TOP NEWS: DS Smith profit falls after pandemic hits paper prices

(Alliance News) - DS Smith PLC on Tuesday reported declines in revenue and profit in the 2021 ...

Alliance News 22 June, 2021 | 7:59AM
Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

(Alliance News) - DS Smith PLC on Tuesday reported declines in revenue and profit in the 2021 financial year, as the cardboard box boom was not enough to offset weak prices for paper.

The London-based packaging supplier saw sales fall 1.1% in the year ended April 30, to GBP5.98 billion from GBP6.04 billion. Pretax profit dropped 37% to GBP231 million from GBP368 million.

The company will pay a final dividend per share of 8.1 pence, bringing the total for the year to 12.1p. DS Smith had suspended its dividends in financial 2020, after paying out 16.2p in financial 2019.

Shares were down 1.6% to 425.63p each in London on Tuesday morning.

The FTSE 100 company said profitability was hit by the pandemic, particularly in the first quarter as packaging volumes fell and raw material costs were volatile.

But more online shopping and sales of essential consumer goods bolstered demand for cardboard boxes, with volume up 3.5% in the year.

The current financial year has started well, DS Smith said, with volume momentum from the fourth quarter of financial 2021 continuing.

Inflationary pressures have continued, but increased costs should be offset by rising packaging prices, the company said.

"We invested heavily to keep all of our people safe and all of factories open throughout the pandemic and this enabled us to build good momentum through the year after a challenging Q1," Chief Executive Miles Roberts said.

"The growth drivers of e-commerce sustainability and plastic-free packaging have accelerated over the last twelve months and we are very well-placed to capitalise on this growth."

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Smith (DS) PLC 340.00 GBX -1.73 -

About Author

Alliance News

Alliance News provides Morningstar with continuously updating coverage of news affecting listed companies.

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures