Skip to main content

AI assistant

Sign in to chat with this filing

The assistant answers questions, extracts KPIs, and summarises risk factors directly from the filing text.

NRC Group Earnings Release 2022

Aug 18, 2022

3693_rns_2022-08-18_0f490769-4187-424b-bc99-c0200b1603d2.html

Earnings Release

Open in viewer

Opens in your device viewer

Succeeding as a leader in sustainable infrastructure

Succeeding as a leader in sustainable infrastructure

Today, NRC Group provides an update on strategy, operations, markets, financial

development and outlook, including new financial targets and ambitions.

NRC Group's updated strategic priorities are:

· Capitalise on a leading Nordic position

· Continue to improve core processes to increase profitability

· Drive profitable growth through increased revenue from large projects and

potential bolt-on M&A

· Implement best practice across the Nordics to increase competitiveness

· Leverage sustainability as a competitive edge

Updated targets and ambitions:

· Medium-term target of 4-5% EBITA* margin in 2024-2025 period, above 5%

growth p.a. over the cycle plus bolt-on M&A

· Long-term ambition of 5-7% EBITA* margin, above 5% growth p.a. over the

cycle plus bolt-on M&A

· Resume dividend distribution

· 30% CO\2 \emission reduction in 2025 vs. 2021 (scope 1+2)

NRC Group was created to capitalise on strong Nordic infrastructure markets.

Following a consolidation phase with strong organic and M&A driven growth, which

culminated with reduced profitability, the company entered a transformation

phase focused on the integration of acquired companies and operational

improvements. This has led to more robust processes for project selection,

tendering and execution and a strengthened organisation which position NRC Group

for future profitable growth.

"It is time to shift focus from transformation to profitable growth and to

harvest the benefits of our unique Nordic position to succeed as a leader in

sustainable infrastructure. The second quarter was the fifth consecutive quarter

with improved financial performance, showing that our turnaround program is

yielding results ", said Henning Olsen, the CEO of NRC Group. "We will continue

to focus on profitability and core processes in tendering and project execution.

Going forward, we will also capitalise on our leading position in the Nordics,

by utilising competence and capacity across borders."

NRC Group has over the past two years focused on attracting and retaining the

right leadership, project managers and a skilled workforce. The Group has

strengthened project selection and tender processes, the execution model and

portfolio governance. This is reflected in a 2.8% EBITA* margin measured over

the last 12 months (LTM) per second quarter of 2022, compared to 0.9% in 2019.

Order intake and order backlog are at record levels, supporting future revenue

growth. For 2022, we expect a continued positive operational and financial

development with moderate to strong revenue growth and moderate increase in

EBITA* margin compared to 2021.

Long-term outlook

Based on the updated strategy, NRC Group targets an EBITA* margin of 4-5% in the

2024-2025 period. The long-term ambition is to increase the EBITA* margin to 5

-7%. Growth is expected to exceed 5% per year over the cycle in addition to bolt

-on M&A. These targets and ambitions compare to the previously communicated 2024

ambition of NOK 10 billion of revenue at 7% EBITA margin.

"Going forward, our strategic focus will be margin improvement, profitable

growth and increased competitiveness, which all are tightly connected. It is the

same direction we pointed towards back in 2020, but we are shifting more of our

focus towards profitable growth. Growth is important to develop the

organisation, to enable us to take on bigger and more complex projects and to

attain economies of scale.  However, we will not sacrifice margins to growth,"

Henning Olsen continues.

In addition to continuous improvement of core processes, NRC Group targets

increased revenue from larger and more complex projects by leveraging cross

-country resources and capabilities and by sharing and implementing best

practice across the Nordic region. This includes further strengthening the

Group's sustainability position and performance as a builder of sustainable

infrastructure. In the first half of 2022, 88% of the Group's activities were

defined as eligible and 69% aligned according to the EU Taxonomy. The Group is

also considering bolt-on M&A to optimise the value chain.

A combination of improved profitability, working capital management and focus on

a lean asset base has contributed to strengthen NRC Group's financial position.

The goal is to return free cash to equity owners through the resumption of

dividends in line with the policy distributing a minimum 30% of net profit.

Capital markets update and second quarter 2022 presentation today at 10:00 am

(CEST)

CEO Henning Olsen, CFO Ole Anton Gulsvik and the Managing Directors for Norway,

Sweden and Finland will host the combined second quarter 2022 and the CMU

presentation at House of Oslo, Ruseløkkveien 34, Oslo. The event is expected to

last approximately two hours, including Q&A. The presentations will be given in

English.

The presentation will also be broadcasted as a webcast on the following link:

https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20220818_8/

The financial report and presentation are available under the company's ticker

"NRC" on www.newsweb.no and on the company's homepage: www.nrcgroup.com

For further information, please contact:

Henning Olsen, CEO of NRC Group, + 47 91 74 15 92.

Ole Anton Gulsvik, CFO of NRC Group, +47 99 56 85 20

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5

-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This stock exchange announcement was published by Cecilie Blaauw Cock, Marketing

& Communication at NRC Group ASA, on 18 August 2022.

*Before other income and expenses (M&A expenses)