Interim Report May-January 2016/17

Third Quarter

• Gross order intake amounted to SEK 3,653 M (2,616), an increase of 40 percent in SEK and 34 percent based on constant exchange rates.
• Net sales was SEK 2,673 M (2,547), an increase of 5 percent in SEK and an increase of 1 percent based on constant exchange rates.
• EBITA* amounted to SEK 325 M (335) before items affecting comparability of SEK -58 M (-91) and bad debt losses of SEK -1 M (-72).
• The effect from changes in exchange rates compared with last year was approximately SEK 30 M (-10) including hedges.
• EBITA* margin was 12 percent (13).
• Operating result was SEK 144 M (56).
• Net income amounted to SEK 42 M (7). Earnings per share was SEK 0.11 (0.01) before/after dilution.
• Cash flow after continuous investments improved to SEK 223 M (150). Cash outflow related to the transformation program and legal processes was SEK -134 M (-79).
• Two new MR-linac customers added, in line with local regulatory requirements.

May-January 2016/17

• Gross order intake amounted to SEK 9,698 M (8,583), an increase of 13 percent in SEK and 11 percent based on constant exchange rates.
• Net sales was SEK 6,989 M (7,614), a decrease of 8 percent and 10 percent based on constant exchange rates. The decline is mainly related to one-off effects from implementing the produce-to-order process.
• EBITA* amounted to SEK 882 M (855) before items affecting comparability of SEK -264 M ( 139) and bad debt losses of SEK -30 M (-107).
• The effect from changes in exchange rates compared with last year was approximately SEK 240 M (20) including hedges.
• EBITA* margin increased to 13 percent (11).
• Operating result was SEK 250 M (267).
• Net income amounted to SEK 33 M (67). Earnings per share was SEK 0.08 (0.16) before/after dilution.
• Cash flow after continuous investments improved by SEK 295 M to SEK 28 M (-267). Cash outflow related to the transformation program and legal processes was SEK -454 M (-96).

*Adjusted for items affecting comparability (restructuring costs and costs for legal processes, see details on pages 18-19) and bad debt losses.

President and CEO comments

We delivered a strong order growth of 34 percent in the third quarter and 11 percent for the first nine months. MR-linac, the next generation of radiation therapy systems, continued to break new ground. Our activities related to the transformation program are progressing and delivering in line with defined targets for cost savings and margins. We are honored that our MOSAIQ® Oncology Information System has been recognized as Category Leader for the sixth time by KLAS, an independent research firm specializing in the performance of healthcare vendors.

Order growth was strong during the quarter and we moved our positions forward in all product areas. Europe, Middle East and Africa showed very strong performance with significant order bookings such as two MR-linac systems and New Karolinska Solna, Sweden. The development in Asia Pacific was solid and we saw continued strong growth in China. Our activities to strengthen the operations in the US are showing progress, but I am not satisfied and have initiated additional measures for improved performance.

The interest in our paradigm shifting MR-linac continues to grow. We already have agreements for 12 systems. This is in accordance with our plan and I am convinced that we will reach our target of 75 orders before the end of the 2019 calendar year.

This was the first quarter after fully implementing our produce-to-order process. Net sales increased by 5 percent in SEK and by 1 percent based on constant exchange rates. Linear accelerator shipments were lower compared with last year and approximately SEK 100 M of planned linac revenues were shifted into the fourth quarter. This was due to our strict implementation of the produce-to-order process.

Gross margin increased slightly in the quarter. Currency effects were lower than expected as a result of the recent strengthening of SEK and GBP. The effect in the third quarter was SEK 30 M, which can be compared with SEK 95 M in the second quarter. We are well on our way to reaching our savings target and currently we have realized an annualized rate of SEK 535 M. On 12-month rolling, our EBITA-margin was 16 (14) percent and we reiterate the ambition to reach an EBITA-margin exceeding 20 percent for next fiscal year.

Our cash flow has improved further through activities for working capital reduction. Compared to last year cash flow has increased by SEK 650* M and the net working capital to sales ratio is now at 1 percent.

We have a strong order backlog going into the fourth quarter and compared with the same period last year we plan to deliver substantially more from the backlog.

We continue to strengthen our management team and the organization. Karin Svenske Nyberg has joined us as Executive Vice President Human Resources and Ioannis Panagiotelis joined us as Chief Marketing Officer.

The transformation program is well under way and we do what we say by continuously improving our processes. Our global Elekta team is deeply committed to providing our customers with highly innovative radiation treatment solutions that help them improve the lives of people with cancer or brain diseases. 

Richard Hausmann
President and CEO

*Cash flow after continuous investments. Adjusted for items affecting comparability of SEK 358 M (refer to page 4), related to cash outflow attributable to legal processes and the transformation program.

Financial calendar

Shareholder information

Conference call
Elekta will host a telephone conference at 10:00-11:00 CET on March 1, with president and CEO Richard Hausmann and CFO Håkan Bergström.

To take part in the conference call, please dial in about five minutes in advance.

Swedish dial-in number: +46 (0) 2 00 88 38 17
UK dial-in number: +44 (0) 203 008 98 01
US dial-in number: +1 646 502 51 18

The telephone conference will also be broadcasted live online (listen only). Please use the link:
http://event.onlineseminarsolutions.com/r.htm?e=1359272&s=1&k=D733C45D47631CEF4632451586C25F7C

This is information that Elekta AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication at 07:30 CET on March 1, 2017.

For further information, please contact:
Håkan Bergström
CFO
Elekta AB (publ)
+46 8 587 25 547
[email protected]

Johan Andersson
Director Investor Relations
Elekta AB (publ)
+46 8 587 25 415
[email protected]

Tobias Bülow
Director Financial Communications
Elekta AB (publ)
+46 8 587 25 734
[email protected]