Granite Reports First-Quarter 2009 Financial Results

Granite Reports First-Quarter 2009 Financial Results

WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) today reported net income of $8.9 million for the first quarter of 2009 compared with $13.1 million for the first quarter of 2008. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2009 were $0.23 compared with $0.34 for the first quarter of 2008.

"Our business continues to perform well despite today's economic challenges," said
William G. Dorey, Granite president and chief executive officer. "Overall I am extremely pleased with the way our teams across the country are executing on our diverse portfolio of work."

First-quarter 2009 Financial Results

Total Company

    --  Total revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 was $347.4 million
        compared with $454.8 million in 2008.
    --  Gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the quarter decreased to 20
        percent compared with 22 percent in 2008.
    --  Gross loss on the sale of construction materials was $2.3 million in
        2009 compared with a gross profit of $2.5 million in 2008. The company's
        construction materials business continues to be affected by lower sales
        volume.
    --  General and administrative expenses decreased $7.0 million to $53.6
        million or 15 percent of revenue compared with $60.7 million or 13
        percent of revenue in 2008.
    --  Operating income for the quarter was $16.9 million compared with $38.4
        million in the prior year.
    --  Other income for the quarter was $1.9 million compared with $9.3 million
        last year. The decrease was due to lower investment interest income as
        well as a reduction in the gain on the sale of gold, a by-product of one
        of our aggregate facilities. In 2009, the gain from gold sales was $4.4
        million compared with $9.3 million in the first quarter of 2008.
    --  Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest in joint ventures was
        $5.1 million compared with $22.5 million in 2008. The decrease was
        related to the settlement of a significant claim associated with a
        completed large joint-venture project in Southern California which was
        recognized in the first quarter of 2008.
    --  At March 31, 2009, cash and short-term marketable securities totaled
        $412.8 million, including $120.7 million of cash and cash equivalents
        from the company's consolidated joint ventures.
    --  Total contract backlog at March 31, 2009, was $1.6 billion compared with
        $1.9 billion at March 31, 2008. Not included in contract backlog at
        March 31, 2009, is the company's 34 percent share of the $1.3 billion
        contract for the Houston Metro Light Rail project awarded in the second
        quarter of 2009. The award will be recorded in contract backlog
        incrementally as Notices to Proceed are received.

Granite West

    --  Revenue for the first quarter totaled $197.0 million compared with
        $240.0 million for the same period in 2008. Granite West continues to
        experience a competitive bidding environment as well as a reduction in
        the demand for construction materials.
    --  Gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the quarter was unchanged at
        17 percent as a result of higher construction gross profit offset by a
        loss from materials sales during the quarter.
    --  Operating income for the quarter increased $2.0 million to $6.7 million
        compared with $4.8 million for the first quarter of last year.

Granite East

    --  Revenue for the first quarter totaled $149.9 million compared with
        $214.1 million for the same period in 2008.
    --  Gross profit as a percentage of revenue for the quarter was 23 percent
        compared with 27 percent in the same period last year.
    --  Operating income for the quarter decreased to $28.3 million compared
        with $52.1 million for the first quarter of 2008. Operating results in
        both the first quarter of 2008 and 2009 were positively affected by the
        recognition of project settlements related to outstanding issues.
        Results in 2009 include the $16.0 million settlement associated with a
        large project in the Northeast. Results in 2008 include the $28.6
        million settlement related to a large project in Southern California.

Outlook

"We are off to a good start in 2009," said Dorey. "In Granite West our public works bidding environment is becoming very active, in part due to stimulus-funded projects out to bid. We do, however, anticipate a challenging year in the West as the competitive climate continues to impact our hit ratio and our margin expectations. This is particularly true in the smaller, traditional branch work as well as our construction materials business. We are fortunate to have the experience and the financial wherewithal to bid on larger, more complex projects that often do not draw the same level of competitiveness due to their increased complexity and bonding requirements. We believe it is the larger projects that present the most encouraging opportunities for revenue and margin growth during this business cycle.

"We expect Granite East to continue to deliver gross margins in the mid-teens while building a strong backlog of work. Our bidding pipeline remains full, and we are excited about the opportunities for this business. We are tracking more than $4 billion worth of various infrastructure-related projects that are expected to bid between now and the end of 2009.

"Our 2009 outlook includes revenue expectations for Granite West to be in the range of $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion with a corresponding gross profit margin percentage between 14 percent and 17 percent. Granite East 2009 revenue is expected to be in the range of $675.0 million to $775.0 million with a corresponding gross profit margin percentage between 13 percent and 15 percent. In addition, net income attributable to noncontrolling interest in joint ventures for the total company is expected to be approximately $25.0 million to $35.0 million."

Conference Call

Granite will conduct a conference call tomorrow, May 5, 2009, at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) to discuss the results of the first quarter ended March 31, 2009. Access to a live audio webcast is available at www.zkyk.net/investor-relations. The live conference call may be accessed by calling (877) 693-6483 in the United States and (706) 758-5304 for international listeners. The conference ID for the call is 93595270. The call will be recorded and available for replay from approximately two hours after the live audio webcast through May 19, 2009, by calling (800) 642-1687 or (706) 645-9291. The conference ID for the recording is 93595270.

About Granite

Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index, the Domini 400 Social Index, and the Russell 2000. Granite Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary, is one of the nation's largest diversified heavy civil contractors and construction materials producers. Granite Construction Company serves public- and private-sector clients through its offices and subsidiaries nationwide. For more information about Granite, please visit its Web site at www.zkyk.net.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are not based on historical facts and which may be forward-looking in nature. Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, a "safe harbor" may be provided to Granite for certain of these forward-looking statements. Words such as outlook, believes, expects, appears, may, will, should, anticipates, and the negatives thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the best judgment of Granite's senior management and are based on its current expectations and projections concerning future events, many of which are outside Granite's control and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those risks described in Granite's Annual Report under "Item 1A. Risk Factors." Except as required by law, Granite undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.

GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited - In Thousands, Except Per Share Data)
                                                       Three Months Ended
                                                       March 31,
                                                         2009         2008
 Revenue
  Construction                                         $ 317,109    $ 402,573
  Material sales                                         29,846       51,554
  Real estate                                            417          673
  Total revenue                                          347,372      454,800
 Cost of revenue
  Construction                                           246,969      306,846
  Material sales                                         32,183       49,056
  Real estate                                            207          204
  Total cost of revenue                                  279,359      356,106
 Gross profit                                            68,013       98,694
 General and administrative expenses                     53,632       60,651
 Gain on sales of property and equipment                 2,521        401
 Operating income                                        16,902       38,444
 Other income (expense)
  Interest income                                        2,061        6,055
  Interest expense                                       (3,488  )    (4,510  )
  Equity in loss of affiliates                           (444    )    (707    )
  Other income, net                                      3,785        8,463
  Total other income                                     1,914        9,301
 Income before provision for income taxes                18,816       47,745
 Provision for income taxes                              4,829        12,127
 Net income                                              13,987       35,618
 Amount attributable to noncontrolling interest          (5,067  )    (22,495 )
 Net income attributable to Granite Construction Inc.  $ 8,920      $ 13,123
 Net income per share attributable to common
 shareholders:
  Basic                                                $ 0.23       $ 0.34
  Diluted                                              $ 0.23       $ 0.34
 Weighted average shares of common stock:
  Basic                                                  37,476       38,139
  Diluted                                                37,600       38,172

GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited - In thousands, except share and per share data)
                                       March 31,    December 31,   March 31,
                                         2009         2008           2008
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash                          $ 390,483    $ 460,843      $ 266,427
equivalents
Short-term marketable                    22,276       38,320         79,997
securities
Accounts
receivable,                              233,867      314,733        320,526
net
Costs and estimated earnings in excess   54,400       13,295         74,279
of billings
Inventories,                             59,254       55,223         61,432
net
Real estate held for development and     79,409       75,089         54,736
sale
Deferred                                 43,484       43,637         44,728
income taxes
Equity in construction                   44,423       44,681         39,893
joint ventures
Other current                            52,488       56,742         62,559
assets
Total current                            980,084      1,102,563      1,004,577
assets
Property and                             526,734      517,678        518,900
equipment, net
Long-term marketable                     46,387       21,239         37,303
securities
Investment in                            21,768       19,996         25,713
affiliates
Other
noncurrent                               79,534       81,979         72,149
assets
Total assets                           $ 1,654,507  $ 1,743,455    $ 1,658,642
Liabilities
and Equity
Current
liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt   $ 34,218     $ 39,692       $ 34,071
Accounts                                 141,783      174,626        195,651
payable
Billings in excess of costs and          190,540      227,364        218,935
estimated earnings
Accrued expenses and other current       159,323      184,939        166,774
liabilities
Total current                            525,864      626,621        615,431
liabilities
Long-term debt                           251,351      250,687        257,442
Other
long-term                                45,836       43,604         45,479
liabilities
Deferred                                 17,917       18,261         18,228
income taxes
Equity
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value,
authorized 3,000,000 shares; none        -            -              -
outstanding
Common stock, $0.01 par value,
authorized 150,000,000 shares in 2009
and in 2008;
issued and outstanding 38,679,123
shares as of March 31, 2009,
38,266,791 shares
as of December 31, 2008 and 38,274,800   387          383            383
shares as of March 31, 2008
Additional
paid-in                                  88,158       85,035         79,534
capital
Retained                                 686,129      682,237        587,881
earnings
Accumulated other comprehensive loss     -            (146      )    (693      )
Total Granite Construction Inc.          774,674      767,509        667,105
shareholders' equity
Noncontrolling                           38,865       36,773         54,957
interest
Total equity                             813,539      804,282        722,062
Total liabilities and                  $ 1,654,507  $ 1,743,455    $ 1,658,642
equity
                                       March 31,    December 31,   March 31,
Financial                                2009         2008           2008
Position
Working                                $ 454,220    $ 475,942      $ 389,146
capital
Current ratio                            1.86         1.76           1.63
Debt to Granite Construction Inc.        0.27         0.27           0.30
shareholders' equity capitalization
Total liabilities to Granite
Construction Inc. shareholders' equity   1.09         1.22           1.40
ratio

GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited - In Thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31,                              2009         2008
Operating activities
 Net income                                             $ 13,987     $ 35,618
 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used
 in operating activities:
  Depreciation, depletion and amortization                20,623       21,172
  Gain on sales of property and equipment                 (2,521  )    (401    )
  Change in deferred income taxes                         (283    )    419
  Stock-based compensation                                2,777        1,609
  Excess tax benefit on stock-based                       (413    )    (746    )
  compensation
  Equity in loss of affiliates                            444          707
  Acquisition of noncontrolling interest                  -            (16,616 )
 Changes in assets and liabilities, net of the effects    (49,009 )    (65,307 )
 of acquisitions
                      Net cash used in operating          (14,395 )    (23,545 )
                      activities
Investing activities
 Purchases of marketable securities                       (29,258 )    (9,179  )
 Maturities of marketable securities                      15,610       21,500
 Release of funds for acquisition of                      -            28,332
 noncontrolling interest
 Additions to property and equipment                      (29,601 )    (30,735 )
 Proceeds from sales of property and                      3,741        3,517
 equipment
 Acquisition of businesses                                -            (14,022 )
 Contributions to affiliates                              (2,219  )    -
 Other investing activities                               148          676
                      Net cash (used in) provided by      (41,579 )    89
                      investing activities
Financing activities
 Proceeds from long-term debt                             2,435        1,083
 Long-term debt principal payments                        (7,282  )    (6,683  )
 Cash dividends paid                                      (4,975  )    (5,129  )
 Purchase of common stock                                 (2,017  )    (45,468 )
 Contributions from noncontrolling                        157          4,640
 partners
 Distributions to noncontrolling partners                 (3,153  )    (24     )
 Acquisition of noncontrolling interest                   -            (11,716 )
 Excess tax benefit on stock-based                        413          746
 compensation
 Other financing                                          36           -
                      Net cash used in                    (14,386 )    (62,551 )
                      financing activities
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents                     (70,360 )    (86,007 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of                 460,843      352,434
period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period              $ 390,483    $ 266,427

GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
Business Segment Information
(Unaudited - In Thousands)
 Three Months Ended                Granite West   Granite East  Granite Land
 March 31,                                                      Company
 2009
 Revenue                           $ 197,049      $ 149,906     $ 417
 Gross                             $ 32,939       $ 34,864      $ 210
 profit
 Gross profit as a                   16.7%          23.3%         50.4%
 percent of revenue
 Operating                         $ 6,720        $ 28,251      $ (698)
 income (loss)
 Operating income (loss) as a        3.4%           18.8%         -167.4%
 percent of revenue
 2008
 Revenue                           $ 240,002      $ 214,125     $ 673
 Gross                             $ 39,629       $ 58,596      $ 469
 profit
 Gross profit as a                   16.5%          27.4%         69.7%
 percent of revenue
 Operating                         $ 4,763        $ 52,136      $ (450)
 income (loss)
 Operating income (loss) as a        2.0%           24.3%         -66.9%
 percent of revenue
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
Contract Backlog
(Unaudited - In Thousands)
Contract
Backlog by            March 31, 2009              March 31, 2008
Division
 Granite              $ 743,219      47.3  %      $ 868,530       44.7  %
 West
 Granite                826,855      52.7  %        1,074,659     55.3  %
 East
 Total                $ 1,570,074    100.0 %      $ 1,943,189     100.0 %

    Source: Granite Construction Incorporated