FreightCar America, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

Reports full year Revenue up 56% with Gross Profit up 60%

Generates full year Operating Cash Flow of $45 million and Adj. Free Cash Flow of $22 million

Projecting sequential growth across Deliveries, Revenue and Adj. EBITDA for 2025

CHICAGO, March 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAIL) (“FreightCar America” or the “Company”), a diversified manufacturer and supplier of railroad freight cars, railcar parts and components, today reported results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

Fourth Quarter 2024 Highlights

  • Revenues of $137.7 million, compared to revenues of $126.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, up 8.8% on stable railcar deliveries of 1,019, compared to 1,021 in the prior period
  • Gross margin of 15.3% with gross profit of $21.0 million, compared to gross margin of 9.6% with gross profit of $12.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2023
  • Net income of $34.6 million, or $1.01 per share and Adjusted net income of $8.0 million, or $0.21 per share, driven by a $26.1 million non-cash adjustment on warrant liability
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $13.9 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $6.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, up 113.8%
  • Ended the quarter with a backlog of 2,797 units valued at $266.5 million

Fiscal Year 2024 Highlights

  • Revenues of $559.4 million, up 56.2% year-over-year, on deliveries of 4,362 railcars, up 44.3% year-over-year
  • Gross margin of 12.0% with gross profit of $67.0 million, compared to gross margin of 11.7% with gross profit of $41.8 million in fiscal year 2023
  • Net loss of ($75.8) million, or ($3.12) per share and Adjusted net income of $24.5 million, or $0.15 per share, accounting for primarily non-cash items including a ($99.5) million non-cash adjustment warrant liability due to share price appreciation
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $43.0 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $20.1 million in fiscal year 2023, up 113.9%
  • Delivered positive free cash flow and optimized balance sheet through lower cost refinancing, which is expected to result in savings of approximately $9.2 million in the first year
  • Entered tank car space with significant multi-year conversion order

“This was a year of strong operational performance as we executed our strategic initiatives to drive substantial profitable growth. We delivered $43 million in Adjusted EBITDA for the full year, representing a 114% increase versus the prior year. On the commercial front, we continued to gain market share, expanded our presence in key railcar markets, and secured a multi-year tank car retrofit program, strengthening our competitive position. Additionally, we recently lowered our cost of capital through refinancing, reinforcing our financial flexibility for the future,” commented Nick Randall, President and Chief Executive Officer of FreightCar America.

Randall continued, “As we move into 2025, we are squarely focused on solidifying our position and enhancing cash generation. With a stronger market presence, an optimized capital structure, and a relentless drive for operational excellence, we are well positioned to build on our momentum. We remain committed to delivering profitable growth and driving long-term value for our stakeholders.”

Fiscal Year 2025 Outlook

The Company issued outlook for fiscal year 2025 as follows:

  Fiscal 2025 Outlook Year-over-Year
Growth at Midpoint
Railcar Deliveries 4,500 – 4,900 Railcars 7.7%
Revenue $530 – $595 million 0.6%
Adjusted EBITDA¹ $43 – $49 million 7.0%


1. The Company does not provide a reconciliation of forward-looking Adjusted EBITDA due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying the adjustments that are necessary to calculate such non-GAAP measure without unreasonable effort. Material changes to any one of these items could have a significant effect on future GAAP results.

Mike Riordan, Chief Financial Officer of FreightCar America, commented, “2024 was a pivotal year as we generated strong cash flow and optimized our balance sheet. This transformation has allowed us to completely reservice our debt, underscoring the power of our operational execution and disciplined financial management. We are issuing 2025 revenue guidance at $530 million to $595 million. We expect railcar deliveries to be between 4,500 and 4,900, with Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $43 million to $49 million. Looking ahead, we are well-positioned to consistently generate free cash flow, providing us with the flexibility to execute on our capital allocation priorities.”

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Conference Call & Webcast Information

The Company will host a conference call and live webcast on Thursday, March 13 at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results. FreightCar America invites shareholders and other interested parties to listen to its financial results conference call via the following live and recorded methods:


Live Webcast
: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1705240&tp_key=9b9e1839ef


Recorded Webcast
: A recorded webcast will be available until Thursday, March 27, 2025, on FreightCar America’s website following the conference call date at: https://investors.freightcaramerica.com/news-events/event-calendar/


Teleconference
: Dial-in numbers for the live Conference Call are (877) 407-0789 or (201) 689-8562. Please call in at least 10 minutes prior to the start time of the call. An audio replay may be accessed at (844) 512-2921 or (412) 317-6671; Passcode: 13751273.

About FreightCar America

FreightCar America, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a leading designer, producer and supplier of railroad freight cars, railcar parts and components. We also specialize in railcar repairs, complete railcar rebody services and railcar conversions that repurpose idled rail assets back into revenue service. Since 1901, our customers have trusted us to build quality railcars that are critical to economic growth and instrumental to the North American supply chain. To learn more about FreightCar America, visit www.freightcaramerica.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements relating to our expected financial performance, financial condition, and/or future business prospects, events and/or plans that are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Our actual results may differ materially from the results described in or anticipated by our forward-looking statements due to certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties relate to, among other things, the cyclical nature of our business; adverse geopolitical, economic and market conditions, including inflation; material disruption in the movement of rail traffic for deliveries; fluctuating costs of raw materials, including steel and aluminum; delays in the delivery of raw materials; our ability to maintain relationships with our suppliers of railcar components; our reliance upon a small number of customers that represent a large percentage of our sales; the variable purchase patterns of our customers and the timing of completion; delivery and customer acceptance of orders; the highly competitive nature of our industry; the risk of lack of acceptance of our new railcar offerings; potential unexpected changes in laws, rules, and regulatory requirements, including tariffs and trade barriers (including recent United States tariffs imposed or threatened to be imposed on China, Canada, Mexico and other countries and any retaliatory actions taken by such countries); and other competitive factors. The factors listed above are not exhaustive. New factors emerge from time to time that may cause our business not to develop as we expect, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to any forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes measures not derived in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), such as EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income (loss), Adjusted EPS, Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for any measure derived in accordance with GAAP and may also be inconsistent with similar measures presented by other companies. Reconciliations of these measures to the applicable most closely comparable GAAP measures, and reasons for the Company’s use of these measures, are presented in the attached pages.

Investor Contact: [email protected]

FreightCar America, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except for share data)
 
    December 31,

2024
    December 31,

2023
 
Assets      
Current assets            
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents   $ 44,450     $ 40,560  
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $47 and $18 respectively     12,506       6,408  
VAT receivable     3,851       2,926  
Inventories, net     75,281       125,022  
Assets held for sale     629        
Related party asset     959       638  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets     7,355       4,867  
Total current assets     145,031       180,421  
Property, plant and equipment, net     30,107       31,258  
Railcars available for lease, net           2,842  
Right of use asset operating lease     2,423       2,826  
Right of use asset finance lease     45,081       40,277  
Other long-term assets     1,574       1,835  
Total assets   $ 224,216     $ 259,459  
                 
Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Stockholders’ Deficit            
Current liabilities            
Accounts and contractual payables   $ 49,574     $ 84,417  
Related party accounts payable     2,693       2,478  
Accrued payroll and other employee costs     6,286       5,738  
Accrued warranty     2,389       1,602  
Deferred revenue     8,556       5,686  
Current portion of long-term debt     2,875       29,415  
Lease liability finance lease, current     1,256       1,378  
Other current liabilities     7,196       6,647  
Total current liabilities     80,825       137,361  
Long-term debt, net of current portion     105,540        
Warrant liability     136,319       36,801  
Accrued pension costs     1,073       1,046  
Lease liability operating lease, long-term     2,645       3,164  
Lease liability finance lease, long-term     46,678       41,273  
Other long-term liabilities     1,409       2,562  
Total liabilities     374,489       222,207  
                 
Commitments and contingencies            
Mezzanine equity            
Series C Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 85,412 shares authorized, 0 and 85,412 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Liquidation value $0 and $95,048 at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.           83,458  
Stockholders’ deficit            
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 2,500,000 shares authorized (100,000 shares each designated as Series A voting and Series B non-voting, 0 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023)            
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 18,960,608 and 17,903,437 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively     221       210  
Additional paid-in capital     69,404       94,067  
Accumulated other comprehensive income     721       2,365  
Accumulated deficit     (220,619 )     (142,848 )
Total stockholders’ deficit     (150,273 )     (46,206 )
Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and stockholders’ equity   $ 224,216     $ 259,459  

FreightCar America, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except for share and per share data)
 
    Three Months Ended     Year Ended  
    December 31,     December 31,  
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
       
Revenues   $ 137,696     $ 126,604     $ 559,425     $ 358,093  
Cost of sales     116,683       114,506       492,383       316,330  
Gross profit     21,013       12,098       67,042       41,763  
Selling, general and administrative expenses     9,374       7,739       32,915       27,489  
Impairment on leased railcars           4,091             4,091  
Gain on sale of railcars available for lease                       (622 )
Loss on pension settlement                       313  
Litigation settlement                 (3,214 )      
Operating income     11,639       268       37,341       10,492  
Interest expense     (1,035 )     (2,043 )     (6,850 )     (15,031 )
Loss on change in fair market value of Warrant Liability     26,063       (360 )     (99,518 )     (2,229 )
Loss on extinguishment of debt                       (14,880 )
Other expense     467       (107 )     (952 )     (440 )
Loss before income taxes     37,134       (2,242 )     (69,979 )     (22,088 )
Income tax provision     2,511       614       5,838       1,501  
Net loss   $ 34,623     $ (2,856 )   $ (75,817 )   $ (23,589 )
Net loss per common share – basic   $ 0.86     $ (0.24 )   $ (3.12 )   $ (1.18 )
Net loss per common share – diluted   $ 1.01     $ (0.24 )   $ (3.12 )   $ (1.18 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic     31,380,084       29,546,566       30,726,916       28,366,457  
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted     33,016,397       29,546,566       30,726,916       28,366,457  

FreightCar America, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2024     2023  
Cash flows from operating activities      
Net loss   $ (75,817 )   $ (23,589 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash flows provided by operating activities:            
Depreciation and amortization     5,763       4,606  
Non-cash lease expense on right-of-use assets     3,013       2,742  
Loss on change in fair market value for Warrant liability     99,518       2,229  
Impairment on leased railcars           4,091  
Loss on pension settlement           313  
Stock-based compensation recognized     3,110       1,240  
Non-cash interest expense     2,266       10,116  
Loss on extinguishment of debt           14,880  
Other non-cash items, net     (1,718 )     138  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:            
Accounts receivable     (6,098 )     3,163  
VAT receivable     (784 )     1,426  
Inventories     54,962       (60,912 )
Accounts and contractual payables     (38,365 )     39,943  
Income taxes payable, net     (359 )     245  
Lease liability     (3,517 )     (3,150 )
Other assets and liabilities     2,959       7,288  
Net cash flows provided by operating activities     44,933       4,769  
                 
Cash flows from investing activities            
Purchase of property, plant and equipment     (5,019 )     (12,722 )
Proceeds from sale of railcars available for lease, net of selling costs           8,356  
Net cash flows used in investing activities     (5,019 )     (4,366 )
                 
Cash flows from financing activities            
Proceeds from issuance of preferred shares, net of issuance costs           13,254  
Redemption of preferred shares     (85,412 )      
Dividends paid     (27,863 )      
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt     115,000        
Deferred financing costs     (6,149 )     (353 )
Borrowings on revolving line of credit     26,972       149,811  
Repayments on revolving line of credit     (56,387 )     (159,348 )
Employee stock settlement     (40 )     (106 )
Payment for stock appreciation rights exercised           (6 )
Financing lease payments     (2,145 )     (1,007 )
Net cash flows (used in) provided by financing activities     (36,024 )     2,245  
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents     3,890       2,648  
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents at beginning of period     40,560       37,912  
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash equivalents at end of period   $ 44,450     $ 40,560  
                 
Supplemental cash flow information            
Interest paid   $ 4,584     $ 4,951  
Income taxes paid   $ 5,901     $ 2,097  


Non-GAAP Financial Measures
 
FreightCar America, Inc.
Reconciliation of Income (Loss) before income taxes to EBITDA(1)and Adjusted EBITDA(2)
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended

December 31,
    Year Ended

December 31,
 
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
                         
Income (loss) before income taxes   $ 37,134     $ (2,242 )   $ (69,979 )   $ (22,088 )
Depreciation & Amortization     1,511       1,416       5,763       4,606  
Interest Expense, net     1,035       2,043       6,850       15,031  
EBITDA     39,680       1,217       (57,366 )     (2,451 )
                         
Change in Fair Value of Warrant (a)     (26,063 )     360       99,518       2,229  
Impairment on leased railcars (b)           4,091             4,091  
Loss on Debt Extinguishment (c)                       14,880  
Loss on Pension Settlement (d)                       313  
Litigation Settlement (e)                 (3,214 )      
Gain on Sale of Railcars Available for Lease (f)                       (622 )
Stock Based Compensation     780       716       3,110       1,240  
Other, net     (467 )     107       952       440  
Adjusted EBITDA   $ 13,930     $ 6,491     $ 43,000     $ 20,120  
 
(1) EBITDA represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. We believe EBITDA is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry. In addition, our management uses EBITDA to evaluate our operating performance. The calculation of EBITDA eliminates the effects of financing, income taxes and the accounting effects of capital spending. These items may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to the overall performance of the company’s business. EBITDA is not a financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider EBITDA in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to that of other similar titled measures reported by other companies.
 
(2) Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before the following charges:
 
(a) This adjustment removes the non-cash expense (income) associated with the change in fair market value of the Company’s warrant liability.
(b) During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge on its leased railcar fleet.
(c) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on debt extinguishment of its term loan.
(d) During the third quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on pension settlement.
(e) During the second quarter of 2024, the Company recorded a litigation settlement related to a dispute with a former lessee of our railcars.
(f) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a gain on sale of railcars available for lease related to its leased railcar fleet.
 
We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because it eliminates the impact of certain non-cash charges and other special items that affect the comparability of results in past quarters. Adjusted EBITDA is not a financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider Adjusted EBITDA in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA is not necessarily comparable to that of other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

FreightCar America, Inc.
Reconciliation of Net income (loss) and Adjusted net income (loss)(1)
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended

December 31,
    Year Ended

December 31,
 
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
                         
Net income (loss)   $ 34,623     $ (2,856 )   $ (75,817 )   $ (23,589 )
                         
Change in Fair Value of Warrant (a)     (26,063 )     360       99,518       2,229  
Impairment on leased railcars (b)           4,091             4,091  
Loss on Debt Extinguishment (c)                       14,880  
Loss on Pension Settlement (d)                       313  
Litigation Settlement (e)                 (3,214 )      
Gain on Sale of Railcars Available for Lease (f)                       (622 )
Stock Based Compensation     780       716       3,110       1,240  
Other, net     (467 )     107       952       440  
Total non-GAAP adjustments     (25,750 )     5,274       100,366       22,571  
Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments (g)     (906 )     (686 )            
Adjusted net income (loss)   $ 7,967     $ 1,732     $ 24,549     $ (1,018 )
 
(1) Adjusted net income (loss) represents net (loss) income before the following charges:
 
a) This adjustment removes the non-cash expense (income) associated with the change in fair market value of the Company’s warrant liability.
b) During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge on its leased railcar fleet.
c) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on debt extinguishment of its term loan.
d) During the third quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on pension settlement.
e) During the second quarter of 2024, the Company recorded a litigation settlement related to a dispute with a former lessee of our railcars.
f) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a gain on sale of railcars available for lease related to its leased railcar fleet.
g) Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments represents the tax impact of the presented adjustments on the Company’s income tax provision calculation.
 
We believe that Adjusted net income (loss) is useful to investors evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because it eliminates the impact of certain non-cash charges and other special items that affect the comparability of results in past quarters. Adjusted net income (loss) is not a financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider Adjusted net income (loss) in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of Adjusted net income (loss) is not necessarily comparable to that of other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

FreightCar America, Inc.
Reconciliation of EPS and Adjusted EPS(1)
(Unaudited)
 
    Three Months Ended

December 31,
    Year Ended

December 31,
 
    2024     2023     2024     2023  
                         
EPS   $ 1.01     $ (0.24 )   $ (3.12 )   $ (1.18 )
                         
Change in Fair Value of Warrant (a)     (0.79 )     0.01       3.24       0.08  
Impairment on leased railcars (b)           0.14             0.14  
Loss on Debt Extinguishment (c)                       0.52  
Loss on Pension Settlement (d)                       0.01  
Litigation Settlement (e)                 (0.10 )      
Gain on Sale of Railcars Available for Lease (f)                       (0.02 )
Stock Based Compensation     0.02       0.02       0.10       0.04  
Other, net     (0.01 )           0.03       0.02  
Total non-GAAP adjustments pre-tax per-share     (0.78 )     0.17       3.27       0.79  
Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments per share (g)     (0.02 )     (0.09 )            
Adjusted EPS   $ 0.21     $ (0.16 )   $ 0.15     $ (0.78 )
 
(1) Adjusted EPS represents basic and diluted EPS before the following charges:
 
a) This adjustment removes the non-cash expense (income) associated with the change in fair market value of the Company’s warrant liability.
b) During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge on its leased railcar fleet.
c) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on debt extinguishment of its term loan.
d) During the third quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a non-cash loss on pension settlement.
e) During the second quarter of 2024, the Company recorded a litigation settlement related to a dispute with a former lessee of our railcars.
f) During the second quarter of 2023, the Company recorded a gain on sale of railcars available for lease related to its leased railcar fleet.
g) Income tax impact on non-GAAP adjustments per share represents the tax impact of the presented adjustments on the Company’s income tax provision calculation.
 
We believe that Adjusted EPS is useful to investors evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because it eliminates the impact of certain non-cash charges and other special items that affect the comparability of results in past quarters. Adjusted EPS is not a financial measure presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider Adjusted EPS in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of Adjusted EPS is not necessarily comparable to that of other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

FreightCar America, Inc.
Reconciliation of Cash flows provided by operating activities, Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow(1)
(Unaudited)
 
    Year Ended

December 31,
 
    2024     2023  
                 
Cash flows provided by operating activities   $ 44,933     $ 4,769  
                 
Purchase of property, plant and equipment     (5,019 )     (12,722 )
Free cash flow     39,914       (7,953 )
Accrued dividends on Series C Preferred stock (a)     (18,227 )     (9,636 )
Adjusted free cash flow   $ 21,687     $ (17,589 )
 
(1) Free cash flow represents the amount by which Cash flows provided by operating activities exceeds capital expenditures. Adjusted free cash flow represents the amount by which Free cash flow exceeds the following items:
 
a) Represents Series C Preferred stock dividends accrued during the period. All accrued preferred share dividends were paid concurrent with redemption of the preferred shares outstanding on December 31, 2024.
 
We believe that Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow are useful to investors evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because these metrics provide key insights into the potential for growth and ability to generate returns for investors. Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow are not financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, when analyzing our operating performance, investors should not consider Free cash flow or Adjusted free cash flow in isolation or as a substitute for Cash flows from operating activities or other statements of operations or statements of cash flow data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our calculation of Free cash flow and Adjusted free cash flow is not necessarily comparable to that of other similarly titled measures reported by other companies.