Full-Year 2023 Summary

Cash from operations of $149 million and capital expenditures of $70 million resulted in Free Cash Flow* of $79 million and a $47 million year-over-year increase to $259 million cash at year end; approximately $212 million of additional liquidity is available under two, undrawn committed financing facilities

Net loss from continuing operations of $701 million included a pre-tax, non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $349 million related to the Engineered Materials reporting unit, $56 million related to various restructuring initiatives and non-cash, after-tax charges of approximately $160 million related to increases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets in certain subsidiaries

Adjusted EBITDA* of $154 million included unfavorable impacts of $51 million from natural gas hedges, $20 million from net timing and $13 million from fixed cost under-absorption due to reducing inventory levels

Announced asset closures and other restructuring actions during the year which, when combined with lower natural gas hedge losses, are expected to contribute sequential profitability improvement of approximately $100 million in 2024

Fourth Quarter 2023 Summary

Cash provided by operations of $18 million and capital expenditures of $21 million resulted in Free Cash Flow* of negative $3 million including a $99 million decrease in working capital

Net loss from continuing operations of $265 million included a pre-tax charge of approximately $38 million related to restructuring initiatives, principally related to the announced closure of the Ternuezen, the Netherlands styrene plant, and non-cash, after-tax charges of approximately $160 million related to increases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets in certain subsidiaries

Adjusted EBITDA* of $20 million included a $9 million unfavorable impact from natural gas hedging

WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Trinseo (NYSE: TSE):

*For a reconciliation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income (Loss), all of which are non-GAAP measures, to Net Income (Loss), as well as a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow and Adjusted EPS, see Notes 2 and 3 to the financial statements included below.

Trinseo (NYSE: TSE), a specialty material solutions provider, today reported its full-year and fourth quarter 2023 financial results. Net sales in the full year decreased 26% versus prior year. Lower prices from the passthrough of lower input costs resulted in a 14% decrease and lower sales volumes led to a 13% decrease. Persistent underlying demand weakness and customer destocking throughout the year, especially in building & construction and consumer durable applications, led to lower sales volumes across all regions and segments.

Full-year net loss from continuing operations of $701 million was $273 million below prior year. The current year included approximately $160 million of after-tax charges related to increases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets in certain subsidiaries. This non-cash charge is not expected to affect near-term or long-term cash flow since most of these tax attributes do not expire in the foreseeable future. Additionally, there was a year-over-year $52 million unfavorable impact due to higher goodwill impairment and restructuring charges. Adjusted EBITDA of $154 million was $158 million below prior year from lower volume across all segments, unfavorable variances of $41 million from net timing and $38 million from natural gas hedges, as well as $40 million lower equity affiliate income from Americas Styrenics. These impacts were partially offset by pricing actions in Latex Binders and cost actions including restructuring initiatives announced in late 2022. Cash from operations of $149 million and capital expenditures of $70 million led to Free Cash Flow* of $79 million which resulted in year-end cash of $259 million, a $47 million year-over-year increase.

Net sales in the fourth quarter decreased 14% versus prior year. Lower price from the pass-through of lower raw material costs led to a 10% decrease. Lower sales volumes in Polystyrene, Latex Binders and Plastics Solutions, caused by underlying persistent market demand weakness and more pronounced year-end seasonality, led to a 7% decrease. These impacts were partially offset by a 3% increase from currency.

Fourth quarter net loss from continuing operations of $265 million was $99 million above prior year. The current quarter included approximately $160 million of after-tax changes related to increases in valuation allowances on deferred tax assets in certain subsidiaries. The prior year included a $297 million charge related to goodwill impairment which was partially offset by higher income taxes of $211 million in the current year. Adjusted EBITDA of $20 million was $14 million above prior year due to a $19 million unfavorable net timing impact in the prior year in comparison to a $1 million favorable impact in the current year. Excluding net timing, lower volume across most segments as well as lower equity affiliate income from Americas Styrenics was mostly offset by cost actions including restructuring initiatives announced in late 2022.

Commenting on the Company’s fourth quarter performance, Frank Bozich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinseo, said, “As expected, we had sequentially lower results in the fourth quarter as more pronounced seasonality and continued customer inventory management and destocking led to a challenging end to the year. Despite this, we generated positive free cash flow during the year and remain in a solid liquidity position as we enter 2024, and we are seeing the positive impact of our restructuring initiatives taking effect. I would like to thank our employees for their perseverance during what has been one of the most challenging years our industry has faced in several decades.”

Fourth Quarter Results and Commentary by Business Segment

Engineered Materials net sales of $190 million for the quarter decreased 7% versus prior year including a 16% impact from lower price due to raw material pass-through, partially offset by a 6% impact from higher sales volume. Adjusted EBITDA of $0 million was $5 million above prior year including a favorable net timing variance of $8 million. Excluding the net timing variance, lower margin was partially offset by higher sales volume and lower fixed costs.Latex Binders net sales of $215 million for the quarter decreased 16% versus prior year including an 8% impact from lower price from the pass-through of lower raw material costs and an 11% impact from lower volumes in Europe and North America and across all applications. Adjusted EBITDA of $19 million was $1 million below prior year as lower volume was partially offset by pricing actions. Volume for higher-margin CASE applications declined by 2% in the fourth quarter compared to prior year, showing better demand resilience in comparison to other applications.Plastics Solutions net sales of $231 million for the quarter were 15% below prior year including a 12% impact from lower price due to the pass-through of lower raw material costs and a 6% impact from lower sales volume from the closure of one polycarbonate line in Stade, Germany. Adjusted EBITDA of $16 million was $25 million above prior year primarily from higher polycarbonate margin including impacts from restructuring actions in Stade, Germany.Polystyrene net sales of $166 million for the quarter were 23% below prior year. Lower price, primarily from the pass-through of lower styrene costs, led to a 5% decrease, and lower volume, from weaker demand in appliance and building & construction applications, led to a 21% decrease. Adjusted EBITDA of $2 million was $10 million below prior year from lower volume and margin due to weaker market conditions and pronounced year-end seasonality.Feedstocks net sales of $35 million for the quarter were 25% above prior year as an 11% negative impact from lower price was more than offset by a 29% favorable impact from higher volume and favorable currency. Adjusted EBITDA of negative $4 million was $12 million above prior year from the benefits of the closures of the Boehlen, Germany styrene plant in December 2022 and Terneuzen, the Netherlands styrene plant in November 2023. Due to these closures, starting in the first quarter of 2024, the Company will no longer have a Feedstocks reporting segment.Americas Styrenics Adjusted EBITDA of $13 million for the quarter was $5 million below prior year as lower margin was partially offset by higher polystyrene volume.

2024 Outlook

First quarter 2024 net loss from continuing operations of $77 million to $67 million

First quarter 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $40 million to $50 million

Commenting on the outlook for 2024, Bozich said, “We are seeing stronger order loads to begin the year following the challenges we faced in the fourth quarter, and therefore, we expect significantly higher sequential profitability in the first quarter of 2024. However, we view first quarter profitability as the low point of the year due to seasonally lower volumes and turnaround activity in the first quarter, as well as the timing of newly awarded business.”

Bozich continued, “The unprecedented drop in demand we saw starting in the third quarter of 2022 has persisted, and a great deal of macroeconomic uncertainty remains. Amid this environment we have executed numerous manufacturing footprint and other cost reduction initiatives while extending the majority of our debt maturities out to 2028. While we are already seeing the benefits of these initiatives, we will continue to assess additional actions in 2024 to increase our manufacturing network flexibility, which will enable us to take advantage of regional cost differentials while also improving profitability, reducing capital expenditures and optimizing working capital. This will also allow us to continue investing in higher-value product offerings and sustainable solutions, and will have us well-positioned for when market demand improves.”