Brazilian steel maker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional SID or CSN reported unaudited results for third-quarter 2017, with net earnings of R$256.2 million ($81.1 million) versus net loss of R$66.8 million ($20.6 million) recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Earnings per share in the quarter was R$0.18 or 6 cents per American Depository Receipt.
Revenues Improved
CSN’s net revenues in the quarter were R$4,809.7 million ($ million), increasing 7.6% year over year and 12% sequentially. The year-over-year improvement was driven by healthy performance in Steel, Logistics, Cement and Energy segments, partially offset by weakness in the Mining results.
Of the revenues, roughly 49.5% were generated from domestic markets while the rest were sourced from international operations.
Slab production grew 25% year over year to roughly 1.1 million tons while production of rolled steel increased 8% to 0.9 million tons. Production of long products declined 44% to 50 thousand tons.
Steel sales volume grew 9% year over year to 1.3 million tons, of which domestic sales accounted for 62%, overseas subsidiaries for about 33% and exports for roughly 5%. Iron ore sales were down 22% year over year to 8 million tons.
Steel segment’s revenues, comprising 64.5% of net revenues, grew 18.6% year over year. Revenues from the Mining segment decreased 7.9%, accounting for 22.8% of net revenues.
Logistics segment contributed 8% to net revenues, growing 4.4% year over year. Cement segment’s revenues increased 1.4% and represented 2.7% of net revenues. Revenues from the Energy segment grew 51.5% year over year, accounting for 1.4% of net revenues.
Higher Costs Adversely Impacted Margins
In the quarter, CSN’s margins were adversely impacted by 13.9% year-over-year increase in cost of sales. This cost represented 75% of net revenues versus 71% in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin decreased 400 basis points (bps) to 25%.
As a percentage of net revenues, selling expenses decreased 40 bps year over year while general and administrative expenses decreased 110 bps over the same time frame.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) decreased 2% year over year to R$1,213 million ($383.9 million), with a margin of 25.2% compared with 27.7% in the year-ago quarter. Net financial results were an expense of R$277.8 million ($87.9 million).
Balance Sheet & Cash Flow
Exiting the third quarter, CSN’s cash and cash equivalents were R$4,138.8 million ($1,309.7 million), down from R$4,328.5 million ($1,307.7 million) at the end of the previous quarter. Borrowings and financing (net of current portion) decreased 7.5% sequentially to R$25,020.1 million ($7,917.8 million). Net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio in the quarter was 5.48.
In the quarter, the company generated net cash of R$585.4 million ($185.3 million) from its operating activities versus roughly R$386.7 million ($120.1 million) used in the previous quarter. Capital spend on fixed assets/intangible increased 20.6% sequentially to R$288.5 million ($91.3 million).
National Steel Company Price and Consensus
National Steel Company Price and Consensus | National Steel Company Quote
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
With a market capitalization of $3.6 billion, CSN presently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the industry are POSCO PKX, SSAB AB SSAAY and Timken Steel Corporation TMST. While POSCO sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), both SSAB AB and Timken Steel carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
POSCO’s earnings estimates for 2017 and 2018 have been revised upward over the last 60 days. Its earnings are predicted to grow 5% in the next three to five years.
SSAB AB’s earnings estimates for 2017 remained stable while improved for 2018 in the last 60 days.
Timken Steel’s bottom-line estimates for 2017 and 2018 have been revised upward over the last 60 days.
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