Benson Hill Announces Third Quarter Financial Results and Strategic Progress

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Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL, the “Company” or “Benson Hill”), a seed innovation company, today announced operating and financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. The Company’s focus on cost discipline, strategic partnerships, and its shift to an asset-light business model continue to improve the quality of earnings and position the Company for long-term growth. (Graphic: Business Wire)

“Our third-quarter results reflect Benson Hill’s financial discipline and focus as we transform our business from a closed-loop manufacturing model to an asset-light licensing model,” said Deanie Elsner, Chief Executive Officer of Benson Hill. “There is true and measurable potential for our proprietary seeds portfolio, and collaborations with farmers, seed dealers, poultry producers, soy processors, and academic partners illustrate the industry-wide demand for quality soy traits. As we continue our transformation, strategic partnerships will be pivotal to delivering market-driven demand for our seed innovations - which create value across the supply chain and deliver a clear sustainability advantage.”

During the third quarter, Benson Hill began shipping the remainder of the 2023 Ultra-High Protein, Low-Oligosaccharide (“UHP-LO”) soybeans into the poultry market. In addition, two additional feeding studies were initiated with major broiler producers who, in total, represent more than 40 percent of the U.S. broiler market (6 million acres of the total 14 million acres of soy dedicated to broilers). Additional feeding studies in turkeys (representing 4 million acres of soy) are planned in the first quarter of 2025. The expansion of poultry producers testing UHP-LO, combined with current aquaculture customers, demonstrates the value that Benson Hill’s proprietary soybeans can bring to the large and attractive animal feed market.

For the 2025 planting season, the Company has expanded its proprietary soybean seed portfolio offering. With more than 30 varieties spanning six distinct and differentiated product platforms, Benson Hill soybeans have proven results across multiple growing regions and are now available for the 2025 planting season.

Finally, Benson Hill is delivering on its commitment to launch innovations that enable lower-carbon agriculture. The Company’s proprietary soybeans offer downstream partners a seamless solution to help achieve Scope 3 (value chain) emissions reductions. Benson Hill’s track record with business partners demonstrates an ability to create significant ripple effects across the entire value chain, from farming to food production.

Third Quarter Results Compared to the Same Period of 2023

The following financial results exclude the former Fresh Segment and Seymour, Indiana, and Creston, Iowa, processing facilities reported in discontinued operations. The reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures can be found in the accompanying financial tables. The combined results of the Company’s divested businesses have been reclassified and presented as discontinued operations, resulting in a significant reduction in reported revenues and related expenses.

• Reported revenues increased by $10.6 million, or 45.3 percent, in the third quarter of 2024, driven by higher grain sales of proprietary soybeans, higher revenue from partnerships and licensing agreements, including revenue recognized from cancellations, and higher yellow pea revenue.
• R&D expenses were $7.0 million, a decrease of $3.5 million, or 33.4 percent. The decrease was driven by reduced personnel-related costs and other technology costs in connection with implementing the expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan. Benson Hill continues to invest in critical technology costs, facilities expenses (primarily related to the Crop Accelerator facility) and workforce-related expenses to drive innovation in feed, food, and fuel with its CropOS^® technology platform.
• Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $12.3 million, a decrease of $1.4 million, or 10.4 percent, driven by reduced personnel-related and other costs in connection with implementing the expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan.
• Net loss from continuing operations, net of income taxes, was $21.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $12.6 million, compared to a loss of $14.4 million in the same period of the prior year, which represents a reduction in loss of $1.8 million, driven by expense reductions.
• Cash and marketable securities of $14.4 million were on hand as of September 30, 2024.

First Nine-Months Results Compared to the Same Period of 2023

The following financial results exclude the former Fresh Segment and Seymour, Indiana, and Creston, Iowa, processing facilities reported in discontinued operations. The reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures can be found in the accompanying financial tables. The combined results of the Company’s divested businesses have been reclassified and presented as discontinued operations, resulting in a significant reduction in reported revenues and related expenses.

• Reported revenues were $89.0 million, a decrease of $6.6 million, or 6.9 percent. The decrease was driven by recognition of revenue in 2023 from low-margin trading volumes generated by business development efforts that did not repeat in 2024, partially offset by higher revenue from partnerships and licensing agreements, including revenue recognized from cancellations, during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Revenue from domestic sales increased $16.5 million compared to the same period in 2023 due to higher grain sales of proprietary soybeans.
• R&D expenses were $21.4 million, a decrease of $12.1 million, or 36.1 percent. The decrease was driven by reduced personnel-related costs and other technology costs in connection with implementing the expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan. We continue to invest in critical technology costs, facilities expenses (primarily related to the Crop Accelerator facility) and workforce-related expenses to drive innovation in feed, food, and fuel with its CropOS^® technology platform.
• Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $37.3 million, an increase of $3.8 million, or 11.4 percent. Excluding a non-recurring $7.8 million reversal to stock-based compensation expense in 2023, these expenses decreased by $4.0 million, driven by reduced personnel-related costs and professional fees.
• Net loss from continuing operations, net of income taxes, was $66.2 million. Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $32.1 million, compared to a loss of $44.1 million in the same period of the prior year, which represents a reduction in loss of $12.0 million. Free cash flow loss in 2024 was $48.9 million, which was approximately 57.7 percent of the free cash flow loss in 2023.

Additional Information

Additional information about Benson Hill’s financial and operating results can be found in the Company’s latest Shareholder Letter and in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those documents are downloadable at investors.bensonhill.com.

About Benson Hill

Benson Hill is a seed innovation company that unlocks nature’s genetic diversity in soy quality traits through a combination of its proprietary genetics, its AI-driven CropOS^® technology platform, and its Crop Accelerator. Benson Hill collaborates with strategic partners to create value throughout the agribusiness supply chain to meet the demand for better feed, food, and fuel. For more information, visit bensonhill.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter at @bensonhillinc.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this press release, the Company includes references to non-GAAP performance measures. The Company’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to facilitate financial and operational decision-making, including evaluation of the Company’s historical operating results. The Company’s management believes these non-GAAP measures are useful in evaluating the Company’s operating performance and are similar measures reported by publicly listed U.S. competitors, and regularly used by securities analysts, institutional investors, and other interested parties in analyzing operating performance and prospects. These non-GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of the Company’s operations that, when viewed with GAAP results and the reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, may provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting the Company’s business. By referencing these non-GAAP measures, the Company’s management intends to provide investors with a meaningful, consistent comparison of the Company’s performance for the periods presented. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered supplemental to, and not a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s definition of these non-GAAP measures may differ from similarly titled measures of performance used by other companies in other industries or within the same industry. In addition, the Company has and may in the future modify how it calculates non-GAAP performance measures. Because non-GAAP financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the Company’s reported results of operations, management strongly encourages investors to review the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included in the tables accompanying this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company’s future financial or operating performance and may be identified by words such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions made by the Company as of the date hereof and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding: the Company’s progress toward an asset-light business model, and the anticipated pace of such transition; the Company’s financial and operating performance during its business transition; the Company’s cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost-saving measures, actions to implement such plan, and the anticipated benefits of and timeline to implement such plans; the Company’s current expectations and assumptions regarding the industries and markets in which it operates; potential strategic partnership and licensing opportunities; the Company’s anticipated liquidity, path to profitability, and runway for growth; expectations regarding the sources of expected revenues, costs, profit and earnings; projections of market opportunity; the anticipated advantages, potential and capabilities of the Company’s seed portfolio and innovation pipeline and the expected timeline for the commercialization of the Company’s current and anticipated innovations; anticipated demand for quality soy traits and the Company’s seed innovations; the expected timeline for the expansion of the Company’s seed portfolio; the expected timing and results of planned academic studies and commercial feeding trails; current projections and assumptions regarding the Company’s business and the industries and markets in which the Company currently operates or plans to operate; expectations regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; execution of the Company’s business plan and the strategic review of the Company’s business; any financial or other information based upon or otherwise incorporating judgments or estimates relating to future performance, events or expectations; the Company’s strategies, positioning, resources, capabilities, and expectations for future performance; estimates and forecasts of financial and other performance metrics; the Company’s outlook, and financial and other guidance; and management’s strategy and plans for growth. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the Company’s ability to generally execute on its business strategy, including its transition to an asset-light business model in a timely manner with sufficient liquidity; risks relating to acreage acquisition; risks associated with developing and maintaining partnering and licensing relationships in an asset-light business model, and maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers; risks associated with realizing the anticipated advantages of the Company’s seed innovations and products; the risk that the Company will not realize the anticipated benefits of the divestiture of its soy processing facilities; risks associated with the loss of revenues from the Company’s divestiture of its soy processing facilities; risks associated with growing and managing capital resources; risks associated with changing industry conditions and consumer preferences; risks associated with the Company’s cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost saving measures, including potentially adverse impacts on the Company’s business and prospects even if such plans are successful; the risk that the Company’s actions relating to cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost saving measures may be insufficient to achieve the objectives of such plans; liquidity and other risks relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; risks associated with the Company’s ability to grow and achieve growth profitably, including continued access to the capital resources necessary for growth; risks relating to the failure to raise additional financing to satisfy the Company’s cash needs; risks relating to maintaining key employee, customer, partner and supplier relationships; risks relating to the Company’s exploration of strategic alternatives; risks associated with the failure to realize the anticipated commercial or nutritional benefits of the Company’s UHP-LO soybeans; risks that the benefits validated by the recent trial may not be able to be repeated or improved upon in the future; risks associated with the accuracy and repeatability of feeding trials generally; risks associated with the effects of global and regional economic, agricultural, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management strategies; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in our filings with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company can make no assurances that it will be able to raise additional financing, improve its liquidity position, or continue as a going concern. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. There may be additional risks about which the Company is presently unaware or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. The Company expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.

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