Hexatronic Group AB (publ) Interim Report January – September 2020

Events during the quarter

• Hexatronic acquired the training company The Light Brigade Inc., a US-based fiber optic training provider for broadband communication, wireless, service providers etc.
               

Events since the end of the period

• Hexatronic acquired the fiber optic companies Baltronic Group OÜ, based in Estonia and the Canadian company Toronics Inc.
   
• Hexatronic acquired 90 percent of the shares in Qubix S.pA., an Italian supplier of structured cabling.

             

COMMENTS FROM THE CEO
Strong profitability and several strategic acquisitions

Profitability (EBITA) increased during the quarter to 11.8 percent, an increase of 34 percent on the same period last year. This strong rise in profitability means we are now less than half a percentage point from our goal of at least 9 percent on a rolling 12-month basis.

Earnings per share also improved considerably and is 54 percent higher than in the corresponding quarter of 2019. The strong profitability is primarily due to good gross margins and high capacity utilisation in several of our factories.

Sales continue to develop positively with growth of 13 percent during the quarter, despite an estimated adverse impact of 5 percent due to COVID-19, as well as negative currency effects of 4 percent. Virtually all the growth is organic.

North America continued to develop very positively with growth of 20 percent. This growth was primarily driven by duct sales, where our new factory in Texas was one contributing factor.  Growth in Europe excluding Sweden was 16 percent, primarily driven by strong sales in the UK and Germany. Sales in Sweden reported growth of 11 percent, driven by continued extension of FTTH as well as projects relating to bolstering core networks.

The acquisition of Light Brigade, North America’s leading training company in telecom, was completed during the quarter. Light Brigade makes us a better-known player in North America, with opportunities to offer training in our FTTH systems across the continent, something we believe will enhance our potential for higher system sales.

Since the end of the quarter, we have made several strategic acquisitions. Baltronic Group, headquartered in Estonia, is a long-standing partner of Hexatronic. Baltronic Group increases our production capacity in Europe, while also strengthening us in several geographic markets and in wireless networks. Toronics of Toronto gives us a local presence in Canada, and Qubix with headquarters in Italy establishes us on a new market and adds strength in indoor solutions.

The order book has continued to develop positively. We entered the fourth quarter with an order book that was 6 percent higher organically than at the same point last year.

We remain positive in our outlook on the market for fiber optic systems. Part of this lies in the fact that COVID-19 has made consumers and governments alike realise that fiber optic networks need to be extended to meet the needs that already exist and are set to increase with new services.

We have laid a solid foundation for continued strong growth and intend to continue to consolidate our position with further acquisitions.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Henrik Larsson Lyon
President and CEO Hexatronic Group AB (publ)

Publication

This information comprises disclosures that Hexatronic Group AB (publ) must publish according to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Market Act. The information was submitted for publication, under responsibility of the contact persons named below, on 5 November 2020 at 07:00 CET.

Financial calendar

Year-End Report 2020: 24 February 2021
Interim Report January-March 2021: 29 April 2021
Interim Report April-June 2021: 12 August 2021
Interim Report July-September 2021: 2 November 2021

Annual General Meeting

The AGM will be held on 6 May 2021.

Please direct any questions to:
• Henrik Larsson Lyon, President and CEO, + 46 (0)70-650 34 00
• Lennart Sparud, CFO, + 46 (0)70-558 66 04

Hexatronic Group AB (publ) is a group that develops, markets and delivers products, components and system solutions with the main focus on the fiber optic market. Hexatronic offers a wide range of innovative system and product solutions mainly for passive fiber optic infrastructure with global trademarks like Ribbonet®, Micronet™, Drytech™, Lightmate®, FibreHub™, Matrix, Viper, Stringray, Raptor, InOne and Wistom®. The Group has its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden and has sales offices and/or subsidiaries in Sweden, Norway, Finland, United Kingdom, Germany, China, New Zealand and the US. The Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker HTRO. For more information, visit www.hexatronicgroup.com.

Hexatronic Group AB (publ) Org nr 556168-6360

Hexatronic Group AB (publ)
Sofierogatan 3a, 412 51 Göteborg, Sverige
www.hexatronicgroup.com

Attachment

• Hexatronic Group - Interim report Q3 2020