Results of Operations
Three-month period ended March 31, 2024 as compared to the three-month period ended March 31, 2023
Revenues for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 were $65.3 million, a decrease of $11.9 million or 15% from the $77.2 million reported during the comparable 2023 period. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower selling prices of certain refrigerants sold.
Cost of sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $43.8 million or 67% of sales. The cost of sales for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 was $46.9 million or 61% of sales. The increase in the cost of sales percentage from 61% to 67% is primarily due to higher cost of sales during the first quarter of 2024, driven by the sale of inventory held at higher price.
Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 were $7.9 million, an increase of $0.9 million from the $7.0 million reported during the comparable 2023 period due to an increase in personnel costs and professional fees.
Amortization expense for both of the three-month periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 was $0.7 million.
Interest expense for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $0.2 million, compared to the $1.8 million reported during the comparable 2023 period. During the third quarter of 2023, the Company repaid in full the remaining $32.5 million principal balance outstanding under its Term Loan Facility.
The Company’s income tax expense for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023 was $3.0 million and $5.3 million, respectively. The Company’s effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023 was 23.9% and 25.3%, respectively. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023, income tax expense for federal and state income tax purposes was determined by applying statutory income tax rates to pre-tax income after adjusting for certain items.
The net income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $9.6 million, a decrease of $5.9 million from the $15.5 million of net income reported during the comparable 2023 period, primarily due to lower revenues, as described above.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At March 31, 2024, the Company had working capital, which represents current assets less current liabilities, of $156.1 million, an increase of $9.7 million from the working capital of $146.4 million at December 31, 2023. The increase in working capital is primarily attributable to continued profitability and the timing of borrowings, accounts receivable and inventory.
Inventories and trade receivables are principal components of current assets. At March 31, 2024, the Company had inventories of $147.8 million, a decrease of $6.7 million from $154.5 million at December 31, 2023. The Company’s ability to sell and replace its inventory on a timely basis and the prices at which it can be sold are subject, among other things, to current market conditions and the nature of supplier or customer arrangements and the Company’s ability to source CFC and HCFC based refrigerants (which are no longer being produced) and HFC refrigerants (virgin production currently in the process of being phased down) and HFO refrigerants.
At March 31, 2024, the Company had trade receivables, net of allowance for credit losses, of $35.9 million, an increase of $10.7 million from $25.2 million at December 31, 2023, mainly due to timing. The Company typically generates its most significant revenue during the second and third quarters of any given year. The Company’s trade receivables are concentrated with various wholesalers, brokers, contractors and end-users within the refrigeration industry that are primarily located in the continental United States. The Company has historically financed its working capital requirements through cash flows from operations, debt, and the issuance of equity securities.
Net cash used in operating activities for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $0.9 million, when compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $10.7 million for the comparable 2023 period. As discussed above, selling prices of certain refrigerants declined in 2024. The reduction is largely due to the payments of accounts payable and accrued expenses. Another contributory factor was the timing of accounts receivable and inventory balances.
Net cash used in investing activities for the three-month period ended March 31, 2024 was $1.0 million compared with net cash used in investing activities of $0.4 million for the comparable 2023 period, mainly due to timing of capital expenditures related to capitalization of its ERP system.