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Clean Energy Fuels Increases Volumes Sold and Adjusted EBITDA in the Third Quarter of 2009

Mon Nov 9, 2009 4:02pm EST
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091109006336/en

* Gallons Sold Increases 58% over Prior-Year Period to 29.5 Million Gallons
* Adjusted EBITDA Increases $6.4 Million over Prior-Year Period

SEAL BEACH, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE) today announced its operating results
for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009. 

Gasoline gallon equivalents (Gallons) delivered during the third quarter of 2009
totaled 29.5 million, up 58% from 18.7 million Gallons in the same period a year
ago. For the first nine months of 2009, volume increased 30% to 71.5 million
Gallons, compared with 54.8 million Gallons in the first nine months of 2008.
Gallons include the Company`s sales of CNG, LNG, and biomethane and the Gallons
associated with providing operations and maintenance services. 

Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2009 was $5.4 million, compared to a
loss of $1.0 million in the third quarter of 2008. Adjusted EBITDA for the first
nine months of 2009 was $9.9 million, compared with a loss of $7.0 million in
the first nine months of 2008. Adjusted EBITDA is described below and reconciled
to the GAAP measure net income (loss) attributable to Clean Energy. 

Non-GAAP earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 was $0.01, compared to
a non-GAAP loss per share of $0.08 in the third quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP loss
per share for the first nine months of 2009 was $0.06, compared with $0.28 in
the first nine months of 2008. Non-GAAP EPS (or Non-GAAP earnings/loss per
share) is described below and reconciled to the GAAP measure net income (loss)
attributable to Clean Energy. 

Net loss for the third quarter of 2009 was $18.5 million, or $0.31 per share,
compared with a net loss of $12.1 million, or $0.27 per share, in the third
quarter of 2008. For the first nine months of 2009, net loss was $31.3 million,
or $0.59 per share, compared to a net loss of $20.7 million, or $0.47 per share,
in the first nine months of 2008. During the third quarter of 2009, the Company
recorded a non-cash charge of $15.4 million (or $0.26 per share) related to
marking to market the value of its Series I warrants, which is required this
year under new accounting guidance. The primary driver of the increased amount
recorded this quarter was the impact of the Company`s higher stock price on the
valuation model used to value the warrants. 

Revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 totaled $31.2 million, compared
with $33.8 million in the same period in 2008. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2009, revenue totaled $89.3 million, compared with $97.6 million a
year ago. The reduction in revenue was primarily the result of lower natural gas
commodity prices between periods, which reduced the natural gas commodity
charges passed through by the Company to many of its customers. The reduced
commodity prices, however, also reduce the Company`s cost of sales, which
enabled the Company to generate a gross margin in the third quarter of 2009 that
was $0.7 million higher than the second quarter of 2009. 

Andrew J. Littlefair, Clean Energy`s President and Chief Executive Officer,
stated, "We are pleased with our third quarter performance as we are benefiting
from positive developments on several fronts in our business. We experienced
strong volume growth in the quarter, reflecting solid progress on the clean
truck roll-out at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as well as our
growing station count and the addition of several new customers. As the economic
and environmental benefits of natural gas are becoming more widely understood
and well publicized, we have expanded our discussions to include a number of
large fleet operators and corporations regarding the conversion of their fleets
to natural gas." 

Mr. Littlefair continued, "On the strategic front, we recently announced our
acquisition of BAF Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of natural gas vehicle
conversions, which will enable us to leverage our industry expertise and help
bring natural gas vehicles to the light-duty market. The NAT GAS Act also
continues to garner strong bipartisan support and we remain optimistic that this
will be passed in the near future. We are very confident with our industry`s
momentum and our own positioning as we enter the final quarter of 2009 and look
forward to 2010." 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company`s consolidated financial statements, which statements
are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, the Company uses non-GAAP
financial measures called non-GAAP earnings per share (non-GAAP EPS or non-GAAP
earnings/loss per share) and Adjusted EBITDA. This is the first quarter in which
the Company has presented the Adjusted EBITDA financial measure described
herein. The Company`s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to
assess our operational performance, for financial and operational decision
making, and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons on a consistent
basis. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide
meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company`s performance by
excluding certain non-cash expenses that are not directly attributable to its
core operating results. In addition, management believes these non-GAAP
financial measures are useful to investors because: (1) they allow for greater
transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and
operational decision making; (2) they exclude the impact of non-cash items that
are not directly attributable to the Company`s core operating performance and
that may obscure trends in the core operating performance of our business; and
(3) they are used by institutional investors and the analyst community to help
them analyze the results of Clean Energy`s business. While the Company has not
done so for the periods presented in this release, in future quarters, the
Company may make adjustments for additional non-recurring significant
expenditures or other significant non-cash charges in order to present non-GAAP
financial measures that are indicative of the Company`s core operating
performance. 

Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as an analytical tool and should
not be considered in isolation from or as a substitute for the Company`s GAAP
results. In the future, the Company expects to continue reporting non-GAAP
financial measures, adjusting for the items described below, and the Company
expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments
described below. Accordingly, exclusion of these and other similar items in the
presentation of non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an
inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring. Non-GAAP
EPS and Adjusted EBITDA are not recognized terms under GAAP and do not purport
to be an alternative to GAAP earnings/loss per share or operating loss as an
indicator of operating performance or any other GAAP measure. Moreover, because
not all companies use identical measures and calculations, the presentation of
non-GAAP EPS or Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled
measures of other companies. These limitations are compensated for by using
non-GAAP EPS and Adjusted EBITDA in conjunction with traditional GAAP operating
performance and cash flow measures. 

Non-GAAP EPS

Non-GAAP EPS is defined as net income (loss), plus employee-related stock based
compensation charges, net of related tax benefits, plus or minus futures
contracts losses or gains included in derivative (gains) losses, plus or minus
any mark-to-market losses or gains on the Company`s Series I warrants, the total
of which is divided by the Company`s weighted average shares outstanding on a
diluted basis. The Company`s management believes that presenting non-GAAP EPS,
excluding non-cash charges related to stock based compensation, provides useful
information to investors because of varying available valuation methodologies,
the volatility of the expense (which depends on market forces outside of
management`s control), the subjectivity of the assumptions and the variety of
award types that a company can use under the accounting guidance may obscure
trends in the Company`s core operating performance. Similarly, the Company`s
management believes that excluding the non-cash, mark-to-market losses or gains
on the Company`s Series I warrants is useful to investors because the Company
has not reported such losses or gains in past periods, the valuation of the
Series I warrants is subject to a number of subjective assumptions, and the
amount of the loss or gain is derived from market forces outside of management`s
control. 

The table below shows non-GAAP EPS and also reconciles these figures to the GAAP
measure net income (loss) attributable to Clean Energy:

                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                   Three Months                                                         Nine Months                                                    
                                                                   Ended September 30,                                                  Ended September 30,                                            
                                                                   2008*                              2009                           2008*                              2009                     
 Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Clean Energy                    $    (12,092,146  )              $    (18,460,583  )          $    (20,722,575  )              $    (31,331,396  )    
 Employee Stock Based Compensation, Net of Tax Benefits                 2,684,207                        3,551,992                    7,782,538                        10,572,136        
 Futures Contracts Derivative (Gains) Losses                            6,047,727                        -                            340,746                          -                 
 Mark-to-Market Loss on Series I Warrants                               -                                15,422,310                   -                                17,808,673        
 Adjusted Net Income (Loss)                                             (3,360,212   )                   513,719                      (12,599,291  )                   (2,950,587   )    
 Diluted Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding                     44,330,818                       59,695,666                   44,304,636                       53,428,391        
 Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) Per Share                                $    (0.08        )              $    0.01                    $    (0.28        )              $    (0.06        )    
                                                                                                                                                                                                 


* The three-month and nine-month ended September 30, 2008 loss amounts include
approximately $1.1 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of losses on certain
fixed-price contracts that were not hedged. We no longer enter into fixed-price
customer contracts unless we hedge our natural gas commodity exposure under the
contract or obtain pre-approval from our Derivative Committee not to hedge the
contract. 

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) attributable to Clean Energy,
plus or minus income tax expense or benefit, plus or minus interest expense or
income, net, plus depreciation and amortization expense, plus employee-related
stock based compensation charges, net of related tax benefits, plus or minus
futures contracts losses or gains included in derivative (gains) losses, plus or
minus any mark-to-market losses or gains on the Company`s Series I warrants.
Management internally uses Adjusted EBITDA to monitor compliance with certain
financial covenants in the Company`s credit agreement with PlainsCapital Bank
and to determine elements of executive and employee compensation. 

The table below shows Adjusted EBITDA and also reconciles these figures to the
GAAP measure net income (loss) attributable to Clean Energy:

                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                   Three Months                                                         Nine Months                                                    
                                                                   Ended September 30,                                                  Ended September 30,                                            
                                                                   2008*                              2009                           2008*                              2009                     
 Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Clean Energy                    $    (12,092,146  )              $    (18,460,583  )          $    (20,722,575  )              $    (31,331,396  )    
 Income Tax Expense                                                     99,171                           68,352                       199,141                          209,202           
 Interest Income (Expense), Net                                         (78,399      )                   276,110                      (1,182,962   )                   368,186           
 Depreciation and Amortization                                          2,310,527                        4,516,513                    6,557,967                        12,256,603        
 Employee Stock Based Compensation, Net of Tax Benefits                 2,684,207                        3,551,992                    7,782,538                        10,572,136        
 Futures Contracts Derivative (Gains) Losses                            6,047,727                        -                            340,746                          -                 
 Mark-to-Market Loss on Series I Warrants                               -                                15,422,310                   -                                17,808,673        
 Adjusted EBITDA                                                   $    (1,028,913   )              $    5,374,694               $    (7,025,145   )              $    9,883,404         
                                                                                                                                                                                                 


* The three-month and nine-month ended September 30, 2008 loss amounts include
approximately $1.1 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of losses on certain
fixed-price contracts that were not hedged. We no longer enter into fixed-price
customer contracts unless we hedge our natural gas commodity exposure under the
contract or obtain pre-approval from our Derivative Committee not to hedge the
contract. 

Conference Call

The Company will host an investor conference call today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern
(1:30 p.m. Pacific). The live call can be accessed from the U.S. by dialing
(877) 407-4018, or by dialing (201) 689-8471 from outside the U.S. A telephone
replay will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes and
will be available through Monday, November 23, 2009 by dialing (877) 660-6853
from the U.S., or (201) 612-7415 from international locations and entering
account number 3055 and conference ID number 334409. 

There also will be a simultaneous webcast available on the Investor Relations
section of the Company's web site at www.cleanenergyfuels.com, which will be
archived on the Company`s web site for 30 days. 

About Clean Energy Fuels

Clean Energy Fuels is the leading provider of natural gas (CNG and LNG) for
transportation in North America. It has a broad customer base in the refuse,
transit, ports, shuttle, taxi, trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets,
fueling more than 17,500 vehicles at 195 strategic locations across the U.S. and
Canada. Clean Energy owns and operates two LNG production plants, one in Willis,
Texas and one in Boron, California, with combined capacity of 260,000 LNG
gallons per day and designed to expand to 340,000 LNG gallons per day as demand
increases. It also owns and operates a landfill gas processing facility in
Dallas that produces renewable biomethane gas for delivery in the nation`s gas
pipeline network. On October 1, 2009, Clean Energy acquired 100% of BAF
Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of natural gas vehicle systems and
conversions for taxis, limousines, vans, pickup trucks and shuttle busses. 

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as
statements regarding the demand for products and services from new and existing
customers, our ability to manage the operations of our recently-acquired
subsidiary, BAF Technologies, Inc., the potential passage of the NAT GAS Act,
and the Company`s ability to continue to grow its business. Actual results and
the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of several factors including, but not
limited to, changes in the prices of natural gas relative to gasoline and
diesel, the acceptance of natural gas vehicles in fleet markets, the
availability of natural gas vehicles, the progress of the clean air plans at the
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, relaxation or waiver of fuel emission
standards, the inability of fleets to access capital to purchase natural gas
vehicles, the Company`s success in obtaining government grants or subsidies for
alternative fuel providers, the unpredictability of the legislative process,
construction and permitting delays at station construction projects and the
development of competing technologies that are perceived to be cleaner and more
cost-effective than natural gas. The forward-looking statements made herein
speak only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no
obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements to reflect
subsequent events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by law.
Additionally, the Company`s Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2009 and its Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 filed on November 9, 2009 with the SEC
(www.sec.gov) contain risk factors which may cause actual results to differ
materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and Subsidiaries                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
 
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 
December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
 
Unaudited                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                December 31,                        September 30,                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                2008                                2009                          
 Assets                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
 Current assets:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 Cash and cash equivalents                                                                                                                                                                      $      36,284,431                 $      92,293,929           
 Restricted cash                                                                                                                                                                                       2,500,000                         2,500,000            
 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $657,734 and $642,454 as of December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009, respectively                                                     10,530,638                        13,516,384           
 Other receivables                                                                                                                                                                                     12,995,507                        10,442,675           
 Inventory, net                                                                                                                                                                                        3,110,731                         3,838,772            
 Deposits on LNG trucks                                                                                                                                                                                6,197,746                         525,372              
 Prepaid expenses and other current assets                                                                                                                                                             3,542,387                         6,122,871            
 Total current assets                                                                                                                                                                                  75,161,440                        129,240,003          
 Land, property and equipment, net                                                                                                                                                                     160,593,665                       169,743,066          
 Capital lease receivables                                                                                                                                                                             364,500                           1,378,038            
 Notes receivable and other long-term assets                                                                                                                                                           7,176,755                         9,731,626            
 Investments in other entities                                                                                                                                                                         4,879,604                         8,991,757            
 Goodwill                                                                                                                                                                                              20,797,878                        20,797,878           
 Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization                                                                                                                                                    21,400,558                        25,269,707           
 Total assets                                                                                                                                                                                   $      290,374,400                $      365,152,075          
 Liabilities and Stockholders` Equity                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
 Current liabilities:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
 Current portion of long-term debt and capital lease obligations                                                                                                                                $      2,232,875                  $      3,378,595            
 Accounts payable                                                                                                                                                                                      14,276,591                        13,001,111           
 Accrued liabilities                                                                                                                                                                                   10,253,454                        9,388,388            
 Deferred revenue                                                                                                                                                                                      1,060,582                         1,201,485            
 Total current liabilities                                                                                                                                                                             27,823,502                        26,969,579           
 Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion                                                                                                                                    22,850,927                        26,140,520           
 Other long-term liabilities                                                                                                                                                                           2,297,446                         33,053,058           
 Total liabilities                                                                                                                                                                                     52,971,875                        86,163,157           
 Commitments and contingencies                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 Stockholders` equity:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
 Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. Authorized 1,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding no shares                                                                                                     -                                 -                    
 Common stock, $0.0001 par value. Authorized 99,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding 50,238,212 shares and 59,715,445 shares at December 31, 2008 and September 30, 2009, respectively               5,024                             5,969                
 Additional paid-in capital                                                                                                                                                                            346,466,999                       420,646,256          
 Accumulated deficit                                                                                                                                                                                   (113,549,257  )                   (147,492,806  )      
 Accumulated other comprehensive income                                                                                                                                                                853,837                           2,634,549            
 Total stockholders` equity of Clean Energy Fuels Corp.                                                                                                                                                233,776,603                       275,793,968          
 Noncontrolling interest in subsidiary                                                                                                                                                                 3,625,922                         3,194,950            
 Total equity                                                                                                                                                                                          237,402,525                       278,988,918          
 Total liabilities and equity                                                                                                                                                                   $      290,374,400                $      365,152,075          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  


                                                                                                                                                                                              
 Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and Subsidiaries                                                                                                                                                             
 
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations                                                                                                                                                      
 
For the Three Months and Nine Months Ended                                                                                                                                                           
 
September 30, 2008 and 2009                                                                                                                                                                          
 
Unaudited                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                Three Months Ended                                                Nine Months Ended                                           
                                                                September 30,                                                     September 30,                                               
                                                                2008                              2009                         2008                            2009                     
                                                                                                                                                                                        
 Revenue:                                                                                                                                                                               
 Product revenues                                               $       31,935,485               $       26,290,638          $       93,621,805             $       79,500,495      
 Service revenues                                               1,883,202                         4,891,188                    3,957,220                       9,799,506                
 Total revenues                                                 33,818,687                        31,181,826                   97,579,025                      89,300,001               
 Operating expenses:                                                                                                                                                                    
 Cost of sales:                                                                                                                                                                         
 Product cost of sales                                          25,558,150                        16,369,247                   76,036,367                      52,785,705               
 Service cost of sales                                          552,904                           2,388,458                    1,102,393                       3,820,740                
 Derivative (gains) losses:                                                                                                                                                             
 Futures contracts                                              6,047,727                         -                            340,746                         -                        
 Series I warrant valuation                                     -                                 15,422,310                   -                               17,808,673               
 Selling, general and administrative                            11,397,913                        10,491,987                   35,124,764                      33,649,427               
 Depreciation and amortization                                  2,310,527                         4,516,513                    6,557,967                       12,256,603               
 Total operating expenses                                       45,867,221                        49,188,515                   119,162,237                     120,321,148              
 Operating loss                                                 (12,048,534           )           (18,006,689           )      (21,583,212           )         (31,021,147           )  
 Interest income (expense), net                                 78,399                            (276,110              )      1,182,962                       (368,186              )  
 Other income (expense), net                                    (28,801               )           (107,468              )      11,177                          (293,995              )  
 Income (loss) from equity method                               19,881                            77,744                       (120,441              )         130,162                  
 investments                                                                                                                                                                            
 Loss before income taxes                                       (11,979,055           )           (18,312,523           )      (20,509,514           )         (31,553,166           )  
 Income tax expense                                             (99,171               )           (68,352               )      (199,141              )         (209,202              )  
 Net loss                                                       (12,078,226           )           (18,380,875           )      (20,708,655           )         (31,762,368           )  
 Loss (income) of noncontrolling interest                       (13,920               )           (79,708               )      (13,920               )         430,972                  
 Net loss attributable to Clean Energy Fuels Corp.              $       (12,092,146  )           $       (18,460,583  )      $       (20,722,575  )         $       (31,331,396  )  
                                                                                                                                                                                        
 Loss per share attributable to Clean Energy Fuels Corp.                                                                                                                                
 Basic                                                          $       (0.27        )           $       (0.31        )      $       (0.47        )         $       (0.59        )  
 Diluted                                                        $       (0.27        )           $       (0.31        )      $       (0.47        )         $       (0.59        )  
                                                                                                                                                                                        
 Weighted average common shares outstanding                                                                                                                                             
 Basic                                                          44,330,818                        59,695,666                   44,304,636                      53,428,391               
 Diluted                                                        44,330,818                        59,695,666                   44,304,636                      53,428,391               
                                                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                                                        


Included in net loss are the following amounts (in millions):

                                                                                                                                           
                                                      Three Months Ended                             Nine Months Ended                     
                                                      September 30,                                  September 30,                         
                                                      2008                     2009               2008                  2009         
 Construction Revenues                                0.2                     0.1               0.6                  5.2         
 Construction Cost of Sales                           (0.2  )                 -                 (0.4  )              (4.6   )    
 Fuel Tax Credits                                     4.1                     3.7               13.2                 11.8        
 Stock Option Expense, Net of Tax Benefits            (2.7  )                 (3.6  )           (7.8  )              (10.6  )    


ICR, Inc.
Ina McGuinness, 310.954.1100 

Copyright Business Wire 2009



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