Meggitt swings to loss in 2020 as revenue drops 22% amid Covid-19 hit

(Alliance News) - Meggitt PLC on Thursday said its 2020 performance reflected the impact of ...

Alliance News 4 March, 2021 | 11:59AM
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(Alliance News) - Meggitt PLC on Thursday said its 2020 performance reflected the impact of Covid-19 on the civil aerospace sector, which resulted in hurt revenue and sent the company into loss.

The Coventry, England-based aerospace and defence firm reported 2020 revenue of GBP1.68 billion, down 22% on an organic basis from GBP2.38 billion in 2019. Revenue was in line with Meggitt's prior guidance of GBP1.7 billion.

A 41% drop in civil aerospace revenue on an organic basis to GBP725.6 million was only partly offset by a "robust" performance in defence, where revenue grew by 4% on an organic basis to GBP768.4 million. On a reported basis, civil aerospace revenue still was down 41% and defence was down 7%.

Underlying operating profit for 2020 came in at GBP191 million, 53% lower than GBP403 million in 2019. This was roughly in the middle of Meggitt's guided range of GBP180 million and GBP200 million range.

Meggitt reported a 2020 pretax loss of GBP334.0 million, swinging from a 2019 profit of GBP286.7 million, while it swung to a 2020 operating loss of GBP297 million from a profit of GBP325 million in 2019. It said this was a result of the non-cash impairment of intangible assets and other asset write downs, including intangible assets acquired in business combinations, movements in financial instruments and exceptional operating items.

After deciding not to pay a final dividend for 2019 due to market conditions, Meggitt decided against paying an interim or final dividend for 2020 for the same reason. This has helped retain cash within the group, it said.

"The board is very aware of the importance of dividends to our shareholders and looks forward to restoring dividend payments when the recovery in civil aerospace is more established," the company added.

"Our focus throughout 2020 and as we move into 2021, continues to be ensuring the safety and well-being of our people, protecting our sites, serving our customers and communities and executing our strategy. Faced with a reduction in activity and demand in one of our core markets, we acted fast, executed well operationally and took decisive action while positioning the group for the recovery in civil aerospace. While our full year performance has clearly been impacted by the ongoing effects of Covid-19, it also reflects the resilience and diverse nature of the group, including the mitigating impact of our defence and energy businesses," said Chief Executive Tony Wood.

Looking ahead, Meggitt said it expects its 2021 revenue to be broadly in line with that of 2020, but believes the "supportive" backdrop for civil aerospace recovery provided by the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines may take time to feed into growth.

"Based on the significant progress we've made over the last four years to transform the group, the effective actions we've taken in 2020, diverse end market exposure and leading market positions, we are well placed to benefit from the recovery and to continue to deliver long-term profitable growth," said CEO Wood.

Also Thursday, Meggitt said it has appointed Alison Goligher to succeed Guy Berruyer as senior independent director on April 29 after the end of the annual general meeting.

The firm said Berruyer will continue to serve as a non-executive director as his prior experience brings "significant" value to board discussions. Meggitt added that Goligher has nearly six years of experience on the board, which makes her "well qualified" to take over the role.

Meggitt had announced on Tuesday it has signed a "large multi-million pound" contract with Boeing Co for the supply of cockpit indicators for the Chicago, US-headquartered aerospace firm's 737 Max aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in second quarter of 2022.

Shares in Meggitt were up 0.3% at 432.20 pence in London on Thursday.

By Zoe Wickens; zoewickens@alliancenews.com

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