MEDIA CONTACT

Kevin Bagby

TEL.

(800) 458-2235

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 1, 2007

 

FreightCar America, Inc. Reports Quarterly Net Income Per Diluted Share of $1.80 on Sales of $322.5 Million

FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAIL) today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2007. For the first quarter of 2007, sales were $322.5 million and net income was $23.0 million, or $1.80 per diluted share. For the first quarter of 2006, the Company had sales of $292.8 million and net income of $21.4 million, or $1.67 per diluted share.

The Company’s financial performance reflects increased sales volume of railcar types other than coal-carrying railcars. For the first quarter of 2007, 22% of sales were for non-coal-carrying railcars, compared to sales in the first quarter of 2006, which did not include any non-coal-carrying railcars. EBITDA was $34.7 million in the first quarter of 2007, compared with EBITDA of $34.9 million in the first quarter of 2006. EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. A reconciliation of the Company’s net income to EBITDA and information on the use of EBITDA as a non-GAAP financial measure is set forth in the supplemental disclosure attached to this press release.

“Profitability remained strong as we diversified our production mix to include more non-coal-carrying railcar types. Once again this quarter, we benefited from optimizing the production mix at low cost facilities. We will continue to focus on cost controls to drive profitability,” said Chris Ragot, President and CEO.

“Orders for new railcars totaled 768 units in the first quarter of 2007, compared with 2,199 units ordered in the fourth quarter of 2006 and 1,031 units ordered in the first quarter of 2006. The backlog of unfilled orders was 6,006 units at March 31, 2007, compared with 9,315 units at December 31, 2006, and 17,794 units at March 31, 2006.”

“During this time, our cost reduction activities have significantly increased, including our ongoing evaluation of manufacturing capacities. Our strategic initiative to enhance revenue growth through development of other railcar types is on schedule and we continue to explore other opportunities to enhance shareholder value.”

During the first quarter of 2007, the Company repurchased 476,599 shares of common stock under its share repurchase program for an aggregate of $23.5 million.

The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) to discuss the Company's first quarter financial results. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 230-1085. Interested parties are asked to dial in approximately 10 to 15 minutes prior to the start time of the call.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available beginning at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 1, 2007, until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 7, 2007. To access the replay, please dial (800) 475-6701. The replay pass code is 870826. An audio replay of the call will be available on the Company’s website within two days following the earnings call.

FreightCar America, Inc. manufactures railroad freight cars, with particular expertise in coal-carrying railcars. In addition to coal cars, FreightCar America designs and builds bulk commodity cars, flat cars, mill gondola cars, intermodal cars, coil steel cars and motor vehicle carriers. It is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and has manufacturing facilities in Danville, Illinois, Roanoke, Virginia and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. More information about FreightCar America is available on its website at www.freightcaramerica.com.

This press release may contain statements relating to our expected financial performance and/or future business prospects, events and plans that are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Our actual results may differ materially from the results described in, or anticipated by, our forward-looking statements due to certain risks and uncertainties. These potential risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the cyclical nature of our business; adverse economic and market conditions; fluctuating costs of raw materials, including steel and aluminum, and delays in the delivery of raw materials; our ability to maintain relationships with our suppliers of railcar components; our reliance upon a small number of customers that represent a large percentage of our sales; the variable purchase patterns of our customers and the timing of completion, delivery and acceptance of customer orders; the highly competitive nature of our industry; the risk of lack of acceptance of our new railcar offerings by our customers; and the additional risk factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to any forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More information about FreightCar America is available on its website at www.freightcaramerica.com.

FreightCar America, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

March 31,

 

December 31,

 

 

2007 

 

 

2006 

 

(In thousands)

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

184,455 

 

$

212,026 

Accounts receivable, net

 

67,675 

 

 

11,369 

Inventories

 

79,281 

 

 

106,643 

Deferred income taxes and other current assets

 

14,831 

 

 

13,507 

Total current assets

 

346,242 

 

 

343,545 

 

 

 

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

27,148 

 

 

25,905 

Goodwill and intangible assets, net

 

27,046 

 

 

27,194 

Deferred income taxes and other assets

 

23,805 

 

 

23,337 

Total assets

$

424,241 

 

$

419,981 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

103,121 

 

$

103,038 

Income taxes payable

 

16,630 

 

 

9,816 

Accrued warranty

 

12,798 

 

 

12,051 

Other current liabilities

 

27,934 

 

 

32,083 

Total current liabilities

 

160,483 

 

 

156,988 

 

 

 

 

Accrued postretirement benefits, less current portion

 

50,283 

 

 

49,455 

Other long-term liabilities

 

12,049 

 

 

9,669 

Total liabilities

 

222,815 

 

 

216,112 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

Preferred stock

 

— 

 

 

— 

Common stock

 

127 

 

 

127 

Additional paid in capital

 

100,649 

 

 

99,981 

Treasury stock, at cost

 

(23,457)

 

 

— 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(26,680)

 

 

(26,774)

Retained earnings

 

150,787 

 

 

130,535 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

201,426 

 

 

203,869 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

424,241 

 

$

419,981 

 

FreightCar America, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2007 

 

 

2006 

 

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

 

Sales

$

322,451 

 

$

292,793 

Cost of sales

 

278,318 

 

 

251,659 

Gross profit

 

44,133 

 

 

41,134 

 

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative expense

(including non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $668 and $689, respectively)

 

10,286 

 

 

8,296 

Operating income

 

33,847 

 

 

32,838 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

(2,409)

 

 

(702)

Interest expense

 

106 

 

 

83 

Amortization of deferred financing costs

 

77 

 

 

76 

Income before income taxes

 

36,073 

 

 

33,381 

Income tax provision

 

13,121 

 

 

12,008 

 

 

 

 

Net income

$

22,952 

 

$

21,373 

 

 

 

 

Net income per common share – basic

$

1.82 

 

$

1.71 

 

 

 

 

Net income per common share – diluted

$

1.80 

 

$

1.67 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding-basic

 

 

 

 

12,597,791 

 

 

12,534,188 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding-diluted

 

 

 

 

12,744,575 

 

 

12,772,000 

 

 

 

 

Dividends declared per common share

$

0.06 

 

$

0.03 

 

FreightCar America, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

March 31,

 

 

2007 

 

 

2006 

 

(In thousands)

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

Net income

$

22,952 

 

$

21,373 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows (used in) provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

868 

 

 

2,051 

Other non-cash items

 

635 

 

 

81 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

668 

 

 

689 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(56,306)

 

 

(11,024)

Inventories

 

27,362 

 

 

(28,837)

Accounts payable

 

741 

 

 

31,182 

Income tax payable

 

7,005 

 

 

7,608 

Other accrued liabilities and current assets

 

(4,638)

 

 

(674)

Net cash flows (used in) provided by operating activities

 

(713)

 

 

22,449 

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

 

(2,621)

 

 

(1,268)

Net cash flows used in investing activities

 

(2,621)

 

 

(1,268)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

Payments on long-term debt

 

(16)

 

 

(18)

Stock repurchases

 

(23,457)

 

 

— 

Cash dividends paid to stockholders

 

(764)

 

 

(378)

Net cash flows used in financing activities

 

(24,237)

 

 

(396)

 

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

(27,571)

 

 

20,785 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

212,026 

 

 

61,737 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

184,455 

 

$

82,522 

 

FreightCar America, Inc.

Supplemental Disclosure

Reconciliation of net income to EBITDA(1)

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

March 31,

 

 

2007 

 

 

2006 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

Net income

$

22,952 

 

$

21,373 

Income tax provision

 

13,121 

 

 

12,008 

Interest income

 

(2,409)

 

 

(702)

Interest expense

 

106 

 

 

83 

Amortization of deferred financing costs

 

77 

 

 

76 

Amortization of intangible assets

 

148 

 

 

148 

Depreciation

 

720 

 

 

1,903 

EBITDA

 

34,715 

 

 

34,889 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) EBITDA represents net income before income tax expense, interest income, interest expense, amortization and depreciation of property and equipment. We believe EBITDA is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry. In addition, our management uses EBITDA to evaluate our operating performance. The calculation of EBITDA eliminates the effects of financing, income taxes and the accounting effects of capital spending. These items may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to the overall operating performance of a company’s business. EBITDA is not a financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider EBITDA in isolation or as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to that of other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

FreightCar America, Inc.
Kevin Bagby, 800-458-2235