Ambea’s interim report January-March 2021

Secure elderly care with completed vaccinations.

CEO comment:

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continued in the first quarter, and restrictions were once again tightened due to a third wave of the coronavirus. At the same time, the vaccination rollout continued, and our elderly care units were given top priority, which stabilised the situation and was very positive from a human perspective – for our care receivers as well as our employees. As the new CEO of Ambea, I am proud to see how our employees continue to work tirelessly in the best interests of our care receivers, by adhering to strict procedures to prevent the spread of the virus and providing warm, professional care.

In the first quarter, net sales amounted to SEK 2,727 million (2,811). Sales were lower year-on-year due to lower occupancy resulting from the COVID-19 situation and the leap day in 2020. Organic growth was a negative 2 per cent. First-quarter EBITA declined 12 per cent to SEK 152 million, a result of the COVID-19 situation. In addition, the leap day had a positive impact on earnings in the preceding year.

In the first quarter, the estimated impact of the COVID-19 situation was about SEK -100 million on sales and SEK -40 million on earnings. In Stendi, the impact was considerably greater than in preceding quarters, while the impact on other divisions was in line with, or slightly lower than, preceding quarters.

We will accelerate our efforts to prevent a loss of social capital due to the pandemic. Many family members have had to take on a great deal of responsibility during the pandemic when loved ones in need of extensive care have remained in their homes. Here we need to work together with our clients to ensure that those in need also gain access to the right care now. Both care receivers and loved ones can feel complete confidence in the day-to-day life at our units, and the qualified care we provide. As a high-quality partner to municipalities, we stand ready to welcome more care receivers.

Highlights of the first quarter 2021:

• Net sales decreased 3 per cent to SEK 2,727 million (2,811)
• Operating profit (EBIT) increased to SEK 125 million (144)
• EBITA decreased 12 per cent to SEK 152 million (173), corresponding to a margin of 5.6 per cent (6.2)
• Adjusted EBITA, excluding items affecting comparability decreased 19 per cent to SEK 152 million (187)
• The adjusted EBITA margin was 5.7 per cent (6.7)
• Profit for the period was SEK 46 million (62)
• Earnings per share amounted to SEK 0.49 (0.65) before and after dilution
• Free cash flow totalled SEK 172 million (148)

Significant events in and after the first quarter

• During the quarter, Ambea estimates the negative impact of the COVID-19 situation to be about SEK 100 million on net sales and SEK 40 million on EBITA. The negative impact includes loss of income due to lower rates of occupancy primarily in elderly care, higher costs for personal protective equipment (PPE) and sick leave, and government support received.
• The negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the company are expected to continue in 2021. In the second quarter, the estimated negative impact is SEK 90-100 million on sales and SEK 40-50 million on EBITA.
• During the quarter, Mark Jensen was assumed the position of President and CEO of Ambea.
• Six operations in residential and day services in Sweden were acquired from LSS Omsorgen during the quarter. After the quarter ended, Ambea also completed the acquisition of EKKOfonden's care operations in Denmark.

Telephone conference:

Ambea will host a presentation with the possibility to attend through a telephone conference at 10:00 (CET) today. The presentation will be held in English and will also be available as webcast on: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/et86hzk5

Dial-in information:

To ensure that you are connected to the conference call, please dial in at least ten minutes before the conference call starts to register your attendance and enter participation code 5995059.

Sweden:                                       +46 (0)8 506 921 80

UK:                                               +44 (0)20 71 92 80 00

US:                                               +1 631 510 7495

The interim report, presentation and other material are available on www.ambea.com

This disclosure contains information that Ambea is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014) and the Swedish Securities Markets Act (2007:528). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 04-05-2021 07:00 CET.

For more information, contact:

Jacob Persson, Head of Group Business Control & Investor Relations 
Telephone: +46 (0)708 64 07 52
E-mail: ir@ambea.se

Ambea press contact
Telephone: +46 (0)10 33 00 501
E-mail: press@ambea.se

Ambea is the market leading care provider in Sweden, Norway and Denmark respectively, with over 900 care units and around 26,000 employees. We offer services in disabled care, individual and family care, and elderly care with a focus on residential care and own management. We aim to be the quality leader in all that we do and our vision is to make the world a better place, one person at a time. The company was founded in 1996 and its head office is located in Solna, Sweden. Ambea is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.