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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 |
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period
from to
Commission File Number: 001-36559
Via Renewables, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
Delaware | | | | 46-5453215 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
12140 Wickchester Ln, Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77079
(Address of principal executive offices)
(713) 600-2600
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| | | | | | | | |
Title of each class | Trading Symbols(s) | Name of exchange on which registered |
Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share | VIA | The NASDAQ Global Select Market |
8.75% Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate
Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share | VIASP | The NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject
to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every
Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of
Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this Chapter) during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit
such files).
Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company,
or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large
accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,”
and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated filer ☐
Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging Growth Company ☐
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with
any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to
Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ☐ No ☒
There were 3,186,235 shares of Class A common stock, 4,000,000 shares of Class B common stock and 3,567,543 shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding as of May 2, 2023.
| | | | | | | | |
VIA RENEWABLES, INC. | | |
INDEX TO QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q | | |
For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2023 | | |
| | Page No. |
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION | | |
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | | |
| | |
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS AS OF MARCH 31, 2023 AND DECEMBER 31, 2022 (unaudited) | | |
| | |
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022 (unaudited) | | |
| | |
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022 (unaudited) | | |
| | |
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022 (unaudited) | | |
| | |
NOTES TO THE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) | | |
| | |
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS | | |
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK | | |
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES | | |
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION | | |
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS | | |
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS | | |
| | |
SIGNATURES | | |
| | |
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Report”) contains forward-looking
statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many
of which are beyond our control. These forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), can be identified
by the use of forward-looking terminology including “may,” “should,”
“could,” “likely,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,”
“estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “intend,” “project,” or other similar
words. Forward-looking statements appear in a number of places in this
Report. All statements, other than statements of historical fact,
included in this Report are forward-looking statements. The
forward-looking statements include statements regarding the impacts of
2021 severe weather event, cash flow generation and liquidity, business
strategy, prospects for growth and acquisitions, outcomes of legal
proceedings, the timing, availability, ability to pay and implied amount
of cash dividends and distributions on our Class A common stock and
Series A Preferred Stock, future operations, financial position,
estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans,
objectives, beliefs of management, availability and terms of capital,
competition, government regulation and general economic conditions.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot give any assurance
that such expectations will prove correct.
The
forward-looking statements in this Report are subject to risks and
uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to
materially differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to:
•our
ability to remediate the material weakness in our internal control over
financial reporting, the identification of any additional material
weakness in the future or otherwise failing to maintain an effective
system of internal controls;
•the
ultimate impact of the 2021 severe weather event, including future
benefits or costs related to ERCOT market securitization efforts, and
any corrective action by the State of Texas, ERCOT, the Railroad
Commission of Texas, or the Public Utility Commission of Texas;
•changes in commodity prices, the margins we achieve, and interest rates;
•the sufficiency of risk management and hedging policies and practices;
•the impact of extreme and unpredictable weather conditions, including hurricanes and other natural disasters;
•federal,
state and local regulations, including the industry's ability to
address or adapt to potentially restrictive new regulations that may be
enacted by public utility commissions;
•our ability to borrow funds and access credit markets;
•restrictions and covenants in our debt agreements and collateral requirements;
•credit risk with respect to suppliers and customers;
•our ability to acquire customers and actual attrition rates;
•changes in costs to acquire customers;
•accuracy of billing systems;
•our ability to successfully identify, complete, and efficiently integrate acquisitions into our operations;
•significant changes in, or new changes by, the independent system operators (“ISOs”) in the regions we operate;
•competition; and
•the
“Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2022, in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q in "Item
1A — Risk Factors" of this Report, and in our other public filings and
press releases.
You
should review the Risk Factors and other factors noted throughout or
incorporated by reference in this Report that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of
this Report. Unless required by law, we disclaim any obligation to
publicly update or revise these statements whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. It is not possible for us to
predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on the
business or
the
extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statements.
PART I. — FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
VIA RENEWABLES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share counts)
(unaudited)
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
Assets | | | |
Current assets: | | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 45,162 | | | $ | 33,658 | |
Restricted cash | — | | | 1,693 | |
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,612 at March 31, 2023 and $4,335 at December 31, 2022 | 65,309 | | | 81,466 | |
Accounts receivable—affiliates | 5,805 | | | 6,455 | |
Inventory | 556 | | | 4,405 | |
Fair value of derivative assets, net | 43 | | | 1,632 | |
Customer acquisition costs, net | 4,283 | | | 3,530 | |
Customer relationships, net | 704 | | | 2,520 | |
| | | |
Deposits | 9,591 | | | 10,568 | |
Renewable energy credit asset | 24,877 | | | 24,251 | |
| | | |
Other current assets | 8,878 | | | 8,749 | |
Total current assets | 165,208 | | | 178,927 | |
Property and equipment, net | 4,686 | | | 4,691 | |
Fair value of derivative assets, net | — | | | 666 | |
Customer acquisition costs, net | 1,756 | | | 1,683 | |
Customer relationships, net | 396 | | | 481 | |
Deferred tax assets | 23,181 | | | 20,437 | |
Goodwill | 120,343 | | | 120,343 | |
Other assets | 3,403 | | | 3,722 | |
Total assets | $ | 318,973 | | | $ | 330,950 | |
| | | |
Liabilities, Series A Preferred Stock and Stockholders' Equity | | | |
Current liabilities: | | | |
Accounts payable | $ | 28,139 | | | $ | 53,296 | |
Accounts payable—affiliates | 322 | | | 265 | |
Accrued liabilities | 8,808 | | | 8,431 | |
Renewable energy credit liability | 17,107 | | | 13,722 | |
Fair value of derivative liabilities, net | 33,120 | | | 16,132 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Other current liabilities | 81 | | | 322 | |
Total current liabilities | 87,577 | | | 92,168 | |
Long-term liabilities: | | | |
Fair value of derivative liabilities, net | 4,313 | | | 2,715 | |
| | | |
Long-term portion of Senior Credit Facility | 111,000 | | | 100,000 | |
Subordinated debt—affiliates | 15,000 | | | 20,000 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Other long-term liabilities | — | | | 18 | |
Total liabilities | 217,890 | | | 214,901 | |
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12) | | | |
| | | |
Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 3,567,543 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 87,880 | | | 87,713 | |
| | | |
Stockholders' equity: | | | |
Common Stock: | | | |
| | | |
Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 120,000,000 shares authorized, 3,215,154 shares issued and 3,186,235 shares outstanding at March 31, 2023 and 3,200,472 shares issued and 3,171,553 shares outstanding at December 31, 2022 | 32 | | | 32 | |
Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 60,000,000 shares authorized, 4,000,000 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | 40 | | | 40 | |
| | | |
| | | |
Additional paid-in capital | 38,244 | | | 42,871 | |
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (40) | | | (40) | |
Retained earnings | 1,886 | | | 2,073 | |
Treasury stock, at cost, 28,919 shares at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | (2,406) | | | (2,406) | |
Total stockholders' equity | 37,756 | | | 42,570 | |
Non-controlling interest in Spark HoldCo, LLC | (24,553) | | | (14,234) | |
Total equity | 13,203 | | | 28,336 | |
Total liabilities, Series A Preferred Stock and Stockholders' equity | $ | 318,973 | | | $ | 330,950 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
VIA RENEWABLES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Three Months Ended March 31, |
| | | | | 2023 | | 2022 |
| | | | | | | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | |
Retail revenues | | | | | $ | 135,125 | | | $ | 128,058 | |
Net asset optimization expense | | | | | (3,273) | | | (904) | |
Total Revenues | | | | | 131,852 | | | 127,154 | |
Operating Expenses: | | | | | | | |
Retail cost of revenues | | | | | 117,441 | | | 68,707 | |
General and administrative | | | | | 17,225 | | | 14,935 | |
Depreciation and amortization | | | | | 3,336 | | | 5,184 | |
Total Operating Expenses | | | | | 138,002 | | | 88,826 | |
Operating (loss) income | | | | | (6,150) | | | 38,328 | |
Other (expense) income: | | | | | | | |
Interest expense | | | | | (2,697) | | | (1,307) | |
Interest and other income | | | | | 80 | | | 48 | |
Total other expenses | | | | | (2,617) | | | (1,259) | |
(Loss) income before income tax expense | | | | | (8,767) | | | 37,069 | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | | | | | (1,996) | | | 6,044 | |
Net (loss) income | | | | | $ | (6,771) | | | $ | 31,025 | |
Less: Net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interests | | | | | (6,584) | | | 18,052 | |
Net (loss) income attributable to Via Renewables, Inc. stockholders | | | | | $ | (187) | | | $ | 12,973 | |
Less: Dividend on Series A Preferred Stock | | | | | 2,544 | | | 1,951 | |
Net (loss) income attributable to stockholders of Class A common stock | | | | | $ | (2,731) | | | $ | 11,022 | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income attributable to Via Renewables, Inc. per share of Class A common stock | | | | | | | |
Basic | | | | | $ | (0.86) | | | $ | 3.52 | |
Diluted | | | | | $ | (1.26) | | | $ | 3.49 | |
| | | | | | | |
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding | | | | | | | |
Basic | | | | | 3,173 | | | 3,131 | |
Diluted | | | | | 7,173 | | | 3,159 | |
| | | | | | | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
VIA RENEWABLES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 |
| Issued Shares of Class A Common Stock | Issued Shares of Class B Common Stock | Treasury Stock | Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Treasury Stock | | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss | Additional Paid-in Capital | Retained Earnings (Deficit) | Total Stockholders' Equity | Non-controlling Interest | Total Equity |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Balance at December 31, 2022 | 3,201 | | 4,000 | | (29) | | 32 | | $ | 40 | | $ | (2,406) | | | $ | (40) | | $ | 42,871 | | $ | 2,073 | | $ | 42,570 | | $ | (14,234) | | $ | 28,336 | |
Stock based compensation | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | 681 | | — | | 681 | | — | | 681 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Consolidated net income | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | (187) | | (187) | | (6,584) | | (6,771) | |
Stock issued - reverse stock split | 14 | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Distributions paid to non-controlling unit holders | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | — | | — | | (3,625) | | (3,625) | |
Dividends paid to Class A common stockholders ($0.90625 per share) | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | (2,874) | | — | | (2,874) | | — | | (2,874) | |
Dividends paid to Preferred Stockholders | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | (2,544) | | — | | (2,544) | | — | | (2,544) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Changes in ownership interest | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | 110 | | — | | 110 | | (110) | | — | |
Balance at March 31, 2023 | 3,215 | | 4,000 | | (29) | | $ | 32 | | $ | 40 | | $ | (2,406) | | | $ | (40) | | $ | 38,244 | | $ | 1,886 | | $ | 37,756 | | $ | (24,553) | | $ | 13,203 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 |
| Issued Shares of Class A Common Stock | Issued Shares of Class B Common Stock | Treasury Stock | Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Treasury Stock | | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss | Additional Paid-in Capital | Retained Earnings (Deficit) | Total Stockholders' Equity | Non-controlling Interest | Total Equity |
Balance at December 31, 2021 | 3,159 | | 4,000 | | (29) | | $ | 32 | | $ | 40 | | $ | (2,406) | | | $ | (40) | | $ | 53,918 | | $ | 173 | | $ | 51,717 | | $ | (3,168) | | $ | 48,549 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Stock based compensation | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | | — | | 345 | | — | | 345 | | — | | 345 | |
Restricted stock unit vesting | 2 | | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | (58) | | — | | (58) | | — | | (58) | |
Consolidated net income | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | 12,973 | | 12,973 | | 18,052 | | 31,025 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Distributions paid to non-controlling unit holders | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | — | | — | | (3,678) | | (3,678) | |
Dividends paid to Class A common stockholders ($0.90625 per share) | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | (2,838) | | (2,838) | | — | | (2,838) | |
Dividends paid to Preferred Stockholders | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | — | | (1,951) | | (1,951) | | — | | (1,951) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Changes in ownership interest | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | — | | | — | | 259 | | — | | 259 | | (259) | | — | |
Balance at March 31, 2022 | 3,161 | | 4,000 | | (29) | | $ | 32 | | $ | 40 | | $ | (2,406) | | | $ | (40) | | $ | 54,464 | | $ | 8,357 | | $ | 60,447 | | $ | 10,947 | | $ | 71,394 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
VIA RENEWABLES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, |
| 2023 | | 2022 |
Cash flows from operating activities: | | | |
Net (loss) income | $ | (6,771) | | | $ | 31,025 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash flows provided by operating activities: | | | |
Depreciation and amortization expense | 3,336 | | | 5,184 | |
Deferred income taxes | (2,744) | | | 3,948 | |
| | | |
Stock based compensation | 685 | | | 351 | |
Amortization of deferred financing costs | 206 | | | 245 | |
| | | |
| | | |
Bad debt expense | 955 | | | 1,024 | |
Loss (gain) on derivatives, net | 42,770 | | | (45,063) | |
Current period cash settlements on derivatives, net | (20,137) | | | 13,136 | |
| | | |
Other | — | | | 43 | |
Changes in assets and liabilities: | | | |
Decrease in accounts receivable | 15,202 | | | 177 | |
Decrease in accounts receivable—affiliates | 650 | | | 101 | |
Decrease in inventory | 3,849 | | | 1,874 | |
Increase in customer acquisition costs | (1,773) | | | (1,196) | |
Increase in prepaid and other current assets | (1,777) | | | (833) | |
| | | |
Decrease in other assets | 215 | | | 252 | |
Decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities | (21,404) | | | (4,320) | |
Increase (decrease) in accounts payable—affiliates | 57 | | | (54) | |
Decrease in other current liabilities | (240) | | | (1,203) | |
Decrease in other non-current liabilities | (19) | | | (108) | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | 13,060 | | | 4,583 | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | | | |
Purchases of property and equipment | (374) | | | (205) | |
Acquisition of Customers | — | | | (3,393) | |
| | | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (374) | | | (3,598) | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | | | |
| | | |
Borrowings on notes payable | 63,000 | | | 88,000 | |
Payments on notes payable | (52,000) | | | (117,000) | |
Net (paydown) borrowings on subordinated debt facility | (5,000) | | | 15,000 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Restricted stock vesting | — | | | (58) | |
| | | |
| | | |
Payment of dividends to Class A common stockholders | (2,874) | | | (2,838) | |
Payment of distributions to non-controlling unitholders | (3,625) | | | (3,678) | |
Payment of Preferred Stock dividends | (2,376) | | | (1,951) | |
| | | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (2,875) | | | (22,525) | |
Increase (decrease) in Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash | 9,811 | | | (21,540) | |
Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash—beginning of period | 35,351 | | | 75,320 | |
Cash, cash equivalents and Restricted cash—end of period | $ | 45,162 | | | $ | 53,780 | |
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information: | | | |
Non-cash items: | | | |
Property and equipment purchase accrual | $ | 6 | | | $ | 447 | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Cash paid during the period for: | | | |
Interest | $ | 2,317 | | | $ | 1,073 | |
Taxes | $ | 137 | | | $ | 205 | |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed
consolidated financial statements.
VIA RENEWABLES, INC.
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
1. Formation and Organization
Organization
We
are an independent retail energy services company that provides
residential and commercial customers in competitive markets across the
United States with an alternative choice for natural gas and
electricity. The Company is a holding company whose primary asset
consists of units in Spark HoldCo, LLC (“Spark HoldCo”). The Company is
the sole managing member of Spark HoldCo, is responsible for all
operational, management and administrative decisions relating to Spark
HoldCo’s business and consolidates the financial results of Spark HoldCo
and its subsidiaries. Spark HoldCo is the direct and indirect owner of
the subsidiaries through which we operate our retail energy services. We
conduct our retail energy services business through several brands
across our service areas, including Electricity Maine, Electricity N.H.,
Major Energy, Provider Power Massachusetts, Spark Energy, and Verde
Energy. Via Energy Solutions (“VES”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Company that offers broker services for retail energy customers.
2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The
accompanying interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”)
and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) as it applies to interim financial statements. This
information should be read along with our consolidated financial
statements and notes contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2022 (the “2022 Form 10-K”). Our unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements are presented on a
consolidated basis and include all wholly-owned and controlled
subsidiaries. We account for investments over which we have significant
influence but not a controlling financial interest using the equity
method of accounting. All significant intercompany transactions and
balances have been eliminated in the unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements.
In
the opinion of the Company's management, the accompanying condensed
consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments that are
necessary to fairly present the financial position, the results of
operations, the changes in equity and the cash flows of the Company for
the respective periods. Such adjustments are of a normal recurring
nature, unless otherwise disclosed.
Use of Estimates and Assumptions
The
preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements requires
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets
and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at
the date of the interim financial statements and the reported amounts of
revenues and expenses during the period. Actual results could
materially differ from those estimates.
Relationship with our Founder, Majority Shareholder, and Chief Executive Officer
W.
Keith Maxwell, III (our "Founder") is the Chief Executive Officer, a
director and the owner of a majority of the voting power of our common
stock through his ownership of NuDevco Retail, LLC ("NuDevco Retail")
and Retailco, LLC ("Retailco"). Retailco is a wholly owned subsidiary of
TxEx Energy Investments, LLC ("TxEx"), which is wholly owned by Mr.
Maxwell. NuDevco Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of NuDevco Retail
Holdings
LLC ("NuDevco Retail Holdings"), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Electric HoldCo, LLC, which is also a wholly owned subsidiary of TxEx.
New Accounting Standards Recently Adopted
There have been no changes to our significant accounting policies as disclosed in our 2022 Form 10-K.
Standards Being Evaluated/Standards Not Yet Adopted
The
Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs. New ASUs
were assessed and determined to be either not applicable or are expected
to have minimal impact on our consolidated financial statements.
3. Revenues
Our
revenues are derived primarily from the sale of natural gas and
electricity to customers, including affiliates. Revenue is measured
based upon the quantity of gas or power delivered at prices contained or
referenced in the customer's contract, and excludes any sales
incentives (e.g. rebates) and amounts collected on behalf of third
parties (e.g. sales tax).
Our
revenues also include asset optimization activities. Asset optimization
activities consist primarily of purchases and sales of gas that meet
the definition of trading activities per FASB ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. They are therefore excluded from the scope of FASB ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.
Revenues
for electricity, natural gas, and related services are recognized as
the Company transfers the promised goods and services to the customer. Electricity
and natural gas products may be sold as fixed-price or variable-price
products. The typical length of a contract to provide electricity and/or
natural gas is twelve months. Customers are billed and
generally pay at least monthly, based on usage. Electricity and natural
gas sales that have been delivered but not billed by period end are
estimated and recorded as accrued unbilled revenues based on estimates
of customer usage since the date of the last meter read provided by the
utility. Volume estimates are based on forecasted volumes and estimated
residential and commercial customer usage. Unbilled revenues are
calculated by multiplying these volume estimates by the applicable rate
by customer class (residential or commercial). Estimated amounts are
adjusted when actual usage is known and billed.
The
following table discloses revenue by primary geographical market,
customer type, and customer credit risk profile (in thousands). The
table also includes a reconciliation of the disaggregated revenue to
revenue by reportable segment (in thousands).
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Reportable Segments |
| Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 | | Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 |
| Retail Electricity (a) | | Retail Natural Gas | | | | Total Reportable Segments | | Retail Electricity | | Retail Natural Gas | | | | Total Reportable Segments |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Primary markets (b) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
New England | $ | 32,887 | | | $ | 3,913 | | | | | $ | 36,800 | | | $ | 29,461 | | | $ | 5,161 | | | | | $ | 34,622 | |
Mid-Atlantic | 27,509 | | | 19,346 | | | | | 46,855 | | | 30,419 | | | 19,513 | | | | | 49,932 | |
Midwest | 8,139 | | | 9,805 | | | | | 17,944 | | | 9,939 | | | 9,620 | | | | | 19,559 | |
Southwest | 14,292 | | | 19,234 | | | | | 33,526 | | | 18,222 | | | 5,723 | | | | | 23,945 | |
| $ | 82,827 | | | $ | 52,298 | | | | | $ | 135,125 | | | $ | 88,041 | | | $ | 40,017 | | | | | $ | 128,058 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Customer type | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Commercial | $ | 10,293 | | | $ | 28,679 | | | | | $ | 38,972 | | | $ | 11,080 | | | $ | 20,429 | | | | | $ | 31,509 | |
Residential | 77,237 | | | 31,275 | | | | | 108,512 | | | 79,937 | | | 22,145 | | | | | 102,082 | |
Unbilled revenue (c) | (4,703) | | | (7,656) | | | | | (12,359) | | | (2,976) | | | (2,557) | | | | | (5,533) | |
| $ | 82,827 | | | $ | 52,298 | | | | | $ | 135,125 | | | $ | 88,041 | | | $ | 40,017 | | | | | $ | 128,058 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Customer credit risk | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
POR | $ | 49,143 | | | $ | 25,054 | | | | | $ | 74,197 | | | $ | 56,176 | | | $ | 25,510 | | | | | $ | 81,686 | |
Non-POR | 33,684 | | | 27,244 | | | | | 60,928 | | | 31,865 | | | 14,507 | | | | | 46,372 | |
| $ | 82,827 | | | $ | 52,298 | | | | | $ | 135,125 | | | $ | 88,041 | | | $ | 40,017 | | | | | $ | 128,058 | |
(a) Retail Electricity includes Services (b) The primary markets include the following states:
•New England - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire;
•Mid-Atlantic - Delaware, Maryland (including the District of Columbia), New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia;
•Midwest - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio; and
•Southwest - Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas.
(c)
Unbilled revenue is recorded in total until it is actualized, at which
time it is categorized between commercial and residential customers.
We
record gross receipts taxes on a gross basis in retail revenues and
retail cost of revenues. During the three months ended March 31, 2023
and 2022, our retail revenues included gross receipts taxes of $0.3 million and $0.3 million, respectively, and our retail cost of revenues included gross receipts taxes of $1.3 million and $1.4 million, respectively.
Accounts receivables and Allowance for Credit Losses
The
Company conducts business in many utility service markets where the
local regulated utility purchases our receivables, and then becomes
responsible for billing the customer and collecting payment from the
customer (“POR programs”). These POR programs result in substantially
all of the Company’s credit risk being linked to the applicable utility,
which generally has an investment-grade rating, and not to the end-use
customer. The Company monitors the financial condition of each utility
and currently believes its receivables are collectible.
In
markets that do not offer POR programs or when the Company chooses to
directly bill its customers, certain receivables are billed and
collected by the Company. The Company bears the credit risk on these
accounts and
records
an appropriate allowance for doubtful accounts to reflect any losses
due to non-payment by customers. The Company’s customers are
individually insignificant and geographically dispersed in these
markets. The Company writes off customer balances when it believes that
amounts are no longer collectible and when it has exhausted all means to
collect these receivables.
For
trade accounts receivables, the Company accrues an allowance for
doubtful accounts by business segment by pooling customer accounts
receivables based on similar risk characteristics, such as customer
type, geography, aging analysis, payment terms, and related
macro-economic factors. Expected credit loss exposure is evaluated for
each of our accounts receivables pools. Expected credits losses are
established using a model that considers historical collections
experience, current information, and reasonable and supportable
forecasts. The Company writes off accounts receivable balances against
the allowance for doubtful accounts when the accounts receivable is
deemed to be uncollectible.
A
rollforward of our allowance for credit losses for the three months
ended March 31, 2023 are presented in the table below (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Balance at December 31, 2022 | | | | | $ | (4,335) | |
| | | | | |
Current period bad debt provision | | | | | (955) | |
Write-offs | | | | | 708 | |
Recovery of previous write-offs | | | | | (30) | |
Balance at March 31, 2023 | | | | | $ | (4,612) | |
4. Equity
Non-controlling Interest
We
hold an economic interest and are the sole managing member in Spark
HoldCo, with affiliates of our Founder holding the remaining economic
interests in Spark HoldCo. As a result, we consolidate the financial
position and results of operations of Spark HoldCo, and reflect the
economic interests owned by these affiliates as a non-controlling
interest. The
Company and affiliates owned the following economic interests in Spark
HoldCo at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
| | | | | | | | |
| The Company | Affiliated Owners |
March 31, 2023 | 44.56 | % | 55.44 | % |
December 31, 2022 | 44.45 | % | 55.55 | % |
The
following table summarizes the portion of net income and income tax
expense attributable to non-controlling interest (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Three Months Ended March 31, |
| | | | | 2023 | | 2022 |
| | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income allocated to non-controlling interest | | | | | $ | (6,334) | | | $ | 19,347 | |
Income tax expense allocated to non-controlling interest | | | | | 250 | | | 1,295 | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interest | | | | | $ | (6,584) | | | $ | 18,052 | |
Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock
Holders
of the Company's Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote
together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders
for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable
law or by our certificate of incorporation.
Reverse Stock Split
On
March 20, 2023, the Company’s shareholders approved at a special
meeting a proposal by the Company’s Board of Directors to consummate a
reverse stock split of the Company’s Class A common stock at a ratio
between 1 for 2 to 1 for 5 and (ii) Class B common stock at a ratio
between 1 for 2 to 1 for 5, with such ratios to be determined by the
Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer, or to determine
not to proceed with the reverse stock split, during a period of time not
to exceed the one-year anniversary of the special meeting date (the
“Reverse Stock Split”).
On
March 20, 2023, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment to the
Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the
Delaware Secretary of State to effect the Reverse Stock Split at a ratio
of 1 to 5 for each issued and outstanding share of Class A common stock
and Class B common stock as of March 21, 2023 at 5:30 PM ET. The Class A
common stock began trading on a post-split basis on March 22, 2023.
No
fractional shares were issued as a result of the Reverse Stock Split
and it did not impact the par value of the Class A common stock or Class
B common stock. Any fractional shares that would otherwise have
resulted from the Reverse Stock Split were rounded up to the next whole
number. The number of authorized shares of Common Stock remained
unchanged at 120,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 60,000,000 shares of Class B common stock.
All
shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock and per share
amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and
related notes have been retrospectively restated to reflect the effect
of the Reverse Stock Split effective March 21, 2023.
Dividends on Class A Common Stock
Dividends
declared for the Company's Class A common stock are reported as a
reduction of retained earnings, or a reduction of additional paid in
capital to the extent retained earnings are exhausted. During the three
months ended March 31, 2023, we paid $2.9 million in dividends to the holders of the Company's Class A common stock. This dividend represented a quarterly rate of $0.90625 per share on each share of Class A common stock.
In
order to pay our stated dividends to holders of our Class A common
stock, our subsidiary, Spark HoldCo is required to make corresponding
distributions to holders of its units, including those holders that own
our Class B common stock (our non-controlling interest holder). As a
result, during the three months ended March 31, 2023, Spark HoldCo made
corresponding distributions of $3.6 million to our non-controlling interest holders.
Earnings Per Share
Basic
earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net income
attributable to stockholders (the numerator) by the weighted-average
number of Class A common shares outstanding for the period (the
denominator). Class B common shares are not included in the calculation
of basic earnings per share because they are not participating
securities and have no economic interests. Diluted earnings per share is
similarly calculated except that the denominator is increased by
potentially dilutive securities.
The
following table presents the computation of basic and diluted income
per share for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 (in
thousands, except per share data):
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | 2022 | | | | |
Net (loss) income attributable to Via Renewables, Inc. stockholders | $ | (187) | | $ | 12,973 | | | | | |
Less: Dividend on Series A Preferred Stock | 2,544 | | 1,951 | | | | | |
Net (loss) income attributable to stockholders of Class A common stock | $ | (2,731) | | $ | 11,022 | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Basic weighted average Class A common shares outstanding | 3,173 | | 3,131 | | | | | |
Basic (loss) income per share attributable to stockholders | $ | (0.86) | | $ | 3.52 | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Net (loss) income attributable to stockholders of Class A common stock | $ | (2,731) | | $ | 11,022 | | | | | |
Effect of conversion of Class B common stock to shares of Class A common stock | (6,327) | | — | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Diluted net (loss) income attributable to stockholders of Class A common stock | $ | (9,058) | | $ | 11,022 | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Basic weighted average Class A common shares outstanding | 3,173 | | 3,131 | | | | | |
Effect of dilutive Class B common stock | 4,000 | | — | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Effect of dilutive restricted stock units | — | | 28 | | | | | |
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding | 7,173 | | 3,159 | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Diluted (loss) income per share attributable to stockholders | $ | (1.26) | | $ | 3.49 | | | | | |
The computation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2022, excludes 4.0 million
shares of Class B common stock because the effect of their conversion
was antidilutive. The Company's outstanding shares of Series A Preferred
Stock were not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per
share because they contain only contingent redemption provisions that
have not occurred.
Variable Interest Entity
Spark
HoldCo is a variable interest entity due to its lack of rights to
participate in significant financial and operating decisions and its
inability to dissolve or otherwise remove its management. Spark HoldCo
owns all of the outstanding membership interests in each of our
operating subsidiaries except VES. We are the sole managing member of
Spark HoldCo, manage Spark HoldCo's operating subsidiaries through this
managing membership interest, and are considered the primary beneficiary
of Spark HoldCo. The assets of Spark HoldCo cannot be used to settle
our obligations except through distributions to us, and the liabilities
of Spark HoldCo cannot be settled by us except through contributions to
Spark HoldCo. The
following table includes the carrying amounts and classification of the
assets and liabilities of Spark HoldCo that are included in our
condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022 (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 |
Assets | | |
Current assets: | | |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 44,945 | | $ | 33,267 | |
Accounts receivable | 65,230 | | 81,363 | |
| | |
Other current assets | 51,635 | | 61,162 | |
Total current assets | 161,810 | | 175,792 | |
Non-current assets: | | |
Goodwill | 120,343 | | 120,343 | |
| | |
Other assets | 12,863 | | 13,675 | |
Total non-current assets | 133,206 | | 134,018 | |
Total Assets | $ | 295,016 | | $ | 309,810 | |
| | |
Liabilities | | |
Current liabilities: | | |
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 36,478 | | $ | 61,367 | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Other current liabilities | 84,688 | | 63,673 | |
Total current liabilities | 121,166 | | 125,040 | |
Long-term liabilities: | | |
Long-term portion of Senior Credit Facility | 111,000 | | 100,000 | |
Subordinated debt — affiliate | 15,000 | | 20,000 | |
| | |
Other long-term liabilities | 4,313 | | 2,733 | |
Total long-term liabilities | 130,313 | | 122,733 | |
Total Liabilities | $ | 251,479 | | $ | 247,773 | |
5. Preferred Stock
Holders
of the Series A Preferred Stock have no voting rights, except in
specific circumstances of delisting or in the case the dividends are in
arrears as specified in the Series A Preferred Stock Certificate of
Designations. The Series A Preferred Stock accrued dividends at an
annual percentage rate of 8.75% through April 14, 2022. The
floating rate period for the Series A Preferred Stock began on April
15, 2022. The dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock will accrue at an
annual rate equal to the sum of (a) Three-Month LIBOR (if it then
exists), or an alternative reference rate as of the applicable
determination date and (b) 6.578%, based on the $25.00
liquidation preference per share of the Series A Preferred Stock. The
liquidation preference provisions of the Series A Preferred Stock are
considered contingent redemption provisions because there are rights
granted to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock that are not
solely within our control upon a change in control of the Company.
Accordingly, the Series A Preferred Stock is presented between
liabilities and the equity sections in the accompanying condensed
consolidated balance sheets. As of April 15, 2022, we have the option to
redeem our Series A Preferred Stock.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we paid $2.4 million in dividends to holders of the Series A Preferred Stock. As of March 31, 2023, we had accrued $2.5 million related to dividends to holders of the Series A Preferred Stock. This dividend was paid on April 17, 2023.
A summary of our preferred equity balance for the three months ended March 31, 2023 is as follows:
| | | | | | | | |
| | (in thousands) |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Balance at December 31, 2022 | | $ | 87,713 | |
| | |
Accumulated dividends on Series A Preferred Stock | | 167 | |
Balance at March 31, 2023 | | $ | 87,880 | |
6. Derivative Instruments
We
are exposed to the impact of market fluctuations in the price of
electricity and natural gas, basis differences in the price of natural
gas, storage charges, renewable energy credits ("RECs"), and capacity
charges from independent system operators. We use derivative instruments
in an effort to manage our cash flow exposure to these risks. These
instruments are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes, and,
accordingly, changes in the market value of these derivative instruments
are recorded in the cost of revenues. As part of our strategy to
optimize pricing in our natural gas related activities, we also manage a
portfolio of commodity derivative instruments held for trading
purposes. Our commodity trading activities are subject to limits within
our Risk Management Policy. For these derivative instruments, changes in
the fair value are recognized currently in earnings in net asset
optimization revenues.
Derivative
assets and liabilities are presented net in our condensed consolidated
balance sheets when the derivative instruments are executed with the
same counterparty under a master netting arrangement. Our derivative
contracts include transactions that are executed both on an exchange and
centrally cleared, as well as over-the-counter, bilateral contracts
that are transacted directly with third parties. To the extent we have
paid or received collateral related to the derivative assets or
liabilities, such amounts would be presented net against the related
derivative asset or liability’s fair value. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we offset $4.5 million and $2.7
million, respectively, in collateral to net against the related
derivative liability's fair value. The specific types of derivative
instruments we may execute to manage the commodity price risk include
the following:
•Forward contracts, which commit us to purchase or sell energy commodities in the future;
•Futures contracts, which are exchange-traded standardized commitments to purchase or sell a commodity or financial instrument;
•Swap
agreements, which require payments to or from counterparties based upon
the differential between two prices for a predetermined notional
quantity; and
•Option contracts, which convey to the option holder the right but not the obligation to purchase or sell a commodity.
The
Company has entered into other energy-related contracts that do not
meet the definition of a derivative instrument or for which we made a
normal purchase, normal sale election and are therefore not accounted
for at fair value including the following:
•Forward electricity and natural gas purchase contracts for retail customer load;
•Renewable energy credits; and
•Natural gas transportation contracts and storage agreements.
Volumes Underlying Derivative Transactions
The
following table summarizes the net notional volumes of our open
derivative financial instruments accounted for at fair value by
commodity. Positive amounts represent net buys while bracketed amounts
are net sell transactions (in thousands):
Non-trading
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Commodity | Notional | | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
Natural Gas | MMBtu | | 5,043 | | | 5,984 | |
| | | | | |
Electricity | MWh | | 1,230 | | | 1,380 | |
Trading
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Commodity | Notional | | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
Natural Gas | MMBtu | | 900 | | | 957 | |
| | | | | |
Gains (Losses) on Derivative Instruments
Gains
(losses) on derivative instruments, net and current period settlements
on derivative instruments were as follows for the periods indicated (in
thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Three Months Ended March 31, | |
| | | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
(Loss) gain on non-trading derivatives, net | | | | | $ | (42,769) | | | $ | 43,916 | | |
(Loss) gain on trading derivatives, net | | | | | (1) | | | 1,147 | | |
(Loss) gain on derivatives, net | | | | | (42,770) | | | 45,063 | | |
Current period settlements on non-trading derivatives | | | | | $ | 20,123 | | | $ | (13,320) | | |
Current period settlements on trading derivatives | | | | | 14 | | | 184 | | |
Total current period settlements on derivatives | | | | | $ | 20,137 | | | $ | (13,136) | | |
Gains
(losses) on trading derivative instruments are recorded in net asset
optimization revenues and gains (losses) on non-trading derivative
instruments are recorded in retail cost of revenues on the condensed
consolidated statements of operations.
Fair Value of Derivative Instruments
The
following tables summarize the fair value and offsetting amounts of our
derivative instruments by counterparty and collateral received or paid
(in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 |
Description | Gross Assets | | Gross Amounts Offset | | Net Assets | | Cash Collateral Offset | | Net Amount Presented |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Trading commodity derivatives | 47 | | | (4) | | | 43 | | | — | | | 43 | |
Total Current Derivative Assets | 47 | | | (4) | | | 43 | | | — | | | 43 | |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Total Non-current Derivative Assets | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
Total Derivative Assets | $ | 47 | | | $ | (4) | | | $ | 43 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 43 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Description | Gross Liabilities | | Gross Amounts Offset | | Net Liabilities | | Cash Collateral Offset | | Net Amount Presented |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | $ | (56,215) | | | $ | 19,078 | | | $ | (37,137) | | | $ | 4,199 | | | $ | (32,938) | |
Trading commodity derivatives | (225) | | | 43 | | | (182) | | | — | | | (182) | |
Total Current Derivative Liabilities | (56,440) | | | 19,121 | | | (37,319) | | | 4,199 | | | (33,120) | |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | (4,828) | | | 207 | | | (4,621) | | | 308 | | | (4,313) | |
Trading commodity derivatives | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
Total Non-current Derivative Liabilities | (4,828) | | | 207 | | | (4,621) | | | 308 | | | (4,313) | |
Total Derivative Liabilities | $ | (61,268) | | | $ | 19,328 | | | $ | (41,940) | | | $ | 4,507 | | | $ | (37,433) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| December 31, 2022 |
Description | Gross Assets | | Gross Amounts Offset | | Net Assets | | Cash Collateral Offset | | Net Amount Presented |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | $ | 709 | | | $ | (154) | | | $ | 555 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 555 | |
Trading commodity derivatives | 1,267 | | | (190) | | | 1,077 | | | — | | | 1,077 | |
Total Current Derivative Assets | 1,976 | | | (344) | | | 1,632 | | | — | | | 1,632 | |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | 1,364 | | | (698) | | | 666 | | | — | | | 666 | |
Trading commodity derivatives | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
Total Non-current Derivative Assets | 1,364 | | | (698) | | | 666 | | | — | | | 666 | |
Total Derivative Assets | $ | 3,340 | | | $ | (1,042) | | | $ | 2,298 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 2,298 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Description | Gross Liabilities | | Gross Amounts Offset | | Net Liabilities | | Cash Collateral Offset | | Net Amount Presented |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | $ | (42,586) | | | $ | 24,969 | | | $ | (17,617) | | | $ | 2,715 | | | $ | (14,902) | |
Trading commodity derivatives | (1,831) | | | 601 | | | (1,230) | | | — | | | (1,230) | |
Total Current Derivative Liabilities | (44,417) | | | 25,570 | | | (18,847) | | | 2,715 | | | (16,132) | |
Non-trading commodity derivatives | (2,907) | | | 192 | | | (2,715) | | | — | | | (2,715) | |
Trading commodity derivatives | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
Total Non-current Derivative Liabilities | (2,907) | | | 192 | | | (2,715) | | | — | | | (2,715) | |
Total Derivative Liabilities | $ | (47,324) | | | $ | 25,762 | | | $ | (21,562) | | | $ | 2,715 | | | $ | (18,847) | |
7. Property and Equipment
Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Estimated useful lives (years) | | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
| | | |
Information technology | 2 – 5 | | $ | 7,180 | | | $ | 7,680 | |
| | | | | |
Furniture and fixtures | 2 – 5 | | 20 | | | 20 | |
Total | | | 7,200 | | | 7,700 | |
Accumulated depreciation | | | (2,514) | | | (3,009) | |
Property and equipment—net | | | $ | 4,686 | | | $ | 4,691 | |
Information
technology assets include software and consultant time used in the
application, development and implementation of various systems including
customer billing and resource management systems. As of March 31,
2023 and December 31, 2022, information technology includes $1.2 million and $0.9
million, respectively, of costs associated with assets not yet placed
into service. Depreciation expense recorded in the condensed
consolidated statements of operations was $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
8. Intangible Assets
Goodwill, customer relationships and trademarks consist of the following amounts (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
Goodwill | $ | 120,343 | | | $ | 120,343 | |
Customer relationships—Acquired | | | |
Cost | $ | — | | | $ | 5,026 | |
Accumulated amortization | — | | | (4,825) | |
Customer relationships—Acquired | $ | — | | | $ | 201 | |
Customer relationships—Other | | | |
Cost | $ | 4,586 | | | $ | 7,886 | |
Accumulated amortization | (3,486) | | | (5,086) | |
Customer relationships—Other, net | $ | 1,100 | | | $ | 2,800 | |
Trademarks | | | |
Cost | $ | 4,041 | | | $ | 4,041 | |
Accumulated amortization | (1,314) | | | (1,213) | |
Trademarks, net | $ | 2,727 | | | $ | 2,828 | |
Changes in goodwill, customer relationships and trademarks consisted of the following (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Goodwill | | Customer Relationships— Acquired | | Customer Relationships— Other | | Trademarks |
Balance at December 31, 2022 | $ | 120,343 | | | $ | 201 | | | $ | 2,800 | | | $ | 2,828 | |
Additions | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | |
| | | | | | | |
Amortization | — | | | (201) | | | (1,700) | | | (101) | |
Balance at March 31, 2023 | $ | 120,343 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 1,100 | | | $ | 2,727 | |
During
the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company changed the
estimated average life for Customer Relationships – Other from three years to eighteen months, resulting in approximately $0.9 million of additional amortization recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Estimated
future amortization expense for customer relationships and trademarks
at March 31, 2023 is as follows (in thousands):
| | | | | |
Year ending December 31, | |
| |
2023 (remaining nine months) | $ | 915 | |
2024 | 746 | |
2025 | 543 | |
2026 | 404 | |
2027 | 404 | |
> 5 years | 815 | |
Total | $ | 3,827 | |
9. Debt
Debt consists of the following amounts as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Long-term debt: | | | |
Senior Credit Facility (1) (2) | $ | 111,000 | | | $ | 100,000 | |
Subordinated Debt | 15,000 | | | 20,000 | |
| | | |
Total long-term debt | 126,000 | | | 120,000 | |
Total debt | $ | 126,000 | | | $ | 120,000 | |
(1) As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the weighted average interest rate on the Senior Credit Facility was 8.30% and 7.83%, respectively.
(2) As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had $43.9 million and $34.4 million in letters of credit issued, respectively.
Capitalized financing costs associated with our Senior Credit Facility were $1.9 million and $2.1 million as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Of these amounts, $0.8 million and $0.8 million are recorded in other current assets, and $1.1 million and $1.3
million are recorded in other non-current assets in the condensed
consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2023 and
December 31, 2022, respectively.
Interest expense consists of the following components for the periods indicated (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | | | | | | | |
Senior Credit Facility | $ | 2,067 | | | $ | 696 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Letters of credit fees and commitment fees | 403 | | | 365 | | | | | | | | | |
Amortization of deferred financing costs | 206 | | | 245 | | | | | | | | | |
Other | 21 | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
Interest Expense | $ | 2,697 | | | $ | 1,307 | | | | | | | | | |
Senior Credit Facility
The
Company and Spark HoldCo, and together with certain subsidiaries of the
Company and Spark Holdco, (the “Co-Borrowers”) maintain a senior
secured credit facility (the “Senior Credit Facility”), which allows the
Co-Borrowers to borrow up to $195.0
million on a revolving basis. The Senior Credit Facility provides for
working capital loans, loans to fund acquisitions, swingline loans and
letters of credit. The Senior Credit Facility expires on June 30, 2025,
and all amounts outstanding thereunder are payable on the expiration
date.
Borrowings
under the Senior Credit Facility bear interest at the following rates
depending on the classification of the borrowing and provided further
that at no time shall the interest rate be less than four percent (4.0%) per annum:
•The
Base Rate (a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (a) the prime
rate, (b) the Federal Funds Rate plus ½ of 1% and (c) Term Secured
Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") for a one month tenor plus 1.0%, provided, that the Base Rate shall not at any time be less than 0%), plus an applicable margin of 3.25% to 4.50%
depending on the type of borrowing and the average outstanding amount
of loans and letters of credit under the Credit Agreement at the end of
the prior fiscal quarter;
•The
Term SOFR (a rate equal to the forward looking secured overnight
financing rate published by the SOFR administrator on the website of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor source with either a
comparable tenor (for any calculation with respect to a SOFR loan) or a
one month tenor (for any calculation with respect to a Base Rate loan)),
plus an applicable margin of 3.25% to 4.50% depending on
the
type of borrowing and the average outstanding amount of loans and
letters of credit under the Credit Agreement at the end of the prior
fiscal quarter; or
•The
Daily Simple SOFR (a rate equal to the forward looking secured
overnight financing rate published by the SOFR administrator on the
website of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any successor source
and applied on a daily basis by the Agent in accordance with rate
recommendations for daily loans), plus an applicable margin of 3.25% to 4.50%
depending on the type of borrowing and the average outstanding amount
of loans and letters of credit under the Credit Agreement at the end of
the prior fiscal quarter, plus a liquidity premium added by the Agent to
each borrowing.
The Co-Borrowers are required to pay a non-utilization fee of 0.50%
quarterly in arrears on the unused portion of the Senior Credit
Facility. In addition, the Co-Borrowers are subject to additional fees
including an upfront fee, an annual administrative agency fee, an
arrangement fee and letter of credit fees.
The
Credit Agreement contains covenants that, among other things, require
the maintenance of specified ratios or conditions including:
•Minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio. The Company must maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of not less than 1.10
to 1.00. The Minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio is defined as the
ratio of (a) Adjusted EBITDA to (b) the sum of, among other things,
consolidated interest expense, letter of credit fees, non-utilization
fees, earn-out payments, certain restricted payments, taxes, and
payments made on or after July 31, 2020 related to the settlement of
civil and regulatory matters if not included in the calculation of
Adjusted EBITDA. Our Minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio as of
March 31, 2023 was 1.41 to 1.00.
•Maximum
Total Leverage Ratio. The Company must maintain a ratio of (x) the sum
of all consolidated indebtedness (excluding eligible subordinated debt
and letter of credit obligations), plus (y) gross amounts reserved for
civil and regulatory liabilities identified filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, to Adjusted EBITDA of no more than 2.50 to 1.00. Our Maximum Total Leverage Ratio as of March 31, 2023 was 1.89 to 1.00.
•Maximum Senior Secured Leverage Ratio. The Company must maintain a Senior Secured Leverage Ratio of no more than 2.00
to 1.00. The Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is defined as the ratio of
(a) all consolidated indebtedness that is secured by a lien on any
property of any loan party (including the effective amount of all loans
then outstanding under the Senior Credit Facility but excluding eligible
subordinated debt and letter of credit obligations) to (b) Adjusted
EBITDA for the most recent twelve month period then ended. Our Maximum
Senior Secured Leverage Ratio as of March 31, 2023 was 1.86 to 1.00.
As
of March 31, 2023, the Company was in compliance with financial
covenants under the Senior Credit Facility. The Company has experienced
compressed gross profit due to an extreme elevation of commodity costs
during 2022, impacting calculated Adjusted EBITDA, a primary component
of the financial covenants described above. The Company is actively
working to manage the expected impact of continued gross profit
compression due to elevated commodity costs on financial covenant
compliance. Maintaining compliance with our covenants under our Senior
Credit Facility may impact our ability to pay dividends.
The
Credit Agreement contains various customary affirmative covenants that
require, among other things, the Company to maintain insurance, pay its
obligations and comply with law. The Credit Agreement also contains
customary negative covenants that limit the Company's ability to, among
other things, incur certain additional indebtedness, grant certain
liens, engage in certain asset dispositions, merge or consolidate, make
certain payments, distributions and dividends, investments, acquisitions
or loans, materially modify certain agreements, and enter into
transactions with affiliates.
The
Senior Credit Facility is secured by pledges of the equity of the
portion of Spark HoldCo owned by the Company, the equity of Spark
HoldCo’s subsidiaries, the Co-Borrowers’ present and future
subsidiaries, and substantially all of the Co-Borrowers’ and their
subsidiaries’ present and future property and assets, including
intellectual
property assets, accounts receivable, inventory and liquid investments,
and control agreements relating to bank accounts.
The
Company is entitled to pay cash dividends to the holders of its Series A
Preferred Stock and Class A common stock so long as: (a) no default
exists or would result therefrom; (b) the Co-Borrowers are in pro forma
compliance with all financial covenants before and after giving effect
thereto; and (c) the outstanding amount of all loans and letters of
credit do not exceed the borrowing base limits.
The
Credit Agreement contains certain customary representations and
warranties and events of default. Events of default include, among other
things, payment defaults, breaches of representations and warranties,
covenant defaults, cross-defaults and cross-acceleration to certain
indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy, certain events under ERISA,
material judgments in excess of $5.0 million,
certain events with respect to material contracts, and actual or
asserted failure of any guaranty or security document supporting the
Senior Credit Facility to be in full force and effect. A default will
also occur if at any time W. Keith Maxwell III ceases to, directly or
indirectly, beneficially own at least fifty-one percent (51%)
of the Company’s outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common
stock on a combined basis, and a controlling percentage of the voting
equity interest of the Company, and certain other changes in control. If
such an event of default occurs, the lenders under the Senior Credit
Facility would be entitled to take various actions, including the
acceleration of amounts due under the facility and all actions permitted
to be taken by a secured creditor.
Subordinated Debt Facility
The Company maintains an Amended and Restated Subordinated Promissory Note in the principal amount of up to $25.0 million
(the “Subordinated Debt Facility”), by and among the Company, Spark
HoldCo and Retailco. The Subordinated Debt Facility allows the Company
to draw advances in increments of no less than $1.0 million per advance up to $25.0 million
through January 31, 2026. Borrowings are at the discretion of Retailco.
Advances thereunder accrue interest at an annual rate equal to the
prime rate as published by the Wall Street Journal plus two percent (2.0%) from the date of the advance.
The
Company has the right to capitalize interest payments under the
Subordinated Debt Facility. The Subordinated Debt Facility is
subordinated in certain respects to our Senior Credit Facility pursuant
to a subordination agreement. The Company may pay interest and prepay
principal on the Subordinated Debt Facility so long it is in compliance
with the covenants under the Senior Credit Facility, is not in default
under the Senior Credit Facility and has minimum availability of $5.0
million under the borrowing base under the Senior Credit Facility.
Payment of principal and interest under the Subordinated Debt Facility
is accelerated upon the occurrence of certain change of control or sale
transactions.
As of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, there were $15.0 million and $20.0 million, respectively, of outstanding borrowings under the Subordinated Debt Facility.
10. Fair Value Measurements
Fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset
or paid to transfer a liability (exit price) in an orderly transaction
between market participants at the measurement date. Fair values are
based on assumptions that market participants would use when pricing an
asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks
inherent in valuation techniques and the inputs to valuations. This
includes the credit standing of counterparties involved and the impact
of credit enhancements.
We
apply fair value measurements to our commodity derivative instruments
based on the following fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the
inputs to the valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three
broad levels:
•Level
1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Instruments categorized in Level 1 primarily consist of financial
instruments such as exchange-traded derivative instruments.
•Level
2—Inputs other than quoted prices recorded in Level 1 that are either
directly or indirectly observable for the asset or liability, including
quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets,
quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive
markets, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the
asset or liability, and inputs that are derived from observable market
data by correlation or other means. Instruments categorized in Level 2
primarily include non-exchange traded derivatives such as
over-the-counter commodity forwards and swaps and options.
•Level
3—Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, including situations
where there is little, if any, observable market activity for the asset
or liability.
As
the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in
active markets (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable data
(Level 3), the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and
minimizes the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.
These levels can change over time. In some cases, the inputs used to
measure fair value might fall in different levels of the fair value
hierarchy. In these cases, the lowest level input that is significant to
a fair value measurement in its entirety determines the applicable
level in the fair value hierarchy.
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The
following tables present assets and liabilities measured and recorded
at fair value in our condensed consolidated balance sheets on a
recurring basis by and their level within the fair value hierarchy (in
thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Level 1 | | Level 2 | | Level 3 | | Total |
March 31, 2023 | | | | | | | |
Non-trading commodity derivative assets | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Trading commodity derivative assets | — | | | 43 | | | — | | | 43 | |
Total commodity derivative assets | $ | — | | | $ | 43 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 43 | |
Non-trading commodity derivative liabilities | $ | — | | | $ | (37,251) | | | $ | — | | | $ | (37,251) | |
Trading commodity derivative liabilities | — | | | (182) | | | — | | | (182) | |
Total commodity derivative liabilities | $ | — | | | $ | (37,433) | | | $ | — | | | $ | (37,433) | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Level 1 | | Level 2 | | Level 3 | | Total |
December 31, 2022 | | | | | | | |
Non-trading commodity derivative assets | $ | 72 | | | $ | 1,149 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 1,221 | |
Trading commodity derivative assets | — | | | 1,077 | | | — | | | 1,077 | |
Total commodity derivative assets | $ | 72 | | | $ | 2,226 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 2,298 | |
Non-trading commodity derivative liabilities | $ | — | | | $ | (17,617) | | | $ | — | | | $ | (17,617) | |
Trading commodity derivative liabilities | — | | | (1,230) | | | — | | | (1,230) | |
Total commodity derivative liabilities | $ | — | | | $ | (18,847) | | | $ | — | | | $ | (18,847) | |
| | | | | | | |
We
had no transfers of assets or liabilities between any of the above
levels during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and the year
ended December 31, 2022.
Our
derivative contracts include exchange-traded contracts valued utilizing
readily available quoted market prices and non-exchange-traded
contracts valued using market price quotations available through brokers
or over-the-counter and on-line exchanges. In addition, in determining
the fair value of our derivative contracts, we apply a credit risk
valuation adjustment to reflect credit risk, which is calculated based
on our or the counterparty’s historical credit risks. As of
March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the credit risk
valuation adjustment was a reduction of derivative liabilities, net of $0.6 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
11. Income Taxes
Income Taxes
We
and our subsidiaries, CenStar and Verde Energy USA, Inc. ("Verde
Corp"), are each subject to U.S. federal income tax as corporations.
CenStar and Verde Corp file consolidated tax returns in jurisdictions
that allow combined reporting. Spark HoldCo and its subsidiaries, with
the exception of CenStar and Verde Corp, are treated as flow-through
entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, are
generally not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the entity level.
Rather, the tax liability with respect to their taxable income is passed
through to their members or partners. Accordingly, we are subject to
U.S. federal income taxation on our allocable share of Spark HoldCo’s
net U.S. taxable income.
In
our financial statements, we report federal and state income taxes for
our share of the partnership income attributable to our ownership in
Spark HoldCo and for the income taxes attributable to CenStar and Verde
Corp. Net income attributable to non-controlling interest includes the
provision for income taxes related to CenStar and Verde Corp.
We
account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred
tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences
attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying
amounts of existing assets and liabilities and the tax bases of the
assets and liabilities. We apply existing tax law and the tax rate that
we expect to apply to taxable income in the years in which those
differences are expected to be recovered or settled in calculating the
deferred tax assets and liabilities. Effects of changes in tax rates on
deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in income in the
period of the tax rate enactment. A valuation allowance is recorded when
it is not more likely than not that some or all of the benefit from the
deferred tax asset will be realized.
We
periodically assess whether it is more likely than not that we will
generate sufficient taxable income to realize our deferred income tax
assets. In making this determination, we consider all available positive
and negative evidence and make certain assumptions. We consider, among
other things, our deferred tax liabilities, the overall business
environment, our historical earnings and losses, current industry
trends, and our outlook for future years. We believe it is more likely
than not that our deferred tax assets will be utilized, and accordingly
have not recorded a valuation allowance on these assets.
As of March 31, 2023, we had a net deferred tax asset of $23.2
million, due in large part to the original step up in tax basis
resulting from the initial purchase of Spark HoldCo units from NuDevco
Retail and NuDevco Retail Holdings (predecessor to Retailco) in
connection with our initial public offering.
The effective U.S. federal and state income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was 22.8% and 16.3%,
respectively. The effective tax rate for the three and three months
ended March 31, 2023 differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate
of 21% primarily due to state taxes and the benefit provided from Spark
HoldCo operating as a limited liability company, which is treated as a
partnership for federal and state income tax purposes and is not subject
to federal and state income taxes. Accordingly, the portion of earnings
attributable to non-controlling interest is subject to tax when
reported as a component of the non-controlling interest holders' taxable
income.
12. Commitments and Contingencies
From
time to time, we may be involved in legal, tax, regulatory and other
proceedings in the ordinary course of business. Liabilities for loss
contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation or other
sources are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been
incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.
Legal Proceedings
Below
is a summary of our currently pending material legal proceedings. We
are subject to lawsuits and claims arising in the ordinary course of our
business. The following legal proceedings are in various stages and are
subject
to
substantial uncertainties concerning the outcome of material factual
and legal issues. Accordingly, unless otherwise specifically noted, we
cannot currently predict the manner and timing of the resolutions of
these legal proceedings or estimate a range of possible losses or a
minimum loss that could result from an adverse verdict in a potential
lawsuit. While the lawsuits and claims are asserted for amounts that may
be material should an unfavorable outcome occur, management does not
currently expect that any currently pending matters will have a material
adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.
Consumer Lawsuits
Similar to other energy service companies (“ESCOs”)
operating in the industry, from time-to-time, the Company is subject to
class action lawsuits in various jurisdictions where the Company sells
natural gas and electricity.
On January 14, 2021, Glikin, et al. v. Major Energy Electric Services, LLC,
a purported variable rate class action was filed in the United States
District Court, Southern District of New York, attempting to represent a
class of all Major Energy customers (including customers of companies
Major Energy acts as a successor to) in the United States charged a
variable rate for electricity or gas by Major Energy during the
applicable statute of limitations period up to and including the date of
judgment. The Company believes there is no merit to this case and is
vigorously defending this matter; however, given the current early stage
of this matter, we cannot predict the outcome of this case at this
time.
Corporate Matter Lawsuits
The
Company may from time to time be subject to legal proceedings that
arise in the ordinary course of business. Although there can be no
assurance in this regard, the Company does not expect any of those legal
proceedings to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results
of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Regulatory Matters
Many
state regulators have increased scrutiny on retail energy providers,
across all industry providers. We are subject to regular regulatory
inquiries, license renewal reviews, and preliminary investigations in
the ordinary course of our business. Below is a summary of our currently
pending material state regulatory matters. The following state
regulatory matters are in various stages and are subject to substantial
uncertainties concerning the outcome of material factual and legal
issues. Accordingly, we cannot currently predict the manner and timing
of the resolution of these state regulatory matters or estimate a range
of possible losses or a minimum loss that could result from an adverse
action. Management does not currently expect that any currently pending
state regulatory matters will have a material adverse effect on our
financial position or results of operations.
Maine. On
February 9, 2023, Maine Commission Advocacy Staff filed a Request for
Formal Investigation requesting that the Maine Commission open a formal,
enforcement investigation to review whether Company’s subsidiary,
Electricity Maine, LLC (EME), is in compliance with the Maine
Commission’s Rules. During a special deliberative session, the same day,
the Maine Commission announced it would proceed with a formal
investigation of EME, which was noticed in a Notice of Enforcement
Investigation issued February 10, 2023. The Company is voluntarily
working with the Commission and believes this matter will not have a
material impact on the Company.
In
addition to the matters disclosed above, in the ordinary course of
business, the Company may from time to time be subject to regulators
initiating informal reviews or issuing subpoenas for information as
means to evaluate the Company and its subsidiaries’ compliance with
applicable laws, rule, regulations and practices. Although there can be
no assurance in this regard, the Company does not expect any of those
regulatory reviews to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Indirect Tax Audits
We
are undergoing various types of indirect tax audits spanning from years
2019 to 2022 for which additional liabilities may arise. At the time of
filing these consolidated financial statements, these indirect tax
audits are at an
early stage and subject to substantial uncertainties concerning the outcome of audit findings and corresponding responses.
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had accrued $2.1 million and $3.7 million, respectively, related to litigation and regulatory matters and $0.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively, related to indirect tax audits. The outcome of each of these may result in additional expense.
13. Transactions with Affiliates
Transactions with Affiliates
We
enter into transactions with and pay certain costs on behalf of
affiliates that are commonly controlled in order to reduce risk, reduce
administrative expense, create economies of scale, create strategic
alliances and supply goods and services to these related parties. We
also sell and purchase natural gas and electricity with affiliates and
pay an affiliate to perform telemarketing activities. We present
receivables and payables with the same affiliate on a net basis in the
condensed consolidated balance sheets as all affiliate activity is with
parties under common control. Affiliated transactions include certain
services to the affiliated companies associated with employee benefits
provided through our benefit plans, insurance plans, leased office
space, administrative salaries, due diligence work, recurring management
consulting, and accounting, tax, legal, or technology services. Amounts
billed are based on the services provided, departmental usage, or
headcount, which are considered reasonable by management. As such, the
accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include costs
that have been incurred by us and then directly billed or allocated to
affiliates, as well as costs that have been incurred by our affiliates
and then directly billed or allocated to us, and are recorded net in
general and administrative expense on the condensed consolidated
statements of operations with a corresponding accounts
receivable—affiliates or accounts payable—affiliates, respectively,
recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Transactions with
affiliates for sales or purchases of natural gas and electricity are
recorded in retail revenues, retail cost of revenues, and net asset
optimization revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of
operations with a corresponding accounts receivable—affiliate or
accounts payable—affiliate are recorded in the condensed consolidated
balance sheets.
The following tables presents asset and liability balances with affiliates (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Assets | | | |
Accounts Receivable - affiliates | $ | 5,805 | | | $ | 6,455 | |
Total Assets - affiliates | $ | 5,805 | | | $ | 6,455 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
Liabilities | | | |
Accounts Payable - affiliates | $ | 322 | | | $ | 265 | |
Subordinated Debt - affiliates (1) | 15,000 | | | 20,000 | |
Total Liabilities - affiliates | $ | 15,322 | | | $ | 20,265 | |
(1) The Subordinated Debt Facility allows us to draw advances in increments of no less than $1.0 million
per advance up to the maximum principal amount of the Subordinated Debt
Facility, subject to Retailco’s discretion. Advances thereunder accrue
interest at an annual rate equal to the prime rate as published by the
Wall Street Journal plus two percent (2.0%)
from the date of the advance. See Note 9 "Debt" for a further
description of terms and conditions of the Subordinated Debt Facility.
The
following table presents revenues and cost of revenues recorded in net
asset optimization revenue associated with affiliates for the periods
indicated (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Revenue NAO - affiliates | $ | 2,284 | | | $ | 951 | | | | | |
Less: Cost of Revenue NAO - affiliates | 332 | | | 29 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Net NAO - affiliates | $ | 1,952 | | | $ | 922 | | | | | |
Cost Allocations
Where
costs incurred on behalf of the affiliate or us cannot be determined by
specific identification for direct billing, the costs are allocated to
the affiliated entities or us based on estimates of percentage of
departmental usage, wages or headcount. The total net amount direct
billed and allocated to/(from) affiliates was $1.6 million and $0.1 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The
Company would have incurred incremental costs of $0.4 million and $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, operating on a stand-alone basis.
Distributions to and Contributions from Affiliates
During three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, Spark HoldCo made distributions to affiliates of our Founder of $3.6 million and $3.6 million,
respectively, for the payments of quarterly distribution on their
respective Spark HoldCo units. During the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022, Spark HoldCo also made distributions to these affiliates
for gross-up distributions of zero and $0.1 million,
respectively, in connection with distributions made between Spark
HoldCo and Via Renewables, Inc. for payment of income taxes incurred by
us.
14. Segment Reporting
Our
determination of reportable business segments considers the strategic
operating units under which we make financial decisions, allocate
resources and assess performance of our business. Our reportable
business segments are retail electricity and retail natural gas. The
retail electricity segment consists of electricity sales and
transmission to residential and commercial customers, and related
services. The retail natural gas segment consists of natural gas sales
to, and natural gas transportation and distribution for, residential and
commercial customers. Corporate and other consists of expenses and
assets of the retail electricity and natural gas segments that are
managed at a consolidated level such as general and administrative
expenses. Asset optimization activities are also included in Corporate
and other.
For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we recorded asset optimization revenues of $11.5 million and $27.3 million and asset optimization cost of revenues of $14.8 million and $28.2 million, respectively, which are presented on a net basis in asset optimization revenues.
We
use retail gross margin to assess the performance of our operating
segments. We define retail gross margin as gross profit less (i) net
asset optimization (expenses) revenues, (ii) net (losses) gains on
non-trading derivative instruments, (iii) net current period cash
settlements on non-trading derivative instruments, and (iv) gains
(losses) from non-recurring events (including non-recurring market
volatility).
We
deduct net (losses) gains on non-trading derivative instruments,
excluding current period cash settlements, from the retail gross margin
calculation in order to remove the non-cash impact of net gains and
losses on these derivative instruments. We deduct net gains (losses)
from non-recurring events (including non-recurring market volatility) to
ensure retail gross margin reflects operating performance that is not
distorted by non-recurring events or extreme market volatility. Retail
gross margin should not be considered an alternative to, or more
meaningful than, gross profit, its most directly comparable financial
measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.
Below is a reconciliation of retail gross margin to gross profit (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
Reconciliation of Retail Gross Margin to Gross Profit | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Total Revenue | $ | 131,852 | | | $ | 127,154 | | | | | |
Less: | | | | | | | |
Retail cost of revenues | 117,441 | | | 68,707 | | | | | |
Gross Profit | 14,411 | | | 58,447 | | | | | |
Less: | | | | | | | |
Net asset optimization revenue (expense) | (3,273) | | | (904) | | | | | |
Net, (loss) gain on non-trading derivative instruments | (42,769) | | | 43,916 | | | | | |
Net, Cash settlements on non-trading derivative instruments | 20,123 | | | (13,320) | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin | $ | 40,330 | | | $ | 28,755 | | | | | |
Financial data for business segments are as follows (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 |
| Retail Electricity (a) | | Retail Natural Gas | | Corporate and Other | | Eliminations | | Consolidated |
Total revenues | $ | 82,827 | | | $ | 52,298 | | | $ | (3,273) | | | $ | — | | | $ | 131,852 | |
Retail cost of revenues | 80,830 | | | 36,611 | | | — | | | — | | | 117,441 | |
Gross Profit | $ | 1,997 | | | $ | 15,687 | | | $ | (3,273) | | | $ | — | | | $ | 14,411 | |
Less: | | | | | | | | | |
Net asset optimization revenue | — | | | — | | | (3,273) | | | — | | | (3,273) | |
Net, loss on non-trading derivative instruments | (36,095) | | | (6,674) | | | — | | | — | | | (42,769) | |
Current period settlements on non-trading derivatives | 17,623 | | | 2,500 | | | — | | | — | | | 20,123 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin | $ | 20,469 | | | $ | 19,861 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 40,330 | |
Total Assets at March 31, 2023 | $ | 1,929,147 | | | $ | 141,784 | | | $ | 317,994 | | | $ | (2,069,952) | | | $ | 318,973 | |
Goodwill at March 31, 2023 | $ | 117,813 | | | $ | 2,530 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 120,343 | |
(a) Retail Electricity includes related services.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 |
| Retail Electricity | | Retail Natural Gas | | Corporate and Other | | Eliminations | | Consolidated |
Total revenues | $ | 88,041 | | | $ | 40,017 | | | $ | (904) | | | $ | — | | | $ | 127,154 | |
Retail cost of revenues | 46,160 | | | 22,547 | | | — | | | — | | | 68,707 | |
Gross Profit | $ | 41,881 | | | $ | 17,470 | | | $ | (904) | | | $ | — | | | $ | 58,447 | |
Less: | | | | | | | | | |
Net asset optimization expense | — | | | — | | | (904) | | | — | | | (904) | |
Net, gain on non-trading derivative instruments | 36,239 | | | 7,677 | | | — | | | — | | | 43,916 | |
Current period settlements on non-trading derivatives | (11,544) | | | (1,776) | | | — | | | — | | | (13,320) | |
| | | | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin | $ | 17,186 | | | $ | 11,569 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 28,755 | |
Total Assets at December 31, 2022 | $ | 1,802,649 | | | $ | 123,490 | | | $ | 313,490 | | | $ | (1,908,679) | | | $ | 330,950 | |
Goodwill at December 31, 2022 | $ | 117,813 | | | $ | 2,530 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 120,343 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
15. Customer Acquisitions
Acquisition of Customer Books
In August 2022, we entered into an agreement to acquire up to approximately 18,700 RCEs and derivatives related to the customer load under a five-year
contingent fee structure based on gas volumes billed and collected for
the acquired customer contracts. These customers began transferring in
the fourth quarter of 2022, and are located in our existing markets. Due
to the contingent fee structure, the cost of the RCEs will be
recognized when probable and reasonably estimable.
Acquisition of Broker Books
In
January 2022, we entered into an asset purchase agreement and agreed to
acquire the rights to broker contracts for approximately 1,000 customer meters for a cash price of $0.4 million, which was paid upon execution of the contract.
In January 2022, we entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the rights to broker contracts for approximately 900 customer meters for a cash price of $0.6 million, pending certain conditions to close. We paid approximately $0.3 million
as a deposit at the time the asset purchase agreement was executed. The
conditions to close were met in June 2022, at which time approximately $0.3 million was paid to the seller.
16. Subsequent Events
On April 19, 2023, we declared a quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.73989 per share to holders of record of the Series A Preferred Stock on July 1, 2023. The dividend will be paid on July 17, 2023.
On
April 19, 2023, we announced that our Board of Directors has elected to
temporarily suspend the quarterly cash dividend on the Class A common
stock.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and
results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes
thereto included elsewhere in this Report and the audited consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto and management's discussion and
analysis of financial condition and results of operations included in
our 2022 Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) on March 29, 2023. Results of operations and cash flows for the
three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of
results to be attained for any other period. See "Cautionary Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors."
Overview
We
are an independent retail energy services company founded in 1999 that
provides residential and commercial customers in competitive markets
across the United States with an alternative choice for natural gas and
electricity. We purchase our natural gas and electricity supply from a
variety of wholesale providers and bill our customers monthly for the
delivery of natural gas and electricity based on their consumption at
either a fixed or variable price. Natural gas and electricity are then
distributed to our customers by local regulated utility companies
through their existing infrastructure. As of March 31, 2023, we
operated in 103 utility service territories across 20 states and the
District of Columbia.
Our business consists of two operating segments:
•Retail Electricity Segment.
In this segment, we purchase electricity supply through physical and
financial transactions with market counterparties and ISOs and supply
electricity to residential and commercial consumers pursuant to
fixed-price and variable-price contracts. For the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022, approximately 61% and 69%, respectively, of our
retail revenues were derived from the sale of electricity.
•Retail Natural Gas Segment.
In this segment, we purchase natural gas supply through physical and
financial transactions with market counterparties and supply natural gas
to residential and commercial consumers pursuant to fixed-price and
variable-price contracts. For the three months ended March 31, 2023 and
2022, approximately 39% and 31%, respectively, of our retail revenues
were derived from the sale of natural gas.
Recent Developments
Dividend Actions
On
April 19, 2023, we announced that our Board of Directors has elected to
temporarily suspend the quarterly cash dividend on the Class A common
stock in order for the Company to seek to enhance its financial
flexibility and improve its ability to manage market volatility while
focusing on strengthening its balance sheet and investing in both
organic and inorganic customer growth.
We
believe the decision to temporarily suspend the quarterly dividend on
the Class A common stock provides near-term benefits to our cash flow
management while allowing us to seek to enhance our balance sheet. We
remain dedicated to prioritizing our shareholders’ interests and
adhering to a company goal of distributing a meaningful portion of
available cash through dividends on Class A common stock and Series A
Preferred Stock. We will closely monitor market conditions and
thoughtfully evaluate when and if to reinstate dividends on the Class A
common stock.
Reverse Stock Split
On
March 20, 2023, our shareholders approved a proposal for a reverse
stock split (“Reverse Stock Split”) of our issued and outstanding Class A
common stock and Class B common stock at a ratio between 1 for 2 and 1
for 5, to be determined by the Company’s Chief Executive Office or Chief
Financial Officer. Effective March 21, 2023, we effected the Reverse
Stock Split at a ratio of 1 to 5 shares of common stock, and the Class A
Common Stock began
trading
on a post-split basis on March 22, 2023. All shares and per share
amounts in this Report have been retrospectively restated to effect the
stock split effective March 21, 2023.
Residential Customer Equivalents
We
measure our number of customers using residential customer equivalents
("RCEs"). The following table shows our RCEs by segment during the three
months ended March 31, 2023:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
RCEs: | | | | | |
(In thousands) | December 31, 2022 | Additions | Attrition | March 31, 2023 | % Increase (Decrease) |
Retail Electricity | 201 | 40 | 29 | 212 | 5% |
Retail Natural Gas | 130 | 7 | 10 | 127 | (2)% |
Total Retail | 331 | 47 | 39 | 339 | 2% |
The following table details our count of RCEs by geographical location as of March 31, 2023: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
RCEs by Geographic Location: | | | | | | |
(In thousands) | Electricity | % of Total | Natural Gas | % of Total | Total | % of Total |
New England | 59 | 28% | 13 | 10% | 72 | 21% |
Mid-Atlantic | 83 | 39% | 55 | 43% | 138 | 41% |
Midwest | 20 | 9% | 20 | 16% | 40 | 12% |
Southwest | 50 | 24% | 39 | 31% | 89 | 26% |
Total | 212 | 100% | 127 | 100% | 339 | 100% |
The geographical locations noted above include the following states:
•New England - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire;
•Mid-Atlantic - Delaware, Maryland (including the District of Columbia), New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia;
•Midwest - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio; and
•Southwest - Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Texas.
Across
our market areas, we have operated under a number of different retail
brands. We currently operate under six retail brands.
Drivers of Our Business
The
success of our business and our profitability are impacted by a number
of drivers, the most significant of which are discussed below.
Customer Acquisition
Customer
acquisition is a key driver of our operations. Our ability to acquire
customers organically or by acquisition is important to our success as
we experience ongoing customer attrition. Our customer growth strategy
includes growing organically through traditional sales channels
complemented by customer portfolio and business acquisitions.
Our
organic sales strategies are designed to offer competitive pricing,
price certainty, and/or green product offerings to residential and
commercial customers. We manage growth on a market-by-market basis by
developing price curves in each of the markets we serve and comparing
the market prices to the price offered by the local regulated utility.
We then determine if there is an opportunity in a particular market
based on our ability to create a competitive product on economic terms
that provides customer value and satisfies our profitability objectives.
We develop marketing campaigns using a combination of sales channels.
Our marketing team continuously evaluates the effectiveness of each
customer acquisition channel and makes adjustments in order to achieve
desired targets.
During
the three months ended March 31, 2023, we added approximately 47,000
RCEs primarily through our various organic sales channels. Although we
expect to continue to acquire customers organically in the future, our
sales rate is dependent on market conditions and may slow in future
periods.
During
the three months ended March 31, 2023, we did not add any RCEs as a
result of asset purchase agreements. Our ability to realize returns from
acquisitions that are acceptable to us is dependent on our ability to
successfully identify, negotiate, finance and integrate acquisitions. We
will continue to evaluate potential acquisitions during the remainder
of 2023.
While
we remain focused on organic sales and identifying customer portfolio
and business acquisitions, we cannot ensure that our RCE count will
remain at current levels or grow. Our RCE count, as well as the margins
we earn on our customers, contribute to our overall profitability, cash
flow and ability to pay dividends.
Customer Acquisition Costs
Managing
customer acquisition costs is a key component of our profitability.
Customer acquisition costs are those costs related to obtaining
customers organically and do not include the cost of acquiring customers
through acquisitions, which are recorded as customer relationships.
We
strive to maintain a disciplined approach to recovery of our customer
acquisition costs within a 12-month period. We capitalize and amortize
our customer acquisition costs over a two-year period, which is based on
our estimate of the expected average length of a customer relationship.
We factor in the recovery of customer acquisition costs in determining
which markets we enter and the pricing of our products in those markets.
Accordingly, our results are significantly influenced by our customer
acquisition costs. Changes in customer acquisition costs from period to
period reflect our focus on growing organically versus growth through
acquisitions. We are currently focused on growing through organic sales
channels; however, we continue to evaluate opportunities to acquire
customers through acquisitions and pursue such acquisitions when it
makes sense economically or strategically.
Customer Attrition
Customer
attrition occurs primarily as a result of: (i) customer initiated
switches; (ii) residential moves; (iii) disconnection resulting from
customer payment defaults; and (iv) proactive non-renewal of contracts.
Average monthly customer attrition for the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022 was 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively. Our customer attrition
was slightly higher than the prior year due to the sharp increase in
commodity prices across the industry.
Customer Credit Risk
Our
bad debt expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was
1.9% and 2.0%, respectively, for non-purchase of receivable market
("non-POR") revenues. As the Company has increased sales activities in
non-POR markets in 2023 and focused on collection efforts, we have
experienced a decrease in bad debt expense during the three months ended
March 31, 2023.
Gross Profit
The
profit earned between the price we are able to charge customers for
retail electricity and natural gas and the cost to serve customers is a
key component of the results of our operations. Prices we are able to
charge customers for retail electricity and natural gas vary with market
conditions, and are subject to regulatory restrictions in many of the
markets we serve. Costs to serve customers are tied closely to gas and
power commodity markets, which exposes us to significant variability and
uncertainties.
Weather Conditions
Weather
conditions directly influence the demand for natural gas and
electricity and affect the prices of energy commodities. Our hedging
strategy is based on forecasted customer energy usage, which can vary
substantially as a result of weather patterns deviating from historical
norms. We are particularly sensitive to this variability in our
residential customer segment where energy usage is highly sensitive to
weather conditions that impact heating and cooling demand.
Our
risk management policies direct that we hedge substantially all of our
forecasted demand, which is typically hedged to long-term normal weather
patterns. We also attempt to add additional protection through hedging
from time to time to protect us from potential volatility in markets
where we have historically experienced higher exposure to extreme
weather conditions. Because we attempt to match commodity purchases to
anticipated demand, unanticipated changes in weather patterns can have a
significant impact on our operating results and cash flows from period
to period.
Asset Optimization
Our
asset optimization opportunities primarily arise during the winter
heating season when demand for natural gas is typically at its highest.
Given the opportunistic nature of these activities and because we
account for these activities using the mark to market method of
accounting, we experience variability in our earnings from our asset
optimization activities from year to year.
Net
asset optimization resulted in a loss of $3.3 million and a loss of
$0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022,
respectively.
Non-GAAP Performance Measures
We
use the Non-GAAP performance measures of Adjusted EBITDA and Retail
Gross Margin to evaluate and measure our operating results as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
(in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 18,811 | | | $ | 10,788 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin | $ | 40,330 | | | $ | 28,755 | | | | | |
Adjusted EBITDA.
We define “Adjusted EBITDA” as EBITDA less (i) customer acquisition
costs incurred in the current period, plus or minus (ii) net (loss) gain
on derivative instruments, and (iii) net current period cash
settlements on derivative instruments, plus (iv) non-cash compensation
expense, and (v) other non-cash and non-recurring operating items.
EBITDA is defined as net income (loss) before the provision for income
taxes, interest expense and depreciation and amortization. This conforms
to the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA in our Senior Credit Facility.
We
deduct all current period customer acquisition costs (representing
spending for organic customer acquisitions) in the Adjusted EBITDA
calculation because such costs reflect a cash outlay in the period in
which they are incurred, even though we capitalize and amortize such
costs over two years. We do not deduct the cost of customer acquisitions
through acquisitions of businesses or portfolios of customers in
calculating Adjusted EBITDA.
We
deduct our net gains (losses) on derivative instruments, excluding
current period cash settlements, from the Adjusted EBITDA calculation in
order to remove the non-cash impact of net gains and losses on these
instruments. We also deduct non-cash compensation expense that results
from the issuance of restricted stock units under our long-term
incentive plan due to the non-cash nature of the expense. We adjust from
time to time other non-cash or unusual and/or infrequent charges due to
either their non-cash nature or their infrequency. We have historically
included the financial impact of weather variability in the calculation
of Adjusted EBITDA.
We
believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA provides information
useful to investors in assessing our liquidity and financial condition
and results of operations and that Adjusted EBITDA is also useful to
investors as a financial indicator of our ability to incur and service
debt, pay dividends and fund capital expenditures. Adjusted EBITDA is a
supplemental financial measure that management and external users of our
consolidated financial statements, such as industry analysts,
investors, commercial banks and rating agencies, use to assess the
following:
•our
operating performance as compared to other publicly traded companies in
the retail energy industry, without regard to financing methods,
capital structure, historical cost basis and specific items not
reflective of ongoing operations;
•the ability of our assets to generate earnings sufficient to support our proposed cash dividends;
•our ability to fund capital expenditures (including customer acquisition costs) and incur and service debt; and
•our
compliance with financial debt covenants. (Refer to Note 9 "Debt" to
Part I, Item 1 of this Report for discussion of the material terms of
our Senior Credit Facility, including the covenant requirements for our
Minimum Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio, Maximum Total Leverage Ratio, and
Maximum Senior Secured Leverage Ratio.)
The
GAAP measures most directly comparable to Adjusted EBITDA are net
income (loss) and net cash provided by (used in) operating activities.
The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to
these GAAP measures for each of the periods indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
(in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net (loss) income: | | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income | $ | (6,771) | | | $ | 31,025 | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization | 3,336 | | | 5,184 | | | | | |
Interest expense | 2,697 | | | 1,307 | | | | | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | (1,996) | | | 6,044 | | | | | |
EBITDA | (2,734) | | | 43,560 | | | | | |
Less: | | | | | | | |
Net, (loss) gain on derivative instruments | (42,770) | | | 45,063 | | | | | |
Net cash settlements on derivative instruments | 20,137 | | | (13,136) | | | | | |
Customer acquisition costs | 1,773 | | | 1,196 | | | | | |
Plus: | | | | | | | |
Non-cash compensation expense | 685 | | | 351 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 18,811 | | | $ | 10,788 | | | | | |
The
following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net
cash provided by operating activities for each of the periods indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
(in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net cash provided by operating activities: | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 13,060 | | | $ | 4,583 | | | | | |
Amortization of deferred financing costs | (206) | | | (245) | | | | | |
Bad debt expense | (955) | | | (1,024) | | | | | |
Interest expense | 2,697 | | | 1,307 | | | | | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | (1,996) | | | 6,044 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Changes in operating working capital | | | | | | | |
Accounts receivable, prepaids, current assets | (14,075) | | | 555 | | | | | |
Inventory | (3,849) | | | (1,874) | | | | | |
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 21,587 | | | 5,577 | | | | | |
Other | 2,548 | | | (4,135) | | | | | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 18,811 | | | $ | 10,788 | | | | | |
Cash Flow Data: | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 13,060 | | | $ | 4,583 | | | | | |
Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (374) | | | $ | (3,598) | | | | | |
Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (2,875) | | | $ | (22,525) | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin. We
define retail gross margin as gross profit less (i) net asset
optimization revenues (expenses), (ii) net gains (losses) on non-trading
derivative instruments, (iii) net current period cash settlements on
non-trading derivative instruments and (iv) gains (losses) from
non-recurring events (including non-recurring market volatility). Retail
gross margin is included as a supplemental disclosure because it is a
primary performance measure used by our management to determine the
performance of our retail natural gas and electricity segments as a
result of recurring operations. As an indicator of our retail energy
business’s operating performance, retail gross margin should not be
considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, gross profit, its
most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in
accordance with GAAP.
We
believe retail gross margin provides information useful to investors as
an indicator of our retail energy business's operating performance.
The
GAAP measure most directly comparable to Retail Gross Margin is gross
profit. The following table presents a reconciliation of Retail Gross
Margin to gross profit for each of the periods indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
(in thousands) | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
Reconciliation of Retail Gross Margin to Gross Profit | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Total Revenue | $ | 131,852 | | | $ | 127,154 | | | | | |
Less: | | | | | | | |
Retail cost of revenues | 117,441 | | | 68,707 | | | | | |
Gross Profit | 14,411 | | | 58,447 | | | | | |
Less: | | | | | | | |
Net asset optimization expense | (3,273) | | | (904) | | | | | |
(Loss) gain on non-trading derivative instruments | (42,769) | | | 43,916 | | | | | |
Cash settlements on non-trading derivative instruments | 20,123 | | | (13,320) | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin | $ | 40,330 | | | $ | 28,755 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin - Retail Electricity Segment | $ | 20,469 | | | $ | 17,186 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin - Retail Natural Gas Segment | $ | 19,861 | | | $ | 11,569 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Our
non-GAAP financial measures of Adjusted EBITDA and Retail Gross Margin
should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss), net cash
provided by (used in) operating activities, or gross profit. Adjusted
EBITDA and Retail Gross Margin are not presentations made in accordance
with GAAP and have limitations as analytical tools. You should not
consider Adjusted EBITDA or Retail Gross Margin in isolation or as a
substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Because
Adjusted EBITDA and Retail Gross Margin exclude some, but not all, items
that affect net income (loss), net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities, and gross profit, and are defined differently by different
companies in our industry, our definition of Adjusted EBITDA and Retail
Gross Margin may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other
companies.
Management
compensates for the limitations of Adjusted EBITDA and Retail Gross
Margin as analytical tools by reviewing the comparable GAAP measures,
understanding the differences between the measures and incorporating
these data points into management’s decision-making process.
Consolidated Results of Operations
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(In Thousands) | Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | | | | |
Revenues: | | | | | | | | |
Retail revenues | $ | 135,125 | | | $ | 128,058 | | | | | | |
Net asset optimization expense | (3,273) | | | (904) | | | | | | |
Total Revenues | 131,852 | | | 127,154 | | | | | | |
Operating Expenses: | | | | | | | | |
Retail cost of revenues | 117,441 | | | 68,707 | | | | | | |
General and administrative expense | 17,225 | | | 14,935 | | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization | 3,336 | | | 5,184 | | | | | | |
Total Operating Expenses | 138,002 | | | 88,826 | | | | | | |
Operating (loss) income | (6,150) | | | 38,328 | | | | | | |
Other (expense)/income: | | | | | | | | |
Interest expense | (2,697) | | | (1,307) | | | | | | |
Interest and other income | 80 | | | 48 | | | | | | |
Total other expense | (2,617) | | | (1,259) | | | | | | |
(Loss) income before income tax expense | (8,767) | | | 37,069 | | | | | | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | (1,996) | | | 6,044 | | | | | | |
Net (loss) income | $ | (6,771) | | | $ | 31,025 | | | | | | |
Other Performance Metrics: | | | | | | | | |
Adjusted EBITDA (1) | $ | 18,811 | | | $ | 10,788 | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin (1) | $ | 40,330 | | | $ | 28,755 | | | | | | |
Customer Acquisition Costs | $ | 1,773 | | | $ | 1,196 | | | | | | |
Average Monthly RCE Attrition | 3.9 | % | | 3.7 | % | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
(1) Adjusted
EBITDA and Retail Gross Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. See " —
Non-GAAP Performance Measures" for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA
and Retail Gross Margin to their most directly comparable GAAP financial
measures.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Total Revenues. Total
revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were approximately
$131.9 million, an increase of approximately $4.7 million, or 4%, from
approximately $127.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022,
as indicated in the table below (in millions). This increase was
primarily due to an increase in electricity rates unit revenue per MWh
and higher natural gas rates unit revenue per MMBtu as a result of
increased electricity and natural gas rates in the first quarter of 2023
as compared to the first quarter of 2022.
| | | | | |
Change in electricity volumes sold | $ | (29.4) | |
Change in natural gas volumes sold | (0.9) | |
Change in electricity unit revenue per MWh | 24.2 | |
| |
Change in natural gas unit revenue per MMBtu | 13.2 | |
Change in net asset optimization revenue | (2.4) | |
Change in total revenues | $ | 4.7 | |
Retail Cost of Revenues.
Total retail cost of revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2023
was approximately $117.4 million, an increase of approximately $48.7
million, or 71%, from approximately $68.7 million for the three months
ended March 31, 2022, as indicated in the table below (in millions).
This increase was primarily due to a change in the fair value of our
derivative portfolio and higher electricity costs in the first quarter
of 2023 as compared to the first quarter of 2022.
| | | | | |
Change in electricity volumes sold | $ | (23.7) | |
Change in natural gas volumes sold | (0.7) | |
Change in electricity unit cost per MWh | 15.2 | |
| |
Change in natural gas unit cost per MMBtu | 4.7 | |
Change in value of retail derivative portfolio | 53.2 | |
Change in retail cost of revenues | $ | 48.7 | |
General and Administrative Expense.
General and administrative expense for the three months ended March 31,
2023 was approximately $17.2 million, an increase of approximately $2.3
million, or 15%, as compared to $14.9 million for the three months
ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily attributable to higher
employee costs and an increase in sales and marketing due to increased
sales activity.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense.
Depreciation and amortization expense for the three months ended March
31, 2023 was approximately $3.3 million, a decrease of approximately
$1.9 million, or 37%, from approximately $5.2 million for the three
months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was primarily due to the
decreased amortization expense associated with customer intangibles.
Customer Acquisition Cost.
Customer acquisition cost for the three months ended March 31, 2023 was
approximately $1.8 million, an increase of $0.6 million, or 50%, from
approximately $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022
primarily due to increased sales activity in the first quarter of 2023
as compared to first quarter of 2022.
Operating Segment Results
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(in thousands, except volume and per unit operating data) | Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Retail Electricity Segment | | | | | | | |
Total Revenues | $ | 82,827 | | | $ | 88,041 | | | | | |
Retail Cost of Revenues | 80,830 | | | 46,160 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Less: Net (loss) gain on non-trading derivatives, net of cash settlements | (18,472) | | | 24,695 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin (1) — Electricity | $ | 20,469 | | | $ | 17,186 | | | | | |
Volumes — Electricity (MWhs) | 456,277 | | | 685,152 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin (2) — Electricity per MWh | $ | 44.86 | | | $ | 25.08 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Retail Natural Gas Segment | | | | | | | |
Total Revenues | $ | 52,298 | | | $ | 40,017 | | | | | |
Retail Cost of Revenues | 36,611 | | | 22,547 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
Less: Net gain on non-trading derivatives, net of cash settlements | (4,174) | | | 5,901 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin (1) — Gas | $ | 19,861 | | | $ | 11,569 | | | | | |
Volumes — Gas (MMBtus) | 4,547,826 | | | 4,657,118 | | | | | |
Retail Gross Margin (2) — Gas per MMBtu | $ | 4.37 | | | $ | 2.48 | | | | | |
(1)
Reflects the Retail Gross Margin attributable to our Retail Electricity
Segment or Retail Natural Gas Segment, as applicable. Retail Gross
Margin is a non-GAAP financial measure. See "Non-GAAP Performance
Measures" for a reconciliation of Retail Gross Margin to most directly
comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP.
(2)
Reflects the Retail Gross Margin for the Retail Electricity Segment or
Retail Natural Gas Segment, as applicable, divided by the total volumes
in MWh or MMBtu, respectively.
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Retail Electricity Segment
Total
revenues for the Retail Electricity Segment for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 were approximately $82.8 million, a decrease of
approximately $5.2 million, or 6%, from approximately $88.0 million for
the three months ended March 31, 2022. This decrease was largely due to a
decrease in electricity volumes of $29.4 million, offset by higher
retail electricity prices, which resulted in an increase of $24.2
million due to higher retail electricity prices.
Retail
cost of revenues for the Retail Electricity Segment for the three
months ended March 31, 2023 were approximately $80.8 million, an
increase of approximately $34.6 million, or 75%, from approximately
$46.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase
was primarily due to a change in the value of our retail derivative
portfolio used for hedging, which resulted in an increase of $43.1
million, and an increase in supply costs of $15.2 million. The increase
was offset by a decrease in volumes due to a smaller customer book,
resulting in a decrease of $23.7 million.
Retail
gross margin for the Retail Electricity Segment for the three months
ended March 31, 2023 was approximately $20.5 million, an increase of
approximately $3.3 million, or 19%, from approximately $17.2 million for
the three months ended March 31, 2022, as indicated in the table below
(in millions).
| | | | | |
Change in volumes sold | $ | (5.7) | |
| |
Change in unit margin per MWh | 9.0 | |
| |
Change in retail electricity segment retail gross margin | $ | 3.3 | |
Retail Natural Gas Segment
Total
revenues for the Retail Natural Gas Segment for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 were approximately $52.3 million, an increase of
approximately $12.3 million, or 31%, from approximately $40.0 million
for the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily
attributable to higher natural gas rates, which increased total revenues
by $13.2 million, offset by a decrease in natural gas volumes of $0.9
million.
Retail
cost of revenues for the Retail Natural Gas Segment for the three
months ended March 31, 2023 were approximately $36.6 million, an
increase of $14.1 million, or 63%, from approximately $22.5 million for
the three months ended March 31, 2022. This increase was primarily due
to a change in the value of our derivative portfolio used for hedging,
which resulted in an increase of $10.1 million and higher natural gas
costs, which resulted in an increase of $4.7 million. The increase was
offset by a decrease in volumes sold resulting in a decrease of $0.7
million.
Retail
gross margin for the Retail Natural Gas Segment for the three months
ended March 31, 2023 was approximately $19.9 million, an increase of
approximately $8.3 million, or 72%, from approximately $11.6 million for
the three months ended March 31, 2022, as indicated in the table below
(in millions).
| | | | | |
Change in volumes sold | $ | (0.3) | |
Change in unit margin per MMBtu | 8.6 | |
Change in retail natural gas segment retail gross margin | $ | 8.3 | |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Our
primary sources of liquidity are cash generated from operations and
borrowings under our Senior Credit Facility. Our principal liquidity
requirements are to meet our financial commitments, finance current
operations, fund organic growth and/or acquisitions and service debt.
We
have historically paid dividends on our Class A common stock and Series
A Preferred Stock. On April 19, 2023, we announced that our Board of
Directors has elected to temporarily suspend the quarterly cash dividend
on the Class A common stock, although the Board of Directors declared a
cash dividend on the Series A Preferred Stock. We may continue to use
cash to pay dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock, and it may also
be used to pay dividends on the Class A common stock if the Board of
Directors reinstates the dividends on the Class A common stock.
Our
liquidity requirements fluctuate with our customer count, level of
customer acquisition costs, acquisitions, collateral posting
requirements on our derivative instruments portfolio, distributions, the
effects of the timing between the settlement of payables and
receivables, including the effect of bad debts, weather conditions, and
our general working capital needs for ongoing operations. Estimating our
liquidity requirements is highly dependent on then-current market
conditions, forward prices for natural gas and electricity, market
volatility and our then existing capital structure and requirements.
We
believe that cash generated from operations and our available liquidity
sources will be sufficient to sustain current operations and to pay
required taxes. Our ability to pay dividends to the holders of the
Series A Preferred Stock in the future and to reinstate dividends on our
Class A Common Stock will ultimately depend on our RCE count, margins,
profitability and cash flow, and the covenants under our Senior Credit
Facility.
Liquidity Position
The following table details our available liquidity as of March 31, 2023:
| | | | | |
($ in thousands) | March 31, 2023 |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 45,162 | |
Senior Credit Facility Availability (1) | 20,190 | |
| |
Subordinated Debt Facility Availability (2) | 10,000 | |
Total Liquidity | $ | 75,352 | |
(1) Reflects amount of Letters of Credit that could be issued based on existing covenants as of March 31, 2023.
(2)
The availability of the Subordinated Facility is dependent on our
Founder's discretion. See "—Sources of Liquidity —Subordinated Debt
Facility."
Borrowings
and related posting of letters of credit under our Senior Credit
Facility are subject to material variations on a seasonal basis due to
the timing of commodity purchases to satisfy natural gas inventory
requirements and to meet customer demands during periods of peak usage.
Additionally, borrowings are subject to borrowing base and covenant
restrictions.
Cash Flows
Our cash flows were as follows for the respective periods (in thousands):
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Three Months Ended March 31, | | |
| 2023 | | 2022 | | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 13,060 | | | $ | 4,583 | | | |
Net cash used in investing activities | $ | (374) | | | $ | (3,598) | | | |
Net cash used in financing activities | $ | (2,875) | | | $ | (22,525) | | | |
Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities.
Cash flows provided by operating activities for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 increased by $8.5 million compared to the three months
ended March 31, 2022. The increase was primarily the result of changes
in working capital for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities. Cash flows used in investing activities increased by $3.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The
decrease was primarily the result of customer acquisitions during the
three months ended March 31, 2022 that did not re-occur in 2023.
Cash Flows Used in Financing Activities.
Cash flows used in financing activities decreased by $19.7 million for
the three months ended March 31, 2023, primarily due to an increase in
net borrowings of our Senior Credit Facility of $40.0 million,
offset by a decrease in sub-debt borrowing of $20.0 million during
the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Sources of Liquidity and Capital Resources
Senior Credit Facility
On
June 30, 2022, we entered into the Senior Credit Facility with
Woodforest National Bank, as administrative agent, swing bank, swap
bank, issuing bank, joint-lead arranger, sole bookrunner and syndication
agent, BOKF, NA (d/b/a/ Bank of Texas), as joint-lead arranger and
issuing bank, and the other financial institutions party thereto, which
replaced our prior credit agreement. The Senior Credit Facility allows
us to borrow up to $195.0 million on a revolving basis in the form
of working capital loans, loans to fund acquisitions, swingline loans
and letters of credit. The Senior Credit Facility expires on June 30,
2025. The Senior Credit Facility revised the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio
and Maximum Senior Secured Leverage Ratio under our prior credit
agreement.
As
of March 31, 2023, we had total commitments of $195.0 million
under the Senior Credit Facility, of which $154.9 million was
outstanding, including $43.9 million of outstanding letters of credit.
For
a description of the terms and conditions of our Senior Credit
Facility, including descriptions of the interest rate, commitment fee,
covenants and terms of default, please see Note 9 "Debt" in the notes to
our condensed consolidated financial statements.
As
of March 31, 2023, we were in compliance with the covenants under
our Senior Credit Facility. Based upon existing covenants as of
March 31, 2023, we had availability to borrow up to
$20.2 million under the Senior Credit Facility.
The
Company has experienced compressed gross profit due to an extreme
elevation of commodity costs during 2022, impacting calculated Adjusted
EBITDA, a primary component of the financial covenants described above.
The Company is actively working to manage the expected impact of
continued gross profit compression due to elevated commodity costs on
financial covenant compliance. Maintaining compliance with our covenants
under our Senior Credit Facility may impact our ability to pay
dividends on our Series A Preferred Stock or reinstate dividends on the
Class A Common Stock.
Amended and Restated Subordinated Debt Facility
In
connection with entering into the Senior Credit Facility, we entered
into an amended and restated subordinated promissory note (the
“Subordinated Debt Facility”), which allows us to draw advances in
increments of no less than $1.0 million per advance up to
$25.0 million through January 31, 2026. Borrowings are at the
discretion of Retailco. Advances thereunder accrue interest at an annual
rate equal to the prime rate as published by the Wall Street Journal
plus two percent (2.0%) from the date of the advance.
Although
we may use the Subordinated Debt Facility from time to time to enhance
short term liquidity, we do not view the Subordinated Debt Facility as a
material source of liquidity. As of March 31, 2023, there was
$15.0 million outstanding borrowings under the Subordinated Debt
Facility, and availability to borrow up to $10.0 million under the
Subordinated Debt Facility. See Note 9 "Debt" for further information regarding the Subordinated Debt Facility.
Uses of Liquidity and Capital Resources
Repayment of Current Portion of Senior Credit Facility
Our
Senior Credit Facility matures in June 2025, and thus, no amounts are
due currently. However, due to the revolving nature of the facility,
excess cash available is generally used to reduce the balance
outstanding, which at March 31, 2023 was $111.0 million. The
current variable interest rate on the facility at March 31, 2023
was 8.30%.
Customer Acquisitions
Our
customer acquisition strategy consists of customer growth obtained
through organic customer additions as well as opportunistic
acquisitions. During the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, we
spent a total of $1.8 million and $1.2 million, respectively,
on organic customer acquisitions.
Capital Expenditures
Our
capital requirements each year are relatively low and generally consist
of minor purchases of equipment or information system upgrades and
improvements. Capital expenditures for the three months ended March 31,
2023 and 2022 included $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively,
related to information systems improvements.
Dividends and Distributions
During
the three months ended March 31, 2023, we paid dividends to holders of
our Class A common stock for the quarters ended December 31, 2022,
of $0.90625 per
share or $2.9 million in the aggregate. In order to pay dividends to
holders of our Class A common stock, our subsidiary, Spark HoldCo is
required to make corresponding distributions to holders of Class B
common stock (our non-controlling interest holders). As a result, during
the three months ended March 31, 2023, Spark HoldCo made distributions
of $3.6 million to our non-controlling interest holders related to the
dividend payments to holders of our Class A common stock.
For
the three months ended March 31, 2023, we paid $2.4 million of
dividends to holders of our Series A Preferred Stock, and as of
March 31, 2023, we had accrued $2.5 million related to dividends to
holders of our Series A Preferred Stock, which we paid on
April 17, 2023. The Series A Preferred Stock will accrue dividends at
an annual rate equal to the sum of (a) Three-Month LIBOR (if it then
exists), or an alternative reference rate as of the applicable
determination date and (b) 6.578%, based on the $25.00 liquidation
preference per share of the Series A Preferred Stock. For
the full year ended December 31, 2023, taking into consideration
the amount of dividends already paid and estimating future dividends
using the stated most recent dividend rate paid on the Series A
Preferred Stock, we would be required to pay dividends of $10.2 million
in the aggregate based on the Series A Preferred Stock outstanding as of
March 31, 2023.
On
April 19, 2023, we declared a dividend in the amount of $0.73989
per share for the Series A Preferred Stock for the first quarter of
2023. Dividends on Series A Preferred Stock will be paid on
July 17, 2023 to holders of record on July 1, 2023. The Board
of Directors may be required to reduce, eliminate or suspend quarterly
cash dividends to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock.
On
April 19, 2023, we announced that our Board of Directors has elected to
temporarily suspend the quarterly cash dividend on the Class A common
stock.
Future
dividends are within the discretion of our Board of Directors, and will
depend upon our operations, our financial condition, capital
requirements and investment opportunities, the performance of our
business, cash flows, RCE counts and the margins we receive, as well as
restrictions under our Senior Credit Facility.
Even
if we are permitted to pay dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock or
could re-instate the dividends on the Class A common stock, our Board
of Directors may elect to reduce, eliminate or suspend the dividends on
the Series A Preferred Stock, or not reinstate dividends on the Class A
common stock, in order to maintain cash balances for operations or for
other reasons. A dividend penalty event would occur if dividends on the
Series A Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more quarterly
dividend periods, in which case the dividend rate on the Series A
Preferred Stock would increase by 2.00% per annum, and the holders of
the Series A Preferred Stock would be entitled to elect two members to
our Board of Directors, until the dividend penalty event is cured.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of March 31, 2023, we had no material "off-balance sheet arrangements."
Related Party Transactions
For a discussion of related party transactions, see Note 13 "Transactions with Affiliates" to Part I, Item 1 of this Report.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our
critical accounting policies and estimates are described in
“Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our 2022
Form 10-K. There have been no changes to these policies and estimates
since the date of our 2022 Form 10-K.
Refer
to Note 2 "Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting
Policies" to Part I, Item 1 of this Report for a discussion on recent
accounting pronouncements.
Contingencies
In
the ordinary course of business, we may become party to lawsuits,
administrative proceedings and governmental investigations, including
regulatory and other matters. Except as described in Note 12
"Commitments and Contingencies" to Part I, Item 1 of this Report, as of
March 31, 2023, management did not believe that any of our
outstanding lawsuits, administrative proceedings or investigations could
result in a material adverse effect. Liabilities for loss contingencies
arising from claims, assessments, litigation, fines, penalties and
other sources are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been
incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. For a discussion
of the status of current legal and regulatory matters, see Note 12
"Commitments and Contingencies" to Part I, Item 1 of this Report.
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Market
risks relating to our operations result primarily from changes in
commodity prices and interest rates, as well as counterparty credit
risk. We employ established risk management policies and procedures to
manage, measure, and limit our exposure to these risks.
Commodity Price Risk
We
hedge and procure our energy requirements from various wholesale energy
markets, including both physical and financial markets and through
short and long-term contracts. Our financial results are largely
dependent on the margin we realize between the wholesale purchase price
of natural gas and electricity plus related costs and the retail sales
price we charge our customers for these commodities. We actively manage
our commodity price risk by entering into various derivative or
non-derivative instruments to hedge the variability in future cash flows
from fixed-price forecasted sales and purchases of natural gas and
electricity in connection with our retail energy operations. These
instruments include forwards, futures, swaps, and option contracts
traded on various exchanges, such as NYMEX and Intercontinental
Exchange, or ICE, as well as over-the-counter markets. These contracts
have varying terms and durations, which range from a few days to several
years, depending on the instrument. We also utilize similar derivative
contracts in connection with our asset optimization activities to
attempt to generate incremental gross margin by effecting transactions
in markets where we have a retail presence. Generally, any such
instruments that are entered into to support our retail electricity and
natural gas business are categorized as having been entered into for
non-trading purposes, and instruments entered into for any other purpose
are categorized as having been entered into for trading purposes.
Our
net (loss)/gain on our non-trading derivative instruments, net of cash
settlements, was $(22.6) million and $30.6 million for three months
ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
We
have adopted risk management policies to measure and limit market risk
associated with our fixed-price portfolio and our hedging activities.
For additional information regarding our commodity price risk and our
risk management policies, see “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our 2022 Form
10-K.
We
measure the commodity risk of our non-trading energy derivatives using a
sensitivity analysis on our net open position. As of March 31,
2023, our Gas Non-Trading Fixed Price Open Position (hedges net of
retail load) was a short position of 542,378 MMBtu. An increase of 10%
in the market prices (NYMEX) from their March 31, 2023 levels would
have decreased the fair market value of our net non-trading energy
portfolio by $0.2 million. Likewise, a decrease of 10% in the
market prices (NYMEX) from their March 31, 2023 levels would have
increased the fair market value of our non-trading energy derivatives by
$0.2 million. As of March 31, 2023, our Electricity
Non-Trading Fixed Price Open Position (hedges net of retail load) was a
short position of 120,261 MWhs. An increase of 10% in the forward market
prices from their March 31, 2023 levels would have decreased the
fair market value of our net non-trading energy portfolio by $0.7
million. Likewise, a decrease of 10% in the forward market prices from
their March 31, 2023 levels would have increased the fair market
value of our non-trading energy derivatives by $0.7 million.
Credit Risk
In
many of the utility services territories where we conduct business,
Purchase of Receivables ("POR programs") have been established, whereby
the local regulated utility purchases our receivables, and becomes
responsible for billing the customer and collecting payment from the
customer. These POR programs result in substantially all of our credit
risk being with the utility and not to our end-use customers in these
territories. Approximately 55% and 64% of our retail revenues were
derived from territories in which substantially all of our credit risk
was with local regulated utility companies for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, all of which had investment grade
ratings as of such date. We paid these local regulated utilities a
weighted average discount of 1.0% and 1.0%, for the three months ended
March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, of total revenues for customer
credit risk protection. In certain of the POR markets in which we
operate, the utilities limit their collections
exposure
by retaining the ability to transfer a delinquent account back to us
for collection when collections are past due for a specified period.
If
our collection efforts are unsuccessful, we return the account to the
local regulated utility for termination of service. Under these service
programs, we are exposed to credit risk related to payment for services
rendered during the time between when the customer is transferred to us
by the local regulated utility and the time we return the customer to
the utility for termination of service, which is generally one to two
billing periods. We may also realize a loss on fixed-price customers in
this scenario as we will have already fully hedged the customer’s
expected commodity usage for the life of the contract.
In
non-POR markets (and in POR markets where we may choose to direct bill
our customers), we manage customer credit risk through formal credit
review in the case of commercial customers, and credit score screening,
deposits and disconnection for non-payment, in the case of residential
customers. Economic conditions may affect our customers’ ability to pay
bills in a timely manner, which could increase customer delinquencies
and may lead to an increase in bad debt expense. Our bad debt expense
for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was 1.9% and 2.0% of
non-POR market retail revenues, respectively. See “Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations—Drivers of Our Business—Customer Credit Risk” for an analysis
of our bad debt expense related to non-POR markets during the three
months ended March 31, 2023.
We
are exposed to wholesale counterparty credit risk in our retail and
asset optimization activities. We manage this risk at a counterparty
level and secure our exposure with collateral or guarantees when needed.
At March 31, 2023, approximately $1.6 million of our total
exposure of $2.3 million was either with a non-investment grade
counterparty or otherwise not secured with collateral or a guarantee.
The credit worthiness of the remaining exposure with other customers was
evaluated with no material allowance recorded at March 31, 2023.
Interest Rate Risk
We
are exposed to fluctuations in interest rates under our variable-price
debt obligations, including our Senior Credit Facility and our Series A
Preferred Stock.
At
March 31, 2023, we were co-borrowers under the Senior Credit
Facility, under which $111.0 million of variable rate indebtedness was
outstanding. Based on the average amount of our variable rate
indebtedness outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2023, a
1.0% increase in interest rates would have resulted in additional
annual interest expense of approximately $1.1 million.
On
and after April 15, 2022, our Series A Preferred Stock accrue dividends
at an annual rate equal to the sum of (a) Three-Month LIBOR (if it then
exists), or an alternative reference rate as of the applicable
determination date and (b) 6.578%, based on the $25.00 liquidation
preference per share of the Series A Preferred Stock. On April 19,
2023, our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend in the
amount of $0.73989 per share for the Series A Preferred Stock for the
first quarter of 2023 for an aggregate amount of $2.6 million for
the quarter. Based on the Series A Preferred Stock outstanding on
March 31, 2023, a 1.0% increase in interest rates would have
resulted in additional dividends of less than $0.1 million for the
quarter.
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our
management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and
our Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our
disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered
by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The term “disclosure controls and
procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the
Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are
designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a
company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act
is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods
specified in the SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and
procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed
to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the
reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated
and communicated to our management, including our principal executive
and principal financial officers or persons performing similar
functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure. Based on this evaluation, management concluded that as a
result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial
reporting, more described below, our disclosure controls and procedures
were not effective as of March 31, 2023.
However,
the Company concluded that the existence of this material weakness did
not result in material misstatement of the Company’s financial
statements included in this Quarterly Report.
In
connection with the audit of our financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2022, we identified a material weakness in the design
and operation of the controls over our calculation of income tax
expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities. A material weakness is
defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal
control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable
possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim
financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely
basis. Although this material weakness did not result in a material
misstatement to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2022 or any prior period, it did result in immaterial
corrections for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, as disclosed
the Company’s December 31, 2022 Annual Report.
If
unremediated, this material weakness could result in a material
misstatement for annual or interim consolidated financial statements for
future periods.
With
oversight from the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, we intend
to take the necessary steps to remediate the material weakness by
enhancing our internal controls to ensure proper review by and
communication between our internal and external tax advisors and
internal accounting personnel. Our efforts will consist primarily of
strengthening our tax organization through continuing education and
refining controls related to components of our tax process to enhance
our management review controls over taxes. As part of the key
remediation actions, we will:
•Review
our tax accounting processes and controls and enhance the overall
design and procedures performed to ensure changes in the Company’s
interest in HoldCo are appropriately identified and recorded:
•Re-design
our management review controls and enhance the precision of review of
attributes of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities, income
tax expense; and
•Evaluate
the sufficiency of our tax resources and personnel to determine whether
additional resources, including tax advisors, are needed.
The
material weakness will not be considered remediated until the
applicable remedial controls operate for a sufficient period of time and
management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are
operating effectively.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Except
as noted above, there was no change in our internal control over
financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation
required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that
occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023 that has
materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
See
Note 12 "Commitments and Contingencies" to Part I, Item 1 of this
Report, which is incorporated by reference into this Part II, Item 1,
for a description of certain ligation, legal proceedings, and regulatory
matters.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Security
holders and potential investors in our securities should carefully
consider the risk factors under "Item 1A— Risk Factors" in our 2022 Form
10-K.
Except as described below, there has been no material change in our
risk factors from those described in the 2022 Form 10-K. Our description
of risks are not the sole risks for investors. Additional risks and
uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be
immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial
condition or results of operations.
The price of our Class A common stock and Series A Preferred Stock has been and may continue to be volatile.
The
market price of our Class A common stock and Series A Preferred Stock
may be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially as a result of a
number of factors. The following factors could affect our stock price:
•the impact of our reverse stock split on our common stock;
•the
announcement of the elimination, suspension, reduction or reinstatement
of dividends on Class A common stock and Series A Preferred Stock;
•the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;
•trading volumes of the Class A common stock and Series A Preferred Stock;
•prevailing interest rates;
•the market for similar securities;
•general economic and financial market conditions;
•our issuance of debt or other preferred equity securities; and
•our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
These
and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our Class A
common stock and Series A Preferred Stock to fluctuate substantially,
which may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock
and Series A Preferred Stock. In the past, when the market price of a
stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have often instituted
securities class action litigation against the company that issued the
stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could
incur substantial defense costs. Such a lawsuit could also divert the
time and attention of our management from our business. Trading prices
and corresponding market value of Class A common stock and Series A
Preferred Stock may also impact our ability to satisfy continued listing
standards of The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or a particular tier of
The Nasdaq exchanges.
The exhibits required to be filed by Item 6 are set forth in the Exhibit Index included below.
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS |
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| | Incorporated by Reference |
Exhibit | Exhibit Description | Form | Exhibit Number | Filing Date | SEC File No. |
2.1# | | 10-Q | 2.1 | 5/5/2016 | 001-36559 |
2.2# | | 10-Q | 2.2 | 5/5/2016 | 001-36559 |
2.3# | | 8-K | 2.1 | 8/1/2016 | 001-36559 |
2.4# | | 10-Q | 2.4 | 5/8/2017 | 001-36559 |
2.5 | | 8-K | 2.1 | 7/6/2017 | 001-36559 |
2.6# | Agreement
to Terminate Earnout Payments, effective January 12, 2018, by and among
Spark Energy, Inc., CenStar Energy Corp., Woden Holdings, LLC (fka
Verde Energy USA Holdings, LLC), Verde Energy USA, Inc., Thomas
FitzGerald, and Anthony Menchaca. | 8-K | 2.1 | 1/16/2018 | 001-36559 |
2.7# | | 10-K | 2.7 | 3/9/2018 | 001-36559 |
2.8# | | 8-K | 2.1 | 10/25/2018 | 001-36559 |
2.9 | | 10-Q | 2.9 | 8/5/2020 | 001-36559 |
3.1 | | 10-Q | 3.1 | 11/4/2021 | 001-36559 |
3.2 | | 8-K | 3.1 | 8/9/2021 | 001-36559 |
3.3 | | 8-A | 5 | 3/14/2017 | 001-36559 |
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4.2 | | S-1 | 4.1 | 6/30/2014 | 333-196375 |
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32** | | | | | |
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101.INS* | XBRL
Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the
Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the
Inline XBRL | | | | |
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101.SCH* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | | | | |
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101.CAL* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | | | | |
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101.LAB* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | | | | |
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101.PRE* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | | | | |
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101.DEF* | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | | | | |
104* | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101.INS) | | | | |
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
#
Certain schedules, exhibits and annexes have been omitted in reliance
on Item 601 (a)(5) of Regulation S-K, the registrant agrees to furnish
supplementally a copy of any omitted schedule, exhibit or annex to the
Commission upon request
† Compensatory plan or arrangement
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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| Via Renewables, Inc. |
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May 4, 2023 | | | /s/ Mike Barajas |
| | | Mike Barajas |
| | | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |