HELLA continues growth path
HELLA continued its profitable growth path in the fiscal year 2017/2018.
Thus, the currency-adjusted consolidated sales rose to 9.3 per cent. Reported sales rose by 7.2 per cent to €7.1bn (prior year: €6.6 bn). At the same time, the company became more profitable. The adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by 8.8 per cent to €581m (prior year: €534m), making the adjusted EBIT margin 8.2 per cent.
Taking special effects into account, the reported EBIT increased by 13.2 per cent to €574m with the reported EBIT margin increasing to 8.1 per cent. Moreover, the adjusted free cash flow from operating activities improved significantly compared to the previous year, rising by 62% to €241m.
‘In this past fiscal year, we have demonstrated our commitment to continuity and reliability. We have enjoyed significantly stronger growth than the automotive market and further increased our profitability despite the challenging industry environment’, explained HELLA CEO Rolf Breidenbach.
In the fiscal year 2017/2018, the automotive segment played a major role in the group-wide sales increase. Reported segment sales increased by 8.0 per cent to €5.4bn (prior year: €5bn).
In the aftermarket segment, sales with external customers rose by 3.4 per cent to €1.2bn in the past fiscal year. This sales growth was supported by positive development in all of the segment’s business fields.
In the fiscal year 2017/2018, earnings for the period amounted to €390m (prior year: €343m). For the current fiscal year 2018/2019 (June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019), HELLA is confident the profitable growth path will continue.
