TFI International Announces 2018 First Quarter Results


  • First quarter diluted earnings per share more than tripled from prior year period to $0.53
  • Adjusted diluted earnings per share1 up 60% over the prior year period to $0.56
  • Operating income up 56% over the prior year period to $65.9 million; operating margin nearly doubled in Truckload
  • New Logistics and Last Mile operating segment adds additional insight into TFI’s largest asset-light operations
  • New financial and operating disclosures for U.S. Truckload operations will facilitate benchmarking against U.S. peers

MONTREAL, April 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TFI International Inc. (TSX:TFII) (OTCQX:TFIFF), a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018.

“Earnings increased substantially at all four of our reportable segments, most sharply in Truckload,” said Alain Bédard, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We also enhanced transparency with the creation of a Logistics and Last Mile operating segment, which is now our second largest segment by revenue. This is a fast-growing market that we are well positioned to serve, and we believe our new segmentation better clarifies our ongoing progress.”

Financial highlightsQuarters ended March 31
(in millions of dollars, except per share data)20182017
Total revenue1,196.5 1,204.1
Revenue before fuel surcharge1,061.6 1,091.5
Adjusted EBITDA1129.0 109.5
Operating income65.9 42.1
Net cash from operating activities from continuing operations57.8 50.3
Adjusted net income150.8 32.9
Adjusted EPS - diluted1 ($)0.56 0.35
Net income48.2 14.1
EPS – diluted ($)0.53 0.15
Weighted average number of shares ('000s)88,950 91,609
1 This is a non-IFRS measure. For a reconciliation, please refer to the “Non-IFRS Financial Measures” section below.

FIRST QUARTER RESULTS
Total revenue of $1.20 billion was flat compared to the prior year period. Net of fuel surcharge, revenue of $1.06 billion compares to $1.09 billion in the prior year period. The slight decrease reflects a negative currency impact of $22.0 million, as well as the company’s focus on profitable revenue and shedding business that does not meet our return requirements.

Operating income grew 56% to $65.9 million from $42.1 million the prior year period, driven by strong execution across the organization, as well as higher quality of freight and better network efficiency in our U.S. Truckload operations.

Net income was $48.2 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, versus $14.1 million, or $0.15 per diluted share the prior year period. Adjusted net income, which excludes amortization of intangible assets related to business acquisitions, net change in the fair value of derivatives, net foreign exchange gain or loss, gain or loss on sale of property and impairment of intangible assets, net of tax, was $50.8 million compared to $32.9 million the prior year period.

SEGMENTED RESULTS    
(in millions of dollars)Quarters ended March 31
 2018     2017   
 $
  $  
Revenue1      
 Package and Courier142.4   145.6  
 Less-Than-Truckload203.6   224.6  
 Truckload490.7   489.7  
 Logistics and Last Mile236.6   245.6  
 Eliminations(11.6) (14.0) 
 Total1,061.6   1,091.5  
 $

 % of Rev.1
  % of Rev.1 
Operating income (loss)    
 Package and Courier20.6  14.5%15.7 10.8%
 Less-Than-Truckload9.5  4.7%9.1 4.0%
 Truckload29.0  5.9%14.8 3.0%
 Logistics and Last Mile15.0  6.3%12.3 5.0%
 Corporate(8.3) (9.7) 
 Total65.9  6.2%42.1 3.9%
Note: due to rounding, totals may differ slightly from the sum.  
1 Revenue before fuel surcharge.    

CASH FLOW AND FINANCIAL POSITION
Net cash from operating activities from continuing operations was $57.8 million, up 15% from $50.3 million the prior year quarter. The company returned $54.3 million to shareholders, of which $18.7 million was through dividends and $35.6 million was through share repurchases. TFI International’s long-term-debt-to-equity ratio stood at 1.05 as of March 31, 2018, down slightly from 1.06 at the end of 2017.

CONFERENCE CALL
TFI International will host a conference call on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. Interested parties can join the call by dialling 1-877-223-4471. A recording of the call will be available until midnight, May 8, 2018, by dialing 1-800-585-8367 or 416-621-4642 and entering passcode 4491928.

ABOUT TFI INTERNATIONAL
TFI International Inc. is a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, operating across the United States, Canada and Mexico through its subsidiaries. TFI International creates value for shareholders by identifying strategic acquisitions and managing a growing network of wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. Under the TFI International umbrella, companies benefit from financial and operational resources to build their businesses and increase their efficiency. TFI International companies service the following segments:

  • Package and Courier;
  • Less-Than-Truckload;
  • Truckload;
  • Logistics and Last Mile.

TFI International Inc. is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:TFII) and the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. (OTCQX:TFIFF). For more information, visit http://www.tfiintl.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Except for historical information provided herein, this press release may contain information and statements of a forward-looking nature concerning the future performance of TFI International. These statements are based on assumptions and uncertainties as well as on management's best possible evaluation of future events. Such factors may include, without excluding other considerations, fluctuations in quarterly results, evolution in customer demand for TFI International's products and services, the impact of price pressures exerted by competitors, and general market trends or economic changes. As a result, readers are advised that actual results may differ from expected results.

NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES
This press release includes references to certain non-IFRS financial measures as described below. These non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Accordingly, they should not be considered in isolation, in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The terms and definitions of the non-IFRS measures used in this press release and a reconciliation of each non-IFRS measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure are provided below.

Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as net income or loss before finance income and costs, income tax expense (recovery), depreciation, amortization, gain or loss on sale of land and buildings and assets held for sale and impairment of intangible assets. Management believes adjusted EBITDA to be a useful supplemental measure. Adjusted EBITDA is provided to assist in determining the ability of the Company to generate cash from its operations.

Adjusted EBITDAQuarters ended March 31
(unaudited, in millions of dollars)2018 2017 
Net income48.2  14.1  
Net finance costs13.9  15.4  
Income tax expense (recovery)13.3  (0.5)
Depreciation of property and equipment47.4  52.3  
Amortization of intangible assets15.8  15.1  
Gain on sale of land and buildings and assets held for sale(9.5)(0.0)
Impairment of intangible assets-  13.2  
Adjusted EBITDA129.0  109.5  
Note: due to rounding, totals may differ slightly from the sum.  

Adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share, basic or diluted
Adjusted net income is calculated as net income or loss excluding amortization of intangible assets related to business acquisitions, net change in the fair value of derivatives, net foreign exchange gain or loss, gain or loss on sale of land and buildings and assets held for sale and impairment of intangible assets, net of tax. Adjusted earnings per share, basic or diluted, is calculated as adjusted net income divided by the weighted average number of common shares, basic or diluted. The Company uses adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share to measure its performance from one period to the next, without the variation caused by the impacts of the items described above. The Company excludes these items because they affect the comparability of its financial results and could potentially distort the analysis of trends in its business performance. Excluding these items does not imply they are necessarily non-recurring.

Adjusted net incomeQuarters ended March 31
(unaudited, in millions of dollars, except per share data)2018 2017 
Net income48.2  14.1  
Amortization of intangible assets related to business acquisitions, net of tax11.2  9.3  
Net change in fair value of derivatives, net of tax(0.1)(0.4)
Net foreign exchange (gain) loss, net of tax(0.2)1.1  
(Gain) loss on sale of land and buildings and assets held for sale, net of tax(8.2)0.1  
Impairment of intangible assets, net of tax-  8.7  
Adjusted net income50.8  32.9  
Adjusted earnings per share - basic0.57  0.36  
Adjusted earnings per share - diluted0.56  0.35  
Note: due to rounding, totals may differ slightly from the sum.  

Note to readers:  Unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and Management’s Discussion & Analysis are available on TFI International’s website at http://www.tfiintl.com.

For further information:
Alain Bédard
Chairman, President and CEO
TFI International Inc.
(647) 729-4079
abedard@tfiintl.com