News Releases

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE: WCN) today announced its results for the third quarter of 2014.  Revenue totaled $546.6 million, an 8.5% increase over revenue of $503.6 million in the year ago period.  Operating income was $116.0 million compared to $115.6 million in the third quarter of 2013.   Adjusted EBITDA* in the third quarter of 2014 was $192.3 million, up 8.6% over adjusted EBITDA* of $177.1 million in the prior year period.  Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, excludes the impact of items such as gains or losses on the disposal of assets and impairments, and acquisition-related costs, as shown in the detailed reconciliation in the attached table.

Net income attributable to Waste Connections in the quarter was $60.1 million, or $0.48 per share on a diluted basis of 124.8 million shares.  In the year ago period, the Company reported net income attributable to Waste Connections of $60.7 million, or $0.49 per share on a diluted basis of 124.3 million shares.

Adjusted net income attributable to Waste Connections* in the quarter was $70.2 million, or $0.56 per share, versus $63.7 million, or $0.51 per share, in the prior year period.  Adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share, both non-GAAP measures, exclude certain items net of tax, as shown in the detailed reconciliation in the attached table, that affect comparability of results between periods.

"We once again are extremely pleased with our strong performance in the quarter.  Improving commercial collection trends and a 7% increase in municipal solid waste landfill tonnage drove better than expected solid waste volume growth, and E&P waste activity continued to grow in excess of 20% despite more difficult prior year comps and unusually wet weather in the Permian," said Ronald J. Mittelstaedt, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman.  "Year-to-date, our EBITDA margin has expanded almost 60 basis points, and we've converted more than half of our EBITDA into free cash flow despite a 75% increase in cash taxes.  Our strong financial performance positioned us for another double-digit increase in our quarterly cash dividend and, we believe, was a key contributor to our recent two-notch credit rating upgrade to "BBB+" by S&P."

Mr. Mittelstaedt added, "Discipline in deploying capital is as important now as ever as we have been reviewing a record amount of potential growth opportunities.  In addition to the previously announced acquisition of two development stage landfills earlier this year, we're pleased to announce recent new market entry acquisitions of solid waste collection operations in Alabama and North Dakota, with combined annualized revenue of almost $20 million. In addition, to further strengthen our E&P waste asset positioning, we acquired a treatment and disposal company with two landfills in the Bakken, with current annualized revenue of about $10 million and ramping, and four additional permitting opportunities in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.  These transactions, along with other acquisitions we expect to complete over the next few months, provide additional building blocks for growth and margin expansion in 2015."

* A non-GAAP measure; see accompanying Non-GAAP Reconciliation Schedule

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, revenue was $1.55 billion, a 7.6% increase over revenue of $1.44 billion in the year ago period.  Operating income was $335.3 million compared to $295.6 million for the same period in 2013.  Adjusted EBITDA* for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, was $538.9 million, up 9.4% over adjusted EBITDA* of $492.5 million in the prior year period.  Net income attributable to Waste Connections for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, was $171.8 million, or $1.38 per share on a diluted basis of 124.8 million shares.  In the year ago period, the Company reported net income attributable to Waste Connections of $146.2 million, or $1.18 per share on a diluted basis of 124.1 million shares.  Adjusted net income attributable to Waste Connections* for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, was $190.9 million, or $1.53 per share, compared to $167.3 million, or $1.35 per share, in the year ago period.

Waste Connections, Inc. is an integrated solid waste services company that provides waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services in mostly exclusive and secondary markets.  Through its R360 Environmental Solutions subsidiary, the Company is also a leading provider of non-hazardous oilfield waste treatment, recovery and disposal services in several of the most active natural resource producing areas in the United States, including the Permian, Bakken and Eagle Ford Basins.  Waste Connections serves more than two million residential, commercial, industrial, and exploration and production customers from a network of operations in 31 states.  The Company also provides intermodal services for the movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest.  Waste Connections, Inc. was founded in September 1997 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

Waste Connections will be hosting a conference call related to third quarter earnings and fourth quarter outlook on October 22^nd at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.  The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at www.streetevents.com or through a link on our website at www.wasteconnections.com.  A playback of the call will be available at both of these websites.

For more information, visit the Waste Connections web site at www.wasteconnections.com.  Copies of financial literature, including this release, are available on the Waste Connections website or through contacting us directly at (832) 442-2200.

* A non-GAAP measure; see accompanying Non-GAAP Reconciliation Schedule

Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are forward-looking in nature, including statements related to: trends in our business; the expected contribution from recently completed acquisitions; expected acquisition activity; the Company's ability to finance additional acquisitions and newly permitted E&P waste facilities; and the Company's ability to grow and expand margins.  These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," or "anticipates," or the negative thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those projected include, but are not limited to, the following:  (1) our results are vulnerable to economic conditions; (2) our industry is highly competitive and includes larger and better capitalized companies, companies with lower prices, return expectations or other advantages, and governmental service providers, which could adversely affect our ability to compete and our operating results; (3) our E&P waste business depends on the level of drilling and production activity in the basins in which we operate and the willingness of E&P companies to outsource their waste services activities; (4) we have limited experience in running an E&P waste treatment, recovery and disposal business; (5) competition for acquisition candidates, consolidation within the waste industry and economic and market conditions may limit our ability to grow through acquisitions; (6)  our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and limit our financial flexibility; (7) price increases may not be adequate to offset the impact of increased costs, or may cause us to lose volume; (8) fluctuations in prices for recycled commodities that we sell and rebates we offer to customers may cause our revenues and operating results to decline; (9) the seasonal nature of our business and "event-driven" waste projects cause our results to fluctuate; (10) we may lose contracts through competitive bidding, early termination or governmental action; (11) increases in labor costs could impact our financial results; (12) increases in the price of diesel or compressed natural gas fuel may adversely affect our collection business and reduce our operating margins; (13) labor union activity could divert management attention and adversely affect our operating results; (14) we could face significant withdrawal liability if we withdraw from participation in one or more multiemployer pension plans in which we participate and the accrued pension benefits are not fully funded; (15) our financial results could be adversely affected by impairments of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangibles; (16) we may incur charges related to capitalized expenditures of landfill development projects, which would decrease our earnings; (17) pending or future litigation or governmental proceedings could result in material adverse consequences, including judgments or settlements; (18) we may be subject in the normal course of business to judicial, administrative or other third party proceedings that could interrupt or limit our operations, require expensive remediation, result in adverse judgments, settlements or fines and create negative publicity; (19) increases in insurance costs and the amount that we self-insure for various risks could reduce our operating margins and reported earnings; (20) a portion of our growth and future financial performance depends on our ability to integrate acquired businesses, and the success of our acquisitions; (21) each business that we acquire or have acquired may have liabilities or risks that we fail or are unable to discover, or that become more adverse to our business than we anticipated at the time of acquisition; (22) our financial results are based upon estimates and assumptions that may differ from actual results; (23) our accruals for our landfill site closure and post-closure costs may be inadequate; (24) we depend significantly on the services of the members of our senior and regional management team, and the departure of any of those persons could cause our operating results to suffer; (25) our decentralized decision-making structure could allow local managers to make decisions that adversely affect our operating results; (26) liabilities for environmental damage may adversely affect our financial condition, business and earnings; (27) we rely on computer systems to run our business and disruptions or privacy breaches in these systems could impact our ability to service our customers and adversely affect our financial results, damage our reputation, and expose us to litigation risk; and (28) if we are not able to develop and protect intellectual property, or if a competitor develops or obtains exclusive rights to a breakthrough technology, our financial results may suffer.  These risks and uncertainties, as well as others, are discussed in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.  There may be additional risks of which we are not presently aware or that we currently believe are immaterial which could have an adverse impact on our business.  We make no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may change.

– financial tables attached –

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS
(Dollars in thousands)

Solid Waste Internal Growth:  The following table reflects a breakdown of the components of our solid waste internal growth for the three months ended September 30, 2014:

Revenue Breakdown: The following table reflects a breakdown of our revenue for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2014:

Contribution from Acquisitions: The following table reflects revenues from acquisitions, net of divestitures, for the three month periods ending September 30, 2013 and 2014:

Other Cash Flow Items: The following table reflects cash interest and cash taxes for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2013 and 2014:

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS (continued)

Debt to Book Capitalization as of September 30, 2014:  46%

Internalization for the three months ended September 30, 2014:  52%

Days Sales Outstanding for the three months ended September 30, 2014:  44 (31 net of deferred revenue)

Share Information for the three months ended September 30, 2014:

NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION SCHEDULE
(in thousands)

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA:

Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided supplementally because it is widely used by investors as a performance and valuation measure in the solid waste industry.  Management uses adjusted EBITDA as one of the principal measures to evaluate and monitor the ongoing financial performance of the Company's operations.  Waste Connections defines adjusted EBITDA as net income, plus income tax provision, plus interest expense, plus depreciation and amortization expense, plus closure and post-closure accretion expense, plus or minus any loss or gain on disposal of assets and impairments, plus other expense, less other income.  The Company further adjusts this calculation to exclude the effects of other items management believes impact the ability to assess the operating performance of our business.  This measure is not a substitute for, and should be used in conjunction with, GAAP financial measures.  Other companies may calculate adjusted EBITDA differently.

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NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION SCHEDULE (continued)
(in thousands)

Reconciliation of Adjusted Free Cash Flow:

Adjusted free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, is provided supplementally because it is widely used by investors as a valuation and liquidity measure in the solid waste industry.  Management uses adjusted free cash flow as one of the principal measures to evaluate and monitor the ongoing financial performance of the Company's operations.  Waste Connections defines adjusted free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities, plus proceeds from disposal of assets, plus or minus change in book overdraft, plus excess tax benefit associated with equity-based compensation, less capital expenditures for property and equipment and distributions to noncontrolling interests.  The Company further adjusts this calculation to exclude the effects of items management believes impact the ability to assess the operating performance of its business.  This measure is not a substitute for, and should be used in conjunction with, GAAP liquidity or financial measures.  Other companies may calculate adjusted free cash flow differently. 

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NON-GAAP RECONCILIATION SCHEDULE (continued)
(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Net Income per Diluted Share:

Adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share, both non-GAAP financial measures, are provided supplementally because they are widely used by investors as a valuation measure in the solid waste industry.  Management uses adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share as one of the principal measures to evaluate and monitor the ongoing financial performance of the Company's operations.  Waste Connections provides adjusted net income to exclude the effects of items management believes impact the comparability of operating results between periods.  Adjusted net income has limitations due to the fact that it excludes items that have an impact on the Company's financial condition and results of operations.  Adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share are not a substitute for, and should be used in conjunction with, GAAP financial measures.  Other companies may calculate adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share differently. 

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SOURCE Waste Connections, Inc.