Posted on March 15, 2023
HOUSTON, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Orion Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ORN), a leading specialty construction company, today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2022.
Highlights for the quarter ended December 31, 2022:
- Contract revenues increased 20.9% to $196.2 million from $162.3 million in the fourth quarter last year
- Operating loss was $3.5 million, a substantial improvement from the $8.2 million loss in the prior year period
- Net loss was $4.9 million or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $8.8 million or $0.29 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2021
- Adjusted EBITDA was $3.2 million, a significant improvement from negative $0.8 million in the fourth quarter last year
- Backlog at the end of the fourth quarter was $448.8 million
- Subsequent to quarter end, the Company announced contract wins totaling over $582 million, including a $448 million contract with the United States Navy as part of a joint venture
Highlights for the year ended December 31, 2022:
- Contract revenues increased 24% to $748.3 million from $601.4 million in the last year
- Operating loss was $8.0 million an improvement from $9.3 million in 2021
- Net loss was $12.6 million or $0.40 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $14.6 million or $0.47 per diluted share in 2021
- Adjusted EBITDA was $22.9 million, a 32% increase from $17.3 million in 2021
See definitions and reconciliation of non-GAAP measures elsewhere in this release.
Management Commentary
“Our solid fourth quarter results reflected disciplined bidding practices and improving project management. Contract revenues increased 21% and we reduced our net loss by 44%. We believe these results just scratch the surface of Orion’s potential, and we are confident our business will continue to improve in 2023,” said Travis Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Orion Group Holdings.
“2023 is off to a strong start with $582 million in new contract wins since the beginning of the year, which together with our year-end backlog represents over a billion dollars of work over the next few years. We are proud to provide the United States Navy with sophisticated marine construction services that will allow them to modernize the capabilities of the Pacific Fleet. Our team includes some of the most experienced marine and industrial construction personnel in the industry with a proven track record in design-build and turnkey construction work. This depth of experience and knowledge allows Orion to play an important role, together with our partners, in the defense of our country’s democratic principles at home and abroad.”
“Following a comprehensive review of our operations, assets and talent, we developed a three point strategic plan, which we believe will unlock Orion’s full potential for long-term, sustainable growth to the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”
Three Point Strategic Plan
1.) Improve the profitability of the concrete business.
- Appointed new leadership for the concrete segment, tapping one of our senior leaders from the Marine business with many years of experience successfully and profitably delivering complex projects.
- Refocus our concrete business in core Texas markets of Dallas and Houston, robust markets where we have a track record of success and a runway to improve profitability.
- Invest in additional experienced project managers, and give our project teams the training and tools to drive efficiency and improved business outcomes.
2.) Strengthen business development to drive growth.
- Build on our successful sales efforts and capitalize on favorable industry dynamics including the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill; the U.S. Navy investments in the Pacific; port expansions and maintenance resulting from the Panama Canal Expansion, and strong construction demand in both private and public sectors of the rapidly growing Texas market.
- Sharpen our business development focus by pursuing opportunities where our capabilities and expertise differentiate us. Our aim is to win quality projects at improved margins.
- Leverage our experience in the public infrastructure construction market from other parts of our business to assist our concrete segment in penetrating this more predictably funded sector.
- Build and deepen our client relationships to gain actionable insight into their future pursuits by investing in additional business development resources.
3.) Invest in our resources to realize Orion’s full potential.
- Strengthen our balance sheet for future growth. Complete the refinancing of our credit facility to extend our debt maturities and provide us with the capital to take advantage of our market opportunities.
- Optimize our return on assets. The completion of our Central Texas concrete jobs in 2023 will present opportunities to sell or redeploy underutilized equipment. In addition, we will continue our efforts to monetize non-core real estate assets this year.
- Invest in our dredging fleet to better service our growth. Supporting our commitment to the environment, Orion’s fleet upgrades will also include investing in more efficient engines to achieve lower carbon emissions.
- Collaborate between our concrete and marine operations to drive synergies and leverage best practices. Our teams are now working together across divisions and have a shared sense of mission and purpose.
- Continue to enhance and build our “Target Zero” safety culture, practices, and systems.
Boone continued, “Many of these initiatives are well underway and real progress is happening every day. Our people share my enthusiasm, and they are engaged, collaborative and embracing change. There is a whole new excitement in the business. Our leadership team and our board are fully committed to increasing profitability and creating value for all of our stakeholders. I want to thank our shareholders for your support and our many dedicated employees for their efforts as we work together to execute our operational transformation.”
Fourth Quarter 2022 Results
Contract revenues increased 20.9% to $196.2 million from $162.3 million in the fourth quarter last year, primarily due to an increase in large jobs awarded in 2022 in the marine segment and higher volume of light commercial jobs in the concrete segment.
Gross profit was $10.2 million or 5.2% of revenue up from $6.6 million or 4.1% of revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021. The increase was due to favorable indirect expenses driven by equipment and labor utilization, partially offset by increased job costs in the marine segment.
Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $13.7 million, down 15% from $16.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2021. As a percentage of total contract revenues, SG&A expenses decreased from 9.9% to 7.0%, primarily due to higher revenues in the fourth quarter. The decrease was primarily due to lower expenses related to enterprise resource planning implementation and decreased costs related to the management transition.
Net loss was $4.9 million or $0.15 per diluted share up from a net loss of $8.8 million or $0.29 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2021.
The fourth quarter 2022 net loss included $1.2 million ($0.03 diluted earnings per share) of non-recurring items. Fourth quarter 2022 adjusted net loss was $3.7 million ($0.12 diluted loss per share). (Please see page 9 of this release for an explanation of adjusted net loss, adjusted earnings per share and a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP measure).
EBITDA was $2.2 million, representing a 1.1% EBITDA margin, as compared to negative EBITDA of $1.9 million, or a (1.1)% EBITDA margin in the fourth quarter last year. Adjusted for non-recurring items, EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $3.2 million, representing a 1.6% adjusted EBITDA margin, as compared to adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2021 of $0.8 million, representing a 0.5% adjusted EBITDA margin. (Please see page 10 of this release for an explanation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the nearest GAAP measure).
Backlog
Total backlog at December 31, 2022 was $448.8 million, compared to $548.6 million at September 30, 2022 and $590.0 million at December 31, 2021. Backlog for the Marine segment was $216.7 million, compared to $280.2 million at September 30, 2022 and $376.9 million at December 31, 2021. Backlog for the Concrete segment was $232.1 million, compared to $268.4 million at September 30, 2022 and $213.1 million at December 31, 2021.
Recent Contract Wins
Subsequent to the end of the year, Orion announced the award of additional contracts not reflected in December 31, 2022 backlog. These additional contract awards totaling over $582 million will be performed in 2023 and future years.
The United States Navy has awarded a $2.8 billion contract to the Dragados/Hawaiian Dredging/Orion Joint Venture to complete the construction of a dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Orion’s portion of work totals $448 million, and the project is expected to be completed by September 2027. This contract is part of the United States Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, a critical investment in increasing capacity and modernizing our nation’s shipyards to accommodate larger surface ships and Virginia-class submarines. In accordance with the Navy’s mandate for the project, the work will be undertaken with consideration of how it impacts the environment, natural and cultural resources, and water and air quality.
Balance Sheet Update
As of December 31, 2022, current assets were $220.3 million, including cash and cash equivalents of $3.8 million. Total debt outstanding was $35.7 million.
Credit Facility
The Company is in productive discussions to secure a new credit facility, the proceeds of which will be used for general corporate purposes and to retire our existing credit facility which matures on July 31, 2023. As of the date of this press release, these discussions are progressing. In the event the Company has not secured a new credit facility by the deadline for filing its 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K on March 16, 2023, that annual report will include a going concern comment, and the Company has obtained a consent from its existing lenders for this.
Asset Sales
The Company’s signed agreement for the sale-leaseback of its Port Lavaca did not close and it is currently in discussions with a new buyer. Discussions for the sale of our East and West Jones property are progressing.
About Orion Group Holdings
Orion Group Holdings, Inc., a leading specialty construction company serving the infrastructure, industrial and building sectors, provides services both on and off the water in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada and the Caribbean Basin through its marine segment and its concrete segment. The Company’s marine segment provides construction and dredging services relating to marine transportation facility construction, marine pipeline construction, marine environmental structures, dredging of waterways, channels and ports, environmental dredging, design, and specialty services. Its concrete segment provides turnkey concrete construction services including place and finish, site prep, layout, forming, and rebar placement for large commercial, structural and other associated business areas. The Company is headquartered in Houston, Texas with regional offices throughout its operating areas. https://www.oriongroupholdingsinc.com.
