US' Ashland posts sales of $644 million in Q3 FY22

Net income was recorded at $36 million, compared to $80 million in the prior-year quarter. Income from continuing operations was $51 million compared to $72 million in the prior-year quarter, or $0.93 per diluted share compared to $1.17 in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted income from continuing operations excluding intangibles amortisation expense was $104 million compared to $60 million in the prior-year quarter, or $1.89 per diluted share, up from $0.98 in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA was $174 million, up 35 per cent from $129 million in the prior-year quarter.

Cash flows provided by operating activities totalled $(17) million compared to $195 million in the prior-year quarter. Ongoing free cash flow totalled $13 million compared to $112 million in the prior-year quarter primarily due to an increase in working capital reflecting higher raw-material costs impacting both inventories and accounts receivable balances, in addition to the ongoing rebuild of inventory levels, the company said in a press release.

“As we indicated in our earnings update on July 18, we are encouraged by the strong demand in each of our segments and the exceptional discipline throughout our global organisation, especially pricing and product mix actions being demonstrated by our commercial teams to offset widespread cost inflation,” said Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer, Ashland. “The Ashland team is executing well across the globe. The size of our company and global footprint, the focus on resilient consumer end markets and the lower overall exposure to petrochemical-based price volatility contributed to strong results during the third fiscal."

For the full fiscal year, the company now expects sales in the range of $2.35 billion to $2.40 billion which represents approximately 13 per cent year-over-year growth at the mid-point. Additionally, Ashland now expects Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $580 million to $590 million which represents approximately 18 per cent year-over-year growth at the mid-point.

“We expect underlying near-term demand to remain strong for our focused ingredients and additives product portfolio and to continue to build inventories to mitigate supply-chain and shipping challenges,” continued Novo. “Pricing and mix-improvement actions should cover current cost inflation. The Ashland team is prepared to take further action to recover any additional cost inflation, both this year and beyond.”

“We are not immune to the challenging external factors impacting the global economy, and the timing, breadth and magnitude of these risks could impact our financial results this year and beyond. The war in Ukraine, the strengthening US dollar and broader foreign currency headwinds, energy cost and availability in Europe impacting customer and supplier operations, additional pandemic-related lockdowns, global supply-chain and shipping challenges and continued cost-inflation pressures are currently the greatest areas of uncertainty. Despite these external uncertainties, we are focused on what we can control. We have raised our outlook for sales and Adjusted EBITDA in this fiscal year due to the strong results demonstrated through the first three quarters, the resilient nature of our portfolio and the consumer-focused end markets we serve, and our limited overall exposure to the most inflationary petrochemical-based cost drivers. The Ashland team is executing at a high level, and we are prepared for both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. I look forward to discussing our results and outlook in more detail on the earnings call and webcast tomorrow morning,” concluded Novo.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)