Schnitzer Announces Q4 2019 Preliminary Results
Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc announced preliminary results for its fiscal 2019 fourth quarter ended August 31, 2019. The Company expects fourth quarter earnings from continuing operations to be in the range of USD 0.37 - USD 0.42 per share and adjusted earnings to be in the range of USD 0.38 - USD 0.43 per share. This range is a decrease compared to third quarter of fiscal 2019 reported and adjusted earnings from continuing operations of USD 0.56 and USD 0.65 per share, respectively, and a decrease relative to fourth quarter of 2018 reported and adjusted earnings of USD 2.08 and USD 2.11 per share, respectively, which included a discrete tax benefit of USD 1.06 per share.
Markets for recycled metals weakened in the fourth quarter, including a marked deterioration in August with a continued decline in September. In Auto and Metals Recycling (AMR), weak domestic and export demand for scrap metal led to a significant decrease in selling prices for ferrous products to levels last seen in 2017 contributing to a compression in metal spreads in the fourth quarter. Market prices for nonferrous products, and zorba in particular, also continued to decline throughout the fourth quarter as they were impacted by the ongoing effects of trade actions, including Chinese tariffs on imports from the US and a global slowdown in manufacturing production, as well as new Chinese import regulations, effective July 1, 2019, which imposed restrictive import quotas, and license and other requirements on imports of scrap products by Chinese companies. In Cascade Steel and Scrap (CSS), average finished steel prices in the fourth quarter are expected to decrease by over 10% from the multi-year peak reached earlier in the year, negatively impacted by extended customer destocking and outpacing the decline in scrap prices.
AMR expects to report quarterly operating income in the range of USD 21 million - USD 22 million, or USD 21 - USD 22 per ferrous ton, which represents a sequential decrease due primarily to a significant decline in ferrous and nonferrous scrap prices during the latter two months of the quarter, as well as seasonally lower retail sales and higher environmental-related expense. Average net ferrous and nonferrous selling prices are expected to be lower sequentially by 8% and 10%, respectively. Ferrous and nonferrous sales volumes are expected to increase sequentially by 9% and 4%, respectively. However, the benefits from higher volumes and from reductions in purchase prices for raw materials were only able to partially offset the decline in selling prices for scrap.
CSS expects to report quarterly operating income of approximately USD 6 million. While finished steel sales volumes are expected to increase by approximately 4% from the third quarter, operating income is expected to be lower sequentially primarily due to lower average net selling prices for finished steel products, particularly wire rod, outpacing the decline in raw material costs.
Mr Carsten Spohr informed the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG that he is resigning from his Supervisory Board mandate of thyssenkrupp AG with immediate effect. The resignation takes place to prevent the occurrence of cross-links due to the planned appointment of Martina Merz as CEO of thyssenkrupp AG. Martina Merz has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG since 2016. Mr Carsten Spohr has been a member of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG since 2013. With his resignation, Carsten Spohr enables Martina Merz to be appointed CEO of thyssenkrupp AG, as planned after approval by the Supervisory Board, and at the same time to remain on the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Ms Martina Merz, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG that "On behalf of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG, I would like to sincerely thank Carsten Spohr for his effort on the Supervisory Board. He has greatly enriched our work with his strong entrepreneurial perspective."
Source : Strategic Research Institute