News Details

TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SunOpta Inc. ("SunOpta" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:STKL) (TSX:SOY), a leading global company focused on natural, organic and specialty foods, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2013. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars and results are reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP, except where specifically noted.

Second Quarter 2013 Highlights:

• Record second quarter revenues of $311.2 million, an increase of 10.2% versus the 2012 second quarter
• Operating income¹of $13.3 million, or 4.3% of revenues
• EBITDA¹ of $18.7 million, or 6.0% of revenues
• Adjusted earnings from continuing operations¹ of $6.5 million, or $0.10 per diluted common share
• GAAP loss per diluted common share from continuing operations of $0.23 or $15.0 million, after accounting for non-cash impairment charge of non-core investment in Mascoma Corporation

Year-to-date 2013 Highlights:

• Record year-to-date revenues of $594.0 million, an increase of 9.7% versus the prior year
• Operating income¹of $24.0 million, or 4.0% of revenues
• EBITDA¹ of $34.8 million, or 5.9% of revenues
• Adjusted earnings from continuing operations¹ of $11.7 million, or $0.17 per diluted common share
• GAAP loss per diluted common share from continuing operations of $0.15 or $9.8 million, after accounting for non-cash impairment charge of non-core investment in Mascoma Corporation

"We are pleased with our record revenues for the quarter and year-to-date periods, combined with the continued momentum in our core natural and organic foods business. There is no doubt that interest in healthy eating continues to grow and we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on future growth as consumers around the world increase their interest in healthy eating and healthy living," commented Steve Bromley, Chief Executive Officer. "We continued to see strong growth in our value added product offerings during the quarter, and with a number of our expansion projects now coming on line, we look forward to realizing the benefits of these expansions. As we anticipated, our margins in the quarter were impacted by crop quality associated with the poor growing conditions experienced in 2012 and cyclical weakness in the steel and infrastructure segments within our non-core holding, Opta Minerals. As we look ahead, we believe that 2013 will be another successful year for our Company as we continue to execute on our core strategies of growing our value-added packaged foods and ingredients portfolio, and leveraging our integrated platform in support of our long-term operating targets."

Second Quarter 2013 Results

Revenues increased 10.2% to a record $311.2 million as compared to $282.3 million in the second quarter of 2012. The increase in consolidated revenues was driven by strong demand and increased prices for organic grains and feed products, continued growth in consumer packaged categories including aseptic non-dairy beverages and re-sealable pouch products, as well as higher sales within Opta Minerals Inc. as a result of recent acquisitions. Excluding the impact of a number of factors including commodity, currency and product rationalizations, revenues in SunOpta Foods increased approximately 7.2% versus the prior year and consolidated revenues increased approximately 5.7%.

Operating income¹for the second quarter was $13.3 million, or 4.3% of revenues, as compared to $14.3 million, or 5.1% of revenues in 2012. Operating earnings were driven by solid results across the Company's grains, feed, international ingredients and consumer products operations, offset by the effect of the 2012 drought on sunflower processing yields and by-product values, and Opta Minerals which continued to face cyclical weakness in both the steel and infrastructure sectors and the cost of integrating recent acquisitions.

For the quarter ended June 29, 2013 the Company incurred a loss from continuing operations of $15.0 million or $0.23 per diluted common share, compared to earnings from continuing operations of $7.3 million or $0.11 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2012. Included in the results for the second quarter is a non-cash charge of approximately $21.5 million after tax, or $0.32 per diluted common share, representing a 64% write-down of the carrying value of the Company's non-core investment in Mascoma Corporation. In assessing the fair value the Company considered a number of factors including the values of comparable public companies in the renewable energy space, which have experienced declines in value that no longer appear to be of a temporary nature. The Company's investment in Mascoma was established in the third quarter of 2010 following the sale of SunOpta BioProcess Inc. in return for a minority equity stake in Mascoma. At that time, a non-cash gain on sale was recognized and adjusted earnings were reported to remove the effect of the gain.

Excluding the Mascoma impairment charge, adjusted earnings from continuing operations¹ in the second quarter of 2013 were $6.5 million or $0.10 per diluted common share. In addition, earnings for the second quarter include the impact of approximately $1.7 million in pre-tax severance, acquisition and start-up costs, or approximately $1.0 million after-tax and minority interest.

For the second quarter of 2013 EBITDA¹was $18.7 million as compared to $19.4 million during the second quarter of 2012.

Year-to-date 2013 Results

Revenues increased 9.7% to a record $594.0 million as compared to $541.6 million in the first half of 2012. The increase in consolidated revenues was driven by strong demand and increased prices for organic grains and feed products, continued growth in consumer packaged categories including aseptic non-dairy beverages and re-sealable pouch products, as well as higher sales within Opta Minerals Inc. as a result of recent acquisitions. Excluding the impact of a number of factors including commodity, currency and product rationalizations, revenues in SunOpta Foods have increased approximately 7.4% versus the prior year and consolidated revenues increased approximately 5.9%.

Operating income¹for the first half of 2013 was $24.0 million, or 4.0% of revenues, as compared to $27.1 million, or 5.0% of revenues in the first half of 2012. Operating earnings were driven by solid results across the Company's grains, feed, and consumer products operations, offset by the effect the factors previously noted in the sunflower operations and Opta Minerals.

For the first half of 2013 the Company incurred a loss from continuing operations of $9.8 million or $0.15 per diluted common share, compared to earnings from continuing operations of $13.0 million or $0.19 per diluted common share for the first half of 2012. Included in the results for the first half of 2013 was the non-cash charge of approximately $21.5 million after tax or $0.32 per diluted common share, reflecting the write-down of the Company's investment in Mascoma. After adjusting for this item, adjusted earnings from continuing operations¹ in the first half of 2013 were $11.7 million or $0.17 per diluted common share. Earnings for the first half of 2013 include the impact of approximately $2.9 million in pre-tax severance, acquisition and start-up costs, or approximately $1.7 million after-tax and minority interest.

For the first half of 2013 EBITDA¹was $34.8 million as compared to $36.9 million during the first half of 2012.

Balance Sheet

The Company's balance sheet remains strong and at June 29, 2013 reflected a current ratio of 1.46 to 1.00 and a net debt to equity ratio of 0.57 to 1.00. At June 29, 2013, the Company had total debt outstanding of $195.5 million, net debt of $182.5 million, total assets of $694.9 million, shareholders' equity of $318.3 million and a net book value of $4.80 per outstanding share.

Conference Call Information

The Company plans to host a conference call at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 8, 2013 to discuss the results for the second quarter of 2013 and recent corporate developments. After opening remarks, there will be a question and answer period. This conference call can be accessed via a link at the Company's website at www.sunopta.com. To listen to the live call over the Internet, please go to the Company's website at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. Additionally, the call may be accessed with the toll free dial-in number (877) 312-9198 or international dial-in number (631) 291-4622. If you are unable to listen live, the conference call will be archived and can be accessed for approximately 90 days at the Company's website.

¹See discussion of non-GAAP measures

About SunOpta Inc.

SunOpta Inc. is a leading global company focused on natural, organic and specialty foods products. The Company specializes in sourcing, processing and packaging of natural and organic food products, integrated from seed through packaged products; with a focus on strategically vertically integrated business models. The Company's core natural and organic food operations focus on value-added grains, fiber and fruit based product offerings, supported by a global infrastructure. The Company has two non-core holdings, a 66.1% ownership position in Opta Minerals Inc., listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, a producer, distributor, and recycler of environmentally friendly industrial materials; and a minority ownership position in Mascoma Corporation, an innovative biofuels company.

The SunOpta Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3958

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our belief that we are well positioned to capitalize on future growth as consumers around the world increase their interest in healthy eating and healthy living and that 2013 will be another successful year. The terms and phrases "believe", "look forward" and "continued", " and other similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on information available to us on the date of this release and are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate in the circumstances including, but not limited to, general economic conditions, consumer interest in health and wellness, product pricing levels, current customer demand, planned facility and operational expansions, competitive intensity, cost rationalization and product development initiatives. Whether actual timing and results will agree with expectations and predications of the Company is subject to many risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, global economic conditions, consumer spending patterns and changes in market trends, decreases in customer demand, potential failure of product development, working capital management and continuous improvement initiatives, availability and pricing of raw materials and supplies, potential covenant breaches under our credit facilities and other risks described from time to time under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (available at www.sec.gov). Consequently all forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized.

¹Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), the Company provides information regarding Operating Income and Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") as additional information about its operating results, which are not measures in accordance with GAAP. The Company believes that these non-GAAP measures assist investors in comparing performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that are not indicative of the Company's core operating performance. The non-GAAP measures of operating income and EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. 

The Company defines Operating Income as "Earnings from continuing operations before the following" excluding the impact of "Other expense, net"; and EBITDA as Operating Income plus depreciation and amortization. The following is a tabular presentation of Operating Income and EBITDA, including a reconciliation to GAAP earnings, which the Company believes to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure:

The Company also reported Adjusted earnings from continuing operations and Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share for the quarter and two quarters ended June 29, 2013. Adjusted earnings from continuing operations and Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share are also non-GAAP financial measures.  During the quarter and two quarters ended June 29, 2012, the Company recognized specific charges that we do not believe are reflective of normal business operations. We have excluded the impairment loss on our investment in Mascoma to arrive at Adjusted earnings from continuing operations and Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share. The following is a tabular presentation of Adjusted earnings from continuing operations and Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share, including a reconciliation to GAAP Loss attributable to SunOpta Inc. and GAAP Loss attributable to SunOpta Inc. on a per diluted share basis, which the Company believes to be the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Following is a calculation of our Adjusted earnings from continuing operations and Adjusted earnings from continuing operations per diluted share for the quarter and two quarters ended June 29, 2013.

CONTACT: For further information, please contact:

         

         SunOpta Inc.

         

         Steve Bromley, CEO

         Robert McKeracher, Vice President & CFO

         Susan Wiekenkamp, Information Officer

         Tel: 905-455-2528, ext 103

         susan.wiekenkamp@sunopta.com

         Website:  www.sunopta.com