KBR, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 29, 2024
Filed with the SEC on Apr 30, 2024 and accepted by EDGAR at Apr 30, 2024, 10:30 ET.
Management's discussion and analysis
As filed, 42,568 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
Introduction
The purpose of MD&A is to disclose material changes in our financial condition since the most recent fiscal year-end and results of operations during the current fiscal period as compared to the corresponding period of the preceding fiscal year. The MD&A should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements, accompanying notes and our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
KBR, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("KBR"), delivers science, technology, engineering and logistics support solutions to governments and companies around the world. Drawing from its rich 100-year history and culture of innovation and mission focus, KBR creates sustainable value by combining deep domain expertise with its full life cycle capabilities to help clients meet their most pressing challenges. Our capabilities and offerings include the following:
- Scientific research such as quantum science and computing; health and human performance; materials science; life science research; and earth sciences;
- Defense systems engineering such as rapid prototyping; test and evaluation; aerospace acquisition support; systems and platform integration; and sustainment engineering;
- Operational support such as space domain awareness; C5ISR; human spaceflight and satellite operations; integrated supply chain and logistics; and military aviation support;
- Information operations such as cyber analytics and cybersecurity; data analytics; mission planning systems; virtual/augmented reality and technical training; and artificial intelligence and machine learning;
- Professional advisory services across the defense, renewable energy and critical infrastructure sectors; and
- Sustainable decarbonization solutions that accelerate and enable energy transition and climate change solutions such as proprietary, sustainability-focused process licensing; advisory services focused on energy transition; high-end engineering, design and management program offerings; and digitally-enabled asset optimization solutions.
KBR's strategic growth vectors include:
- Defense modernization;
- Space superiority;
- Health and human performance;
- Sustainable technology;
- High-end engineering;
- Energy transition and security; and
- Technology-led asset optimization
Key customers include U.S. DoD agencies such as the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and other intelligence agencies; U.S. civilian agencies such as NASA, U.S. Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.K. MoD, London Metropolitan Police, and other U.K. Crown Services; the Royal Australian Air Force, Navy and Army; other national governments; and a wide range of commercial and industrial companies.
Our deployment priorities are to fund organic growth, maintain responsible leverage, maintain an attractive dividend, make strategic, accretive acquisitions and repurchase shares. As demonstrated by our acquisitions of Frazer Nash Consultancy Limited, VIMA Group and others in the past few years, our acquisition thesis is centered around moving upmarket, expanding capabilities and broadening customer sets across strategic growth vectors. KBR also develops and prioritizes investment in technologies that are disruptive, innovative and sustainability- and safety-focused. These technologies and engineering solutions enable clients to achieve a cleaner, greener, more energy efficient global future.
Business Environment and Trends
Government Outlook
In March 2024, the U.S. government finalized the fiscal 2024 budget. The U.S. government's fiscal 2024 budget was operating under a continuing resolution funding measure from the start of the 2024 U.S. government fiscal year through the passage date of the spending bills in March 2024. Discretionary spending includes approximately $825 billion in defense spending and approximately $703 billion in non-defense discretionary spending. Additionally, the approved 2024 NASA budget is $25 billion. In April 2024, a $61 billion Ukraine Security Assistance supplemental funding bill was enacted to provide ongoing assistance and equipment to the military and national security forces of Ukraine and other forces or groups engaged in resisting Russian aggression against Ukraine.
In March 2024, President Biden provided his proposed fiscal 2025 budget, which includes $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending, $895 billion related to defense spending and $734 billion for non-defense spending. The requested discretionary spending amounts are consistent with the fiscal 2024 budget. The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 imposed statutory caps on discretionary funding in 2025 that restrict increases within the discretionary budget. This Fiscal Responsibility Act also enacted limits on discretionary funding for the years 2026 through 2029. The proposed fiscal 2025 budget continues to allocate funding to important initiatives from previous year fiscal budgets, including funding to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific and funding for certain AUKUS-related items. The effect of President Biden's proposed fiscal 2025 budget on individual programs or KBR cannot be predicted at this time. We anticipate the federal budget will continue to be subject to debate and compromise shaped by, among other things, heightened political tensions, the global security environment, inflationary pressures and macroeconomic conditions. The result may be shifting funding priorities, which could have material impacts on defense spending broadly and our programs.
Internationally, our Government Solutions work is performed primarily for the U.K. MoD and the Australian Department of Defence. In March 2024, the U.K. government announced the defense budget, with the defense budget remaining consistent with the defense budget from the prior fiscal year. In March 2023, the U.K. government announced its intent to increase its defense budget by £11 billion over the next five years, increasing the defense budget to 2.25% of GDP by 2025. Recognizing the importance of strong defense and the role the U.K. plays across the globe, the U.K. has prioritized investment in military research and investment in key areas to advance and develop capabilities around artificial intelligence, cyber security and space superiority. It is expected the next general election in the United Kingdom will occur in 2024 (and no later than January 28, 2025). The effect of the next general election in the United Kingdom on KBR or our individual programs cannot be predicted at this time. The Australian government continues to invest in defense spending, with particular focus on enhancing regional security, modernizing defense capabilities, strengthening cyber defenses and promoting broader economic stability. The fiscal year budget for Australia for the 2023 - 2024 financial year was finalized, with the Australian government increasing defense spending by 5% to AUD 51.0 billion, or approximately 2.00% of GDP.
With defense and civil budgets driven in part by political instability, military conflicts, aging platforms and infrastructure and the need for technology advances, we expect continued opportunities to provide solutions and technologies to mission critical work aligned with our customers’ and our nation’s critical priorities.
Sustainable Technology Outlook
Long-range commercial market fundamentals are supported by global population growth, expanding global development and an acceleration of demand for energy transition, renewable energy sources and climate change solutions. The globe is in search of the solution to the energy trilemma, the balance between energy affordability, ensuring energy security and achieving environmental sustainability. Clients are prioritizing their efforts to solve the energy trilemma by investing in digital solutions to optimize operations, increase end-product flexibility and energy efficiency, reduce unplanned downtime and minimize environmental footprint. As the global focus on energy security intensifies and companies continue to commit to near-term carbon neutrality and longer-range net-zero carbon emissions, we expect spending to continue in areas such as decarbonization; carbon capture, utilization and sequestration; biofuels; and circular economy. Further, leading companies across the world are proactively evaluating clean energy alternatives, including hydrogen and green ammonia, which complements KBR's proprietary process technologies, solutions and capabilities. We expect climate change and energy transition to continue to be areas of priority and investment as many countries, including the U.S., look to boost their economies and invest in a cleaner future.
Our Business
KBR's business is organized into two core and one non-core business segments as follows:
Core business segments
- Government Solutions
- Sustainable Technology Solutions
Non-core business segment
- Other
See additional information on our business segments in Note 2 "Business Segment Information" to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Results of Operations
Three months ended March 29, 2024 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023
The information below is an analysis of our consolidated results for the three months ended March 29, 2024 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023. See Results of Operations by Business Segment below for additional information describing the performance of each of our reportable segments.
Dollars in millions
| Consolidated Results | Three Months Ended March 29, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | 2024 vs. 2023 $% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $1,818 | $1,703 | $115 | 7% |
| Cost of revenues | $(1,570) | $(1,458) | $112 | 8% |
| Gross profit | $248 | $245 | $3 | 1% |
| Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates | $30 | $23 | $7 | 30% |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | $(121) | $(124) | $(3) | (2)% |
| Gain on disposition of assets and investments | $6 | $— | $6 | n/m |
| Other | $3 | $— | $3 | n/m |
| Operating income | $166 | $144 | $22 | 15% |
| Interest expense | $(31) | $(26) | $5 | 19% |
| Other non-operating expense | $(6) | $(2) | $4 | n/m |
| Income before income taxes | $129 | $116 | $13 | 11% |
| Provision for income taxes | $(35) | $(30) | $5 | 17% |
| Net income | $94 | $86 | $8 | 9% |
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | $1 | $— | $1 | n/m |
| Net income attributable to KBR | $93 | $86 | $7 | 8% |
n/m - not meaningful
Revenues. The increase in overall revenue of $115 million, or 7%, to $1,818 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024 is primarily attributed to contract growth related to domestic and international operations within our GS business and increased revenues from technology sales and engineering and professional services in our STS business.
Gross profit. The increase in overall gross profit of $3 million, or 1%, was primarily driven by items increasing revenues discussed above, offset by resolutions on various legacy matters in 2023 that did not recur in 2024.
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates. Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates increased by $7 million to $30 million in earnings for the three months ended March 29, 2024, compared to $23 million in earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase is primarily attributed to equity in earnings from services on an LNG project within our STS segment.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses in the three months ended March 29, 2024 were materially consistent with the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Gain on disposition of assets and investment. The increase in gain on disposition of assets and investments of $6 million was due to the sale of our investment interest in a joint venture within our GS segment. No similar gain on the disposition of assets and investments was recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Interest expense. The increase in interest expense was primarily driven by increases in the U.S. federal reserve funds rate from the three months ended March 31, 2023 to the three months ended March 29, 2024.
Provision for income taxes. The provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 29, 2024 reflects a 27% tax rate as compared to a 26% tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The effective tax rate of 27% and 26%, as compared to the U.S. statutory rate of 21%, for the three months ended March 29, 2024 and March 31, 2023 was primarily affected by the rate differential on our foreign earnings and the impact of state and local taxes in the U.S. See Note 9 "Income Taxes" to our condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion on income taxes.
Results of Operations by Business Segment
Dollars in millions
| Revenues: | Three Months Ended March 29, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | 2024 vs. 2023 $% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government Solutions | $1,386 | $1,328 | $58 | 4% |
| Sustainable Technology Solutions | 432 | 375 | 57 | 15% |
| Total revenues | $1,818 | $1,703 | $115 | 7% |
| Operating income (loss): | ||||
| Government Solutions | $115 | $102 | $13 | 13% |
| Sustainable Technology Solutions | 86 | 82 | 4 | 5% |
| Other | (35) | (40) | 5 | 13% |
| Total operating income | $166 | $144 | $22 | 15% |
Government Solutions
GS revenues increased by $58 million, or 4%, to $1,386 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024, compared to $1,328 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in revenues is due to contract growth related to our domestic and international operations.
GS operating income increased by $13 million, or 13%, to $115 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024, compared to $102 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in operating income was primarily driven by the items discussed above and $6 million gain recognized related to the sale of our investment interest in a joint venture.
Sustainable Technology Solutions
STS revenues increased by $57 million, or 15%, to $432 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024, compared to $375 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. This increase is primarily driven by increased revenues from technology sales and engineering and professional services.
STS operating income increased by $4 million, or 5%, to $86 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024, compared to $82 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase in operating income is primarily due to the items discussed above and increased equity in earnings from services on an LNG project, offset by a favorable resolution on a legacy matter in 2023 that did not recur in 2024.
Other
Other operating loss remained materially consistent for each of the three months ended March 29, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively.
Backlog of Unfilled Orders
Backlog represents the estimated dollar amount of revenues we expect to realize in the future as a result of performing work on contracts and our pro-rata share of work to be performed by our unconsolidated joint ventures. We include total estimated revenues in backlog when a contract is awarded under a legally binding agreement. In many instances, arrangements included in backlog are complex, nonrepetitive and may fluctuate over the contract period due to the release of contracted work in phases by the customer. Additionally, nearly all contracts allow customers to terminate the agreement at any time for convenience, and from time to time customers may dispute or try to renegotiate existing contracts. These and other factors may result in delays in our recognition of revenue from our backlog, and in differences between the amounts we book as backlog and the amounts we recognize as revenue. Certain contracts provide maximum dollar limits, with actual authorization to perform work under the contract agreed upon on a periodic basis with the customer. In these arrangements, only the amounts authorized are included in backlog. For projects where we act solely in a project management capacity, we only include the expected value of our services in backlog.
We define backlog, as it relates to U.S. government contracts, as our estimate of the remaining future revenue from existing signed contracts over the remaining base contract performance period (including customer approved option periods) for which work scope and price have been agreed with the customer. We define funded backlog as the portion of backlog for which funding currently is appropriated, less the amount of revenue we have previously recognized. We define unfunded backlog as the total backlog less the funded backlog. Our GS backlog does not include any estimate of future potential delivery orders that might be awarded under our government-wide acquisition contracts, agency-specific indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts or other multiple-award contract vehicles, nor does it include option periods that have not been exercised by the customer.
Within our GS business segment, we calculate estimated backlog for long-term contracts associated with the U.K. government's PFIs based on the aggregate amount that our client would contractually be obligated to pay us over the life of the project. We update our estimates of the future work to be executed under these contracts on a quarterly basis and adjust backlog, if necessary.
We have included in the table below our proportionate share of unconsolidated joint ventures' estimated backlog. As these projects are accounted for under the equity method, only our share of future earnings from these projects will be recorded in our results of operations. Our proportionate share of backlog for projects related to unconsolidated joint ventures totaled $3.8 billion at March 29, 2024, and $4.1 billion at December 29, 2023.
The following table summarizes our backlog by business segment as of March 29, 2024, and December 29, 2023, respectively:
Dollars in millions
| March 29, 2024 | December 29, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Government Solutions | $12,888 | $12,790 |
| Sustainable Technology Solutions | 4,363 | 4,545 |
| Total backlog | $17,251 | $17,335 |
We estimate that as of March 29, 2024, 39% of our backlog will be executed within one year. Of this amount, we estimate that 79% will be recognized in revenues on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and 21% will be recorded by our unconsolidated joint ventures. As of March 29, 2024, $95 million of our backlog relates to active contracts that are in a loss position.
As of March 29, 2024, 11% of our backlog was attributable to fixed-price contracts, 38% was attributable to PFIs, 35% was attributable to cost-reimbursable contracts and 16% was attributable to time-and-materials contracts. For contracts that contain fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time-and-materials components, we classify the individual components as either fixed-price, cost-reimbursable or time-and-materials according to the composition of the contract; however, for smaller contracts, we characterize the entire contract based on the predominant component. As of March 29, 2024, $9.0 billion of our GS backlog was currently funded by our customers.
As of March 29, 2024, we had approximately $3.6 billion of priced option periods not yet exercised by the customer for U.S. government contracts that are not included in the backlog amounts presented above.
The difference between backlog of $17.3 billion and the remaining performance obligations as defined by ASC 606 of $12.9 billion is primarily due to our proportionate share of backlog related to unconsolidated joint ventures which is not included in our remaining performance obligations. See Note 3 "Revenue" to our condensed consolidated financial statements for discussion of the remaining performance obligations.
Transactions with Joint Ventures
We form incorporated and unincorporated joint ventures to execute certain projects. In addition to participating as a joint venture partner, we often provide engineering, procurement, construction, operations or maintenance services to the joint venture as a subcontractor. Where we provide services to a joint venture that we control and therefore consolidate for financial reporting purposes, we eliminate intercompany revenues and expenses on such transactions. In situations where we account for our interest in the joint venture under the equity method of accounting, we do not eliminate any portion of our subcontractor revenues or expenses, however, we recognize profit on our subcontractor scope of work only to the extent the joint venture's scope of work to the end customer is complete. We recognize revenue over time on our services provided to joint ventures that we consolidate and our services provided to joint ventures that we record under the equity method of accounting. See Note 6 "Equity Method Investments and Variable Interest Entities" to our condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information. The information discussed therein is incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2.
Legal Proceedings
Information relating to various commitments and contingencies is described in Notes 5 "Unapproved Change Orders and Claims Against Clients and Estimated Recoveries of Claims Against Suppliers and Subcontractors", 10 "Commitments and Contingencies" and 11 "U.S. Government Matters" to our condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the information discussed therein is incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is provided by available cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operations, our Senior Credit Facility, (as defined below) and access to capital markets. Our operating cash flow can vary significantly from year to year and is affected by the mix, terms, timing and stage of completion of our projects. We often receive cash in advance on certain of our sustainable technology projects. On time-and-material and cost reimbursable contracts, we may utilize cash on hand or availability under our Senior Credit Facility to satisfy any periodic operating cash requirements for working capital, as we incur costs and subsequently invoice our customers.
Certain STS services projects may require us to provide credit support for our performance obligations to our customers in the form of letters of credit, surety bonds or guarantees. Our ability to obtain new project awards in the future may be dependent on our ability to maintain or increase our letter of credit and surety bonding capacity, which may be further dependent on the timely release of existing letters of credit and surety bonds. As the need for credit support arises, letters of credit may be issued under the Revolver (as defined below) or with lending counterparties on a bilateral, syndicated or other basis.
As discussed in Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" of our condensed consolidated financial statements, we entered into Amendment No.11 to our Credit Agreement on January 19, 2024. This amendment provides for an incremental Term Loan B facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1 billion and extends the Term Loan B maturity date to January 2031. We borrowed the full $1 billion principal amount available under this loan. We received $24 million in cash proceeds from this borrowing to pay accrued interest and financing fees, $501 million was applied to the outstanding principal under the Term Loan B facility and the remaining $475 million was applied to the outstanding principal under the Revolver. In addition, Amendment No.11 reduced the interest rate margin applicable to Term Loan B.
Additionally, we entered into Amendment No.12 to our Credit Agreement on February 7, 2024. This amendment consolidated the USD denominated Term A-1, Term A-2 and Term A-4 loan facilities under our Credit Agreement into the amended USD denominated Term A-1 loan facility and continued the GBP denominated Term A-3 loan facility outstanding at December 29, 2023. In 2024, $76 million in cash was paid on the outstanding Term Loan A principal and accrued interest and $20 million was applied to the Term Loan A principal through a borrowing on our Revolver. Additionally, this amendment extended the maturity date of the $1 billion Revolver, amended Term A-1 loan facility and Term A-3 loan facility to February 2029.
We believe that existing cash balances, internally generated cash flows, availability under our Senior Credit Facility and other lines of credit are sufficient to support our business operations for the next 12 months. As of March 29, 2024, we are in compliance with all financial covenants related to our debt agreements.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $314 million at March 29, 2024, and $304 million at December 29, 2023, and consisted of the following:
Dollars in millions
| March 29, 2024 | December 29, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic U.S. cash | $9 | $44 |
| International cash | 182 | 128 |
| Joint venture and Aspire Defence project cash | 123 | 132 |
| Total | $314 | $304 |
Our cash balances are held in numerous accounts throughout the world to fund our global activities, including acquisitions, joint ventures and other business partnerships. Domestic cash relates to cash balances held by U.S. entities and is largely used to support project activities of those businesses as well as general corporate needs such as the payment of dividends to shareholders, repayment of debt and potential repurchases of our outstanding common stock.
Our international cash balances may be available for general corporate purposes but are subject to local restrictions, such as capital adequacy requirements and maintaining sufficient cash balances to support our U.K. pension plan and other obligations incurred in the normal course of business by those foreign entities. Repatriations of our undistributed foreign earnings are generally free of U.S. tax but may incur withholding and/or state taxes. We consider our future non-U.S. cash needs as 1) our anticipated foreign working capital requirements, including funding of our U.K. pension plan, 2) the expected growth opportunities across all geographical markets and 3) our plans to invest in strategic growth opportunities, which may include acquisitions, joint ventures and other business partnerships around the world, including whether foreign earnings are permanently reinvested. If management were to completely remove the indefinite investment assertion on all foreign subsidiaries, the exposure to local withholding taxes would be less than $7 million.
Joint venture cash and Aspire Defence project cash balances reflect the amounts held by joint venture entities that we consolidate for financial reporting purposes. These amounts are limited to those entities' activities and are not readily available for general corporate purposes; however, portions of such amounts may become available to us in the future should there be a distribution of dividends to the joint venture partners. We expect that the majority of the joint venture cash balances will be utilized for the corresponding joint venture purposes or for paying dividends.
As of March 29, 2024, substantially all of our excess cash was held in interest bearing operating accounts or short-term investment accounts with the primary objectives of preserving capital and maintaining liquidity.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Dollars in millions
| Three Months Ended March 29, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash flows provided by operating activities | $91 | $35 |
| Cash flows provided by investing activities | 11 | 42 |
| Cash flows used in financing activities | (91) | (54) |
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | (1) | 4 |
| Increase in cash and cash equivalents | $10 | $27 |
35
Operating Activities. Cash provided by operations totaled $91 million and $35 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively, as compared to net income of $94 million and $86 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively. Cash flows from operating activities result primarily from earnings and are affected by changes in operating assets and liabilities, which consist primarily of working capital balances for projects. Working capital levels vary from year to year and are primarily affected by our volume of work. These levels are also impacted by the mix, stage of completion and commercial terms of projects. Working capital requirements also vary by project depending on the type of client and location throughout the world.
The primary components of our working capital accounts are accounts receivable, contract assets, accounts payable and contract liabilities. These components are impacted by the size and changes in the mix of our cost-reimbursable and time-and-materials projects versus fixed price projects, and as a result, fluctuations in these components are not uncommon in our business. The increase in operating cash flows for the three months ended March 29, 2024 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023 is primarily due to changes in the primary components of our working capital. Additionally, for the three months ended March 29, 2024, we received $43 million in distributions of earnings from unconsolidated affiliates compared to $24 million in distributions of earnings from unconsolidated affiliates for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Investing Activities. Cash provided by investing activities totaled $11 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024. In 2024, we received a return of investment from JKC of approximately $29 million related to our proportionate share of a tax refund. Additionally, we received $6 million from the sale of our investment interest in a joint venture within our GS segment. This was offset by $25 million in capital expenditures.
Cash provided by investing activities totaled $42 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and was primarily due to a return of investment of approximately $61 million from JKC resulting from the receipt of the second payment from the Subcontractor Settlement Agreement. This was offset by $19 million in capital expenditures.
Financing Activities. Cash used in financing activities totaled $91 million for the three months ended March 29, 2024. The primary uses of cash in financing activities were $75 million of principal payments related to our Senior Credit Facility, $50 million for the repurchase of common stock under our share repurchase program and $11 million for the repurchase of common stock under our "withheld to cover" program. Cash used in financing activities also included $33 million payment for the settlement of warrants, $18 million of dividend payments to common shareholders and $16 million in debt issuance costs associated with Amendment No.11 and No. 12 to our Credit Agreement for our Senior Credit Facility. These decreases were offset by $93 million in borrowings on our Revolver and $24 million in borrowings associated with Amendment No.11 to our Credit Agreement. See Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" for further discussion of our Senior Credit Facility.
Cash used in financing activities totaled $54 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and was primarily due to approximately $16 million of dividend payments to common shareholders, $50 million for the repurchase of common stock under our share repurchase program, $11 million for the repurchase of common stock under our "withheld to cover" program and $4 million in payments on borrowings related to our Senior Credit Facility. These decreases were partially offset by a $28 million bank overdraft facility. See Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" for further discussion of our Senior Credit Facility.
Future sources of cash. We believe that future sources of cash include cash flows from operations (including accounts receivable monetization arrangements), cash derived from working capital management and cash borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility.
Future uses of cash. We believe that future uses of cash include working capital requirements, joint venture capital calls, capital expenditures, dividends, pension funding obligations, repayments of borrowings, share repurchases, legal settlements of any currently outstanding legal matter or any future legal proceeding and strategic investments including acquisitions, joint ventures and other business partnerships. Our capital expenditures will be focused primarily on facilities and equipment to support our businesses. In addition, we will use cash to make payments under leases and various other obligations, including potential litigation payments, as they arise.
Other factors potentially affecting liquidity
Ichthys LNG Project. As part of the settlement agreement between JKC and Ichthys LNG, Pty, Ltd (collectively, “the Parties”) in October 2021, KBR’s letters of credit were reduced to $82 million from $164 million. Additionally, as part of this settlement agreement, the Parties agreed to consult in good faith and to cooperate to seek maximum recovery from the insurance policies and paint manufacturer for the deterioration of paint and insulation on certain exterior areas of the plant. The Parties agreed to collectively pursue claims against the paint manufacturer and JKC has assigned claims under the insurance policy regarding the paint and insulation matters to the client. The parties have agreed that if, at the date of final resolution of the above proceedings and claims with respect to the paint and insulation matters, the recovered amount from the paint manufacturer and insurance claim is less than the stipulated ceiling amount in the settlement agreement, JKC will pay the client the difference between the stipulated ceiling amount and the recovered amount. JKC has provided for and continues to maintain a provision for this contingent liability.
U.K. pension obligation. We have recognized on our condensed consolidated balance sheets a funding surplus of $14 million (measured as the difference between the fair value of plan assets and the projected benefit obligation as of March 29, 2024) for our frozen U.K. defined benefit pension plan. The total amount of employer pension contributions paid for the three months ended March 29, 2024 was $7 million for our defined benefit plan in the U.K. The funding requirements for our U.K. pension plan are determined based on the U.K. Pensions Act 1995. Annual minimum funding requirements are based on a binding agreement with the Trustee of the U.K. pension plan that is negotiated on a triennial basis. In June 2022, KBR and the Trustee executed an agreement requiring minimum annual contributions of approximately £33 million ($42 million at current exchange rates) for the period through March 2028. This schedule of contributions will be reviewed by the Trustee and KBR no later than 15 months after the effective date of each actuarial valuation, due every three years. In the future, pension funding may increase or decrease depending on changes in the levels of interest rates, pension plan asset return performance and other factors. A significant increase in our funding requirements for the U.K. pension plan could result in a material adverse impact on our financial position.
Sales of Receivables. From time to time, we sell certain receivables to unrelated third-party financial institutions under various accounts receivable monetization programs. One such program is with MUFG Bank, Ltd. (“MUFG”) under a Master Accounts Receivable Purchase Agreement (the “RPA”), which provides the sale to MUFG of certain of our designated eligible receivables, with a significant portion of such receivables being owed by the U.S. government. We plan to continue to utilize these programs to ensure we have flexibility in regards to meeting our capital needs. Refer to Note 15 "Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Risk Management" to our condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion on our sales of receivables.
Credit Agreement and Senior Credit Facility
Information relating to our Senior Credit Facility is described in Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" to our condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the information discussed therein is incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2.
Senior Notes
Information relating to our Senior Notes is described in Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" to our condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the information discussed therein is incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Letters of credit, surety bonds and guarantees. In the ordinary course of business, we may enter into various arrangements providing financial or performance assurance to customers on behalf of certain consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries, joint ventures and other jointly executed contracts. Such off-balance sheet arrangements include letters of credit, surety bonds and corporate guarantees to support the creditworthiness or project execution commitments of these entities and typically have various expiration dates ranging from mechanical completion of the project being constructed to a period beyond completion in certain circumstances such as for warranties. We may also guarantee that a project, once completed, will achieve specified performance standards. If the project subsequently fails to meet guaranteed performance standards, we may incur additional costs, pay liquidated damages or be held responsible for the costs incurred by the client to achieve the required performance standards. The potential amount of future payments that we could be required to make under an outstanding performance arrangement is typically the remaining estimated cost of work to be performed by or on behalf of third parties. For cost reimbursable contracts, amounts that may become payable pursuant to guarantee provisions are normally recoverable from the client for work performed under the contract. For fixed-price contracts, the performance guarantee amount is the cost to complete the contracted work, less amounts remaining to be billed to the client under the contract. Remaining billable amounts could be greater or less than the cost to complete the project. If costs exceed the remaining amounts payable under the contract, we may have recourse to third parties, such as owners, subcontractors or vendors for claims.
In our joint venture arrangements, the liability of each partner is usually joint and several. This means that each joint venture partner may become liable for the entire risk of performance guarantees provided by each partner to the customer.
Typically, each joint venture partner indemnifies the other partners for any liabilities incurred in excess of the liabilities the other party is obligated to bear under the respective joint venture agreement. We are unable to estimate the maximum potential amount of future payments that we could be required to make under outstanding performance guarantees related to joint venture projects due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, the nature and extent of any contractual defaults by our joint venture partners, resource availability, potential performance delays caused by the defaults, the location of the projects and the terms of the related contracts. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding our fixed-price contracts and operations through joint ventures and partnerships.
In certain limited circumstances, we enter into financial guarantees in the ordinary course of business, with financial institutions and other credit grantors, which generally obligate us to make payment in the event of a default by the borrower. These arrangements generally require the borrower to pledge collateral to support the fulfillment of the borrower’s obligation. We account for both financial and performance guarantees at fair value at issuance in accordance with ASC 460-10 Guarantees and, as of March 29, 2024, we had no material guarantees of the work or obligations of third parties recorded.
As of March 29, 2024, we had $1 billion in a committed line of credit on the Revolver under our Senior Credit Facility and $395 million of bilateral and uncommitted lines of credit. As of March 29, 2024, with respect to our Revolver, we had $143 million of outstanding borrowings. We also have $14 million of outstanding letters of credit on our Senior Credit Facility. With respect to our $395 million of bilateral and uncommitted lines of credit, we utilized $291 million for letters of credit as of March 29, 2024. The total remaining capacity of these committed and uncommitted lines of credit was approximately $947 million, of which up to approximately $791 million can be used toward issuing letters of credit. Information relating to our letters of credit is described in Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" to our condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the information discussed therein is incorporated by reference into this Part I, Item 2. Other than discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we have not engaged in any material off-balance sheet financing arrangements through special purpose entities.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
There have been no material changes to our discussion of critical accounting policies and estimates from those set forth in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 29, 2023, which discussion is incorporated herein by reference.
Market risk
As filed, 4,580 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
Cash and cash equivalents are deposited with major banks throughout the world. We invest excess cash and cash equivalents in short-term securities, primarily money market funds, which carry a fixed rate of return. We have not incurred any credit risk losses related to deposits of our cash and cash equivalents.
Foreign Currency Risk. Because of the global nature of our business, we are exposed to market risk associated with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We have historically attempted to limit exposure to foreign currency fluctuations through provisions requiring the client to pay us in currencies corresponding to the currency in which cost is incurred. In addition to this natural hedge, we may use foreign exchange forward contracts and options to hedge material exposures when forecasted foreign currency revenues and costs are not denominated in the same currency and when efficient markets exist. These derivatives are generally designated as cash flow hedges and are carried at fair value.
We use derivative instruments, such as foreign exchange forward contracts, to hedge foreign currency risk related to non-functional currency assets and liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. We do not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading purposes or make speculative investments in foreign currencies. Each period, these balance sheet hedges are marked to market through earnings and the change in their fair value is largely offset by remeasurement of the underlying assets and liabilities. We recorded a net loss of $2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2023 in other non-operating expense on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. The fair value of these derivatives was not material to our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 29, 2024. Information relating to fair value measurements is described in Note 15 "Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Risk Management" to our condensed consolidated financial statements, which is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.
Interest Rate Risk. We are exposed to market risk for changes in interest rates for the Revolver and term loan borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility. We had $143 million of borrowings issued under the Revolver as of March 29, 2024. Additionally, we had $1,499 million outstanding under the term loan portions of the Senior Credit Facility as of March 29, 2024. Borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility bear interest at variable rates as described in Note 8 "Debt and Other Credit Facilities" to our condensed consolidated financial statements.
We use interest rate swaps to reduce interest rate risk and to manage net interest expense by converting our variable rate debt under our Senior Credit Facility into fixed-rate debt. Our portfolio of interest rate swaps consists of the following:
Dollars in millions
| Notional Amount at March 29, 2024 | Pay Fixed Rate (Weighted Average) | Receive Variable Rate | Settlement and Termination | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 Interest Rate Swaps | $400 | 0.89% | Term SOFR | Monthly through January 2027 |
| September 2022 Interest Rate Swaps | $350 | 3.43% | Term SOFR | Monthly through January 2027 |
| March 2023 Interest Rate Swaps | $205 | 3.61% | Term SOFR | Monthly through January 2027 |
| March 2023 Amortizing Interest Rate Swaps | £114 | 3.81% | Term SONIA | Monthly through November 2026 |
The swap agreements were designated as cash flow hedges at inception in accordance with ASC Topic 815 Derivative and Hedging. The fair value of the interest rate swaps at March 29, 2024 was a $48 million asset, of which $25 million is included in other current assets and $23 million is included in other assets. Information relating to our portfolio of interest rate swaps is described in Note 15 "Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Risk Management" to our condensed consolidated financial statements, which is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.
At March 29, 2024, we had fixed rate debt aggregating $1,352 million and variable rate debt aggregating $540 million, after taking into account the effects of the interest rate swaps. Our weighted average interest rate net of the impact from our swap agreements for the three months ended March 29, 2024 was 5.53%. If interest rates were to increase by 50 basis points, pre-tax interest expense would increase by approximately $2 million in the next twelve months net of the impact from our swap agreements, based on outstanding borrowings as of March 29, 2024.
Controls and procedures
As filed, 1,559 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
In accordance with Exchange Act Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 29, 2024, to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms. Our disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
We are in the process of a multi-phase implementation of a company-wide payroll system. During the first quarter of 2024, we substantially completed the implementation of the payroll system for our U.S. employees. There were no other changes in our internal control reporting during the three months ended March 29, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
Risk factors
As filed, 207 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
There are no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated herein by reference, for the year ended December 29, 2023.
Figures reported in this filing
Standardized line items from the XBRL in this filing, for the period ended 2024-03-29. Comparative periods it repeats are left out.
| Line item | Period | Value | XBRL concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $1.82bn | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax |
| Cost of revenue | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $1.57bn | us-gaap:CostOfGoodsAndServicesSold |
| Gross profit | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $248.0m | us-gaap:GrossProfit |
| Selling, general and administrative | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $121.0m | us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense |
| Operating income | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $166.0m | us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss |
| Interest expense | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $31.0m | us-gaap:InterestExpense |
| Income tax | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $35.0m | us-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit |
| Net income | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $93.0m | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss |
| Diluted EPS | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $0.69 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted |
| Basic EPS | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $0.69 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic |
| Diluted shares (weighted) | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | 135,000,000 shares | us-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding |
| Operating cash flow | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $91.0m | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities |
| Capital expenditure | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $25.0m | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment |
| Dividends paid | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $18.0m | us-gaap:PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock |
| Share repurchases | 3 months2023-12-30 to 2024-03-29 | $61.0m | us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock |
| Cash and equivalents | At period end2024-03-29 | $314.0m | us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue |
| Current assets | At period end2024-03-29 | $1.73bn | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent |
| Total assets | At period end2024-03-29 | $5.62bn | us-gaap:Assets |
| Current liabilities | At period end2024-03-29 | $1.58bn | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent |
| Total liabilities | At period end2024-03-29 | $4.20bn | us-gaap:Liabilities |
| Long-term debt | At period end2024-03-29 | $1.84bn | us-gaap:LongTermDebtNoncurrent |
| Current portion of debt | At period end2024-03-29 | $22.0m | us-gaap:LongTermDebtCurrent |
| Shareholders' equity | At period end2024-03-29 | $1.41bn | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity |
Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001357615-24-000030. Last ingested by Listed: Nov 10, 2026, 03:07 ET. Listed shows no prices and gives no investment advice.