• First quarter 2019 reported and adjusted EPS^* were $1.48 and $1.54, compared with $1.90 and $1.94 in the first quarter 2018
• 2019 adjusted EPS expected to be in the range of $6.80-$7.20

WESTCHESTER, Ill., May 02, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR), a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, today reported results for the first quarter 2019. The results, reported in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for 2019 and 2018, include items that are excluded from the non-GAAP financial measures that the Company presents.

“During the first quarter, our performance was challenged by continued unfavorable foreign exchange impacts, difficult raw material market conditions in North America, and continued macroeconomic weakness in South America. We are navigating this environment by taking aggressive pricing actions to pass through foreign exchange impacts and accelerating our $125 million Cost Smart savings program,” said Jim Zallie, Ingredion’s president and chief executive officer. 

“We are strengthening our higher-value, starch-based texturizer portfolio by expanding capacity for future specialty growth with the acquisition of the Western Polymer business.  Also during the quarter, we continued to advance our specialties growth strategy with the previously announced $200 million of investments in clean and simple ingredients, plant-based proteins and sugar reduction capabilities. We remain steadfast in leveraging these capabilities to deliver value through customer co-creation.”

“Given the challenging macroeconomic and market conditions, we have lowered the top end of our expected adjusted EPS guidance to be in the range of $6.80 to $7.20,” concluded Zallie.

*Adjusted diluted earnings per share (“adjusted EPS”), adjusted operating income, adjusted effective income tax rate and adjusted cash flow from operations 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 press release for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures.

Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS)

**Totals may not foot due to rounding

Estimated factors affecting change in reported and adjusted EPS

Financial Highlights

• At March 31, 2019, total debt and cash and short-term investments were $2.1 billion and $259 million, versus $2.1 billion and $334 million, respectively, at December 31, 2018. Cash and short-term investments decreases were primarily driven by lower net income and timing of changes in working capital.
• Net financing costs were $22 million or $6 million higher in the first quarter than the year-ago period, primarily driven by higher net debt and interest rates.
• Reported and adjusted effective tax rates for the quarter were 26.6 percent and 26.4 percent, compared to reported and adjusted effective tax rates of 21.4 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively, in the year-ago period.  The increase in reported and adjusted rates was primarily driven by a reduced excess tax benefit related to share-based payment awards.
• First quarter capital expenditures were $80 million, down $15 million from the year-ago period driven by higher investments in the year-ago period to expand capacity for plant-based proteins and sugar reduction.
• The $125 million Cost Smart program continues to identify additional ways to organize people and processes to achieve structural savings. The Company expects to exceed its stated 2019 year-end cumulative run-rate savings target of $24 million to $34 million, building to $125 million by year-end 2021, before inflationary effects.

Business Review

Total Ingredion

Net Sales

• First quarter net sales were down compared to the year-ago period. The decrease in net sales was driven by unfavorable foreign currency impacts and lower core volumes, partially offset by favorable price/mix primarily due to pass-throughs for higher raw material costs and foreign exchange impacts.

Operating income

• Reported and adjusted operating income for the quarter were $161 million and $166 million, decreases of 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively, from the same period last year. The decreases were largely attributable to foreign-exchange impacts and higher raw material and production costs, partially offset by improved price/mix.
• First quarter reported operating income was lower than adjusted operating income by $5 million primarily attributable to restructuring charges related to Cost Smart initiatives of $4 million. The remaining $1 million is related to the acquisition and integration of the Western Polymer business.

North America

Operating income

• First quarter operating income was $125 million, a decrease of $18 million from a year ago. The decrease was driven by higher inventory and production costs, higher net corn costs, and a modest impact from the extreme weather in the U.S. and Canada.

South America

Operating income

• First quarter operating income was $18 million, a decrease of $8 million from a year ago. Foreign exchange impacts and lower volumes in Argentina and Brazil more than offset pricing actions.

Asia-Pacific

Operating income

• First quarter operating income was $20 million, down $3 million from a year ago. Specialty volume growth and improved price/mix were more than offset by higher regional corn costs and foreign exchange impacts.

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

Operating income

• First quarter operating income was $24 million, down $7 million from a year ago. Unfavorable foreign exchange impacts and higher raw material costs across the region more than offset specialty and core volume growth and improved price/mix.

Share Repurchases

• On November 5, 2018, the Company entered into a Variable Timing Accelerated Share Repurchase (“ASR”) program with JPMorgan (“JPM”).  Under the ASR program, the Company paid an initial price of $455 million on November 5, 2018, and acquired 4.0 million shares of its common stock having an approximate value of $423 million on that date.  On February 5, 2019, the Company and JPM settled the difference between the initial price and average daily volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) less the agreed upon discount during the term of the agreement.  The final VWAP was $98.04 per share, which was less than originally paid.  The Company settled the difference in cash, resulting in JPM returning $63 million of the upfront payment to the Company on February 6, 2019 and lowering the total cost of repurchasing the 4.0 million shares of common stock to $392 million. 

2019 Outlook

The Company expects 2019 adjusted EPS to be in the range of $6.80-$7.20 compared to adjusted EPS of $6.92 in 2018. This expectation excludes acquisition-related, integration and restructuring costs, as well as any potential impairment costs. Compared with last year, the 2019 full-year outlook assumes: North America operating income is flat to down assuming current market values for corn and corn by-products, which have been negatively impacted by crop inventory imbalances arising from a U.S. and China trade dispute; South America operating income is flat due to persistent macroeconomic challenges; Asia-Pacific and EMEA operating incomes are expected to be flat to modestly up; an adjusted effective tax rate range of approximately 26.5-27.5 percent; and continued higher-value specialty ingredients growth.  The Company expects operating income to be higher in the second half of 2019 relative to 2018, given the anticipated layout of corn costs in North America and anticipated impacts of foreign-exchange.

Cash from operations in 2019 is expected to be in the range of $630 million to $680 million. Capital expenditures are anticipated to be between $330 million to $360 million.

Conference Call and Webcast Details
Ingredion will conduct a conference call today at 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT) hosted by Jim Zallie, president and chief executive officer, and James Gray, executive vice president and chief financial officer. The call will be webcast in real time and will include a visual presentation accessible through the Ingredion website at www.ingredion.com. The presentation will be available to download a few hours prior to the start of the call. A replay of the webcast will be available for a limited time at www.ingredion.com.

Upcoming Communications
James Gray, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will participate in the 14^th Annual Farm to Market conference on Thursday, May 16 at 8:50 a.m. ET in New York City.  The webcast will be available on the Company’s website, www.ingredion.com, in the “Company and Investors” section, under “Investors/Presentations & Presentations/Webcasts.” 

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 annual net sales of nearly $6 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. With Ingredion Idea Labs^® innovation centres around the world and more than 11,000 employees, the Company develops ingredient solutions to meet consumers' evolving needs by making crackers crunchy, yogurt creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger, and adding fiber to nutrition bars. For more information, visit ingredion.com.

CONTACTS:
Investors:  Heather Kos, 708-551-2592
Media:  Becca Hary, 708-551-2602

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 other things, any statements regarding the Company's prospects or future financial condition, earnings, revenues, tax rates, capital expenditures, cash flows, expenses or other financial items, any statements concerning the Company's prospects or future operations, including management's plans or strategies and objectives therefor and any assumptions, expectations or beliefs underlying 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 in this release or referred to in this release 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 are 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 factors, including the effects of global economic conditions, including, particularly, economic, currency and political conditions in South America and economic and political conditions in Europe, and their impact on our sales volumes and pricing of our products; our ability to collect our receivables from customers and our ability to raise funds at reasonable rates; fluctuations in worldwide markets for corn and other commodities, and the associated risks of hedging against such fluctuations; fluctuations in the markets and prices for our co-products, particularly corn oil; fluctuations in aggregate industry supply and market demand; the behavior of financial markets, including foreign currency fluctuations and fluctuations in interest and exchange rates; volatility and turmoil in the capital markets; the commercial and consumer credit environment; general political, economic, business, market and weather conditions in the various geographic regions and countries in which we buy our raw materials or manufacture or sell our products; future financial performance of major industries which we serve, including, without limitation, the food, beverage, paper and corrugated, and brewing industries; energy costs and availability; freight and shipping costs; and changes in regulatory controls regarding quotas; tariffs, duties, taxes and income tax rates, particularly United States tax reform enacted in 2017; operating difficulties; availability of raw materials, including potato starch, tapioca, gum Arabic and the specific varieties of corn upon which some of our products are based; our ability to develop or acquire new products and services at rates or of qualities sufficient to meet expectations; energy issues in Pakistan; boiler reliability; our ability to effectively integrate and operate acquired businesses; our ability to achieve budgets and to realize expected synergies; our ability to achieve expected savings under our Cost Smart program; our ability to complete planned maintenance and investment projects successfully and on budget; labor disputes; genetic and biotechnology issues; changing consumption preferences including those relating to high fructose corn syrup; increased competitive and/or customer pressure in the corn-refining industry; and the outbreak or continuation of serious communicable disease or hostilities including acts of terrorism. 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" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K.