UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant To Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES REPORTS FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS

 OF $0.97 PER SHARE, or $1.07 PER SHARE, EXCLUDING SPECIAL ITEMS

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Highlights:

·	Strong Operating Margins in all Segments

·	MTI China Sales Grew 22% in the First Quarter

·	New Satellite PCC Contract in Indonesia

·	Performance Materials Segment Realignment

NEW YORK, May 4—Minerals Technologies Inc. (NYSE: MTX) today reported first quarter diluted earnings per share of $1.07, excluding special items.  Reported earnings were $0.97 per share.

"We had a solid first quarter. All of our businesses performed well and we continued to expand the Company's operating margins," said Douglas T. Dietrich, Chief Executive Officer. "We saw significant growth across all of our businesses in China this quarter and continue to grow our PCC business throughout Asia with the signing of an agreement for an additional 165,000 tons in Indonesia," said Mr. Dietrich.

Worldwide net sales in the first quarter were $405.0 million compared with $410.2 million in 2016.  Operating income, as reported, was $61.7 million and represented 15.2 percent of sales, as compared with $57.6 million, or 14.0 percent of sales in the prior year. Consolidated income from operations, excluding special items, grew 6 percent to $63.5 million compared with $60.1 million in the prior year. Operating margins, excluding special items, improved 7 percent to 15.7 percent of sales from 14.7 percent of sales in the prior year as productivity improved 8 percent over last year.

During the first quarter, the Company announced the reorganization of its Performance Materials and Construction Technologies businesses into one operating segment – Performance Materials, consisting of five focused product lines to improve customer alignment and to accelerate growth.

Sales in the Minerals businesses, which include the Specialty Minerals and Performance Materials segments, increased slightly to $316.1 million.  Operating income for the Minerals businesses was $53.2 million and represented 16.8 percent of sales compared with 17.1 percent of sales in the first quarter of 2016.

Sales in the Performance Materials segment increased 6 percent to $169.9 million compared with $159.6 million in the prior year. Sales in the Metalcasting product line increased 11 percent to $66.6 million principally due to higher volumes in China. Basic Minerals sales increased 67 percent due primarily to higher bulk sales of chromite. Household, Personal Care and Specialty Products sales were lower due to lower Fabric Care sales in China.  In addition, Building Materials and Environmental Products sales were lower due to severe weather conditions impacting several large projects in the western United States. Operating income increased 2 percent to $28.8 million and represented 17.0 percent of sales.  The Performance Materials segment provides a wide range of bentonite-based and synthetic materials for industrial and consumer markets and for non-residential construction, environmental remediation and infrastructure projects worldwide.

First quarter worldwide sales for the Specialty Minerals segment, which consists of the Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) and Processed Minerals product lines, were $146.2 million. Income from operations for the segment was $24.4 million, and operating margin improved slightly to 16.7 percent of sales.

Worldwide sales of PCC, which is used mainly in the manufacturing processes of the paper industry, were $93.4 million compared with $103.2 million in the prior year. The decrease in sales was due to several plant shutdowns which occurred in 2016 and was partially offset by 9 percent higher sales in China.

First quarter net sales of Processed Minerals products were $35.8 million, the same level as the prior year.  Ground Calcium Carbonate sales increased 4 percent and Talc sales decreased 5 percent from the prior year. Processed Minerals products are used in the building materials, polymers, ceramics, paints and coatings, glass and other manufacturing industries.

The Service-related businesses, which include the Refractories and Energy Services segments, had a strong quarter despite continued weakness in the energy sector. Sales of $88.9 million in the first quarter were 6 percent lower than the same period last year. Operating income for the Service-related businesses, excluding special items, increased 47 percent to $11.2 million in the current year and was 12.6 percent of sales compared with 8.0 percent of sales last year.

First quarter sales in the Refractories segment, which provides products and services primarily to the worldwide steel industry, increased 1 percent to $70.2 million compared with $69.2 million in the first quarter of 2016. Higher volumes of Refractories Products and increased equipment sales were partially offset by lower sales of Metallurgical Products. The Refractories segment operating income, excluding special items, increased 33 percent to $9.2 million, and was 13.1 percent of sales compared with 10.0 percent of sales in the prior year.

Energy Services segment sales were $18.7 million for the first quarter, a 28-percent decrease from the prior year, primarily due to the exit of certain on-shore service lines in the second quarter of 2016. Operating income, excluding special items, was $2.0 million compared with $0.7 million last year and represented 10.7 percent of sales as compared with 2.7 percent of sales in the prior year. Energy Services offers a range of patented technologies, products and services for off-shore filtration and well testing to the worldwide oil and gas industry.

The Company incurred special charges in the quarter related to debt modification costs of $3.9 million and restructuring and acquisition-related integration costs of $1.8 million. The combined effect of these non-recurring items reduced earnings by $0.10 per share.

 "Our solid first quarter financial performance provides us with a good start to 2017," said Mr. Dietrich. "We are well-positioned to grow earnings again this year."

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Minerals Technologies will host a conference call tomorrow, May 5, 2017 at 11 a.m. The conference call will be broadcast live on the company web site: www.mineralstech.com.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which describe or are based on current expectations. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations. In addition, any statements that are not historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates," and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this document should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect our businesses, particularly those mentioned in the risk factors and other cautionary statements in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For further information about Minerals Technologies Inc. look on the internet at http://www.mineralstech.com

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