Granite Reports First-Quarter 2010 Financial Results

Granite Reports First-Quarter 2010 Financial Results

    --  Revenue down 36 percent from a year ago
    --  Net loss of $41 million compared with net income of $8.9 million
    --  Backlog increased $177 million to $1.6 billion from year-end
    --  Balance sheet remains strong, with $299 million in cash and short-term
        marketable securities

WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE:GVA) today reported a net loss of $41.0 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2010 compared with net income of $8.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2009.

"As we previously announced, throughout the quarter we continued to experience a challenging and competitive market environment in addition to extremely poor weather across the country," said Granite President and Chief Executive Officer
William G. Dorey. "Although the first quarter is typically our weakest due to the seasonal nature of our business, this was one of the wettest first quarters we have experienced in quite some time."

First-quarter 2010 Financial Results

Total Company

    --  Revenue totaled $220.7 million compared with $347.4 million in 2009,
        driven by weakness in demand and the impact of weather. First-quarter
        2009 included approximately $46.0 million in revenue associated with
        work performed on the border fence project in the Southwest and $17.3
        million related to a favorable settlement on a project in the East.
    --  Gross profit margin was 3 percent, down from 20 percent in 2009, driven
        primarily by a decline in revenue, no meaningful contract claim
        settlements and increased competition.
    --  Operating loss for the quarter was $45.1 million compared with operating
        income of $16.9 million in the prior year.
    --  Selling, general and administrative expenses for the first quarter were
        $55.3 million compared with $54.4 million for the same period last year.
        The first quarter of 2010 did not contain a bad-debt recovery compared
        with the first quarter of 2009, which included recovery of $2.9 million
        related to an account reserved in the prior year. First quarter 2010
        expenses were also impacted by:
        o $0.7 million increase in selling expenses, partially offset by a $2.1
          million decrease in variable compensation expense
        o $0.6 million related to severance costs associated with the Company's
          restructuring
    --  Net income attributable to non-controlling interests in joint ventures
        was $3.2 million compared with $5.1 million in 2009.
    --  Total contract backlog at March 31, 2010, was $1.6 billion compared with
        $1.4 billion at December 31, 2009, and $1.6 billion at March 31, 2009.

Construction

    --  Construction revenue for the quarter totaled $81.2 million compared with
        $168.0 million for the same period in 2009. The decrease was affected by
        overall lower demand, weather and the lack of border fence work as
        compared to the prior year.
    --  Gross profit margin for the first quarter was 2 percent compared with 21
        percent a year ago, partially due to the decline in revenue as well as
        profitability associated with border fence work.

Large Project Construction

    --  Large Project Construction revenue for the quarter totaled $106.3
        million compared with $149.1 million for the same period last year. The
        decrease is attributable primarily to less revenue generated from
        projects nearing completion and new projects getting under way. First
        quarter 2009 revenue also included $17.3 million related to a favorable
        settlement on a project in the East.
    --  Gross profit margin for the quarter decreased to 9 percent compared with
        23 percent for the same period last year. First-quarter 2009 margin also
        included $17.3 million related to the project settlement.

Construction Materials

    --  Construction Materials revenue for the quarter totaled $26.2 million
        compared with $29.8 million for the same period last year.
    --  Gross loss on the sale of construction materials was $7.1 million in
        2010 compared with $0.3 million in 2009. The decline reflects lower
        sales volume during the quarter and the effects of fixed costs
        associated with our materials-processing facilities.

Outlook

"We expect 2010 to be a challenging year for our business," said Dorey. "Competition for the available work remains tough, and we expect gross margins on smaller projects to remain under pressure for the balance of the year. In addition, we now expect the Houston Metro Light Rail and the Queens Bored Tunnel projects to reach our profit recognition threshold in 2011, not 2010 as previously anticipated.

"Despite the challenging market conditions, we have a substantial number of bidding opportunities, and we expect backlog to increase throughout 2010. Longer-term, we expect to see the demand for our construction services and materials improve as the private development market begins to see signs of a recovery.

"For the full-year 2010, we expect Construction segment revenue to be $1.05 billion to $1.25 billion with a corresponding gross profit margin between 11.5 percent and 13 percent. Large Project Construction segment revenue is expected to be $725 million to $825 million with a corresponding gross profit margin of between 10 percent and 12 percent. Construction Materials segment revenue is expected to be $200 million to $250 million with corresponding gross profit margin between 12 percent and 13 percent. In addition, net income attributable to non-controlling interest in joint ventures for the total company is expected to be $20 million to $25 million," said Dorey.

Conference Call

Granite will conduct a conference call tomorrow, May 4, 2010, at 8 a.m. Pacific time/11 a.m. eastern time to discuss the results of the quarter ended March 31, 2010. 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, or (706) 758-5304 for international listeners. The conference ID for the call is 67074808. The call will be recorded and will be available for replay from approximately two hours after the live audio webcast through May 18, 2010, by calling (800) 642-1687 or (706) 645-9291. The conference ID for the recording is 67074808.

About Granite

Granite Construction Incorporated is a member of the S&P 400 Midcap Index, the FTSE KLD 400 Social Index and the Russell 2000 Index. 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 news 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 of 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 BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited - in thousands, except share and per share data)
                                         March 31,    December 31,  March 31,
                                           2010         2009          2009
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents                $ 222,095    $ 338,956     $ 390,483
Short-term marketable securities           76,963       42,448        22,276
Receivables, net                           197,658      280,252       233,867
Costs and estimated earnings in excess     33,445       10,619        54,400
of billings
Inventories                                49,483       45,800        59,254
Real estate held for development and       137,183      139,449       79,409
sale
Deferred income taxes                      31,150       31,034        43,484
Equity in construction joint ventures      71,693       67,693        44,423
Other current assets                       56,033       50,467        52,488
Total current assets                       875,703      1,006,718     980,084
Property and equipment, net                519,909      520,778       526,734
Long-term marketable securities            90,440       76,937        46,387
Investments in affiliates                  30,823       24,644        21,768
Other noncurrent assets                    80,371       80,498        79,534
Total assets                             $ 1,597,246  $ 1,709,575   $ 1,654,507
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt     $ 8,350      $ 15,017      $ 15,355
Current maturities of non-recourse debt    40,565       43,961        18,863
Accounts payable                           100,102      131,251       141,783
Billings in excess of costs and            142,935      156,041       190,540
estimated earnings
Accrued expenses and other current         156,374      159,843       159,323
liabilities
Total current liabilities                  448,326      506,113       525,864
Long-term debt                             225,203      225,203       233,553
Long-term non-recourse debt                16,895       19,485        17,798
Other long-term liabilities                52,471       48,998        45,836
Deferred income taxes                      27,217       27,220        17,917
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; issued and
outstanding
38,801,232 shares as of March 31, 2010,
38,635,021 shares as of December 31,
2009 and
38,679,123 shares as of March 31, 2009     388          386           387
Additional paid-in capital                 93,688       94,633        88,158
Retained earnings                          689,634      735,632       686,129
Total Granite Construction Incorporated    783,710      830,651       774,674
shareholders' equity
Noncontrolling interests                   43,424       51,905        38,865
Total equity                               827,134      882,556       813,539
Total liabilities and equity             $ 1,597,246  $ 1,709,575   $ 1,654,507
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Unaudited - in thousands, except per share data)
                                                        Three Months Ended
                                                        March 31,
                                                          2010         2009
Revenue
Construction                                            $ 81,186     $ 168,049
Large project construction                                106,325      149,060
Construction materials                                    26,164       29,846
Real estate                                               7,008        417
Total revenue                                             220,683      347,372
Cost of revenue
Construction                                              79,340       132,873
Large project construction                                96,842       115,396
Construction materials                                    33,289       30,160
Real estate                                               5,498        207
Total cost of revenue                                     214,969      278,636
Gross profit                                              5,714        68,736
Selling, general and administrative expenses              55,292       54,355
Gain on sales of property and equipment                   4,452        2,521
Operating (loss) income                                   (45,126 )    16,902
Other income (expense)
Interest income                                           939          2,061
Interest expense                                          (3,734  )    (3,488  )
Equity in loss of affiliates                              (319    )    (444    )
Other income, net                                         2,897        3,785
Total other (expense) income                              (217    )    1,914
(Loss) income before (benefit from) provision for         (45,343 )    18,816
income taxes
(Benefit from) provision for income taxes                 (7,613  )    4,829
Net (loss) income                                         (37,730 )    13,987
Amount attributable to noncontrolling interests           (3,224  )    (5,067  )
Net (loss) income attributable to Granite Construction  $ (40,954 )  $ 8,920
Incorporated
Net (loss) income per share attributable to common
shareholders:
Basic (1)                                               $ (1.09   )  $ 0.23
Diluted (1)                                             $ (1.09   )  $ 0.23
Weighted average shares of common stock:
Basic                                                     37,688       37,476
Diluted                                                   37,688       37,600
Note:
(1) Computed using the two-class method, except when in a net loss position
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited - in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31,                             2010          2009
Operating activities
Net (loss) income                                      $ (37,730  )  $ 13,987
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net
cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization                 18,662        20,623
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts            508           (2,723  )
Gain on sales of property and equipment                  (4,452   )    (2,521  )
Stock-based compensation                                 3,158         2,777
Gain on company owned life insurance                     (1,748   )    -
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of the effects    (2,752   )    (46,125 )
of consolidations
Net cash used in operating activities                    (24,354  )    (13,982 )
Investing activities
Purchases of marketable securities                       (47,511  )    (29,258 )
Maturities of marketable securities                      -             15,610
Additions to property and equipment                      (14,712  )    (29,601 )
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment            5,674         3,741
Purchase of private preferred stock                      (6,400   )    -
Contributions to affiliates                              (165     )    (2,219  )
Other investing activities, net                          (288     )    148
Net cash used in investing activities                    (63,402  )    (41,579 )
Financing activities
Proceeds from long-term debt                             53            2,435
Long-term debt principal payments                        (8,739   )    (7,282  )
Cash dividends paid                                      (5,023   )    (4,975  )
Purchase of common stock                                 (3,296   )    (2,017  )
Distributions to noncontrolling partners                 (12,142  )    (3,153  )
Other financing activities                               42            193
Net cash used in financing activities                    (29,105  )    (14,799 )
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents                    (116,861 )    (70,360 )
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period         338,956       460,843
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period             $ 222,095     $ 390,483
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
Business Segment Information
(Unaudited - in thousands)
Three Months Ended March  Construction  Large Project  Construction  Real Estate
31,                                     Construction   Materials
2010
Revenue                   $ 81,186      $ 106,325      $ 26,164      $ 7,008
Gross profit (loss)       $ 1,846       $ 9,483        $ (7,125 )    $ 1,510
Gross profit (loss) as a    2.3     %     8.9     %      -27.2  %      21.5  %
percent of revenue
2009
Revenue                   $ 168,049     $ 149,060      $ 29,846      $ 417
Gross profit (loss)       $ 35,176      $ 33,664       $ (314   )    $ 210
Gross profit (loss) as a    20.9    %     22.6    %      -1.1   %      50.4  %
percent of revenue
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
Contract Backlog by Segment (1)
(Unaudited - in thousands)
Period     Construction       Large Project Construction  Total
ended
December   $ 641,546  37.8 %  $ 1,057,850  62.2 %         $ 1,699,396  100.0 %
31, 2008
March 31,    587,076  37.4 %    982,998    62.6 %           1,570,074  100.0 %
2009
June 30,     687,696  44.9 %    844,547    55.1 %           1,532,243  100.0 %
2009
September    439,225  27.2 %    1,173,043  72.8 %           1,612,268  100.0 %
30, 2009
December     359,360  25.6 %    1,042,628  74.4 %           1,401,988  100.0 %
31, 2009
March 31,    487,751  30.9 %    1,091,251  69.1 %           1,579,002  100.0 %
2010
Note:
(1) For investors who may want to consider the effects of the realignment on
segment contract backlog, Granite is providing contract backlog for our
Construction and Large Project Construction segments beginning with year ended
2008 and as of each quarter thereafter.

    Source: Granite Construction Incorporated