Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (PARR) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good day, and welcome to the Par Pacific Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Jeff Hollis, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Please go ahead.

Thank you, operator. Welcome to Par Pacific's earnings conference call. Joining me today are Will Monteleone, President and CEO; Richard Creamer, EVP of Refining and Logistics; and Shawn Flores, CFO. Before we begin, note that our comments today may include forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are subject to change and are not guarantees of future performance or events. They are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and we disclaim any obligation to update or revise them. I refer you to our investor presentation on our website and to our filings with the SEC for additional information. I'll now turn the call over to our President and CEO, Will Monteleone.

Thank you, Jeff, and good morning, everyone. We're pleased to report strong second quarter financial results, driven by excellent operational and commercial execution. Amidst extreme volatility, each of our business units executed crisply and use the full commercial flexibility of our asset base to capture market conditions. System throughput ran at elevated levels through the peak margin window and our commercial team optimized crude sourcing and product placement, generating excellent capture rates. Fine product cracks remained materially above historical norms for the quarter. Our combined market index averaged approximately $33 per barrel well above the 2025 average of $12.40 per barrel and exceeding the second quarter 2022 when the Russia-Ukraine conflict was intensified. Reduced Pershing Gulf and Russian origin refined product exports Asian refiners running conservatively to preserve crude supply chain duration and protectionist policies restricting free trade drove these favorable market conditions. Looking forward, global refined product inventories remain tight and the structural factors supporting margins remain. Turning to retail. Same-store fuel volumes declined by 0.8%, while in-store sales increased by 1% compared to the second quarter of 2025. Despite pressure on fuel margins in a higher price environment, the merchandising and food programs continue to advance, strengthening the underlying earnings power of the segment. On the strategic front, our Hawaii Renewables business made steady progress. Renewable diesel production ramped through the quarter with June throughput reaching approximately 3,000 barrels per day before we commence the Hawaii plant-wide turnaround. In addition, we completed first commercial renewable diesel sales during the quarter. Volumes are small and reflect the early stage nature of the commercial ramp, but they established the operational pathway from production to sales. On the capital allocation front, we meaningfully strengthened the balance sheet during the quarter, reducing our term debt balance by over 20% and via the inaugural senior unsecured notes issuance. We ended the quarter with total liquidity of approximately $1.4 billion, placing our balance sheet in a very strong position to pursue growth and continue to allocate capital thoughtfully through cycles. In closing, our through-cycle discipline on operations, commercial positioning and capital allocation is what allowed us to convert an exceptional market environment into a durably stronger balance sheet and strong purchase earnings. We remain focused on maintaining that discipline as market conditions evolve. With that, I'll hand the call to Richard, who will walk through our refining logistics results.

Thank you, Will. I want to begin by congratulating the Wyoming and Montana teams for the safe and efficient completion of their scheduled outages in April. In addition, the Tacoma team achieved a new record quarterly production rate of 41,200 barrels per day or 98.1% utilization through the second quarter. In Hawaii, the Q2 throughput was 73,200 barrels per day and production costs were $6.43 per barrel. The lower production versus planned was the result of the refinery experiencing end-of-cycle conditions. The team delivered on all customer fuel requirements despite challenges associated with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The turnaround in Hawaii began in late June, and I'm pleased to report that the team executed the turnaround safely and cleanly while also delivering cost and schedules near target. At this point, the Hawaii turnaround is substantially complete and major operations have been safely restarted. As I stated, Washington throughput set a new quarterly record at 41,200 barrels per day and production costs were $4.21 per barrel, capturing market missions following the Q1 planned outage. Shifting to Wyoming. Throughput was 14,000 barrels per day and production costs were $15.28 per barrel, reflecting the April outage downtime and costs. Following the outage, the refinery has shifted to routine operations supported by strong seasonal demand. Finally, in Montana, second quarter throughput was 53,000 barrels per day and production costs were $10.16 per barrel. The team executed the April crude outage safely on time and on budget. In May and June, Par Montana refining set new monthly throughput and OpEx per barrel record of approximately 62,000 barrels per day at $7.56 per barrel. Looking ahead to the third quarter, we expect Hawaii conventional throughout between 55,000 and 65,000 barrels per day and renewable throughput between 1,500 and 2,000 barrels per day, reflecting the turnaround event in July through early August. In the Mainland, Washington is expected between 40,000 and 42,000 barrels per day booming between 17 and 20 and Montana between 56 and 61. The Montana Coker was down in July for routine maintenance and is expected to return to service by mid-August. From today's date, there are no significant planned downtime for the balance of the year. The Q3 midpoint throughput guidance is 182,000 barrels per day. And now I'll turn the call over to Shawn to cover our financial results.

Thank you, Richard. Second quarter adjusted EBITDA was $571 million and adjusted net income was $499 million or $10.10 per share. Our refinement segment reported adjusted EBITDA of $552 million in the second quarter compared to $69 million in the first quarter, reflecting a sharp step-up in market conditions driven by the disruptions in crude and refined product supply. Our combined refining index averaged approximately $33 per barrel, an increase of roughly $14 per barrel compared to the first quarter. System-wide refining capture was 125% and or 112% on a normalized basis after adjusting for Hawaii price lag and Wyoming FIFO impacts. Starting in Hawaii, the Singapore 3.1.2. averaged approximately $50 per barrel our land accrue difference was $3.93 resulting in a Hawaii index of approximately $46 per barrel. Hawaii capture was 124%, including a net price lag benefit of approximately $77 million or $11.49 per barrel. Normalized for the price lag impact Hawaii capture was 99%. In Montana, the second quarter index averaged $25.76 per barrel with margin capture of 144%. Capture was well above our target range driven by favorable clean product to asphalt sales mix and refined product inventory draws that sustained volumes during the April outage. In Wyoming, the second core index averaged $28.73 per barrel margin capture was 118%, including the benefit of refined product inventory draws during the April outage partially offset by a $3 million FIFO headwind from declining crude oil prices. In Washington, our index averaged $20.27 per barrel margin capture was 100%, supported by continued jet to diesel strength on the West Coast. Turning to the Logistics segment. Adjusted EBITDA was $30 million in the second quarter compared to $32 million in the first quarter reflecting reduced crude imports ahead of the Hawaii turnaround. In the Retail segment, adjusted EBITDA was $17 million compared to $15 million in the first quarter. The sequential improvement was driven by a partial recovery in fuel margins and continued growth in foodservice sales in both regions. Moving to cash flow. Second quarter cash from operations totaled $614 million excluding working capital outflows of $312 million and deferred turnaround costs of $19 million. The working capital outflows were primarily driven by building refined product inventories ahead of the Hawaii turnaround and higher commodity prices, which increased the value of hydrocarbon inventories. We expect a substantial portion of these working capital outflows to reverse as inventory levels normalize after the Hawaii turnaround and commodity prices stabilize. Second quarter capital expenditures, including deferred turnaround costs, totaled approximately $59 million. During the quarter, we continued to benefit from our excess RIN inventories associated with the prior period small refinery exemptions. As a reminder, our adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income reflects full rent expense at current period RIN prices. which does not reflect the benefit of our excess rent position. Our GAAP results by contracts include approximately $35 million gain in the quarter, representing the difference between current RIN prices and the book value of our RIN assets on our balance sheet. Shifting to the balance sheet. We completed a $500 million offering of senior secured notes, reducing gross term debt by more than $130 million during the quarter. We also reduced ABL borrowings by $78 million, resulting in a total net debt reduction of over $220 million. Given the heightened market volatility during the period, we moderated our opportunistic share repurchase activity in favor of strengthening the balance sheet through debt reduction. Year-to-date, through the second quarter, we have repurchased approximately $48 million of common stock including cash settled options. As of June 30, total liquidity was approximately $1.4 billion, and our cash balance was $185 million. Looking to the third quarter, our July consolidated Refining index was $31.34 per barrel or approximately $1.60 below the Q2 average. In Hawaii, the financial impact of the refinery turnaround will be concentrated in the third quarter, increased refined product imports are expected to hold capture below our typical guidance range. Our third quarter Hawaii crude differential is expected to land between $11.50 and $13.50 per barrel, reflecting higher freight costs and deeper backwardation. Across our mainland system, distillate margins have remained firm and seasonal demand has been strong quarter-to-date. As Richard mentioned, Montana will complete its annual coker maintenance during the third quarter, resulting in roughly $6 million to $8 million of incremental OpEx and a heavier asphalt sales mix. In renewables, we expect a gradual ramp in third-party sales volumes and earnings contribution as we restart the units following the Hawaii turnaround. Overall, the second quarter demonstrated the significant earnings power of our business in a favorable market. Our strong balance sheet and liquidity position will provide financial flexibility to invest in strategic growth opportunities while maintaining an opportunistic approach to share repurchases. This concludes our prepared remarks. Sara will turn it back to you for the Q&A.

[Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from Matthew Blair with TPH.

Congrats on the strong results. I was hoping you could talk just a little bit more about the moving parts in Hawaii for the third quarter. So you mentioned the turnaround in July the capture would likely be below typical guidance. I think you also mentioned that you've been building inventory. So is it reasonable to assume that you're monetizing inventory throughout July to help offset the impact of the turnaround. Also, is there any increase in OpEx from the term? And then finally, should we expect a timing headwind just based on Q3, quarter-to-date prices so far in Q3 in Hawaii?

Matt, it's Shawn. I'll take your last 1 first. I think it's too early to call the sort of price lag impacts. It's really, as you know, the last month of each quarter, and you look at sort of Singapore disilane. So I think just watch September Singapore pricing relative to June once that month prices out. And then I think on capture, I sort of referred to it in the prepared remarks, we are expecting a more concentrated impact of the turnaround activities in we built refined products through imports late in Q2. But from a costing perspective, most of those imported barrels will be costed in Q3. So would expect capture to likely come in below sort of typical normalized guidance of 100% to 110% because of those factors. I think on -- I would say, a marginal increase. Most of the expenditures incurred during the turnaround are capitalized.

Lower total crude throughput. Matt, right, as you think about as the plant comes back online, you won't be at full rates for the entire quarter.

Okay. Sounds good. And then, Will, could you share any insights on the Singapore market, we have seen China refinery utilization pick up a little bit or past month because it still is relatively low report that China has been increasing product or have you seen any of that? And yes, I mean, the inventory picture in Singapore next still move 5-year highest. But what are the moving parts you're seeing in the Singapore market?

Sure. Yes, Matt, I think continue to watch Chinese behavior closely, obviously moves month-to-month. I would say despite I think some announcements and potentially some increases in crude throughputs not seeing any material change in exports of refined product as we look in the July and even the forward planning that we've seen at least through August. So again, I think, as you know, the data of China is opaque and the best thing to do is to watch the vessel movements. And I think what we're seeing is limited increases in waterborne refined exports at this point in time. And again, I think -- just as a reminder, we followed the Chinese policy over the last decade, and there's been a focus on internalizing their capabilities for many years. And again, I think you're seeing that behavior play out and it's this shock. And so again, I think that internal focus is probably the primary objective. And again, I think that's something to continue to watch over the course of years rather than months. But certainly the behavior that we're seeing.

Your next question comes from Alexa [indiscernible] with Goldman Sachs.

Are you able to give us any more color on the Hawaii turnaround. It sounds like from an operational perspective, it's tracking. I mean anything that surprised downside? And then on the substantially complete piece, what specific units are left? And any thoughts on time line?

Sure, Alexa. This is Richard. The turnaround was scheduled for 30 to 45 days, 13 the return of some of the early equipment, and we follow pretty well on track with that with the crude unit and reforming unit to produce gasoline on that 30-day window. Out on the outer edge of that, the 45-day window is really centered around the hydrocracker and the mechanical work is completed on it, and it's in the middle of Catalyst activation and start-up at this point. So that's the status of the major equipment the cost and schedule all came in close range to target. So no significant issues there.