 $1,207,287 $1,363,171 Gross profit (loss): Pekin Campus production$(1,119)$(15,911)$11,258 $(24,399)Marketing and distribution 3,526 2,608 15,372 12,022 Western production (3,861) (6,668) (6,076) (9,939)Corporate and other 689 574 3,712 3,645 Intersegment eliminations (1,760) (1,931) (8,613) (8,879)Gross profit (loss) as reported$(2,525)$(21,328)$15,653 $(27,550)
Sales and Operating Metrics (unaudited) Three Months Ended Years Ended December 31, December 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Alcohol Sales (gallons in millions) Pekin Campus renewable fuel gallons sold 31.8 31.9 136.2 116.1 Western production renewable fuel gallons sold 20.4 23.4 67.0 92.4 Third party renewable fuel gallons sold 20.2 29.5 102.6 117.9 Total renewable fuel gallons sold 72.4 84.8 305.8 326.4 Speciality alcohol gallons sold 20.1 20.2 76.7 92.5 Total gallons sold 92.5 105.0 382.5 418.9 Pekin Campus sales price per gallon$2.23$2.50 $2.40$2.55 Western production sales price per gallon$2.18$2.66 $2.49$2.75 Marketing and distribution sales price per gallon$2.32$2.64 $2.56$2.83 Consolidated total sales price per gallon$2.24$2.56 $2.47$2.64 Alcohol Production (gallons in millions) Pekin Campus gallons produced 51.6 51.1 209.7 208.8 Western production gallons produced 20.8 22.9 68.1 91.2 Total gallons produced 72.4 74.0 277.8 300 Corn Cost per Bushel Pekin Campus corn cost per bushel$5.10$7.09 $6.32$7.32 Western production corn cost per bushel$6.44$9.20 $7.45$8.97 Consolidated total corn cost per bushel$5.46$7.73 $6.58$7.77 Average Market Metrics PLATTS Ethanol price per gallon$1.96$2.42 $2.22$2.47 CME Corn cost per bushel$4.76$6.68 $5.64$6.94 Board crush per gallon(1)$0.26$0.03 $0.21$- (1) Assumes corn conversion of 2.80 gallons of alcohol per bushel of corn
Sales and Operating Metrics (unaudited) – Continued Three Months Ended Years Ended December 31, December 31, 20232022 20232022 Essential Ingredients Sold (thousand tons) Pekin Campus: Distillers grains80.2 79.8 332.7 334.4 CO243.4 43.5 182.4 164.8 Corn wet feed25.0 20.9 95.0 89.9 Corn dry feed23.3 18.0 90.6 81.6 Corn oil and germ18.2 16.8 73.8 66.7 Syrup and other12.7 13.0 41.2 56.9 Corn meal9.0 8.0 36.8 32.1 Yeast6.2 5.4 25.9 23.9 Total Pekin Campus essential ingredients sold218.0 205.4 878.4 850.3 Western Production: Distillers grains152.0 160.9 459.7 643.7 Syrup and other47.5 19.5 119.1 77.4 CO213.8 14.1 55.5 55.8 Corn oil2.8 2.6 8.0 10.2 Total Western production essential ingredients sold216.1 197.1 642.3 787.1 Total Essential Ingredients Sold434.1 402.5 1,520.7 1,637.4 Essential Ingredients Return % (2) Pekin Campus return51.9%42.6% 45.7%41.3%Western production return36.3%32.7% 33.4%31.6%Consolidated total return46.8%39.1% 42.4%37.9% (2) Essential ingredient revenues as a percentage of total corn costs consumed