Semcon - Strong end to the year

Q4 EBIT of SEK 49m (49m) expected Gains in completed projects of SEK 9m (3m) Fair value range of SEK 62-105 on unrevised numbers Q4: Revenue of SEK 401m (489m), EBIT of SEK 49m (49m) Semcon announced on 21 January that it expects to reach EBIT of SEK 49m (49m) for Q4. That is 36% above consensus estimates and 42% above ABGSCe. Part of the deviation is from gains from completed projects of SEK 9m (3). We did not have any such effect in our numbers, but even adjusted for this, the preliminary EBIT is 16% above ABGSCe.

The company did not communicate numbers on a segment level and we will get more details on 10 February when the Q4 report is released at 08:00 CET. Revenue is expected to be SEK 401m (489m), which is 3% lower than ABGSCe, probably due to a slightly more negative effect on demand from the second COVID-19 wave that we experienced in Q4. Pre-announced EBIT is 36% above consensus Gains from completed projects was not something we had in our estimates but we believe that it stems from the Engineering & Digital Solutions (EDS) segment.

It is likely that we will see more bookings of a similar nature in the future as some revenues from its project portfolio warrant a closing settlement, where additional gains can be realized if the project is successful. However, we argue that such bookings should be treated with caution and adjusted for in order to follow the underlying margin development in the business area. Reaching its EBIT margin target of 8% for 2020 We note that Semcon is likely to reach its financial EBIT margin target of 8% in 2020.

We think it is a good time to set new, more ambitious targets for the future and will not be surprised if such targets are communicated during 2021. As an additional note, Semcon communicated on 22 January that the current CEO Markus Granlund will take charge of the EDS business area in order to unlock further growth possibilities. The previous head of EDS, Daniel Rundgren, will remain with Semcon and focus mor.