Natural Resource Partners L.P. Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results and Declares Third Quarter 2025 Distribution of $0.75 per Common Unit

HOUSTON, Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Natural Resource Partners L.P. (NYSE:NRP) today reported third quarter 2025 results as follows:

Highlights:

• Generated $41.8 million of free cash flow in the third quarter of 2025

• Paid second quarter 2025 common unit distribution of $0.75 per unit

• Declares third quarter 2025 common unit distribution of $0.75 per unit

"NRP continues to generate substantial free cash flow despite ongoing depressed market conditions for all three of our key commodities," said Craig Nunez, NRP's president and chief operating officer. "NRP generated $42 million of free cash flow in the third quarter of 2025 and $190 million of free cash flow over the last twelve months. Consistent with our communications over the last year, we anticipate weak coal and soda ash prices but expect to continue generating sufficient free cash flow to achieve our deleveraging goals.”

NRP announced today that the board of directors of its general partner declared a third quarter 2025 cash distribution of $0.75 per common unit to be paid on November 25, 2025, to unitholders of record on November 18, 2025. Future distributions on NRP's common 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

Mineral Rights

Mineral Rights net income for the third quarter of 2025 increased $0.2 million as compared to the prior year period. Mineral Rights operating cash flow and free cash flow decreased $9.2 million and $9.1 million, respectively, as compared to the prior year period. The decreases in operating and free cash flow were primarily due to lower metallurgical coal sales prices and volumes as compared to the prior year period. Approximately 70% of coal royalty revenues and approximately 50% of coal royalty sales volumes were derived from metallurgical coal in the third quarter of 2025.

Although metallurgical and thermal coal prices saw a modest uptick at the end of the third quarter, NRP expects lower pricing levels for both commodities for the foreseeable future. Metallurgical coal markets remain weak due to soft global steel demand and thermal markets remain encumbered by low natural gas prices and ample coal stockpiles at power plants.

The markets for NRP's carbon neutral revenue opportunities also remain weak. NRP was notified in the third quarter that Oxy was dropping its subsurface carbon sequestration lease on NRP acreage in Polk County, Texas. NRP believes the burdens on the industry, including high capital and operational costs, insufficient revenue streams, and an uncertain regulatory environment, continue to create formidable barriers that operators have yet to overcome.

Soda Ash

Soda Ash net income in the third quarter of 2025 decreased $10.5 million as compared to the prior year period primarily due to lower sales prices in 2025. Operating cash flow and free cash flow each decreased $6.4 million in the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the prior year period due to not receiving a cash distribution from Sisecam Wyoming in the third quarter of 2025, after receiving $7.8 million of distributions in the first half of the year.

The significantly oversupplied soda ash market coupled with ongoing weak demand for flat glass due to lower global construction activity and sluggish demand for new automobiles and solar panels is degrading the outlook for soda ash prices in 2026. NRP continues to believe international soda ash prices are at or below the cost of production for many operators with no catalyst for market rebalancing in sight. NRP expects this weak pricing environment to continue for the foreseeable future and that distributions received from Sisecam Wyoming will not resume until high-cost supply is forced out of the market or global soda ash demand growth catches up with supply, which could take several years.

Corporate and Financing

Corporate and Financing net income increased $2.6 million, while operating cash flow and free cash flow each increased $2.5 million in the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the prior year period. These increases were primarily due to lower interest expense and cash paid for interest in the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the prior year period due to less debt outstanding.

In August 2025, NRP paid a second quarter 2025 cash distribution of $0.75 per common unit. Today, NRP declared a third quarter 2025 cash distribution of $0.75 per common unit.

NRP repaid $32 million of debt in the third quarter and had $190.1 million of available liquidity at September 30, 2025, consisting of $31.0 million of cash and cash equivalents and $159.1 million of borrowing capacity available under its revolving credit facility.

NRP's consolidated leverage ratio was 0.4 x at September 30, 2025.

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: https://registrations.events/direct/Q4I154486. 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 conference call we suggest registering at minimum 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

Concurrent with this announcement, we are providing qualified notice to brokers and nominees that hold NRP units on behalf of non-U.S. investors under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b) and (d) and Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446(f)-4(c)(2)(iii). Brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100%) of NRP's distributions to non-U.S. investors as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. In addition, brokers and nominees should treat one hundred percent (100%) of the distribution as being in excess of cumulative net income for purposes of determining the amount to withhold. Accordingly, NRP's distributions to non-U.S. investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at a rate equal to the sum of the highest applicable rate plus ten percent (10%).

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 properties in the United States including coal, industrial minerals and other natural resources, as well as rights to conduct carbon sequestration and renewable energy activities. NRP also owns an equity investment in Sisecam Wyoming LLC, one of the world’s lowest-cost producers of soda ash.

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: future distributions on the Partnership’s common 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; Sisecam 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) less equity earnings from unconsolidated investment; 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, 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 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. 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 plus distributions from unconsolidated investment in excess of cumulative earnings and return of long-term contract receivable; less maintenance and expansion capital expenditures and cash flow used in acquisition costs classified as investing or financing activities. 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.

"Leverage ratio" represents the outstanding principal of NRP's debt at the end of the period divided by the last twelve months' Adjusted EBITDA as defined above. NRP believes that leverage ratio is a useful measure to management and investors to evaluate and monitor the indebtedness of NRP relative to its ability to generate income to service such debt and in understanding trends in NRP’s overall financial condition. Leverage ratio may not be calculated the same for NRP as for other companies and is not a substitute for, and should not be used in conjunction with, GAAP financial ratios.

-Financial Tables and Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures Follow- 

Natural Resource Partners L.P.
Financial Tables
(Unaudited)

The following table presents NRP's unaudited business results by segment for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 and June 30, 2025: