STEALTHGAS INC. Reports Fourth Quarter and Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2015 Financial and Operating Results

ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- STEALTHGAS INC. (NASDAQ:GASS), a ship-owning company primarily serving the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry, announced today its unaudited financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2015.

OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Successful delivery of ten new eco LPG carriers in 2015
• Year on year increase of vessel calendar days by 15%.
• Operational utilization of 92.5% in 2015.
• Continuous reduction of daily opex costs and breakeven levels in 2015 – an outcome of successful management and operations.
• 63% of vessels on period charters for 2016, with a total of $200 million in contracted revenues.
• Revenues in 12M 2015 of $141.3 million, increased by $9.3 million compared to 12M 2014.
• Adjusted EBITDA in 12M 2015 of $58.4 million ($63.2 million in 12M 2014).
• Asset base surpassed $1 billion driven by the addition of our new eco LPG vessels.
• Moderate gearing since debt to assets stands at about 41% while net debt to assets is as low as 31%.
• Cash on hand of $100 million with strong operating cashflow of about $48 million.
• Stock repurchase of 3.6 million shares for a total $19.4 million, from the beginning of the program in December 2014 to date.

Fourth quarter 2015 Results:

• Revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $37.4 million, an increase of $2.4 million, or 6.9%, compared to revenues of $35.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014, primarily due to the net addition of 8 vessels which increased the number of operating vessels to 55 as of the end of December 2015.
• Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2015 were $4.2 million and $14.2 million, respectively, compared to $3.5 million and $11.8 million, respectively, for the three months ended December 31, 2014. The $0.7 million increase in voyage expenses was primarily due to the higher number of vessels under spot charters in the 2015 period. During the fourth quarter of 2015 the Company had a 120.0% increase in spot days compared to the same period of 2014. The 20.3% increase in operating expenses compared to the same period of 2014, is due to a net fleet expansion of eight vessels, and one vessel coming off bareboat, resulting in an increased time charter and spot activity of 530 days. It is noted that for yet another quarter, our daily operating costs decreased as a result of our fleet expansion with the new eco LPG vessels, and the continued implementation of our efficient management policies.
• Drydocking costs for the three months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were $0.8 million and nil, respectively. The cost for the fourth quarter of 2015 corresponds to the drydocking of two vessels. Overall, in 2016 the Company has scheduled drydockings for seven vessels.
• Depreciation for the three months ended December 31, 2015, was $9.7 million, a $0.9 million increase from $8.8 million for the same period of last year. This increase was due to the additional depreciation for ten vessels joining the fleet in 2015 which was partly offset by the decrease in depreciation caused by our Company’s decision to sell and lease back in Q4 2014 two of our LPG vessels, the Gas Cathar and the Gas Premiership, as well as our strategic decision to scrap, in April 2015, two of our oldest LPG carriers, the Gas Kaizen and the Gas Crystal.
• Included in the fourth quarter 2015 results are net losses from interest rate derivative instruments and foreign currency forward arrangements of $0.27 million. Interest paid on interest rate swap arrangements amounted to $0.38 million, loss on settlement of foreign currency forward arrangements amounted to $0.67 and net gains from change in fair value of the same interest rate derivative instruments and foreign currency forward arrangements amounted to $0.78 million.
• The Company recorded an impairment loss of $4.7 million for two of its oldest vessels.
• As a result of the above, the Company reported a loss for the three months ended December 31, 2015 of $3.1 million, compared to a loss of $1.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014. The weighted average number of shares for the three months ended December 31, 2015 decreased to 40.5 million compared to 43.4 million for the same period of last year, mainly due to the repurchase of 3.2 million shares from December 2014 to December 2015. Loss per share, basic and diluted, for the three months ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $0.08 compared to $0.03 for the same period of last year.
• Adjusted net income was $1.7 million or $0.04 per share for the three months ended December 31, 2015 compared to $5.7 million or $0.13 per share for the same period of last year.
• EBITDA for the three months ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $10.1 million. Reconciliations of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net (Loss)/Income are set forth below.
• An average of 53.0 vessels were owned by the Company during the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to 46.4 vessels for the same period of 2014. 

Twelve Months 2015 Results:

• Revenues for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, amounted to $141.3 million, an increase of $9.3 million, or 7.0%, compared to revenues of $132.0 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, primarily due to the higher number of vessels in our fleet in the 2015 period.
• Voyage expenses and vessels’ operating expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 were $17.6 million and $50.7 million, respectively, compared to $14.1 million and $45.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014. The $8.8 million aggregate increase in voyage and operating expenses was primarily due to the higher number of vessels that operated in 2015.
• Drydocking Costs for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were $1.8 million and $0.5 million, respectively, representing the costs of four vessels drydocked in the twelve-month period of 2015 and one vessel drydocked in the same period of 2014.
• Depreciation for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, was $35.9 million, a $2.1 million increase from $33.8 million for the same period of last year. This increase was due to the higher number of vessels in our fleet in the 2015 period.
• Included in the twelve months 2015 results are net losses from interest rate derivative instruments and foreign currency forward arrangements of $0.4 million. Interest paid on interest rate swap arrangements amounted to $1.4 million, loss on settlement of foreign currency forward arrangements amounted to $0.7 and gains from change in fair value of the same interest rate derivative instruments and foreign currency forward arrangements amounted to $1.7 million.
• The Company recorded an impairment loss of $8.2 million for three of its oldest vessels.
• As a result of the above, the Company reported net income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 of $2.6 million, compared to net income of $12.7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014. The weighted average number of shares for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 increased to 41.3 million compared to 39.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014, mainly due to the offering of a total of 11.4 million shares in February, May and August of 2014, the effect of which was partly offset by the repurchase of 3.2 million shares from December 2014 to December 2015. Earnings per share, basic and diluted, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $0.06 compared to $0.32 for the same period of last year.
• Adjusted net income was $10.9 million or $0.26 per share for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 compared to $18.7 million or $0.48 per share for the same period last year.
• EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $50.0 million.
• Reconciliations of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income are set forth below.
• An average of 48.8 vessels were owned by the Company during the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, compared to 44.1 vessels for the same period of 2014.
• As of December 31, 2015, cash and cash equivalents amounted to $100.0 million and total debt amounted to $422.2 million. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 debt repayments amounted to $55.9 million.

Share Repurchase Program

Since December 1, 2014 to date, the Company has repurchased a total of 3,602,495 shares at an average price of $5.37 per share for a total consideration of $19.4 million, under its $30.0 million buyback program.

Fleet Update Since Previous Announcement

On January 21, 2016, the Company sold a 3,500 cbm, 1992 built, LPG carrier - Gas Arctic.

On February 5, 2016, the Company took delivery of a 7,500 cbm, 2016 built, eco LPG carrier - Eco Nical, from a Japanese shipyard.

The Company announced the conclusion of the following chartering arrangements:  

• A six months contract of consecutive voyages for its 7,200 cbm, 2015 built, LPG carrier, Eco Galaxy, to an oil major until August 2016.
• A one year time charter extension for its 5,000 cbm, 1994 built, LPG carrier, Gas Emperor, to an international trading house until January 2017.
• A one year time charter extension for its 5,000 cbm, 2011 built, LPG carrier, Gas Myth, to an oil major until January 2017.
• A one year time charter extension for its 3,500 cbm, 2008 built, LPG carrier, Gas Imperiale, to an international trading house until January 2017.
• A six month time charter for its 5,000 cbm, 1994 built, LPG carrier, Gas Icon, to a petrochemical producer until July 2016.
• A six month time charter for its 5,000 cbm, 2015 built, LPG carrier, Eco Enigma, to an international trading house until June 2016.
• A one year time charter for its 6,300 cbm, 2007 built, LPG carrier, Gas Flawless, to an international LPG operator until January 2017.
• An eighteen month time charter for its 7,200 cbm, new building LPG carrier to be delivered in 2016, Eco Dominator, to a national LPG distributor until January 2018.
• A six month time charter for its 5,000 cbm, 1996 built, LPG carrier, Gas Nirvana, to an international trading house until July 2016.
• A one year time charter for its 5,000 cbm, 2011 built, LPG carrier, Gas Elixir, to an international LPG trader until March 2017.
• A nine month time charter extension for its 5,000 cbm, 2014 built, LPG carrier, Eco Invictus, to an international trading house until September 2016.
• A one year bareboat charter extension for its 47,000 dwt, tanker Navig8 Fidelity to an international tanker operator until January 2017.

With these charters the Company has increased its contracted revenues to $200 million. Total anticipated voyage days of our fleet are 63% covered for the remainder of 2016 and 32% covered for 2017.

CEO Harry Vafias commented

Year 2015, presented challenges stemming from the global economic environment. Nearly all sectors of the shipping industry faced considerable obstacles, but as to our segment we faced an environment of low freight rates attributable to low oil prices and to an imbalance of supply and demand of coastal LPG vessels. Our Company managed to close the year demonstrating a growth in revenue and positive income results. We have successfully executed our expansion plan, reduced our operating cost base and have preserved our superior technical efficiency. In addition, we feel that we are in good position as we enjoy a solid capital structure, with net gearing as low as 31%, assets exceeding a billion dollars and contracted revenues of $200 million. Indeed we believe that a Company’s managerial capabilities and strength are more evident in periods of weak markets. Our stock has been trading at about 25 percent of NAV so buying back our own stock has been an obvious decision for us, we have spent close to $20 million from December 2014, to date. Buying back our own stock, a strong balance sheet, a rejuvenated high quality fleet, better market conditions going forward, makes us feel optimistic for our Company’s future.

Conference Call details:

On February 25th, 2016 at 11:00 am ET, the company’s management will host a conference call to discuss the results and the company’s operations and outlook.

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1877 280 2296 (US Toll Free Dial In) or: 0800 279 5736 (UK Toll Free Dial In) Access Code: 4377385

In case of any problems with the above numbers, please dial +1646 254 3360 (US Toll Dial In), or +44(0)20 3427 1909 (Standard International Dial In). Access Code: 4377385

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available until March 2nd, 2016 by dialing +1347 366 9565 (US Local Dial In), +44(0)20 3427 0598 (UK Local Dial In).
Access Code:4377385   

Slides and audio webcast:

There will also be a live and then archived webcast of the conference call, through the STEALTHGAS INC. website (www.stealthgas.com). Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

About STEALTHGAS INC.

StealthGas Inc. is a ship-owning company primarily serving the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector of the international shipping industry.  StealthGas Inc. currently has a fleet of 49 LPG carriers, excluding the two chartered in vessels, with a total capacity of 239,187 cubic meters (cbm), three M.R. product tankers and one Aframax oil tanker with a total capacity of 255,804 deadweight tons (dwt). The Company has agreed to acquire a further 5 LPG carriers with expected deliveries ranging from the remaining of 2016 to 2017. Giving effect to the delivery of these acquisitions, StealthGas Inc.’s fleet will be composed of 54 owned LPG carriers with a total capacity of 334,387 cubic meters (cbm). StealthGas Inc.’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and trade under the symbol “GASS”.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance and may include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, management’s examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although STEALTHGAS INC. believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, STEALTHGAS INC. cannot assure you that it will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including changes in charter hire rates and vessel values, charter counterparty performance, changes in demand that may affect attitudes of time charterers to scheduled and unscheduled drydockings, shipyard performance, changes in STEALTHGAS INC’s operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry-docking and insurance costs, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in our financing arrangements, or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents and political events or acts by terrorists.

Risks and uncertainties are further described in reports filed by STEALTHGAS INC. with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fleet List and Fleet Deployment
For information on our fleet and further information:
Visit our website at www.stealthgas.com

Fleet Data:
The following key indicators highlight the Company’s operating performance during the fourth quarters and years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015.

1) Average number of vessels is the number of owned vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was a part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in that period.
2) Total calendar days for fleet are the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period including off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys.
3) Total voyage days for fleet reflect the total days the vessels we operated were in our possession for the relevant period net of off-hire days associated with major repairs, drydockings or special or intermediate surveys.
4) Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels were available for revenue generating voyage days, and is determined by dividing voyage days by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.
5) Total charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on time or bareboat charters for the relevant period.
6) Total spot market charter days for fleet are the number of voyage days the vessels operated on spot market charters for the relevant period.
7) Fleet operational utilization is the percentage of time that our vessels generated revenue, and is determined by dividing voyage days (excluding commercially idle days) by fleet calendar days for the relevant period.

Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS:

Adjusted Net income represents Net Income before loss on derivatives excluding swap interest paid, impairment loss, share based compensation and gain on sale of vessels. EBITDA represents net income before interest and finance costs including swap interest paid, interest income, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before impairment loss, share based compensation, loss on derivatives, excluding swap interest paid, and gain on sale of vessels. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are not recognized measurements under U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS may not be comparable to that reported by other companies in the shipping or other industries.  In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation.

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted EPS are included herein because they are a basis, upon which we assess our financial performance. They allow us to present our performance from period to period on a comparable basis and provide additional information on fleet operational results. We also use EBITDA to assess our liquidity position and believe it represents useful information for investors regarding a company's ability to service and/or incur indebtedness.