Interim Financial Statements 31.12.2012 on 19.02.2013

WASKADUWA BEACH RESORT, THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION BANK OF SRI LANKA, SRI LANKA TELECOM, SINGALANKA STANDARD CHEMICALS,CENTRAL INVESTMENTS & FINANCE.
Interim Financial Statements for the period ended 31-12-2012 have been uploaded on the CSE website.

* Announces dividend of 85 cents per share

Sri Lanka Telecom PLC (SLT) announced its group and company financial results for the year 2012, notching Rs. 6.17 billion group operating profit, a growth of 19 percent Year on Year (YoY). Despite the gain on foreign exchange translation in the second half of the year due to the appreciation of the rupee against the first half, cumulative translation loss on exchange for the full year has diluted the Group Profit before Tax (PBT) and Profit after Tax (PAT), the company said in a statement.

On a normalized basis (without exchange loss on translation), the group has reported a PBT of Rs. 7.2 billion, an increase of 12 percent and PAT of Rs. 5.25 billion, an increase of 10 percent YoY. However, after the loss on exchange translation, Group PBT and PAT declined by 3.2 percent and 10 percent to Rs 5.97 billion and Rs. 4.04 billion respectively.

"2012 has been a challenging year for the SLT Group with the increase in fuel prices, hikes in energy costs and the rise in other input costs which exerted excessive pressure on the profitability of the group. The SLT Group Revenue increased by 10 percent YoY to Rs 56.77 billion," the company said.

The year marked another milestone for the SLT Group as it published its maiden annual financial statements based on new Sri Lanka Accounting Standards applicable for the financial period beginning 1st January 2012.

Commenting on 2012 results, the Chairman of SLT Group Nimal Welgama said, "As the country’s premier integrated communication service provider, the SLT Group has been a catalyst of change and transformation in post-war Sri Lanka, truly connecting the entire nation as One Country, One Voice. During the last three years the SLT Group has spent Rs. 42 bn in capital expenditure displaying ourpassion and commitment to the rapid growth of ICT in the country and further strengthening the position of the SLT Group as a key contributor to the ambitious development plans of the government. Operating results of 2012 and investments made in network modernization, capacity and coverage expansion demonstrates our quest and vigor to add value to our stakeholders".

At company level, revenue increased to Rs. 34.72 billion, recording a growth of 8 percent.This is the highest revenue growth recorded since 2006 which was driven by an impressive growth of the broadband, enterprise data, wholesale, international services and PEO TV businesses. The company posted a PBT of Rs. 4.68 billion and a PAT of Rs.3.36 billion recording growth rates of 4 percent and 1 percent respectively.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel (Mobitel), the mobile arm of the group recorded an impressive revenue growth of 13 percent in 2012 despite intensified competition in the mobile telephony sector. In absolute terms, Mobitel recorded revenue of Rs. 24.93 billion in 2012 compared to Rs.22.08 billion in 2011, an increase of Rs.2.85 billion. This growth was realized mainly due to the increase in Mobitel’s subscriber base by 14 percent which is a remarkable achievement, considering the fact that the voice market has reached 100 percent penetration by 4Q 2012 according to the Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL). The growth in Mobitel’s subscriber base can be attributed to various factors including Mobitel’s continuous commitment and investments made towards scaling and upgrading its network infrastructure. Completion of the stage VI project in mid-2012 led to significant enhancements in network coverage and capacity that has translated into better customer experience. An innovative product suite, comprehensive service offering and extensive reach to the furthest corners of the island also contributed towards significant growth in subscribers and revenue.

Prudent cost management initiatives coupled with measures to enhance productivity contributed to help negate the adverse impact of increased operational expenditure. The company recorded a growth in key profitability indicators EBITDA and EBIT which increased by 21 percent and 20 percent respectively compared to 2011. In absolute terms EBITDA reached Rs. 8.28 billion while EBIT was recorded at Rs 3.24 billion. The company EBITDA margin improved from 31 percent to 33 percent which further endorses the operational efficiency of the organisation. Thus viewed in the light of the above, during 2012, Mobitel delivered a commendable performance successfully overcoming the challenges encountered, recording PBT (normalised to exclude exchange loss) of Rs. 2.98 billion and PAT of 2.43 billion, recording growth of 34 percent and 38 percent YoY respectively, the highest ever normalised profits recorded.

SLT Publications, the publishing arm of SLT Group delivered impressive results with a revenue of Rs 516 million and PBT of Rs 214 million, recording growth of 25 percent and 116 percent YoY respectively.

In a stock exchange filing yesterday (19), SLT announced a dividend of 85 cents per share. SLT closed 20 cents lower yesterday at Rs. 43.20.
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HDFC Bank of Sri Lanka, specialising in housing finance, saw profits plunge 98 percent in 2012 to Rs. 2.45 million as at end December from Rs. 216 million a year earlier. Profits for the quarter fell 105.7 percent to record a loss of Rs. 7.83 million during the fourth quarter, interim financial results filed with stock exchange showed.

The National Housing Development Authority controlled bank saw its earnings per share fall sharply from Rs. 3.34 a year earlier to just 4 cents.

Net interest income fell 6.85 percent year-on-year to Rs. 829.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 while net fees and commission income fell 53 percent to Rs. 58.4 million.

Interest income grew 17.37 percent to Rs. 2.63 billion while interest expenses surged 33.3 percent to Rs. 1.8 billion.

Personnel expenses grew 32.9 percent year-on-year to Rs. 458.1 million, administrative expenses grew 18.39 percent to Rs. 102.88 million while other operating expenses fell 36.72 percent to Rs. 146.65 million.

Total operating expenses grew 24.43 percent to Rs. 763.4 million.

For the December quarter, total operating income fell 33.17 percent year-on-year to Rs. 229.5 million while operating expenses grew 16.56 percent to Rs. 173.8 million.

On the balance sheet, loans and receivables from the bank’s customers amounted to Rs. 15.9 billion as at end December 2012, up 7.51 percent from a year earlier. Deposits grew 4.75 percent to Rs. 12.9 billion.

During the year, HDFC saw its branch net work increase by just one to 21. It operates 11 extension offices. Staff strength increased to 535 from 505 the previous year.

Return on equity fell to 0.10 percent from 4.98 percent a year ago. The interest margin shrank to 2.7 percent from 4.58 percent a year earlier.
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