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8-K - 8-K - Gevo, Inc.d82129d8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

LOGO

Gevo Reports Third Quarter 2015 Financial Results

- Company to Host Conference Call Today at 4:30 EST/2:30 MST -

 

    Reports EPS of ($0.39) for the third quarter

 

    Ended the third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $16.2 million

 

    Reports revenue of $8.0 million

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – November 5, 2015 - Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) today announced financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2015. Key highlights for the quarter included:

 

    Gevo settled the long-running patent dispute with Butamax, which removed uncertainty in the business by eliminating all lawsuits and patent office conflicts between Butamax and Gevo. Gevo retained the right to access all markets, and the settlement is expected to result in more than $7.5 million in SG&A savings annually for the company. The settlement did not involve any transfer of money.

 

    Based on the clarity provided by the resolution of the lawsuits, and based on the most recent results of the isobutanol fermentation campaigns conducted at the company’s production plant in Luverne, Minn, Gevo announced its near-term plan to deploy capital in an effort to significantly lower the cost of production of isobutanol at the Luverne plant. This is expected to enable Gevo to produce isobutanol at a positive contribution margin, allowing Gevo to boost isobutanol production without increasing Gevo’s cash burn rate. Gevo expects to be able to produce isobutanol on a continuous basis in 2016 at approximately a 1.5 million gallon per year rate, while concurrently producing ethanol at a rate of over 15 million gallons per year. This capital project is anticipated to be complete in the first or second quarter of 2016.

 

   

The markets for isobutanol and its downstream hydrocarbon products continue to develop. Isobutanol was successfully launched at retail pumps for both the marine and off-road markets in the third quarter of 2015. Yesterday, Gevo also announced a new collaboration with ValvTect, to access ValvTect’s network of over 700 marinas in the U.S. Gevo expects the marina and off-road gasoline markets will be attractive drop-in isobutanol markets as production volumes ramp up at Luverne. Isooctane, derived from isobutanol produced at Gevo’s plant in Silsbee, Texas, is seeing significant demand from companies in Europe, as evidenced by Gevo’s recent sales agreement with BCD Chemie, a subsidiary


 

of Brenntag AG. Gevo continues to work through the ASTM process for its alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) product. The technical work has been completed and there appear to be no known issues. The approval of Gevo’s ATJ has been put to ballot at the committee level. Once this vote is complete, the full ASTM body will vote, with a final approval now expected in early 2016.

“In many ways this third quarter was the most significant in the history of Gevo. We achieved a favorable settlement with Butamax. That settlement created the clarity we needed to accelerate moving forward with the building of our business. The markets for our products remain attractive, and we look forward to bringing additional gallons of isobutanol on-line,” said Dr. Patrick Gruber, Chief Executive Officer.

Financial Highlights

Revenues for the third quarter of 2015 were $8.0 million compared with $10.1 million in the same period in 2014. During the third quarter of 2015, revenues derived at the Luverne plant were $7.6 million, a decrease of $1.6 million from the same period in 2014. This decrease was primarily a result of lower ethanol prices.

During the third quarter of 2015, hydrocarbon revenues were $0.2 million, a decrease of $0.6 million from the same period in 2014. This decrease was primarily a result of a temporary halt in production at Gevo’s demonstration plant located in Silsbee, Texas, while the contract with South Hampton Resources Inc., the operator of the plant, was being renegotiated.

Gevo also continued to generate revenue of $0.3 million during the third quarter of 2015 associated with ongoing research agreements.

Cost of goods sold decreased by $1.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2015, compared with the same quarter in 2014, due primarily to decreases in repairs and maintenance of $0.4 million, as well as a decrease in other production costs at the Luverne plant.

Gross loss was $2.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2015. After deducting $1.4 million of depreciation expense, the non-GAAP cash gross loss was $1.2 million for the third quarter of 2015.

Research and development expense decreased by $2.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2015, compared with the same quarter in 2014, due primarily to a $1.2 million decrease in employee-related, consultant and contract staff expenses, a $0.6 million decrease in costs related to the South Hampton facility as a result of a temporary halt in production at the facility, and a $0.3 million decrease in lab consumables.


Selling, general and administrative expense increased $1.6 million during the three months ended September 30, 2015, compared with the same quarter in 2014, due primarily to increases of $1.3 million in legal expenses incurred as a result of preparing for a possible trial in August 2015, and $0.3 million in employee related stock compensation expenses.

Loss from operations in the third quarter of 2015 was $9.3 million, compared with $8.9 million in the same quarter in 2014.

Interest expense in the third quarter of 2015 was $2.1 million, compared with $2.6 million a year ago. The decrease was primarily the result of debt issue costs associated with the convertible notes purchased by Whitebox in June of 2014 (2017 Notes).

During the three months ended September 30, 2015 the estimated fair value of the derivative warrant liability decreased by $4.7 million primarily associated with the decrease in the price of Gevo’s common stock in the quarter.

The Company also incurred a non-cash gain of $0.2 million during the quarter due to the quarterly mark-to-market valuation of the 2017 Notes.

During the three months ended September 30, 2015, there was no change in the value to the embedded derivatives in the convertible notes issued in 2012 (2022 Notes), as the derivatives have had no meaningful value since the third quarter of 2014.

No holders of 2022 Notes converted any notes during the three months ended September 30, 2015.

The net loss for the third quarter of 2015 was $6.5 million, compared with a net loss of $0.9 million during the same period in 2014.

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Hosting today’s conference call at 4:30 p.m. EST (2:30 p.m. MDT) will be Dr. Patrick Gruber, Chief Executive Officer, and Mike Willis, Chief Financial Officer. They will review the company’s financial results and provide an update on recent corporate highlights.

To participate in the conference call, please dial 1 (800) 708-4540 (inside the U.S.) or 1 (847) 619-6397 (outside the U.S.) and reference the access code 41000558. A replay of the call and webcast will be available two hours after the conference call concludes on November 5. To access the replay, please dial 1(888) 843-7419 (inside the US) or 1 (630) 652-3042 (outside the US) and reference the access code 41000558. The archived webcast will be available until Midnight EDT on December 4, 2015, in the Investor Relations section of Gevo’s website at www.gevo.com.


About Gevo

Gevo is a leading renewable technology, chemical products, and next generation biofuels company. Gevo has developed proprietary technology that uses a combination of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering to focus primarily on the production of isobutanol, as well as related products from renewable feedstocks. Gevo’s strategy is to commercialize biobased alternatives to petroleum-based products to allow for the optimization of fermentation facilities’ assets, with the ultimate goal of maximizing cash flows from the operation of those assets. Gevo produces isobutanol, ethanol and high-value animal feed at its fermentation plant in Luverne, Minn. Gevo has also developed technology to produce hydrocarbon products from renewable alcohols. Gevo currently operates a biorefinery in Silsbee, Texas, in collaboration with South Hampton Resources Inc., to produce renewable jet fuel, octane, and ingredients for plastics like polyester. Gevo has a marquee list of partners including The Coca-Cola Company, Toray Industries Inc. and Total SA, among others. Gevo is committed to a sustainable bio-based economy that meets society’s needs for plentiful food and clean air and water. For more information please visit www.gevo.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements relate to a variety of matters, including, without limitation, statements related to expected future cost savings resulting from the Butamax settlement, the timing and results of the planned capital deployment at the Luverne plant, future isobutanol and ethanol production rates, the future market for isobutanol, ethanol and their derivatives, including hydrocarbon products, the future demand for the licensing of Gevo’s isobutanol technology, the receipt and timing of ASTM certification and other statements that are not purely statements of historical fact. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Gevo and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Gevo undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although Gevo believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may


cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Gevo in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Gevo for the year ended December 31, 2014, as amended, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Gevo.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

Consolidated financial information has been presented in accordance with GAAP as well as on a non-GAAP basis. On a non-GAAP basis, financial measures exclude non-cash items such as stock-based compensation. Management believes that it is useful to supplement its GAAP financial statements with this non-GAAP information because management uses such information internally for its operating, budgeting and financial planning purposes. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to Gevo’s historical performance as well as comparisons to the operating results of other companies. In addition, Gevo believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they allow for greater transparency into the indicators used by management as a basis for its financial and operational decision making. Non-GAAP information is not prepared under a comprehensive set of accounting rules and therefore, should only be read in conjunction with financial information reported under U.S. GAAP when understanding Gevo’s operating performance. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information is provided in the financial statement tables below. Investors and potential investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. Limitations in relying on non-GAAP financial measures include, but are not limited to, the fact that other companies, including other companies in our industry, may calculate non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as a comparative tool.

Reverse Stock Split

On April 15, 2015, our Board of Directors approved a reverse split of our common stock, par value $0.01, at a ratio of one-for-fifteen. This reverse stock split became effective on April 20, 2015 and, unless otherwise indicated, all share amounts, per share data, share prices, exercise prices and conversion rates set forth in this press release and the accompanying consolidated financial statements have, where applicable, been adjusted to reflect this reverse stock split.


Gevo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Information

(Unaudited, in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,
    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015     2014     2015     2014  

Revenue and cost of goods sold

        

Ethanol sales and related products, net

   $ 7,551      $ 9,197      $ 20,604      $ 14,719   

Hydrocarbon revenue

     192        778        1,449        3,426   

Grant and other revenue

     274        166        787        620   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

     8,017        10,141        22,840        18,765   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of goods sold

     10,629        11,760        29,761        24,709   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross loss

     (2,612     (1,619     (6,921     (5,944
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses

        

Research and development

     1,527        3,723        5,014        11,414   

Selling, general and administrative

     5,135        3,570        13,406        13,508   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     6,662        7,293        18,420        24,922   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (9,274     (8,912     (25,341     (30,866
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other income (expense)

        

Interest expense

     (2,121     (2,017     (6,186     (6,227

Interest expense - debt issue costs

     —          (581     —          (3,766

Gain on conversion of debt

     —          —          285        —     

Gain on extinguishment of warrant liability

     —          —          1,775        —     

Gain from change in fair value of embedded derivatives of the 2022 Notes

     —          726        —          3,470   

Gain from change in fair value of the 2017 Notes

     157        5,673        3,582        544   

Gain (loss) from change in fair value of derivative warrant liability

     4,719        4,173        (2,361     6,772   

Other income

     —          —          14        7   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other income (expense)

     2,755        7,974        (2,891     800   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (6,519   $ (938   $ (28,232   $ (30,066
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to Gevo, Inc.

        

common stockholders - basic and diluted

   $ (0.39   $ (0.01   $ (2.22   $ (0.40
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of common shares

        

outstanding - basic and diluted

     16,688,632        5,808,079        12,700,844        4,956,994   


Gevo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet Information

(Unaudited, in thousands)

 

     September 30,
2015
     December 31,
2014
 

Assets

     

Current assets:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 16,203       $ 6,359   

Accounts receivable

     1,134         2,361   

Inventories

     2,703         4,292   

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     618         732   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     20,658         13,744   

Property, plant and equipment, net

     76,505         81,240   

Deposits and other assets

     3,790         3,944   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 100,953       $ 98,928   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities

     

Current liabilities:

     

Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other current liabilities

   $ 6,811       $ 8,623   

Derivative warrant liability

     3,395         3,114   

Current portion of secured debt, net

     320         288   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     10,526         12,025   

Long-term portion secured debt, net

     22,120         25,945   

Convertible notes, net

     15,242         13,679   

Other long-term liabilities

     147         315   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     48,035         51,964   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

     52,918         46,964   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 100,953       $ 98,928   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 


Gevo, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Information

(Unaudited, in thousands)

 

     Nine Months Ended
September 30,
 
     2015     2014  

Operating Activities

    

Net loss

   $ (28,232   $ (30,066

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

    

(Gain) loss from change in fair value of derivative warrant liability

     2,361        (6,772

Gain from change in fair value of embedded derivative of the 2022 Notes

     —          (3,470

Gain from change in fair value of the 2017 Notes

     (3,582     (544

Gain on conversion of debt

     (285     —     

Gain on extinguishment of warrant liability

     (1,775     —     

Stock-based compensation

     1,953        2,362   

Depreciation and amortization

     4,897        3,214   

Non-cash interest expense

     2,740        6,374   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable

     1,227        (685

Inventories

     1,589        (446

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     114        302   

Accounts payable, accrued expenses, and long-term liabilities

     (2,019     (2,875
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

     (21,012     (32,606
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investing Activities

    

Acquisitions of property, plant and equipment

     (271     (4,553

Proceeds from sales tax refund for property, plant and equipment

     144        —     

Restricted certificate of deposit

     —          (2,611
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (127     (7,164
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing Activities

    

Payments on secured debt

     (236     (9,720

Debt and equity offering costs

     (2,785     (5,051

Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options and employee purchase plan

     3        19   

Proceeds from issuance of common stock and common stock units

     23,850        18,000   

Proceeds from exercise of warrants

     10,151        —     

Proceeds from issuance of convertible debt

     —          25,907   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

     30,983        29,155   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     9,844        (10,615

Cash and cash equivalents

    

Beginning of period

     6,359        24,625   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ending of period

   $ 16,203      $ 14,010   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 


Gevo, Inc.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

(Unaudited, in thousands)

 

     Three Months Ended September 30,     Nine Months Ended September 30,  
     2015     2014     2015     2014  

Gevo Development, LLC / Agri-Energy, LLC

        

Loss from operations

   $ (3,165   $ (2,779   $ (9,568   $ (10,900

Depreciation and amortization

     1,420        1,374        4,288        2,498   

Non-cash stock-based compensation

     31        5        29        74   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP loss from operations

   $ (1,714   $ (1,400   $ (5,251   $ (8,328
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gevo, Inc.

        

Loss from operations

   $ (6,109   $ (6,133   $ (15,773   $ (19,966

Depreciation and amortization

     196        236        609        716   

Non-cash stock-based compensation

     1,224        854        1,924        2,288   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP loss from operations

   $ (4,689   $ (5,043   $ (13,240   $ (16,962
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gevo Consolidated

        

Loss from operations

   $ (9,274   $ (8,912   $ (25,341   $ (30,866

Depreciation and amortization

     1,616        1,610        4,897        3,214   

Non-cash stock-based compensation

     1,255        859        1,953        2,362   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP loss from operations

   $ (6,403   $ (6,443   $ (18,491   $ (25,290
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


###

Media Contact

Karen Freedman / David Rodewald

The David James Agency, LLC

+1 805-494-9508

gevo@davidjamesagency.com

Investor Contact

Mike Willis

Gevo, Inc.

+1 720-267-8636

mwillis@gevo.com