Norsk Hydro ASA (NHYDY) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth Amid Market ...

GuruFocus News

Wed, Apr 30, 2025, 1:01 AM 4 min read

Adjusted EBITDA: NOK9.5 billion.
Free Cash Flow: Approximately NOK1.3 billion.
Adjusted RoaCE: 10.7%.
Revenue: Increased by around 20% year-over-year to NOK57 billion for Q1.
Adjusted Net Income: NOK4 billion in Q1.
Adjusted EPS: NOK1.63 per share.
Net Income: Approximately NOK5.9 billion.
Net Financial Income: Around NOK1.2 billion.
Depreciation: Around NOK2.6 billion in Q1.
Net Debt: Decreased by NOK900 million since Q4, ending at NOK16 billion.
Adjusted Net Debt: NOK21.8 billion at the end of Q1.
Bauxite & Alumina Adjusted EBITDA: Increased to NOK5.1 billion in Q1 '25.
Aluminum Metal Adjusted EBITDA: Increased to NOK2.5 billion in Q1 '25.
Metal Markets Adjusted EBITDA: Decreased to negative NOK14 million in Q1.
Extrusions Adjusted EBITDA: Decreased to NOK1.2 billion in Q1.
Energy Adjusted EBITDA: Increased to NOK1.18 billion in Q1.

Release Date: April 29, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

Norsk Hydro ASA (NHYDY) reported a record low number of injuries, highlighting their commitment to safety and operational excellence.
Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was NOK9.5 billion, driven by higher aluminum prices and positive currency effects.
The company announced an investment in a new wire rod casthouse with a strategic offtake partnership worth around NOK1 billion, reinforcing market demand for greener materials.
Hydro Extrusions is optimizing sourcing, production, and sales across North America, providing flexibility to respond to changing market conditions.
The company is accelerating its cost improvement program in recycling, aiming to achieve one-third of its 2030 target by the end of 2025.

Negative Points

Higher raw material costs and lower extrusion volumes and margins negatively impacted financial performance.
Geopolitical and trade uncertainties, including tariffs, are creating an unpredictable business environment.
Hydro Extrusions revised its 2025 EBITDA outlook downward due to market uncertainty.
Tight scrap supply and margin pressure continue to challenge the recycling segment.
The global aluminum market outlook for 2025 could shift towards a more balanced or oversupplied market due to recent tariff developments.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Do you expect any lifting of Russian sanctions to have an impact on European balances and Hydro production of primary Metal? A: The Russian metal is already sold into global markets since the invasion of Ukraine. There may be trade flow changes, but it's too early to say. Sanctions need to be lifted first, which is not expected in the short term. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO

Q: Given the trade tariff, do you expect any trade redirection of aluminum to happen? Are you already seeing Canadian aluminum starting to flow into Europe? A: With a global 25% tariff, except for Russian metal under sanctions, there is little impact on trade flows. We do not see significant Canadian metal entering Europe currently. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO

Q: Are you seeing any curtailments of physical orders given the macro uncertainty? A: So far, no curtailments have been observed. Extrusions bookings in Q1 and into April are quite stable compared to last year. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO

Q: Is there scope to reduce CapEx in '25 and '26 from the current NOK15 billion if conditions remain weak, and by how much? A: We maintain our guiding of NOK15 billion CapEx despite the current uncertainty, but we are evaluating our options. - Trond Olaf Christophersen, Acting CFO

Q: EBITDA is up just NOK166 million quarter-over-quarter, while realized prices are up, and you guided for a NOK800 million to NOK1 billion cost improvement. Is the difference explained by volumes? A: Severe rain delayed shipments of 140,000 to 150,000 tonnes from Q1 to Q2, impacting sales volumes. Production volumes were stable, and the cost improvements were realized as guided. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO and Trond Olaf Christophersen, Acting CFO

Q: What are the drivers behind the increase in fixed and raw material costs at your B&A division in the second quarter? A: Slight increases in caustic and gas costs are expected, along with seasonally higher maintenance costs in Brazil. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO

Q: Do you see potential for your extrusion division to benefit from increased defense and infrastructure spending? A: Yes, extrusion demand is expected to rise, but the timing of the impact depends on when new budgets take effect. - Eivind Kallevik, CEO

Q: How much do the restructuring closure and extrusion recycling reduce Hydro's earnings leverage to demand recovery? Is the NOK10 billion to NOK12 billion EBITDA target still realistic? A: The closures will not materially impact our ability to achieve the NOK10 billion to NOK12 billion target by 2030. Mothballed capacity can be reactivated when markets recover. - Trond Olaf Christophersen, Acting CFO

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Terms and Privacy Policy

Your Privacy Choices

Utah Privacy Notice

More Info