Financial key performance indicators

The Steel Division posted record high key performance indicators (KPIs) for the business year 2021/22. Excellent prices were the main factor driving this development. Year over year, delivery volumes improved slightly by some 5%, but the previous business year had been massively affected early on by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Pursuant to IFRS 5, the voestalpine Texas Group is shown in the discontinued operations category of the Consolidated Financial Statements, given the sale of the 80% stake that has been initiated. Accordingly, the Steel Division’s KPIs both for the reporting period and the previous business year do not include the numbers for the Texas Group (unless otherwise indicated). In sum, the division boosted revenue in the business year 2021/22 by 48.0% to EUR 5,701.8 million (2020/21: EUR 3,852.0 million). In terms of earnings, the division succeeded in substantially raising its margin in an environment marked by steep increases in the cost of raw materials and energy. It posted outstanding performance for the fourth business quarter, in particular, which translated into even greater earnings improvement. On the whole, EBITDA soared 129.4% year over year to EUR 1,150.9 million with a margin of 20.2% (2020/21: EUR 501.8 million, margin of 13.0%). EBIT skyrocketed by 280.3% to EUR 889.1 million with a margin of 15.6% (2020/21: EUR 233.8 million, margin of 6.1%).

The quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) comparison of the third and fourth quarters of the business year 2021/22 clearly underscores the upward trend as well. Revenue rose substantially by 25.7% to EUR 1,800.7 million in the fourth business quarter, up from EUR 1,433.0 million in the third. Developments in the operating result (EBITDA) were even more pronounced. Long-term contracts that were renegotiated as of January 1, 2022, lifted the average price level significantly in the fourth business quarter. The increase in delivery volumes between the third and fourth quarters also supported this development. Against this backdrop, EBITDA jumped by 44.1% to EUR 391.2 million in the fourth business quarter, up from EUR 271.5 million in the third. The EBITDA margin rose accordingly from 18.9% to 21.7%. EBIT presented a similar picture, jumping by 57.8% to EUR 325.9 million (margin of 18.1%), up from EUR 206.5 million (margin of 14.4%) in the third business quarter.

Given the positive economic environment throughout the business year 2021/22, the number of employees (FTE) rose slightly by 2.3% to 10,703 as of the March 31 reporting date (March 31, 2021: 10,461).