Sterling Reports Record First Quarter 2022 Results

Rhea-AI Summary

Sterling Construction Company (STRL) reported strong first-quarter 2022 results, with total revenue reaching $410.3 million, a 30% increase year-over-year. Net income soared by 82% to $19.3 million, translating to $0.64 per diluted share. EBITDA also rose by 33% to $39.8 million. The company’s backlog grew by 2% to $1.53 billion. CEO Joe Cutillo expressed confidence in ongoing growth due to strategic synergies from the Petillo acquisition, despite recognizing challenges posed by inflation and supply chain issues. Full-year guidance anticipates revenue between $1.825 billion and $1.875 billion.

Positive

• Total revenue increased by 30% to $410.3 million.
• Net income increased by 82% to $19.3 million.
• EBITDA grew by 33% to $39.8 million.
• Backlog increased by 2% to $1.53 billion.
• Strategic synergies from the Petillo acquisition are expected to enhance operations.
• Full-year guidance suggests significant revenue and income growth.

Negative

• Ongoing inflation and supply chain challenges may impact future performance.

Earnings Continue to Outpace Expectations

Petillo Delivers Immediately Accretive Earnings

THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sterling Construction Company, Inc. (NasdaqGS: STRL) (“Sterling” or the “Company”) today announced financial results for the first quarter 2022.

First Quarter 2022 Results (as compared to First Quarter 2021)

• Total Revenue of $410.3 million, an increase of 30%

• Net Income was $19.3 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, an increase of 82% and 73%, respectively

• EBITDA⁽¹⁾ of $39.8 million, an increase of 33%

• Cash and Cash Equivalents totaled $80.4 million at March 31, 2022

• Total backlog at March 31, 2022 was $1.53 billion, an increase of 2%

For the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company reported net income of $19.3 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, versus $10.6 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, in the first quarter 2021. Revenue increased by 30% over the prior year quarter, with half coming from organic growth within all three segments and half generated from the acquired Petillo business. EBITDA increased 33% to $39.8 million in the first quarter of 2022, versus $29.9 million in the prior-year period. First quarter EBITDA benefited from strong revenue growth from each segment, partially offset by ongoing supply chain and inflation challenges.

Backlog at March 31, 2022 increased to $1.53 billion, versus $1.49 billion at the prior year-end period.

⁽¹⁾ The Company defines EBITDA as GAAP net income attributable to Sterling’s common stockholders, adjusted for depreciation and amortization, net interest expense, taxes and net gain or loss on extinguishment of debt.

CEO Remarks and Outlook

“We are pleased with our strong start to the year, especially given the inflation and supply chain challenges that our entire industry is experiencing,” stated Joe Cutillo, Sterling’s Chief Executive Officer.

“The transformation we made over the last several years continues to pay off as our E-Infrastructure Solutions segment became our largest segment this quarter. Our two highest margin and fastest growing segments, E-Infrastructure and Building Solutions, represented 89% of our total earnings in the quarter. In addition to year over year improvements in all of our segments, our first quarter results included a full quarter with Petillo, which we acquired in late 2021. We are seeing impressive strategic synergies between Petillo and Plateau and are excited to offer even broader services to blue-chip customers across all major markets in the Southern, Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions.

We understand that volatility remains uncertain for the remainder of the year, with inflationary and supply chain pressures continuing to be a major challenge; however, with the strong start to the year, our current backlog levels and the strength in our markets, we feel confident in reaffirming our full year 2022 guidance. The mid-point of our guidance would improve our net income by 37%, our revenue by 17% and our EPS by 30% over 2021,” Mr. Cutillo concluded.

Full Year 2022 Guidance:

• Revenue of $1.825 billion to $1.875 billion

• Net Income of $83 million to $89 million

• EPS of $2.69 to $2.88

• EBITDA of $185 million to $200 million 

Conference Call

Sterling’s management will hold a conference call to discuss these results and recent corporate developments on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. CT. Interested parties may participate in the call by dialing (201) 493-6744 or (877) 445-9755. Please call in ten minutes before the conference call is scheduled to begin and ask for the Sterling Construction call. To coincide with the conference call, Sterling will post a slide presentation at www.strlco.com on the Events & Presentations section of the Investor Relations tab. Following management’s opening remarks, there will be a question and answer session.

To listen to a simultaneous webcast of the call, please go to the Company’s website at www.strlco.com at least fifteen minutes early to download and install any necessary audio software. If you are unable to listen live, the conference call webcast will be archived on the Company’s website for thirty days.

About Sterling

Sterling operates through a variety of subsidiaries within three segments specializing in E-Infrastructure, Transportation and Building Solutions in the United States (the “U.S.”), primarily across the Southern, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and the Rocky Mountain States, California and Hawaii, as well as other areas with strategic construction opportunities. E-Infrastructure Solutions projects develop advanced, large-scale site development systems and services for data centers, e-commerce distribution centers, warehousing, transportation, energy and more. Transportation Solutions includes infrastructure and rehabilitation projects for highways, roads, bridges, airports, ports, light rail, water, wastewater and storm drainage systems. Building Solutions projects include residential and commercial concrete foundations for single-family and multi-family homes, parking structures, elevated slabs and other concrete work. From strategy to operations, we are committed to sustainability by operating responsibly to safeguard and improve society’s quality of life. Caring for our people and our communities, our customers and our investors – that is The Sterling Way.

Joe Cutillo, CEO, “We build and service the infrastructure that enables our economy to run, our people to move and our country to grow.”

Important Information for Investors and Stockholders

Non-GAAP Measures

This press release may contain “Non-GAAP” financial measures as defined under Regulation G of the amended U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company reports financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), but the Company believes that certain Non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information to investors regarding the underlying business trends and performance of the Company’s ongoing operations and are useful for period-over-period comparisons of those operations.

Non-GAAP measures may include adjusted net income, adjusted EPS, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, in each case excluding the impacts of certain identified items. The excluded items represent items that the Company does not consider to be representative of its normal operations. The Company believes that these measures are useful for investors to review, because they provide a consistent measure of the underlying financial results of the Company’s ongoing business and, in the Company’s view, allow for a supplemental comparison against historical results and expectations for future performance. Furthermore, the Company uses each of these to measure the performance of the Company’s operations for budgeting and forecasting, as well as employee incentive compensation. However, Non-GAAP measures should not be considered as substitutes for net income, EPS, or other data prepared and reported in accordance with GAAP and should be viewed in addition to the Company’s reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Reconciliations of Non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the tables included within this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which may include statements about: our business strategy; our financial strategy; our industry outlook; and our plans, objectives, expectations, forecasts, outlook and intentions. All of these types of statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursue,” “target,” “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are largely based on our expectations, which reflect estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions and other factors. Although we believe such estimates and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. In addition, management’s assumptions about future events may prove to be inaccurate. Management cautions all readers that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure any reader that such statements will be realized or the forward-looking events and circumstances will occur. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements due to factors listed in the “Risk Factors” section in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and elsewhere in those filings. Additional factors or risks that we currently deem immaterial, that are not presently known to us or that arise in the future could also cause our actual results to differ materially from our expected results. Given these uncertainties, investors are cautioned that many of the assumptions upon which our forward-looking statements are based are likely to change after the date the forward-looking statements are made. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise, notwithstanding any changes in our assumptions, changes in business plans, actual experience or other changes. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2022				2021
Revenues	$	410,320			$	315,316
Cost of revenues		(354,181	)			(270,284	)
Gross profit		56,139				45,032
General and administrative expense		(23,072	)			(17,099	)
Intangible asset amortization		(3,568	)			(2,866	)
Acquisition related costs		(255	)			—
Other operating expense, net		(975	)			(2,312	)
Operating income		28,269				22,755
Interest income		10				14
Interest expense		(4,587	)			(6,004	)
Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt, net		2,428				(337	)
Income before income taxes		26,120				16,428
Income tax expense		(6,597	)			(4,760	)
Net income		19,523				11,668
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		(271	)			(1,113	)
Net income attributable to Sterling common stockholders	$	19,252			$	10,555
Net income per share attributable to Sterling common stockholders:
Basic	$	0.64			$	0.37
Diluted	$	0.64			$	0.37
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic		29,964				28,279
Diluted		30,112				28,763

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES SEGMENT INFORMATION (In thousands) (Unaudited)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2022			% of Revenues				2021			% of Revenues
Revenues
E-Infrastructure Solutions	$	168,927			41	%		$	96,572			31	%
Transportation Solutions		160,499			39	%			147,054			46	%
Building Solutions		80,894			20	%			71,690			23	%
Total Revenues	$	410,320						$	315,316
Operating Income
E-Infrastructure Solutions	$	21,285			12.6	%		$	17,812			18.4	%
Transportation Solutions		3,686			2.3	%			2,666			1.8	%
Building Solutions		9,358			11.6	%			7,361			10.3	%
Segment Operating Income		34,329			8.4	%			27,839			8.8	%
Corporate		(5,805	)						(5,084	)
Acquisition Related Costs		(255	)						—
Total Operating Income	$	28,269			6.9	%		$	22,755			7.2	%

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands, except per share data) (Unaudited)
	March 31, 2022				December 31, 2021
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	80,395			$	81,840
Accounts receivable		226,397				232,153
Contract assets		87,865				83,310
Receivables from and equity in construction joint ventures		19,292				16,896
Other current assets		21,941				20,492
Total current assets		435,890				434,691
Property and equipment, net		212,603				204,316
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net		37,344				24,520
Goodwill		252,353				259,791
Other intangibles, net		300,055				303,223
Other non-current assets, net		4,488				4,455
Total assets	$	1,242,733			$	1,230,996
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	143,400			$	144,982
Contract liabilities		116,182				127,932
Current maturities of long-term debt		30,368				28,230
Current portion of long-term lease obligations		10,117				8,841
Accrued compensation		25,815				22,803
Other current liabilities		13,632				18,972
Total current liabilities		339,514				351,760
Long-term debt		417,331				428,588
Long-term lease obligations		27,326				15,831
Members’ interest subject to mandatory redemption and undistributed earnings		55,754				55,115
Deferred tax liability, net		20,758				14,656
Other long-term liabilities		4,410				4,819
Total liabilities		865,093				870,769
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock		302				298
Additional paid in capital		276,597				280,274
Retained earnings		99,170				79,918
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(160	)			(1,723	)
Total Sterling stockholders’ equity		375,909				358,767
Noncontrolling interests		1,731				1,460
Total stockholders’ equity		377,640				360,227
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	1,242,733			$	1,230,996

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In thousands) (Unaudited)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2022				2021
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$	19,523			$	11,668
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		11,767				8,305
Amortization of debt issuance costs and non-cash interest		556				660
Gain on disposal of property and equipment		(228	)			(68	)
(Gain) loss on debt extinguishment, net		(2,428	)			337
Deferred taxes		5,640				4,142
Stock-based compensation		3,836				1,835
Change in fair value of interest rate swap		(90	)			(22	)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities		(19,393	)			11,233
Net cash provided by operating activities		19,183				38,090
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures		(14,969	)			(11,209	)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment		406				208
Net cash used in investing activities		(14,563	)			(11,001	)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayments of debt		(5,928	)			(30,543	)
Distributions to noncontrolling interest owners		—				(1,959	)
Net cash used in financing activities		(5,928	)			(32,502	)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash		(1,308	)			(5,413	)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period		88,693				72,642
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period		87,385				67,229
Less: restricted cash (Other current assets)		(6,990	)			(5,827	)
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	80,395			$	61,402

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES EBITDA RECONCILIATION (In thousands) (Unaudited)
	Three Months Ended March 31,
		2022				2021
Net income attributable to Sterling common stockholders	$	19,252			$	10,555
Depreciation and amortization		11,767				8,305
Interest expense, net of interest income		4,577				5,990
Income tax expense		6,597				4,760
(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt, net		(2,428	)			337
EBITDA (1)	$	39,765			$	29,947

(1)		The Company defines EBITDA as GAAP net income attributable to Sterling common stockholders, adjusted for depreciation and amortization, net interest expense, taxes, and net gain or loss on extinguishment of debt.

STERLING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. & SUBSIDIARIES EBITDA GUIDANCE RECONCILIATION (In millions) (Unaudited)
	Full Year 2022 Guidance
	Low				High
Net income attributable to Sterling common stockholders	$	83			$	89
Depreciation and amortization		50				54
Interest expense, net of interest income		19				23
Income tax expense		35				36
Gain on extinguishment of debt, net		(2	)			(2	)
EBITDA (1)	$	185			$	200

(1)

The Company defines EBITDA as GAAP net income attributable to Sterling common stockholders, adjusted for depreciation and amortization, net interest expense, taxes, and net gain or loss on extinguishment of debt.

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220502005768/en/

Company Contact:

Sterling Construction Company, Inc.

Ron Ballschmiede, Chief Financial Officer

281-214-0777

Investor Relations Contact:

The Equity Group Inc.

Jeremy Hellman, CFA

212-836-9626

Source: Sterling Construction Company, Inc.

FAQ

What were Sterling Construction's Q1 2022 revenue figures?

Sterling Construction reported total revenue of $410.3 million for Q1 2022, a 30% increase compared to Q1 2021.

How much did Sterling Construction's net income increase in Q1 2022?

Net income for Sterling Construction in Q1 2022 was $19.3 million, which is an 82% increase from the previous year.

What is the full-year guidance for Sterling Construction in 2022?

Sterling Construction's full-year guidance for 2022 estimates revenue between $1.825 billion and $1.875 billion, with net income projected at $83 million to $89 million.

How did the acquisition of Petillo affect Sterling Construction's Q1 results?

The acquisition of Petillo contributed to a significant portion of revenue growth and is expected to provide strategic synergies moving forward.

What challenges does Sterling Construction anticipate in 2022?

Sterling Construction acknowledges ongoing inflation and supply chain pressures as potential challenges in 2022.