ATLANTA, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Benefiting from successful integration of recent timberland acquisitions, CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) today announced strong year-over-year growth for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.

Company highlights for the first quarter of 2015 include:


    --  Increased revenues to $20.2 million for the three months ended March 31,
        2015 from $8.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, a 128%
        increase.
    --  Increased Adjusted EBITDA to $11.0 million compared to $1.9 million in
        the three months ended March 31, 2014, a 464% increase.
    --  Increased gross timber sales revenue by approximately 62% over first
        quarter 2014 to $13.1 million, primarily due to harvests from
        timberlands acquired since April 2014.
    --  Increased total harvest volume to 437,406 tons, compared to 263,551 tons
        in the first quarter 2014, and accelerated expected sawtimber sales to
        meet buyer demand primarily on properties acquired in 2014 in the
        Southwest.
    --  Realized increases in average net prices for sawtimber of 15% compared
        to first quarter 2014, reflecting favorable regional pricing dynamics
        from the 2014 acquisitions.
    --  Acquired fee simple interests in approximately 7,668 acres of
        timberlands located in existing Georgia operating markets for an
        aggregate purchase price of approximately $14.5 million, excluding
        closing costs, in three separate transactions.
    --  Completed $6.2 million in timberland sales, comprising approximately
        3,400 acres, in nine separate transactions, with the remainder of
        budgeted land sales likely to occur in late third quarter or early
        fourth quarter 2015.
    --  Paid a dividend of $0.125 per share on March 16, 2015.

CatchMark also announced a $0.125 dividend per share for stockholders of record on May 29, 2015, payable on June 15, 2015.

Jerry Barag, CatchMark's President and CEO, said: "Performance is off to a robust start in 2015 on our augmented operating platform with all financial metrics advancing and excellent results realized, in particular, from our 2014 timberland acquisitions. We are focused on making additional accretive acquisitions this year using our low-leveraged balance sheet, and are exercising discipline and restraint in seeking transactions which meet our expectations for high quality and productivity."

Willis J. Potts, Jr., CatchMark's Chairman of the Board, said: "Our highest priority remains increasing revenues and strengthening the long-term position of the company to grow our dividend and share price for the benefit of our stockholders."

Results for First Quarter Ending March 31, 2015

Revenues increased to $20.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 compared to $8.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, due to an increase in timber sales revenue of $5.0 million, an increase in timberland sales revenue of $6.1 million, and an increase in other revenues of $0.3 million. Gross timber sales revenue increased by approximately 62%, primarily due to harvests from properties acquired since April 2014, and timberland sales revenue increased due to the sale of more acres during the three months ended March 31, 2015 than during the three months ended March 31, 2014.



                            Three Months         Changes attributable to:        Three Months
                            Ended 

    March                                       Ended 

    March
                              31, 2014                                             31, 2015
                           -------------         ------------------------       -------------

    (amounts in thousands)                Price         Volume
                                          -----         ------

    Timber sales (1)

    Pulpwood                              $4,809                          $(89)               $2,091   $6,811

    Sawtimber (2)                   3,288                    135                 2,860           6,283
                                    -----                    ---                 -----           -----

                                          $8,097                            $46                $4,951  $13,094
                                          ======                            ===                ======  =======

((1) )Timber sales are presented on a gross basis.
((2) )Includes sales of chip-n-saw and sawtimber.

Net loss increased to $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015 compared to $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as a result of a $0.4 million increase in interest expense.

Adjusted EBITDA

The discussion below is intended to enhance the reader's understanding of our operating performance and our ability to satisfy lender requirements. Earnings from Continuing Operations before Interest, Taxes, Depletion, and Amortization ("EBITDA") is a non-GAAP measure of operating performance. EBITDA is defined by the SEC; however, we have excluded certain other expenses due to their non-cash nature, and we refer to this measure as "Adjusted EBITDA." As such, our Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies and should not be viewed as an alternative to net income as a measurement of our operating performance. Due to significant amount of timber assets subject to depletion and significant amount of financing subject to interest and amortization expense, management considers Adjusted EBITDA to be an important measure of our financial condition and performance. Our credit agreements contains a minimum debt service coverage ratio based, in part, on Adjusted EBITDA since this measure is representative of adjusted income available for interest payments.

Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ending March 31, 2015 was $11.0 million, a $9.0 million increase over the three months ended March 31, 2014, primarily due to a $3.6 million increase in net timber sales, a $5.7 million increase in net revenue from timberland sales, and a $0.3 million increase in other revenues, offset by a $0.4 million increase in forestry management expenses and a $0.3 million increase in other operating expenses.

Our reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands of dollars) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 follows:



                                     Three Months Ended 

    March 31,
                                     ------------------------------

    (amounts in thousands)                2015                   2014
                                          ----                   ----

    Net loss                                        $(817)                  $(388)

    Add:

    Depletion                            6,202                        1,804

    Basis of timberland sold             4,567                           38

    Amortization (1)                       180                           95

    Stock-based compensation expense       178                           83

    Interest expense (1)                   652                          310

    Adjusted EBITDA                                $10,962                   $1,942
                                                   =======                   ======

((1) )For the purpose of the above reconciliation, amortization includes amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of intangible lease assets, and amortization of mainline road costs, which are included in either interest expense, land rent expense, or other operating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Change in Depletion Method

Effective January 1, 2015, CatchMark changed the depletion method on its long-term fee timber to the straight-line method. We believe the change from the normalized depletion method to the straight-line depletion method is preferable as the straight-line method is based on the actual costs recorded and volumes of timber that are merchantable as of the date that the depletion rates are determined. It is less reliant on subjective and complex estimates as it does not include future costs to be incurred or expected timber growth. Therefore, the straight-line depletion method provides for a more disaggregated tracking of costs and volumes and allocation of costs as the timber is harvested. If the company had continued using the normalized depletion method, depletion expense for the first quarter 2015 would have been $1.1 million, or $0.03 per share, lower than under the straight-line depletion method.

Impact of Advantageous Financing Structure

In March 2015, CatchMark received a patronage refund calculated by CoBank, which equaled to 0.91% of CatchMark's weighted average balance outstanding under the 2014 Term Loan Facility and the 2014 Multi-Draw Term Facility. CatchMark accrued $0.3 million in patronage refunds expected for the three months ended March 31, 2015 as a credit to its interest expense.

Conference Call/Webcast

The company will host a conference call and live webcast at 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 to discuss these results. Investors may listen to the conference call by dialing 888-430-8705 for U.S/Canada and 719-325-2329 for international callers. Participants will be asked to provide conference I.D. number 5830161. Access to the live webcast will be available at www.catchmark.com or here. A replay of this webcast will be archived on the company's website shortly after the call.

About CatchMark

Headquartered in Atlanta, CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed publicly traded REIT that began operations in 2007 and owns interests in approximately 397,500 acres* of timberland located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Listed on the NYSE (CTT), CatchMark provides institutions and individuals an opportunity to invest in a public company focused exclusively on timberland ownership with an objective of producing stockholder returns from sustainably recurring harvests. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com. From time to time, CatchMark releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found in the "Investors Relations" section of www.catchmark.com.

* As of March 31, 2015.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements can generally be identified by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," or other similar words. However, the absence of these or similar words or expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Readers of this press release should be aware that there are various factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made in this press release. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (i) we may not generate the harvest volumes from our timberlands that we currently anticipate; (ii) the demand for our timber may not increase at the rate we currently anticipate or at all due to changes in general economic and business conditions in the geographic regions where our timberlands are located; (iii) the cyclical nature of the real estate market generally, including fluctuations in demand and valuations, may adversely impact our ability to generate income and cash flow from sales of higher-and-better use properties; (iv) timber prices may not increase at the rate we currently anticipate or could decline, which would negatively impact our revenues; (v) the supply of timberlands available for acquisition that meet our investment criteria may be less than we currently anticipate; (vi) we may be unsuccessful in winning bids for timberland that are sold through an auction process; (vii) we may not be able to access external sources of capital at attractive rates or at all; and (viii) potential increases in interest rates could have a negative impact on our business. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, except as required by law.


                              CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                                  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

                            (amounts in thousands, except for per-share data)

                                              (Unaudited) 

    Three Months Ended
                                                         
    March 31,
                                             ---------------------------------

                                                   2015                   2014
                                                   ----                   ----

    Revenues:

    Timber sales                                            $13,094                     $8,097

    Timberland sales                              6,174                            65

    Other revenues                                  976                           708
                                                    ---                           ---

                                                 20,244                         8,870

    Expenses:

    Contract logging
     and hauling
     costs                                        5,120                         3,747

    Depletion                                     6,202                         1,804

    Cost of
     timberland
     sales                                        5,006                            50

    Forestry
     management
     expenses                                     1,121                           696

    General and
     administrative
     expenses                                     1,668                         1,716

    Land rent
     expense                                        203                           215

    Other operating
     expenses                                       938                           645
                                                    ---                           ---

                                                 20,258                         8,873
                                                 ------                         -----

    Operating loss                                 (14)                          (3)


    Other income (expense):

    Interest expense                              (803)                        (385)

                                                  (803)                        (385)

    Net loss
     available to
     common
     stockholders                                            $(817)                    $(388)
                                                              =====                      =====


    Weighted-
     average common
     shares
     outstanding -
     basic and
     diluted                                     39,253                        24,834


    Net loss per-
     share available
     to common
     stockholders -
     basic and
     diluted                                                $(0.02)                   $(0.02)




                                                CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                                                         CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

                                              (amounts in thousands, except for per-share data)



                                                                           (Unaudited)

                                                                         March 31, 2015              December 31, 2014
                                                                         --------------              -----------------

    Assets:

    Cash and cash equivalents                                                                $20,548                       $17,365

    Accounts receivable                                                           1,421                               798

    Prepaid expenses and other assets                                             2,485                             2,781

    Deferred financing costs, less accumulated
     amortization of $417 and $267 as of                                          4,133                             4,245

        March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively

    Timber assets (Note 3):

    Timber and timberlands, net                                                 547,929                           543,101

    Intangible lease assets, less accumulated
     amortization of $932 and $931 as of                                             25                                26

        March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively


    Total assets                                                                            $576,541                      $568,316
                                                                                            ========                      ========


    Liabilities:

    Accounts payable and accrued expenses                                                     $2,965                        $2,359

    Other liabilities                                                             3,334                             3,265

    Note payable and line of credit (Note 4)                                    132,002                           118,000
                                                                                -------                           -------

    Total liabilities                                                           138,301                           123,624


    Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)                                            -                                -


    Stockholders' Equity:

    Class A common stock, $0.01 par value; 889,500
     shares authorized; 39,551 and 36,193 shares
     issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and
     December 31, 2014, respectively                                                396                               362

    Class B-3 common stock, $0.01 par value; 3,500
     shares authorized; 0 and 3,164 shares issued and
     outstanding as of March 31, 2015 and December 31,
     2014, respectively                                                               -                               32

    Additional paid-in capital                                                  612,694                           612,518

    Accumulated deficit and distributions                                     (173,100)                        (167,364)

    Accumulated other comprehensive loss                                        (1,750)                            (856)
                                                                                 ------                              ----

    Total stockholders' equity                                                  438,240                           444,692
                                                                                -------                           -------

    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity                                              $576,541                      $568,316
                                                                                            ========                      ========




                                               CATCHMARK TIMBER TRUST, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

                                                   CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

                                                           (amounts in thousands)



                                                                            (Unaudited) 

    Three Months Ended
                                                                                     
    March 31,
                                                                           ---------------------------------

                                                                                 2015                   2014
                                                                                 ----                   ----

    Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

    Net loss                                                                               $(817)                      $(388)

    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating
     activities:

    Depletion                                                                   6,202                            1,804

    Other amortization                                                             29                               20

    Stock-based compensation expense                                              178                               83

    Noncash interest expense                                                      151                               75

    Basis of timberland sold                                                    4,567                               38

    Changes in assets and liabilities:

    Accounts receivable                                                         (623)                           (550)

    Prepaid expenses and other assets                                              49                              529

    Accounts payable and accrued expenses                                         763                            (447)

    Other liabilities                                                           (827)                           (632)
                                                                                 ----                             ----

    Net cash provided by operating activities                                   9,672                              532


    Cash Flows from Investing Activities:

    Timberland acquisitions                                                  (14,517)                         (4,347)

    Capital expenditures (excluding timberland
     acquisitions)                                                              (846)                           (338)
                                                                                 ----                             ----

    Net cash used in investing activities                                    (15,363)                         (4,685)


    Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

    Proceeds from note payable                                                 14,500                                -

    Repayments of note payable                                                  (498)                        (18,160)

    Financing costs paid                                                        (209)                            (15)

    Issuance of common stock                                                        -                          21,316

    Dividends paid to common stockholders                                     (4,919)                         (2,747)

    Stock issuance costs                                                            -                         (1,667)
                                                                                  ---                          ------

    Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities                         8,874                          (1,273)
                                                                                -----                           ------

    Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents                        3,183                          (5,426)

    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period                             17,365                            8,614
                                                                               ------                            -----

    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period                                              $20,548                       $3,188
                                                                                          =======                       ======


                                         SELECTED DATA

                                         2015                 2014
                                         ----                 ----

                                        Q1                Q1
                                       ---                ---

    Timber Sales Volume ('000 tons)

    Pulpwood                              262                       177

    Sawtimber                             175                        86
                                          ---                       ---

    Total                                 437                       263


    Delivered % as of total volume        65%                      79%

    Stumpage % as of total volume         35%                      21%


    Net timber sales price ($ per ton)

    Pulpwood                                          $13                  $14

    Sawtimber                                         $26                  $22


    Timberland Sales

    Gross Sales (1) ('000)                         $6,174                  $65

    Acres Sold                          3,400                        29

    Price per acre                                 $1,816               $2,250


    Timberland Acquisitions

    Gross Acquisitions (1) ('000)                 $14,533                 $243

    Acres Acquired                      7,668                       203

    Price per acre ($/acre)                        $1,895               $1,200


    Period End Acres ('000)

    Fee                                   369                       247

    Lease                                  29                        30
                                          ---                       ---

    Total                                 398                       277
                                          ===                       ===

((1)) Exclusive of closing costs.

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SOURCE CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.