· First quarter 2023 reported and adjusted EPS^* were $2.85 and $2.80, respectively, compared to first quarter 2022 reported and adjusted EPS of $1.92 and $1.95
· First quarter gross margins increased by 280 basis points to 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year
· The Company raises full-year 2023 adjusted EPS outlook to be in the range of $8.70-$9.40, up from $7.70-$8.40

WESTCHESTER, Ill., May 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to the food and beverage manufacturing industry, today reported results for the first quarter of 2023. The results, reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for the first quarter of 2023 and 2022, include items that are excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures that the Company presents.

“We started 2023 with exceptional performance delivering record quarterly profit and EPS,” said Jim Zallie, Ingredion’s president and chief executive officer. “Entering this year, we anticipated a second consecutive year of corn and manufacturing cost inflation. Our sales teams effectively executed product and customer mix management, including price adjustments against expiring multi-year customer contracts, to successfully rebuild margins for the third consecutive quarter. In addition, as economic growth slowed, supply chain costs moderated contributing to higher gross margins and operating income.

“During the quarter, specialty ingredients continued their positive momentum, achieving double-digit net sales growth across all four regions compared to last year. Our supply chain teams continued to improve service delivery and our plants ran well to increase specialty ingredient availability. Additionally, we further invested in our texture and nutrition network capabilities to enable future growth opportunities with customers.

“Our updated full-year outlook reflects better price and customer mix management as well as our continued vigilance in managing costs. We anticipate customer demand will steadily strengthen throughout the second half following some sales volume softness in the first quarter, primarily due to slower consumer demand and customers’ rebalancing of inventories. We remain confident in our strategy for future growth to create long-term value for our shareholders,” Zallie concluded.

*Adjusted diluted earnings per share (“adjusted EPS”), adjusted operating income, adjusted effective income tax rate and adjusted diluted weighted average common shares outstanding are non-GAAP financial measures. See section II of the Supplemental Financial Information entitled “Non-GAAP Information” following the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this news release for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Financial Highlights

· At March 31, 2023, total debt and cash including short-term investments were $2.6 billion and $221 million, respectively, versus $2.5 billion and $239 million, respectively, at December 31, 2022.
· Reported net financing costs for the first quarter were $32 million versus $24 million for the year-ago period.
· Reported and adjusted effective tax rates for the first quarter were 25.1 percent and 27.7 percent, respectively, compared to 28.9 percent and 28.9 percent, respectively, for the year-ago period. The decrease in the reported effective tax rate was primarily driven by a change in the value of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar.
· Capital expenditures were $76 million, down $9 million from the year-ago period.

Business Review

 

Net Sales

· First quarter was up 13% from the year-ago period. The increase was driven by strong price mix through both customer and product mix management, partially offset by lower volumes and foreign currency impacts.

Operating Income

· First quarter reported operating income increased 39% to $291 million and adjusted operating income increased 39% to $296 million over the same period in the prior year. The increases were driven by favorable price mix, partially offset by higher input costs and lower volume. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, reported and adjusted operating income were up 44% and 45%, respectively, from the same period last year.

North America

· First quarter operating income for North America was $207 million, an increase of $51 million from the year-ago period. The increase was driven by favorable price mix, partially offset by higher input costs and lower volume. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, segment operating income was up 34%.

South America

· First quarter operating income for South America was $41 million, an increase of $3 million from the year-ago period. The increase was driven by favorable price mix, partially offset by higher input costs, foreign exchange impacts, and lower volume. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, segment operating income was up 18%.

Asia-Pacific

· First quarter operating income for Asia-Pacific was $28 million, up $6 million from the year-ago period. The change was driven by favorable price mix, partially offset by higher input costs and lower volume. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, segment operating income was up 32%

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

· First quarter operating income for EMEA was $57 million, up $26 million from the year-ago period. The change was driven by favorable price mix, partially offset by higher input costs and foreign exchange impacts. Excluding foreign exchange impacts, segment operating income was up 100%.
 
Dividends and Share Repurchases
In the first quarter, we paid $47 million in dividends to shareholders and announced our quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share to be paid in the second quarter. Ingredion considers return of value to shareholders through cash dividends and share repurchases as part of its capital allocation strategy to support total shareholder return.

Second Quarter and Updated 2023 Full-Year Outlook
For the second quarter 2023, the Company expects net sales growth to be up mid-single digits and operating income to be up low double digits to mid-double digits, compared to second quarter 2022.

The Company now expects its outlook for full-year 2023 reported and adjusted EPS to be in the range of $8.85 to $9.35 and $8.70 to $9.40, respectively. This expectation excludes acquisition-related integration and restructuring costs, as well as any potential impairment costs.

The Company now expects full-year 2023 net sales to be up high single-digits to low double-digits reflecting softer sales volumes and the anticipated layout of corn costs. Reported and adjusted operating income are both expected to be up high double-digits.

Compared to last year, the 2023 full-year outlook now assumes the following: North America operating income is expected to be up 20% to 25%, with price mix continuing to outpace lower volumes and increasing costs; South America operating income is expected to be flat to down mid-single digits, with higher input costs partially offsetting favorable price mix; Asia-Pacific operating income is expected to be up high double-digits, driven by favorable price mix and PureCircle growth, partially offset by higher input costs; and EMEA operating income is expected to be up 40% to 50% driven by favorable price mix. Corporate costs are expected to be up high single-digits.

For full-year 2023, the Company expects a reported and adjusted effective tax rate of 25.0 percent to 28.0 percent and 27.0 percent to 28.5 percent, respectively.

Cash from operations for full-year 2023 is expected to be in the range of $550 million to $650 million, which reflects an anticipated increase in our working capital balances. Capital expenditures for the full year are expected to be approximately $300 million.

Conference Call and Webcast Details
Ingredion will host a conference call on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at 8 a.m. Central Time / 9 a.m Eastern Time, hosted by Jim Zallie, president and chief executive officer, and Jim Gray, executive vice president and chief financial officer. The call will be webcast in real time and can be accessed at https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/events-and-presentations. A presentation containing additional financial and operating information will be accessible through the Company’s website, and available to download a few hours prior to the start of the call. A replay will be available for a limited time at https://ir.ingredionincorporated.com/financial-information/quarterly-results.

About the Company
Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2022 annual net sales of $7.9 billion, the Company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition and industrial markets. With Ingredion’s Idea Labs^® innovation centers around the world and approximately 12,000 employees, the Company co-creates with customers and fulfills its purpose of bringing the potential of people, nature and technology together to make life better. Visit ingredion.com for more information and the latest Company news.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains or may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company intends these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for such statements.

Forward-looking statements include, among others, any statements regarding the Company’s expectations for second quarter 2023 net sales and operating income, full-year 2023 reported and adjusted EPS, net sales, reported and adjusted operating income, segment operating income, corporate costs, reported and adjusted effective tax rate, cash from operations, capital expenditures, and any other statements regarding the Company’s prospects and its future operations, financial condition, volumes, cash flows, expenses or other financial items, including management’s plans or strategies and objectives for any of the foregoing and any assumptions, expectations or beliefs underlying any of the foregoing.

These statements can sometimes be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “plan,” “project,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “continue,” “pro forma,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “propels,” “opportunities,” “potential,” “provisional,” or other similar expressions or the negative thereof. All statements other than statements of historical facts therein are “forward-looking statements.”

These statements are based on current circumstances or expectations, but are subject to certain inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and beyond our control. Although we believe our expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, investors are cautioned that no assurance can be given that our expectations will prove correct.

Actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations expressed in or implied by these statements, based on various risks and uncertainties, including effects of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including the impacts on the availability and prices of raw materials and energy supplies and volatility in foreign exchange and interest rates; changing consumption preferences relating to high fructose corn syrup and other products we make; the effects of global economic conditions and the general political, economic, business, and market conditions that affect customers and consumers in the various geographic regions and countries in which we buy our raw materials or manufacture or sell our products, and the impact these factors may have on our sales volumes, the pricing of our products and our ability to collect our receivables from customers; future purchases of our products by major industries which we serve and from which we derive a significant portion of our sales, including, without limitation, the food, beverage, and animal nutrition; the impact of COVID-19 on our business, the demand for our products and our financial results; the uncertainty of acceptance of products developed through genetic modification and biotechnology; our ability to develop or acquire new products and services at rates or of qualities sufficient to gain market acceptance; increased competitive and/or customer pressure in the corn-refining industry and related industries, including with respect to the markets and prices for our primary products and our co-products, particularly corn oil; price fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, and shortages affecting inputs to our production processes and delivery channels, including raw materials, energy costs and availability and freight and logistics; our ability to contain costs, achieve budgets and realize expected synergies, including with respect to our ability to complete planned maintenance and investment projects on time and on budget as well as with respect to freight and shipping costs; operating difficulties at our manufacturing facilities and liabilities relating to product safety and quality; the effects of climate change and legal, regulatory, and market measures to address climate change; our ability to successfully identify and complete acquisitions or strategic alliances on favorable terms as well as our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses or implement and maintain strategic alliances and achieve anticipated synergies with respect to all of the foregoing; economic, political and other risks inherent in conducting operations in foreign countries and in foreign currencies; the behavior of financial and capital markets, including with respect to foreign currency fluctuations, fluctuations in interest and exchange rates and market volatility and the associated risks of hedging against such fluctuations; the failure to maintain satisfactory labor relations; our ability to attract, develop, motivate, and maintain good relationships with our workforce; the impact on our business of natural disasters, war, threats or acts of terrorism, the outbreak or continuation of pandemics such as COVID-19, or the occurrence of other significant events beyond our control; the impact of impairment charges on our goodwill or long-lived assets; changes in government policy, law, or regulation and costs of legal compliance, including compliance with environmental regulation; changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liability; increases in our borrowing costs that could result from increased interest rates; our ability to raise funds at reasonable rates and other factors affecting our access to sufficient funds for future growth and expansion; security breaches with respect to information technology systems, processes, and sites; volatility in the stock market and other factors that could adversely affect our stock price; risks affecting the continuation of our dividend policy; and our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting.

Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. If we do update or correct one or more of these statements, investors and others should not conclude that we will make additional updates or corrections. For a further description of these and other risks, see “Risk Factors” and other information included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ingredion Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
Ingredion Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
Ingredion Incorporated Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
Ingredion Incorporated Supplemental Financial Information (Unaudited)

II. Non-GAAP Information

To supplement the consolidated financial results prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we use non-GAAP historical financial measures, which exclude certain GAAP items such as acquisition and integration costs, restructuring and impairment costs, Mexico tax (benefit) provision, and other specified items. We generally use the term “adjusted” when referring to these non-GAAP amounts.

Management uses non-GAAP financial measures internally for strategic decision making, forecasting future results and evaluating current performance. By disclosing non-GAAP financial measures, management intends to provide investors with a more meaningful, consistent comparison of our operating results and trends for the periods presented. These non-GAAP financial measures are used in addition to and in conjunction with results presented in accordance with GAAP and reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. These non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

Non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP; so our non-GAAP information is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure to the most comparable GAAP measure is provided in the tables below.