Over 2017, Ellomay made large investments in new projects and in acquisitions, which we expect to drive significant revenue and profit growth in 2018. Results for Q1 (normally weak due to seasonality) showed a 20% y-o-y growth in revenues and were in line with management expectations for FY18. We expect the following quarters to also show a pick-up in earnings. Looking beyond 2018, Ellomay has announced significant progress on Talasol, a large Spanish solar PV plant, which could reach financial close before the 2018 year-end. Our valuation of $11.0 per share implies c 28% potential upside.
Written by
Ellomay Capital |
Company guidance for FY18 confirmed at Q1 |
Q1 results update |
Alternative energy |
10 July 2018 |
Share price performance
Business description
Next events
Analysts
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Over 2017, Ellomay made large investments in new projects and in acquisitions, which we expect to drive significant revenue and profit growth in 2018. Results for Q1 (normally weak due to seasonality) showed a 20% y-o-y growth in revenues and were in line with management expectations for FY18. We expect the following quarters to also show a pick-up in earnings. Looking beyond 2018, Ellomay has announced significant progress on Talasol, a large Spanish solar PV plant, which could reach financial close before the 2018 year-end. Our valuation of $11.0 per share implies c 28% potential upside.
Year end |
Revenue (€m) |
PBT* |
EPS* |
DPS |
P/E |
Yield |
12/17 |
13.6 |
(6.3) |
(0.57) |
0.00 |
NA |
N/A |
12/18e |
19.7 |
3.6 |
0.28 |
0.09 |
26.4 |
1.2 |
12/19e |
20.5 |
4.5 |
0.34 |
0.11 |
21.8 |
1.5 |
12/20e |
20.4 |
4.3 |
0.33 |
0.12 |
22.4 |
1.6 |
Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.
Q1 revenues up 20% y-o-y and guidance confirmed
Q1 revenues were €3.0m, +20% y-o-y, driven mostly by new projects (Dutch biogas) and acquisition (Israel solar PV). EBITDA was €1.3m (vs €1.5m in Q117). Correcting for a €0.4m negative one-off impact, we calculate that EBITDA would have been up c 13% y-o-y. Ellomay reported a net loss of €0.4m (vs a loss of €1.7m in Q117), which we expect to turn into a FY net profit after two years of losses, thanks to the contribution of the (seasonally stronger) following quarters. We updated our estimates for results and to align the accounting treatment of Talmei Yosef project with the company’s. On an underlying basis we have reduced our FY18-20 net income forecasts by 7-9% post Q1. The company said that Q1 results were consistent with its previous forecasts for FY18 (€21.9m cash flow from the sale of electricity and gas, and total net cash flow from projects of €11.8m).
A pipeline of large projects
Ellomay has a pipeline of large projects, including the Manara Cliff pumped-storage project and the solar Spanish PV project, Talasol, on which it announced significant progress in June. In addition to these two projects, at the Q1 results Ellomay said it is promoting the expansion of its Dutch biogas projects and acting to add additional projects as well. Overall, we believe the outlook for structural renewable growth in Europe remains robust and the recently increased EU target for renewables provides a positive backdrop, despite the threat of rising interest rates and the risk of returns compression. While growth opportunities exist, we believe the main challenge for Ellomay will be financing new projects.
Valuation of $11.0/share implies 28% potential upside
Ellomay’s current share price implies an equity valuation broadly in line with book value, hence the market is discounting little ability to create value from existing and future development projects. We believe delivery of earnings growth from new projects would provide an opportunity to crystallise the upside potential. Our DCF-based value of US$11.0/sh (vs $11.4/sh previously) implies c 28% potential upside.
Q118 revenues up 20% y-o-y
On 21 June, Ellomay Capital reported Q1 results:
Revenues were €3.0m, up 20% y-o-y, mostly driven by new projects (waste-to-energy in the Netherlands) and acquisition (Talmei Yosef, a solar PV asset in Israel acquired in October 2017). The Talmei Yosef project contributed only €0.2m revenues rather than the total proceeds from the sale of electricity of €0.8m, due to accounting treatment IFRIC 12, service concession arrangements.
EBITDA was €1.3m (vs €1.5m in Q117). The first quarter is traditionally a weak one due to seasonality (radiation levels are low during the winter), which affects revenues and has a disproportionate impact on margins (as costs, which are equally split over the various quarters, increase as a result of new projects but are not compensated by a similar increase in revenues). In addition, EBITDA was affected by a €0.4m negative one-off impact (included in general and administrative expenses) due to a payment following a VAT assessment agreement in connection with previous years in Israel. Correcting for this negative one-off, we calculate that EBITDA would have been up c 13% y-o-y.
Net loss of €0.4m (vs a loss of €1.7m a year earlier) includes a net positive one-off impact of €0.3m due to lower financial expenses resulting from exchange rate differences (in addition to the €0.4m negative one-off impact included in EBITDA, mentioned above). As a result, we estimate a c €0.3m net loss on an underlying basis for Q118. We expect this loss to turn into a profit for the full year, thanks to the contribution from the (seasonally stronger) following quarters.
Net debt was €80.5m, broadly unchanged vs FY17 results, with cash flow from operations covering cash outflows from investments.
The company commented that Q1 results were consistent with its previous forecasts for FY18. Previously released guidance included an estimate of €21.9m cash flow from the sale of electricity and gas, and total net cash flow from projects (including an equity-accounted stake in gas plant Dorad) of €11.8m.
Ellomay’s project pipeline include large investments
Ellomay has a pipeline of large projects for future years, which are not included in our forecasts (as they have not reached financial close) and which we believe represent significant growth opportunities in the medium term. Beyond Talasol (a 300MW solar PV plant project in Talaván, Spain, with financial close potentially by year-end) and Manara Cliff (a 156MW Israeli pumped-storage plant project), in its latest results release, Ellomay Capital added that it could expand the capacity of its first two biogas projects (one of which is due to come on stream over the course of 2018) and that it could add similar new projects in the Netherlands. We understand that no investment decision has been made and we expect these projects to be advanced depending on the attractiveness of returns and on funding availability.
Exhibit 1: Key pipeline projects
Location |
Asset |
Expected commissioning |
Expected capex |
Generation |
Expected revenue |
Talaván, Spain |
300MW solar PV in Spain |
2020 |
€200-230m |
545GWh |
€20-25m/ |
Manara Cliff, Israel |
156MW pumped-storage hydro plant |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Biogas projects, Netherlands |
Potential expansion of the existing projects and potential new projects |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Source: Company data
Over the last few weeks, Ellomay has achieved significant progress on the Talasol project. In June the company announced that it had entered into an engineering, procurement & construction agreement for the project and that it is discussing the possibility of receiving financing from the European Investment Bank. The project (with total capex of €200-230m) is expected to have leverage of 60%. In addition, Ellomay announced that it had executed a financial power swap in respect of c 80% of the output of the plant (power purchase agreement).
Beyond these projects, we believe the company could evaluate several other growth projects in the future and that the outlook for new renewable projects remains strong, despite the prospect of increasing interest rates and the recent compression in returns of new projects.
After 18 months of negotiations, the European Council agreed in June to increase the target for the share of EU energy consumption from renewables to 32% from 27% (vs 17% in 2016), which should provide a positive backdrop for further renewable growth in Europe. For example, Italy (Italian assets generate around half of Ellomay’s 2018e revenues, on our estimates) would require a boost in total renewable investments to €87bn (from €70bn) in the period 2018-30 to reach the higher target, according to estimates by Osservatorio OIR (published in La Repubblica on 20 June 2018). This would require a huge step-up in investments, from €2.1bn in 2017 (source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance) to €6.7bn/year in the period 2018-30.
We believe a key constraint to Ellomay’s future growth projects is its ability to fund new investments. We forecast FY19 net debt/EBITDA of 4.8x with a reduction thereafter, thanks to cash flow generation (before any further projects). In November 2017 Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Maalot downgraded the rating of the company and its Series A and Series B Nonconvertible Debentures from ilA- with a “negative” outlook to ilBBB+ (which corresponds to B on an S&P’s global scale), although the outlook is now “stable”. The downgrade was justified on the basis of the level of estimated FFO to adjusted debt ratio (9-12% in forthcoming years). Maalot said Ellomay Capital’s level of liquidity was appropriate.
New projects point to FY18 growth
We believe the H1 results in September will provide better visibility on Ellomay’s growth prospects over the course of 2018, which we continue to see as an important year of growth delivery for the company. We now forecast FY18 revenues increasing by 44% y-o-y to €19.7m and EBITDA growing by 60% y-o-y to €12.0m (see forecasts revisions in Exhibit 2 below). In addition, we expect Ellomay to report positive net income (€2.5m) following net losses over the course of FY16 and FY17. This should allow Ellomay to declare a dividend from FY18 (we assume a c 33% payout ratio in line with company guidance). Beyond 2018, our estimates point to a stabilisation in revenue and EBITDA as our forecasts do not include further growth projects. New projects, such as Talasol, would provide significant upside to our estimates.
Forecasts update post Q1 results
We have updated our forecasts following Q1 results and aligned our modelling with Ellomay’s accounting treatment for Talmei Yosef (the recently acquired solar PV asset). While previously we included 100% of revenues for the project, we now include 25% (related to the operations of the asset) and 75% against financial assets, in line with the accounting treatment by the company (IFRIC 12 – service concessions). This has an impact on revenue and EBITDA, but no impact on cash flow. Overall we expect Ellomay to report a strong improvement in revenues and net income over the course of FY18, although our net income forecasts for FY18-20 reduce by 7-9% on an underlying basis, reflecting updated assumptions for project development costs, financial expenses, D&A and contribution from assets in Israel.
Exhibit 2: Forecasts revisions
€000s |
2018e |
2019e |
2020e |
EBITDA |
|||
New |
11,958 |
12,719 |
12,628 |
Old |
14,317 |
14,900 |
14,833 |
% change |
-16% |
-15% |
-15% |
EBIT |
|||
New |
6,200 |
6,752 |
6,661 |
Old |
8,259 |
8,634 |
8,566 |
% change |
-25% |
-22% |
-22% |
Net income adjusted for minorities |
|||
New |
2,490 |
3,049 |
2,930 |
Old |
2,724 |
3,281 |
3,198 |
% change |
-9% |
-7% |
-8% |
Source: Edison Investment Research
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