Last checked at 20 Apr 2021 07:00
Petrofac Limited ( PFC) Petrofac Limited: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020 20-Apr-2021 / 07:00 GMT/BST Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EQS Group. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. PETROFAC LIMITEDRESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020 Protected margins and conserved cash in challenging market conditionsAchieved cost savings of US$140 million, ahead of target Business performance net profit of US$48 million (1)(2) Reported net loss of US$180 million post impairments and separately disclosed items (2) New order intake of US$1.6 billion; 22% of awards in new energies (3) Net debt of US$116 million and liquidity of US$1.1 billion (8)
Sami Iskander, Petrofac's Group Chief Executive, commented:
"Since joining Petrofac at the beginning of November, I have spent a lot of time listening to our people, our clients and our stakeholders. These discussions have confirmed the fundamental strengths that have made Petrofac one of the leading service providers to the energy industry over many years. They have also clarified what we need to do better to restore confidence and set the business on a course to grow with existing and new clients. This period has also been challenging following the SFO's announcement in early January. However, I am reassured by our uncompromising approach to compliance and ethics that is consistent with international best practice, independently audited, and critical to our future success.
"Our 2020 results demonstrate it has been a difficult year for Petrofac and the industry. The way the business has adapted to new ways of working to deliver for our clients - whilst reducing costs and conserving cash - is testament to the hard work, agility and resilience of our people.
"We look to the future with a clear plan and refreshed strategy focused on consistent best-in-class execution, returning to growth and delivering superior returns. This means reshaping our business to rebuild our backlog by capitalising on the recovery in addressable markets, diversifying into new geographies and accelerating our pivot to new energies. In parallel, we will deliver on our ESG commitments and continue to improve our cost-competitiveness. I am confident that we will recover to deliver sustainable value for all our stakeholders over the medium term."
DIVISIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Engineering & Construction (E&C) E&C's financial performance in the year was materially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted project schedules and increased costs, as well as the recognition of losses on a small number of contracts. Furthermore, the decline in oil prices resulted in a contraction in capital spending by clients in the period, resulting in delays in tender awards, the termination of our Dalma contracts and a tighter commercial environment. Despite these challenges, E&C has continued to safely deliver its projects and has taken swift action to reduce costs.
E&C financial results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020: (1)(2) Revenue down 31% to US$3.1 billion, driven by lower activity and variation orders Net profit margin down 4.2 ppts to 2.0%, largely reflecting COVID-19 related cost increases, a change in project mix and the recognition of contract losses, partially mitigated by cost savings Net profit of US$62 million US$0.7 billion of new order intake, reflecting the decline in industry awards
Engineering & Production Services (EPS) EPS delivered a resilient financial performance in the year, benefitting from robust order intake and lower overhead costs, which helped mitigate the impact of weaker market conditions and the expected year-on-year decline in contract margins and contribution from associates. Order intake has benefitted from awards in new energies, building our presence in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen and waste-to-fuels.
EPS financial results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020: (1)(2) Revenue up 5% to US$0.9 billion, with growth in Projects offsetting lower Operations activity Net profit margin down 1.2 ppts to 4.2%, with declines in both contract margins and the contribution from associates (5) partly mitigated by overhead cost reductions and lower tax Net profit down 19% to US$39 million US$0.9 billion of awards, representing a book-to-bill of 1.0x
Integrated Energy Services (IES) IES' financial performance in the year was largely defined by the sharp fall in commodity prices and completion of the sale of our remaining interests in Mexico. Production was also impacted by an unplanned outage at Cendor in PM304 in December, which is ongoing. These materially reduced revenue, with subsequent losses mitigated by reductions in operating and overhead cost savings, as well as lower interest, tax and depreciation.
IES financial results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2020: (1)(2) Revenue down 43% to US$110 million Lower average realised price (6) down 42% to US$39/boe Equity production down 10% to 1.9 mmboe (net) Lower PEC tariff income and cost recoveryEBITDA down 54% to US$39 million (5)Decline in revenue, largely driven by the fall in oil price Depreciation of the Mexican Peso Material reduction in operating and overhead costsNet loss of US$18 million (2019: US$4 million loss (5))Lower interest, tax and depreciation
SepArately disclosed items The reported net loss of US$180 million (2019: US$73 million net profit) was negatively impacted by separately disclosed items and certain re-measurements of US$228 million (2019: US$203 million), of which approximately US$209 million were non-cash items. These predominantly related to: A non-cash impairment of US$79 million and a fair value adjustment of US$42 million (both post-tax) as a result of the fair value of the consideration received for the sale of our remaining 51% interest in our Mexican operations in November 2020 being lower than expected. We have commenced legal proceedings to recover disputed consideration of US$80 million; and, A non-cash impairment charge of US$64 million (post-tax) following a review of the carrying amount of the investment in Block PM304 in Malaysia.
NET DEBT AND LIQUIDITY Net debt was US$116 million at 31 December 2020 (31 December 2019: US$15 million net cash), largely reflecting an anticipated working capital outflow in the year. A free cash outflow of US$73 million (31 December 2019: US$138 million inflow) principally reflected the impact of lower EBITDA and lower cash conversion, partly offset by lower tax and interest. Cost saving initiatives, the suspension of dividend payments and a reduction in capital investment conserved approximately US$275 million of cash flow in the year. These actions, together with US$140 million in gross cash proceeds from the sale of non-core assets in 2020, have protected the balance sheet and reduced capital intensity.
Liquidity was approximately US$1.1 billion as at 31 December 2020 (8) (31 December 2019: US$1.5 billion), following repayment of US$100 million of term loans, the retirement of US$200 million of undrawn facilities and the addition and extension of US$250 million of new liquidity secured during the year. Our leverage ratio was 1.2x at the end of the period.
On 1 February 2021 and after the period end, the Group increased its short-term liquidity position by issuing £300 million in commercial paper with a maturity of 12 months under the UK Government's Covid Corporate Financing Facility. Furthermore, on 7 April 2021, the Group amended its revolving credit facility, extending $610 million of the committed facility to June 2022, with a six-month extension option to December 2022, subject to lender's agreement. The Group also agreed to amend the ADCB term loan, extending $90 million of this committed facility to April 2022.
DIVIDEND In April 2020, the Board suspended the payment of the final dividend in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall in oil prices. The Board recognises the importance of dividends to shareholders, but in light of current market conditions has decided that dividend payments will remain suspended and therefore no dividend will be paid in respect of 2020 (2019: 12.7 US cents per share).
ORDER BACKLOG The Group's backlog decreased 32% to US$5.0 billion at 31 December 2020 (2019: US$7.4 billion), reflecting low new order intake in E&C as clients deferred awards in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and fall in oil prices, as well as the termination of the US$1.5 billion Dalma contracts in the UAE.
Overall, Group order intake for the year was US$1.6 billion, representing a book-to-bill of 0.4x. The most significant new award in E&C was the Seagreen offshore wind project in Scotland with SSE for the EPC of the HVAC onshore and offshore substations. In EPS order backlog remained stable in 2020 at US$1.7 billion with a book-to-bill of 1.0x, reflecting robust order intake in challenging market conditions.
OUTLOOK Market conditions remain challenging despite a recovery in the oil price, an improvement in the near-term economic outlook and an increase in tendering activity in the first quarter of 2021. Clients are continuing to adopt tough commercial positions and delays in awards remain a risk. In this environment, and with the UAE market currently unavailable to us, our priorities are clear.
Firstly, we are focused on rebuilding our order book, which provides near-term revenue visibility. The Group has US$3.0 billion scheduled for execution in 2021, comprising US$2.2 billion in E&C and US$0.8 billion in EPS. We expect late 2021 to mark the start of a sustained recovery period for the industry, with a return to pre-2020 capex spend levels by 2023. We will seek to capitalise on this recovery in our core addressable markets, whilst also targeting growth in selective new geographies and accelerating our transition to new energies. To support this ambition, the Group has a diverse tendering pipeline of around US$20 billion of opportunities scheduled for award by the end of 2021 and US$34 billion of opportunities due for award in 2022. Notwithstanding this, we are prudently assuming that capital discipline by clients will continue to delay awards in the near term, with new orders likely to remain depressed in E&C in the current year.
Secondly, we are committed to exercising capital discipline, cutting costs and conserving cash. We are taking additional measures to reshape the business, which will reduce overhead and project support costs, whilst preserving core capability.
Finally, we are focused on delivering operational excellence, supported by investment in digitalisation, automation and process efficiency. This unrelenting focus on improving productivity and capability will help mitigate the impact of the challenging market conditions we continue to face, with both E&C and EPS net margins currently forecast to grow modestly in 2021.
STRATEGY UPDATE Sami Iskander, Petrofac's Group Chief Executive, commented:
"Clients choose Petrofac due to our differentiated capabilities, strong local content and excellent track record of execution. However, more recently we have faced a number of headwinds. Some of these were self-inflicted as a result of poor execution. Others, such as the ongoing SFO investigation (9), continue to have very real and material impact on the business. Finally, the market has created its own challenges. However, as the new CEO I am focused on rebuilding our reputation, reshaping the business, returning to growth and accelerating our pivot to new energies. We aim to reinforce our clients' confidence in us by demonstrating the highest levels of governance and delivering exceptional project execution. As we do this, we will be able to take advantage of growth in our addressable markets, including new growth areas associated with the energy transition."
Following the completion of a strategic review led by Petrofac's Group Chief Executive, Sami Iskander, the Group today announces a refreshed strategy, focused on three pillars: best-in-class delivery, returning to growth and superior returns.
Best-in-class delivery For almost 40 years, Petrofac has designed, built and operated some of the world's largest energy projects. A key point of differentiation has been the combination of agile, client-centric local execution with our global capability, which has delivered best-in-class industry margins.
Looking forward, our strategy is focused on improving the consistency of our delivery, ensuring the same high Petrofac standard of operational excellence is guaranteed on all projects. This will be achieved by simplifying our operating model and establishing a single technical services function providing technical excellence and independent assurance centrally for our global projects.
We will build on our differentiated track record of local delivery by allocating resources in existing and new markets where we see sustainable growth opportunities and where we can deepen our understanding of local client requirements, supply chains and regulations, as well as maximising In-Country Value.
Return to growth The second pillar of our strategy is to return to growth, expanding within and beyond our traditional core markets and accelerating our drive into new energies. The MENA region has the lowest costs of hydrocarbon production in the world and access to billions of barrels of reserves and resources. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, spending in these markets is expected to recover first and remain the most resilient over the long term as hydrocarbons remain a significant proportion of global energy demand, even as the world transitions towards a net zero environment.
We are targeting significant growth in new energy markets, leveraging the sophisticated and transferable skillset we have developed in oil and gas, and building on the success we have had to date in new energies markets, such as offshore wind.
Underpinning our strategy are compelling structural growth trends across our addressable markets. By 2025, we expect our total annual addressable markets to increase significantly from around US$70 billion today to around $100 billion, including around $20 billion in new energies (comprising offshore wind, CCUS, hydrogen and waste-to-energy/fuels).
Superior returns Sector-leading margins have long been central to Petrofac's investment case. Through best-in-class delivery, an enhanced operating model and a more competitive cost base, we are targeting a return to generating premium margins, consistently over the medium term.
Our transition over the past three years to a capital light business has better insulated us against the impact of current market conditions. It will also improve cash generation and returns on capital as we return to growth. We will maintain financial discipline and continue to target a net cash position in the medium term.
Through embedding ESG at the heart of everything we do and fully integrating it into our strategy, we will create sustainable value for all stakeholders and be a force for good, playing a significant role in driving the energy transition.
As we rebuild the backlog and return to generating significant free cash flow, we expect to be able to reinstate a sustainable dividend as a key element of a disciplined capital allocation framework.
NOTES Business performance before separately disclosed items. This measurement is shown by Petrofac as a means of measuring underlying business performance. Attributable to Petrofac Limited shareholders. New order intake is defined as new contract awards and extensions, net variation orders and the rolling increment attributable to EPS contracts which extend beyond five years. Backlog consists of: the estimated revenue attributable to the uncompleted portion of Engineering & Construction division projects; and, for the Engineering & Production Services division, the estimated revenue attributable to the lesser of the remaining term of the contract and five years. Associate income from the Group's investment in PetroFirst Infrastructure Limited entities was reclassified from IES to EPS with effect from 1 January 2020. Prior year comparables have been restated. Average net realised price is net of royalties and hedging gains or losses. It is based on sales volumes, which may differ from production due to under/over-lifting in the period. Net debt comprises interest-bearing loans and borrowings less cash and short-term deposits (i.e. excludes IFRS 16 lease liabilities). Gross liquidity of US$1.1 billion on 31 December 2020 consisted of US$0.6 billion of gross cash and US$0.5 billion of undrawn committed facilities. No charges have been brought against Petrofac, or any officers or current employees. Petrofac continues to engage with the SFO and will respond to any further developments as appropriate. We are focused on bringing this matter to closure as quickly as possible and believe this is in the best interests of all stakeholders.
PRESENTATION Our full year results presentation will be held at 9.30am today and will be webcast live via: https://broadcaster-audience.mediaplatform.com/#/event/606d52f6c0aea403816edf92
SEGMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL REVIEW Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser, to view our Segmental performance and Financial review for the year ended 31 December 2020 https://irpages2.eqs.com/download/companies/240395a/Other%20Information/2020_Segmental_performance_and_Financial_review.pdf
GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Click on, or paste the following link into your web browser, to view the Group financial statements of Petrofac Limited for the year ended 31 December 2020https://irpages2.eqs.com/download/companies/240395a/Other%20Information/2020_Financial_statements.pdf
The attached documents are extracts from the Group's Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020. Page number references refer to the full Annual Report when available.
ENDS
Disclaimer: This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating to the business, financial performance and results of Petrofac and the industry in which Petrofac operates. These statements may be identified by words such as "expect", "believe", "estimate", "plan", "target", or "forecast" and similar expressions, or by their context. These statements are made on the basis of current knowledge and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. Various factors could cause actual future results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed in these statements and neither Petrofac nor any other person accepts any responsibility for the accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the underlying assumptions. No obligation is assumed to update any forward-looking statements.
For further information contact:
Petrofac Limited +44 (0) 207 811 4900
Jonathan Yarr, Head of Investor Relations jonathan.yarr@petrofac.com
Alison Flynn, Group Head of Communications alison.flynn@petrofac.com +44 (0) 207 811 4913
Tulchan Communications Group +44 (0) 207 353 4200 petrofac@tulchangroup.com
Martin Robinson
LEI 2138004624W8CKCSJ177
NOTES TO EDITORS Petrofac
Petrofac is a leading international service provider to the energy industry, with a diverse client portfolio including many of the world's leading energy companies.
Petrofac designs, builds, manages and maintains oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy infrastructure. Our purpose is to enable our clients to meet the world's evolving energy needs. Our four values - driven, agile, respectful and open - are at the heart of everything we do.
Petrofac's core markets are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the UK North Sea, where we have built a long and successful track record of safe, reliable and innovative execution, underpinned by a cost effective and local delivery model with a strong focus on in-country value. We operate in several other significant markets, including India, South East Asia and the United States. We have 9,400 employees based across 31 offices globally.
Petrofac is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: PFC).
For additional information, please refer to the Petrofac website at www.petrofac.com
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| ISIN: | GB00B0H2K534 |
| Category Code: | ACS |
| TIDM: | PFC |
| LEI Code: | 2138004624W8CKCSJ177 |
| OAM Categories: | 1.1. Annual financial and audit reports |
| Sequence No.: | 99953 |
| EQS News ID: | 1186406 |
| End of Announcement | EQS News Service |
UK Regulatory announcement transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.