NuStar Energy L.P. Reports Solid First Quarter of 2021 Earnings Results

Rhea-AI Summary

NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) reported a net income of $42 million for Q1 2021, up from a $148 million net loss in Q1 2020, which was impacted by a $225 million non-cash goodwill impairment due to the pandemic. The adjusted net income for Q1 2021 was $77 million or $0.39 per unit. The severe winter storm Uri reduced earnings by $11 million, yet EBITDA remained strong at $169 million. The company expects refined product demand to stabilize at pre-pandemic levels and aims to exit 2021 with crude transportation volumes of approximately 500,000 BPD.

Positive

• Net income improved to $42 million from a $148 million loss YoY.
• EBITDA in line with consensus estimates at $169 million.
• Refined product demand showed resilience, averaging nearly 100% of pre-pandemic levels.
• Expectations for 2021 EBITDA comparable to 2020's strong results.
• Projected exit 2021 crude transport volumes at 500,000 BPD.

Negative

• Earnings reduced by $11 million due to Winter Storm Uri.

NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) today reported net income of $42 million for the first quarter of 2021, or $0.05 per unit, compared to a $148 million net loss, or ($1.68) per unit for the first quarter of 2020, which was largely related to a $225 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge when the fair value of NuStar’s crude oil pipelines reporting unit fell below its carrying value as a result of the global pandemic. On an adjusted basis, NuStar reported net income of $77 million, or $0.39 per unit, in the first quarter of 2020.

“Despite the lingering effects of the pandemic on the global economy and U.S. exports, and a historically unprecedented severe winter weather event, I am pleased to report NuStar turned in a very solid quarter,” said NuStar President and CEO Brad Barron.

“As America begins to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and begins returning to normal activity and growth, we are seeing signs of stabilization and improvement across the U.S. and in NuStar’s footprint,” said Barron. “U.S. refined product demand has improved as COVID vaccinations have continued to allow more and more Americans to return to normal day-to-day activities.”

Solid Results Despite Impact of Severe Winter Storm

Barron discussed the impact of Winter Storm Uri, which in mid-February brought extreme temperatures, snow and ice to Texas and nearby states and left millions of Texans without heat or water for days.

“Some of our customers in the region also experienced outages or downtime during and after the storm, which trimmed our earnings for the quarter by a total of about $11 million,” Barron said. “Despite the impact of Winter Storm Uri, our first quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were in line with consensus estimates and without the storm’s impact, earnings were comparable to the fourth quarter of 2020.”

Refined Product and Permian Pipeline Demand Returns to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Barron noted that refined product demand on NuStar’s systems has been remarkably resilient. “It was up to nearly 100% of pre-pandemic levels in January, dropped temporarily during February’s storm, and then recovered quickly to turn in an average 95% of pre-pandemic levels for the first quarter. And that improvement has continued as we averaged slightly over 100% for the month of April. We continue to expect our refined products systems to perform at around 100% of our pre-pandemic run rate for the remainder of this year,” said Barron.

Barron continued, “This stronger refined product demand is contributing to higher crude prices, which are improving expectations for U.S. shale production, particularly in the Permian Basin, which continues to outshine all other U.S. shale plays.

“Thanks to our Permian Crude System’s ‘core of the core’ premier location, lowest producer costs and highest product quality, our rig count has continued to grow steadily. After dipping to nine rigs in August of 2020, our system’s rig count has continued to see steady growth in 2021, growing from 20 rigs in January to around 25 rigs in April. Those 25 rigs represent more than 10 percent of the total number of rigs running across the entire Permian Basin as of the end of April. Along with these rising rig counts, our system’s volumes rose to an average 427,000 barrels per day (BPD) for the month of January, and, after dipping during February’s severe weather, have gotten back on track, rebounding to an average of over 440,000 BPD in March and April. Additionally, we reached 450,000 BPD as April ended, which is back up to the record-breaking quarterly average we saw pre-pandemic in the first quarter 2020. Looking out to the rest of the year, we now expect to exit 2021 at around 500,000 BPD.

“And sustained healthy U.S. shale production growth combined with improving global demand will drive U.S. export growth in the future, which will be positive for volumes on our Corpus Christi Crude System. We continue to expect to see volumes for our Eagle Ford and WTI commitments at our minimum volume commitment (MVC) levels through the end of 2021.”

West Coast Renewable Fuels Distribution System Handles Impressive Share of California’s Market

Barron also discussed NuStar’s excitement about the trajectory for growth of NuStar’s renewable fuels distribution system on the West Coast, noting that the system is a key component of NuStar’s plans to thrive as the nation’s energy needs evolve.

“We currently handle an impressive share of California’s renewable fuels. According to the latest available data from the State of California, in the first three quarters of 2020, NuStar handled about 6% of California’s total biodiesel volumes; 18% of California’s ethanol; and close to 30% of the state’s renewable diesel volumes,” said Barron.

“And we expect NuStar’s market share and renewable fuels network to continue to grow over time, along with our revenue, as California replaces conventional fuels with renewable diesel and other renewable fuels, and other states, in the Northwest and beyond, adopt similar low-carbon fuel standards that prioritize the renewable fuels our assets are positioned to facilitate.”

Financial Results

“To put the quarter-over-quarter comparison in perspective, it is important to remember that first quarter 2020 was pre-masks and pre-lockdowns. And for NuStar, first quarter 2020 was also a record-breaker with all-time high crude oil pipeline volumes on our Permian Crude System and on our Corpus Christi Crude System. Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2021, we were still dealing with the lingering effects of the pandemic on the global economy and were significantly impacted by Winter Storm Uri and its aftermath, as it drove customer outages and resulted in some short-term disruptions,” said NuStar Chief Financial Officer Tom Shoaf.

“However, even with the aggregate $11 million impact to our earnings due to the impact of the storm, we were still able to generate first quarter 2021 EBITDA of $169 million – in line with consensus estimates.”

Shoaf noted that first quarter 2021 distributable cash flow (DCF) available to common limited partners was $81 million. He also noted that the distribution coverage ratio to the common limited partners was a strong 1.84 times.

“These results demonstrate the quality and solid performance of our assets despite the continuing impact of the pandemic and a severe weather event and its aftermath,” Shoaf noted.

2021 Outlook

“Last year, our assets, our business and our employees demonstrated incredible strength and resilience,” Barron noted. “Faced with the challenges of a global pandemic, we still moved more barrels and generated more adjusted EBITDA in 2020 than we did in 2019. And in 2021, even after layering in the impact of a historically unprecedented winter storm, NuStar remains solidly positioned to fund 100% of our 2021 spending (approximately $140 to $170 million) from our internally generated cash flows. We also remain on track to generate EBITDA for 2021 comparable to 2020’s strong results, after taking into account our sale of the Texas City terminal in December of last year. And we see continuing signs of recovery on the horizon, as expectations for demand, utilization, and crude prices for 2021 have all improved,” Barron concluded.

Conference Call Details

A conference call with management is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. CT today, May 4, 2021. The partnership plans to discuss the first quarter 2021 earnings results, which will be released earlier that day. Investors interested in listening to the discussion may dial toll-free 844/889-7787, passcode 1971125. International callers may access the discussion by dialing 661/378-9931, passcode 1971125. The partnership intends to have a playback available following the discussion, which may be accessed by dialing toll-free 855/859-2056, passcode 1971125. International callers may access the playback by dialing 404/537-3406, passcode 1971125. The playback will be available until 12:00 p.m. CT on June 3, 2021.

Investors interested in listening to the live discussion or a replay via the internet may access the discussion directly at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/ngcf7ru6 or by logging on to NuStar Energy L.P.’s website at www.nustarenergy.com.

NuStar Energy L.P., a publicly traded master limited partnership based in San Antonio, Texas, is one of the largest independent liquids terminal and pipeline operators in the nation. NuStar currently has approximately 10,000 miles of pipeline and 73 terminal and storage facilities that store and distribute crude oil, refined products, renewable fuels and specialty liquids. The partnership’s combined system has approximately 72 million barrels of storage capacity, and NuStar has operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit NuStar Energy L.P.’s website at www.nustarenergy.com and our Sustainability page at www.nustarenergy.com/Sustainability.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes, and the related conference call will include, forward-looking statements regarding future events and expectations, such as NuStar’s future performance, plans and expenditures. All forward-looking statements are based on NuStar’s beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to NuStar. These statements reflect NuStar’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions are discussed in NuStar Energy L.P.’s 2020 annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, NuStar does not intend, or undertake any obligation, to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

NuStar Energy L.P. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Financial Information (Unaudited, Thousands of Dollars, Except Unit, Per Unit and Ratio Data)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2021				2020
Statement of Income Data:
Revenues:
Service revenues	$	271,883			$	316,746
Product sales	89,763				76,045
Total revenues	361,646				392,791
Costs and expenses:
Costs associated with service revenues:
Operating expenses	87,287				100,182
Depreciation and amortization expense	68,418				68,061
Total costs associated with service revenues	155,705				168,243
Costs associated with product sales	81,113				67,450
Goodwill impairment loss	—				225,000
General and administrative expenses	24,492				22,971
Other depreciation and amortization expense	2,047				2,186
Total costs and expenses	263,357

FAQ

What were the Q1 2021 earnings for NuStar Energy (NS)?

NuStar Energy reported a net income of $42 million for Q1 2021.

How did Winter Storm Uri impact NuStar's earnings?

Winter Storm Uri trimmed NuStar's earnings by approximately $11 million.

What is the expected crude transport volume for NuStar Energy at the end of 2021?

NuStar Energy expects to exit 2021 with approximately 500,000 BPD in crude transport volumes.