Hella closed the first six months of the short fiscal year 2022 (1 June to 30 November 2022) with double-digit growth in sales and earnings. Sales increased by 25 per cent to €3.8bn. The adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) increased by 30 per cent to €202m. Reported EBIT was €162m, corresponding to an EBIT margin of 4.3 per cent.
CEO Michel Favre says “After a strong start to the fiscal year, we accelerated our successful business development even further in the second quarter. Firstly, the Lighting and Electronics Business Groups both grew at double-digit rates and strongly outperformed global light vehicle production, which has only increased by around 18% in the same period. Secondly, we boosted the globalisation of the business with strong outperformance in China as well as in North America”.
Lighting increased sales mainly due to higher production volumes after series launches in the previous year. In the first six months of the fiscal year 2022, the lighting business group increased sales by 27 per cent to €1.8bn.
The company outlook for 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023 is confirmed as in line with the forecast published in the annual report 2021/2022. Accordingly, Hella expect to generate currency and portfolio-adjusted consolidated sales at the upper end of the range of €7.1bn to €7.6bn in this period. The EBIT margin, adjusted for structural measures and portfolio effects, is expected to be at the lower end of the forecast range of around 5.5 to 7 per cent.
