2015-04-28 07:00:02 CEST

2015-04-28 07:00:09 CEST


REGULATED INFORMATION

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YIT - Interim report (Q1 and Q3)

Interim Report January 1 – March 31, 2015: Balance sheet strengthened, successes in big projects


Helsinki, Finland, 2015-04-28 07:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YIT CORPORATION   
          INTERIM REPORT                 APRIL 28, 2015 AT 8:00 A.M. 



Interim Report January 1 - March 31, 2015: Balance sheet strengthened,
successes in big projects 



Unless otherwise noted, the figures in brackets refer to the corresponding
period in the previous year. 

January-March 2015 (Segment reporting, POC)

  -- Revenue decreased by 7% to EUR 374.9 (403.1) million. At comparable
     exchange rates, revenue increased by 1%.
  -- Operating profit amounted to EUR 20.5 (26.9) million and operating profit
     margin was 5.5% (6.7%).
  -- Operating cash flow after investments amounted to EUR 15.1 (-12.3) million.
  -- Order backlog increased by 2% from the end of December, amounting to EUR
     2,169.8 million.

Guidance for 2015 unchanged (segment reporting, POC)

The Group revenue growth is estimated to be in the range of -5 - 5% at
comparable exchange rates. 

The operating profit margin excluding non-recurring items is estimated to be
below the level of 2014. 

Kari Kauniskangas, President and CEO:

In 2015, we have continued our efforts to improve capital efficiency and to
maintain a strong cash flow. At the same time, we have built our future by
actively advancing our promising projects, such as the Tripla-project in
Pasila, and by investing in new plots for example in Prague in the Czech
Republic. With respect to the first quarter of the year, I am also particularly
pleased that we managed to maintain the downward trend in our net debt, and our
financial standing improved. 

As expected, the business environment in our main markets, Finland and Russia,
has continued to be demanding, but the first quarter nevertheless included many
successes. A consortium formed by YIT and Meridiam was selected as the
preferred bidder for the E18 motorway between Hamina and Vaalimaa, and we also
won several business premises contracts in Finland and the CEE countries.
Activity has also been good in investor sales in both business premises and
housing. Alltogether, during the last quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of
2015 we have secured projects worth over EUR 500 million, which will strengthen
our order backlog in the coming quarters. 

In housing, our business developed particularly well in the CEE countries,
where both the unit sales and revenue grew strongly, and profitability improved
substantially from the comparison period. 

In Russia, YIT's reputation as a reliable operator bore fruit, and housing
sales continued at a reasonable level considering the circumstances. We kept
residential start-ups at a lower level than in the comparison period; three new
projects were started to maintain the operating volume. 

I am also very pleased to note that, despite the challenges in our operating
environment, our recent personnel survey indicates that the commitment of our
personnel and the quality of leadership within the company have improved
broadly. 

Key figures

Segment reporting, POC

EUR million                                1-3/15   1-3/14       Change  1-12/14
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue                                     374.9    403.1          -7%  1,801.2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Finland and CEE                     183.6    172.9           6%    726.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Russia                               71.3    108.5         -34%    474.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business Premises and Infrastructure        120.1    121.1          -1%    599.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other items                                  -0.1      0.6                   1.4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit                             20.5     26.9         -24%    114.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit margin, %                   5.5%     6.7%                  6.3%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit excluding non-recurring     20.5     26.9         -24%    126.4
 items                                                                          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Finland and CEE                      14.2     16.8         -15%     63.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Russia                                6.2     12.2         -49%     55.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business Premises and Infrastructure          3.1      0.2         over     20.4
                                                             thousand %         
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other items                                  -3.0     -2.3                 -13.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit margin, % excluding         5.5%     6.7%                  7.0%
 non-recurring items                                                            
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Finland and CEE                      7.7%     9.7%                  8.8%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Housing Russia                               8.7%    11.2%                 11.8%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business Premises and Infrastructure         2.6%     0.2%                  3.4%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit before taxes                          10.3     18.2         -43%     75.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit for the review period1                 7.8     14.3         -45%     56.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share, EUR                      0.06     0.11         -45%     0.45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating cash flow after investments        15.1    -12.3                 151.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return on investment (last 12 months), %     7.5%    10.2%                  7.7%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equity ratio at end of period, %            35.2%    35.0%                 32.4%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net interest-bearing debt at end of         600.7    766.6         -22%    616.6
 period                                                                         
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Order backlog at end of period            2,169.8  2,696.7         -20%  2,125.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Attributable to equity holders of the parent company



Group reporting, IFRS

EUR million                                     1-3/15   1-3/14  Change  1-12/14
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue                                          394.0    403.2     -2%  1,778.6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit                                  27.1     23.2     17%     94.8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit margin, %                        6.9%     5.8%             5.3%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit excluding non-recurring          27.1     23.2     17%    107.3
 items                                                                          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating profit margin, %                        6.9%     5.8%             6.0%
excluding non-recurring items                                                   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit before taxes                               22.4     18.8     19%     74.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profit for the review period1                     17.5     14.6     20%     55.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earnings per share, EUR                           0.14     0.12     17%     0.44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating cash flow after investments             15.1    -12.3            151.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Order backlog at end of period                 2,550.1  3,146.4    -19%  2,507.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invested capital at end of period              1,374.3  1,555.8    -12%  1,431.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return on investment (last 12 months), %          6.8%     7.0%             6.4%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effective tax rate, %                            22.1%    22.4%            24.9%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Attributable to equity holders of the parent company

                                          3/15    3/14  Change   12/14
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Net interest-bearing debt, EUR million   678.0   840.3    -19%   696.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gearing ratio, %                        117.3%  132.1%          129.9%
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Equity ratio, %                          32.1%   31.6%           29.2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Events after the review period

In April, residential sales to consumers are estimated to be around 140 units
in Finland, around 70 units in the CEE countries and around 250 units in
Russia. 

Outlook for 2015

Guidance (segment reporting, POC)

The Group revenue growth is estimated to be in the range of -5 - 5% at
comparable exchange rates. 

The operating profit margin excluding non-recurring items is estimated to be
below the level of 2014. 

In addition to the market outlook, the guidance is based on the following
factors: At the end of March, 43% of YIT's order backlog was sold, in addition
to which the company had signed a significant number of pre-agreements.
Projects already sold and signed pre-agreements are estimated to contribute
approximately 40% of the Q2-Q4/15 revenue. The rest of the revenue estimate is
based on estimated new sales during the remainder of the year and capital
release actions. 

Operating profit margin excluding non-recurring items will be burdened by the
following factors, in addition to the demanding market situation: The share of
Housing Russia segment of the Group revenue is estimated to decrease due to the
weakening of the ruble and the decline in the production volume, which will
impact the operating profit margin negatively. In addition, the share of
revenue coming from residential sales to investors, which has lower margin than
consumer sales, and contracting is estimated to increase in Finland.
Approximately half of the over EUR 380 million capital release program, started
in autumn 2013, was carried out by the end of March. The execution of the
program will be continued actively in 2015, and the capital release actions are
estimated to have a negative effect on the operating profit margin. 

Market outlook

Finland

In Finland, the macroeconomic uncertainty is estimated to affect the
residential and business premises markets also in 2015. 

Consumers are cautious, and the demand is expected to focus on small apartments
in growth centres, whereas the investor demand is expected to remain good.
Residential price development is estimated to be polarized especially between
small and large apartments. Access to mortgage financing is estimated to remain
good. 

In Finland, the demand for business premises is estimated to remain modest. The
real estate investors' interest is estimated to pick up with focus on prime
locations in the capital region. Opportunities are seen in contracting. 

Russia

The visibility is  weak in Russia and economic uncertainty is estimated to have
a negative impact also on the residential market. Consumers' purchasing power
is estimated to weaken, and the construction costs to increase. Residential
price development involves uncertainties. The demand is estimated to focus
especially on small apartments that are either close to completion or
completed. 

The mortgage rates are expected to remain stable thanks to the government's
mortgage subsidy program. 

The CEE countries

In the CEE countries the residential and business premises markets are expected
to be supported by the improved economic situation. Access to mortgage
financing is estimated to remain good and residential prices to increase
moderately. 

News conference for investors and media

YIT will arrange a news conference on April 28, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Finnish time
(EEST) at YIT's head office, Panuntie 11, 00620 Helsinki, Finland. The event is
in English and targeted for analysts, portfolio managers and the media. 

Webcast

The news conference and presentation by the President and CEO of YIT
Corporation Kari Kauniskangas can also be followed through a live webcast at
www.yitgroup.com/webcast. The live webcast starts at 10:00 a.m. (EEST) and a
recording of the webcast will be available at approximately 12:00 noon (EEST)
at the same address. 

Conference call

The news conference can be participated also through a conference call.
Conference call participants arerequested to dial in at least five minutes
prior to the start of the conference, at 9:55 a.m. (EEST), to number +44 20 319
40552. 

During the webcast and conference call, all questions should be presented in
English. At the end of the event the media has the possibility to ask questions
also in Finnish. 

Schedule in different time zones

            Interim Report published  The investor and analyst  Recorded webcast
                                        event, conference call         available
                                              and live webcast                  
EEST (Helsinki)                08:00                     10:00             12:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CEST (Paris,                   07:00                     09:00             11:00
 Stockholm)                                                                     
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BST (London)                   06:00                     08:00             10:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US EDT (New York)              01:00                     03:00             05:00



For additional information, please contact:

Timo Lehtinen, Chief Financial Officer, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 45 670 0626,
timo.lehtinen@yit.fi 
Sanna Kaje, Vice President, Investor Relations, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 50
390 6750, sanna.kaje@yit.fi 





YIT CORPORATION

Kari Kauniskangas
President and CEO



Distribution: NASDAQ OMX, principal media, www.yitgroup.com

YIT is a construction industry leader. We create better living environments in
Finland, Russia, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Over
100 years of experience have secured us a strong market position: we are the
largest housing developer and one of the largest business premises and
infrastructure developers in Finland, and the most significant foreign housing
and area developer in Russia. Our vision is to stay one step ahead - while
taking care of our customers, partners and personnel. We have nearly 6,000
employees in seven countries. In 2014, our revenue amounted to around EUR 1.8
billion. Our share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. www.yitgroup.com