Conference Call with Tata Steel Management and Analysts on Q1FY24 Performance and Outlook. Listen to the full earnings transcript.
Tata Steel announced Q1FY24 results: Consolidated Revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 59,490 crore. EBITDA was Rs 6,122 crore and EBITDA margin was 10%. Consolidated Profit after Tax stood at Rs 525 crore. Profitability was affected by non-cash deferred tax charges on account of buy-in transactions at the British Steel Pension Scheme. With this, the insurance buy-in of BSPS has been completed, successfully derisking Tata Steel UK. The company has spent Rs 4,089 crore on capital expenditure during Q1FY24. Work on 5 MTPA expansion at Kalinganagar and the EAF mill of 0.75 MTPA in Punjab is progressing. Net debt stands at Rs 71,397 crore. Our group liquidity remains strong at Rs 30,569 crore. India revenues were Rs 34,901 crore and EBITDA was Rs 7,514 crore Crude steel production was around 5 million tons and was up 2% YoY primarily driven by ramp-up at Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited. Deliveries at 4.8 million tons were higher by 18% on a YoY basis, driven by a rise in domestic deliveries. Broad-based improvement was witnessed across key end-use segments. EBITDA was Rs 7,514 crore which translates into EBITDA per ton of Rs 15,651 and EBITDA margin of 22% Europe revenues were £ 2,083 million and EBITDA loss stood at £ 153 million. The planned relining of BF6 at Tata Steel Netherlands commenced in April and this has led to a drop in crude steel production. Liquid steel production was 1.79 million tons while deliveries stood at 1.99 million tons. T V Narendran, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director: “During the quarter, the global economic recovery continued to face headwinds affecting commodity prices including steel. In India, domestic steel demand continued to grow and was up around 10% on a YoY basis but steel spot prices moderated in line with global cues. Tata Steel delivered steady performance, with India's crude steel production of around 5 million tons. Domestic deliveries were up >20% and grew at a faster pace than India’s apparent steel consumption. We saw strong growth in key segments such as Branded Products & Retail and Industrial Products & Projects which grew by 37% and 24% respectively, on a YoY basis. Our retail sales majorly to individual home builders crossed 3 million tons in the last 12 months and we now service 8,000+ out of ~19,100 pin codes in India. I am happy to share that Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited has begun to stabilize and is operating close to rated capacity within just 9 months of acquisition. The 5 MTPA expansion at Kalinganagar is underway with facilities getting commissioned in a phased manner. This is an important milestone in our journey to grow to 40 million tons and will aid in further consolidating our market position in India. We continue to progress on our sustainability journey and multiple initiatives are underway, calibrated to each operating location. In the Netherlands, we are pursuing the Roadmap+ program to bring about a significant reduction in emissions, dust, odour, and noise. We are also engaged in discussions with technology providers and the government for transitioning to greener steel.” Koushik Chatterjee, Executive Director, and Chief Financial Officer: “Tata Steel Consolidated revenues for the quarter stood at Rs 59,490 crore and consolidated EBITDA stood at Rs 6,122 crore, which translates to an EBITDA per ton of Rs 8,503. Despite moderation in global steel spreads, our margin was broadly stable at around 10%. India's business generated a higher margin of around 22% and EBITDA stood at Rs 7,514 crore. Standalone revenues stood at Rs 32,342 crore and EBITDA was Rs 7,348 crore, which translates to an EBITDA per ton of ~Rs 15,895. In Europe, margins were broadly similar on QoQ basis as a rise in revenue per ton was offset by lower volumes and elevated input costs. In the UK, the buy-in transaction for the residual liabilities of the British Steel Pension Scheme has been completed, successfully derisking Tata Steel UK. Volatility in steel markets has impacted working capital and cash flows but we continue to commit to growth in India and spent Rs 4,089 crore on capital expenditure during the quarter. This has led to a Net debt of Rs 71,397 crore. The group liquidity position remains strong at Rs 30,569 crore, which includes Rs 19,043 crore of cash and cash equivalents. We remain focused on cost optimization, operational improvements, and working capital management to maximize cashflows. Sustainability is at the core of our strategy which includes providing comprehensive disclosures. We recently published our first Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report and are actively involved in the development of global and national standards concerning sustainability disclosures.” Result PDF