In addition to ensuring availability of the liquidity necessary to support business activities and maximizing shareholder value, the primary objective of the Group’s capital management is to ensure appropriate creditworthiness and a satisfactory equity ratio.
Capital management in the voestalpine Group is performed using the net financial debt to EBITDA ratio and the gearing ratio, i.e., the net financial debt to equity ratio. Net financial debt consists of interest-bearing loans less financing receivables and other loan receivables, securities, cash and cash equivalents. Equity includes non-controlling interests in Group companies and the hybrid capital.
The Group’s maximum sustainable gearing ratio has been set at 70% and may only be exceeded for a limited period of time. The net financial debt to EBITDA ratio may not exceed 3.0. All growth measures and capital market transactions are based on these ratios.
The following table shows these two ratios for the reporting period:
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03/31/2010 |
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03/31/2011 |
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Gearing ratio in % |
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71.3% |
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57.8% |
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Net finacial debt to EBITDA ratio |
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3.0 |
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1.7 |