Archer-Daniels-Midland 10-Q 2023-09-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2023

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission file number 1-44

ARCHER-DANIELS-MIDLAND COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(312) 634-8100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

Common Stock, no par value – 533,381,255 shares

(October 23, 2023)

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, expressed, or implied by such forward-looking information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, as may be updated in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. To the extent permitted under applicable law, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

(Unaudited)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

(Unaudited)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company

Consolidated Balance Sheets

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Corporate results were a net charge of $1.1 billion in the current period compared to a net charge of $0.9 billion in the prior period. Interest expense-net increased $87 million due primarily to increased short-term rates on the Company’s commercial paper borrowing programs and increased interest expense from new debt issuances. Unallocated corporate costs increased $81 million due primarily to higher financing, information technology, and centers of excellence costs, partially offset by lower incentive compensation accruals. Gain on debt conversion option was related to the mark-to-market adjustment of the conversion option of the exchangeable bonds issued in August 2020. Other income in the current period included the non-service components of net pension benefit income of $13 million and foreign exchange gains, partially offset by railroad maintenance expenses of $28 million. Other income in the prior period included the non-service components of net pension benefit income of $19 million, an investment revaluation gain of $37 million, and foreign exchange gains, partially offset by railroad maintenance expenses of $41 million.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company uses adjusted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted segment operating profit, non-GAAP financial measures as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, to evaluate the Company’s financial performance. These performance measures are not defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and should be considered in addition to, and not in lieu of, GAAP financial measures.

Adjusted EPS is defined as diluted EPS adjusted for the effects on reported diluted EPS of specified items. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest on borrowings, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, adjusted for specified items. The Company calculates adjusted EBITDA by removing the impact of specified items and adding back the amounts of interest expense on borrowings and depreciation and amortization to earnings before income taxes. Adjusted segment operating profit is segment operating profit adjusted, where applicable, for specified items.

Management believes that adjusted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted segment operating profit are useful measures of the Company’s performance because they provide investors additional information about the Company’s operations allowing better evaluation of underlying business performance and better period-to-period comparability. Adjusted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted segment operating profit are not intended to replace or be an alternative to diluted EPS, earnings before income taxes, and segment operating profit, respectively, the most directly comparable amounts reported under GAAP.

The table below provides a reconciliation of diluted EPS to adjusted EPS for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

(1) Tax effected using the U.S. and other applicable tax rates.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

The tables below provide a reconciliation of earnings before income taxes to adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA by segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

Liquidity and Capital Resources

A Company objective is to have sufficient liquidity, balance sheet strength, and financial flexibility to fund the operating and capital requirements of a capital-intensive agricultural commodity-based business. The Company depends on access to credit markets, which can be impacted by its credit rating and factors outside of ADM’s control, to fund its working capital needs and capital expenditures. The primary source of funds to finance ADM’s operations, capital expenditures, and advancement of its growth strategy is cash generated by operations and lines of credit, including a commercial paper borrowing facility and accounts receivable securitization programs. In addition, the Company believes it has access to funds from public and private equity and debt capital markets in both U.S. and international markets.

Cash provided by operating activities was $1.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $3.3 billion for the same period last year. Working capital changes decreased cash by $1.9 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to a decrease of $1.3 billion for the same period last year. Segregated investments increased $1.2 billion driven by higher interest rates. Trade receivables decreased $0.4 billion due to lower revenues. Inventories decreased $3.5 billion due to lower inventory volumes and prices. Trade payables decreased $2.6 billion primarily due to lower payables related to grain and other inventory purchases. Brokerage payables decreased approximately $1.6 billion due to decreased trading activity in the Company’s futures commission and brokerage business. Accrued expenses and other payables decreased $0.7 billion primarily due to decreases in contract liability and unrealized losses on derivative contracts.

Cash used in investing activities was $1.1 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $0.9 billion for the same period last year. Capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 were $1.1 billion compared to $0.8 billion for the same period last year. There were $5 million additional cost method investments for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $0.1 billion for the same period last year.

Cash used in financing activities was $2.8 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to $2.4 billion for the same period last year. Long-term debt borrowings for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 were $0.5 billion which consisted of the $500 million aggregate principle amount of 4.500% Notes due 2033 compared to long-term debt borrowings for the same period last year of $0.8 billion which consisted of the $750 million aggregate principal amount of 2.900% Notes due 2032. Proceeds from the borrowings in the current period were used for general corporate purposes. Proceeds from the borrowings in the prior period were used to finance investments and expenditures in eligible green projects that contribute to environmental objectives and/or eligible social projects that aim to address or mitigate a specific social issue and/or seek to achieve positive social outcomes. Long-term debt payments were $1.0 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 which consisted of the €600 million aggregate principal amount of 1.750% Notes due 2023 and the $300 million aggregate amount of zero coupon exchangeable bonds due 2023, compared to $0.5 billion for the same period last year which consisted of the €0.5 billion aggregate principal amount of fixed-to-floating rate senior notes due 2022 issued in a private placement on March 25, 2021. Net borrowings on short-term credit agreements for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 were $0.4 billion compared to $0.8 billion for the same period last year. Share repurchases for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 were $1.1 billion compared to $1.2 billion for the same period last year. Dividends were $0.7 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and the same period last year.

At September 30, 2023, the Company had $1.5 billion of cash and cash equivalents and a current ratio, defined as current assets divided by current liabilities, of 1.7 to 1. Included in working capital was $6.0 billion of readily marketable commodity inventories. At September 30, 2023, the Company’s capital resources included shareholders’ equity of $25.3 billion and lines of credit, including the accounts receivable securitization programs described below, totaling $13.5 billion, of which $11.7 billion was unused. The Company’s ratio of long-term debt to total capital (the sum of the Company’s long-term debt and shareholders’ equity) was 25% and 24% at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The Company uses this ratio as a measure of the Company’s long-term indebtedness and an indicator of financial flexibility. The Company’s ratio of net debt (the sum of short-term debt, current maturities of long-term debt, and long-term debt less the sum of cash and cash equivalents and short-term marketable securities) to capital (the sum of net debt and shareholders’ equity) was 21% and 25% at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Of the Company’s total lines of credit, $5.0 billion supported the combined U.S. and European commercial paper borrowing programs, against which there was $10 million of commercial paper outstanding at September 30, 2023.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

As of September 30, 2023, the Company had $1.5 billion of cash and cash equivalents, $0.8 billion of which was cash held by foreign subsidiaries whose undistributed earnings are considered indefinitely reinvested. Based on the Company’s historical ability to generate sufficient cash flows from its U.S. operations and unused and available U.S. credit capacity of $7.1 billion, the Company has asserted that these funds are indefinitely reinvested outside the U.S.

The Company has accounts receivable securitization programs (the “Programs”) with certain commercial paper conduit purchasers and committed purchasers. The Programs provide the Company with up to $3.0 billion in funding against accounts receivable transferred into the Programs and expands the Company’s access to liquidity through efficient use of its balance sheet assets (see Note 14 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Item 1 herein, “Financial Statements” for more information and disclosures on the Programs). As of September 30, 2023, the Company had $1.3 billion unused capacity of its facility under the Programs.

As of September 30, 2023, the Company has total available liquidity of $13.2 billion comprised of cash and cash equivalents and unused lines of credit with a well-diversified group of primarily investment-grade institutions.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company spent approximately $1.1 billion in capital expenditures, $0.7 billion in dividends, and $1.1 billion in share repurchases. The Company has a stock repurchase program. Under the program, the Company has 73.2 million shares remaining as of September 30, 2023 that may be repurchased until December 31, 2024.

In 2023, the Company expects total capital expenditures of approximately $1.5 billion and additional cash outlays of approximately $1.0 billion in dividends and $2.0 billion in opportunistic share repurchases, subject to other strategic uses of capital and the evolution of operating cash flows and the working capital position throughout the year.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

The Company’s purchase obligations as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were $16.5 billion and $15.8 billion, respectively. The increase is primarily related to obligations for energy commitments, partially offset by obligations to purchase lower quantities of agricultural commodity inventories. As of September 30, 2023, the Company expects to make payments related to purchase obligations of $15.7 billion within the next twelve months. There were no other material changes in the Company’s contractual obligations during the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

There were no material changes in the Company’s off balance sheet arrangements during the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

There were no material changes in the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates during the quarter ended September 30, 2023. For a description of the Company’s critical accounting policies, estimates, and assumptions used in the preparation of the Company’s financial statements, see Part II, Item 7 and Note 1 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Part II, Item 8, of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The market risk inherent in the Company’s market risk sensitive instruments and positions is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in: commodity market prices as they relate to the Company’s net commodity position, foreign currency exchange rates, and interest rates. Significant changes in market risk sensitive instruments and positions for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 are described below. There were no material changes during the period in the Company’s potential loss arising from changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

For detailed information regarding the Company’s market risk sensitive instruments and positions, see Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Commodities

The availability and prices of agricultural commodities are subject to wide fluctuations due to factors such as changes in weather conditions, crop disease, plantings, government programs and policies, competition, changes in global demand, changes in customer preferences and standards of living, and global production of similar and competitive crops.

The fair value of the Company’s commodity position is a summation of the fair values calculated for each commodity by valuing all of the commodity positions at quoted market prices for the period, where available, or utilizing a close proxy. The Company has established metrics to monitor the amount of market risk exposure, which consist of volumetric limits and value-at-risk (VaR) limits. VaR measures the potential loss, at a 95% confidence level, that could be incurred over a one-year period. Volumetric limits are monitored daily and VaR calculations and sensitivity analysis are monitored weekly.

In addition to measuring the hypothetical loss resulting from an adverse two standard deviation move in market prices (assuming no correlations) over a one-year period using VaR, sensitivity analysis is performed measuring the potential loss in fair value resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in market prices. The highest, lowest, and average weekly position together with the market risk from a hypothetical 10% adverse price change is as follows:

The change in fair value of the average position was due to the decrease in prices of certain commodities.

As of September 30, 2023, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules 13a–15(e) and 15d–15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on that evaluation, the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. There was no change in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

During 2018, the Company launched an initiative called Readiness to drive new efficiencies and improve the customer experience in the Company’s existing businesses through a combination of data analytics, process simplification and standardization, and behavioral and cultural change, building upon its earlier 1ADM and operational excellence programs. As part of this transformation, the Company is implementing a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system on a worldwide basis, which is expected to occur in phases over the next several years. During the quarter ended September 30, 2023, the Company deployed the ERP system to 18 legal entities. The Company has appropriately considered this change in its design of and testing for effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting and concluded, as part of the evaluation described in the above paragraph, the implementation of the new ERP system in these instances has not materially affected its internal control over financial reporting.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is routinely involved in a number of actual or threatened legal actions, including those involving alleged personal injuries, employment law, product liability, intellectual property, environmental issues, alleged tax liability (see Note 9 of “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” included in Item 1 herein, “Financial Statements” for information on income tax matters), and class actions. The Company also routinely receives inquiries from regulators and other government authorities relating to various aspects of our business, and at any given time, the Company has matters at various stages of resolution. The outcomes of these matters are not within our complete control and may not be known for prolonged periods of time. In some actions, claimants seek damages, as well as other relief including injunctive relief, that could require significant expenditures or result in lost revenues. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Company records a liability in its consolidated financial statements for material loss contingencies when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If the reasonable estimate of a known or probable loss is a range, and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other, the minimum amount of the range is accrued. If a material loss contingency is reasonably possible but not known or probable, and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. When determining the estimated loss or range of loss, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded. Estimates of probable losses resulting from litigation and governmental proceedings involving the Company are inherently difficult to predict, particularly when the matters are in early procedural stages, with incomplete facts or legal discovery; involve unsubstantiated or indeterminate claims for damages; potentially involve penalties, fines, disgorgement, or punitive damages; or could result in a change in business practice.

On September 4, 2019, AOT Holding AG (“AOT”) filed a putative class action under the U.S. Commodities Exchange Act in federal district court in Urbana, Illinois, alleging that the Company sought to manipulate the benchmark price used to price and settle ethanol derivatives traded on futures exchanges. On March 16, 2021, AOT filed an amended complaint adding a second named plaintiff Maize Capital Group, LLC (“Maize”). AOT and Maize allege that members of the putative class collectively suffered damages calculated to be between approximately $500 million to over $2.0 billion as a result of the Company’s alleged actions. On July 14, 2020, Green Plains Inc. and its related entities (“GP”) filed a putative class action lawsuit, alleging substantially the same operative facts, in federal court in Nebraska, seeking to represent sellers of ethanol. On July 23, 2020, Midwest Renewable Energy, LLC (“MRE”) filed a putative class action in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same operative facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act. On November 11, 2020, United Wisconsin Grain Producers LLC (“UWGP”) and five other ethanol producers filed a lawsuit in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act and Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin law. The court granted ADM’s motion to dismiss the MRE and UWGP complaints without prejudice on August 9, 2021 and September 28, 2021, respectively. On August 16, 2021, the court granted ADM’s motion to dismiss the GP complaint, dismissing one claim with prejudice and declining jurisdiction over the remaining state law claim. MRE filed an amended complaint on August 30, 2021, which ADM moved to dismiss on September 27, 2021. The court denied ADM’s motion to dismiss on September 26, 2023. UWGP filed an amended complaint on October 19, 2021, which the court dismissed on July 12, 2022. UWGP has appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On October 26, 2021, GP filed a new complaint in Nebraska federal district court, alleging substantially the same facts and asserting a claim for tortious interference with contractual relations. On March 18, 2022, the Nebraska federal district court granted ADM’s motion to transfer the GP case back to the Central District of Illinois for further proceedings. ADM moved to dismiss the complaint on May 20, 2022 and on December 30, 2022, the court dismissed GP’s complaint with prejudice. GP has appealed the dismissal. The Company denies liability, and is vigorously defending itself in these actions. As these actions are in pretrial proceedings, the Company is unable at this time to predict the final outcome with any reasonable degree of certainty, but believes the outcome will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

The Company is not currently a party to any legal proceeding or environmental claim that it believes would have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations, or liquidity.

The information presented below updates, and should be read in conjunction with, the risk factors in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Except as presented below, there were no other significant changes in the Company’s risk factors during the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

The Company is subject to numerous laws, regulations, and mandates globally which could adversely affect the Company’s operating results and forward strategy.

The Company does business globally, connecting crops and markets in over 190 countries, and is required to comply with laws and regulations administered by the United States federal government as well as state, local, and non-U.S. governmental authorities in numerous areas including: accounting and income taxes, anti-corruption, anti-bribery, global trade, trade sanctions, privacy and security, environmental, product safety, and handling and production of regulated substances. The Company frequently faces challenges from U.S. and foreign tax authorities regarding the amount of taxes due including questions regarding the timing, amount of deductions, the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. Legislatures and taxing authorities in many jurisdictions in which ADM operates may enact changes to their tax rules. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the “OECD”), the European Union, and other countries (including countries in which the Company operates) have committed to enacting substantial changes to numerous long-standing tax principles impacting how large multinational enterprises are taxed. In particular, the OECD’s Pillar Two initiative introduces a 15% global minimum tax applied on a country-by-country basis and for which many jurisdictions have now committed to an effective enactment date starting January 1, 2024. ADM will continually monitor potential and enacted tax changes, including the implementation of Pillar Two legislation, in the countries in which the Company operates. The impact of these potential new rules, as well as any other changes in domestic and international tax rules and regulations, could have a material effect on ADM’s effective tax rate. Any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations or appropriately resolve these challenges could subject the Company to administrative, civil, and criminal remedies, including fines, penalties, disgorgement, injunctions, and recalls of its products, and damage to its reputation.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES, USE OF PROCEEDS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

(1)Total shares purchased represent those shares purchased in the open market as part of the Company’s publicly announced share repurchase program described below, shares received as payment for the exercise price of stock option exercises, and shares received as payment for the withholding taxes on vested restricted stock awards. During the three-month period ended September 30, 2023, there were 57,261 shares received as payments for the withholding taxes on vested restricted stock awards and for the exercise price of stock option exercises.

(2)On August 7, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the extension of the stock repurchase program through December 31, 2024 and the repurchase of up to an additional 100,000,000 shares under the extended program.

None of the Company’s directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Exchange Act) adopted, modified or terminated any contract, instruction, or written plan for the purchase or sale of ADM’s securities that was intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) of the Exchange Act or any non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as defined in Item 408(c) of Regulation S-K) during the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Dated: October 24, 2023