Category Archives: Sugar

The Five Primary Questions We Asked IPSU Management

We recently had the opportunity to speak with IPSU’s CFO, Hal Mechler and other members of  company management to get answers to a few lingering questions we had following the company’s 1Q10 earnings release and subsequent conference call.  Overall, we had five major questions which we wanted answered.  Here are the questions:

Why did senior management “talk [...]

IPSU: Valuing Wholesome Sweeteners, Other Tidbits from the 10Q

IPSU issued its 1Q10 10-Q filing this morning.  For the first time, IPSU provided P&L disclosure on Wholesome Sweeteners and Santos separately.  In the past, we have argued that the company’s ownership stakes in Wholesome Sweeteners and Santos could be worth as much as $50 million. Based on the additional disclosures we evaluated today, it [...]

Delays in Port Wentworth Ramp-up, Concerns About Raw Sugar Costs Don’t Change the Asset Value for IPSU

IPSUshares are off 10%+ today following release of the company’s 1Q10 earnings results. Overall, revenues fell short of our expectations, but EPS of $14.84 (including gains from the insurance settlement and raw sugar hedges) were inline with our expectations.  We attribute the weakness in IPSU shares to two primary factors:

Disappointment over the pace of expansion [...]

IPSU’s 1Q10 Results Should Illuminate Asset Value, $3.00+ Annual Earnings Power is Still on the Come

IPSUwill report 1Q10 results tomorrow before the market opens.  We estimate the company could report EPS in excess of $15.00 based on the company’s settlement of its property insurance claims for the Port Wentworth refinery accident.  Additionally, we estimate the company will recognize an additional $2-$4 million in gains from its raw sugar hedges, which [...]

Sugar Remains “White Hot”

We wanted to update you on a recent development in the global sugar market and discuss recent trends in sugar pricing, both of which indicate that underlying fundamentals and investor interest in the sugar sector remain robust.
Bright Food Group Inc. Bids for Australia based CSR Ltd.’s Sugar Assets
Earlier today, Bright Food Group Inc., a Chinese [...]

A Closer Look at Asset Value for IPSU – Plenty of Upside Remains

IPSUshares are rallying today following the company’s announcement that it had reached a settlement with its property and business interuption insurance providers related to the Savannah refinery accident.  You can read the full release here.  As a result of the settlement, IPSU will receive $345 million in cash proceeds (compared to the policy value of [...]

Dialing In On IPSU’s Cash Earnings Story for Calendar 2010

IPSU shares have traded off as much as 15% today following the company’s 4Q09 earnings release and subsequent conference call.  You can find the earnings release here.  As we indicated in yesterday’s report on IPSU, heading into the earnings release we were concerned about unrealistic investor expectations for the quarter created by the one analyst who [...]

IPSU’s Upcoming 4Q09 Results, Key Sugar Market Developments

IPSU will report 4Q09 results before the market opens tomorrow.  Management will host a conference call at 11AM EST. You can find the details here.  IPSU shares have traded sharply higher into the earnings release and are up 29.3% in the past month, compared to a 3.7% gain for the S&P 500.  We attribute the run-up [...]

IPSU’s JV Deal Has Enormous Implications Competitively and from a Litigation Perspective

IPSUannounced at the end of last week that it had finally completed its long anticipated joint venture arrangement with Cargill, Inc. and Sugar Grower and Refiners, Inc. (effectively an association of Louisiana sugar cane growers).  You can read the details about the transaction here.  We had the opportunity to review the LLC agreement between Imperial [...]

The Implications of IPSU’s Press Release About the “Whistleblower”’s OSHA Deposition

IPSU issued a press release, which provided details on the latest testimony of Graham H. Graham a former Vice President of Operations of the company who up until this point had been a key “whistleblower” in the case against IPSU surrounding the Port Wentworth refinery accident.  You can find the press release here.  Overall, Mr. Graham’s [...]