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Published: 2018-07-25 09:56:20 CEST
Harju Elekter Group
Half Year financial report

Harju Elekter Group financial results, 1-6/2018

Estonia, 2018-07-25 09:56 CEST -- In Q2, many orders that were delayed in Q1 continued to be performed. Production and sales for Estonian, Finnish and Lithuanian enterprises began swiftly and sales revenue has increased in this area significantly. Primarily, sales of substations to Finland increased. H1 as well Q2 began much more modestly for Swedish companies, in the case of which the execution of the new substations contract only began at the end of Q2 and new large orders were also received at the end of the reporting quarter. In H1, preparation and development costs continued to increase in order to execute the Swedish and Finnish procurement contracts that had already been won and to integrate newly acquired businesses.

  Change January-June Change April - June Year
(thousand euros) % 2018 2017 % 2018 2017 2017
Sales revenue 40.4 59,837 42,622 34.9 33,851 25,102 102,668
Gross profit 25.8 8,146 6,476 26.2 4,802 3,805 15,625
EBITDA -8.5 2,647 2,894 -2.5 1,797 1,844 7,587
EBIT -34.1 1,398 2,123 -19.9 1,166 1,455 5,442
Profit for the period -95.7 1,140 26,389 -1.5 1,038 1,023 29,132
incl attributed to Owners of the Company  -95.5  1,180 26,356 6.6 1,047 982 29,129

The Group's consolidated revenue increased by 34.9% to 33.9 million euros in the reporting quarter. The consolidated sales revenue of the half-year increased by 40.4% and reached 59.8 million euros compared to the reference period. The boost in sales volumes was due to the increase in order volumes and the acquisition of new business combinations in the second half of 2017 and in January 2018.

During the reporting quarter 81.5% (Q2 2017: 89.3%) of revenue was earned from the Manufacturing segment, Real Estate and Unallocated activities contributed 18.5% (Q2 2017: 10.7%) of the consolidated sales revenue. In H1, the Manufacturing segment contributed 80.5% (H1 2017: 90.4%) of the consolidated sales revenue. The sales revenue of the Real Estate segment increased by 0.2 million euros to 0.6 million euros in Q2 and by 0.3 million euros to 1.2 million euros in H1, compared to the reference period. The increase in the sales revenue in the Real Estate segment compared to the previous period is related to a long-term major tenant leaving the Group’s rental space at the beginning of 2017, which reduced the sales revenue of the reference period. The new production and storage buildings completed in the Allika industrial park in autumn 2017 and rented out to AS Stera Technologies AS and the Laohotell that was taken into use at the beginning of the current year have halted the decrease in the sales revenue of the Real Estate segment and increased the rental income of this year. The sales revenue of Unallocated activities has increased by 3.4 million euros to 5.7 million euros in the quarterly comparison, and in first 6 months by 7.3 million euros up to 10.4 million euros.  Electrical installation work, which was added to the Group since second half of 2017, contributed over 90% of the segment’s sales revenue.

The sales revenue increased by 8.7 million euros in Q2 and by 17.2 million euros in half-year comparison, of which 5.9 million euros in the reporting quarter and 10.7 million euros in H1 came from the increase in sales of electrical equipment. Important part of the 27.5% growth of the electrical equipment sales came from the purchase of a Swedish subsidiaries.

In Q2 2018, the Group’s sales revenue earned outside Estonia accounted for 89.5% (Q2 2017: 80.8%) increasing by 10.0 million to 30.3 million euros and in the first half of the year for 89.4% (H1 2017: 79.4%) increasing by 19.6 million to 53.5 million euros.

The Group's largest market is Finland. Both, in the reporting quarter and in the first half of the year, 70.0% of the Group's products and services were sold on the Finnish market (68.3% and 67.6% respectively in 2017). In the quarterly comparison, sale to the Finnish market has grown by 6.5 million euros to 23.7 million euros and in the first 6 months by 44.6% i.e. 12.8 million euros up to 41.7 million euros. Half of the growth in the reporting quarter sales revenue came from the Finnish subsidiary Telesilta Oy, acquired in June 2017, but also large-scale contracts concluded with Finnish grid companies in the years 2016-2017 were behind the growth.

In Q2 2018, the sales to Swedish market has fourfold in quarterly comparison and increased to 3.0 million euros. In H1, sales to Sweden have increased by 3.4 million euros to 5.0 million euros, accounting for 8.3% (H1 2017: 3.7%) of the total sales revenue. The growth came from Group’s and Group’s subsidiaries purposeful work to increase market share in Sweden and combining new companies to the Group. AS Harju Elekter Elektrotehnika participation in several tenders resulted a 3-year frame agreement to deliver substations to E.ON Energidistribution AB. The deliveries of substation will start in Q3.

While comparing the quarters, sales to the Norwegian market decreased by 0.4 million euros but increased in the half-year comparison by 1.0 million euros to 3.3 million euros and stayed at 5.5% of the consolidated sales revenue. As the sale of the Group’s Lithuanian subsidiary has been directed towards other European countries, the Lithuanian market continues to decline.

Due to the low level of investment in the energy distribution sector, sales to the Estonian market in the second quarter decreased by 26.3% to 3.5 million euros and accounted for 10.5% of the consolidated sales revenue of the reporting quarter. In H1, sales to the Estonian market decreased by 27.4% i.e. 2.4 million euros to 6.4 million euros and accounted for 10.7% of the consolidated sales revenue of H1 2018.

Sales from other markets were majority earned from Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, where 1.7 million, 0.7 million and 0.5 million euros were earned respectively.

Operating expenses increased by 38.1% i.e. 9.0 million euros in the second quarter and 44.3% i.e. 17.9 million euros in a half-year compared to the reference periods. The main reason for the upsurge in costs was the increase in the cost of sales:  by 7.8 million euros in Q2 2018 and by 15.5 million euros in H1 compared to the reference periods, exceeding the growth rate of sales revenue, while decreasing the gross profit margin by 1.0 percentage point and 1.6 percentage point respectively, compared to the reference periods. The labour costs of the reported period have increased due to the need to hire new employees to the Group because of increased production volumes as well as the wage pressure. Moreover, the number of employees in Group’s subsidiaries in Finland and Sweden has also increased, with the wage level being significantly higher than in the Group’s other enterprises. Labour costs increased by 52.0% up to 6.5 million euros in Q2 and by 52.7% up to 12.2 million euros in H1. The rate of labour costs accounted for 19.3% (Q2 2017: 17.2%) of the reporting quarter and for 20.4% (H1 2017: 18.7%) of the first 6-months period sales revenue. The Group's distribution costs increased by 0.4 million euros to 1.4 million euros in Q2 and by 0.8 million euros to 2.6 million euros in H1. The rate of distribution costs accounted for 4.2% (Q2 2017: 4.1%) of the sales revenue in the reporting quarter and stood stable in 4.3 % in H1, compared to the reference periods.

The Group has incurred expenditures on the preparation of new procurements and completing the acquisition of new subsidiaries in 2018. Besides that, the exponential rise in the volume of specific orders has brought with it the need to hire additional specialists. The higher salary levels of the top managers of the new subsidiaries in Sweden and Finland also affected the costs. All this has increased administrative expenses by 0.9 million euros in Q2 and has grown the rate of administrative expenses to revenue to 6.5% (Q2 2017: 5.3%). In H1, administrative expenses amounted 4.1 million euros increasing by 1.6 million euros and the rate of administrative expenses to revenue was 6.9% (H1 2017: 5.9%). The growth in administrative expenses is mainly due to the increase in development costs.

In Q2 2018, an average of 713 employees worked in the Group, which was 171 people more than in the comparable period. In H1 2018, an average of 696 employees worked in the Group, which was 180 people more than in the reference period. At the end of the reporting period, there were 752 people working in the Group, which was 170 persons more than a year earlier. From the beginning of the year, the number of employees increased by 122 people, incl. 53 people in Q2. With the acquisition of SEBAB AB and Grytek AB, 45 employees were added to the Group and 7 more in Q2. In the reporting quarter, 4,906 (Q2 2017: 3,308) thousand euros and 9,281 (H1 2017: 5,925) thousand euros during the first 6 months were paid to the employees as salaries and fees. In H1, the average monthly salary per employee of the Group was 2,221 euros, an average increase of 307 euros compared to the reference period.

In the reporting quarter, the gross profit of the Group was 4,802 (Q2 2017: 3,805) thousand euros and the gross profit margin was 14.2% (Q2 2017: 15.2%). In H1, the consolidated gross profit was 8,146 (H1 2017: 6,476) thousand euros and the gross profit margin was 13.6% (H1 2017: 15.2%). The decline in profitability was caused by the raw material price as well as the significant increase in sales volume in the Swedish market, where margins are lower. According to the London stock exchange the customs tariffs change initiated by the US has brought all metal ore, except for aluminium, into decline. The price change could be reflected in Q3-4.

In Q2, the Group’s operating profit was 1,166 (Q2 2017: 1,455) thousand euros and EBITDA 1,797 (Q2 2017: 1,844) thousand euros. Return of sales for the reporting quarter was 3.4% (Q2 2017: 5.8%) and return of sales before depreciation 5.3% (Q2 2017: 7.3%). In H1, the Group’s operating profit was 1,398 (H1 2017: 2,123) thousand euros and EBITDA 2,647 (H1 2017: 2,894) thousand euros. Return of sales for the first half of the year was 2.3% (H1 2017: 5.0%) and return of sales before depreciation 4.4% (H1 2017: 6.8%). Integrating newly acquired businesses has increased distribution and development costs. Preparations for new and already won procurements continue, leading to higher development costs, and due to hiring new specialists, increase labour costs. The profitability was also affected by one-off expenses due to the move of AS Harju Elekter Teletehnika into new premises.

The profit before taxes for the reporting quarter was 1,497 (Q2 2017: 1,448) thousand euros. The calculated income tax expense of last three months was 459 (Q2 2017: 425) thousand euros. In Q2, the consolidated net profit was 1,038 (Q2 2017: 1,023) thousand euros, of which the share of the owners of the Company was 1,048 (Q2 2017: 982) thousand euros. EPS in the Q2 2018 was 0.06 euros (Q2 2017: 0.06 euros).

In H1, the profit before taxes was 1,726 (H1 2017: 26,953) thousand euros and the calculated income tax expense was 586 (H1 2017: 564) thousand euros. All in all, the consolidated net profit in H1 was 1,140 (H1 2017: 26,389) thousand euros, of which the share of the owners of the Company was 1,180 (H1 2017: 26,356) thousand euros. EPS in the H1 2018 was 0.07 euros (H1 2017: 1.49 euros). The consolidated net profit without extraordinary income of the H1 2017 (the result of one-time financial income from the sale of the PKC Group Oyj shares in amount of 24,839 thousand euros) was 1,550 thousand euros.

In H1 2018, the Group has made a total of 4.6 (H1 2017: 4.5) million euros worth of investments to fixed assets, incl. acquisitions through business combinations amounted to 1.0 (H1 2017: 0.7) million euros and the ongoing developments in Allika Industrial Park in amount of 1.0 (H1 2017: 2.9) million euros.

During H1 2018, Harju Elekter’s share in Nasdaq Tallinn increased by 3.2% from 5.00 euros up to 5.16 euros.

Andres Allikmäe
Chairman of the Management Board
+372 674 7400

For more information: Tiit Atso, CFO, +372 674 7400 or Interim report 1-3/2018

AS HARJU ELEKTER        
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET,30.06.2018        
Unaudited        
         
EUR'000        
ASSETS                                                   30.06.18 31.12.17    
Cash and cash equivalents 2,997 10,992    
Available-for-sale financial assets 5,251 9,935    
Trade receivables and other receivables 24,248 13,575    
Prepayments 1,204 1,118    
Prepaid income tax 204 56    
Inventories 19,832 13,037    
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS                     53,736 48,713    
Deferred income tax asset 56 56    
Other long-term financial investments 4,696 4,684    
Investment property 18,528 17,881    
Property, plant and equipment 13,896 11,983    
Intangible assets 7,359 6,660    
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 44,535 41,264    
TOTAL ASSETS                              98,271 89,977    
LIABILITIES AND OWNERS' EQUITY                   
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 3,893 625    
Advances from customers 1,678 1,088    
Trade payables and other payables 18,239 12,802    
Tax liabilities   3,423 2,106    
Income tax liabilities 69 270    
Short-term provision 44 245    
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES                 27,346 17,136    
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES             4,233 2,910    
TOTAL LIABILITIES                         31,579 20,046    
Share capital                             11,176 11,176    
Share premium 804 804    
Restricted reserves                       2,715 2,844    
Retained earnings                         51,978 55,048    
TOTAL OWNERS' EQUITY                       66,673 69,872    
Non-controlling interests 19 59    
TOTAL EQUITY                       66,692 69,931    
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND OWNERS' EQUITY      98,271 89,977    
         
         
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT,  
1-6/2018
       
Unaudited        
EUR’000 Q2 2018 Q2 2017 6m 2018 6m 2017
         
Revenue 33,851 25,102 59,837 42,622
Cost of goods sold -29,049 -21,297 -51,691 -36,146
Gross profit 4,802 3,805 8,146 6,476
Distribution costs -1,431 -1,028 -2,592 -1,824
Administrative expenses -2,187 -1,322 -4,116 -2,504
Other income 24 28 38 30
Other expenses -42 -28 -78 -55
Operating profit 1,166 1,455 1,398 2,123
Finance income 343 0 353 24,846
Finance costs -12 -7 -25 -16
Profit from normal operations 1,497 1,448 1,726 26,953
Corporate income tax -459 -425 -586 -564
Profit for the period, attributable to 1,038 1,023 1,14 26,389
   owners of the Company 1,047 982 1,18 26,356
   non-controlling interests -9 41 -40 33
Basic earnings per share  (EUR) 0.06 0.06 0.07 1.49
Diluted earnings per share  (EUR) 0.06 0.06 0.07 1.49

Tiit Atso
CFO
+372 674 7400


HE_H12018_eng.pdf