Kazakhstan Kagazy PLC / Half-yearly Results
10.07.2014 17:22

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EquityStory.RS, LLC - a company of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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10 July 2014

KAZAKHSTAN KAGAZY PLC ANNOUNCES UNAUDITED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR H1 2014*
Almaty, Kazakhstan - Kazakhstan Kagazy PLC (KAG LI) (the 'Group') announces its non-audited consolidated financial results for the 6 months period ended 30 June 2014 (the 'Period').

On February 11 the Kazakh Tenge ('KZT') was devalued by 19%. As a result all financial indicators are 19% lower when being converted into US$ ('the conversion effect'). The average exchange rates used for the Period and 2013 are 176.4 and 150.9 KZT per US$, respectively. This amounts to an average 14% decline in the value of the KZT against the US$.
Financial highlights

- Group revenue of US$ 28.0 million (US$ 33.5 million a year ago)
- Gross profit of US$ 10.8 million (US$ 16.9 million a year ago)
  - Gross margin of 38.4% (50.6% a year ago) 

- EBITDA before exceptional items of US$ 4.2 million (US$ 8.6 million a     year ago).

- EBIT before exceptional items of US$ 2.7 million (US$ 6.9 million a     year ago)

- Operating Cash Flows of US$ 3.3 million (US$ 8.7 million a year ago)
The Group's revenue has dropped by US$ 5.5 million, out of which US$ 4,7 million is attributable to the conversion effect and the rest to a drop in sales volumes of corrugated packaging.

The Group's EBITDA dropped US$ 4,4 million, out of which US$ 1,2 million is attributable to the conversion effect and the rest, US$ 3,2 million to higher costs, mainly higher prices of waste paper (US$ 1.9 million) and US$ 1 million higher purchasing costs for chemicals and spare parts in hard currency.

Operational highlights

Paper Business


Production of paper for the Period amounted to 26.3 thousand tons compared to 26.8 thousand tons for the same period of 2013.
Production of corrugated packaging for the Period amounted to 40.5 million square meters compared to 47.7 million square meters for the same period of 2013.

Sales of paper to third parties for the Period amounted to 10.1 thousand tons compared to 8.7 thousand tons for the same period of 2013.
Sales of corrugated packaging for the Period amounted to 40.4 million square meters compared to 47.4 million square meters for the same period of 2013.

The average selling price of paper and corrugated packaging increased 12% and 7%, respectively.

Despite sales volumes of corrugated products contributing by 10.2%, overall revenue fell only by 2.0%, due to the increase of paper and cardboard sales 1% and higher selling prices for both paper 0.6% and corrugated packaging 6.6%.

Logistics Business


***
This segment is comprised solely of revenues from the Class B logistics business, as the Class A and Container Terminal businesses were disposed to Investment Fund of Kazakhstan as of January 2013. The revenue of our Class B business dropped by US$ 0.3 million due to the conversion effect and US$ 0.1 million due to lower occupancy rates. Occupancy rate was 87% for the Period compared to 97% for the same period 2013.

Financial statements for previous years are available at http://kazakhstankagazy.com/en/investor-relations/reports.html/
*Note: Q2 2013 results differ from those announced previously as in January 2014 the Group disposed of its Class A and Container terminal business
For more information please contact:

Mr. Sadyr Shaguzhayev +7 727 244 02 08
Head of Investor Relations    ir@kagazy.kz

The content of this document includes forward-looking statements. These relate to Kazakhstan Kagazy's future prospects, developments and strategies, including statements regarding target returns. Forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as 'believe', 'could', 'would', 'envisage', 'estimate', 'intend' 'seek', 'may', 'plan', 'will' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These statements are based on Kazakhstan Kagazy's current beliefs, assumptions and expectations of its future performance, and are subject to risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Accordingly, these beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors that may cause Kazakhstan Kagazy's business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and actual returns to vary materially and target returns to be revised from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. None of the data in this statement has been audited and where any reference is made in this statement to the past performance of investments by persons associated with Kazakhstan Kagazy or other investments, you should bear in mind that such information is not necessarily indicative of the future performance of the relevant investments or of Kazakhstan Kagazy's future performance.


10.07.2014 EquityStory.RS, LLC's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

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Language:           English
Company:            Kazakhstan Kagazy PLC
                    33-37 Athol Street
                    IM1 1LB Douglas
                    Isle of Man
Phone:              +7-727-244-87-87
Fax:                +7-727-244-87-82
E-mail:             ir@kagazy.kz
Internet:           www.kazakhstankagazy.com
ISIN:               US48667M2035
Listed:             London
Category Code:      IR
TIDM:               KAG
Sequence Number:    2114
Time of Receipt:    Jul 10, 2014 17:22:21
 
End of Announcement EquityStory.RS, LLC News-Service  

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