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Dynagas LNG Partners LP (DLNG)

Q4 2020 Earnings Call· Wed, Mar 17, 2021

$3.92

+0.26%

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Thank you for standing by and welcome to Dynagas LNG Partners’ Conference Call on the Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Results. We have with us Mr. Tony Lauritzen, Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Michael Gregos, Chief Financial Officer of the company. [Operator Instructions] I must advise you that this conference is being recorded today. At this time, I would like to read the Safe Harbor statement. This conference call and slide presentation of the webcast contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may affect Dynagas LNG Partners’ business prospects and results of operations. Such risks are more fully disclosed in Dynagas LNG Partners’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. And now, I pass the floor to Mr. Lauritzen. Please go ahead, sir.

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Good morning, everyone and thank you for joining us in our 3 months and full year ended December 31, 2020 earnings conference call. I am joined today by our CFO, Michael Gregos. We have issued a press release announcing our results for the said period. Certain non-GAAP measures will be discussed on this call. We have provided a description of those measures as well as a discussion of why we believe this information to be useful in our press release. Moving on to Slide 3, we are pleased to report the results for the 3 months and full year ended December 31, 2020. All 6 LNG carriers in our fleet are operating under their respective long-term charters with international gas producers. Despite the ongoing operational challenges the industry is going through with respect to COVID-19, we are pleased to again report 100% utilization for the fleet for the fourth quarter of 2020. For the fourth quarter of 2020, we reported net income of $10.6 million earnings per common unit of $0.22, adjusted net income of $10.7 million, adjusted earnings per common unit of $0.22, and adjusted EBITDA of $24.4 million. When compared with the same period in 2019, this improved performance is attributable to an increase in voyage revenues and a decrease in interest and finance costs, coupled with stable vessel operating expenses. We paid in November 2020 a quarterly cash distribution of $0.5625 per Series A preferred unit for the period from August 12 to November 11, 2020 and a quarterly cash distribution of $0.546875 per Series B preferred unit for the period from August 22 to November 21, 2020. Subsequent to the quarter, we paid in February ‘21, a quarterly cash distribution of $0.5625 per Series A preferred unit for the period from November 12, 2020 to February 11, 2021 and the quarterly cash distribution of $0.546875 per Series B preferred unit for the period from November 22, 2020 to February 21, 2021. Subsequent to the quarter, we entered into an amended and restated agreement with our manager, under which the technical management fee was reduced by 13% equivalent to a reduction of about $417 per vessel per day effective from January 1, 2021. Also subsequent to the quarter, we issued about $830,000 of common units at an average price of about $2.98 under the amended and restated ATM sales agreement. Going forward, we intend to continue our strategy of using our cash flow generation to delever our balance sheet, reinforce our liquidity and generate cash, so as to build equity value over time which will enhance our ability to pursue future growth initiatives. I will now turn the presentation over to Michael who will provide you with further comments to the financial results.

Michael Gregos

Analyst

Thank you, Tony. Turning to Slide 4, we are pleased with the fourth quarter results as we continue to see very stable operations across the fleet and vessel utilization of 100%. Adjusted net income for the quarter nearly doubled to $10.7 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2019 and our adjusted EBITDA increased by 1.7% to $24.4 million compared to the fourth quarter 2019. The improvement in our financial performance compared with the same period last year is attributable to the reduced financing costs following our transformative debt refinancing in the fourth quarter of 2019. Our weighted average interest expense was reduced from 5.27% in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 3.15% in the fourth quarter of 2020, reflecting lower LIBOR rates and decreases in our weighted average indebtedness from $757 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 to $627 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. Since our debt refinancing, our profitability has steadily increased and has now stabilized at increased levels compared to prior quarters, with adjusted earnings per common unit at $0.22 for the fourth quarter reflecting the stable nature of our contract based operating model and the limited variability of our operating and finance expenses. Turning to Slide 5, here we illustrate how we have allocated our cash flow in the fourth quarter of 2020. 49% of our contracted EBITDA is utilized for debt amortization and a further 21% is spent on interest payments. For the quarter, we generated $14.2 million in operating cash flow, including negative working capital adjustment of $5.1 million. Excluding working capital changes, we generated operating cash flow of $19.3 million, and cash flow after debt service payments, other financing items and payments to preferred unitholders amounted to $4 million, in line with our prior guidance. For the quarter, our cash…

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Thank you, Michael. So let’s move on to Slide 9. Our fleet currently counts 6 LNG carriers with an average age of about 10.6 years the charterers of our vessels are substantial gas producers, namely Equinor, Gazprom and Yamal LNG. The fleets contracted backlog is about $1.1 billion equivalent to average backlog of about $183 million per vessel, and the fleet’s average remaining charter period per vessel is about 7.5 years. 5 out of the 6 vessels in our fleet are assigned with ice class 1A FS notation and winterization features. Therefore, the fleet can handle conventional LNG shipping as well as operate in icebound and sub zero areas. Moving on to Slide 10, all the vessels in our fleet are employed on time charter contracts with assets strong counterparties under which the charter pays all major voyage related variable costs, such as fuel, canal fees and terminal costs. Two of the vessels, namely then Lena and Yenisei River, are under dry dock and OpEx cost pass-through contracts. That, in general, provides protection for reasonable inflation in operating expenses. Our earliest potential availability is the Arctic Aurora, which will be available in the third quarter of 2021, provided that Equinor does not exercise their option to extend the contract. The next available vessel after the Arctic Aurora may be the clean energy, which contract expires in the year 2026. We witnessed a spectacular LNG shipping spot market during the last winter season. Although there was some coal interruption into China, the primary driver for the strong LNG shifting spot market was a cold winter in the Far East. This drove up demand for heating and led to an increasing – and led to an increase in electricity prices, gas prices and LNG charter rates. Demand for heating in the Far…

Operator

Operator

Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Randy Giveans from Jefferies. Please ask you question.

Randy Giveans

Analyst

Gentlemen, it’s Randy Giveans from Jefferies. How is it going?

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Hey, Randy. We are good. How about you?

Randy Giveans

Analyst

Excellent. All good. All good. I guess two questions for me. First, you mentioned for the Arctic Aurora. Equinor has the option. When does that option expire? Like when would they have to exercise it by? And then with that, when do you kind of look to book the next charter? Would it be another short-term charter? You are trying to get a longer term, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year deal out of it?

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Yes. Thank you, Randy. Look, the options, I mean, we can’t give the exact date, but let’s say, in a few weeks from now the option expires. We are already – I mean, what we can say that we’re already in various discussions about what future employment could look like. And we’re not pricing it as of now. We do really believe that it will be a strong winter market going forward. So we are in no real rush. But we are – as a company, we’re looking at more term charters versus the spot market. So we are, as the first priority, we are aiming at term charters, whether that is a year or several years, that is to be seen.

Randy Giveans

Analyst

Perfect. And then on the ATM, right, do you plan on continuing to make the kind of small sales every once in a while under that ATM program or do you see maybe a need to use more to a larger block and then I guess, timing? What are the reasons for doing it now?

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Well, no, I mean, the ATM has been there since the summer, we – since last summer. We’ve raised a very small amount of capital. I mean, we’re kind of testing the waters with the ATM. We plan on using it opportunistically and selectively. So the intent of the ATM is to give us an opportunity to raise capital when we feel it makes sense when the timing and the pricing is reasonable. So that’s how we see the ATM.

Randy Giveans

Analyst

And then use of proceeds, is that just debt pay down or trying to build up balance sheet for another acquisition?

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Yes. I think if we are going to raise capital, it would be towards looking towards future growth, yes.

Randy Giveans

Analyst

Perfect. Alright. That covers it for me. I will hop off. Thank you.

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Thank you.

Michael Gregos

Analyst

Thank you.

Operator

Operator

There are no further questions and would like to hand back to Mr. Lauritzen.

Tony Lauritzen

Analyst

Thank you for your time and for listening in on our earnings call. We look forward to speak with you again on our next call. Thank you very much and stay safe.

Operator

Operator

That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating. You may all disconnect.