FTAI Aviation Ltd. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results, Declares Dividend of $0.30 per Ordinary Share

Rhea-AI Summary

FTAI Aviation Ltd. (NASDAQ: FTAI) reported strong financial results for Q4 and full year 2023, with net income of $110,025 and adjusted EBITDA of $162,331. The company declared cash dividends for ordinary shares and preferred shares. Business highlights include significant growth in Aerospace Products segment and acquisitions of Aviation Leasing Equipment.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The reported net income of $110,025 thousand and the earnings per share (EPS) figures of $1.10 basic and $1.09 diluted, indicate a robust financial performance for FTAI Aviation Ltd. in the fourth quarter of 2023. The declaration of dividends across various share classes demonstrates confidence in the company's liquidity and profit distribution policy. From an investment perspective, the EPS is a critical measure as it signifies the company's profitability on a per-share basis, which is crucial for assessing stock valuation.

Furthermore, the adjusted EBITDA of $162,331 thousand is significant as it provides insight into the company's operational profitability by excluding non-operational costs. This is an important metric for investors as it offers a clearer view of the company's core operational efficiency, which can be more indicative of future performance than net income alone.

Market Research Analyst

The substantial growth in Aerospace Products Adjusted EBITDA, from $74 million in 2022 to $160 million in 2023, suggests a strong demand for FTAI's aerospace products and services. The sale of 61 modules to 17 unique customers, including 6 new customers, in Q4 and a total of 178 modules to 30 customers in 2023, highlights the company's expanding market reach and customer base. This diversification and growth in customer relationships are key factors that can contribute to the company's resilience against market volatility.

FTAI's launch of the V2500 Engine exchange program and the acquisition of $229 million in Aviation Leasing Equipment further reflect strategic expansion efforts. These initiatives may enhance the company's competitive positioning by broadening its service offerings and asset portfolio, potentially leading to increased market share and revenue streams in the aviation industry.

Investment Strategist

The dividend declarations for the ordinary shares and various series of preferred shares indicate a shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy. The preferred shares' dividends, with their different rates, cater to diverse investor preferences for income stability and could attract a wider investor base. The consistency of dividend payments can be a sign of financial health and may influence investor sentiment positively, potentially impacting the company's stock market performance.

Investors may also interpret the company's ability to acquire significant aviation leasing equipment in a single quarter as a sign of strategic growth and financial strength. This could lead to positive expectations regarding future earnings potential and scalability of operations, which are important considerations for long-term investment decisions.

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTAI Aviation Ltd. (NASDAQ: FTAI) (the “Company” or “FTAI”) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2023. The Company’s consolidated comparative financial statements and key performance measures are attached as an exhibit to this press release.

Financial Overview

(in thousands, except per share data)
Selected Financial Results	Q4’23
Net Income Attributable to Shareholders	$	110,025
Basic Earnings per Ordinary Share from Continuing Operations	$	1.10
Diluted Earnings per Ordinary Share from Continuing Operations	$	1.09
Adjusted EBITDA(1)	$	162,331
_______________________________
1)  For definitions and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures, please refer to the exhibit to this press release.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Dividends

On February 22, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) declared a cash dividend on our ordinary shares of $0.30 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, payable on March 20, 2024 to the holders of record on March 8, 2024.

Additionally, on February 22, 2024, the Board declared cash dividends on its Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series A Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (“Series A Preferred Shares”), Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series B Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (“Series B Preferred Shares”), Fixed-Rate Reset Series C Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (“Series C Preferred Shares”) and Fixed-Rate Reset Series D Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (“Series D Preferred Shares”) of $0.51563, $0.50000, $0.51563 and $0.59375 per share, respectively, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, payable on March 15, 2024 to the holders of record on March 5, 2024.

Business Highlights

• Q4 2023 Aerospace Products Adj. EBITDA of $55 million, bringing total segment Adj. EBITDA for 2023 to $160 million, up from $74 million in 2022.⁽¹⁾
• Sold 61 modules to 17 unique customers in Q4, including 6 new customers and 11 repeat customers. Modules sold in 2023 total 178 to 30 customers.
• Launched V2500 Engine exchange program.
• Acquired $229 million of Aviation Leasing Equipment in Q4, comprised of 11 Aircraft and 32 Engines.
  

⁽¹⁾  For definitions and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures, please refer to the exhibit to this press release.

Additional Information

For additional information that management believes to be useful for investors, please refer to the presentation posted on the Investor Center section of the Company’s website, https://www.ftaiaviation.com, and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, when available on the Company’s website. Nothing on the Company’s website is included or incorporated by reference herein.

Conference Call

In addition, management will host a conference call on Friday, February 23, 2024 at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time. The conference call may be accessed by registering via the following link https://register.vevent.com/register/BI5208d5ee8f4a42ec950edf6b9a21c1c2. Once registered, participants will receive a dial-in and unique pin to access the call.

A simultaneous webcast of the conference call will be available to the public on a listen-only basis at https://www.ftaiaviation.com/. Please allow extra time prior to the call to visit the site and download the necessary software required to listen to the internet broadcast.

A replay of the conference call will be available after 11:30 A.M. on Friday, February 23, 2024 through 11:30 A.M. on Friday, March 1, 2024 on https://ir.ftaiaviation.com/news-events/presentations.

The information contained on, or accessible through, any websites included in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and should not be considered a part of, this press release.

About FTAI Aviation Ltd.

FTAI owns and maintains commercial jet engines with a focus on CFM56 and V2500 engines. FTAI’s propriety portfolio of products, including The Module Factory and a joint venture to manufacture engine PMA, enables it to provide cost savings and flexibility to our airline, lessor, and maintenance, repair, and operations customer base. Additionally, FTAI owns and leases jet aircraft which often facilitates the acquisition of engines at attractive prices. FTAI invests in aviation assets and aerospace products that generate strong and stable cash flows with the potential for earnings growth and asset appreciation.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The Company can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained and such differences may be material. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements contained in this press release. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could affect such forward-looking statements, see the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on the Company’s website (www.ftaiaviation.com). In addition, new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict or assess the impact of every factor that may cause its actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. This release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

For further information, please contact:

Alan Andreini
Investor Relations
FTAI Aviation Ltd.
(646) 734-9414
aandreini@fortress.com

Exhibit - Financial Statements

FTAI AVIATION LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) (Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
	Three Months Ended December 31,								Year Ended December 31,
		2023				2022				2023				2022
Total revenues	$	312,737			$	274,291			$	1,170,896			$	708,411
Expenses
Cost of sales		135,223				128,246				502,132				248,385
Operating expenses		28,945				24,067				110,163				132,264
General and administrative		3,430				2,343				13,700				14,164
Acquisition and transaction expenses		4,999				4,867				15,194				13,207
Management fees and incentive allocation to affiliate		4,900				3,558				18,037				3,562
Depreciation and amortization		46,478				37,456				169,877				152,917
Asset impairment		901				9,048				2,121				137,219
Interest expense		43,663				36,997				161,639				169,194
Total expenses		268,539				246,582				992,863				870,912
Other income (expense)
Equity in income (losses) of unconsolidated entities		63				(244	)			(1,606	)			(369	)
(Loss) gain on sale of assets, net		—				(2,722	)			—				77,211
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt		—				2				—				(19,859	)
Other income (expense)		6,713				(1	)			7,590				207
Total other income (expense)		6,776				(2,965	)			5,984				57,190
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes		50,974				24,744				184,017				(105,311	)
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes		(67,386	)			(2,057	)			(59,800	)			5,300
Net income (loss) from continuing operations		118,360				26,801				243,817				(110,611	)
Net loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes		—				—				—				(101,416	)
Net income (loss)		118,360				26,801				243,817				(212,027	)
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries:
Continuing operations		—				—				—				—
Discontinued operations		—				—				—				(18,817	)
Less: Dividends on preferred shares		8,335				6,791				31,795				27,164
Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders	$	110,025			$	20,010			$	212,022			$	(220,374	)
Earnings (loss) per share:
Basic
Continuing operations	$	1.10			$	0.20			$	2.12			$	(1.39	)
Discontinued operations	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	(0.83	)
Diluted
Continuing operations	$	1.09			$	0.20			$	2.11			$	(1.39	)
Discontinued operations	$	—			$	—			$	—			$	(0.83	)
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic		100,239,011				99,566,387				99,908,214				99,421,008
Diluted		100,853,151				100,180,524				100,425,777				99,421,008

FTAI AVIATION LTD. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) (Dollar amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
		December 31,
			2023				2022
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents		$	90,756			$	33,565
Restricted cash			150				19,500
Accounts receivable, net			115,156				99,443
Leasing equipment, net			2,032,413				1,913,553
Property, plant, and equipment, net			45,175				10,014
Investments			22,722				22,037
Intangible assets, net			50,590				41,955
Goodwill			4,630				—
Inventory, net			316,637				163,676
Other assets			286,456				125,834
Total assets		$	2,964,685			$	2,429,577
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		$	112,907			$	86,452
Debt, net			2,517,343				2,175,727
Maintenance deposits			65,387				78,686
Security deposits			41,065				32,842
Other liabilities			52,100				36,468
Total liabilities		$	2,788,802			$	2,410,175
Commitments and contingencies
Equity
Ordinary shares ($0.01 par value per share; 2,000,000,000 shares authorized; 100,245,905 and 99,716,621 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively)			1,002			$	997
Preferred shares ($0.01 par value per share; 200,000,000 shares authorized; 15,920,000 and 13,320,000 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively)			159				133
Additional paid in capital			255,973				343,350
Accumulated deficit			(81,785	)			(325,602	)
Shareholders' equity			175,349				18,878
Non-controlling interest in equity of consolidated subsidiaries			534				524
Total equity		$	175,883			$	19,402
Total liabilities and equity		$	2,964,685			$	2,429,577

FTAI AVIATION LTD. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) (Dollar amounts in thousands, unless otherwise noted)
	Year Ended December 31,
		2023				2022
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income (loss)	$	243,817			$	(212,027	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Equity in losses of unconsolidated entities		1,606				46,971
Gain on sale of assets, net		(160,742	)			(141,677	)
Security deposits and maintenance claims included in earnings		(40,535	)			(41,845	)
Loss on extinguishment of debt		—				19,859
Equity-based compensation		1,638				2,623
Depreciation and amortization		169,877				193,236
Asset impairment		2,121				137,219
Change in deferred income taxes		(63,626	)			2,161
Change in fair value of non-hedge derivatives		—				(1,567	)
Change in fair value of guarantees		(1,807	)			—
Amortization of lease intangibles and incentives		43,764				37,135
Amortization of deferred financing costs		8,860				19,018
Provision for credit losses		6,583				47,975
Other		(6,646	)			(1,010	)
Change in:
Accounts receivable		(40,357	)			(65,969	)
Other assets		(5,627	)			(23,037	)
Inventory		(31,884	)			(23,267	)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		1,254				(19,599	)
Management fees payable to affiliate		1,683				804
Other liabilities		(997	)			2,340
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		128,982				(20,657	)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Investment in unconsolidated entities		(19,500	)			(7,344	)
Principal collections on finance leases		3,638				2,227
Principal collections on notes receivable		4,875				—
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired		(29,632	)			(3,819	)
Acquisition of leasing equipment		(749,780	)			(638,329	)
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment		(6,148	)			(144,196	)
Acquisition of lease intangibles		(20,964	)			(31,127	)
Investment in promissory notes		(11,500	)			—
Purchase deposit for acquisitions		(23,937	)			(6,671	)
Proceeds from sale of leasing equipment		477,886				408,937
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment		—				5,289
Proceeds for deposit on sale of aircraft and engine		1,413				3,780
Return of purchase deposits		300				—
Net cash used in investing activities	$	(373,349	)		$	(411,253	)

	Year Ended December 31,
		2023				2022
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from debt	$	951,665			$	813,980
Repayment of debt		(605,000	)			(1,144,529	)
Payment of deferred financing costs		(12,180	)			(18,607	)
Receipt of security deposits		9,927				3,882
Return of security deposits		(2,385	)			(2,141	)
Receipt of maintenance deposits		30,354				47,846
Release of maintenance deposits		(275	)			(1,471	)
Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares, net of underwriter's discount		5				—
Proceeds from issuance of preferred shares, net of underwriter's discount and issuance costs		61,729				—
Capital contributions from non-controlling interests		10				1,187
Dividend from spin-off of FTAI Infrastructure, net of cash transferred		—				500,562
Settlement of equity-based compensation		—				(148	)
Cash dividends - ordinary shares		(119,847	)			(128,483	)
Cash dividends - preferred shares		(31,795	)			(27,164	)
Net cash provided by financing activities		282,208				44,914
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash		37,841				(386,996	)
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period		53,065				440,061
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	$	90,906			$	53,065

Key Performance Measures

The Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) utilizes Adjusted EBITDA as our key performance measure.

Adjusted EBITDA provides the CODM with the information necessary to assess operational performance, as well as make resource and allocation decisions. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) attributable to shareholders from continuing operations, adjusted (a) to exclude the impact of provision for income taxes, equity-based compensation expense, acquisition and transaction expenses, losses on the modification or extinguishment of debt and capital lease obligations, changes in fair value of non-hedge derivative instruments, asset impairment charges, incentive allocations, depreciation and amortization expense, dividends on preferred shares, and interest expense, (b) to include the impact of our pro-rata share of Adjusted EBITDA from unconsolidated entities, and (c) to exclude the impact of equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities and the non-controlling share of Adjusted EBITDA.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net income (loss) attributable to shareholders to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

	Three Months Ended December 31,								Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)		2023				2022				2023				2022
Net income (loss) attributable to shareholders from continuing operations	$	110,025			$	20,010			$	212,022			$	(137,775	)
Add: (Benefit from) provision for income taxes		(67,386	)			(2,057	)			(59,800	)			5,300
Add: Equity-based compensation expense		510				—				1,638				—
Add: Acquisition and transaction expenses		4,999				4,867				15,194				13,207
Add: (Gain) loss on the modification or extinguishment of debt and capital lease obligations		—				(2	)			—				19,859
Add: Changes in fair value of non-hedge derivative instruments		—				—				—				—
Add: Asset impairment charges		901				9,048				2,121				137,219
Add: Incentive allocations		4,576				3,489				17,116				3,489
Add: Depreciation & amortization expense(1)		56,557				44,277				213,641				190,031
Add: Interest expense and dividends on preferred shares		51,998				43,788				193,434				196,358
Add: Pro-rata share of Adjusted EBITDA from unconsolidated entities(2)		214				(125	)			310				40
Less: Equity in (earnings) losses of unconsolidated entities		(63	)			244				1,606				369
Less: Non-controlling share of Adjusted EBITDA		—				—				—				—
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)	$	162,331			$	123,539			$	597,282			$	428,097

__________________________________________________

(1)			Includes the following items for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022: (i) depreciation and amortization expense of $46,478 and $37,456, (ii) lease intangible amortization of $3,801 and $3,654 and (iii) amortization for lease incentives of $6,278 and $3,167, respectively. Includes the following items for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022: (i) depreciation and amortization expense of $169,877 and $152,917, (ii) lease intangible amortization of $15,126 and $13,913 and (iii) amortization for lease incentives of $28,638 and $23,201, respectively.
(2)			Includes the following items for the three months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022: (i) net income (loss) of $63 and $(244), (ii) depreciation and amortization expense of $286 and $119 and (iii) acquisition and transaction expense of $(135) and $0, respectively. Includes the following items for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022: (i) net loss of $1,606 and $369, (ii) depreciation and amortization expense of $1,488 and $409 and (iii) acquisition and transaction expense of $428 and $0, respectively.

FAQ

What were FTAI's net income and adjusted EBITDA for Q4 2023?

FTAI reported a net income of $110,025 and adjusted EBITDA of $162,331 for Q4 2023.

When will the cash dividends be payable for FTAI's ordinary shares and preferred shares?

The cash dividends for ordinary shares will be payable on March 20, 2024, and for preferred shares on March 15, 2024.

What were the business highlights for FTAI in Q4 2023?

FTAI's business highlights in Q4 2023 include strong Aerospace Products segment performance, significant module sales, and acquisitions of Aviation Leasing Equipment.