Highlights | Quarterly | Full Year | |||||||||
(in million USD except EPS) | Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 20221 | |||||||
Net Revenues | |||||||||||
Net (Loss) / Income | ( | ||||||||||
Adjusted Net (Loss) / Income2 | ( | ||||||||||
EBITDA2 | |||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA2 | |||||||||||
(Loss) / Earnings per Share (EPS) Basic | ( | ||||||||||
(Loss) / Earnings per Share (EPS) Diluted | ( | ||||||||||
Adjusted (Loss) / Earnings per share Basic2 | ( | ||||||||||
Adjusted (Loss) / Earnings per share Diluted2 | ( | ||||||||||
Other Highlights and Developments:
- Quarterly cash dividend of
$0.075 per share declared for Q4 2023, an 11% annualized dividend yield3 - Total cash dividends of
$10.7 million , or$1.375 per share, declared sinceNovember 2022 representing approximately 45% of United’s market capitalization3 - Total buybacks of approximately
$6.7 million in common shares at an average price of$1.87 per share since Q3 2022 - Total investments of
$144 million 4 in 2023 for the acquisition of seven dry bulk vessels and$37.5 million proceeds from the sale of our last tanker vessel $30.0 million in refinancings completed in Q4 2023 adding$6.8 million in extra liquidity, with another$13.8 million sale and leaseback agreed in Q1 2024- Agreement to acquire a modern Japanese Kamsarmax, through an 18-month bareboat charter with purchase option
GLYFADA,
For the quarter ended
For the twelve-month period ended
Cash and cash-equivalents and restricted cash as of
“Our strategic priority for 2023 was to regrow our fleet by reinvesting the proceeds from our first, successful investment cycle, this time focusing on the dry bulk sector. The total investment was
“With regards to our investment strategy, we are pleased with the timing of our transition towards larger sizes of dry bulk vessels, as we are currently witnessing the strongest first quarter for the dry bulk market of the past decade. Looking to further grow and renew our fleet, we recently agreed to enter into an 18-month bareboat charter-in agreement for a 2016-built Japanese Kamsarmax, that will be delivered to our fleet later this year, with a purchase option for the Company at the end of the charter.
“Most importantly, our shareholders’ reward program continued uninterrupted in 2023, through buybacks of common shares and payments of regular cash dividends. The total amount of cash dividends declared in the last 15 months is
“For the first quarter of 2024, we estimate our daily net TCE rate will average approximately
“Looking ahead, our outlook for the dry bulk market remains constructive based on limited new Capesize deliveries and continuing strong dry bulk commodity demand across the board, while disruptions involving low
Current Company Fleet:
Sector | Capacity (DWT) | Year Built | Yard | Employment Type | Minimum expiration | Maximum expiration(1) | |
Goodship | Dry Bulk / Capesize | 177,536 | 2005 | Mitsui | T/C Index Linked(2) | Aug-24 | Nov-24 |
Tradership | Dry Bulk / Capesize | 176,925 | 2006 | Namura | T/C Index Linked(2) | Aug-24 | Jan-25 |
Gloriuship | Dry Bulk / Capesize | 171,314 | 2004 | Hyundai | T/C Index Linked(2) | Jan-24 | Jun-24 |
Oasea | Dry Bulk / Kamsarmax | 82,217 | 2010 | T/C Index Linked(2) | Mar-24 | Jul-24 | |
Cretansea | Dry Bulk / Kamsarmax | 81,508 | 2009 | Universal | T/C Index Linked(2) | Apr-24 | Jul-24 |
Chrisea(3) | Dry Bulk / Panamax | 78,173 | 2013 | Shin Kurushima | T/C Index Linked(2) | Jun-25 | Sep-25 |
Synthesea(4) | Dry Bulk / Panamax | 78,020 | 2015 | Sasebo | T/C Index Linked(2) | Oct-24 | Dec-24 |
Exelixsea | Dry Bulk / Panamax | 76,361 | 2011 | Oshima | T/C Index Linked(2) | Jul-24 | Nov-24 |
Total/Average age | 922,054 | 14.6 years |
(1) The latest redelivery dates do not include any additional optional periods.
(2) “T/C” refers to a time charter agreement. Under these index-linked T/Cs, the Company has the option to convert the index-linked rate to fixed for a period of minimum two months, based on the prevailing FFA Rates for the selected period, and has done so for certain vessels as part of its freight hedging strategy, as described below under “First Quarter 2024 TCE Rate Guidance.”
(3) The vessel is technically and commercially operated by the Company on the basis of an 18-month bareboat charter-in contract with the owners of the vessel, including a purchase option at the end of the bareboat charter in favour of the Company.
(4) The vessel is technically and commercially operated by the Company on the basis of a 12-month bareboat charter-in contract with the owners of the vessel, including a purchase option at the end of the bareboat charter in favour of the Company.
Vessel to be delivered
Sector | Capacity (DWT) | Year Built | Yard | |
tbr Nisea | Dry Bulk / Kamsarmax | 82,235 | 2016 | Oshima |
Fleet Data:
(Amounts in
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | From January 20, 2022 (date of inception) to 2022 | |||||||||
Ownership days (1) | 736 | 366 | 2,339 | 614 | ||||||||
Operating days (2) | 700 | 366 | 2,143 | 610 | ||||||||
Fleet utilization (3) | 95.1 | % | 100 | % | 91.6 | % | 99.3 | % | ||||
TCE rate (4) | ||||||||||||
Daily Vessel Operating Expenses (5) |
(1) Ownership days are the total number of calendar days in a period during which the vessels in a fleet have been owned or chartered. Ownership days are an indicator of the size of the Company’s fleet over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the amount of expenses that the Company recorded during a period.
(2) Operating days are the number of available days in a period less the aggregate number of days that the vessels are off-hire due to unforeseen circumstances. Operating days include the days that our vessels are on ballast voyages without having finalized agreements for their next employment.
(3) Fleet utilization is the percentage of time that the vessels are generating revenue and is determined by dividing operating days by ownership days for the relevant period.
(4) TCE rate is defined as the Company’s net revenue less voyage expenses during a period divided by the number of the Company’s operating days during the period. Voyage expenses include port charges, bunker (fuel oil and diesel oil) expenses, canal charges and other commissions. The Company includes the TCE rate, a non-GAAP measure, as it believes it provides additional meaningful information in conjunction with net revenues from vessels, the most directly comparable
(In thousands of
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | From 2022 (date of inception) to 2022 | |||||
Vessel revenue, net | 11,553 | 14,932 | 36,067 | 22,784 | ||||
Less: Voyage expenses | 441 | 3,161 | 3,107 | 5,245 | ||||
Time charter equivalent revenues | 11,112 | 11,771 | 32,960 | 17,539 | ||||
Operating days | 700 | 366 | 2,143 | 610 | ||||
TCE rate |
(5) Vessel operating expenses include crew costs, provisions, deck and engine stores, lubricants, insurance, maintenance and repairs. Daily Vessel Operating Expenses are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses, excluding pre-delivery costs of acquired vessels, by ownership days for the relevant time periods. The Company’s calculation of daily vessel operating expenses may not be comparable to that reported by other companies. The following table reconciles the Company’s vessel operating expenses to daily vessel operating expenses.
(In thousands of
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | From January 20, 2022 (date of inception) to 2022 | |||||
Vessel operating expenses | 5,209 | 3,000 | 20,338 | 5,179 | ||||
Less: Pre-delivery expenses | 213 | 417 | 4,291 | 718 | ||||
Vessel operating expenses before pre-delivery expenses | 4,996 | 2,583 | 16,047 | 4,461 | ||||
Ownership days | 736 | 366 | 2,339 | 614 | ||||
Daily Vessel Operating Expenses |
Net (loss) / income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation:
(In thousands of
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY23 | From January 20, 2022 (date of inception) to 2022 | ||
Net (loss) / income | (726 | ) | 36,462 | 221 | 37,490 |
Interest and finance costs, net | 2,007 | 1,491 | 6,753 | 2,439 | |
Depreciation and amortization | 3,153 | 957 | 9,363 | 1,903 | |
EBITDA | 4,434 | 38,910 | 16,337 | 41,832 | |
Stock based compensation | 18 | 2,789 | 2,522 | 2,789 | |
Loss on extinguishment of debt | 105 | 593 | 85 | 593 | |
Adjusted EBITDA | 4,557 | 42,292 | 18,944 | 45,214 |
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”) represents the sum of net income, net interest and finance costs, depreciation and amortization and, if any, income taxes during a period. EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are presented as we believe that these measures are useful to investors as a widely used means of evaluating operating profitability. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures prepared in accordance with
Net (Loss) / Income and Adjusted Net (Loss) / Income Reconciliation and calculation of Adjusted (Loss) / Earnings Per Share
(In thousands of
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | From 2022 (date of inception) to | ||
Net (loss) / income | (726 | ) | 36,462 | 221 | 37,490 |
Stock based compensation | 18 | 2,789 | 2,522 | 2,789 | |
Loss on extinguishment of debt | 105 | 593 | 85 | 593 | |
Adjusted net (loss) / income | (603 | ) | 39,844 | 2,828 | 40,872 |
Adjusted net (loss) / income – common stockholders, basic | (603 | ) | 36,279 | 2,733 | 38,468 |
Adjusted net (loss) / income-common stockholders, diluted | (603 | ) | 37,328 | 2,733 | 39,317 |
Adjusted (loss) / earnings per common share, basic | (0.07 | ) | 5.36 | 0.33 | 8.54 |
Adjusted (loss) / earnings per common share, diluted | (0.07 | ) | 3.90 | 0.33 | 5.39 |
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic | 8,711,308 | 6,769,246 | 8,359,487 | 4,503,397 | |
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, diluted | 8,771,308 | 9,565,410 | 8,359,487 | 7,299,561 |
To derive Adjusted Net (loss) / Income and Adjusted (loss) / Earnings Per Share, both non-GAAP measures, from Net (loss) / Income, we exclude certain non-cash items, as provided in the table above. We believe that Adjusted Net (loss) / Income and Adjusted (loss) / Earnings Per Share assist our management and investors by increasing the comparability of our performance from period to period since each such measure eliminates the effects of such non-cash items as stock-based compensation, gain on extinguishment of debt and other items which may vary from year to year, for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance. In addition, we believe that the presentation of the respective measures provides investors with supplemental data relating to our results of operations, and therefore, with a more complete understanding of factors affecting our business than with GAAP measures alone. Our method of computing Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share may not necessarily be comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to differences in methods of calculation.
Interest and Finance Costs to Cash Interest and Finance Costs Reconciliation:
(In thousands of
Q4 2023 | Q4 2022 | FY 2023 | From January 20, 2022 (date of inception) to December 31, 2022 | |||||
Interest and finance costs | (2,119 | ) | (1,504 | ) | (7,183 | ) | (2,452 | ) |
Interest income | 112 | 13 | 430 | 13 | ||||
Amortization of deferred finance charges and other discounts | 203 | 224 | 781 | 352 | ||||
Cash interest and finance costs | (1,804 | ) | (1,267 | ) | (5,972 | ) | (2,087 | ) |
First Quarter 2024 TCE Rate Guidance:
As of the date hereof, approximately 78% of the Company’s fleet expected operating days in the first quarter of 2024 have already been fixed at an estimated TCE rate of approximately
The following table provides the breakdown of index-linked charters and fixed-rate charters in the first quarter of 2024:
Operating Days | TCE Rate | |||
TCE - fixed rate (index-linked conversion) | 368 | |||
TCE – index-linked unhedged | 303 | |||
Total / Average | 671 |
Fourth Quarter and Recent Developments:
Dividend Distribution for Q3 2023 and Declaration of Dividend for Q4 2023
On
The Company also declared a cash dividend of
Buyback of Common Shares – 3rd Repurchase Plan
Since the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023, we have repurchased 84,813 common shares in open market transactions at an average price of approximately
Financing Updates
Sale and Leaseback - Refinancing of M/Vs Gloriuship, Goodship & Tradership
In
Japanese Sale and Leaseback - Refinancing of M/V Exelixsea
In
Vessel Transactions and Commercial Updates
Bareboat Charter Agreement for a Kamsarmax dry bulk carrier
In
M/V Chrisea new time-charter agreement
In
Conference Call:
The Company’s management will host a conference call to discuss the financial results today,
Audio Webcast:
There will be a live, and then archived, webcast of the conference call on the Company’s website. To listen to the archived audio file, visit our website, in the “Investors” section. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast, following this link.
Conference Call Details:
Participants have the option to register for the call using the following link. You can use any number from the list or add your phone number and let the system call you right away.
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands of | ||||||
December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022* | |||||
ASSETS | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash | 14,501 | 69,932 | ||||
Vessels and right-of-use assets, net and advances for vessels’ acquisitions | 152,525 | 50,200 | ||||
Other assets | 7,779 | 5,523 | ||||
TOTAL ASSETS | 174,805 | 125,655 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||
Long-term debt, finance lease liability and other financial liabilities, net of deferred finance costs | 95,954 | 42,606 | ||||
Other liabilities | 12,982 | 18,481 | ||||
Stockholders’ equity | 65,869 | 64,568 | ||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | 174,805 | 125,655 |
* Derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of the period as of that date
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands of and per share data, unless otherwise stated) | ||||||||||
Three months ended 2023 | Three months ended 2022 | For the year ended December 31, 2023 | From 2022 (date of inception) to December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Vessel Revenue, net | 11,553 | 14,932 | 36,067 | 22,784 | ||||||
Expenses: | ||||||||||
Voyage expenses | (441) | (3,161) | (3,107) | (5,245) | ||||||
Vessel operating expenses | (5,209) | (3,000) | (20,338) | (5,179) | ||||||
Management fees | (589) | (295) | (1,966) | (526) | ||||||
General and administrative expenses | (734) | (5,082) | (6,018) | (5,524) | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization | (3,153) | (957) | (9,363) | (1,903) | ||||||
Gain on sale of vessels | - | 36,095 | 11,804 | 36,095 | ||||||
Operating income | 1,427 | 38,532 | 7,079 | 40,502 | ||||||
Other income / (expenses): | ||||||||||
Interest and finance costs | (2,119) | (1,504) | (7,183) | (2,452) | ||||||
Interest and other income | 215 | 38 | 542 | 39 | ||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt | (105) | (593) | (85) | (593) | ||||||
Other, net | (144) | (11) | (132) | (6) | ||||||
Total other expenses, net: | (2,153) | (2,070) | (6,858) | (3,012) | ||||||
Net (loss) / income | (726) | 36,462 | 221 | 37,490 | ||||||
Net (loss) / income attributable to common stockholders | (726) | 32,897 | 126 | 35,086 | ||||||
Net (loss) / income per common share, basic | (0.08) | 4.86 | 0.02 | 7.79 | ||||||
Net (loss) / income per common share, diluted | (0.08) | 3.55 | 0.02 | 4.92 | ||||||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, basic | 8,711,308 | 6,769,246 | 8,359,487 | 4,503,397 | ||||||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding, diluted | 8,711,308 | 9,565,410 | 8,359,487 | 7,299,561 |
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Data (In thousands of | |||||
For the year ended | From 2022 (date of inception) to | ||||
Net cash (used in) / provided by operating activities | (6,228) | 7,875 | |||
Net cash (used in) / provided by investing activities | (59,138) | 6,488 | |||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 9,935 | 55,569 |
About
The Company is incorporated under the laws of the Republic of the
Please visit the Company’s website at: www.unitedmaritime.gr.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events. Words such as "may", "should", "expects", "intends", "plans", "believes", "anticipates", "hopes", "estimates" and variations of such words and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, shipping industry trends, including charter rates, vessel values and factors affecting vessel supply and demand; the impact of changes in regulatory requirements or actions taken by regulatory authorities on the Company's operating or financial results; the Company's financial condition and liquidity, including its ability to service its indebtedness or to pay dividends; competitive factors in the market in which the Company operates; increased operating costs associated with vessel aging; vessel damage; future, pending or recent acquisitions and dispositions, business strategy, areas of possible expansion or contraction, and expected capital spending or operating expenses; dependence on affiliates of the Company’s former parent and third-party managers to operate the Company’s business; availability of crew, number of off-hire days, classification survey requirements and insurance costs; changes in the Company’s relationships with contract counterparties; potential liability from future litigation and incidents involving the Company’s vessels; broader market impacts arising from war (or threatened war) or international hostilities, such as between
For further information please contact:
United Investor Relations
Tel: +30 213 0181 522
E-mail: ir@usea.gr
Capital Link, Inc.
Paul Lampoutis
230 Park Avenue Suite 1540
Tel: (212) 661-7566
E-mail: usea@capitallink.com
_________________________________________
1 From
2 Adjusted (loss) / earnings per share, Adjusted Net (loss) / Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. Please see the reconciliation below of Adjusted (loss) / earnings per share, Adjusted Net (loss) / Income, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net (loss) / income, the most directly comparable
3 Based on the closing price on
4 Assuming exercise of the purchase options for the bareboat-in vessels.
5 TCE Rate is a non-GAAP measure. Please see the reconciliation below of TCE Rate to net revenues from vessels, the most directly comparable
6 This guidance is based on certain assumptions and there can be no assurance that these TCE rate estimates, or projected utilization will be realized. TCE rate estimates include certain floating (index) to fixed rate conversions concluded in previous periods. For vessels on index-linked T/Cs, the TCE rate realized will vary with the underlying index, and for the purposes of this guidance the BCI and BPI daily rates assumed for the remaining operating days of the quarter for index-linked T/Cs are equal to the average FFA rates of
Source:
2024 GlobeNewswire, Inc., source