Universal Logistics Holdings Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results; Declares Dividend

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Jul 27, 2023, 16:15 ET

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Revenues: $412.6 million, 21.7% decrease
Second Quarter 2023 Operating Income: $36.4 million, 43.7% decrease
Second Quarter 2023 Earnings Per Share: $0.90 per share, 46.7% decrease
Declares Quarterly Dividend: $0.105 per share

WARREN, Mich., July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULH) today reported consolidated second quarter 2023 net income of $23.6 million, or $0.90 per basic and diluted share, on total operating revenues of $412.6 million. This compares to net income of $44.7 million, or $1.69 per basic and diluted share, during second quarter 2022 on total operating revenues of $527.2 million.

In the second quarter 2023, Universal's operating income decreased $28.3 million to $36.4 million, compared to $64.7 million in the second quarter one year earlier. Universal's second quarter 2022 operating results were favorably impacted by a $3.0 million pre-tax credit related to previously disclosed items. As a percentage of operating revenue, operating margin for the second quarter 2023 was 8.8%, compared to 12.3% during the same period last year. EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, decreased $35.1 million during the second quarter 2023 to $55.8 million, compared to $90.9 million one year earlier. As a percentage of operating revenue, EBITDA margin for the second quarter 2023 was 13.5%, compared to 17.2% during the same period last year.

"The outstanding results in our contract logistics segment served as a solid foundation for an overall sound financial performance in the second quarter of 2023," stated Universal's CEO Tim Phillips. "Demand for our contract logistics solutions remains strong, and we continue to realize the benefits of having a diverse offering of services across the transportation and logistics space. In fact, we were recently awarded a significant warehouse logistics program for an all-electric vehicle assembly plant right here in Detroit. We do, however, continue to experience broad-based declines in freight volumes and rates, which weighed negatively on the results of our trucking, intermodal and company-managed brokerage segments. Lackluster import volumes, particularly on the West Coast, have had a rippling effect across our transportation services. As always, we remain committed to managing our controllable costs, providing excellent service to our customers, and making thoughtful investments in our businesses to support future growth opportunities."

Segment Information:

Contract Logistics

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Revenues: $208.8 million, 0.7% increase
Second Quarter 2023 Operating Income: $32.8 million, 15.7% operating margin

In the contract logistics segment, which includes our value-added and dedicated services, second quarter 2023 operating revenues increased 0.7% to $208.8 million, compared to $207.3 million for the same period last year. At the end of the second quarter 2023, we managed 68 value-added programs compared to 64 at the end of the second quarter 2022. Included in contract logistics segment revenues were $8.6 million in separately identified fuel surcharges from dedicated transportation services, compared to $11.0 million during the same period last year. Second quarter 2023 income from operations increased $3.4 million to $32.8 million, compared to $29.4 million during the same period last year. As a percentage of revenue, operating margin in the contract logistics segment for the second quarter 2023 was 15.7%, compared to 14.2% during the same period last year.

Intermodal

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Revenues: $91.6 million, 41.6% decrease
Second Quarter 2023 Operating (Loss): $(0.2) million, (0.3)% operating margin

Operating revenues in the intermodal segment decreased 41.6% to $91.6 million in the second quarter 2023, compared to $156.9 million for the same period last year. Included in intermodal segment revenues for the recently completed quarter were $13.6 million in separately identified fuel surcharges, compared to $25.2 million during the same period last year. Intermodal segment revenues also include other accessorial charges such as detention, demurrage and storage, which totaled $13.4 million during the second quarter 2023, compared to $33.6 million one year earlier. The average operating revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharges, decreased 15.3% and load volumes fell an additional 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. In the second quarter 2023, the intermodal segment experienced operating losses of $(0.2) million compared to income from operations of $21.4 million during the same period last year. As a percentage of revenue, operating margin in the intermodal segment for the second quarter 2023 was (0.3)%, compared to 13.6% one year earlier.

Trucking

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Revenues: $81.2 million, 23.7% decrease
Second Quarter 2023 Operating Income: $4.4 million, 5.4% operating margin

In the trucking segment, second quarter 2023 operating revenues decreased 23.7% to $81.2 million, compared to $106.5 million for the same period last year. Second quarter 2023 trucking segment revenues included $30.7 million of brokerage services, compared to $46.8 million during the same period last year. Also included in our trucking segment revenues were $6.4 million in separately identified fuel surcharges during the second quarter 2023, compared to $9.9 million in fuel surcharges during the same period last year. On a year-over-year basis, the average operating revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharges, decreased 10.7% and load volumes declined 13.7%. Income from operations in the second quarter 2023 decreased $5.2 million to $4.4 million compared to $9.6 million during the same period last year. As a percentage of revenue, operating margin in the trucking segment for the second quarter 2023 was 5.4% compared to 9.0% during the same period last year. Included in the trucking segment's second quarter 2022 operating results was a $3.0 million credit related to previously disclosed items. This credit favorably impacted the trucking segment's operating margin by 280 basis points.

Company-managed Brokerage

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Revenues: $29.6 million, 46.3% decrease
Second Quarter 2023 Operating (Loss): $(0.8) million, (2.7)% operating margin

Second quarter 2023 operating revenues in the company-managed brokerage segment decreased 46.3% to $29.6 million compared to $55.1 million for the same period last year. On a year-over-year basis, average operating revenue per load and load volumes in the company-managed brokerage segment decreased 20.3% and 21.5%, respectively. Second quarter 2023 operating losses in the company-managed brokerage segment were $(0.8) million which compares to $4.2 million of operating income during the same period last year. As a percentage of revenue, operating margin for the second quarter 2023 was (2.7)% compared to 7.5% during the same period last year.

Cash Dividend

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. also announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.105 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 4, 2023 and is expected to be paid on October 2, 2023.

Other Matters

As of July 1, 2023, Universal held cash and cash equivalents totaling $65.0 million, and $10.1 million in marketable securities. Outstanding debt at the end of the second quarter 2023 was $382.0 million and capital expenditures totaled $48.5 million.

Universal calculates and reports selected financial metrics not only for purposes of our lending arrangements but also in an effort to isolate and exclude the impact of non-operating expenses related to our corporate development activities. These statistics are described in more detail below in the section captioned "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

Conference call:

We invite investors and analysts to our quarterly earnings conference call.

Quarterly Earnings Conference Call Dial-in Details:

Time:	10:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Date:	Friday, July 28, 2023
Call Toll Free:	(877) 270-2148
International Dial-in:	+1 (412) 902-6510

A replay of the conference call will be available through August 4, 2023, by calling (877) 344-7529 (toll free) or +1 (412) 317-0088 (toll) and using encore replay code 9150057. The call will also be available on investors.universallogistics.com.

About Universal:

Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. ("Universal") is a holding company that owns subsidiaries engaged in providing a variety of customized transportation and logistics solutions throughout the United States, and in Mexico, Canada and Colombia. Our operating subsidiaries provide customers with supply chain solutions that can be scaled to meet their changing demands and volumes. Universal's consolidated subsidiaries offer customers a broad array of services across the entire supply chain, including truckload, brokerage, intermodal, dedicated, and value-added services. In this press release, the terms "us," "we," "our," or the "Company" refer to Universal and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Forward Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this press release might be considered forward-looking statements. These statements identify prospective information. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "prospect," "seek," "believe," "targets," "project," "estimate," "future," "likely," "may," "should" and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management's good faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations described. Additional information about the factors that may adversely affect these forward-looking statements is contained in Universal's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Universal assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

UNIVERSAL LOGISTICS HOLDINGS, INC. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (In thousands, except per share data)

	Thirteen Weeks Ended				Twenty-six Weeks Ended
	July 1,		July 2,		July 1,		July 2,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Operating revenues:
Truckload services	$	51,860	$	61,061	$	98,261	$	118,544
Brokerage services		60,325		101,929		128,998		209,101
Intermodal services		91,585		156,865		202,611		314,478
Dedicated services		86,069		79,452		171,301		154,938
Value-added services		122,733		127,875		248,797		253,982
Total operating revenues		412,572		527,182		849,968		1,051,043

Operating expenses:
Purchased transportation and equipment rent		139,879		227,215		295,964		459,346
Direct personnel and related benefits		138,046		126,746		277,138		262,840
Operating supplies and expenses		41,101		46,027		87,290		88,151
Commission expense		7,643		10,757		15,815		20,780
Occupancy expense		11,041		10,001		22,193		20,196
General and administrative		13,418		12,129		25,334		22,765
Insurance and claims		5,889		2,598		13,968		11,180
Depreciation and amortization		19,160		27,058		37,675		43,286
Total operating expenses		376,177		462,531		775,377		928,544
Income from operations		36,395		64,651		74,591		122,499
Interest expense, net		(5,121)		(3,919)		(10,096)		(6,352)
Other non-operating income (loss)		284		(823)		299		130
Income before income taxes		31,558		59,909		64,794		116,277
Provision for income taxes		7,992		15,210		16,352		29,570
Net income	$	23,566	$	44,699	$	48,442	$	86,707

Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	0.90	$	1.69	$	1.84	$	3.25
Diluted	$	0.90	$	1.69	$	1.84	$	3.25

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic		26,287		26,453		26,284		26,660
Diluted		26,308		26,468		26,312		26,668

Dividends declared per common share:	$	0.105	$	0.105	$	0.210	$	0.210

UNIVERSAL LOGISTICS HOLDINGS, INC. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands)

	July 1, 2023		December 31, 2022
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	65,014	$	47,181
Marketable securities		10,107		10,000
Accounts receivable - net		317,254		350,720
Other current assets		55,523		51,751
Total current assets		447,898		459,652
Property and equipment - net		438,663		391,154
Other long-term assets - net		348,805		352,872
Total assets	$	1,235,366	$	1,203,678

Liabilities and shareholders' equity
Current liabilities, excluding current maturities of debt	$	216,239	$	221,598
Debt - net		378,043		378,500
Other long-term liabilities		151,694		156,650
Total liabilities		745,976		756,748
Total shareholders' equity		489,390		446,930
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$	1,235,366	$	1,203,678

UNIVERSAL LOGISTICS HOLDINGS, INC. Unaudited Summary of Operating Data

	Thirteen Weeks Ended				Twenty-six Weeks Ended
	July 1,		July 2,		July 1,		July 2,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Contract Logistics Segment:
Average number of value-added direct employees		5,569		5,129		5,532		5,113
Average number of value-added full-time equivalents		482		1,342		647		1,463
Number of active value-added programs		68		64		68		64

Intermodal Segment:
Number of loads		112,925		145,916		235,224		300,123
Average operating revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharges	$	590	$	696	$	578	$	697
Average number of tractors		2,159		2,162		2,141		2,143
Number of depots		9		11		9		11

Trucking Segment:
Number of loads		45,717		52,986		90,572		103,846
Average operating revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharges	$	1,646	$	1,844	$	1,627	$	1,804
Average number of tractors		905		910		900		900
Average length of haul		382		399		390		401

Company-Managed Brokerage Segment:
Number of loads (a)		17,814		22,701		37,770		47,311
Average operating revenue per load (a)	$	1,599	$	2,006	$	1,650	$	2,094
Average length of haul (a)		644		599		631		586


(a)	Excludes operating data from freight forwarding division in order to improve the relevance of the statistical data related to our brokerage services and improve the comparability to our peer companies.

UNIVERSAL LOGISTICS HOLDINGS, INC. Unaudited Summary of Operating Data - Continued (Dollars in thousands)

	Thirteen Weeks Ended				Twenty-six Weeks Ended
	July 1,		July 2,		July 1,		July 2,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Operating Revenues by Segment:
Contract logistics	$	208,802	$	207,327	$	420,098	$	408,920
Intermodal		91,585		156,865		202,611		314,478
Trucking		81,243		106,545		160,958		204,030
Company-managed brokerage		29,595		55,119		63,551		120,325
Other		1,347		1,326		2,750		3,290
Total	$	412,572	$	527,182	$	849,968	$	1,051,043

Income from Operations by Segment:
Contract logistics	$	32,789	$	29,425	$	60,570	$	52,900
Intermodal		(246)		21,368		6,565		44,378
Trucking		4,423		9,611		8,212		17,030
Company-managed brokerage		(786)		4,155		(1,160)		8,018
Other		215		92		404		173
Total	$	36,395	$	64,651	$	74,591	$	122,499

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to providing consolidated financial statements based on generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), we are providing additional financial measures that are not required by or prepared in accordance with GAAP (non-GAAP). We present EBITDA and EBITDA margin, each a non-GAAP measure, as supplemental measures of our performance. We define EBITDA as net income plus (i) interest expense, net, (ii) income taxes, (iii) depreciation, and (iv) amortization. We define EBITDA margin as EBITDA as a percentage of total operating revenues. You are encouraged to evaluate these adjustments and the reasons we consider them appropriate for supplemental analysis.

In accordance with the requirements of Regulation G issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are presenting the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure and reconciling the non-GAAP financial measure to the comparable GAAP measure. Set forth below is a reconciliation of net income, the most comparable GAAP measure, to EBITDA for each of the periods indicated:

	Thirteen Weeks Ended						Twenty-six Weeks Ended
	July 1,			July 2,			July 1,			July 2,
	2023			2022			2023			2022
	( in thousands)						( in thousands)
EBITDA
Net income	$	23,566		$	44,699		$	48,442		$	86,707
Income tax expense		7,992			15,210			16,352			29,570
Interest expense, net		5,121			3,919			10,096			6,352
Depreciation		15,982			23,513			31,313			36,160
Amortization		3,178			3,545			6,362			7,126
EBITDA	$	55,839		$	90,886		$	112,565		$	165,915

EBITDA margin (a)		13.5	%		17.2	%		13.2	%		15.8	%


(a)	EBITDA margin is computed by dividing EBITDA by total operating revenues for each of the periods indicated.

We present EBITDA and EBITDA margin because we believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.

EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. Some of these limitations are:

EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements, for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debts;
Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and
Other companies in our industry may calculate EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

Because of these limitations, EBITDA and EBITDA margin should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and only supplementally on EBITDA and EBITDA margin.

SOURCE Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc.