2014-11-05 11:01:00 CET

2014-11-05 11:01:04 CET


REGULATED INFORMATION

Finnish English
Metsäliitto Osuuskunta - Interim report (Q1 and Q3)

Metsä Group’s operating result for january–september 2014 excluding non-recurring items was eur 301 million


Metsä Group Interim Report 1-9/2014, Stock Exchange Release 5 November 2014 at
noon EET 


Result for January-September
- Sales amounted to EUR 3,723 million (1-9/2013: EUR 3,719 million).
- Operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 301 million (256).
Operating result including non-recurring items was EUR 333 million (247). 
- Result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 238 million (171).
Result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR 262 million (162). 
- Return on capital employed excluding non-recurring items was 11.1 per cent
(9.0). 
- Cash flow from operations amounted to EUR 374 million (295).

Result for July-September
- Sales amounted to EUR 1,204 million (7-9/2013: EUR 1,214 million).
- Operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 104 million (73).
Operating result including non-recurring items was EUR 103 million (63). 
- Result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 81 million (41).
Result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR 79 million (31). 
- Return on capital employed excluding non-recurring items was 10.7 per cent
(7.4). 
- Cash flow from operations amounted to EUR 180 million (170).

Events in the third quarter
- Sales amounted to EUR 1,204 million (7-9/2013: EUR 1,214 million).
- Operating result excluding non-recurring items was EUR 104 million (73).
Operating result including non-recurring items was EUR 103 million (63). 
- Result before taxes excluding non-recurring items was EUR 81 million (41).
Result before taxes including non-recurring items was EUR 79 million (31). 
- Return on capital employed excluding non-recurring items was 10.7 per cent
(7.4). 
- Cash flow from operations amounted to EUR 180 million (170).

Events after the period
- Mika Joukio, M.Sc. (Tech.), MBA, started as CEO of Metsä Board Corporation on
1 October 2014. 
- In October, Metsä Wood announced it would launch a performance improvement
programme consisting of sales growth projects, cost savings and structural
changes. 


“The third quarter operating result excluding non-recurring items was at the
higher end of our guidance. The results of pulp and paperboard businesses were
at a good level, as expected. Tissue and cooking papers increased its operating
result considerably from the previous quarter. 

Metsä Group has maintained its solid financial performance by means of
cost-efficiency and high productivity. Because economic growth in Europe is at
a standstill and no market recovery is in sight, we are also seeking growth
outside of our main market Europe, in particular in North America and Asia. Our
paperboard business is on a good growth track in North America, and our wood
products industry has also strengthened its position outside Europe.
Approximately one quarter of our pulp deliveries are shipped to Asia, which is
an interesting market area for our other business operations as well. 

We are continuing our systematic investments in order to ensure our long-term
competitiveness. From the government we expect measures which safeguard a
favourable operating environment for the Finnish export industry and thus
ensure continued industrial production in Finland.” 

Kari Jordan, President & CEO, Metsä Group


Metsä Group

Income statement, EUR million               2014    2013    2014    2013    2013
The figures for 2013 are restated            1-9     1-9     7-9     7-9    1-12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Sales                                          3       3       1       1       4
                                           722.8   719.4   203.6   213.9   938.7
Other operating income                     141.2    55.9    16.9    16.7    81.0
Operating expenses                            -3      -3      -1      -1      -4
                                           342.3   332.9   054.5   099.7   427.7
Depreciation and impairment losses        -188.9  -195.8   -63.1   -67.9  -257.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating result                           332.7   246.7   102.9    63.0   335.0
Share of results from associated            14.5     9.5    -0.9     0.1     9.6
 companies and joint ventures                                                   
Exchange gains and losses                   -1.2    -1.9    -0.0    -2.0    -4.6
Other net financial items                  -83.7   -92.0   -22.6   -30.1  -116.2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Result before income tax                   262.3   162.4    79.4    31.0   223.8
Income tax                                 -58.6   -45.4   -17.4   -10.6   -35.1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Result for the period                      203.7   117.0    62.0    20.4   188.7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Profitability                          2014   2013   2014  2013   2013
The figures for 2013 are restated       1-9    1-9    7-9   7-9   1-12
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating result, EUR million         332.7  246.7  102.9  63.0  335.0
- ” -, excluding non-recurring items  300.9  255.6  104.3  72.6  342.9
- ” -, % of sales                       8.1    6.9    8.7   6.0    6.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Return on capital employed, %          12.0    8.7   10.6   6.4    8.9
- ” -, excluding non-recurring items   11.1    9.0   10.7   7.4    9.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Return on equity, %                    13.6    8.3   12.4   4.4    9.9
- ” -, excluding non-recurring items   12.0    9.0   12.6   6.4   10.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------



Financial position                             2014   2013   2014   2013    2013
The figures for 2013 are restated             30.9.  30.9.  30.6.  30.6.  31.12.
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Equity ratio, %                                38.5   35.9   37.9   34.8    37.9
Net gearing ratio, %                             62     85     70     90      77
Interest-bearing net liabilities, EUR         1 258  1 604  1 389  1 669   1 510
 million                                                                        
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SEGMENTS

Sales and        Wood Supply          Wood    Pulp   Paperboard and   Tissue and
 Operating        and Forest      Products  Indust   Paper Industry      Cooking
 result             Services      Industry      ry                        Papers
1-9/2014, EUR                                                                   
 million                                                                        
Sales                1 177.5         681.0   958.6          1 509.0        755.2
Other operating          4.5           6.8    30.3             49.0          7.1
 income                                                                         
Operating           -1 161.1        -637.3  -777.8         -1 372.2       -692.9
 expenses                                                                       
Depreciation            -2.3         -22.1   -47.6            -76.0        -28.7
 and impairment                                                                 
losses                                                                          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating               18.6          28.4   163.4            109.8         40.7
 result                                                                         
Non-recurring            1.5           0.8   -20.3            -10.2          0.4
 items                                                                          
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating               20.1          29.2   143.1             99.6         41.0
 result                                                                         
excluding                                                                       
 non-recurring                             
 items                                                                          
- " -, % of              1.7           4.3    14.9              6.6          5.4
 sales                                                                          
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Near-term outlook

Metsä Forest buys wood from across the country, primarily from stands harvested
when the ground is unfrozen. Winter thinning stands are purchased in limited
volumes, mainly from active contract customers. This is due, among other
things, to an inability to carry out some of the thinnings planned for last
winter because of the poor weather conditions, which were then moved to the
upcoming winter harvest. 

Sales in the wood products industry are expected to grow slightly in the fourth
quarter compared to both the third quarter and the corresponding period in the
previous year. The strengthening exchange rate of the US dollar supports the
sales prices and competitiveness of wood products in markets outside Europe.
The balance between demand and supply in sawn timber has weakened due to
increased supply in the Nordic countries. The production of sawn timber might
have to be restricted during the remainder of the year. The weak trend in
construction in our main markets in Europe decreases demand for wood products.
In other markets demand is picking up. The market balance for softwood plywood
is still good. 

The global demand for softwood pulp is expected to continue to grow moderately,
and softwood pulp supply and demand are expected to be in balance in the near
future as well. The capacity utilisation rates of Metsä Fibre's mills are
expected to remain at a good level in the last quarter of the year. 

Compared to the previous quarter, the delivery volumes of folding boxboard and
white-top fresh forest fibre linerboard are expected to decrease slightly in
the last quarter of 2014 due to the seasonally weak month of December. The
delivery volumes of papers are expected to remain at approximately the same
level as in the third quarter. 

Demand in the tissue paper market is expected to continue to grow in all market
areas and particularly in eastern Central Europe. 

Metsä Group's operating result excluding non-recurring items in the last
quarter of 2014 is expected to be approximately on the same level as in the
third quarter of 2014. 


Disclosure procedure
Metsä Group follows the disclosure procedure enabled by Standard 5.2b published
by the Finnish Financial Supervision Authority and hereby publishes its Interim
Report for January-September 2014 enclosed to this stock exchange release.
Metsä Group's complete Interim Report is attached to this release in pdf-format
and is also available on the company's web site at www.metsagroup.com. 


METSÄ GROUP
Group Communications

For further information, please contact:
Vesa-Pekka Takala, CFO, Metsä Group, tel. +358 (0)10 465 4260
Reeta Kaukiainen, SVP, Communications, Metsä Group, tel. +358 (0)10 465 4541,
+358 (0)50 522 0924 


www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products' main raw
material is renewable and sustainably grown northern wood. Metsä Group focuses
on tissue and cooking papers, consumer packaging paperboards, pulp, wood
products, and wood supply and forest services. Its high-quality products
combine renewable raw materials, customer-orientation, sustainable development
and innovation. Metsä Group's sales totalled EUR 4.9 billion in 2013, and it
employs approximately 11,000 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries.
Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by
approximately 123,000 Finnish forest owners.