MasTec Announces 2005 Fourth Quarter and Calendar Year Results of Operations

March 01, 2006

CORAL GABLES, Fla., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MasTec, Inc. (NYSE: MTZ) today announced results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2005.

For the year ended December 31, 2005, income from continuing operations was $18.6 million, or $0.37 earnings per share, on revenue of $848.0 million. This compares with a loss from continuing operations of $17.7 million, or $0.37 loss per share, on revenue of $807.2 million for the prior year. Losses from discontinued operations were $33.2 million in 2005 and $31.7 million in 2004. These losses included a write-off of goodwill of discontinued operations of $11.5 million in 2005 and $12.3 million in 2004. Including discontinued operations, the total net loss for 2005 was $14.6 million, or $0.29 loss per share, compared with a loss of $49.4 million, or $1.02 loss per share, in the prior year.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2005, income from continuing operations was $8.1 million, or $0.16 earnings per share, on revenue of $223.4 million. This compares with a loss from continuing operations of $4.4 million, or $0.09 loss per share, on revenue of $220.3 million in the prior year quarter. Losses from discontinued operations were $19.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2005, which included an $11.5 million non-cash write-off of goodwill on discontinued operations, compared with a loss of $2.4 million for the comparable quarter of 2004. Including these losses from discontinued operations, the total net loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2005 was $11.5 million, or $0.23 loss per share, compared with a $6.9 million loss, or $0.14 loss per share, in the prior year quarter.

The Company currently has gross liquidity, defined as bank cash plus credit line availability, of approximately $189 million. MasTec currently has no draws on its $150 million bank credit facility.

Austin J. Shanfelter, MasTec's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Demand for services in each of our markets is strong. With the best customer mix in years and completion of our recent equity offering, MasTec can continue its focus on improving margins and expanding profitable opportunities."

For 2006, MasTec's previous guidance forecast remains unchanged. The Company expects revenue to be in the range of $950 to $975 million, a double- digit growth rate. Earnings per share from continuing operations for 2006 are expected to be between $0.70 and $0.80 per share.

The following tables set forth the financial results for the periods ended December 31, 2005:


                    Consolidated Statements of Operations
                   (In thousands except per share amounts)




                                          Year Ended        Three Months Ended
                                          December 31,         December 31,
                                        2004        2005      2004     2005

    Revenue                           $807,184    $848,046 $220,338  $223,442
    Costs of revenue                   719,282     731,504  195,677   188,119
    Depreciation                        14,925      16,341    3,344     3,696
    General and administrative
     expenses                           71,510      64,266   19,885    18,391
    Interest expense, net of interest
     income                             19,478      19,233    5,201     4,887
    Other income (expense), net            601       3,616     (676)      505
       Income (loss) from continuing
        operations before benefit
        for income taxes and
        minority interest              (17,410)     20,318   (4,445)    8,854
    Minority interest                     (333)     (1,714)      28      (719)
       Income (loss) from continuing
        operations                     (17,743)     18,604   (4,417)    8,135
    Discontinued operations:
    Loss from discontinued
     operations, net                   (31,694)    (32,637)  (2,438)  (19,602)
    Loss on write-off of assets of
     discontinued operations, net           --        (583)      --        --
       Net Loss                       $(49,437)   $(14,616) $(6,855) $(11,467)
    Basic net (loss) income per
     share:
      Continuing operations             $(0.37)      $0.38   $(0.09)    $0.17
      Discontinued operations            (0.65)      (0.68)   (0.05)    (0.40)
         Total basic net loss per
          share                         $(1.02)     $(0.30)  $(0.14)   $(0.23)
    Basic weighted average common
     shares outstanding                 48,382      48,952   48,423    49,179
    Diluted net (loss) income per
     share:
      Continuing operations             $(0.37)      $0.37   $(0.09)    $0.16
      Discontinued operations            (0.65)      (0.66)   (0.05)    (0.39)
         Total diluted net loss per
          share                         $(1.02)     $(0.29)  $(0.14)   $(0.23)

    Diluted weighted average common
     shares outstanding                 48,382      49,795   48,423    50,147



                         Consolidated Balance Sheets
                                (In thousands)


                                                             December 31,
                                                          2004          2005
                       Assets
    Current assets                                    $312,258      $305,307
    Property and equipment, net                         62,966        48,027
    Goodwill                                           127,143       127,143
    Deferred taxes, net                                 50,732        51,468
    Other assets                                        23,654        46,070
    Long-term assets held for sale                      23,770         6,149
            Total assets                              $600,523      $584,164

        Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
    Current liabilities                               $177,795      $170,238
    Other liabilities                                   34,388        37,359
    Long-term debt                                     196,059       196,104
    Long-term liabilities related to assets held
     for sale                                            1,128           860
    Shareholders' equity                               191,153       179,603
            Total liabilities and shareholders'
             equity                                   $600,523      $584,164



                    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                                (In thousands)


                                                      Years Ended December 31,
                                                          2004          2005
    Net cash provided by (used in) operating
     activities                                         $5,627      $(18,434)
    Net cash used in investing activities               (3,872)       (2,314)
    Net cash (used in) provided by financing
     activities                                         (1,807)        3,320
        Net decrease in cash and cash
         equivalents                                       (52)      (17,428)
    Net effect of translation on cash                      185           (96)
    Cash and cash equivalents--beginning of
     period                                             19,415        19,548
        Cash and cash equivalents--end of
         period                                        $19,548        $2,024

Management will hold a conference call to discuss results of operations for the year and quarter ended December 31, 2005 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. The call in number for the conference call is (913) 312-1299 and the replay number is (719) 457-0820, with a pass code of 4712547. The replay will run for 30 days. Additionally, the call will be broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed and replayed through the investor relations section of the Company's website at http://www.mastec.com .

MasTec < http://www.mastec.com > is a leading specialty contractor operating throughout the United States and in Canada across a range of industries. The Company's core activities are the building, installation, maintenance and upgrade of communication and utility infrastructure systems.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including that our revenue and earnings per share may differ from that projected, that we may be impacted by business and economic conditions affecting our customers, the highly competitive nature of our industry, dependence on a limited number of customers, the adequacy of our insurance and other reserves and allowances for doubtful accounts, restrictions imposed by our credit facility and senior notes, as well as other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ significantly from results expressed or implied in these statements. We do not undertake any obligation to update forward- looking statements.

SOURCE  MasTec, Inc.
    -0-                             03/01/2006
    /CONTACT:  J. Marc Lewis, Vice President-Investor Relations, MasTec, Inc.,
+1-305-406-1815, or fax, +1-305-406-1886, or marc.lewis@mastec.com/
    /Web site:  http://www.mastec.com /
    (MTZ)

CO:  MasTec, Inc.
ST:  Florida
IN:  TLS CPR
SU:  ERN CCA ERP

AC-DS
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6321 03/01/2006 16:32 EST http://www.prnewswire.com