Sprague Resources LP Announces the Closing of Capi

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Feb. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprague Resources LP (“Sprague”) (NYSE: SRLP ) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Sprague Operating Resources LLC, completed the purchase of Capital Terminal Company’s refined product terminal asset in East Providence, RI for $23 million in cash, plus payments for other customary items.  This terminal had been leased exclusively by Sprague since April 2014 and has a combined storage capacity of just over 1 million barrels.  A total of $11 million in expansion capital will also be invested as part of this acquisition and subsequent optimization with Sprague’s Providence terminal.

This follows the recently announced purchase of Global Partners LP’s natural gas marketing and electricity brokerage assets for approximately $17.3 million in cash and the acquisition of L. E. Belcher, Inc.’s refined product terminal assets in Springfield, MA for $20 million in cash.

“I’m excited to announce the closing of our third transaction this month, which highlights our commitment to growth and the successful execution of that strategy. These acquisitions continue our natural gas marketing and electricity brokerage roll up strategy, while expanding our portfolio of refined product terminals and material handling assets.  The value of these acquisitions is enhanced by leveraging our unique supply and logistics capabilities, as we further expand our footprint and increase customer penetration within our core business segments” said David Glendon, Sprague’s President and CEO. “These additions are expected to be accretive to distributable cash flow and generate an estimated $10 to $13 million of adjusted EBITDA annually.  Sprague’s financial performance has allowed us to grow distributions while maintaining healthy distribution coverage, and simultaneously de-levering our balance sheet. Our existing credit facility provides sufficient liquidity to finance these acquisitions, and we expect our permanent leverage ratio to remain within our targeted 2.5 to 3.5 times.”

About Sprague Resources LP  Sprague Resources LP is engaged in the purchase, storage, distribution and sale of refined petroleum products and natural gas. The company also provides storage and handling services for a broad range of materials.  More information concerning Sprague can be found at www.spragueenergy.com .

Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management’s control. Although Sprague believes that the assumptions underlying these statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and involve risks that may affect our business prospects and performance causing actual results to differ from those discussed in the foregoing release.  Such risks and uncertainties include, by way of example and not of limitation: increased competition for our products or services; changes in supply or demand for our products; changes in operating conditions and costs; changes in the level of environmental remediation spending; potential equipment malfunction; potential labor issues; the legislative or regulatory environment; terminal construction/repair delays; nonperformance by major customers or suppliers; and political and economic conditions, including the impact of potential terrorist acts and international hostilities. These and other applicable risks and uncertainties have been described more fully in Sprague’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 10, 2016, and in our subsequent Form 10-Q filings, as well as Form 8-K and other documents filed with the SEC. Sprague undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events.  You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement the financial information presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), Sprague’s management uses certain non-GAAP financial measurements to evaluate its results of operations which include EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted gross margin and distributable cash flow. Sprague believes that investors benefit from having access to the same financial measures that are used by its management and that these measures are useful to investors because they aid in comparing its operating performance with that of other companies with similar operations.

As EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted gross margin and distributable cash flow are measures not prepared in accordance with GAAP they should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss), or operating income or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP.  Additionally, Sprague's calculations of non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other businesses because they may be defined differently by other companies.

You can find disclosures on our use of these non-GAAP measures, as well as reconciliations between GAAP and these non-GAAP measures, in Sprague's "Non-GAAP Measures Quarterly Supplement" located in the Investor Relations section of Sprague’s website at www.spragueenergy.com .

EBITDA Sprague defines EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is used as a supplemental financial measure by external users of Sprague’s financial statements, such as investors, trade suppliers, research analysts and commercial banks to assess:

• The financial performance of Sprague’s assets, operations and return on capital without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis;
• The ability of our assets to generate sufficient revenue, that when rendered to cash, will be available to pay interest on our indebtedness and make distributions to our equity holders;
• Repeatable operating performance that is not distorted by non-recurring items or market volatility; and
• The viability of acquisitions and capital expenditure projects.

Adjusted Gross Margin and Adjusted EBITDA The Partnership trades, purchases, stores and sells energy commodities that experience market value fluctuations. To manage the Partnership’s underlying performance, including its physical and derivative positions, management utilizes adjusted gross margin, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted gross margin is also used by external users of the Partnership’s consolidated financial statements to assess the Partnership’s economic results of operations and its commodity market value reporting to lenders. In determining adjusted gross margin, the Partnership adjusts its segment results for the impact of unrealized hedging gains and losses with regard to refined products and natural gas inventory, prepaid forward contracts and natural gas transportation contracts, which are not marked to market for the purpose of recording unrealized gains or losses in net income (loss). These adjustments align the unrealized hedging gains and losses to the period in which the revenue from the sale of inventory, prepaid fixed forwards and the utilization of transportation contracts relating to those hedges is realized in net income (loss). Adjusted gross margin has no impact on reported volumes or net sales. Adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA are used as supplemental financial measures by management to describe its operations and economic performance to investors, trade suppliers, research analysts and commercial banks to assess:

• The economic results of its operations;
• The market value of its inventory and natural gas transportation contracts for financial reporting to lenders, as well as for borrowing base purposes; and
• Repeatable operating performance that is not distorted by non-recurring items or market volatility.

Distributable Cash Flow

Sprague defines distributable cash flow as adjusted EBITDA less cash interest expense, cash taxes, and maintenance capital expenditures.  Distributable cash flow calculations also reflect the elimination of compensation expense expected to be settled with the issuance of Partnership units, expenses related to business combinations and other adjustments. Distributable cash flow is a significant performance measure used by Sprague and by external users of its financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks and research analysts, to compare the cash generating performance of the Partnership in relation to the cash distributions expected to be paid to its unitholders. Distributable cash flow is also an important financial measure for Sprague’s unitholders since it serves as an indicator of its success in providing a cash return on investment. Additionally, distributable cash flow is utilized as a performance measure in certain of its compensation plans. Distributable cash flow indicates to investors whether or not Sprague can generate performance that can sustain or support an increase in quarterly distribution rates. Distributable cash flow is also a quantitative standard used throughout the investment community with respect to publicly-traded partnerships because the value of a unit of such an entity is generally determined by the unit's yield, which in turn is based on the amount of cash distributions the entity pays to a unitholder.

Expansion Capital Expenditures

Expansion capital expenditures are capital expenditures made to increase the long-term operating capacity of our assets or our operating income whether through construction or acquisition of additional assets. Examples of expansion capital expenditures include the acquisition of equipment and the development or acquisition of additional storage capacity, to the extent such capital expenditures are expected to expand our operating capacity or our operating income.

Permanent Leverage Ratio Sprague uses the term "permanent leverage ratio" when referring to its Consolidated Total Leverage Ratio as contained in its Credit Agreement.  Sprague's permanent leverage ratio equates to the aggregate of its acquisition facility borrowings, capital lease obligations, debentures and other debt divided by the consolidated trailing twelve-month adjusted EBITDA, as defined by the Credit Agreement. For computing compliance with the Credit Agreement, Sprague makes modifications to adjusted EBIDTA to reflect the pro forma effect of acquisitions and adjusts for interest income, non-cash expenses, gain (loss) on sale of assets and other extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring losses and charges.  Management believes the permanent leverage ratio is helpful to investors in assessing the Partnership's overall debt profile and is used by management to evaluate its ability to finance capital expenditures and acquisitions.

Investor Contact: Kory Arthur +1 603.766.7401 karthur@spragueenergy.com