(Oslo, 14 February 2025) Axactor ASA (Axactor, OSE: ACR) announce fourth quarter
and full year financial results.
The figures for both the fourth quarter and the full year 2024 are heavily
impacted by two key events in the final quarter of the year, which were
announced 19 November 2024:
- Axactor sold Spanish NPL portfolios for a gross sales price of EUR 83 million.
The impact on cash metrics from the sale was substantial and elevates the gross
revenue and cash EBITDA figures. The transaction was made at an average premium
of 2% over book value, and thus have limited impact on total revenue and the net
result. The improvement in cash metrics nonetheless ensures compliance with bond
covenants and enables deleveraging.
- Axactor made significant downward revisions to its forward collection curves
after seeing a challenging collection environment across most of its markets.
The net impact from these NPL revaluations for the quarter ended at EUR -104
million, affecting the total revenue, net result and book values for the period.
The revaluations do not have any cash impact, and the revalued claims remain
valid and continue to accrue interests where applicable. If the collection
environment improves beyond the Group's expectations, the claims are still
collectible and may represent an upside potential. Axactor has a total of EUR
16.5 billion in debt under management within the NPL segment per the end of
2024, spread across 964 thousand individual claims.
Despite recognizing a significant NPL revaluation, Axactor's balance sheet
remains tangible and strong with a healthy equity ratio of 26%. The proceeds
from the Spanish portfolio sale were partly used to buy back bond loans at
sub-par values, as Axactor continue deleveraging and preparing for the upcoming
loan maturities in 2026.
"The portfolio sale in Spain at attractive terms, in addition to our repurchase
of the 2026 bond, demonstrates Axactor's commitment to value creating
transactions such as potential further accretive bond repurchases and portfolio
divestures in 2025," says CEO Johnny Tsolis, and continues:
"Although our near-term outlook has been taken down, we have also significantly
reduced the risk in our balance sheet. The revaluations will help us improve our
collection performance versus forecasts and we have created covenant headroom
through the Spanish portfolio sale. We expect reduced interest expenses from
both falling IBOR curves and reduced debt, and will continue our focus on cost,
collections and efficiency, which in total provides a solid outlook for the
coming quarters."
Key figures Q4 2024 (change from continuing operations Q4 2023 in brackets)*
- Gross revenue of EUR 161m (up 89%)
- Total revenue of EUR -43m (down EUR 108m)
- EBITDA of EUR -74m (down EUR 108m)
- Cash EBITDA of EUR 130m (up 135%)
- Profit after tax of EUR -85m (down EUR 94m)
- NPL investments of EUR 34m (up 39%)
Key figures full year 2024 (change from continuing operations 2023 in brackets)*
- Gross revenue of EUR 415m (up 21%)
- Total revenue of EUR 128m (down 50%)
- EBITDA of EUR 9m (down 93%)
- Cash EBITDA of EUR 298m (up 35%)
- Profit after tax of EUR -79m (down EUR 113m)
- NPL investments of EUR 128m (up 10%)
Presentation
10:00 am CET, 14 February 2025: The results will be presented in a global
investor webcast with a live Q&A session. A recording of the webcast will be
made available after the live stream is concluded on axactor.com.
Webcast participation will be possible via the following. Please note that you
need to register before you will be provided with streaming access or phone
number, access code and pin.
Streaming:
- https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/692271048
Phone:
- https://www.netroadshow.com/events/login?show=9796c011&confId=75442
For additional information, please contact:
Johnny Tsolis, CEO, Axactor
Tel: +47 913 35 461
E-mail: johnny.tsolis@axactor.com
Kyrre Svae, Chief of Strategy & IR, Axactor
Tel: +47 478 39 405
E-mail: kyrre.svae@axactor.com
To learn more about Axactor, visit www.axactor.com
*EBITDA and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and
reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section of the
financial report.
This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU
Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant
to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange
announcement was published by Eilif Drageseth, Deputy Chief Financial Officer at
Axactor ASA, on 14 February 2025 at 07:00 CET.