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Frontier Oil Reports Strong Second Quarter 2004 Results

   FRONTIER OIL LOGO
Frontier Oil Corporation logo. (PRNewsFoto)[AG]
HOUSTON, TX USA
    HOUSTON, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Frontier Oil Corporation
(NYSE: FTO) announced net income of $49.5 million, or $1.81 per diluted share,
for the quarter ended June 30, 2004, a substantial improvement from the net
loss of $992,000, or $0.04 per share, for the second quarter of 2003.  Net
income of $49.5 million earned in the second quarter of 2004 was the second
highest quarterly earnings achieved by Frontier, trailing only the record
$78.9 million net income earned in the second quarter of 2001.
     (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010411/FTOLOGO )
    The most recent quarter's results benefited from strong gasoline and
diesel crack spreads, wide crude oil differentials and outstanding operations.
Gasoline crack spreads averaged $14.23 per barrel in the second quarter 2004
compared to $7.24 per barrel in the second quarter of 2003.  The diesel crack
spread averaged $7.39 per barrel in the second quarter of 2004, almost double
the $3.91 per barrel in the second quarter of 2003.  The WTI/WTS crude oil
differential averaged $3.29 per barrel for the second quarter 2004, well above
the $2.52 per barrel average since we acquired the El Dorado Refinery in
November of 1999.  Similarly, the light/heavy crude oil differential averaged
$8.81 per barrel for the second quarter 2004, well above the five-year average
of $5.21 per barrel.  Total crude charge for the second quarter 2004 averaged
approximately 158,400 barrels per day compared to 156,200 barrels per day in
the second quarter 2003 and significantly higher than the 135,200 barrels per
day of crude charge in the first quarter 2004.
    Frontier's Chairman, President and CEO, James Gibbs, commented, "We are
very pleased with the second best quarter in our history.  We recovered
quickly from our operational problems in the first quarter and were able to
capture the strong margins in the second quarter.  Looking forward, we will
continue to improve our capitalization, review possible acquisitions and
pursue potential strategic alliances with heavy crude oil producers.  Our July
product crack spreads and crude differentials were at or above five-year highs
for July and we are optimistic about the remainder of the third quarter."
    Frontier's balance sheet benefited from the outstanding quarter.  The
Company's cash flow before changes in working capital of $80.6 million was
applied to debt reduction and working capital investment.  Frontier's cash
balance was $88.1 million as of June 30, 2004, up from $62.6 million at
March 31, 2004.  In addition, borrowings under the working capital facility
were reduced by $40.5 million.  Total debt outstanding at the end of the
second quarter 2004 was $208.3 million, comprised of $39.5 million borrowed
under the Company's revolving credit facility and $168.8 million in long-term
debt.  Net cash provided by operating activities was $78.9 million in the
second quarter of 2004, compared to $19.3 million for the same period of 2003.
    For the six months ended June 30, 2004, Frontier recorded net income of
$45.7 million, or $1.68 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of
$4.7 million, or $0.18 per share, for the six months ended June 30, 2003.
    The second quarter results include an after-tax inventory gain of
approximately $5.7 million, or $0.21 per share, compared to a loss of
$3.5 million, or $0.14 per share, for the same period of 2003.  The six months
ended June 30, 2004 include an after-tax inventory gain of $14.7 million, or
$0.54 per share, compared to a gain of $1.6 million, or $0.06 per share, for
the six-month period ended June 30, 2003.

    Conference Call
    A conference call is scheduled for today, August 5, 2004, at 11:00 a.m.
eastern time, to discuss the financial results.  To access the call, please
dial (800) 289-0544.  For those individuals outside the United States, please
call (913) 981-5533.  A recorded replay of the call may be heard through
August 19 by dialing (888) 203-1112 (international callers (719) 457-0820) and
entering the code 575715.  In addition, the real-time conference call and a
recorded replay will be webcast by PR Newswire.  To access the call or the
replay via the Internet, go to http://www.frontieroil.com and register from
the Investor Relations page of the site.

    Frontier operates a 110,000 barrel-per-day refinery located in El Dorado,
Kansas, and a 46,000 barrel-per-day refinery located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and
markets its refined products principally along the eastern slope of the Rocky
Mountains and in other neighboring plains states.  Information about the
Company may be found on its web site http://www.frontieroil.com .

    This press release includes "forward-looking statements" as defined by the
Securities and Exchange Commission.  Such statements are those concerning
strategic plans, expectations and objectives for future operations.  All
statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press
release that address activities, events or developments that the Company
expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-
looking statements.  These statements are based on certain assumptions made by
the Company based on its experience and perception of historical trends,
current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes
are appropriate in the circumstances.  Such statements are subject to a number
of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control
of the Company.  Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not
guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may
differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.


                           FRONTIER OIL CORPORATION

                             Six Months Ended          Three Months Ended
                                  June 30                   June 30
                             2004         2003          2004         2003

    INCOME STATEMENT DATA
     ($000's except per
      share)
    Revenues               $1,273,236   $1,032,797     $735,904     $533,413
    Refining operating
     costs                  1,154,854      999,242      634,981      512,627
    Selling and general
     expenses                  13,846        9,794        7,171        5,116
    Merger termination and
     legal costs                3,663            0          376            0
    Operating income before
     depreciation
     (EBITDA) (A)             100,873       23,761       93,376       15,670
    Depreciation               15,762       14,031        7,943        7,071
    Operating income           85,111        9,730       85,433        8,599
    Interest expense and
     other financing
     costs                     11,805       17,946        5,949       10,520
    Interest income              (405)      (1,014)        (204)        (641)
    Gain on involuntary
     conversion of assets        (594)           0         (594)           0
    Provision (Benefit) for
     income taxes              28,572       (2,510)      30,813         (288)
    Net income (loss)         $45,733      $(4,692)     $49,469        $(992)
    Net income (loss) per
     diluted (basic) share      $1.68       $(0.18)       $1.81       $(0.04)
    Average shares
     outstanding (000's)       27,224       25,897       27,313       25,929

    OTHER FINANCIAL DATA
     ($000's)
    Cash flow before changes
     in working capital       $85,143       $9,003      $80,573       $6,345
    Working capital changes   (23,525)      (9,027)      (1,697)      12,970
    Net cash provided (used)
     by operating activities   61,618          (24)      78,876       19,315
    Net cash used by
     investing activities     (28,320)     (19,563)     (11,739)     (12,956)

    OPERATIONS
    Consolidated
    Operations (bpd)
      Total charges           162,484      159,297      172,951      173,610
      Gasoline yields          80,625       79,863       86,782       85,056
      Diesel yields            51,188       51,087       54,917       59,324
      Total sales             160,050      158,141      171,460      171,215

    Refinery operating margin
     information ($ per bbl)
      Refined products revenue $43.88       $36.03       $47.27       $34.24
      Raw material, freight
       and other costs          35.99        31.40        37.42        29.74
      Operating expenses
       excluding depreciation    3.65         3.51         3.28         3.16
      Refinery depreciation      0.52         0.49         0.49         0.45

    Light/Heavy crude spread
     ($ per bbl) (B)            $8.49        $6.97        $8.81        $6.56
    WTI/WTS Differential
     ($ per bbl)                 3.09         2.78         3.29         3.19

    BALANCE SHEET DATA ($000's)   At June 30, 2004         At March 31, 2004
    Cash, including cash
     equivalents                           $88,086                   $62,634
    Working capital                         91,786                    21,390
    Revolving Capital Facility              39,500                    80,000
    Total long-term debt                   168,796                   168,742
    Shareholders' equity                   216,846                   165,592

     (A)  EBITDA represents income before interest expense, interest income,
          income tax, and depreciation and amortization.  EBITDA is not a
          calculation based upon generally accepted accounting principles;
          however, the amounts included in the EBITDA calculation are derived
          from amounts included in the consolidated financial statements of
          the Company.  EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to
          net income or operating income, as an indication of operating
          performance of the Company or as an alternative to operating cash
          flow as a measure of liquidity.  EBITDA is not necessarily
          comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.  EBITDA
          is presented here because it enhances an investor's understanding of
          Frontier's ability to satisfy principal and interest obligations
          with respect to Frontier's indebtedness and to use cash for other
          purposes, including capital expenditures.  EBITDA is also used for
          internal analysis and as a basis for financial covenants.
          Frontier's EBITDA for the six and three months ended June 30, 2004
          and 2003 is reconciled to net income as follows:

                              Six Months Ended         Three Months Ended
                                   June 30                   June 30
                               2004        2003          2004        2003
                                            (In Thousands)

    Net income (loss)         $45,733     $(4,692)      $49,469       $(992)
    Add provision (benefit)
     for income taxes          28,572      (2,510)       30,813        (288)
    Add interest expense
     and other financing
     costs                     11,805      17,946         5,949      10,520
    Subtract interest income     (405)     (1,014)         (204)       (641)
    Subtract gain on
     involuntary conversion
     of assets                   (594)          0          (594)          0
    Add depreciation and
     amortization              15,762      14,031         7,943       7,071
    EBITDA                   $100,873     $23,761       $93,376     $15,670

     (B)  Average light/heavy crude oil spread is the differential between the
          benchmark average West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude priced at
          Cushing, Oklahoma and the heavy crude oil priced delivered to the
          Cheyenne Refinery.  The light/heavy spread has been restated in
          prior periods using WTI as the light crude oil in order to be
          comparable with the WTI/WTS spread reported for the El Dorado
          Refinery.


SOURCE Frontier Oil Corporation




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    CONTACT:
    Doug Aron of Frontier Oil Corporation,
    +1-713-688-9600, ext. 145