Element Financial Corporation (“Element” or the “Company”), reported financial results for the three-month and six-month periods ending June 30, 2014 with organic originations of $0.8 billion contributing to a 7.9 percent increase in the Company’s total earning assets to $4.1 billion as at June 30, 2014 versus $3.8 billion as at March 31, 2014.
Free operating cash EPS was $0.14 for the three-month period and $0.27 for the six month period ending June 30, 2014. Based partly on the continued growth of the Company’s book of railcar assets combined with the growing book of earning assets, the Company is not expected to pay cash taxes for the next twenty years. After tax adjusted operating income per share was $0.11 for the three-month period and $0.21 for the six-month period ending June 30, 2014 in line with the consensus of analyst estimates.
“Organic origination volumes were strong across each of our four business verticals in Q2 setting Element up to exceed the $3.9 billion pre-PHH origination target that we had established for 2014,” said Steven Hudson, Element’s Chairman and CEO. “Trinity industries recently affirmed that US$1 billion of rail car leases are expected to flow to Element in 2014 and we are aiming to exceed this target,” added Mr. Hudson.
While Element’s Aviation and Rail verticals have predictable annual origination volumes, these can be subject to less predictable quarter to quarter variances. The Aviation order book tends to see the strongest closings in the fourth quarter accounting for up to 40 percent of annual volumes. Rail originations, which flow to Element in large aggregated transactions, to a lesser extent can also affected by some seasonality.
The Company’s US Commercial & Vendor Finance unit reported new originations of $213.3 million for the three month period ending June 30, 2014 versus $160.5 million originated in the preceding quarter. Originations from Element’s Canadian Commercial & Vendor platform were $158.4 million versus $141.0 million in the previous quarter. Aviation Finance reported originations of $149.4 million in Q2, including $32.4 million of a $100 million facility approved for CargoJet during the period, versus originations of $96.2 million in the preceding quarter. Element’s Fleet Management unit reported originations of $138.2 million in Q2 versus $113.4 million in the preceding quarter. The Railcar Finance vertical, which reported $131.2 million of new railcar leases in Q1 in addition to the acquisition of a US$396 million portfolio of existing railcar leases from Trinity Industries, contributed $133.2 million of new railcar leases in Q2. Organic originations, excluding acquisitions, from all four verticals for the period amounted to $793 million in Q2 for a 23 percent increase over the $642 million of organic originations in the previous period.
Financial revenue for the three-month period ending June 30, 2014 was $75.1 million or 7.91 percent of average earning assets versus $66.5 million in the previous quarter or 7.90 percent of average earning assets. Interest expense was $23.0 million for the three-month period ending June 30, 2014 or 2.42 percent of average earning assets versus $21.5 million in the previous quarter or 2.55 percent of average earning assets. Net financial income for the three-month period ending June 30, 2014 was $52.1 million for the quarter versus $45.0 million in the preceding quarter.
The Company’s adjusted operating expense ratio continued to decline during Q2 to 2.19 percent of average earning assets versus 2.22 percent in the preceding quarter and is on track to achieve the post PHH integration target ratio of 2.0 percent by the end of 2014.
The Company’s allowance for credit losses was $11.8 million or 0.37 percent of finance receivables as at June 30, 2014 versus $11.1 million or 0.40 percent as at March 31, 2014 resulting from slightly lower write-offs during the quarter on larger earning assets base. Delinquencies remained constant during the quarter at 0.40 percent of total finance receivables as at June 30, 2014 compared to 0.40 percent as at March 31, 2014.
At the end of the period, the Company had total available sources of capital of $2.52 billion versus $1.37 billion at the end of the preceding period as a result of the expansion of the Company’s senior revolving credit facility which added $800 million in additional availability and the Company’s US revolving secured borrowing facility which was increased by $350 million to accommodate the growing origination in the US Commercial and Vendor business. The Company’s average financial tangible leverage ratio was 1.79:1 as at June 30, 2014 compared to 1:80 at March 31, 2014. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, on closing the acquisition of PHH Arval and the financing associated with this acquisition, Element’s financial tangible leverage increased to 3.57:1 resulting from the higher debt advance rate on those specific assets and is expected to reach 4.0:1 by the end of 2014.
“The Company has reinforced its capital structure and negotiated improved terms to its senior revolving credit facility that enable Element to gain access to longer-term and lower-cost rated debt market facilities,” noted Mr. Hudson. “Work is well-advanced in discussions with our rating agencies and we expect to be actionable in these rated debt markets by the fourth quarter of this year,” added Mr. Hudson.