TKH Group wants to put business units on display again in the coming years. The technology group will further focus on automation and electrification, top executive Alexander van der Lof said Tuesday before the opening of the Amsterdam stock exchange. It is still unknown which parts are involved. The proceeds from the sales will TWEKA€37,48--use for building out core technologies and distributions to shareholders.
The reason for further portfolio sharpening is that the company is not yet at the point where it would have liked to be by now. "We have achieved many of the milestones we defined for this period, but also due to geopolitical developments and the resulting market headwinds, we have not realized our full potential within the time frame," Van der Lof said in a note. The company will share further details at an investor day in September.
Investment company HAL announced a 3.5% minority stake in technology group TKH last year and expanded it to 5.2% in February. The rumor mill about a potential stock market exit or division split thus reared its head. HAL, which also owns FD Mediagroep, rarely takes a small stake in a company and TKH's three divisions are worth more independently than together, according to analysts.
Recovery in fourth quarter
Manufacturing company TKH on Tuesday reported full-year adjusted operating profit (ebita) of €203 mln, excluding non-recurring costs of €4 mln. This is in line with the expectation the company expressed last November. At the time, the company adjusted the range for expected profit to between €200 mln and €210 mln, a reduction of €10 mln. The reason was a weak third quarter due, among other things, to start-up problems at the new plant in Eemshaven, Groningen, where sea cables are produced. Full-year net profit fell 40% to €99.5 mln.
There were signs of recovery in the fourth quarter. Revenue rose organically by 4.7% to €452 mln with growth in all segments. TKH proposes a dividend of €1.50 per share, up from €1.70 the year before.
For this year, the Haaksbergen-based company is counting on growth, despite an expected weak first quarter. The technical defects at the Eemshaven plant have been largely resolved, allowing production to start this quarter. TKH further reports a record order book of €1.14 bln.
source: FD