Earnings Release • Feb 15, 2023
Earnings Release
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FIRST SENSOR AG, BERLIN
Dear Shareholders and Business Partners,
First Sensor has enjoyed a successful first quarter in the 2023 financial year. At €30.7million, sales have not yet achieved the anticipated level. The supply problems for certain components are still ongoing. We are therefore experiencing higher inventory levels primarily as a result of higher semifinished products due to the on-going supply chain challenges. Moreover, the relocation of production from Dortmund is not yetfully complete, hence the absence of these sales contributions. However, we are confident that we will see a catch-up effect in the quarters to come.
By contrast, there was already an encouraging trend in profitability in the first quarter. Despite substantial increases in the costs of materials, the EBIT margin was 5.6% and thus slightly higher than the range intended for the 2023 financial year of between 3% and 5%. This is also a result of the closer cooperation with the TE Connectivity group sales organization and provides a good foundation for the rest of the year.
The integration into the TE Connectivity Group is now almost complete. First Sensor products are now sold by the TE Connectivity sales organization. This means that we can supply customers in approximately 140 countries, which should have a very positive effect on sales. The investment in the capacity expansion at the Berlin-Oberschöneweide site and the relocation of production from the TE Connectivity site in Dortmund are well underway. They are the basis for the company's medium- and long-term growth trajectory.
With all these measures, we are plotting the course for First Sensor's ongoing future success as a part of the TE Connectivity Group. This is a connection that is proving fruitful not just for our customers, but also our suppliers, our employees and not least our shareholders. We are delighted by your interest in the ongoing development of our company and by your constructive support. As usual, we will keep you informed about the next steps in our journey.
The Executive Board
Thibault Kassir Robin Maly Dirk Schäfer
The First Sensor Group generated sales of €30.7million in the first quarter of the 2023 financial year (October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023) after €29.1million in the same period of the previous year. This translates into a sales increase of 5.5% and is therefore not yet in line with the growth rates expected for the full financial year. This modest start to the financial year is partially due to the unavailability of individual components, which is holding up deliveries to customers, and the fact that the relocation of production from Dortmund to Berlin is not yet fully complete and consequently the absence of these sales contributions.
Earnings have improved significantly as against the same period of the previous year in the first quarter of 2023. EBIT amounted to €1.7million (previous year: €-973 thousand) with an EBIT margin of 5.6% (previous year: -3.3%). Changes in inventories of finished goods and work in progress had a positive effect, partly offset by significant increases in the cost of materials.
Overall, first-quarter sales have not yet reached the level that would be necessary to achieve the guidance for the year of €130 to €140million. Significant catch-up effects are anticipated in the quarters to come. By contrast, profitability was already slightly higher than the range planned for an EBIT margin of between 3% and 5% for the year.
| € thousand | Q1: Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. 2021 |
Q2: Jan. 1 to Mar. 31, 2022 |
Q3: Apr. 1 to Jun. 30, 2022 |
Q4: Jul. 1 to Sept. 30, 2022 |
Q1 FY 2023 |
Absolute change (Q1/Q1) |
in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 29,124 | 27,043 | 30,230 | 28,973 | 30,722 | 1,598 | 5.5 |
| Product sales | 29,124 | 27,043 | 30,230 | 28,973 | 29,370 | 246 | 0.8 |
| Sales from services | - | - | - | - | 1,352 | 1,352 | - |
| Incoming orders | 34,300 | 56,260 | 32,650 | 13,243 | 25,081 | -9,219 | -26.9 |
| Orders on hand | 101,250 | 129,470 | 111,553 | 106,852 | 102,563 | 1,313 | 1.3 |
| Book-to-bill | 1.16 | 1.56 | 1.06 | 1.21 | 1.17 | -- | -- |
Order intake in the first quarter of the financial year fell by 26.9 percent year-on-year to €25.1 million (previous year: €34.3 million). Nevertheless, the order backlog still amounted to €102.6 million (previous year: €101.3 million). This results in a rolling book-to-bill ratio of 1.17, which signals a positive development for the further course of the financial year.
The First Sensor Group generated sales of €30.7million in the first quarter of the 2023 financial year (October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023) after €29.1million in the same period of the previous year. Sales development was initially slightly lower than planning, indicating sales of between €130million and €140million for the year.
The cost of materials rose significantly by 31.5% to €17.2million (previous year: €13.0 million), predominantly as a result of price increases. The cost of materials ratio rose accordingly to 55.9% after 44.8% in the same period of the previous year. Thanks to a sharp increase in finished goods and work in progress of €4.4million (previous year: €-0.4million), gross profit nonetheless improved to €17.7million (previous year: €16.3million).
Staff costs declined slightly by 2.4% to €10.4million (previous year: €10.7million). In conjunction with the rise in sales, the staff costs ratio thus fell to 33.9% (previous year: 36.7%). Other operating expenses likewise declined significantly by 11.8% to €4.3million (previous year: €4.8million). Operating EBITDA improved to €3.0million (previous year: €0.7million) with an EBITDA margin of 9.9% (previous year: 2.6%).
| € thousand | Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021 |
Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022 |
Absolute change | in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 29,124 | 30,722 | 1,598 | 5.5 |
| Other operating income | 506 | -275 | -782 | 154.4 |
| Changes in inventories of finished goods and work in progress | -388 | 4,407 | 4,795 | - |
| Other own work capitalized | 51 | 16 | -35 | -68.2 |
| Cost of materials/cost of purchased services | -13,040 | -17,157 | -4,117 | 31.5 |
| Gross profit | 16,254 | 17,713 | 1,459 | 9.0 |
| Staff costs | -10,678 | -10,426 | 251 | -2.4 |
| Other operating expenses | -4,830 | -4,259 | 571 | -11.8 |
| EBITDA | 746 | 3,028 | 2,282 | 305.9 |
| Depreciation and amortization | -1,719 | -1,287 | 432 | -24.6 |
| EBIT | -973 | 1,727 | 2,701 | - |
| Financial result | -237 | 38 | 275 | - |
| PROFIT BEFORE TAXES | -1,210 | 1,765 | 2,976 | - |
| Income taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| PROFIT OR LOSS FOR THE PERIOD | -1,210 | 1,765 | 2,976 | - |
Depreciation and amortization temporarily declined to €1.3million (previous year: €1.7million) as some investments have not yet been completed and have therefore not been capitalized. This resulted in EBIT of €1.7million (previous year: €-1.0million). The EBIT margin was 5.6% (previous year: -3.3%) and thus slightly higher than the planned range of between 3% and 5%.
A profit of €1.8million is reported for the first three months of the financial year (previous year: loss of €-1.2million). This corresponds to earnings per share outstanding of €0.17 (previous year: €-0.12).
| ASSETS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| € thousand | Sept. 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 | Absolute change |
| Non-current assets | 70,702 | 74,020 | 3,318 |
| Inventories | 39,715 | 43,247 | 3,532 |
| Trade receivables | 16,396 | 16,218 | -178 |
| Current assets | 992 | 452 | -540 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 36,543 | 22,221 | -14,322 |
| Total ASSETS | 164,348 | 156,158 | -8,190 |
Total assets declined by €8.2million as against September 30, 2022 to €156.2million (September 30, 2022: €164.3million). Within assets, there were significant changes in cash funds, comprising cash and cash equivalents and receivables from shareholders (cash pooling), which declined by €14.3million to €22.2million (September 30, 2022: €36.5million).
| € thousand | Sept. 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 | Absolute change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | 124,360 | 126,282 | 1,922 |
| Non-current financial liabilities | 9,738 | 12,429 | 2,691 |
| Non-current liabilities | 2,723 | 2,432 | -291 |
| Current financial liabilities | 6,271 | 124 | -6,147 |
| Trade payables | 11,733 | 6,866 | -4,867 |
| Current liabilities | 9,524 | 8,025 | -1,499 |
| Total EQUITY AND LIABILITIES | 164,348 | 156,158 | -8,190 |
As a result of a further reduction in total assets since September 30, 2022, the equity ratio climbed from 75.7% to 80.9% over the course of the first quarter. Within equity and liabilities, there were significant changes in current financial liabilities, which were repaid in full as planned by the end of the year. Similarly, trade payables declined by €4.9million to €6.9million (September 30, 2022: €11.7million) as a result of optimized processes in the shared service center.
After the end of the first quarter of 2023, First Sensor has a positive net cash position of €9.9million, €3.9million lessthan at the end of the previous reporting period.
| € thousand | Sept. 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 | Absolute change | in % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital | 45,168 | 45,681 | 513 | 1.1 |
| Capital employed | 122,561 | 125,918 | 3,357 | 2.7 |
Working capital changed only insignificantly over first quarter of 2023 and amounts to €45.7 million (30 September 2022: €45.2million). Capital employed increased by €3.4million to €125.9million.
| Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. 2021 |
Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. 2022 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Operating cash flow | 2,300 | -5,592 |
| Cash flow from investing activities | -1,681 | -5,096 |
| Cash flow from financing activities | -1,380 | -3,634 |
| Free cash flow | 618 | -10,688 |
After the first quarter, the cash flows from operating activities amounts to €-5.6million after a positive figure of €2.3million in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year. The cash flow from investing activities rose sharply to €-5.1million (previous year: €-1.7million) as a result of ongoing capacity expansion. The cash flow from financing activities was defined by repayments and amounted to €-3.6million. Free cash flow is negative at €-10.7million after three months.
| Sept. 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 | Absolute change | Δ in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share capital (€) | 51,612,480 | 51,637,480 | 25,000 | 0.05 |
| Number of shares (weighted, diluted) | 10,307,988 | 10,326,131 | 18,143 | 0.2 |
| Number of shares (basic) | 10,313,876 | 10,333,500 | 19,624 | 0.2 |
| April 25, 2023 | 2023 Annual General Meeting |
|---|---|
| May 15, 2023 | Publication of interim report (half-year report) as of March 31, 2023 |
| August 15, 2023 | Publication of quarterly statement on Q3 2023 |
Peter-Behrens-Strasse 15 12459 Berlin Germany
Tel +49 (0) 30 639923 – 760 Fax +49 (0) 30 639923 – 719 e-mail: [email protected] Website www.first-sensor.com/de/investor-relations
First Sensor AG has prepared this quarterly statement in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). However, this report was not prepared in line with IAS 34, Interim Financial Reporting, and has been neither audited nor reviewed by an auditor. The amounts presentedmay differ from the exact mathematic amounts as a result of rounding effects. The quarterly statement contains forward-looking statements. The actual results may differ significantly from the expectations for future development.
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