Reports Fiscal Year Adjusted EBITDA of $182 Million, Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share of $1.67, Sets Financial Guidance for Full Year 2016 

ATLANTA - Veritiv Corporation (NYSE: VRTV), a North American leader in business-to-business distribution solutions, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015. 

“We are proud of our solid fourth quarter and full year 2015 results,” said Mary Laschinger, Chairman and CEO of Veritiv Corporation. “Through hard work and a steadfast focus on our integration initiatives, we accelerated our planned synergies and exceeded our full year financial commitment to shareholders. The Veritiv team’s strong execution in 2015 kept us on track to meet our long-term financial goals and position the company for future growth. Looking ahead, we remain focused on our synergy and Adjusted EBITDA goals and committed to delivering long-term value to our shareholders.”

For the three months ended December 31, 2015, compared to the three months ended December 31, 2014:

• Net sales were $2.2 billion, a decrease of 7.5% from the prior year. Excluding the effect of foreign currency, net sales declined 6.2% from the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $52.3 million, an increase of 29.8% from the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales was 2.4%, an increase of 68 basis points from the prior year.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to the year ended December 31, 2014 (on a pro forma basis):

• Net sales were $8.7 billion, a decrease of 6.4% from the prior year. Excluding the effect of foreign currency and one less day in the first quarter of 2015, net sales declined 4.7% from the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $182.0 million, an increase of 18.5% from the prior year.
• Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales was 2.1%, an increase of 44 basis points from the prior year.

Net income, as reported for the three months ended December 31, 2015, was $10.1 million, which includes $9.0 million of integration expenses and restructuring charges. Net income, as reported for the year ended December 31, 2015, was $26.7 million, which includes $46.2 million of integration expenses and restructuring charges. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the quarter and full year were $0.63 and $1.67, respectively.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, net sales per shipping day decreased 7.5% from the prior year. In fiscal year 2015, net sales per shipping day decreased 6.0% from the prior year. Fiscal year 2015 had one less shipping day compared to the same period in the prior year. 

“Strong program management of our integration and a benefit from fuel prices were significant drivers of our fourth quarter and full year financial results. Our healthy cash flow enabled us to decrease our debt over the past year and, despite the uncertain economic conditions before us, we plan to continue significant debt reduction throughout 2016,” said Stephen Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Veritiv Corporation.

The Company plans for 2016 Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $185 to $195 million, which reflects the pacing of the next phase of synergy capture and the economic softness expected to continue throughout the year. 

Veritiv Corporation will host a live conference call and webcast today, March 15, 2016, at 10 a.m. (ET) to discuss its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2015 financial results. All interested parties are invited to listen online at ir.veritivcorp.com. A replay of the call and webcast will be available online for a limited period of time at ir.veritivcorp.com shortly after the live webcast is completed.

Important information regarding GAAP and pro forma operating results and related reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP measures can be found in the schedules and related footnotes to this press release, which should be thoroughly reviewed.

When reviewing the reconciliations included for the non-GAAP measures, please note that certain information is presented on a pro forma basis. The pro forma information includes historical Unisource Worldwide, Inc. ("Unisource") results, other purchase accounting adjustments and adjustments for one-time costs as if the merger of the legacy xpedx business and UWW Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Unisource, had occurred on January 1, 2014.

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