AarhusKarlshamn AB – Again record high operating profit

• All time record high operating profit. Operating profit reached SEK 328 million (292), an improvement of 12 percent. Operating profit at fixed exchange rates improved by 14 percent.
• Volumes increased by 8 percent. Organic growth in volume was 4 percent.
• Food Ingredients reached a result of SEK 218 million (220), in line with the exceptionally strong fourth quarter last year. The currency translation impact was negative by SEK 3 million.
• Chocolate & Confectionery Fats improved by 40 percent, and reached SEK 115 million (82).
  At fixed exchange rates the improvement was 41 percent.
• Technical Products & Feed improved operating profit by 14 percent and reached SEK 24 million (21).
• Earnings per share increased by 10 percent, to SEK 5.49 (5.01).
• Continued strong ROCE (Return on Capital Employed) at 16.1 percent (rolling 12 months).
• Proposed dividend of SEK 6.00 (5.25) an increase by SEK 0.75 or 14 percent.
• In January 2014 AAK launched a new company program for 2014-2016, “AAKtion”. The new program is intended to further strengthen the focus on “Sales-Innovation-Execution”.

  
Concluding remarks: “Based on AAK’s customer value propositions for health and reduced costs, our customer product co-development and solutions approach, we continue to remain prudently optimistic about the future.

The main drivers are the continued positive underlying development in Food Ingredients and the continued improvement in Chocolate & Confectionery Fats. ”, says CEO and President Arne Frank.

   
The Interim report for the fourth quarter and the Year-end Report 2013 will be presented today, February 5, 2014 at 1 pm CET at a Press and Analyst telephone conference. For participation, please see instructions under the Investor tab at the AAK website www.aak.com .

        
For further information, please contact:
Fredrik Nilsson, CFO
Phone: + 46 40 627 83 34
Mobile: + 46 708 95 22 21

Anders Byström, Director External Accounting and Investor Relations
Phone: + 46 40 627 83 32
Mobile: + 46 709 88 56 13

The information is that which AarhusKarlshamn AB (publ) is obliged to publish under the provisions of the Stock Exchange and Clearing Operations Act and/or the Trading in Financial Instruments Act. The information was released to the media for publication on February 5, 2014 at 08.15 am CET.

   
AarhusKarlshamn is one the world’s leading producers of high value-added speciality vegetable fats. These fats are characterized by a high technological content and are used as substitute for butter-fat and cocoa butter, transfree solutions for fillings in chocolate and confectionery products, low saturated solutions and in the cosmetics industry. AarhusKarlshamn has production facilities in Denmark, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Uruguay and the US. The company is organised in three Business Areas; Food Ingredients, Chocolate and Confectionery Fats and Technical Products & Feed. Further information on AarhusKarlshamn can be found on the company’s website www.aak.com.

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