Dean Foods Announces Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2015 Results

DALLAS, Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) today reported fourth quarter and full year 2015 results.

Highlights

• Q4 net income per diluted share was $0.20 and adjusted net income per diluted share was $0.36.
• Full year net loss per diluted share was $0.09 and adjusted net income per diluted share was $1.23.
• Q4 adjusted results reflect the fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year improved results behind solid execution and price realization.
• Improvement in the overall health of the dairy category
• DairyPure^®, our national white milk brand, supporting commercial agenda
• Q1 2016 adjusted diluted earnings are expected to be $0.32 to $0.42 per diluted share.

Chief Executive Officer Gregg Tanner said, "The fourth quarter marked the successful completion of a very strong year. I'm very pleased with the sequential improvement we saw in our operational and financial performance from Q3 to Q4. I believe the 2015 financial results demonstrate that we're driving the right initiatives and agenda. As I look to the future, I believe our financial position and the momentum of our strong operating performance will allow us to continue to grow our business and create shareholder value."

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Operating Results
Chief Financial Officer Chris Bellairs said, "We delivered a strong finish to 2015 across our key financial measures. We delivered $246 million of free cash flow and $404 million of adjusted EBITDA on a full year basis. On an all cash netted basis, our total leverage has improved to 1.89 times net debt to EBITDA. This highlights our ability to rapidly reduce leverage on the strength of our free cash flow while investing in our business and returning cash to our shareholders."

The fourth quarter 2015 average Class I Mover, a measure of raw milk costs, was $16.34 per hundred-weight, a 0.2% sequential decrease from the third quarter of 2015 and a decrease of 31% from the fourth quarter of 2014. On a full year basis, the average Class I Mover was $16.34 per hundred-weight, a 30% decrease over full year 2014. The first quarter 2016 average Class I Mover of $14.49 per hundred-weight represents an approximately 11% decline sequentially and an approximately 14% decline year-over-year.

Total volume across all products was 658 million gallons for the fourth quarter of 2015, a 3.6% decline compared to total volume of 683 million gallons in the fourth quarter of 2014. Full year 2015 volumes totaled 2.6 billion gallons, a 3.1% decline versus full year 2014.  For the first quarter 2016, as compared to the prior year period, the Company expects total volumes to decline in the low single digits.

Based on the USDA's recently published category data, fluid milk volumes remained essentially flat sequentially from a 1.0% decline in the third quarter to a 1.1% decline in the fourth quarter on an unadjusted basis. On this same basis, Dean Foods' share of U.S. fluid milk volumes decreased 50 basis points sequentially and 90 basis points year-over-year to 34.7%.

Cash Flow
Net cash provided by continuing operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, totaled $408 million. Free cash flow provided by continuing operations, which is defined as net cash provided by continuing operations less capital expenditures, was $246 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, a $242 million increase as compared to the prior year period. Capital expenditures totaled $163 million for 2015, including approximately $13 million for the fourth quarter acquisition of an ice cream production facility in Utah.

Debt
Total debt at December 31, 2015, net of $61 million cash on hand, was approximately $782 million. The Company's funded net debt to EBITDA ratio, on an all cash netted basis, improved sequentially to 1.89 times at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015 with strong free cash flow and increased EBITDA.

Forward Outlook
"Turning to the forward outlook for the first quarter, with the continuation of commercial and brand initiatives, diligent cost focus, and an overall favorable commodity environment, we expect our operating and financial momentum to continue with first quarter adjusted diluted earnings of between $0.32 and $0.42 per diluted share. For the full year we expect our capital expenditures to be approximately $160 million, consistent with our capital spend in 2015," Tanner added.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to the results prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), we have presented certain adjusted financial results and certain other non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow, each as defined below.  These non-GAAP financial measures are from continuing operations and are adjusted to eliminate the net expenses and net gains related to the items identified in the "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Information" tables below. This information is provided to assist investors in making meaningful comparisons of our operating performance between periods and to view our business from the same perspective as our management.  Because we cannot predict the timing and amount of expenses or gains associated with certain non-recurring items; asset impairment charges; gains or losses related to discontinued operations and divestitures; facility closing, reorganization and realignment costs; costs associated with the early retirement of long-term debt; gains (losses) on the mark-to-market of our derivative contracts; litigation settlements; incremental non-cash trademark amortization triggered by the launch of a national fresh white milk brand;  and certain other charges, our management does not consider these items when evaluating our performance, when making decisions regarding the allocation of resources, in determining incentive compensation for management, or in determining earnings estimates.

We have defined Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss), which is the most comparable GAAP financial measure, adjusted for the items above as well as interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure for analyzing the performance of our business and is a widely-accepted indicator of our ability to incur and service indebtedness and generate free cash flow. We also believe that EBITDA measures are commonly reported and widely used by investors and other interested parties as measures of a company's operating performance and debt servicing ability because such measures assist in comparing performance on a consistent basis without regard to capital structure, depreciation or amortization (which can vary significantly) and non-operating factors (such as historical cost). The reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 is included in the tables below.

Additionally, we believe free cash flow provided by continuing operations ("Free Cash Flow") is a meaningful non-GAAP measure that offers supplemental information and insight regarding the liquidity of our operations and our ability to generate sufficient cash flow above what is required in our business to sustain our operations. We define Free Cash Flow as net cash provided by continuing operations less cash payments for capital expenditures. A reconciliation of net cash provided by continuing operations, which is the most comparable GAAP financial measure to Free Cash Flow, is included in the tables below.

This non-GAAP financial information is provided as additional information for investors and is not in accordance with, or an alternative to, GAAP. Additionally, these non-GAAP measures may be different than similar measures used by other companies. We believe that the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures, when considered together with our GAAP financial measures and the reconciliations to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides investors with a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting our business than could be obtained absent these disclosures.  A full reconciliation of our results and financial measures reported in accordance with GAAP for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 to the non-GAAP financial measures described above is set forth herein.

Conference Call/Webcast
A webcast to discuss the Company's financial results and outlook will be held at 9:00 a.m. ET today and may be heard live by visiting the "Webcast" section of the Company's website at http://www.deanfoods.com/. A slide presentation will accompany the webcast.

About Dean Foods
Dean Foods^® is a leading food and beverage company and the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fresh fluid milk and other dairy and dairy case products in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Dean Foods portfolio includes DairyPure^®, the country's first and largest fresh, white milk national brand, and TruMoo®, the leading national flavored milk brand, along with well-known regional dairy brands such as Alta Dena^®, Berkeley Farms^®, Country Fresh^®, Dean's^®, Garelick Farms^®, LAND O LAKES^®* milk and cultured products*, Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms^®, Mayfield^®, McArthur^®, Meadow Gold^®, Oak Farms^®, PET^®**, T.G. Lee^®, Tuscan^® and more. In all, Dean Foods has more than 50 local and regional dairy brands and private labels. Dean Foods also makes and distributes ice cream, cultured products, juices, teas, and bottled water. Almost 17,000 employees across the country work every day to make Dean Foods the most admired and trusted provider of wholesome, great-tasting dairy products at every occasion. For more information about Dean Foods and its brands, visit www.deanfoods.com.

*The LAND O LAKES brand is owned by Land O'Lakes, Inc. and is used by license.
**PET is a trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company and is used by license.

Some of the statements made in this press release are "forward-looking" and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to: (1) our financial forecast for the first quarter of 2016, including projected sales (including specific product lines and the Company as a whole), profit margins, net income, earnings per share, free cash flow and debt covenant compliance, (2) the Company's regional and national branding initiatives, (3) the Company's innovation, research and development plans and its ability to successfully launch new products or brands, (4) commodity prices and other inputs and the Company's ability to forecast or predict commodity prices, milk production and milk exports, (5) the Company's cost-savings initiatives, including plant closures and route reductions, and its ability to achieve expected savings, (6) planned capital expenditures, (7) the status of the Company's litigation matters,  (8) the Company's plans related to its capital structure, (9) the Company's dividend policy and (10) possible repurchases of shares of the Company's common stock. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in this press release. Financial projections are based on a number of assumptions.  Actual results could be materially different than projected if those assumptions are erroneous.  The cost and supply of commodities and other raw materials are determined by market forces over which the Company has limited or no control. Sales, operating income, net income, debt covenant compliance, financial performance and adjusted earnings per share can vary based on a variety of economic, governmental and competitive factors, which are identified in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's ability to profit from its branding initiatives depends on a number of factors including consumer acceptance of its products.  The declaration and payment of cash dividends under the Company's dividend policy remains at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof and will depend upon its financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, restrictions in its credit agreement and debt covenant compliance, applicable law and other factors that may be deemed relevant by the Board or such committee. All forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release.  The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any changes in the events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based except as required by law.

CONTACT: Corporate Communications, Jamaison Schuler, +1-214-721-7766; or Investor Relations, Sherri Baker, +1-214-303-3438