Northwest Pipe Reports Q2 2011 Results and Announces Conference Call


VANCOUVER, WA--(Marketwire - Aug 5, 2011) - Northwest Pipe Company (NASDAQ: NWPX) today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2011 and that it will broadcast its second quarter 2011 earnings conference call on Monday, August 8, 2011, at 9:00 am PDT.

Second Quarter 2011 Results

Net sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 increased 49.6% to $143.8 million compared to $96.1 million in the quarter ended June 30, 2010. Gross profit was $17.9 million (12.5% of net sales) in the second quarter of 2011, an increase of $12.1 million from $5.8 million (6.0% of net sales) in the same quarter of 2010. Net income for the second quarter of 2011 was $5.4 million or $0.57 per diluted share compared to a loss of $1.4 million or ($0.15) per diluted share for the same period in 2010.

Water Transmission sales increased by 32.8% to $74.5 million in the second quarter of 2011 from $56.1 million in the second quarter of 2010. The increase in sales was due to a 16% increase in average selling price and a 14% increase in volume. Water Transmission gross profit increased to $12.0 million (16.1% of segment net sales) in the second quarter of 2011 from $5.0 million (8.9% of segment net sales) in the same quarter of the prior year. Water Transmission sales and gross profit were favorably impacted by the mix of contracts produced during the quarter.

Tubular Products sales increased 73.1% to $69.3 million in the second quarter of 2011 from $40.1 million in the second quarter of 2010, driven by a 48% increase in tons sold from 37,635 tons to 55,697 tons and a 17% increase in the average selling price per ton. The most significant increase in demand was for energy pipe, resulting from increases in natural gas and oil drilling operations. This enabled us to utilize the additional capacity brought into production in Bossier City, Louisiana over the course of 2010. Tubular Products gross profit increased to $5.9 million (8.5% of segment net sales) in the second quarter of 2011 from $0.8 million (1.9% of segment net sales) in the same quarter of 2010. While gross profit increased with the increase in sales, it was tempered by higher steel costs as selling prices did not increase as rapidly as steel costs in the second quarter of 2011.

As of June 30, 2011, the backlog of orders was approximately $256 million, with the Water Transmission segment representing approximately $208 million and the Tubular Products segment representing approximately $48 million. The backlog includes confirmed orders, including the balance of projects in process, and projects for which the Company has been notified that they have been the successful bidder even though a binding agreement has not been executed.

Outlook

"We expect Water Transmission and Tubular Products sales and profit to continue to grow in 2011 compared to 2010," said Richard Roman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "However, we currently project a decline in bidding activity during the remainder of 2011 for our Water Transmission segment which may result in a lower backlog for that segment as we enter 2012."

Conference Call

The Company will hold its second quarter 2011 earnings conference call on Monday, August 8, 2011 at 9 am PDT. The live call can be accessed by dialing 800-369-3340 passcode NWPIPE. For those unable to attend the live call, a replay will be available approximately one hour after the event and will remain available for 30 days by dialing 888-300-0177 passcode 6301.

About Northwest Pipe Company

Northwest Pipe Company manufactures welded steel pipe and other products in two business groups. Its Water Transmission Group is the leading supplier of large diameter, high-pressure steel pipe products that are used primarily for water infrastructure in North America. Its Tubular Products Group manufactures smaller diameter steel pipe for a wide range of products including energy, construction, agriculture and industrial systems. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington and has ten manufacturing facilities across the United States and Mexico.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release by Richard A. Roman are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business, management's beliefs, and assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of important factors. While it is impossible to identify all such factors, those that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by us include changes in demand and market prices for our products, product mix, bidding activity, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, production schedules, the price and availability of raw materials, excess or shortage of production capacity, international trade policy and regulations and other risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and from time to time in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. If we do update or correct one or more forward-looking statements, investors and others should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements.

NORTHWEST PIPE COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)
(Dollar and share amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30, June 30,
2011 2010 2011 2010
Net sales:
Water Transmission $ 74,459 $ 56,060 $ 133,104 $ 108,745
Tubular Products 69,342 40,065 122,155 67,762
Net sales 143,801 96,125 255,259 176,507
Cost of sales:
Water Transmission 62,458 51,069 110,912 97,081
Tubular Products 63,414 39,289 110,834 64,562
Total cost of sales 125,872 90,358 221,746 161,643
Gross profit:
Water Transmission 12,001 4,991 22,192 11,664
Tubular Products 5,928 776 11,321 3,200
Total gross profit 17,929 5,767 33,513 14,864
Selling, general, and administrative expense 5,381 6,621 12,696 13,266
Operating income (loss)
Water Transmission 9,861 3,080 18,418 7,736
Tubular Products 5,092 (15 ) 9,460 1,839
Corporate (2,405 ) (3,919 ) (7,061 ) (7,977 )
Operating income (loss) 12,548 (854 ) 20,817 1,598
Other expense (income) 1,604 228 1,717 (427 )
Interest income (56 ) (235 ) (89 ) (466 )
Interest expense 2,344 1,934 4,718 3,276
Income (loss) before income taxes 8,656 (2,781 ) 14,471 (785 )
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 3,281 (1,384 ) 5,530 (444 )
Net income (loss) $ 5,375 $ (1,397 ) $ 8,941 $ (341 )
Basic earnings (loss) per share $ 0.58 $ (0.15 ) $ 0.96 $ (0.04 )
Diluted earnings (loss) per share $ 0.57 $ (0.15 ) $ 0.96 $ (0.04 )
Shares used in per share calculations:
Basic 9,327 9,278 9,316 9,264
Diluted 9,355 9,278 9,348 9,264
NORTHWEST PIPE COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(Dollar amounts in thousands)
June 30, December 31,
2011 2010
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 43 $ 51
Trade and other receivables, net 93,753 66,474
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts 59,811 45,533
Inventories 74,178 80,887
Other current assets 8,008 23,755
Total current assets 235,793 216,700
Property and equipment, net 171,661 171,766
Other assets 40,683 46,739
Total assets $ 448,137 $ 435,205
Liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt $ 6,832 $ 6,801
Note payable to financial institution 72,819 -
Accounts payable 19,478 28,463
Accrued liabilities 18,388 11,448
Billings in excess of cost and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts 18,884 14,808
Total current liabilities 136,401 61,520
Note payable to financial institution - 68,000
Other long-term debt, less current maturities 20,664 25,517
Other long-term liabilities 35,785 34,522
Total liabilities 192,850 189,559
Stockholders' equity 255,287 245,646
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 448,137 $ 435,205

Contact Information:

CONTACT

Robin Gantt
Chief Financial Officer
360-397-6250