SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  September 7, 2005

 

Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Delaware

 

000-23211

 

03-0338873

(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)

 

(Commission
File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

 

 

25 Greens Hill Lane
Rutland, Vermont

 

05701

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (802) 775-0325

 

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

o  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 u nder the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 



 

Item 2.02.  Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

 

On September 7, 2005, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2006, ended July 31, 2005.  The full text of the press release issued in connection with the announcement is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

The information in this Form 8-K and the Exhibit attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

Item 9.01.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

(c)                                  Exhibits

 

The following exhibit relating to Item 2.02 shall be deemed to be furnished, and not filed:

 

99.1                           Press release dated September 7, 2005.

 

2



 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Date: September 8, 2005

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard A. Norris

 

 

 

Richard A. Norris

 

 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

3



 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

 

 

 

99.1

 

Press release dated September 7, 2005.

 

4


Exhibit 99.1

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. ANNOUNCES FIRST QUARTER FISCAL YEAR 2006 RESULTS

 

RUTLAND, VERMONT (September 7, 2005)—Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional, non-hazardous solid waste services company, today reported financial results for the first quarter of its 2006 fiscal year.

 

First Quarter Results

 

For the quarter ended July 31, 2005, the company reported revenues of $132.0 million. The company’s net income per common share was $0.09. Operating income for the quarter was $13.1 million. Cash provided by operating activities in the quarter was $22.6 million. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $29.2 million*. As of July 31, 2005, the company had cash on hand of $6.8 million, and had an outstanding total debt level of $386.5 million.

 

Highlights of the Quarter

 

 “Our most significant accomplishment in the first quarter was the 14-0 vote of the Chemung County Legislature to enter into an operating agreement with the company for the operation of the county’s Subtitle D landfill,” John W. Casella, chairman and chief executive officer, said. “Once again, we’ve been able to apply our unique public/private partnership model to the successful development of disposal capacity, one of our highest ongoing strategic priorities.

 

“Our EBITDA* numbers were impacted in the areas of fuel and third-party transportation as volumes increased at our disposal facilities,” Casella said.

 

“Our Central region saw its tonnages impacted by the disruption of business resulting from a fire at our Glens Falls-area transfer station, which was not able to accept any waste for several weeks while it underwent repairs,” Casella said. “We were also impacted by expenses surrounding the successful effort to defend our permit at our Wellsboro, Penn. transfer station. The impact from these two events was approximately $825,000, or 2 cents per share.”

 

“We also saw increased costs from Sarbannes-Oxley requirements on a year-over-year basis,” Casella said.

 

“On the positive side, we saw healthy price and volume growth both in our solid waste and recycling operations, and realized a nearly one hundred basis point reduction in labor costs as a percent of revenue, the result of our successful efforts in continuous improvement,” Casella said.

 



 

Company Reaffirms Fiscal Year 2006 Guidance

 

The company reaffirmed that it believes its results for fiscal year 2006 will be in the following ranges:

 

                  Revenues between $500.0 million and $520.0 million;

 

                  EBITDA between $112.0 million and $116.0 million;

 

                  Non-growth maintenance capital expenditures between $57.0 million and $61.0 million; facility capital expenditures of $6.0 million; and landfill development capital expenditures of $32.0 million (in conjunction with the addition of 52 million tons of total company-wide disposal capacity since year-end 2003), for a total of expected capital expenditures between $95.0 million and $99.0 million; and

 

                  Free cash flow between $(13.0) million and $(9.0) million.

 


*Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we also disclose free cash flow and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), which are non-GAAP measures.

 

These measures are provided because we understand that certain investors use this information when analyzing the financial position of the solid waste industry, including us. Historically, these measures have been key in comparing operating efficiency of publicly traded companies in the solid waste industry, and assist investors in measuring our ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. For these reasons we utilize these non-GAAP metrics to measure our performance at all levels. These measures do not represent, and should not be considered as alternatives to cash provided by operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP. Moreover, these measures do not necessarily indicate whether cash flow will be sufficient for such items as working capital or capital expenditures, or to react to changes in our industry or to the economy generally. Because these measures are not calculated by all companies in the same fashion, they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

 

More detailed financial results are contained in the tables accompanying this release.

 

 Casella Waste Systems, headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, provides collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services primarily in the northeastern United States.

 

For further information, contact Richard Norris, chief financial officer; or Joseph Fusco, vice president; at (802) 775-0325, or visit the company’s website at http://www.casella.com.

 

The company will host a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, September 8, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Individuals interested in participating in the call should dial (913) 981-5571 at least 10 minutes before start time. The call will also be webcast; to listen, participants

 



 

should visit Casella Waste Systems’ website at http://www.casella.com and follow the appropriate link to the webcast. A replay of the call will be available by calling 719-457-0820 (conference code #9089324) before 11:59 p.m. ET, Thursday, September 15, 2005, or by visiting the company’s website.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

Certain matters discussed in this press release are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such by the context of the statements, including words such as the Company “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects” or words of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe the Company’s future plans, objectives or goals are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, and all phases of our operations, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include or relate to, among other things: we may be unable to make acquisitions and otherwise develop additional disposal capacity; continuing weakness in general economic conditions may affect our revenues; increasing fuel costs may affect our cost of operations; we may be required to incur capital expenditures in excess of our estimates; and fluctuations in the commodity pricing of our recyclables may make it more difficult for us to predict our results of operations. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking statements can be found in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including certain factors which could affect future operating results detailed in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis section in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2005.

 

(tables follow)

 



 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Unaudited

(In thousands, except amounts per share)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

July 31,
2004

 

July 31,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

 

$

123,672

 

$

132,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of operations

 

78,277

 

85,587

 

General and administration

 

15,515

 

17,218

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

17,223

 

16,134

 

 

 

111,015

 

118,939

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating income

 

12,657

 

13,061

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other expense/(income), net:

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

7,088

 

7,350

 

Loss from equity method investments

 

68

 

70

 

Other expense

 

530

 

51

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,686

 

7,471

 

Income from continuing operations before income taxes and discontinued operations

 

4,971

 

5,590

 

Provision for income taxes

 

2,209

 

2,483

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations before discontinued operations

 

2,762

 

3,107

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes (1)

 

81

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

2,843

 

3,107

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock dividend

 

838

 

850

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income available to common stockholders

 

$

2,005

 

$

2,257

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock and common stock equivalent shares outstanding, assuming full dilution

 

25,092

 

25,218

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income per common share before discontinued operations

 

$

0.08

 

$

0.09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income per common share

 

$

0.08

 

$

0.09

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EBITDA (2)

 

$

29,880

 

$

29,195

 

 



 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Unaudited

(In thousands)

 

 

 

April 30,
2005

 

July 31,
2005

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT ASSETS:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

8,578

 

$

6,773

 

Restricted cash

 

70

 

71

 

Accounts receivable - trade, net of allowance for doubtful accounts

 

51,726

 

56,642

 

Other current assets

 

9,009

 

8,447

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current assets

 

69,383

 

71,933

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation

 

412,753

 

431,515

 

Goodwill

 

157,492

 

158,264

 

Intangible assets, net

 

2,711

 

2,436

 

Restricted cash

 

12,124

 

12,175

 

Investments in unconsolidated entities

 

37,699

 

36,928

 

Other non-current assets

 

20,292

 

16,605

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

712,454

 

$

729,856

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

Current maturities of long-term debt

 

$

281

 

$

315

 

Current maturities of capital lease obligations

 

632

 

643

 

Accounts payable

 

46,107

 

48,104

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

45,734

 

45,427

 

Total current liabilities

 

92,754

 

94,489

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt, less current maturities

 

378,436

 

389,580

 

Capital lease obligations, less current maturities

 

1,475

 

1,310

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

33,043

 

34,508

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Series A redeemable, convertible preferred stock

 

67,964

 

68,814

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity

 

138,782

 

141,155

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

712,454

 

$

729,856

 

 



 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Unaudited

(In thousands)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

July 31,
2004

 

July 31,
2005

 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

2,843

 

$

3,107

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities-

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

17,223

 

16,134

 

Depletion of landfill operating lease obligations

 

1,347

 

1,428

 

Loss from equity method investment

 

68

 

70

 

Loss on sale of equipment

 

276

 

99

 

Deferred income taxes

 

1,755

 

1,721

 

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures

 

(3,799

)

62

 

 

 

16,870

 

19,514

 

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

 

19,713

 

22,621

 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Acquisitions, net of cash acquired

 

(3,582

)

(1,044

)

Additions to property, plant and equipment - Growth

 

(5,309

)

(14,941

)

- Maintenance

 

(17,599

)

(19,675

)

Payments on landfill operating lease contracts

 

(9,363

)

(428

)

Other

 

767

 

638

 

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

 

(35,086

)

(35,450

)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from long-term borrowings

 

44,850

 

35,955

 

Principal payments on long-term debt

 

(34,306

)

(24,931

)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

240

 

 

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

 

10,784

 

11,024

 

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

 

(4,589

)

(1,805

)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

 

8,007

 

8,578

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

 

$

3,418

 

$

6,773

 

 



 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Unaudited

(In thousands)

 

Note 1:          The company divested the assets of Data Destruction Services, Inc. (Data Destruction) during the quarter ended October 31, 2004.  The transaction required discontinued operations treatment under SFAS No. 144, therefore the operating results of Data Destruction have been reclassified from continuing to discontinued operations for the quarter ended July 31, 2004.

 

Note 2:          Non - GAAP Financial Measures

 

In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we also disclose EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, deferred costs and impairement charge) and Free Cash Flow, which are non-GAAP measures.

 

These measures are provided because we understand that certain investors use this information when analyzing the financial position of the solid waste industry, including us. Historically, these measures have been key in comparing operating efficiency of publicly traded companies within the industry, and assist investors in measuring our ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. For these reasons, we utilize these non-GAAP metrics to measure our performance at all levels. These measures do not represent, and should not be considered as alternatives to cash provided by operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP.  Moreover, these measures do not necessarily indicate whether cash flow will be sufficient for such items as working capital or capital expenditures, or to react to changes in our industry or to the economy generally. Because these measures are not calculated by all companies in the same fashion, they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures

 

Following is a reconciliation of EBITDA to Cash Provided by Operating Activities:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

 

July 31,
2004

 

July 31,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash Provided by Operating Activities

 

$

19,713

 

$

22,621

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures

 

3,799

 

(62

)

Deferred income taxes

 

(1,755

)

(1,721

)

Provision for income taxes

 

2,209

 

2,483

 

Interest expense, net

 

7,088

 

7,350

 

Depletion of landfill operating lease obligations

 

(1,347

)

(1,428

)

Other income (expense), net

 

173

 

(48

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

EBITDA

 

$

29,880

 

$

29,195

 

 

Following is a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to Cash Provided by Operating Activities:

 

 

 

Three Months
Ended July 31,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

EBITDA

 

$

29,195

 

Add (deduct):                     Cash interest

 

(276

)

Capital expenditures

 

(34,616

)

Cash taxes

 

(528

)

Depletion of landfill operating lease obligations

 

1,428

 

Change in working capital, adjusted for non-cash items

 

(6,795

)

 

 

 

 

FREE CASH FLOW

 

$

(11,592

)

 

 

 

 

Add (deduct):                     Capital expenditures

 

34,616

 

Other

 

(403

)

Cash Provided by Operating Activities

 

$

22,621

 

 



 

CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

SUPPLEMENTAL DATA TABLES

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

 

Amounts of the Company’s total revenue attributable to services provided are as follows:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
July 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2005

 

Collection

 

$

61,690

 

$

65,267

 

Landfill / disposal facilities

 

20,434

 

23,263

 

Transfer

 

11,596

 

11,649

 

Recycling

 

29,952

 

31,821

 

Total revenues

 

$

123,672

 

$

132,000

 

 

Components of revenue growth for the three months ended July 31, 2005 compared to the three months ended July 31, 2004:

 

 

 

 

Percentage

 

Solid Waste Operations (1)

Price

 

4.4

%

 

Volume

 

1.0

%

 

Solid waste commodity price and volume

 

-0.2

%

Total growth - Solid Waste Operations

 

5.2

%

 

 

 

 

 

FCR Operations (1)

Price

 

1.4

%

 

Volume

 

3.2

%

Total growth - Recycling Operations

 

4.6

%

 

 

 

 

 

Rollover effect of acquisitions (as a percentage of total revenue)

 

1.5

%

 

 

 

 

 

Total revenue growth

 

 

6.7

%

 


(1) - Calculated as a percentage of segment revenues.

 

Solid Waste Internalization Rates by Region:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
July 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2005

 

North Eastern region

 

59.4

%

60.5

%

South Eastern region

 

51.8

%

51.9

%

Central region

 

80.6

%

78.2

%

Western region

 

35.0

%

41.2

%

Solid waste operations

 

54.7

%

56.9

%

 

 

US GreenFiber Financial Statistics:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
July 31,

 

 

 

2004

 

2005

 

Revenue

 

$

28,236

 

$

31,599

 

Net loss

 

(137

)

(140

)

Cash flow from operations

 

1,420

 

(1,867

)

Net working capital changes

 

182

 

(3,483

)

EBITDA

 

$

1,238

 

$

1,616

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a percentage of revenue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

-0.5

%

-0.4

%

EBITDA

 

4.4

%

5.1

%