5
Our first question will come from Mark Levin with The Benchmark Company. Please go ahead.
Mark Levin
Great, thanks. Congratulations on the
transaction. A couple of quick questions, and maybe you can remind me. It sounds like pro forma leverage 3.2 down to 2.6 times, is the key kind of leverage ratio from here 2 times, Mitesh? Then, if it is, once you get to 2 times, what does that
mean? How will you approach managing liquidity going forward versus, lets say, buying back second liens? Maybe you can just sort of address where we go from here from a covenant ratio? Then I think you mentioned on the last call asset sales.
Clearly thats additive as well, and if 2X is the right now, how quickly can asset sales get you there? Help get you there.
Mitesh Thakkar
Thank you, Mark. Let me start and be very clear about our near-term focus is absolutely deleveraging, right? This transaction jumpstarts us on that
path.
As you know, we have not stated our ultimate target on the leverage ratio, but you are right, 2 times is what I would call it as the next
milestone. Our credit amendment has put in several restrictions on us and at times you have to think about from a capital allocation standpoint what makes most sense. When you think about today, for example, our second lienwe have been very
public about itmakes the most sense. We look at our second lien, our Term Loan B. When it comes to debt reduction, those are our two main focus areas. Obviously second lien has a bigger discount. Its a little bit further maturity and
junior debt, but has a bigger discount.
Beyond that, once you see our second lien move towards more like a par value or our Term Loan B moves toward more
like a par value, and we achieve our deleveraging goals, you will see us focus more on shareholder returns such as whether its dividends, share buybacks, whatever makes sense at that point in time.
We have a capital allocation strategy that we have talked about, but you are right; 2 times is the next milestone for us.
Mark Levin
Great, and I apologize if you guys already
spoke to this, but going back to Slide 5 and the third graph on the right-hand side, 2021 Estimated Organic Free Cash Flow, going from $50 million to $80 million pro forma, can you maybe walk us through how you got to that $80 million
number?
Mitesh Thakkar
Sure, Mark. Really, if you
think about our organic free cash flow, the way we think about organic free cash flow is essentially cash flow from operations or net cash flow (inaudible) by operations less the capital expenditures, it does not include any debt repayment or any
financing activities. When you look at what we have as a standalone forecast, and then you add in the impact of this merger, thats the addition that you get by adding the CCR portion of that to the mix here.
Does that answer your question?
Mark Levin
Yes, well I was actually trying to drill down into more specifics. Obviously that number has some assumptions built into it, whether its coal production,
price per ton, cost per ton, kind of the three key drivers to get you to EBITDA, and so I was just kind of wondering what was embedded from that perspective to get you to that organic free cash flow number. Thats what I was after.
CONSOL Energy Inc.
October 23, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern