Press Release: Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund Announces Results for the First Quarter of 2026; Reiterates 2026 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance of $485 to $525 Million

Dow Jones05-12 05:15
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026-- 

Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund (TSX: CHE.UN, OTCQX$(R)$: CGIFF) ("Chemtrade" or the "Fund") today announced results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2026. The financial statements and MD&A will be available on Chemtrade's website at www.chemtradelogistics.com and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.com.

First Quarter 2026 Highlights

   --  Revenue of $503.0 million, an increase of $36.7 million or 7.9% 
      year-over-year driven by the Polytec acquisition in the WS segment as 
      well as higher selling prices for merchant acid, sulphur products and 
      Regen acid in the ASP segment. This more than offset lower selling prices 
      and volumes of chlor-alkali products and sodium chlorate in the EC 
      segment. 
 
   --  Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $113.5 million, a decrease of $6.6 million or 
      5.5% year-over-year. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, Adjusted 
      EBITDA was 0.5% lower than 2025 as EBITDA from the Polytec acquisition 
      and higher EBITDA from merchant and Regen acid were more than offset by 
      lower selling prices and volumes of chlor-alkali products and sodium 
      chlorate. 
 
   --  Net earnings of $25.4 million, a decrease of $23.7 million 
      year-over-year primarily due to higher finance costs, unfavourable 
      unrealized foreign exchange losses and lower Adjusted EBITDA 
      year-over-year. 
 
   --  Cash flows from operating activities of $42.4 million, an increase of 
      $8.0 million or 23.3% year-over-year, mainly due to a decrease in working 
      capital compared to 2025, partially offset by lower Adjusted EBITDA. 
 
   --  Distributable cash after maintenance capital expenditures(1) of $40.1 
      million, a decrease of $22.0 million or 35.4% year-over-year reflecting 
      lower Adjusted EBITDA and higher maintenance capital spending (1). 
      Distributable cash after maintenance capital expenditures per unit(1) 
      decreased by 33.0% to $0.36 per unit year-over-year. 
 
   --  During the first quarter of 2026, Chemtrade increased its monthly 
      distribution by approximately 4% to $0.06 per unit or $0.72 per unit per 
      year. Chemtrade's Payout ratio(1) for the first quarter of 2026 was 51% 
      and for the last twelve months was 38%. 
 
   --  During the first quarter of 2026, Chemtrade purchased approximately 2.3 
      million units as part of its normal course issuer bid (NCIB). Subsequent 
      to quarter end, on April 15, 2026, Chemtrade announced the early renewal 
      of the NCIB that would have expired on August 18, 2026. Under the new 
      NCIB, which terminates on April 16, 2027, Chemtrade is authorized to 
      purchase approximately 5.8 million units. 
 
   --  Chemtrade continues to maintain a strong balance sheet, with a Net debt 
      to LTM Adjusted EBITDA(1) ratio of 2.5x at the end of the first quarter 
      of 2026. 
 
   --  Due to geopolitical events, several products that Chemtrade 
      manufactures have seen significant price volatility in the last several 
      weeks. While this volatility makes forecasting results for the remainder 
      of 2026 challenging, Chemtrade is maintaining its 2026 Adjusted EBITDA 
      guidance unchanged and reiterates a range of $485.0 to $525.0 million. 
 
   --  Subsequent to the end of the first quarter, on April 14, 2026, 
      Chemtrade announced that the District of North Vancouver Council rejected 
      its rezoning application, which would have allowed significant safety 
      upgrades and continued liquid chlorine production at its North Vancouver 
      chlor-alkali facility beyond 2030. On May 5, 2026, the District of North 
      Vancouver issued a statement that the Mayor would be exercising his 
      authority to bring forward a notice of reconsideration of Chemtrade's 
      rezoning application and will be asking the Council to reconsider the 
      rezoning application in response to new conditions brought forth by 
      Chemtrade. The proposed changes address concerns voiced by the Mayor and 
      Council regarding site security, quantitative risk assessments, and the 
      permanent nature of the amendment that would allow liquid chlorine 
      production. If Council agrees, the Mayor has indicated that he would 
      recommend holding a new public hearing. Chemtrade continues to engage 
      with the District of North Vancouver, and multiple stakeholders and 
      partners on the best path to secure continued liquid chlorine operations 
      and uninterrupted municipal water safety in Western Canada. 

Scott Rook, President and CEO of Chemtrade, commented "First quarter 2026 results demonstrate the merits of our diversified product portfolio, multifaceted growth strategy, and dedicated team. Despite the elevated volatility in the prices of several of our products and their inputs, we maintained operational and commercial discipline across all segments. We continue to execute on multiple organic growth projects while focusing on the further strengthening of our operations."

"Throughout the first quarter and into the second quarter, we continued the integration of Polytec, increased our reach with existing and new customers, started production at the new Augusta, GA plant, continued technical and commercial progress in UPA, and completed the chlor-alkali facility biennial turnaround while maintaining a focus on cash flow generation. I would like to thank our entire team for their efforts and dedication," continued Mr. Rook.

"Despite the heightened volatility, we remain encouraged by the outlook for several key products and are focused on ensuring reliable production in the long term. We will continue to execute towards Vision 2030 targets while maintaining a strong balance sheet and robust cash flow generation which allows us to return capital to unitholders," concluded Mr. Rook.

Consolidated Financial Summary of Q1 2026

The Canadian dollar strengthened by approximately $0.06 relative to the U.S. dollar during the first quarter of 2026, compared to the first quarter of 2025, with a negative impact to consolidated revenue and consolidated Adjusted EBITDA of $18.2 million and $6.0 million, respectively.

Revenue for the first quarter of 2026 was $503.0 million, an increase of $36.7 or 7.9% year-over-year. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, revenue was $54.9 million or 11.8% higher than in the prior year period, driven by (i) revenue from the acquisition of Polytec in the WS segment; and (ii) higher selling prices for merchant acid and sulphur products as well as higher volumes and selling prices for Regen acid in the ASP segment. These gains were partially offset by lower MECU netbacks and volumes for chlor-alkali products as well as lower sales volumes and lower selling prices for sodium chlorate in the EC segment.

Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $113.5 million, a decrease of $6.6 million or 5.5% year-over-year. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange, Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter was $0.6 million or 0.5% lower than in the first quarter of 2025. The year-over-year change was primarily due to lower MECU netbacks and volumes for chlor-alkali products as well as lower sales volumes and lower selling prices for sodium chlorate in the EC segment. EBITDA contribution from (i) the Polytec acquisition in the WS segment, and (ii) merchant and Regen acid in the ASP segment provided a partial offset.

Distributable cash after maintenance capital expenditures for the first quarter of 2026 was $40.1 million or $0.36 per unit, compared with $62.1 million or $0.53 per unit in the first quarter of 2025. The year-over year change primarily reflects the same factors that impacted Adjusted EBITDA, as noted above, and higher maintenance capital expenditures partially offset by a lower number of units. Chemtrade's payout ratio for the twelve months ended March 31, 2026 was 38%.

Chemtrade maintained a strong balance sheet through the first quarter of 2026. As of March 31, 2026, Chemtrade's Net debt was $1.2 billion and its Net Debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA ratio was 2.5x. As of the end of the first quarter of 2026, Chemtrade also maintained ample financial liquidity with approximately $415 million (US$298 million) undrawn on its credit facilities, in addition to $46.5 million of cash on hand.

1) Adjusted EBITDA is a Total of Segments measure, Distributable cash after maintenance capital expenditures is a non-IFRS measure and Net debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA, Distributable cash after maintenance and capital expenditures per unit and Payout ratio are non-IFRS ratios. Maintenance capital expenditures is a Supplementary financial measure. Please see Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures for more information.

Segmented Financial Summary of Q1 2026

As previously reported, Chemtrade has separated the former Sulphur and Water Chemicals $(SWC)$ segment into two new segments, the Acid and Sulphur Products (ASP) segment and the Water Solutions $(WS)$ segment. Chemtrade now reports its results in three segments:

   --  Acid and Sulphur Products, or ASP, segment markets, removes, and/or 
      produces merchant, regen, and ultrapure acid, sodium nitrite, all other 
      sulphur-related products, and provides other processing services. 
 
   --  Water Solutions, or WS, segment manufactures and markets a variety of 
      inorganic coagulants used in water treatment, including aluminum sulphate 
      (alum), aluminum chlorohydrate $(ACH)$, polyaluminum chloride (PACl), and 
      ferric sulphate (ferric). WS also provides value-added water solutions. 
 
 
   --  Electrochemicals, or EC, segment manufactures and markets sodium 
      chlorate and chlor-alkali products including caustic soda, chlorine and 
      hydrochloric acid, largely for the pulp and paper, oil and gas, and water 
      treatment industries. These products are marketed primarily to North 
      American and South American customers. 

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May 11, 2026 17:15 ET (21:15 GMT)

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