Natural Resource Partners L.P. Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results and Declares Third Quarter 2020 Distributions

Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NYSE:NRP) today reported third quarter 2020 results as follows:

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"Demand for steel, electricity and glass began to rebound in the third quarter and the outlook for our coal and soda ash businesses has improved from the lows earlier this year. We continue to generate free cash flow and maintain strong liquidity, which provides us with significant financial flexibility to continue paying down debt and managing through challenging times," said Craig Nunez, NRP's President and Chief Operating Officer.

NRP's liquidity was $215.6 million at September 30, 2020, consisting of $115.6 million of cash and $100.0 million of borrowing capacity available under its revolving credit facility.

NRP announced today that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a third quarter 2020 cash distribution of $0.45 per common unit of NRP to be paid on November 20, 2020 to unitholders of record on November 19, 2020. In addition, the Board declared a $7.5 million distribution on the preferred units, which will be paid one-half in cash and one-half in kind through the issuance of additional preferred units. Future distributions on NRP's common and preferred units will be determined on a quarterly basis by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors considers numerous factors each quarter in determining cash distributions, including profitability, cash flow, debt service obligations, market conditions and outlook, estimated unitholder income tax liability and the level of cash reserves that the Board determines is necessary for future operating and capital needs.

Segment Performance

Coal Royalty and Other

Revenues and other income in the third quarter of 2020 were lower by $21.9 million and distributable cash flow and free cash flow were $18.8 million and $12.6 million lower, respectively, as compared to the prior year quarter. This decrease is primarily a result of a weakened market for metallurgical coal as compared to the prior year quarter due to a decline in global steel demand. As a result, both sales volumes and prices for metallurgical coal sold were lower in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter. Approximately 70% of coal royalty revenues and approximately 65% of coal royalty sales volumes were derived from metallurgical coal during the three months ended September 30, 2020. In addition, weaker domestic and export thermal coal markets compared to the prior year period resulted in lower revenue from NRP's thermal coal properties. Domestic and export thermal coal markets remained challenged by lower utility demand, continued low natural gas prices and the secular shift to renewable energy. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded already weak coal pricing and demand, and NRP's coal lessees saw negative impacts on their businesses during 2020.

Soda Ash

Ciner Wyoming has also been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as lower activity in the global auto, container and construction industries reduced demand for glass and soda ash. However, demand for glass began to rebound in the third quarter of 2020 and the outlook for the soda ash business has improved. Revenues and other income in the third quarter of 2020 were lower by $11.8 million compared to the prior year quarter primarily due to a combination of lower pricing and volumes sold. While Ciner has yet to recover to pre-COVID levels, overall sales volumes increased 26.7% and overall production volumes increased 1.5% over second quarter 2020 results. NRP believes Ciner Wyoming's facility is competitively positioned as one of the lowest cost producers of soda ash in the world, however, NRP expects the market to remain volatile as a result of ongoing uncertainties with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to have financial flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ciner Wyoming suspended its quarterly distribution in August 2020 and accordingly, did not pay quarterly distributions for the second or third quarters of 2020. Ciner Wyoming will continue to evaluate, on a quarterly basis, whether to reinstate the distribution. Ciner Wyoming’s ability to pay future quarterly distributions will be dependent in part on its cash reserves, liquidity, total debt levels and anticipated capital expenditures.

Corporate and Financing

Corporate and financing costs were $0.8 million lower in the third quarter of 2020 compared to the prior year quarter. Distributable cash flow and free cash flow increased $1.3 million compared to the prior year quarter primarily due to lower cash paid for interest as a result of lower debt balances.

As noted above, the Board declared a third quarter $7.5 million distribution on NRP's preferred units, to be paid one-half in cash and one-half in kind. The indenture governing the 2025 parent company notes restricts NRP from paying more than one-half of the quarterly distribution on the preferred units in cash if NRP's consolidated leverage ratio exceeds 3.75x, and as of September 30, 2020, NRP's leverage ratio was 4.2x.

Conference Call

A conference call will be held today at 9:00 a.m. ET. To register for the conference call, please use this link http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/8267566. After registering a confirmation will be sent via email, including dial in details and unique conference call codes for entry. Registration is open through the live call, however, to ensure you are connected for the full call we suggest registering at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. Investors may also listen to the call via the Investor Relations section of the NRP website at www.nrplp.com. To access the replay, please visit the Investor Relations section of NRP’s website.

Withholding Information for Foreign Investors

This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100.0%) of NRP's distributions to foreign investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, NRP's distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable rate.

Company Profile

Natural Resource Partners L.P., a master limited partnership headquartered in Houston, TX, is a diversified natural resource company that owns, manages and leases a diversified portfolio of mineral properties in the United States including interests in coal, industrial minerals and other natural resources. In addition, NRP owns an equity investment in Ciner Wyoming LLC, a trona ore mining and soda ash production business.

For additional information, please contact Tiffany Sammis at 713-751-7515 or tsammis@nrplp.com. Further information about NRP is available on the Partnership’s website at http://www.nrplp.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Partnership expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions made by the Partnership based on its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Such statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Partnership. These risks include, among other things, statements regarding: the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic; future distributions on the Partnership’s common and preferred units; the Partnership's business strategy; its liquidity and access to capital and financing sources; its financial strategy; prices of and demand for coal, trona and soda ash, and other natural resources; estimated revenues, expenses and results of operations; projected future performance by the Partnership's lessees, including Foresight Energy; Ciner Wyoming LLC’s trona mining and soda ash refinery operations; distributions from the soda ash joint venture; the impact of governmental policies, laws and regulations, as well as regulatory and legal proceedings involving the Partnership, and of scheduled or potential regulatory or legal changes; global and U.S. economic conditions; and other factors detailed in Natural Resource Partners’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Natural Resource Partners L.P. has no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

"Adjusted EBITDA" is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net income (loss) from continuing operations less equity earnings from unconsolidated investment, net income attributable to non-controlling interest and gain on reserve swap; plus total distributions from unconsolidated investment, interest expense, net, debt modification expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, depreciation, depletion and amortization and asset impairments. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or loss, net income or loss attributable to partners, operating income or loss, cash flows from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP as measures of operating performance, liquidity or ability to service debt obligations. There are significant limitations to using Adjusted EBITDA as a measure of performance, including the inability to analyze the effect of certain recurring items that materially affect our net income (loss), the lack of comparability of results of operations of different companies and the different methods of calculating Adjusted EBITDA reported by different companies. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA presented below is not calculated or presented on the same basis as Consolidated EBITDA as defined in our partnership agreement or Consolidated EBITDDA as defined in Opco's debt agreements. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental performance measure used by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts and others to assess the financial performance of our assets without regard to financing methods, capital structure or historical cost basis.

“Distributable cash flow” or "DCF" is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities of continuing operations plus distributions from unconsolidated investment in excess of cumulative earnings, proceeds from asset sales and disposals, including sales of discontinued operations, and return of long-term contract receivable; less maintenance capital expenditures and distributions to non-controlling interest. DCF is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities. DCF may not be calculated the same for us as for other companies. In addition, distributable cash flow is not calculated or presented on the same basis as distributable cash flow as defined in our partnership agreement, which is used as a metric to determine whether we are able to increase quarterly distributions to our common unitholders. Distributable cash flow is a supplemental liquidity measure used by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts and others to assess our ability to make cash distributions and repay debt.

“Free cash flow” or "FCF" is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities of continuing operations plus distributions from unconsolidated investment in excess of cumulative earnings and return of long-term contract receivable; less maintenance and expansion capital expenditures, cash flow used in acquisition costs classified as investing or financing activities and distributions to non-controlling interest. FCF is calculated before mandatory debt repayments. Free cash flow is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities. Free cash flow may not be calculated the same for us as for other companies. Free cash flow is a supplemental liquidity measure used by our management and by external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts and others to assess our ability to make cash distributions and repay debt.

"Cash flow cushion" is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as free cash flow less one-time beneficial items, mandatory Opco debt repayments, preferred unit distributions and common unit distributions. Cash flow cushion is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities. Cash flow cushion is a supplemental liquidity measure used by our management to assess the Partnership's ability to make or raise cash distributions to our common and preferred unitholders and our general partner and repay debt or redeem preferred units.

"Return on capital employed" or "ROCE" is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net income (loss) from continuing operations plus financing costs (interest expense plus loss on extinguishment of debt) divided by the sum of equity excluding equity of discontinued operations, and debt. Return on capital employed should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or loss, net income or loss attributable to partners, operating income or loss, cash flows from operating activities or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP as measures of operating performance, liquidity or ability to service debt obligations. Return on capital employed is a supplemental performance measure used by our management team that measures our profitability and efficiency with which our capital is employed. The measure provides an indication of operating performance before the impact of leverage in the capital structure.

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