- In a year-to-year comparison, the weak global economic trend in all regions and industries has remained unchanged.
- However, cautious signs of an economic stabilization are anticipated in the next months.
- With a level of pricing that is almost unchanged overall, voestalpine has a stable, high level of capacity utilization in all divisions and at all the major production sites.
- Implementation of the HBI (sponge iron) project in Texas is on schedule.
- Revenue and results are almost unchanged compared to the immediately preceding quarter; margins slightly improved.
- At EUR 2,936.1 million, revenue in the first quarter of 2013/14 is 3.8% below the previous year’s figure (EUR 3,050.6 million) in a year-to-year comparison due to lower raw materials prices.
- Results largely stable: At EUR 366.3 million, operating result (EBITDA) is currently only 1.6% below the figure in the first quarter of the previous year (EUR 372.4 million) despite a weaker economic environment. At EUR 223.3 million, profit from operations (EBIT) is down 2.1% compared to the previous year’s figure (EUR 228.0 million).
- Profitabiliity slightly improved: EBITDA margin is 12.5% compared to 12.2% in the previous year; EBIT margin is at 7.6% compared to 7.5% year-over-year.
- At EUR 138.6 million, profit for the period is 4.3% below that of the first quarter of 2012/13 (EUR 144.9 million).
- Equity as of June 30, 2013 (EUR 5,159.9 million) is up by 1.7% compared to equity as of the reporting date of March 31, 2013 (EUR 5,075.3 million).
- Net financial debt is largely stable: EUR 2,272.4 million as of June 30, 2013 compared to EUR 2,259.2 million as of March 31, 2013.
- Compared to March 31, 2013, gearing ratio (net financial debt in percent of equity) fell by 0.5 percentage points to 44.0%.
- Number of employees (full-time equivalent) rose by 1% from 46,351 to a new record figure of 47,154 employees due to the newest acquisitions.