EANS-News: SALZGITTER AG - key data for the financial year 2012
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annual result/Key data
Salzgitter (euro adhoc) - Economic environment in the euro area determines the
financial year 2012
- External sales up by more than EUR 500 million
- Pre-tax result burdened by an extremely challenging steel market
- Equity ratio higher than 40 %; net financial position of half a billion euros
- Guidance for the financial year 2013: stable sales and earnings before tax
in the lower double-digit million euro range
In 2012, the Salzgitter Group was exposed to an extremely challenging economic
environment. Declining selling prices in the European steel market, compounded
by high input materials and energy costs and temporary capacity underutilization
in the Tubes Division, could not be compensated by the positive development of
the Trading and Technology divisions and a gratifying profit contribution by the
25 % holding in Aurubis AG. With an equity ratio of 41 % and a net financial
position of EUR497 million, the company has a sound balance sheet and a solid
financial footing, as before.
Boosted first and foremost by the considerable growth in international steel
trading, the Group's external sales rose by 6 % to EUR 10,397.2 million (2011:
EUR 9,839.5 million). Earnings before tax stood at EUR -29.4 million (2011: EUR
201.6 million). This figure comprises risk provisions, impairment and negative
effects from reporting-date related market valuations, which were offset on
balance by the release of inventory risk provisions. The result after tax of
EUR -99.8 million (2011: EUR 236.0 million) includes non-cash deferred income
tax expenses of EUR 62.3 million that became necessary under the International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) owing to a revaluation of tax loss
carryforwards capitalized to date. The Group's loss carryforwards remain
available in their actual amount and can be used in subsequent periods. The
return on capital employed (ROCE) stood at 1.3 % (2011: 5.6 %).
External sales by Division (EUR million):
FY 2012 (FY 2011)
Steel 2,654.7 (2,739.7)
Trading 4,646.8 (3,903.9)
Tubes 1,559.5 (1,686.8)
Services 412.4 (457.3)
Technology 1,093.6 (966.6)
Other 30.2 (85.3)
Group 10,397.2 (9,839.5)
Earnings before tax (EBT) by Division (EUR million):
FY 2012 (FY 2011)
Steel -176.3 (25.7)
Trading 77.1 (60.6)
Tubes 7.8 (67.3)
Services 15.9 (19.6)
Technology 9.5 (-79.1)
Other/Consolidation 36.7 (107.4)
Group -29.4 (201.6)
The weak - and hardly reliable - economic forecasts for Germany and above all
for Europe naturally hamper providing valid and detailed guidance for the
results of the Salzgitter Group. The assumption being that general conditions do
not deteriorate further over the period covered by guidance, we anticipate
stable sales in 2013 and earnings before tax in the lower double-digit million
euro range. Furthermore, there may be additional effects from the implementation
of the "Salzgitter AG 2015" Group project.
As in recent years, we make reference to the fact that opportunities and risks
from currently unforeseeable trends in selling prices, input material prices and
capacity level developments, as well as changes in the currency parity, may
considerably affect performance in the course of the financial year 2013. The
resulting fluctuation in the consolidated pre-tax result may, as current events
show, be within a considerable range, either to the positive or to the negative.
The dimensions of this range become clear if one considers that, with around 12
million tons of steel products sold by the Steel, Trading and Tubes divisions,
an average EUR 25 contraction in the margin per ton is sufficient to cause a
variation in the annual result of more than EUR 300 million. Moreover, the
accuracy of the company's planning is restricted by the volatile cost of raw
materials and shorter contractual durations, both on the procurement and on the
sales side.
Additional information can be found in the press release published today, which
is found at www.salzgitter-ag.de. The annual report for the financial year 2012
will be published on March 22, 2013.
Further inquiry note:
Markus Heidler
Deputy Head of Investor Relations
+49 (0) 5341/21-6105
heidler.m@salzgitter-ag.de
end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: Salzgitter AG
Eisenhüttenstraße 99
D-38239 Salzgitter
phone: +49 (0) 5341-21-3783
mail: info@salzgitter-ag.de
WWW: http://www.salzgitter-ag.de
sector: Iron & Steel
ISIN: DE0006202005
indexes: Midcap Market Index, MDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
stockmarkets: free trade: Hannover, Berlin, München, Hamburg, Düsseldorf,
Stuttgart, regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt
language: English