ATHENS, Greece, March 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Performance Shipping Inc. (NASDAQ: PSHG) (the “Company”), a global shipping company specializing in the ownership of tanker vessels, today reported a net loss and net loss from continuing and discontinued operations attributable to common stockholders of $2.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to a net loss and net loss from continuing and discontinued operations attributable to common stockholders of $12.2 million for the same period in 2019. Loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $0.51, while loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $3.17.
Voyage and time charter revenues from continuing and discontinued operations were $7.2 million ($3.9 million net of voyage expenses) for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to $10.6 million ($8.5 million net of voyage expenses) for the same period in 2019. This decrease was mainly attributable to the decreased time-charter equivalent rates (TCE rates) achieved during the quarter as a result of the depressed market conditions. Fleetwide, the average time charter equivalent rate for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $10,114, compared with an average rate of $23,153 for the same period of 2019. During the fourth quarter of 2020, net cash provided by operating activities of continuing and discontinued operations was $0.9 million, compared with net cash used in operating activities of continuing and discontinued operations of $0.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
Net income from continuing and discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, amounted to $3.8 million, compared to a net loss from continuing and discontinued operations of $32.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Net income from continuing and discontinued operations attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2020, amounted to $5.2 million, due to a one-time gain of $1.5 million derived from the repurchase of the Series C preferred shares, and resulted in earnings per common share, basic and diluted, of $1.06 and $1.05, respectively. Net loss from continuing and discontinued operations attributable to common stockholders for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $32.1 million, resulting in a loss per share of $11.19.
Fourth Quarter 2020 and Subsequent Developments:
- Appointment of Andreas Michalopoulos as Chief Executive Officer and Anthony Argyropoulos as Chief Financial Officer in October 2020;
- Initiation of new variable quarterly dividend policy and declaration of $0.01 dividend per share (or $0.1 per share, as adjusted after the one-for-ten reverse stock split) to all shareholders in October 2020;
- Introduction of new business strategy and posting of the relevant presentation on the Company’s website in October 2020;
- Effectiveness of a one-for-ten reverse stock split to comply with NASDAQ’s minimum share price rule in November 2020;
- Acquisition of 2011-built Aframax tanker vessel “P. Yanbu” for $22.0 million in November 2020;
- The signing of a loan agreement with Piraeus Bank S.A. for up to $31.5 million in December 2020, for the partial refinancing of the existing Nordea loan and additional financing for the “P. Yanbu”;
- Signing of a supplemental loan agreement with Nordea for repayment schedule re-structuring in December 2020;
- Delivery of the Aframax tanker vessel “P. Yanbu” in December 2020;
- Entry into an At-The-Market Offering Agreement with H.C. Wainwright Co., LLC, pursuant to which the Company may, at its discretion, sell its common shares at market prices.
Commenting on the results of the fourth quarter of 2020, Mr. Andreas Michalopoulos, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, stated:
“Spot charter rates during the fourth quarter of 2020 were the lowest in more than 30 years as a result of a combination of weak consumer and industrial demand, and low crude oil and refined petroleum products production. We, at Performance Shipping Inc., nevertheless managed to earn a time charter equivalent rate of $10,114 over our available days compared to the average daily spot Aframax tanker rate of $5,713 during the quarter. We expect the spot charter market to gradually recover through 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and demand for crude oil and refined petroleum products recovers. Unfortunately, due to unprecedented low market conditions, we cannot declare and pay a dividend at the present time, but we are pleased to include for the first time in our earnings release our fourth quarter dividend calculation, a specific and transparent table based on which we determine whether we shall pay a dividend. The ATM agreement we will enter into today will position us to fund our stated growth strategy of gradually doubling the size of our fleet over the next twelve to twenty-four months through access to the public equity capital markets when our industry and share price recover in…
Read More:Performance Shipping Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and
