Touax: 2022 RESULTS Growth in business volume and in operating profitability

·16 min read
TOUAX
TOUAX

PRESS RELEASE        Paris, 22 March 2023 – 5.45 p.m.

YOUR OPERATIONAL LEASING SOLUTION FOR SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION

2022 RESULTS

Growth in business volume and in operating profitability

  • Growth in business volume of 29%

  • EBITDA growth of 9% to €57.9 million and Operating income up 8% to €31.1 million

    • Group share of net profit: €7.5 million

    • Return to a dividend distribution policy

 

"Touax’s good results for 2022 confirm the resilience of its business model. Relevant investments in quality logistics assets for long-term leases have bolstered recurrent revenues. At its General Meeting of Shareholders in June, Touax will propose that the group resume distributing dividends, with a dividend pay-out for 2022 of 10 cents per share.” remarked Fabrice and Raphael Walewski, Touax SCA’s managing partners.

Despite factors such as the Russian-Ukrainian war, inflation, and rising interest rates, the Touax Group turned in a strong operating performance in 2022.

Consolidated EBITDA at end-December 2022 increased by €4.9 million to €57.9 million and Operating income rose by €2.4 million to €31.1 million. The Group share of net profit fell by €5.1 million to €7.5 million due to an increase in financial expenses following the repayment of hybrid capital in the form of undated deeply subordinated bonds (TSSDI) and a provision for tax of €3.8 million.

In 2022, the group completed the repayment of €50.8 million in undated deeply subordinated bonds (TSSDI), 54% of which in cash and 46% by issuing a new EuroPP enabling Touax SCA to save €3.0 million in cash each year. As the undated deeply subordinated bonds were recognized in equity and the coupons as dividends, the portion financed in EuroPP, i.e., €23.3 million, now appears under financial liabilities in the balance sheet and the related interest is shown in the income statement at €1.6 million per year.

The net book value per share is €12.94, up 11% compared with December 31, 2021. Based on the market value of the assets, the revalued NAV1 per share came to €21.95, up 9% versus last year.

The consolidated financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2022, were approved by the Management Board on March 21, 2023 and were submitted to the Supervisory Board on March 22, 2023. The auditing of these statements is underway.

KEY ACCOUNTING ITEMS

Key figures

2022

2021

(in € million)

Restated Revenue (*) from activities

161.5

125.0

Of which Freight railcars

56.1

50.3

Of which River barges

17.5

12.8

Of which Containers

81.4

47.7

Of which Miscellaneous and eliminations

6.4

14.2

EBITDA

57.9

53.1

Operating income

31.1

28.7

Financial result

-15.4

-11.9

Profit before taxes

15.7

16.8

Corporate tax

-6.3

-1.0

Consolidated net profit (loss) (Group’s share)

7.5

12.6

Earnings per share (€)

1.07

1.79

Total non-current assets

394.6

358.0

Total assets

571.7

552.4

Total shareholders’ equity

153.7

165.0

Net financial debt (a)

280.8

231.6

Operating cash flow (b)

-1.5

-25.7

Loan to Value ratio (c)

59.5%

52%

(a)   including €232.3m in debt without recourse at 31 Dec 2022
(b)   including €60.0m of net equipment acquisitions (€71.3m end of Dec 2021)
(c)   Loan to Value ratio: Ratio of consolidated gross financial debt to total assets less goodwill and intangible fixed assets

(*) The key indicators in the Group’s activity report are presented differently from the IFRS income statement, to enable an understanding of the activities’ performance. As such, no distinction is made in third-party management, which is presented solely in agent form.
This presentation therefore allows a direct reading of syndication fees, sales commissions and management fees.
This new presentation has no impact on EBITDA, operating income or net income. The accounting presentation of revenue from activities is presented in the appendix to the press release.

STRONG BUSINESS GROWTH IN 2022

Restated revenue from activities over full-year 2022 totaled €161.5 million (€151.8 million at constant scope and currency), up 29.2% compared with 2021 (+21.5% at constant scope and currency).

This increase was due to the dynamism of the owned activity, which came to €150.5 million at the end of 2022, up €34.1 million. The owned activity benefited in particular from growth in container trading and an increase in rental turnover.

The freight railcar (89.4%), river barge (100%) and container (96.1%) utilization rates were at a high level at the end of December 2022.

The management business also saw growth of €2.9 million (+36.4%), with investor fleet management fees of €4.7 million and commissions on the sale of investor equipment of €3.5 million.

ANALYSIS OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY DIVISION

Restated revenue from the Freight Railcars division reached €56.1 million in 2022, an increase of 11.6%.

Rental income rose by 12.4% to €52.2 million over the period, with new assets acquired generating additional revenue. Sales of owned equipment were stable at €1.6 million.

Restated revenue from the River Barges division was up 36.2% to €17.5 million in 2022, driven by the leasing activity (revenue linked to the increase in chartering in the Rhine basin).

Restated revenue from the Containers division came to €81.4 million at the end of December 2022, an increase of €33.8 million (+71%).

Sales of owned equipment more than doubled over the year to €50.8 million, thanks to the development of the trading activity for new containers.

Benefiting from a high average utilization rate in 2022 (97.7%), the leasing activity grew by 22.5% (+€4.1 million). The increase in commissions linked to the sale of investor equipment also contributed +€2.1 million to these very good results.

Revenue from the Modular Construction business in Africa, presented under the "Miscellaneous” line, decreased in 2022 to €6.4 million. However, the business outlook for 2023 is promising given the order book.

HIGHER OPERATING PROFITABILITY

EBITDA came to €57.9 million, an increase of 9%.

EBITDA in the Freight Railcars division rose to €30.6 million (+16%) compared with €26.2 million in 2021, against a backdrop of higher rental revenue and effective control of operating expenses.

The River Barges division posted EBITDA of €5.0 million over the year, giving a slight increase of €0.1 million.

EBITDA in the Containers division grew by a substantial €5.0 million to €22.8 million (+28%). The trading activity turned in high margins together with higher volumes.

Operating income reached €31.1 million, up 8% on 2021.

Financial income came to -€15.4 million, compared with -€11.9 million in 2021. The €3.0 million increase in net interest expense can partly be explained by a volume effect (refinancing as debt of the undated deeply subordinated bonds previously recognized as capital, and an increase in the debt of the Container division to support growth) and partly by the impact of the rise in interest rates mainly linked to the refinancing of the Containers division.

Corporate income tax amounted to €6.3 million, up €5.2 million due to an exceptional tax provision of €3.8 million (no cash impact) in the Containers division following the loss of a tax dispute in the court of first instance in Hong Kong.

Net income Group share amounted to €7.5 million (compared with €12.6 million in 2021), after taking into account the increase in financial expenses and the exceptional tax provision.

A BALANCED FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

The balance sheet showed a total of €572 million at December 31, 2022, compared with €552 million at December 31, 2021.

Tangible fixed assets and inventories amounted to €450 million, compared with €418 million at the end of 2021, mainly due to investments within the Freight Railcars and Containers divisions.

Group shareholders' equity decreased to €154 million compared with €165 million in 2021, due to the redemption of the hybrid capital (undated deeply subordinated bonds) for €26.6 million.

Gross debt came to €337 million, 69% of which was non-recourse debt to Touax SCA. The Group’s net debt amounted to €281 million, with a comfortable cash position of €56 million.

The loan-to-value ratio stood at 59.5% at December 31, 2022.

OUTLOOK

The Touax Group confirms its strategy of regular investments in quality assets for long-term leasing while remaining cautious given the market outlook.

Touax's activities are well oriented at a time of growing awareness of the need to decarbonize the economy and transportation.

Activity in the Freight Railcars business is being driven in Europe by the intermodal segment, in which Touax is a market leader, and by efforts from large industrial players and logistics operators to reduce their carbon footprint. The Indian market is growing due to considerable infrastructure needs.

Concerning the River Barges business, this sector in Europe is set to receive new public and institutional investments that will help to speed up the development of river transport. In North and South America, Touax will look selectively at any new investment opportunities.

The Containers business has had two exceptional years. The market is set to return to normal in 2023, in terms of the global volume of containerized traffic as well as asset prices and maritime freight rates. Touax intends to take advantage of this trend towards normalization with a more attractive entry price, by enhancing its range of services (leasing, trading, and new types of containers) and expanding its geographical scope to meet the expectations of and increase its customer base.

The Modular Construction business in Africa also provides its customers with turnkey eco-responsible buildings and tailored solutions. The level of orders recorded in Q1 2023 suggests a good year ahead and a higher valuation of Touax’s stake in this business.

Through its unique position in sustainable transport, Touax is increasingly committed to an environmentally friendly approach and best practices around social and governance criteria. After obtaining its first ESG non-financial rating in Q4 2022 from EcoVadis, which ranked Touax as one of the best in its industry, the group wants to capitalize on this and is working on a continuous improvement plan.

Touax is reflecting this new paradigm in its financial strategy by proactively indexing its financing costs to ESG performance criteria. This already concerns 65% of its financing.

Touax's goal is to strive to constantly improve how it serves its customers through services supporting sustainable transport. Our various asset classes are benefiting from developments in infrastructures, e-commerce, and intermodal logistics as they keep pace with the expectations of consumers, industrial groups, public authorities, lenders and investors around green transport.

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • March 22, 2023: Presentation of the annual results at Hotel des Arts & Métiers, Paris 75016

  • March 23, 2023: Video conference call to present the annual results in English

    • May 15, 2023:        Q1 2023 revenue from activities

  • June 14, 2023:         Annual General Meeting

TOUAX Group leases out tangible assets (freight railcars, river barges and containers) on a daily basis worldwide, both on its own account and for investors. With €1.3 billion of assets under management, TOUAX is one of the leading European players in the leasing of such equipment.

TOUAX is listed on the EURONEXT stock market in Paris - Euronext Paris Compartment C (ISIN code: FR0000033003) - and is listed on the CAC® Small, CAC® Mid & Small and EnterNext©PEA-PME 150 indices.

For further information please visit: www.touax.com

Contacts:

TOUAX        ACTIFIN

Fabrice & Raphaël Walewski        Ghislaine Gasparetto

touax@touax.com        ggasparetto@actifin.fr

www.touax.com        Tel: +33 1 56 88 11 11

Tel: +33 1 46 96 18 00

APPENDICES

1 – Analysis of revenue from activities

Restated Revenue from activities

Q1 2022

Q2 2022

Q3 2022

Q4 2022

TOTAL 2022

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

Q4 2021

TOTAL 2021

(in € thousand)

Leasing revenue on owned      equipment

15,509

16,909

17,178

17,530

67,126

13,229

13,633

14,480

15,351

56,693

Ancillary services

5,732

4,884

7,390

6,607

24,613

2,745

3,747

5,530

7,357

19,379

Total leasing activity

21,241

21,793

24,568

24,137

91,739

15,974

17,380

20,010

22,708

76,072

Sales of owned equipment

14,862

14,249

15,392

14,282

58,785

7,085

8,328

9,132

15,781

40,326

Total sales of equipment

14,862

14,249

15,392

14,282

58,785

7,085

8,328

9,132

15,781

40,326

Total of owned activity

36,103

36,042

39,960

38,419

150,524

23,059

25,708

29,142

38,489

116,398

Syndication fees

0

2,522

65

150

2,737

17

946

48

1,992

3,003

Management fees

978

986

1,083

1,655

4,702

897

891

895

958

3,641

Sales fees

336

1,349

801

999

3,485

591

358

181

236

1,366

Total of management activity

1,314

4,857

1,949

2,804

10,924

1,505

2,195

1,124

3,186

8,010

Other capital gains on disposals

0

0

6

2

8

0

6

0

552

558

Total Others

0

0

6

2

8

0

6

0

552

558

Total Revenue from activities

37,417

40,899

41,915

41,225

161,456

24,564

27,909

30,266

42,227

124,966

2 - Table showing the transition from summary accounting presentation to restated presentation

Revenue from activities

2022

Restatement

Restated 2022

2021

Restatement

Restated 2021

(in € thousand)

Leasing revenue on owned equipment

67,126

 

67,126

56,693

 

56,693

Ancillary services

32,729

-8,116

24,613

20,879

-1,500

19,379

Total leasing activity

99,855

-8,116

91,739

77,572

-1,500

76,072

Sales of owned equipment

58,785

 

58,785

40,326

 

40,326

Total sales of equipment

58,785

 

58,785

40,326

 

40,326

Total of owned activity

158,640

-8,116

150,524

117,898

-1,500

116,398

Leasing revenue on managed equipment

44,399

-44,399

0

44,328

-44,328

0

Syndication fees

2,737

 

2,737

3,003

 

3,003

Management fees

1,285

3,417

4,702

721

2,920

3,641

Sales fees

3,485

 

3,485

1,366

 

1,366

Total of management activity

51,906

-40,982

10,924

49,418

-41,408

8,010

Other capital gains on disposals

8

 

8

558

 

558

Total Others

8

0

8

558

0

558

Total Revenue from activities

210,554

-49,098

161,456

167,874

-42,908

124,966

3 - Breakdown of restated revenue from activities by division

Restated revenue from activities

Q1 2022

Q2 2022

Q3 2022

Q4 2022

TOTAL 2022

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

Q4 2021

TOTAL 2021

(in € thousand)

Leasing revenue on owned equipment

10,544

11,142

11,292

11,768

44,746

9,152

9,223

10,123

10,779

39,277

Ancillary services

1,858

1,177

1,820

2,564

7,419

1,873

1,724

1,951

1,584

7,132

Total leasing activity

12,402

12,319

13,112

14,332

52,165

11,025

10,947

12,074

12,363

46,409

Sales of owned equipment

110

238

369

833

1,550

320

403

162

641

1,526

Total sales of equipment

110

238

369

833

1,550

320

403

162

641

1,526

Total of owned activity

12,512

12,557

13,481

15,165

53,715

11,345

11,350

12,236

13,004

47,935

Syndication fees

0

446

1

0

447

0

0

0

570

570

Management fees

466

451

507

557

1,981

463

470

451

440

1,824

Total of management activity

466

897

508

557

2,428

463

470

451

1,010

2,394

Total Freight railcars

12,978

13,454

13,989

15,722

56,143

11,808

11,820

12,687

14,014

50,329

Leasing revenue on owned equipment

1,619

1,789

1,869

1,821

7,098

1,688

1,745

1,770

1,626

6,829

Ancillary services

1,807

2,385

3,788

2,319

10,299

683

972

1,286

2,272

5,213

Total leasing activity

3,426

4,174

5,657

4,140

17,397

2,371

2,717

3,056

3,898

12,042

Sales of owned equipment

0

0

0

16

16

41

0

0

0

41

Total sales of equipment

0

0

0

16

16

41

0

0

0

41

Total of owned activity

3,426

4,174

5,657

4,156

17,413

2,412

2,717

3,056

3,898

12,083

Syndication fees

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

710

710

Management fees

14

5

11

11

41

6

6

5

6

23

Total of management activity

14

5

11

11

41

6

6

5

716

733

Total River Barges

3,440

4,179

5,668

4,167

17,454

2,418

2,723

3,061

4,614

12,816

Leasing revenue on owned equipment

3,342

3,973

4,013

3,935

15,263

2,384

2,654

2,572

2,937

10,547

Ancillary services

2,070

1,325

1,779

1,722

6,896

191

1,054

2,297

3,995

7,537

Total leasing activity

5,412

5,298

5,792

5,657

22,159

2,575

3,708

4,869

6,932

18,084

Sales of owned equipment

13,205

12,575

12,967

12,085

50,832

3,480

3,524

5,991

11,696

24,691

Total sales of equipment

13,205

12,575

12,967

12,085

50,832

3,480

3,524

5,991

11,696

24,691

Total of owned activity

18,617

17,873

18,759

17,742

72,991

6,055

7,232

10,860

18,628

42,775

Syndication fees

0

2,076

64

150

2,290

17

946

48

712

1,723

Management fees

498

530

565

1,087

2,680

428

415

439

512

1,794

Sales fees

336

1,349

801

999

3,485

591

358

181

236

1,366

Total of management activity

834

3,955

1,430

2,236

8,455

1,036

1,719

668

1,460

4,883

Total Containers

19,451

21,828

20,189

19,978

81,446

7,091

8,951

11,528

20,088

47,658

Leasing revenue on owned equipment

4

5

4

6

19

5

11

15

9

40

Ancillary services

-3

-3

3

2

-1

-2

-3

-4

-494

-503

Total leasing activity

1

2

7

8

18

3

8

11

-485

-463

Sales of owned equipment

1,547

1,436

2,056

1,348

6,387

3,244

4,401

2,979

3,444

14,068

Total sales of equipment

1,547

1,436

2,056

1,348

6,387

3,244

4,401

2,979

3,444

14,068

Total of owned activity

1,548

1,438

2,063

1,356

6,405

3,247

4,409

2,990

2,959

13,605

Other capital gains on disposals

0

0

6

2

8

0

6

0

552

558

Total Others

0

0

6

2

8

0

6

0

552

558

Total Miscellaneous & eliminations

1,548

1,438

2,069

1,358

6,413

3,247

4,415

2,990

3,511

14,163

Total Restated revenue from activities

37,417

40,899

41,915

41,225

161,456

24,564

27,909

30,266

42,227

124,966


1 The market value is calculated by independent experts, based 50% on the replacement value and 50% on the value-in-use for railcars, the value-in-use for containers and the replacement value for river barges with the exception of a long-term contract in South America for which the value-in-use was used. This market value is substituted for the net book value when calculating the net asset value.

Attachment