Domtar Corporation Reports Preliminary Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Financial Results
Domtar Corporation (NYSE: UFS) (TSX: UFS) today reported a net loss of $59 million ($1.07 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to a net loss of $92 million ($1.67 per share) for the third quarter of 2020, and a net loss of $34 million ($0.59 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2019. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2020 were $0.9 billion.
The fourth quarter 2020 results include an after-tax loss of $43 million ($0.78 per share) from discontinued operations related to the announced sale of the Personal Care Business, compared to earnings of $19 million ($0.34 per share) for the third quarter of 2020 and earnings of $10 million ($0.17 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Excluding discontinued operations and the items listed below, the Company had earnings from continuing operations before items1 of $19 million ($0.34 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to loss from continuing operations before items1 of $1 million ($0.02 per share) for the third quarter of 2020 and loss from continuing operations before items1 of $9 million ($0.16 per share) for the fourth quarter of 2019.
For fiscal year 2020, net loss amounted to $127 million ($2.29 per share), compared to net earnings of $84 million ($1.37 per share) for fiscal year 2019. The Company had earnings from continuing operations before items1 of $1 million ($0.02 per share) for fiscal year 2020, compared to earnings from continuing operations before items1 of $149 million ($2.43 per share) for fiscal year 2019. Sales were $3.7 billion for fiscal year 2020.
“Despite the challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic, our teams demonstrated resiliency by continuously adapting to changing market conditions which led us to achieve solid results. I’m proud of the teamwork that allowed us to not just stand up in the face of adversity, but to move forward during such a challenging time and in accordance with our strategy. We met many goals last year; we prioritized maximizing cash, reducing costs, and remaining an agile, reliable partner to our customers. We believe these changes will improve this Company for the long-term,” said Daniel Buron, Senior Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer and Acting Chief Executive Officer.
“Our paper shipments were in line with the third quarter and order activity remained stable across all channels, while paper pricing was consistent with the year-to-date average. In Pulp, we improved our cost performance, which is attributable to lower maintenance costs, our cost reduction program and favorable wood costs. Market fundamentals continue to improve, and we announced several pulp price increases in the first quarter of 2021.”
Mr. Buron added, “In Personal Care, we had a strong finish to the year with improved fourth quarter performance driven by strong sales of adult incontinence products in North America and a good performance in Europe following the seasonality impact of the softer summer period. We announced the sale of the Personal Care Business to American Industrial Partners for $920 million, and we expect the transaction to close in the first quarter of 2021.”
Operating loss was $20 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to an operating loss of $152 million in the third quarter of 2020. Depreciation and amortization totaled $53 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Operating income before items1 was $35 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to an operating income before items1 of $27 million in the third quarter of 2020.
https://domtar.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/domtar-corporation-reports-preliminary-fourth-quarter-and-13