NEWMARKET CORP 10-Q

ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Forward-Looking Statements This report contains forward-looking statements about future events and expectations within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future results. When we use words in this document such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “expects,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “will,” and similar expressions, we do so to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make regarding future prospects of growth in the petroleum additives market, other trends in the petroleum additives market, our ability to maintain or increase our market share, and our future capital expenditure levels. We believe our forward-looking statements are based on reasonable expectations and assumptions, within the bounds of what we know about our business and operations. However, we offer no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from our expectations due to uncertainties and factors that are difficult to predict and beyond our control. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, the availability of raw materials and distribution systems; disruptions at production facilities, including single-sourced facilities; hazards common to chemical businesses; the ability to respond effectively to technological changes in our industry; failure to protect our intellectual property rights; sudden, sharp, or prolonged raw material price increases; competition from other manufacturers; current and future governmental regulations; the loss of significant customers; failure to attract and retain a highly-qualified workforce; an information technology system failure or security breach; the occurrence or threat of extraordinary events, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, wars, and health-related epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic; risks related to operating outside of the United States; political, economic, and regulatory factors concerning our products; the impact of substantial indebtedness on our operational and financial flexibility; the impact of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; resolution of environmental liabilities or legal proceedings; limitation of our insurance coverage; our inability to realize expected benefits from investment in our infrastructure or from future acquisitions, or our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions into our business; the underperformance of our pension assets resulting in additional cash contributions to our pension plans; and other factors detailed from time to time in the reports that NewMarket files with the SEC, including the risk factors in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available to shareholders upon request. You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made by us in this report or elsewhere speaks only as of the date on which we make it. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. We have no duty to, and do not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements in this discussion after the date hereof, except as may be required by law. In light of these risks and uncertainties, any forward-looking statement made in this report or elsewhere, might not occur. Overview When comparing the results of the petroleum additives segment for the first three months of 2023 with the first three months of 2022, net sales increased 6.0% primarily due to significantly higher selling prices, partially offset by decreases in product shipments and an unfavorable foreign currency impact. Petroleum additives operating profit was 51.9% higher when comparing the first three months of 2023 with the first three months of 2022, reflecting the higher selling prices that favorably impacted net sales, partially offset by significantly higher raw material costs, as well as higher operating and conversion costs and lower product shipments. Shipments have been lower than our expectations over the last few quarters due primarily to a general economic slowdown and customer destocking. We continue to operate in a general inflationary environment. While we have experienced some improvement in the supply chain disruptions which have impacted the petrochemicals industry and our company over the past several years, we expect to continue to be challenged by high costs during 2023. Despite the challenging economic environment, our financial position remains strong. We have sufficient access to capital, if needed, and do not anticipate any issues with meeting the covenants for all our debt agreements for the foreseeable future. Our major capital projects are continuing to progress substantially as planned. Our operations generate cash that is in excess of the needs of the business. We continue to invest in and manage our business for the long-term with the goal of helping our customers succeed in their marketplaces. Our investments continue to be in organizational talent, technology development and processes, and global infrastructure, consisting of technical centers, production capability, and geographic expansion. During the first three months of 2023, we repurchased 82,486 shares of our common stock for a total of $28.5 million. The chemical industry and our products are essential for transportation of people, goods and services. Our business continuity planning process focuses our efforts on managing through this challenging time and helping our customers do the same. 16 Table of Contents Results of Operations Net Sales Consolidated net sales for the first three months of 2023 totaled $702.8 million, representing an increase of $40.2 million, or 6.1%, from the first three months of 2022. The following table shows net sales by segment and product line. Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2023 2022 Petroleum additives Lubricant additives $ 602.6 $ 570.0 Fuel additives 97.4 90.3 Total 700.0 660.3 All other 2.8 2.3 Net sales $ 702.8 $ 662.6 Petroleum Additives Segment The regions in which we operate include North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the EMEAI region. While there is some fluctuation, the percentage of net sales generated by region remained fairly consistent when comparing the three months of 2023 with the same period in 2022, as well as with the full year 2022. Petroleum additives net sales for the first three months of 2023 were $700.0 million compared to $660.3 million for the first three months of 2022, an increase of 6.0%. The increase was across all regions except for the Asia Pacific region, which reported a decrease in petroleum additives net sales when comparing the first three months periods of 2023 and 2022. The North America region represented around 80% of the increase for the three months comparison, while the EMEAI region represented about 20%. The increase in the Latin America region was offset by the decrease in the Asia Pacific region. The following table details the approximate components of the increase in petroleum additives net sales between the first three months of 2023 and 2022. (in millions) Three Months Period ended March 31, 2022 $ 660.3 Lubricant additives shipments (82.8) Fuel additives shipments (9.9) Selling prices 142.1 Foreign currency impact, net (9.7) Period ended March 31, 2023 $ 700.0 When comparing the first three months of 2023 and 2022, higher selling prices drove the increase in petroleum additives net sales. Higher selling prices were partially offset by lower shipments, as well as an unfavorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates for the three months comparative periods. The United States Dollar strengthened against all of the major currencies in which we transact when comparing the first three months periods of 2023 and 2022, resulting in an unfavorable impact to petroleum additives net sales for the comparative periods. The unfavorable foreign currency impacts for the three months comparison were predominantly due to changes in the Euro, Japanese Yen, and Chinese Renminbi exchange rates. On a worldwide basis, the volume of product shipments for petroleum additives decreased 15.4% when comparing the first three months of 2023 and 2022. The worldwide decrease in petroleum additives shipments for the three months comparative periods included lower lubricant additives shipments, as well as lower fuel additives shipments. The decrease in lubricant additives shipments when comparing the first three months of 2023 with the same period of 2022 was across all regions with around 30% of the decrease in each of the North America, EMEAI, and Asia Pacific regions and the remaining decrease in the Latin America region. The three months comparison for fuel additives shipments reflected decreases in all regions except for North America, which reflected a small increase. All Other The “All other” category includes the operations of the antiknock compounds business and certain contracted manufacturing and related services. 17 Table of Contents Segment Operating Profit NewMarket evaluates the performance of the petroleum additives business based on segment operating profit. NewMarket Services Corporation expenses are charged to NewMarket and each subsidiary pursuant to services agreements between the companies. Depreciation on segment property, plant, and equipment, as well as amortization of segment intangible assets and lease right-of-use assets, is included in segment operating profit. The following table reports segment operating profit for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and March 31, 2022. Three Months Ended March 31, (in millions) 2023 2022 Petroleum additives $ 132.1 $ 86.9 All other $ (1.0) $ 0.1 Petroleum Additives Segment Petroleum additives segment gross profit increased $36.2 million and operating profit increased $45.2 million when comparing the first three months of 2023 to the first three months of 2022. Cost of goods sold as a percentage of net sales was 71.7% for the first three months of 2023 and 76.6% for the first three months of 2022. The operating profit margin was 18.9% for the first three months of 2023 and 13.2% for the first three months of 2022. For the rolling four quarters ended March 31, 2023, the operating profit margin for petroleum additives was 15.2%. When comparing the first three months of 2023 and 2022, both gross profit and operating profit included the favorable impact of significantly higher selling prices. The favorable impact from higher selling prices was partially offset by significantly higher raw material costs, as well as higher operating and conversion costs and lower product shipments. While raw material costs, along with other operating costs, increased throughout 2022, we were able to make adjustments to selling prices, which are reflected in our results for the first three months comparisons between 2023 and 2022. We have experienced some stabilization of raw material costs during the first quarter of 2023, but nonetheless remain challenged by the ongoing inflationary environment impacting raw material and other operating costs, along with a decrease in demand on a global basis. In this uncertain economic environment of increased costs and lower demand, operating profit margins remain a priority for us. The operating profit margin of 15.2% for the rolling four quarters ended March 31, 2023 is at the lower end of the range of our long-term expectations. As a result, we intend to continue to focus on cost control and margin recovery throughout this year. While operating margins will fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to multiple factors, we believe the fundamentals of our business and industry as a whole are unchanged. Petroleum additives selling, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A) for the first three months of 2023 were $1.6 million higher than the first three months of 2022. SG&A as a percentage of net sales was 4.7% for both the first three months of 2023 and 2022. Our SG&A costs are primarily personnel-related and include salaries, benefits, and other costs associated with our workforce, including travel-related expenses. While personnel-related costs fluctuate from period to period, there were no significant changes in the drivers of these costs when comparing the periods. Our investment in petroleum additives research, development, and testing (R&D) decreased approximately $3.2 million when comparing the first three months periods of 2023 and 2022. As a percentage of net sales, R&D was 4.7% for the first three months of 2023 and 5.5% for the first three months of 2022. Our R&D investments reflect our efforts to support the development of solutions that meet our customers' needs, meet new and evolving standards, and support our expansion into new product areas. Our approach to R&D investments, as it is with SG&A, is one of purposeful spending on programs to support our current product base and to ensure that we develop products to support our customers' programs in the future. R&D investments include personnel-related costs, as well as costs for internal and external testing of our products. The following discussion references certain captions on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Interest and Financing Expenses, Net Interest and financing expenses were $10.8 million for the first three months of 2023 and $9.4 million for the first three months of 2022. The increase for the three months comparison resulted primarily from a higher average interest rate during the 2023 period, which was partially offset by lower average outstanding debt, along with lower amortization and fees. 18 Table of Contents Other Income (Expense), Net Other income (expense), net was income of $10.9 million for the first three months of 2023 and $7.2 million for the first three months of 2022. The amounts for both 2023 and 2022 primarily reflect the components of net periodic benefit cost (income), except for service cost, from defined benefit pension and postretirement plans. See Note 4 for further information on total periodic benefit cost (income). The first three months of 2022 also included a loss on marketable securities of $3.0 million. Income Tax Expense Income tax expense was $27.6 million for the first three months of 2023 and $14.2 million for the first three months of 2022. The effective tax rate was 22.0% for the first three months of 2023 and 19.3% for the first three months of 2022. Income tax expense increased $10.0 million due to higher income before income tax expense with the remaining $3.4 million of the difference caused by the higher effective tax rate. The increase in the effective tax rate for the three months comparison was primarily the result of an increase in the U.S. tax on foreign earnings and a decreased benefit of the research and development tax credit. Cash Flows, Financial Condition, and Liquidity Cash and cash equivalents at March 31, 2023 were $70.1 million, an increase of $1.4 million since December 31, 2022. Cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries amounted to $67.9 million at March 31, 2023 and $65.3 million at December 31, 2022. Periodically, we repatriate cash from our foreign subsidiaries to the United States through intercompany dividends and loans. We do not anticipate significant tax consequences from future distributions of foreign earnings. A portion of our foreign cash balances is associated with earnings that we have asserted are indefinitely reinvested. We plan to use these indefinitely reinvested earnings to support growth outside of the United States through funding of operating expenses, research and development expenses, capital expenditures, and other cash needs of our foreign subsidiaries. We expect that cash from operations, together with borrowing available under our revolving credit facility, will continue to be sufficient to cover our operating needs and planned capital expenditures for both a short-term and long-term horizon. Cash Flows – Operating Activities Cash flows provided from operating activities for the first three months of 2023 were $109.9 million, including $9.8 million to reflect lower working capital requirements. The $9.8 million excluded an unfavorable foreign currency impact to the components of working capital on the balance sheet. The most significant changes in working capital included decreases in inventories, accounts payable, and accrued expenses, as well as an increase in income taxes payable. The decrease in inventories reflects our planned destocking in response to lower demand and destocking by our customers. The decrease in accounts payable is primarily the result of destocking and lower production levels. The change in accrued expenses reflects normal rebate payments to customers, as well as payments of accrued interest on our debt agreements. The increase in income taxes payable is primarily caused by the timing of some first quarter estimated tax payments. Including cash and cash equivalents, as well as the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the balance sheet, we had total working capital of $773.1 million at March 31, 2023 and $768.2 million at December 31, 2022. The current ratio was 3.16 at March 31, 2023 and 2.81 at December 31, 2022. Cash Flows – Investing Activities Cash used in investing activities totaled $11.9 million during the first three months of 2023 for capital expenditures. We expect that our total capital spending during 2023 will be in the $60 million to $70 million range and will include several improvements to our manufacturing and R&D infrastructure around the world. We expect to continue to finance capital spending through cash on hand and cash provided from operations, together with borrowing available under our revolving credit facility. Cash Flows – Financing Activities Cash used in financing activities during the first three months of 2023 amounted to $97.1 million. These cash flows included net payments of $46.0 million on the revolving credit facility, $28.5 million for repurchases of our common stock, and cash dividends of $20.3 million. Debt Our long-term debt was $958.0 million at March 31, 2023 compared to $1.0 billion at December 31, 2022. 19 Table of Contents See Note 8 for additional information on the 2.70% senior notes, 3.78% senior notes, and revolving credit facility, including the unused portion of our revolving credit facility. All of our senior notes and the revolving credit facility contain covenants, representations, and events of default that management considers typical of credit arrangements of this nature. The covenants under the 3.78% senior notes include negative covenants, certain financial covenants, and events of default which are substantially similar to the covenants and events of default in our revolving credit facility. The revolving credit facility contains financial covenants that require NewMarket to maintain a consolidated Leverage Ratio (as defined in the agreement) of no more than 3.75 to 1.00, except during an Increased Leverage Period (as defined in the agreement) at the end of each quarter. At March 31, 2023, the Leverage Ratio was 1.91 under the revolving credit facility. At March 31, 2023, we were in compliance with all covenants under the 3.78% senior notes, 2.70% senior notes, and revolving credit facility. As a percentage of total capitalization (total long-term debt and shareholders’ equity), our total long-term debt decreased from 56.8% at December 31, 2022 to 53.8% at March 31, 2023. The change resulted primarily from the decrease in outstanding revolving credit facility borrowings, along with the increase in shareholders' equity. The increase in shareholders’ equity primarily reflects our earnings offset by dividend payments, the repurchases of our common stock, and the impact of foreign currency translation adjustments. Generally, we repay any outstanding long-term debt with cash from operations or refinancing activities. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates This Form 10-Q and our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K include discussions of our accounting policies, as well as methods and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. We also provided a discussion of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K. There have been no significant changes in our critical accounting policies and estimates from those reported in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Recent Accounting Pronouncements There have been no recent accounting pronouncements which have not been adopted and may have a significant impact our financial statements. Outlook Our stated goal is to provide a 10% compounded return per year for our shareholders over any five-year period (defined by earnings per share growth plus dividend yield), although we may not necessarily achieve a 10% return each year. We continue to have confidence in our customer-focused strategy and approach to the market. We believe the fundamentals of how we run our business - a long-term view, safety-first culture, customer-focused solutions, technology-driven product offerings, and world-class supply chain capability - will continue to be beneficial for all of our stakeholders over the long term. We expect our petroleum additives segment to experience impacts to its operating performance during 2023 due to the uncertain economic environment in which we operate, as we continue to see challenges with inflationary trends and raw material price volatility. As a result, we will continue to focus on cost control and operating profit margin recovery throughout the year. We expect over the long-term that the petroleum additives market will grow annually in the 1% to 2% range. We plan to exceed that growth rate. Over the past several years we have made significant investments in our business as the industry fundamentals remain positive. These investments have been and will continue to be in organizational talent, technology development and processes, and global infrastructure, consisting of technical centers, production capability and geographic expansion. We intend to utilize these investments to improve our ability to deliver the solutions that our customers value, expand our global reach, and enhance our operating results. We will continue to invest in our capabilities to provide even better value, service, technology, and customer solutions. Our business generates significant amounts of cash beyond its operational needs. We regularly review our many internal opportunities to utilize excess cash from technological, geographic, production capability, and product line perspectives. We believe our capital spending is creating the capability we need to grow and support our customers worldwide, and our research and development investments are positioning us well to provide added value to our customers. Our primary focus in the acquisition area remains on the petroleum additives industry. It is our view that this industry segment will provide the greatest opportunity for solid returns on our investments while minimizing risk. We remain focused on this strategy and will evaluate 20 Table of Contents any future opportunities. We will continue to evaluate all alternative uses of cash to enhance shareholder value, including stock repurchases and dividends. ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk At March 31, 2023, there were no material changes in our market risk from the information provided in the 2022 Annual Report .