Business Wire | Jul 28, 2020 04:16PM EDT

C.H. Robinson Reports 2020 Second Quarter Results

Jul. 28, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 28, 2020--C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. ("C.H. Robinson") (Nasdaq: CHRW) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Second Quarter Key Metrics:

* Total revenues decreased 7.2 percent to $3.6 billion * Net revenues decreased 11.6 percent to $614.5 million * Income from operations decreased 17.0 percent to $188.8 million * Operating margin decreased 200 basis points to 30.7 percent * Diluted earnings per share (EPS) decreased 13.1 percent to $1.06 * Cash flow from operations increased 124.0 percent to $447.1 million

"Despite a volatile environment, we were able to deliver solid performance across all of our business units due to the tireless efforts of the C.H. Robinson team members around the world and our diversified portfolio of logistics services," said Bob Biesterfeld, Chief Executive Officer of C.H. Robinson. "We also continued to make progress on our strategic, long-term initiatives around market share gains and productivity improvements."

Biesterfeld continued, "Our business model is resilient and responsive. We have a strong balance sheet, and we exited the second quarter with $1.6 billion of liquidity. We are well positioned to weather the economic uncertainty in the months ahead and emerge stronger from this difficult time."

Second Quarter Results Summary

* Total revenues decreased 7.2 percent to $3.6 billion, driven primarily by lower pricing in truckload and less than truckload ("LTL") services. * Net revenues decreased 11.6 percent to $614.5 million, primarily driven by lower margin in truckload services. * Operating expenses decreased 9.0 percent to $425.7 million, primarily due to $40 million of short-term cost reductions. Personnel expenses decreased 11.3 percent to $300.5 million, driven primarily by short-term cost reductions and declines in variable compensation. Average headcount decreased 2.7 percent, with acquisitions contributing approximately 1.0 percentage point of growth. Average full-time equivalents decreased 4.7 percent due to furloughs and reduced work hours that were implemented in the second quarter. Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses decreased 2.8 percent to $125.2 million. The largest contributor to the decrease was the elimination of non-essential travel, partially offset by an $11.5 million loss on the sale-leaseback of a company-owned data center. * Income from operations totaled $188.8 million, down 17.0 percent from last year due to declining net revenues. Operating margin of 30.7 percent declined 200 basis points. * Interest and other expenses totaled $10.2 million, consisting primarily of $12.4 million of interest expense, which decreased modestly versus last year due to lower average interest rates. The second quarter also included a $1.8 million favorable impact from foreign currency revaluation and realized foreign currency gains and losses. * The effective tax rate in the quarter was 19.4 percent compared to 23.4 percent last year. The lower effective tax rate was due primarily to the tax benefit from delivery of a one-time deferred stock award that was granted to the company's prior Chief Executive Officer in 2000. * Net income totaled $143.9 million, down 14.9 percent from a year ago. Diluted EPS of $1.06 decreased 13.1 percent.

Year-to-Date Results Summary

* Total revenues decreased 3.0 percent to $7.4 billion, driven by declines across most transportation service lines. * Net revenues decreased 13.9 percent to $1.2 billion, primarily driven by lower margin in truckload services. * Operating expenses decreased 4.1 percent to $884.2 million. Personnel expenses decreased 7.1 percent to $630.7 million, driven primarily by short-term cost reductions, including a 1.4 percent decrease in average headcount, a 2.8 percent decrease in average full-time equivalents and a decline in variable compensation. SG&A expenses increased 4.3 percent to $253.5 million, due primarily to an $11.5 million loss on the sale-leaseback of a company-owned data center. * Income from operations totaled $298.2 million, down 34.0 percent from last year due to declining net revenues. Operating margin of 25.2 percent decreased 770 basis points. * Interest and other expenses totaled $25.4 million, which primarily consists of $25.0 million of interest expense. The six-month period also included a $1.1 million unfavorable impact from foreign currency revaluation and realized foreign currency gains and losses. * The effective tax rate for the six months was 18.6 percent compared to 22.7 percent in the year-ago period. The lower effective tax rate was due primarily to the tax benefit related to stock-based compensation. * Net income totaled $222.1 million, down 32.9 percent from a year ago. Diluted EPS of $1.64 decreased 31.4 percent.

North American Surface Transportation Results

Summarized financial results of our NAST segment are as follows (dollars in thousands):

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 % change 2020 2019 % change

Total $ 2,475,292 $ 2,872,053 (13.8) % $ 5,299,037 $ 5,668,837 (6.5) %revenues

Net 379,556 486,418 (22.0) % 752,334 972,968 (22.7) %revenues

Incomefrom 136,846 204,732 (33.2) % 235,372 416,015 (43.4) %operations

Second quarter total revenues for C.H. Robinson's NAST segment totaled $2.5 billion, a decrease of 13.8 percent over the prior year, primarily driven by lower pricing. NAST net revenues decreased 22.0 percent in the quarter to $379.6 million, with the March 2020 acquisition of Prime Distribution Services ("Prime") contributing 3.0 percentage points of net revenue growth in the quarter. Net revenues in truckload decreased 28.5 percent, less than truckload net revenues decreased 13.2 percent, and intermodal net revenues increased 26.0 percent versus the year-ago period. Excluding the impact of the change in fuel prices, average North America truckload rate per mile charged to customers decreased approximately 5.5 percent in the quarter, while truckload transportation cost per mile decreased approximately 2 percent. Truckload volume declined 4.5 percent in the quarter, and LTL volumes declined 2.0 percent, both representing market share gains in the quarter when compared to a 21 percent decline in industry volumes, as measured by the Cass Freight Index. Intermodal volumes were flat versus the prior year. Operating expenses decreased 13.8 percent primarily due to short-term cost reductions. Income from operations decreased 33.2 percent to $136.8 million, and operating margin declined 600 basis points to 36.1 percent. NAST average headcount was down 7.6 percent in the quarter, with Prime contributing 4.5 percentage points of growth. NAST average full-time equivalents, which excludes furloughed employees and accounts for employees with reduced work hours, was down 10.9 percent.

Global Forwarding Results

Summarized financial results of our Global Forwarding segment are as follows (dollars in thousands):

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 % 2020 2019 % change change

Total $ 707,820 $ 592,483 19.5 % $ 1,238,204 $ 1,130,050 9.6 %revenues

Net 162,960 141,936 14.8 % 291,274 269,172 8.2 %revenues

Incomefrom 58,775 26,618 120.8 % 70,734 40,821 73.3 %operations

Second quarter total revenues for the Global Forwarding segment increased 19.5 percent to $707.8 million, primarily driven by higher pricing in air due to reduced air cargo capacity, increased charter flights and larger shipment sizes. Net revenues increased 14.8 percent in the quarter to $163.0 million. Ocean net revenues decreased 7.8 percent, driven primarily by an 8.5 percent decline in volumes. Net revenues in air increased 104.4 percent driven by higher pricing, partially offset by a 35.5 percent decline in shipments. Customs net revenues decreased 16.5 percent, primarily driven by a 17.0 percent reduction in transaction volume. Operating expenses decreased 9.7 percent, primarily driven by decreased personnel expenses. Second quarter average headcount decreased 0.9 percent, and average full-time equivalents decreased 1.7 percent. Income from operations increased 120.8 percent to $58.8 million, and operating margin expanded 1,730 basis points to 36.1 percent in the quarter.

All Other and Corporate Results

Total revenues and net revenues for Robinson Fresh, Managed Services and Other Surface Transportation are summarized as follows (dollars in thousands):

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 % 2020 2019 % change change

Total revenues $ 444,734 $ 444,304 0.1 % $ 895,613 $ 861,163 4.0 %

Net revenues:

Robinson Fresh $ 30,202 $ 31,236 (3.3) % $ 57,660 $ 59,894 (3.7) %

Managed 23,503 20,099 16.9 % 46,030 40,411 13.9 %Services

Other Surface 18,232 15,527 17.4 % 35,108 31,571 11.2 %Transportation

Second quarter Robinson Fresh net revenues decreased 3.3 percent to $30.2 million, primarily due to a 13.0 percent decrease in case volume, which was driven by a decline in restaurant demand. Managed Services net revenues increased 16.9 percent in the quarter. Other Surface Transportation net revenues increased 17.4 percent to $18.2 million, with the 2019 acquisition of Dema Service contributing 4.7 percentage points of net revenue growth. Europe truckload net revenue was up 19 percent in the quarter.

Other Income Statement Items

The second quarter effective tax rate was 19.4 percent, down from 23.4 percent last year. The lower effective tax rate was due primarily to the tax benefit from delivery of a one-time stock award that was granted in 2000. We now expect our 2020 full-year effective tax rate to be 20 to 22 percent.

Interest and other expenses totaled $10.2 million, consisting primarily of $12.4 million of interest expense, which decreased modestly versus last year due to lower average interest rates. The second quarter also included a $1.8 million favorable impact from foreign currency revaluation and realized foreign currency gains and losses.

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding in the quarter were down 1.9 percent due primarily to share repurchases over the past twelve months.

Cash Flow Generation and Capital Distribution

Cash from operations totaled $447.1 million in the second quarter, up 124.0 percent versus the prior year, due primarily to favorable changes in working capital.

In the second quarter, $68.4 million was returned to shareholders, with $67.2 million in cash dividends and $1.2 million in share repurchases related to employee benefit plans.

Capital expenditures totaled $10.3 million in the quarter. Full-year 2020 capital expenditures are now expected to be on the low end of the $60 million to $70 million range, with the majority dedicated to technology.

Outlook

"While there is still uncertainty in the freight market and the broader economy, we remain committed to our vital role in the global supply chain by delivering critical and essential goods and services. We'll continue to act in the best long-term interest of our shareholders by balancing short- and long-term cost reduction efforts with continued investments in technology to maximize long-term value creation. As the freight market and economy continue to recover, we're committed to providing best-in-class service to our customers, continuing to grow market share, driving the transformation of C.H. Robinson and emerging from this time of uncertainty as an even stronger company," Biesterfeld stated.

About C.H. Robinson

C.H. Robinson solves logistics problems for companies across the globe and across industries, from the simple to the most complex. With nearly $20 billion in freight under management and 18 million shipments annually, we are one of the world's largest logistics platforms. Our global suite of services accelerates trade to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the world's economy. With the combination of our multimodal transportation management system and expertise, we use our information advantage to deliver smarter solutions for our more than 119,000 customers and 78,000 contract carriers. Our technology is built by and for supply chain experts to bring faster, more meaningful improvements to our customers' businesses. As a responsible global citizen, we are also proud to contribute millions of dollars to support causes that matter to our company, our Foundation and our employees. For more information, visit us at www.chrobinson.com (Nasdaq: CHRW).

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this release are forward-looking statements that represent our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience or our present expectations, including, but not limited to, such factors such as changes in economic conditions, including uncertain consumer demand; changes in market demand and pressures on the pricing for our services; competition and growth rates within the third party logistics industry; freight levels and increasing costs and availability of truck capacity or alternative means of transporting freight; changes in relationships with existing contracted truck, rail, ocean, and air carriers; changes in our customer base due to possible consolidation among our customers; our ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquired companies with our historic operations; risks associated with litigation, including contingent auto liability and insurance coverage; risks associated with operations outside of the United States; risks associated with the potential impact of changes in government regulations; risks associated with the produce industry, including food safety and contamination issues; fuel price increases or decreases, or fuel shortages; cyber-security related risks; the impact of war on the economy; changes to our capital structure; risks related to the elimination of LIBOR; changes due to catastrophic events including pandemics such as COVID-19; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in our Annual and Quarterly Reports.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update such statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after such date. All remarks made during our financial results conference call will be current at the time of the call, and we undertake no obligation to update the replay.

Conference Call Information:

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Second Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call Wednesday, July 29, 2020; 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time Presentation slides and a simultaneous live audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed through the Investor Relations link on C.H. Robinson's website at www.chrobinson.com. To participate in the conference call by telephone, please call ten minutes early by dialing: 877-269-7756 International callers dial +1-201-689-7817 We invite call participants to submit questions in advance of the conference call, and we will respond to as many of the questions as we can in the time allowed. To submit your question(s) in advance of the call, please email chuck.ives@chrobinson.com.

Summarized Financial Results($ in thousands, except per share data)

This table of summary results presents our service line net revenues consistent with our historical presentation and is on an enterprise basis. The service line net revenues in the table differ from the service line net revenues discussed within the segments as our segments have revenues from multiple service lines.

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 % change 2020 2019 % change

Total revenues $ 3,627,846 $ 3,908,840 (7.2) % $ 7,432,854 $ 7,660,050 (3.0) %

Net revenues:

Transportation

Truckload $ 278,366 $ 371,351 (25.0) % $ 543,292 $ 749,344 (27.5) %

LTL 106,956 122,991 (13.0) % 220,865 239,220 (7.7) %

Intermodal 7,767 6,298 23.3 % 15,320 12,374 23.8 %

Ocean 78,853 85,472 (7.7) % 148,755 157,005 (5.3) %

Air 52,405 26,134 100.5 % 80,743 53,716 50.3 %

Customs 19,461 23,306 (16.5) % 40,654 45,184 (10.0) %

Otherlogistics 42,213 30,062 40.4 % 78,397 60,447 29.7 %services

Total 586,021 665,614 (12.0) % 1,128,026 1,317,290 (14.4) %transportation

Sourcing 28,432 29,602 (4.0) % 54,380 56,726 (4.1) %

Total net 614,453 695,216 (11.6) % 1,182,406 1,374,016 (13.9) %revenues



Operating 425,666 467,681 (9.0) % 884,179 921,931 (4.1) %expenses

Income from 188,787 227,535 (17.0) % 298,227 452,085 (34.0) %operations

Net income $ 143,939 $ 169,180 (14.9) % $ 222,085 $ 330,968 (32.9) %

Diluted EPS $ 1.06 $ 1.22 (13.1) % $ 1.64 $ 2.39 (31.4) %

Our total revenues represent the total dollar value of services and goods we sell to our customers. Net revenues are a non-GAAP financial measure calculated as total revenues less the cost of purchased transportation and related services and the cost of purchased products sourced for resale. We believe net revenues are a useful measure of our ability to source, add value, and sell services and products that are provided by third parties, and we consider net revenues to be our primary performance measurement. Accordingly, the discussion of our results of operations often focuses on the changes in our net revenues. The reconciliation of total revenues to net revenues is presented below (in thousands):

Three Months Ended June Six Months Ended June 30, 30,

2020 2019 2020 2019

Revenues:

Transportation $ 3,348,611 $ 3,638,612 $ 6,890,729 $ 7,143,544

Sourcing 279,235 270,228 542,125 516,506

Total revenues 3,627,846 3,908,840 7,432,854 7,660,050

Costs and expenses:

Purchased transportation 2,762,590 2,972,998 5,762,703 5,826,254and related services

Purchased products 250,803 240,626 487,745 459,780sourced for resale

Total costs and expenses 3,013,393 3,213,624 6,250,448 6,286,034

Net revenues $ 614,453 $ 695,216 $ 1,182,406 $ 1,374,016

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(unaudited, in thousands, except per share data)

Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 2020 2019



Revenues:

Transportation $ 3,348,611 $ 3,638,612 $ 6,890,729 $ 7,143,544

Sourcing 279,235 270,228 542,125 516,506

Total revenues 3,627,846 3,908,840 7,432,854 7,660,050

Costs and expenses:

Purchasedtransportation 2,762,590 2,972,998 5,762,703 5,826,254 and relatedservices

Purchasedproducts sourced 250,803 240,626 487,745 459,780 for resale

Personnel 300,483 338,886 630,703 678,984 expenses

Other selling,general, and 125,183 128,795 253,476 242,947 administrativeexpenses

Total costs and 3,439,059 3,681,305 7,134,627 7,207,965 expenses

Income from 188,787 227,535 298,227 452,085 operations

Interest and (10,211 ) (6,615 ) (25,439 ) (23,755 )other expense

Income beforeprovision for 178,576 220,920 272,788 428,330 income taxes

Provision for 34,637 51,740 50,703 97,362 income taxes

Net income $ 143,939 $ 169,180 $ 222,085 $ 330,968



Net income per $ 1.07 $ 1.23 $ 1.64 $ 2.41 share (basic)

Net income per $ 1.06 $ 1.22 $ 1.64 $ 2.39 share (diluted)



Weighted averageshares 135,010 137,185 135,241 137,518 outstanding(basic)

Weighted averageshares 135,610 138,256 135,776 138,667 outstanding(diluted)

Business Segment Information

(unaudited, dollars in thousands)

All NAST Global Consolidated Forwarding Other and Corporate

Three Months Ended June 30, 2020

Total revenues $ 2,475,292 $ 707,820 $ 444,734 $ 3,627,846

Net revenues 379,556 162,960 71,937 614,453

Income (loss) from 136,846 58,775 (6,834 ) 188,787operations

Depreciation and 7,201 9,206 9,351 25,758amortization

Total assets ^(1) 2,793,290 1,029,203 1,003,196 4,825,689

Average headcount 6,960 4,726 3,608 15,294

Average full-time 6,610 4,546 3,464 14,620equivalents^(2)



All NAST Global Consolidated Forwarding Other and Corporate

Three Months Ended June 30, 2019

Total revenues $ 2,872,053 $ 592,483 $ 444,304 $ 3,908,840

Net revenues 486,418 141,936 66,862 695,216

Income (loss) from 204,732 26,618 (3,815 ) 227,535operations

Depreciation and 6,131 9,315 9,636 25,082amortization

Total assets ^(1) 2,685,477 1,014,235 984,397 4,684,109

Average headcount 7,533 4,770 3,409 15,712

Average full-time 7,416 4,624 3,300 15,340equivalents^(2)

____________________________________________

^ All cash and cash equivalents are included in All Other and Corporate.(1)

^ Average full-time equivalents excludes furloughed employees and accounts(2) for employees with reduced work hours.

Business Segment Information

(unaudited, dollars in thousands)

All NAST Global Consolidated Forwarding Other and Corporate

Six Months Ended June 30, 2020

Total revenues $ 5,299,037 $ 1,238,204 $ 895,613 $ 7,432,854

Net revenues 752,334 291,274 138,798 1,182,406

Income (loss) from 235,372 70,734 (7,879 ) 298,227operations

Depreciation and 12,455 18,355 19,341 50,151amortization

Total assets ^(1) 2,793,290 1,029,203 1,003,196 4,825,689

Average headcount 6,981 4,763 3,594 15,338

Average full-time 6,710 4,599 3,463 14,772equivalents^(2)



All NAST Global Consolidated Forwarding Other and Corporate

Six Months Ended June 30, 2019

Total revenues $ 5,668,837 $ 1,130,050 $ 861,163 $ 7,660,050

Net revenues 972,968 269,172 131,876 1,374,016

Income (loss) from 416,015 40,821 (4,751 ) 452,085operations

Depreciation and 12,390 18,241 19,011 49,642amortization

Total assets ^(2) 2,685,477 1,014,235 984,397 4,684,109

Average headcount 7,486 4,728 3,343 15,557

Average full-time 7,376 4,582 3,241 15,199equivalents^(2)

____________________________________________

^ All cash and cash equivalents are included in All Other and Corporate.(1)

^ Average full-time equivalents excludes furloughed employees and accounts(2) for employees with reduced work hours.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(unaudited, in thousands)

June 30, December 31, 2020 2019

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents $ 362,236 $ 447,858

Receivables, net of allowance for credit loss 2,018,190 1,974,381

Contract assets, net of allowance for credit 154,416 132,874loss

Prepaid expenses and other 69,084 85,005

Total current assets 2,603,926 2,640,118



Property and equipment, net 188,252 208,423

Right-of-use lease assets 339,495 310,860

Intangible and other assets 1,694,016 1,481,659

Total assets $ 4,825,689 $ 4,641,060



Liabilities and stockholders' investment

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable and outstanding checks $ 1,288,136 $ 1,062,835

Accrued expenses:

Compensation 125,381 112,784

Transportation expense 121,478 101,194

Income taxes 14,825 12,354

Other accrued liabilities 58,965 62,706

Current lease liabilities 64,595 61,280

Current portion of debt - 142,885

Total current liabilities 1,673,380 1,556,038



Long-term debt 1,092,873 1,092,448

Noncurrent lease liabilities 280,448 259,444

Noncurrent income taxes payable 22,481 22,354

Deferred tax liabilities 51,921 39,776

Other long-term liabilities 258 270

Total liabilities 3,121,361 2,970,330



Total stockholders' investment 1,704,328 1,670,730

Total liabilities and stockholders' investment $ 4,825,689 $ 4,641,060

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow

(unaudited, in thousands, except operational data)

Six Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019

Operating activities:

Net income $ 222,085 $ 330,968

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization 50,151 49,642

Provision for credit losses 9,374 3,224

Stock-based compensation 22,351 31,807

Deferred income taxes (729 ) (5,322 )

Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation (11,999 ) (5,353 )

Other operating activities 12,341 961

Changes in operating elements, net of acquisitions:

Receivables (48,937 ) 89,175

Contract assets (22,451 ) (19,380 )

Prepaid expenses and other 8,744 (16,404 )

Accounts payable and outstanding checks 220,276 37,378

Accrued compensation 12,312 (60,976 )

Accrued transportation expenses 20,284 19,149

Accrued income taxes 14,423 (3,051 )

Other accrued liabilities (6,345 ) 4,166

Other assets and liabilities 3,763 542

Net cash provided by operating activities 505,643 456,526



Investing activities:

Purchases of property and equipment (11,621 ) (16,774 )

Purchases and development of software (13,418 ) (14,790 )

Acquisitions, net of cash acquired (223,230 ) (58,379 )

Other investing activities 5,525 8

Net cash used for investing activities (242,744 ) (89,935 )



Financing activities:

Proceeds from stock issued for employee benefit plans 20,295 27,952

Net repurchases of common stock (83,529 ) (186,302 )

Cash dividends (137,104 ) (139,010 )

Proceeds from long-term borrowings - 473,000

Payments on long-term borrowings - (561,000 )

Proceeds from short-term borrowings 979,600 14,000

Payments on short-term borrowings (1,122,600 ) (19,000 )

Net cash used for financing activities (343,338 ) (390,360 )

Effect of exchange rates on cash (5,183 ) 461



Net change in cash and cash equivalents (85,622 ) (23,308 )

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 447,858 378,615

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 362,236 $ 355,307



As of June 30,

Operational Data: 2020 2019

Employees 15,113 15,910

Full-time equivalents^(1) 14,103 15,517

(1) Full-time equivalents excludes furloughed employees and accounts for employees with reduced work hours.

Source: C.H. Robinson CHRW-IR

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200728005892/en/

CONTACT: Chuck Ives, Director of Investor Relations Email:chuck.ives@chrobinson.com