Star Gas Partners, L.P. Reports Fiscal 2010 Fourth Quarter And Year-End Results

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Star Gas Partners, L.P. (the "Partnership" or "Star") (NYSE:SGU), a home energy distributor and services provider specializing in heating oil, filed its fiscal 2010 annual Form 10-K with the SEC today and announced financial results for the fiscal 2010 fourth quarter and twelve-month period ended September 30, 2010.

Three Months Ended September 30, 2010 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2009

The Partnership reported a 17.0 percent increase in total revenue, to $135.5 million, due to an increase in heating oil selling prices and higher installation and service sales. Home heating oil volume was unchanged at 20.9 million gallons as the additional volume from acquisitions, minimal during the summer months, was offset by the impact of net customer attrition.

Total gross profit was unchanged at $29.2 million as the additional gross profit from service and installations was offset by lower home heating oil margins.

The Partnership's operating loss increased by $4.9 million to a loss of $29.3 million largely due to the impact of acquisitions completed after the heating season. From April 1 through September 30, 2010, the Partnership completed five acquisitions, equating to approximately 56,100 home heating oil, propane and security accounts. While these accounts provided additional revenue in fiscal 2010, the Partnership's profitability was adversely impacted due to the fact that acquisition-related product costs and operating expenses, as expected, exceeded revenue during the non-heating season.

Net loss was $14.2 million, versus net income of $32.3 million last year, principally due to the recording of a much higher deferred tax benefit during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 from the release of $86.4 million in opening valuation allowance.

The Adjusted EBITDA loss increased $5.1 million, to $24.6 million, due to lower home heating oil margins and an Adjusted EBITDA loss from acquisitions of $2.7 million. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure (see below reconciliation) that should not be considered as an alternative to net income (as an indicator of operating performance) or as an alternative to cash flow (as a measure of liquidity or ability to service debt obligations) but provides additional information for evaluating the Partnership's ability to make the Minimum Quarterly Distribution.

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