Naval Group achieves a record level of orders in 2019

• 3 billion euros of order intake (+44% vs 2018), including 3 billion internationally, taking the order book to 15 billion euros
• Sales of 3.7 billion euros (+3% vs 2018)
• EBITA up to 282 million euros, taking operating profitability up to 7.6%
• Robust outlook for 2020

Naval Group's Board of Directors met on 20 February 2020 to review the financial statements for the 2019 reporting period closed on December 31^st.

Main consolidated data

[1] Earnings before interest, tax and amortisation

Commenting on these results, Hervé Guillou, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group, declared: “Naval Group once again confirms the soundness of its strategic position as an industrial prime contractor, designer and integrator of whole warships and combat systems, as well as the good progress of its development plan. The operational milestones, both in France and internationally, have all been met. Among the most striking illustrations, we are proud to have launched the Suffren, the first next-generation SSN, and to have cut the first metal sheet for the defence and intervention frigate (FDI), a digital frigate intended for the French Navy. Internationally, we have delivered the Khanderi to the Indian Navy but also signed the design contract for the Australian Future Submarine program. We are benefiting from a dynamic market situation and, despite increasingly fierce competition, we won bids for more than twenty ships in five new countries. We also play a pivotal role in European alliances and have set up Naviris, a joint company with Fincantieri, our long-standing Italian partner. Our operational and financial performance enables us to guarantee our ability to finance the future long-term growth of the company.”

Frank Le Rebeller, Senior Executive Vice President Finance, Legal, Purchasing and Real Estate, added: “Order intake in 2019 reached record levels. The results for the 2019 reporting period (produced according to IFRS standards and in particular the IFRS 15 standard since 2018), for the fifth consecutive year, show progress in sales, which stand at 3.7 billion euros, along with an improvement of operating profitability, which has shown a steady increase since 2015 and this year reached 7.6%. Consolidated net income (group share) amounts to nearly 190 million euros, thus raising our equity to 1.2 billion euros. These results are slightly over than our targets. They reflect a solid financial situation, more particularly characterised by levels of profitability in line with our targets and a robust level of equity that has been reconstituted over the past four years. We continued our overall investment efforts, which increased to nearly 480 million euros, in particular in innovation, R&D and digitisation. Our development is creating significant need for recruitment and in 2019 we welcomed 1,500 new colleagues.”

Order intake: 5.3 billion euros (+44% vs 2018), including 3 billion internationally, raising the order book to 15 billion euros

The order intake over the 2019 reporting period amounts to 5.3 billion euros, boosting the order book which now stands at 15 billion euros. Orders recorded in France and overseas for the 2019 reporting period benefited all sectors. In France, in new construction, the main notifications concerned the sixth nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) for the Barracuda program. The main contract awarded for new constructions internationally is the program for twelve minehunters and their toolboxes for the Belgian and Dutch navies. Finally, regarding services, several multi-year availability contracts were notified, notably the routine maintenance contract for the ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN) for 2020-2025, as well as the maintenance contract for the Egyptian Navy.

For the year 2019, the book-to-bill ratio (order intake divided by sales), which measures the order book’s renewal rate, stands at 1.4, and at 1.2 for the past three years.

Activity: increased sales

The consolidated sales amount to 3,712 million euros. Its 3% increase over 2018 was driven by the major national programs, mainly the Barracuda program, the multimission frigates program and the defence and intervention frigates program. The Australian program also contributed to Naval Group sales. Finally, services represented a key component, with a 41% share. For France, they include in-service support for first rank surface ships and nuclear submarines of the French Navy. Internationally, they include the periodic docking for maintenance of the Malaysian submarines, as well as the adaptation and modernisation of the Bouchard corvette for the Argentinian Navy, delivered two months ahead of schedule.

Profitability: significant growth of EBITA and operating profit

EBITA (earnings before interest, tax and amortisation) totalled 282 million euros. Its progress compared to 2018 drives an increase in operating profitability, which has risen from 7.4% in 2018 to 7.6% in 2019, placing Naval Group as the leader of the naval defence sector in Europe.

This progression shows the operational improvement of all naval programs and the effectiveness of the improvement plans undertaken for over five years.

Group net income is 188.2 million euros, up by almost 10 million euros compared to 2018. This result increases the group’s consolidated equity to 1.2 billion euros.

Strong prospects for 2020

In 2019, Naval Group hired more than 1,500 new staff, taking the group’s total workforce to more than 15,000, presenting an increase of nearly 10% compared to 2018 levels. This trend will continue thanks in particular to numerous initiatives such as the opening of the arrangement designer school on the Cherbourg site and the Naval Industries Campus, which has been launched last November by the French Minister for Education.

Naval Group is also accelerating its investments, worth nearly 480 million euros, specifically targeting open and collaborative innovation, the development of international activities and trade relations, as well as industrial and IT equipment.

Lastly, thanks to its increased capacity to invest, Naval Group will pursue the internationalisation of its activity. This deployment will more specifically be driven by Naviris, its joint-venture with Fincantieri, which will allow a joint response to some calls for tender and sharing of R&D activities for surface ships.

The prospects for 2020 are robust, with expected sales growth of about 5% and a rise in consolidated net income (group share) of about 10%.

Contact Presse

Emmanuel Gaudez
Tel. +33 (0)1 40 59 55 69
Mob. +33 (0)6 61 97 36 63
emmanuel.gaudez@naval-group.com

Bérengère Gouraud
Tel. +33 (0)1 40 59 56 44
Mob. +33(0)7 86 76 53 79
berengere.gouraud@naval-group.com