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CBI - Chicago Bridge & Iron


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Someone on another board looked back on the past two years of contract awards and only saw something like a $50mm platform award on an oil project.

I listened to the Investor's Day webcast yesterday.  Indeed management commented that for the next year, the opportunities are in LNG, petrochemicals, and gas-fired power plants.  Some federally funded environmental cleanup work as well.  The cheap oil price is especially beneficial for the petrochem industry which uses the byproducts of crude as the feedstock.

 

Management also commented that for capital allocation, the priority is to pursue share repurchases.  They have an authorization in place equal to 10% of the outstanding shares.  They seem confident that they will be FCF+ for Q4 2014 and for 2015.

 

Goldman had a report out a while ago talking about LNG contract cycle having peaked.  There is also a theory that says few LNG projects are economic at $90 oil, so look for that to drop off at some point.

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cb-announces-placement-ca05-module-155000268.html

 

Anyone knows if that's the major milestone that will generate cash flow from their nuclear power plant contracts? I may need to listen to the investor day conference call again.

 

Investor Day

 

"Philip Ackerman

Well, there's major milestones ahead of us. There's a major milestone in terms of a module erection called CA-O1. And the reason that's - and you

guys can add to this - but the reason that wouldn't be important from our standpoint - but once that module is erected, then it opens up a lot of

work fronts on those projects. So CA-O1 is a major milestone that when we talk about that, you'll know the progress will really ramp up because it

opens up so many work fronts in both those projects.

There's a [shield] building which is a major milestone, both a little bit farther downstream. That's a major milestone as well. So there are major

milestones. Our final milestone for [those] projects tend to be an activity called fuel load. And then the owner takes over and commissions are

planned, in very simple terms.

So those are the kind of milestones to think about."

 

"Unidentified Audience Member

OK. So the CA-O1, that's a 2015 event. Out of Lake Charles is 2015. Is it right for investors to think risk of further delays and cost overruns after that

will [seep into this]?

Philip Asherman - Chicago Bridge & Iron NV - Pres, CEO

Yes. I think there's another element of this that - getting back to some of Jaime's questions, too. When you look at the first installation, the first

reactor, and all the trials and tribulations of a new technology, a new methodology for construction, a lot of the cost of incremental schedule misses

perhaps is because it was the first. When you look at the subsequent installations, the difference in the documentation and the drawings associated

with that, you're talking about documentation on the first something like this, you're talking about a book for the second one like this. If that makes

any sense.

So if you take that logic to another step or for another nuclear plant, you've got design done. You've got technology determined. You've got

methodologies prescribed. So that economically becomes much more interest for furthering your investment. Because we see that as we go further

and more economies of scale as we go forward in the job. So that's a big difference."

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Schwab711

Can anyone find a link to the short seller's report? I found one from google but it no longer works.

I am curious to see what kind of problems they pointed out.

 

I think it has quite a bit to do with alleged accounting irregularities. I'm not well versed in CBI, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with excessive write-offs on acquisitions that can be used as a piggy bank for future earnings. Accounting for engineering firms in general can be complicated due to payments being released throughout long-term complex contracts. They definitely have some wiggle-room to release deferred revs or writing off the value of contracts to fudge numbers to their benefit. I don't think this is as serious of a problem as the media will lead you to believe for various reasons, unless you think the big 4 accounting firms are also in on this.

 

http://www3.nd.edu/~carecob/Workshops/07-08%20Workshops/Leone%20Paper.pdf

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2014/03/26/merger-mania-fueled-by-accounting-rules-that-can-make-a-bad-deal-look-good/

 

 

O&G Exposure:

http://seekingalpha.com/article/2748385-chicago-bridge-and-iron-falls-with-oil-prices-despite-having-virtually-no-oil-exposure

 

Although CBI definitely has more O&G exposure than what has been stated in the forum so far, it is not very high in comparison to most engineering firms (http://seekingalpha.com/news/2242216-cb-and-i-announces-another-plant-services-contract-renewal).

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These guys look pretty interesting here. Free cash flow looks volatile and doesn't seem to indicate true earnings power given the reinvestment in working capital but if you look at book value per share growth, they've compounded book at 16% a year since 1996.

 

ROE has averaged 14% a year since 1996 while the last five years has been more like 18% a year. Revenues have grown 20% plus over the last 15 years. If you assume a $30 book value x 14% ROE that gives your $4.20 earnings and it has been growing over 20% a year for a long time. If you assume 2015 book value is closer to $35 and they can continue to earn 18% ROE maybe earnigns are closer to $6.30.

 

I think you have to assume the Shaw cost overruns are going to do them in or CapEx is on permanent hold.

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Southern company filed to state delays in Vogtle 3 and 4 by 18months... stating it will cost roughly $750m. Their implication is contractor consortium is on hook ....which means CBI and Westinghouse will likely be splitting the amount amongst themselves.

 

 

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Great article.

 

So worst case scenario is CBI pays half the cost, best case they may not pay anything as contract states certain excess costs can be paid by Westinghouse.

Either way Deutsche Bank sees liquidity risk from this as being low due to CBI's backlog orders over the next 4 yrs, as well as $1.3B of revolving credit currently available.

 

Perhaps 12% dip is a slight overreaction?

 

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This sucks........ 

 

How true.  At the 2009 low CBI sold for 1 x book value.  Right now we're at 1.3 x BV.  This has got to be value territory for the stock.  The US nuclear industry needs CBI, it will survive.

 

I built a 15% two days ago and this down so much right after I bought. It sucks in terms of that.  :'(

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