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8-K - FORM 8-K (FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS RELEASE) - KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION INCform8k.htm

Exhibit 99
 

April 24, 2013
 
Phoenix, Arizona
 
Knight Transportation Reports Growth in First Quarter 2013 Revenue and Earnings
 
Knight Transportation, Inc. (NYSE: KNX), one of North America’s largest and most diversified truckload transportation companies, today reported revenue and net income for the first quarter ended March 31, 2013.
 
Key financial highlights for the first quarter were as follows:
 
   
Three Months Ended March 31,
(dollars in thousands, except per share data)
 
   
2013
   
2012
   
% Change
 
Total revenue
  $ 235,400     $ 219,532       7.2 %
Revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge
  $ 189,600     $ 175,599       8.0 %
GAAP operating income
  $ 25,544     $ 19,834       28.8 %
Adjusted operating income
  $ 25,544     $ 23,815 (1)     7.3 %
GAAP net income
  $ 15,183     $ 10,546       44.0 %
Adjusted net income
  $ 15,183     $ 14,440 (1)     5.1 %
GAAP earnings per diluted share
  $ 0.19     $ 0.13       43.8 %
Adjusted earnings per diluted share
  $ 0.19     $ 0.18 (1)     5.0 %

 
(1) The 2012 quarter included a $4.0 million non-cash charge ($3.9 million after tax) for stock option acceleration.  See GAAP to Non-GAAP reconciliation schedule.  GAAP and Non-GAAP measurements for 2013 are identical.
 
The company previously announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share to shareholders of record on March 1, 2013, which was paid on March 29, 2013.
 
Kevin Knight commented on the quarter, “Our ability to deliver revenue growth, year over year, for the 14th consecutive quarter, despite a challenging operating and economic environment, is a testament of our people, the value of our services to our customers, and the company we are building.  Several years ago we only provided dry van truckload services.  Today we are a company that provides a wide range of truckload logistics services.  We are finding the most efficient ways to move loads for our customers.”
 
During the first quarter of 2013 we continued to grow revenue in each of our businesses.  As a result of the sluggish freight environment and a more competitive driver market, miles per tractor were down 1.6% when compared to the same quarter last year.  Despite the reduction in utilization, we were able to grow revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge, by 8.0% and adjusted operating income by 7.3% when compared to the first quarter of 2012.
 

 
 

 


The following chart reflects the year-over-year operating ratio comparison and revenue growth for our asset based businesses and our non-asset based businesses for the first quarter of 2013 and 2012.
 

   
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
   
Operating ratios(2)
   
Revenue growth
 
   
2013
   
2012
       
Asset based
    85.3 %     85.4 %     2.1 %
Non-asset based
    92.8 %     94.4 %     57.9 %
                         
Consolidated
    86.5 %     86.4 %     7.2 %

(2)Operating ratio is defined as total operating expenses, net of trucking fuel surcharge, as a percentage of revenue before trucking fuel surcharge.  Operating ratio for 2012 quarter is calculated using adjusted operating income. See reconciliation table.
 
Our asset and non-asset based businesses continue to grow and develop as we continue to provide our customers with truckload services that are efficient and valuable to their supply chain needs.  We were especially pleased with the growth in our non-asset based businesses, as these services continue to develop as an integral part of our customer offering and provide both revenue and earnings growth.
 
The market remains challenging for hiring high quality driving associates.  We believe the Knight “system” of decentralized regional service centers provides a “hometown” feel that affords us a significant advantage in recruiting, retaining, and developing driving associates.  As a result, our driver turnover continues to compare favorably to what we believe to be the industry average.
 
The DOE national average diesel fuel price increased 1.0% when compared to the first quarter last year.  Fuel remains a major cost focus for us as we continue our work towards cost effective, industry leading fuel economy while at the same time meaningfully contributing to environmental improvements.
 
Our average tractor count for the quarter increased year-over-year 2.5% to 4,076 tractors, and declined 2.4% from the fourth quarter of 2012.  Our tractor fleet remains one of the most modern fleets in the industry with an average age of 2.0 years.  Our gain on sale of revenue equipment in the first quarter of 2013 was $1.4 million, down from $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2012.
 
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) has approved new hours of service rules that are scheduled to go in to effect July 1, 2013, unless delayed.  The new rules, if implemented, will result in more restrictive use of the 34 hour restart as well as require a 30 minute break for every eight hours of driving.  If these rules are adopted, and our customers are unable to provide more flexibility in terms of pickup and delivery times, it will have a negative effect on productivity and available capacity.  We have and will continue to work closely with our customers to help them understand the practical impacts of these changes to driver available hours, and to understand how driver available hours constrains capacity and affects the cost of our services.
 

 
 

 


We have returned $95.9 million to our shareholders in the form of quarterly dividends and stock repurchases over the twenty-four-month period ending March 31, 2013.  We ended the quarter with $10.2 million of cash and $501.8 million of shareholders' equity. We also repaid $37.0 million of debt during the quarter, and as of March 31, 2013, had $43.0 million of borrowing under our unsecured revolving credit agreement.
 
The company will hold a conference call on April 24, 2013, at 4:30 PM EDT, to further discuss its results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. The dial in number for this conference call is 1-855-733-9163. Slides to accompany this call will be posted on the company’s website and will be available to download prior to the scheduled conference time.  To view the presentation, please visit http://investor.knighttrans.com/events, “First Quarter 2013 Conference Call Presentation.”
 
Knight Transportation, Inc. is a provider of multiple truckload transportation and logistics services using a nationwide network of service centers in the U.S. to serve customers throughout North America.  In addition to operating one of the country’s largest tractor fleets, Knight also partners with third-party equipment providers to provide a broad range of truckload services to its customers while creating quality driving jobs for our driving associates and successful business opportunities for owner-operators.
 

 
 
 

 
INCOME STATEMENT DATA:
     
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
(Unaudited, in thousands, except per share amounts)
                 
       
2013
   
2012
 
REVENUE:
               
  Revenue, before fuel surcharge
      $ 189,600     $ 175,599  
  Fuel surcharge
        45,800       43,933  
TOTAL REVENUE
        235,400       219,532  
                     
OPERATING  EXPENSES:
                   
    Salaries, wages and benefits
        57,654       60,956  
    Fuel expense - gross
        55,693       57,311  
    Operations and maintenance
        15,910       13,737  
    Insurance and claims
        7,155       7,645  
    Operating taxes and licenses
        3,908       4,103  
    Communications
        1,172       1,395  
    Depreciation and amortization
        21,507       20,372  
    Purchased transportation
        42,792       31,860  
    Miscellaneous operating expenses
        4,065       2,319  
          209,856       199,698  
    Income From Operations
        25,544       19,834  
                     
    Interest income
        109       112  
    Interest expense
        (141 )     (128 )
    Other income
        220       197  
    Income before income taxes
        25,732       20,015  
INCOME  TAXES
        10,298       9,356  
Net Income
        15,434       10,659  
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest
        (251 )     (113 )
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO KNIGHT TRANSPORTATION
      $ 15,183     $ 10,546  
Net Income Per Share
                   
                                     - Basic
      $ 0.19     $ 0.13  
                                     - Diluted
      $ 0.19     $ 0.13  
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
                   
                                     - Basic
        79,841       79,531  
                                     - Diluted
        80,124       80,046  
 
BALANCE SHEET DATA:
                   
       
03/31/13
   
12/31/12
 
ASSETS
     
(Unaudited, in thousands)
 
Cash and cash equivalents
      $ 10,196     $ 5,684  
Accounts receivable, net
        112,576       102,553  
Notes receivable, net
        739       791  
Related party notes and interest receivable
        2,069       2,814  
Prepaid expenses
        14,165       17,035  
Assets held for sale
        15,283       18,362  
Other current assets
        10,368       12,449  
Current deferred tax asset
        4,028       3,409  
     Total Current Assets
        169,424       163,097  
                     
Property and equipment, net
        563,080       584,064  
Notes receivable, long-term
        3,146       3,692  
Goodwill
        10,271       10,276  
Other assets and restricted cash
        21,535       21,383  
     Total Long-term Assets
        598,032       619,415  
                     
     Total Assets
      $ 767,456     $ 782,512  
                     
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
                   
Accounts payable
      $ 15,383     $ 11,281  
Accrued payroll and purchased transportation
        12,718       10,489  
Accrued liabilities
        21,230       16,020  
Claims accrual - current portion
        16,366       15,892  
Dividend payable - current portion
        151       141  
     Total Current Liabilities
        65,848       53,823  
                     
Claims accrual - long-term portion
        10,455       10,340  
Long-term dividend payable & other liabilities
        2,384       2,638  
Deferred income taxes
        143,242       144,871  
Long-term debt
        43,000       80,000  
     Total Long-term Liabilities
        199,081       237,849  
                     
     Total Liabilities
        264,929       291,672  
                     
                     
                     
Common stock
        799       798  
Additional paid-in capital
        144,489       142,837  
Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)
        (51 )     (302 )
Retained earnings
        356,591       346,899  
     Total Knight Transportation Shareholders' Equity
        501,828       490,232  
     Noncontrolling interest
        699       608  
     Total Shareholders' Equity
        502,527       490,840  
     Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
      $ 767,456     $ 782,512  
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
           Three Months Ended March 31,
           
            2013       2012        
         
(Unaudited)
     % Change  
                             
OPERATING  STATISTICS
                           
                             
Average Revenue Per Tractor*
        $ 38,573     $ 39,044       -1.2 %
                               
Non-paid Empty Mile Percent
          11.0 %     10.7 %     2.8 %
                               
Average Length of Haul
          480       479       0.2 %
                               
Operating Ratio**
          86.5 %     86.4 %        
                               
Average Tractors - Total
          4,076       3,978          
                               
Trailers - End of Quarter
          9,468       8,878          
                               
Net Capital (Proceeds) Expenditures (in thousands)
        $ (1,758 )   $ 24,290          
                               
Cash Flow From Operations (in thousands)
        $ 40,322     $ 30,255          
                               
* Includes dry van, refrigerated, and port services revenue excluding fuel surcharge, brokerage revenue, intermodal revenue, and other revenue.
                               
** Operating ratio as reported in this press release is based upon total operating expenses, net of fuel surcharge, as a percentage of revenue before fuel surcharge. Operating ratio reported for the three months ending March 31, 2012 is based upon total operating expenses, excluding the first quarter 2012 one time non-cash stock compensation charge of $4 million related to the accelerated vesting of certain stock options issued prior to 2009, and net of fuel surcharge, as a percentage of revenue before fuel surcharge. We measure our revenue, before fuel surcharge, and our operating expenses, net of fuel surcharge, because we believe that eliminating this sometimes volatile source of revenue affords a more consistent basis for comparing our results of operations from period to period.
                               
The following is a reconciliation of 2012 YTD GAAP Income to Non-GAAP Income:
                 
 
Reconciliation:
 
(GAAP) YTD 
3-31-12
   
* Option Acceleration Expense
Recorded in Q1 - 2012
   
(Non-GAAP)
Adjusted YTD
3-31-12
 
Total Revenue
  $ 219,532             $ 219,532  
Total Operating Expense
    199,698       (3,981 )     195,717  
      19,834               23,815  
                         
Other Income
    181               181  
Income before income taxes
    20,015               23,996  
Income taxes
    9,356       87       9,443  
Net Income
    10,659               14,553  
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest
    (113 )             (113 )
Net income attributable to Knight Transportation
  $ 10,546             $ 14,440  
Net Income Per Share
                       
                                     - Basic
  $ 0.13             $ 0.18  
                                     - Diluted
  $ 0.13             $ 0.18  
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
                       
                                     - Basic
    79,531               79,531  
                                     - Diluted
    80,046               80,046  
                           
* The first quarter of 2012 included a $4.0 million pretax non-cash stock compensation charge ($3.9 million after tax) relating to the accelerated vesting of certain stock options that had been issued prior to 2009.
 
 
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements generally may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as "expects," "estimates," "anticipates," "projects," "believes," "plans," "intends," "may," "will," "should," "could," "potential," "continue," "future," and terms or phrases of similar substance.  Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.  Readers should review and consider the factors that may affect future results and other disclosures by the Company in its press releases, stockholder reports, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting the forward-looking information.
 
Contacts
Knight Transportation, Inc.
David A. Jackson, 602-606-6349
President
or
Adam W. Miller, 602-606-6349
CFO