Tata Steel posts net loss of Rs 1,236 cr in Q4 2020

The steel major reported a consolidated net loss (from continuing operations) of Rs 1,236 crore in Q4 March 2020 as against net profit of Rs 2,353 crore in Q4 March 2019.

Consolidated turnover declined 20.40% to Rs 33,770 crore in Q4 FY20 from Rs 42,424 crore in the same period last year. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 29 June 2020.

The steel major reported an exceptional loss of Rs 3,406 crore in Q4 FY20 on the back of impairment of non-current assets and loss on preference share investments. Profit before exceptional items stood at Rs 1906.40 crore in Q4 FY20, declining 55% from Rs 4241.01 crore in Q4 FY19. Tata Steel received a tax rebate of Rs 263.28 crore in Q4 FY20 as against total tax expense of Rs 1,899.06 crore in Q4 FY19.

Consolidated EBITDA declined 39.85% to Rs 4,669 crore in Q4 FY20 over Q4 FY19. EBITDA per ton fell 30.43% to Rs 7,183 crore during the period under review.

Consolidated production during the quarter stood at 7.37 million tonne, rising 2.22% from 7.21 million tonne in Q4 FY19. Consolidated deliveries fell 13.56% to 6.50 million tonne in Q4 FY20 over Q4 FY19.

Tata Steel said that the COVID-19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented health crisis and hasdisrupted economic activities and global trade while weighing on consumer sentiment. Consequently, global steel demand is expected to be sharply lower in 2020 before a meaningful recovery in 2021. After witnessing a decline in steel demand growth in 2019, EU expects a steel demand recovery onlyin 2021. With the phased removal of the lockdown restrictions in India, the company's upstream steel making operations have been ramped up and are currently operating at about 80% utilization levels. The company's downstream units have reopened and are steadily ramping up. There are early signs of a recovery in steel demand on the back of increased spending on infrastructure projects as well as rural demand. In Europe, Tata Steel Europe continues to operate at about 70% utilization level. Key steel consuming sectors such as automotive and construction sector continue to be adversely affected, though demand for packaging material has seen a sharp upsurge.

The steel manufacturer clarified that given the uncertain business environment, capex is being curtailed sharply and restricted to safety and sustenance projects. The capex plans will be revisited in H2 or when business conditions normalize.

Commenting on company's performance, T V Narendran, CEO & Managing Director said, "FY20 has been a challenging year. The Indian economy slowed down in the first half with key steel consuming sectors like automotive contracting sharply. While the economy began recovering in the second half, the outbreak of Covid-19 in end March led to unprecedented disruption and heightened economic uncertainty. We have recalibrated our operations in line with the evolving business environment and are focused on conserving cash while actively de-risking the business. While deliveries in India were marred by the nationwide lockdown in late March 2020, margins improved on the back of stronger performance in the early part of the quarter. Both our acquisitions, Tata Steel BSL and Tata Steel Long Products continue to deliver improvements in operating KPIs which has translated into better profitability. Tata Steel Europe showed a turnaround in performance with positive EBITDA for the quarter. While there will be a sharp drop in volumes in 1QFY21, we are seeing early signs of recovery and remain poised to leverage our position on normalization of business conditions."

On a consolidated basis, Tata Steel's PAT (from continuing operations) tumbled 74.56% to Rs 2,337 crore on 11.32% decline in turnover to Rs 139,817 crore in the year ended March 2020 (FY20) over the year ended March 2019 (FY19). EBITDA fell 40.43% to Rs 17,735 crore in FY20 over FY19.

Meanwhile, the board recommended a dividend of Rs 10 per fully paid equity share and Rs. 2.504 per partly paid equity share.

Shares of Tata Steel were up 3.5% at Rs 332.50 on BSE. Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 33 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA).

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