Paul Coulson, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ardagh Group, said, “First quarter results were in line with our expectations, with no material impact from COVID-19. The commitment and dedication of our teams during this challenging period has been outstanding, enabling all our production facilities to continue to serve the beverage and food supply chain. It is too early to assess the macroeconomic impact of the pandemic and, accordingly, we are withdrawing our 2020 financial guidance. However, our defensive end markets, proven operating model and 1.5 billion USD in liquidity position us to successfully manage this uncertain environment.”
- Revenue for the quarter of 1,622 million USD was unchanged on the prior year at constant currency, with growth of 1% in Metal Beverage Packaging offset by a 1% reduction in Glass Packaging.
- Volume/mix for the Group was in line with the prior year, as growth of 3% in Metal Beverage Packaging was largely offset by a 2% reduction in Glass Packaging.
- Adjusted EBITDA of 273 million USD was in line with the prior year and ahead of the guided 270 million USD.
- Earnings per share of 0.35 USD (2019: 0.06 USD), with Adjusted earnings per share decrease of 11% to 0.31 USD (2019: 0.35 USD).
- Metal Beverage Packaging shipments increased by 1%, with 3% growth in the Americas and a stable performance in Europe. Specialty can shipments increased by 6% and represented 42% of total volumes.
- Metal Beverage Packaging Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 3% at constant currency, with growth of 20% in Metal Beverage Packaging Americas. Metal Beverage Packaging Europe Adjusted EBITDA declined by 19%, due to a pension credit in the prior year.
- Glass Packaging Adjusted EBITDA increased by 3% at constant currency, with growth of 7% in Europe driven by a strong operational and commercial performance. Adjusted EBITDA in North America fell 3%, as volume softness continued to moderate.
- Cash and committed available liquidity was 1.1 billion USD at March 31, 2020, and was increased to 1.5 billion USD after the period end. No debt maturities arising before September 2022.
- Financial guidance: 2020 financial guidance withdrawn due to current macroeconomic uncertainty.
Click here to see the full Ardagh Group S.A. Earnings Release Q1 2020.