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8-K - FORM 8-K - OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.q42017-8xk.htm
Exhibit 99.1
logoa33.jpg
 
  
 
Contact:
Adam N. Satterfield
 
  
 
  
Senior Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer
 
  
 
  
(336) 822-5721

OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE ANNOUNCES REVENUE GROWTH OF 19.5%
FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2017

QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND TO INCREASE 30% TO $0.13 PER SHARE

THOMASVILLE, N.C. - (February 8, 2018) - Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) today announced financial results for the three-month and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2017. The financial results for the fourth quarter of 2017 include $9.8 million of expense related to a special bonus paid in December to non-executive employees following the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This Act also required the Company to revalue its net deferred tax liability, which resulted in a net tax benefit of $104.9 million that is included in the 2017 results presented below:
 
 
Three Months Ended
 
 
 
Twelve Months Ended
 
 
 
 
December 31,
 

 
December 31,
 
 
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
 
2017
2016
%
Chg.
 
2017
2016
%
Chg.
Revenue
 
$
891,117

 
$
745,738

 
19.5
 %
 
$
3,358,112

 
$
2,991,517

 
12.3
 %
Operating income
 
$
143,457

 
$
113,447

 
26.5
 %
 
$
575,886

 
$
483,835

 
19.0
 %
Operating ratio
 
83.9
%
 
84.8
%
 
 
 
82.9
%
 
83.8
%
 
 
Net income
 
$
197,250

 
$
68,511

 
187.9
 %
 
$
463,774

 
$
295,765

 
56.8
 %
Basic earnings per share
 
$
2.40

 
$
0.83

 
189.2
 %
 
$
5.63

 
$
3.56

 
58.1
 %
Diluted earnings per share
 
$
2.39

 
$
0.83

 
188.0
 %
 
$
5.63

 
$
3.56

 
58.1
 %
Basic weighted average shares outstanding
 
82,282

 
82,381

 
(0.1
)%
 
82,308

 
83,112

 
(1.0
)%
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding
 
82,376

 
82,450

 
(0.1
)%
 
82,407

 
83,154

 
(0.9
)%
“Old Dominion produced Company-record results for both revenue and operating income in the fourth quarter,” said David S. Congdon, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Old Dominion. “We were pleased to see an acceleration in our revenue growth, which continued the momentum that began earlier in 2017. We believe that this growth was the result of continued strength in the domestic economy as well as our ability to win market share by providing shippers with network capacity and a value proposition that includes superior service at a fair price. Our superior service offering during the fourth quarter included on-time deliveries of 99% and a cargo claims ratio of less than 0.3%.

“Revenue for the fourth quarter increased 19.5%, which consisted of a 14.4% increase in LTL tonnage and a 5.1% increase in LTL revenue per hundredweight. The increase in our LTL tonnage included an 11.4% increase in LTL


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ODFL Reports Fourth-Quarter Financial Results
Page 2
February 8, 2018


shipments and a 2.7% increase in LTL weight per shipment. We believe the industry pricing environment strengthened in the fourth quarter, which drove the 3.1% increase in our LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges. Consistent with our long-term pricing philosophy, we will continue to target rate increases necessary to offset cost inflation in our business and address individual account profitability. In the current pricing environment, we believe that this approach will enhance our ability to win market share and produce profitable growth.

“The Company’s operating ratio improved 90 basis points to 83.9% for the fourth quarter of 2017. The quality of our revenue growth generated operating leverage that reduced our depreciation expense and direct operating costs as a percent of revenue, despite the impact of the employee special bonus. We expect our operating ratio to improve again in 2018, although our employee benefit costs are expected to increase this year due to enhancements to our paid-time-off policy and larger 401(k) matching contributions. We have historically made a discretionary matching contribution to our 401(k) plan to increase our aggregate matching contribution to 10% of our net income, and we believe that this year’s discretionary contribution will increase more than it would have otherwise due to a lower 2018 effective tax rate under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”

Cash Flow and Use of Capital

Old Dominion’s net cash provided by operating activities was $148.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2017 and $536.3 million for the year, which was a 5.2% decrease compared to the year-to-date period of 2016. The Company had $127.5 million in cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2017, and its ratio of debt-to-total capitalization was 4.0% compared with 5.4% at December 31, 2016.

Capital expenditures were $93.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2017 and $382.1 million for the year. The Company expects its capital expenditures for 2018 to total approximately $510 million, including planned expenditures of $200 million for real estate and service center expansion projects; $265 million for tractors and trailers; and $45 million for technology and other assets.

Old Dominion returned $8.2 million of capital to its shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2017 and $40.9 million for the year. The year-to-date total includes $32.9 million in cash dividends and $8.0 million of share repurchases.

Increase to Quarterly Cash Dividend
    
The Company's Board of Directors has declared a first-quarter dividend of $0.13 per share, which is a 30% increase to the quarterly dividend paid in 2017. The dividend is payable on March 20, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 6, 2018.

Summary

Mr. Congdon concluded, “Old Dominion’s strong operating and financial performance for the fourth quarter and throughout 2017 highlights our team’s outstanding execution of a proven and differentiated business model. As we enter 2018, we are encouraged by our recent trends that demonstrate continued customer demand for our services and a strong domestic economy. We believe that the ongoing execution of our business model, which includes a commitment to continuously invest in our employees and network capacity, will allow us to produce further profitable growth and increased shareholder value in 2018.”

Old Dominion will hold a conference call to discuss this release today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Investors will have the opportunity to listen to the conference call live over the Internet by going to www.odfl.com. Please log on at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available at this website shortly after the call through March 8, 2018. A telephonic replay will also be available through February 18, 2018, at (719) 457-0820, Confirmation Number 6862987.
    


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ODFL Reports Fourth-Quarter Financial Results
Page 3
February 8, 2018


Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution the reader that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) the competitive environment with respect to industry capacity and pricing, including the use of fuel surcharges, which could negatively impact our total overall pricing strategy and our ability to cover our operating expenses; (2) our ability to collect fuel surcharges and the effectiveness of those fuel surcharges in mitigating the impact of fluctuating prices for diesel fuel and other petroleum-based products; (3) the negative impact of any unionization, or the passage of legislation or regulations that could facilitate unionization, of our employees; (4) the challenges associated with executing our growth strategy, including our ability to successfully consummate and integrate any acquisitions; (5) changes in our goals and strategies, which are subject to change at any time at our discretion; (6) various economic factors such as recessions, downturns in the economy, global uncertainty and instability, changes in U.S. social, political, and regulatory conditions or a disruption of financial markets, which may decrease demand for our services; (7) the impact of changes in tax laws, rates, guidance and interpretations, including those related to certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; (8) increases in driver compensation or difficulties attracting and retaining qualified drivers to meet freight demand; (9) our exposure to claims related to cargo loss and damage, property damage, personal injury, workers' compensation, group health and group dental, including increased premiums, adverse loss development, increased self-insured retention levels and claims in excess of insured coverage levels; (10) cost increases associated with employee benefits, including costs associated with employee healthcare plans; (11) the availability and cost of capital for our significant ongoing cash requirements; (12) the availability and cost of new equipment and replacement parts, including regulatory changes and supply constraints that could impact the cost of these assets; (13) decreases in demand for, and the value of, used equipment; (14) the availability and cost of diesel fuel; (15) the costs and potential liabilities related to compliance with, or violations of, existing or future governmental laws and regulations, including environmental laws, engine emissions standards, hours-of-service for our drivers, driver fitness requirements and new safety standards for drivers and equipment; (16) the costs and potential liabilities related to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business, some of which include class-action allegations; (17) the costs and potential liabilities related to governmental proceedings, inquiries, notices or investigations; (18) the costs and potential liabilities related to our international business relationships; (19) the costs and potential adverse impact of compliance with, or violations of, current and future rules issued by the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (the “FMCSA”) and other regulatory agencies; (20) the costs and potential adverse impact of compliance associated with addressing interoperability between legacy electronic automatic on-board recording devices and electronic logging devices (“ELDs”) that comply with FMCSA’s ELD regulations and guidance; (21) seasonal trends in the less-than-truckload industry, including harsh weather conditions and disasters; (22) our dependence on key employees; (23) the concentration of our stock ownership with the Congdon family; (24) the costs and potential adverse impact associated with future changes in accounting standards or practices; (25) potential costs associated with cyber incidents and other risks, including system failure, security breach, disruption by malware or other damage; (26) failure to keep pace with developments in technology, any disruption to our technology infrastructure, or failures of essential services upon which our technology platforms rely, which could cause us to incur costs or result in a loss of business; (27) the costs and potential adverse impact associated with transitional challenges in upgrading or enhancing our technology systems; (28) damage to our reputation through unfavorable publicity; (29) the costs and potential adverse impact of compliance with anti-terrorism measures on our business; (30) dilution to existing shareholders caused by any issuance of additional equity; (31) the impact of a quarterly cash dividend or the failure to declare future cash dividends; (32) fluctuations in the market value of our common stock; (33) the impact of certain provisions in our articles of incorporation, bylaws, and Virginia law that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of us or a change in our management; and (34) other risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC. Our forward-looking statements are based upon our beliefs and assumptions using information available at the time the statements are made. We caution the reader not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements (i) as these statements are neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances and (ii) the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and projections about future events may differ materially from actual results. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect developments occurring after the statement is made, except as otherwise required by law.


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ODFL Reports Fourth-Quarter Financial Results
Page 4
February 8, 2018



Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. is a leading, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), union-free motor carrier providing regional, inter-regional and national LTL services, which include ground and air expedited transportation and consumer household pickup and delivery through a single integrated organization. In addition to its core LTL services, the Company offers a range of value-added services including container drayage, truckload brokerage, supply chain consulting and warehousing.


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ODFL Reports Fourth-Quarter Financial Results
Page 5
February 8, 2018


OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.
Statements of Operations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Year to Date
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Revenue
 
$
891,117

100.0
 %
 
$
745,738

100.0
 %
 
$
3,358,112

100.0
 %
 
$
2,991,517

100.0
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries, wages & benefits
 
482,233

54.1
 %
 
417,686

56.0
 %
 
1,802,440

53.7
 %
 
1,652,055

55.2
 %
Operating supplies & expenses
 
106,688

12.0
 %
 
84,093

11.3
 %
 
381,798

11.4
 %
 
322,997

10.8
 %
General supplies & expenses
 
27,793

3.1
 %
 
20,696

2.8
 %
 
107,733

3.2
 %
 
86,626

2.9
 %
Operating taxes & licenses
 
26,248

2.9
 %
 
23,058

3.1
 %
 
99,778

3.0
 %
 
92,426

3.1
 %
Insurance & claims
 
12,914

1.4
 %
 
8,069

1.1
 %
 
41,718

1.2
 %
 
37,861

1.3
 %
Communications & utilities
 
6,809

0.8
 %
 
6,547

0.9
 %
 
27,754

0.8
 %
 
27,904

0.9
 %
Depreciation & amortization
 
53,093

6.0
 %
 
49,574

6.6
 %
 
205,763

6.2
 %
 
189,867

6.3
 %
Purchased transportation
 
23,151

2.6
 %
 
18,472

2.5
 %
 
84,747

2.5
 %
 
74,051

2.5
 %
Building and office equipment rents
 
1,870

0.2
 %
 
1,433

0.2
 %
 
7,984

0.2
 %
 
7,920

0.3
 %
Miscellaneous expenses, net
 
6,861

0.8
 %
 
2,663

0.3
 %
 
22,511

0.7
 %
 
15,975

0.5
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total operating expenses
 
747,660

83.9
 %
 
632,291

84.8
 %
 
2,782,226

82.9
 %
 
2,507,682

83.8
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating income
 
143,457

16.1
 %
 
113,447

15.2
 %
 
575,886

17.1
 %
 
483,835

16.2
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-operating expense (income):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
 
362

0.0
 %
 
954

0.1
 %
 
2,154

0.1
 %
 
4,332

0.1
 %
Interest income
 
(408
)
(0.0
)%
 
(20
)
(0.0
)%
 
(740
)
(0.0
)%
 
(58
)
(0.0
)%
Other (income) expense, net
 
(361
)
(0.0
)%
 
1,192

0.2
 %
 
(1,360
)
(0.1
)%
 
1,974

0.1
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income before income taxes
 
143,864

16.1
 %
 
111,321

14.9
 %
 
575,832

17.1
 %
 
477,587

16.0
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Provision for income taxes
 
(53,386
)
(6.0
)%
 
42,810

5.7
 %
 
112,058

3.3
 %
 
181,822

6.1
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
$
197,250

22.1
 %
 
$
68,511

9.2
 %
 
$
463,774

13.8
 %
 
$
295,765

9.9
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
 
$
2.40

 
 
$
0.83

 
 
$
5.63

 
 
$
3.56

 
Diluted
 
2.39

 
 
0.83

 
 
5.63

 
 
3.56

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average outstanding shares:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
Basic
 
82,282

 
 
82,381

 
 
82,308

 
 
83,112

 
Diluted
 
82,376

 
 
82,450

 
 
82,407

 
 
83,154

 




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ODFL Reports Fourth-Quarter Financial Results
Page 6
February 8, 2018


OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.
Operating Statistics
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Year to Date
 
 
2017
 
2016
 
% Chg.
 
2017
 
2016
 
% Chg.
Work days
 
62

 
62

 
 %
 
253

 
254

 
(0.4
)%
Operating ratio
 
83.9
%
 
84.8
%
 


 
82.9
%
 
83.8
%
 


LTL intercity miles (1)
 
158,119

 
141,389

 
11.8
 %
 
605,204

 
576,953

 
4.9
 %
LTL tons (1)
 
2,211

 
1,933

 
14.4
 %
 
8,519

 
7,931

 
7.4
 %
LTL tonnage per day
 
35,661

 
31,177

 
14.4
 %
 
33,672

 
31,224

 
7.8
 %
LTL shipments (1)
 
2,696

 
2,421

 
11.4
 %
 
10,736

 
10,148

 
5.8
 %
LTL revenue per intercity mile
 
$
5.51

 
$
5.13

 
7.4
 %
 
$
5.46

 
$
5.09

 
7.3
 %
LTL revenue per hundredweight
 
$
19.70

 
$
18.74

 
5.1
 %
 
$
19.39

 
$
18.51

 
4.8
 %
LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges
 
$
17.30

 
$
16.78

 
3.1
 %
 
$
17.20

 
$
16.71

 
2.9
 %
LTL revenue per shipment
 
$
322.97

 
$
299.34

 
7.9
 %
 
$
307.66

 
$
289.36

 
6.3
 %
LTL revenue per shipment, excluding fuel surcharges
 
$
283.60

 
$
268.10

 
5.8
 %
 
$
272.97

 
$
261.21

 
4.5
 %
LTL weight per shipment (lbs.)
 
1,640

 
1,597

 
2.7
 %
 
1,587

 
1,563

 
1.5
 %
Average length of haul (miles)
 
914

 
922

 
(0.9
)%
 
917

 
928

 
(1.2
)%
Average full-time employees
 
19,000

 
17,585

 
8.0
 %
 
18,103

 
17,582

 
3.0
 %
(1) -
In thousands
Note:
Our LTL operating statistics exclude certain transportation and logistics services where pricing is generally not determined by weight. These statistics also exclude adjustments to revenue for undelivered freight required for financial statement purposes in accordance with our revenue recognition policy.

OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.
Balance Sheets
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 31,
 
December 31,
 
(In thousands)
 
2017
 
2016
 
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
127,462

 
$
10,171

 
Other current assets
 
457,191

 
372,451

 
Total current assets
 
584,653

 
382,622

 
Net property and equipment
 
2,404,459

 
2,241,402

 
Other assets
 
79,312

 
72,223

 
Total assets
 
$
3,068,424

 
$
2,696,247

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Current maturities of long-term debt
 
$
50,000

 
$

 
Other current liabilities
 
301,049

 
288,636

 
Total current liabilities
 
351,049

 
288,636

 
Long-term debt
 
45,000

 
104,975

 
Other non-current liabilities
 
395,521

 
451,478

 
Total liabilities
 
791,570

 
845,089

 
Equity
 
2,276,854

 
1,851,158

 
Total liabilities & equity
 
$
3,068,424

 
$
2,696,247

 
Note: The financial and operating statistics in this press release are unaudited.

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