CERF Incorporated Announces Excellent Results for the Third Quarter of 2013

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Nov. 28, 2013) - Mr. Wayne Wadley, President of CERF Incorporated (TSX VENTURE:CFL) (the "Company" or "CERF"), is pleased to announce the results for the third quarter of 2013.

Full details of the Company's results, in the form of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and Management's Discussion and Analysis of the results dated November 27, 2013 are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Company's website at www.cerfcorp.com.

Summary of Third Quarter and Year to Date Consolidated Financial Results:
In C$,000's except percentages and per shares data	Q3 2013	Q3 2012		$ change	%	YTD 2013	YTD 2012		$ change	%
Revenue	12,697	7,759		4,938	63%	34,235	22,518		11,717	52%
Direct Expenses	9,332	6,658		2,674	40%	25,427	18,817		6,610	35%
Gross Margin %	26%	14%		12%	86%	26%	16%		10%	62%
Net Income	1,150	(625	)	1,775	284%	2,125	(407	)	2,532	622%
Adjusted EBITDA	3,614	1,393		2,221	159%	9,398	4,589		4,809	105%
Adjusted Free Cash Flow	2,717	1,123		1,594	142%	4,516	1,222		3,294	270%
Trailing 12 Month(T12M) payout ratio	48%	70%
T12M dividend per share	$0.24	$0.24

Selected Highlights:

• Overall revenue increased 63% to $12,697,000 for Q3 2013 versus the corresponding period in 2012 and 52% to $34,235,000 for the first three quarters of 2013 versus the corresponding period in 2012;
  
• Net income increased to $2,125,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 versus a net loss of $407,000 for the first nine months of 2012, a total gain of $2,532,000.
  
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 159% to $3,614,000 for the third quarter of 2013 versus $1,393,000 for the same period in 2012. Further, EBITDA per share in Q3 2013 was $0.24, up 71% from Q3 2012, despite the fact that the Company issued an additional 4,388,260 common shares to the public during the third quarter, a 36% increase in total shares outstanding;
  
• Equipment Rental Segment revenue increased by $2,523,000 or 79% for Q3 2013 and by $8,516,000 or 89% in the first 9 months of 2013 to $18,052,000, versus $9,536,000 in 2012.
  
• Our oil and gas rentals business, which began with the acquisition of TRAC Energy Services Ltd. in October of 2012 added revenue of $2,116,000 to the Equipment Rental Segment in Q3 2013, with a total of $6,266,000 in revenue for the first nine months of 2013.
  
• Our construction and industrial rentals business posted revenue growth of $418,000 or 10% for the quarter compared to Q3 2012. For the nine months ended Sept 30, 2013, it increased by $2,089,000, a 17% increase versus the same nine month period in 2012.
  
• Waste Management Segment revenue increased 62% in Q3 2013 and 33% for the first nine months of 2013, versus the corresponding periods in 2012;
  
• The Company paid dividends of $0.06 per share to shareholders in each of the first three quarters of 2013 for a total of $0.24 for the trailing twelve months.
  
• On July 25, 2013 the Company closed its Canadian equity financing of 4,259,260 units of CERF ("Units"), which included the exercise in full of the over-allotment option to purchase 555,556 Units, at a price of $2.70 per Unit, for gross proceeds of approximately $11.5 million. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of CERF (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant exercisable for one Common Share for a period of 18 months following the closing of the Offering, at an exercise price of $3.15 per share, subject to accelerated expiry in certain circumstances at the discretion of the Company.
  
• Subsequent to the closing of the Canadian financing the Company repaid non-revolving term loans of $9,359,385 and revolving loans in the amount of $1,385,365 from the net proceeds of the offering.
  
• On August 21, 2013 the Company closed its U.S. private placement financing of 129,000 Units at a price of $2.70 per Unit, for gross proceeds of $348,300, and together with CERF's offering of Units in Canada that closed on July 25, 2013, the Company has raised a total of approximately $11.85 million.

Mr. Wadley, President & CEO makes the following comments:

"The business environment in Alberta and Western Canada remains brisk. The unemployment rate in Alberta is still only 4.3% so there remains a lot of activity in most industrial sectors. Albertans worked an average 5.9% longer in July than the Canadian average of 30.3 hours per week as employers may be requesting overtime to avoid hiring more workers who are in scarce supply.

Alberta remains one of the strongest construction markets in North America. The province is expected to see average growth in real GDP of about 3.7% in 2013 and 2014 compared to the national forecast of 2.3% according to the recent forecasts by the Bank of Canada.

In our local market, Edmonton housing starts are expected to be up 8% in 2013 to 13,900 from 2012. 2014 starts are expected to moderate slightly to about 12,200 which is still a strong growth rate.

Regional non-residential construction activity increased by 5.7% in Alberta for the third quarter of 2013 compared to 2012 according to CMHC's third quarter 2013 Housing Outlook, which also projects that Alberta new home construction will increase 1.8% in 2014 over 2013. This bodes well for continued strong demand for the remainder of 2013 and into 2014 for construction equipment rentals and waste collection services.

Our businesses remained busy throughout the quarter and into the fourth quarter. With cold weather arriving on schedule, our construction and industrial rentals business experienced very strong demand for heating and other winter specific equipment. Utilization of our heater fleet is near 90%. Customers continue to be bullish on their projected workloads and this translates into strong current and future demand for our equipment and services going into the winter months. A good percentage of our heater fleet has been contracted for the entire season easing the daily logistics required to maintain that portion of the fleet. To meet the demand for construction rental equipment we have invested $8.1mm in new equipment in the last 21 months. We believe that this investment will return increased revenues throughout the remainder of 2013 and throughout 2014.

Our oil and gas rentals business had a strong summer and fall as a high percentage of equipment was dedicated to active drilling rigs and long term horizontal drilling and SAGD drilling projects. Sproule - Worldwide Petroleum Consultants is forecasting prices for light Edmonton Par Crude to remain above $89 per barrel through 2018 (Sproule Forecasts, September 30, 2013). In response to the demand for oilfield rentals we have invested $2.7mm in well site rental equipment. The oil and gas rentals business has diversified its customer base through this fleet expansion over the past year and has increased its sales force by 25%.

In our waste facility management business, we commenced shipments to a third party organics facility. Cell construction was completed giving our operated Leduc facility expanded air space for non-hazardous industrial and special waste. Delays in this construction due to abnormally wet weather in the summer caused placement challenges for our special waste and resulted in lower than historical average volumes of material being disposed. Our waste collection business continues to grow revenues and control costs. Their increased volumes lead to better utilization of assets thereby improving margins.

The closing of our recent equity offerings, which resulted in the Company raising approximately $11.85 million, has allowed us to pay down bank loans which were incurred when we acquired TRAC, and will free up cash flow and credit capacity that will allow us to make internal investments in equipment and seek accretive acquisitions for future growth.

Management believes that the Company is in a very strong position and poised for continued growth."

About CERF Incorporated

CERF is in the equipment rental business (the "Equipment Rental Segment") and the waste management business (the "Waste Management Segment") in Alberta. The Equipment Rental Segment includes the rental of residential, commercial and industrial construction related equipment including sales and service of equipment. It also includes the rental and sale of equipment to the drilling and service sectors of the oil and natural gas industry. The Waste Management Segment consists of complete waste facility management (six landfill sites in central Alberta) including waste facility design and construction services, recycling management and collection services, and consulting services. The Waste Management Segment also consists of waste removal and disposal from commercial, industrial and residential customers.

CERF Incorporated trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "CFL" and currently has 16,059,356 common shares issued and outstanding.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included or incorporated by reference in this press release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including management's assessment of expected activity levels throughout 2013 and continuing through 2014, and expected increase in demand for rental equipment over the next year as well as forecasted economic measures for the Province of Alberta and oil prices for light Edmonton Par Crude. Forward-looking statements or information may contain statements with the words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "propose", "budget", "project", "would have realized', "may have been" or similar words suggesting future outcomes or expectations. Although the Company believes that the expectations implied in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements or information are based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of assumptions about the future and uncertainties. These assumptions include that demand for rental equipment will continue to increase and that revenues and earnings will continue to grow, and that the Company will be able to invest in new equipment and/or acquire accretive assets that will add to the Company's future growth and profitability. Although management believes these assumptions are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will be proved to be correct, and actual results will differ materially from those anticipated. For this purpose, any statements herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, industry conditions, weather conditions, commodity prices, currency fluctuations and competition from other companies. The forward-looking statements or information contained in the MD&A are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new contrary information, future events or any other reason, unless it is required by any applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Summarized financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 follow:

CERF INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
(Unaudited)
IN THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN DOLLARS
		September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
Assets
	Current assets
	Accounts receivable	9,162		7,765
	Inventory	1,470		1,369
	Income taxes recoverable	-		590
	Prepaid expenses and deposits	636		297
		11,268		10,021
Non-current assets
	Loan receivable	291		456
	Property and equipment	35,758		35,041
	Intangibles and goodwill	10,966		11,719
		47,015		47,216
Total assets		58,283		57,237
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
	Bank indebtedness	-		1,569
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	6,405		5,771
	Dividends payable	964		700
	Income taxes payable	433		-
	Current portion of long-term debt	1,502		4,430
	Current portion of finance leases	316		451
		9,620		12,921
Non-current liabilities:
	Long-term debt	13,370		19,662
	Obligation under finance leases	4,200		4,420
	Deferred income taxes	2,061		2,190
		19,631		26,272
Total liabilities		29,251		39,193
Shareholders' equity
	Share capital	32,896		22,897
	Warrants	835		-
	Share purchase loans receivable	(148	)	(203	)
	Contributed surplus	724		387
	Deficit	(5,275	)	(5,037	)
		29,032		18,044
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity		58,283		57,237

CERF INCORPORATED
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Unaudited)
IN THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN DOLLARS
		Three months ended			Nine months ended
		Sept. 30, 2013	Sept. 30, 2012		Sept. 30, 2013	Sept. 30, 2012
Revenues		12,697	7,759		34,235	22,518
Direct expenses
	Direct operating costs	7,369	4,889		19,395	13,440
	Cost of sales of equipment, fuel and parts	614	523		1,977	2,052
	Depreciation of equipment	1,349	1,246		4,055	3,325
		9,332	6,658		25,427	18,817
	Gross margin	3,365	1,101		8,808	3,701
Operating expenses
	General and administrative	1,121	955		3,714	2,441
	Depreciation of other property and equipment	30	28		83	71
	Amortization of intangible assets	251	131		753	402
	Business acquisition expenses	-	173		10	191
		1,402	1,287		4,560	3,105
Other expenses
	Finance costs	396	296		1,266	836
	Impairment of goodwill	-	203		-	203
		1,798	1,786		5,826	4,144
Income (loss) before income taxes		1,567	(685	)	2,982	(443	)
Income taxes (recovery)
	Current	137	40		677	268
	Deferred	280	(100	)	180	(304	)
		417	(60	)	857	(36	)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss) for the period		1,150	(625	)	2,125	(407	)
Net income (loss) per share
	Basic	0.08	(0.06	)	0.17	(0.04	)
	Diluted	0.08	(0.06	)	0.17	(0.04	)

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.