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Research: Industrials
Carbios reported a profit, for the first time in its history, in 2016. First commercial revenues from the Carbiolice JV were the key driver behind the strong results. We have upgraded our forecasts and estimate that the company is funded through 2017 but may require additional financing in 2018. Our valuation range remains unchanged at €23-37 per share.
Written by
Carbios |
First time profitable |
Results update |
Alternative energy |
11 April 2017 |
Share price performance
Business description
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Analysts
Carbios is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
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Carbios reported a profit, for the first time in its history, in 2016. First commercial revenues from the Carbiolice JV were the key driver behind the strong results. We have upgraded our forecasts and estimate that the company is funded through 2017 but may require additional financing in 2018. Our valuation range remains unchanged at €23-37 per share.
Year |
Revenue (€m) |
PBT* |
EPS* |
DPS |
P/E |
Yield |
12/15 |
0.8 |
(4.0) |
(81.3) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
12/16 |
8.9 |
3.6 |
131.9 |
0.0 |
4.7 |
N/A |
12/17e |
1.2 |
(4.0) |
(71.9) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
12/18e |
2.0 |
(3.2) |
(64.1) |
0.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.
Profits for the first time
Carbios has turned profitable for the first time in its history. It reported 2016 revenues of €8.9m, operating income of €3.5m and net income of €5.0m, all of which are above our expectations. First commercial revenues from the new joint venture, Carbiolice, were the most important element for the positive earnings. Cash management was also strong, with lower than expected cash outflows of €5.0m, and gross cash at the year-end stood at €3.98m. With this and additional grant income of €1m yet to be received in 2017, the company can fully cover cash outflows of c €3m (pre-grant inflows) for the year.
New revenues, but future financing requirement
We have updated our 2017 forecast and introduce 2018 numbers. Our 2017e EPS loss falls to €0.72 from €0.93 on the back of higher commercial revenues. Carbios’s first commercial JV, Carbiolice, which was the most important milestone during 2016, is becoming ever more important as it is now a source of revenues. Besides that, we also include PET recycling revenues from 2017. Nevertheless, as grant funding comes to an end this year, we estimate that cash outflows will exceed available cash of €1.6m as per our forecast for end 2017. We therefore expect the company to require additional financing, eg other grant funding or debt, or to step up commercial revenues beyond our forecast, or a combination of all three.
Valuation: Unchanged at €23-37 per share
We value Carbios using a DCF methodology with risk-weighted cash flows for its most important processes. This yields a fair value range of €23-37 per share based on different discount rates, with a base case value of €26/share (WACC of 20%). PET, one of the most advanced processes, is the most important component, accounting for 53% of our fair value.
FY16 results: Profitability for the first time
In FY16, revenues were €8.9m, operating profit came in at €3.5m and net income at €5.0m. While revenues were slightly short of our estimate of €9.2m, both EBIT and net income were ahead, 12% and 6%, respectively. Remarkably, the company generated first licensing revenues, €8m, from its new joint venture, Carbiolice. Given the short time of just six months since Carbiolice’s inception, this shows very strong execution. Other revenues principally consisted of grant funding in line with achieved milestones, namely the conclusion of key stage four and a payment for stage five, the last stage of the project. As expected, costs increased with the scaled-up business. However, the company’s EBIT margin was 500bp points above our estimate, reaching 38%. Cash flow was also stronger than expected with €4.5m cash flow from operations, compared to our €3.7m estimate. Total cash outflow, including the investment in Carbiolice, was €5.6m, better than our estimate of €5.4m. With that, the company had cash of €4m (gross) at end December. Its cash burn rate is about €300k per month, which means that cash at hand broadly covers outflows for this year. In addition, the company is still to receive €1m of remaining grant payments for the Thanaplast project for this year before the project completes in 2017.
Exhibit 1: FY16 results
€000s |
FY16a |
FY16e |
change y-o-y |
FY17e |
Revenues |
8,870 |
9,200 |
999% |
1,152 |
EBIT |
3,538 |
2,986 |
N/M |
(4,066) |
Net income |
4,947 |
4,661 |
N/M |
(2,698) |
Net cash flow |
(5,097) |
(5,383) |
49.3% |
(2,353) |
Cash (gross) at end of period |
3,987 |
3,628 |
-55.7% |
1,634 |
Source: Carbios accounts, Edison Investment Research
Update to our forecasts
We have updated our FY17 forecasts to reflect the reported numbers. We now include €750k in collaborative revenues from the Carbiolice JV and €300k in upcoming PET recycling partnership revenues, which has just been confirmed by the company (see above), and increase our forecast for R&D tax credits. This increases our revenue forecast to €1.2m. With cost estimates largely unchanged, this now feeds through to an EBIT loss of €4.1m on the basis of total operating expenses of c €5m, and to a net loss of €2.7m. With that, we estimate gross cash at hand of €1.6m at the end of 2017.
Exhibit 2: Forecast changes
€000s |
2017e |
2018e |
|
Old |
New |
New |
|
Revenues |
653 |
1,152 |
1,950 |
EBIT |
(4,379) |
(4,066) |
(3,211) |
Net income |
(3,487) |
(2,698) |
(2,402) |
EPS (€) |
(0.93) |
(0.72) |
(0.64) |
Operating cash flow |
(2,658) |
(2,399) |
(2,288) |
Net cash flow |
(3,183) |
(2,353) |
(3,292) |
Net cash/(debt) |
314 |
1,506 |
(1,734) |
Source: Carbios accounts, Edison Investment Research
We also introduce our 2018 forecasts. Our revenue estimate of €2m comprises revenues from Carbiolice, in addition to other commercial PET recycling revenues. As the Thanaplast project will conclude in 2017, there will be no more subsidies revenues. As such, we expect the company to be loss-making as the cost base exceeds revenues. We forecast an EBIT loss of €3.2m and a net loss of €2.4m.
As initial grant and subsidies financing will come to an end this year, and cash flows are still negative, we calculate that Carbios will require further financing in 2018, be it other grants, debt or other sources. We forecast a net cash outflow of €3.3m in FY18, which exceeds estimated cash of €1.6m at end-2017. That said, should the company be able to step up commercial revenues, it might reduce financing requirements.
Industrial and commercial steps ahead
The company has delivered impressive progress through 2016. Most importantly, it agreed its first joint venture, Carbiolice, in partnership with Limagrain and Bpifrance (see our outlook note of 28 September 2016 and discussion above), and has shown its first positive commercial impact. It has also strengthened its intellectual property: it has been granted two patents in the US, one for enzyme inclusion in plastics and one for PLA degradation. Carbios has also achieved a new patent in China for enzymatic biodegradation of PLA, which underpins its market expansion strategy in agricultural mulching films. Furthermore, it has taken forward its PLA production process by validating its in vivo enzymatic polymerisation process. Lastly, the company has taken a step forward by adapting the polyester biorecycling process for crystalline PET material, which is key for the very important plastic bottle market, one of Carbios’s potential future growth markets.
The company now needs to drive further commercial roll-out to grow commercial revenues as Bpifrance/Thanaplast financing will come to an end in 2017 and/or contemplate additional financing from 2018.
Exhibit 3: Financial summary
Year end 31 December |
€000s |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017e |
2018e |
|
|
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
IFRS |
||
PROFIT & LOSS |
||||||||
Revenue |
|
|
900 |
664 |
837 |
8,870* |
1,152 |
1,950 |
Cost of Sales |
(3,164) |
(2,912) |
(3,145) |
(2,980) |
(2,831) |
(2,774) |
||
Gross Profit |
(2,264) |
(2,248) |
(2,308) |
5,890 |
(1,679) |
(824) |
||
EBITDA |
|
|
(3,077) |
(3,283) |
(3,896) |
3,761 |
(3,824) |
(2,976) |
Operating Profit (before amort. and except.) |
|
|
(3,116) |
(3,364) |
(4,062) |
3,538 |
(4,066) |
(3,211) |
Intangible Amortisation |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Exceptionals |
9 |
15 |
(23) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Operating Profit |
(3,107) |
(3,349) |
(4,085) |
3,538 |
(4,066) |
(3,211) |
||
Net Interest |
(0) |
48 |
78 |
88 |
27 |
42 |
||
Profit Before Tax (norm) |
|
|
(3,116) |
(3,316) |
(3,984) |
3,626 |
(4,040) |
(3,170) |
Profit Before Tax (FRS 3) |
|
|
(3,107) |
(3,301) |
(4,007) |
3,626 |
(4,040) |
(3,170) |
Tax |
961 |
1,091 |
936 |
1,321 |
1,342 |
768 |
||
Profit After Tax (norm) |
(2,155) |
(2,225) |
(3,048) |
4,947 |
(2,698) |
(2,402) |
||
Profit After Tax (FRS 3) |
(2,146) |
(2,210) |
(3,071) |
4,947 |
(2,698) |
(2,402) |
||
Average Number of Shares Outstanding (m) |
3.8 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
3.8 |
||
EPS - normalised fully diluted (c) |
|
|
(57.8) |
(59.3) |
(81.3) |
131.9 |
(71.9) |
(64.1) |
EPS - (IFRS) (c) |
|
|
(57.2) |
(58.9) |
(81.9) |
131.9 |
(71.9) |
(64.1) |
Dividend per share (c) |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
||
Gross Margin (%) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
||
EBITDA Margin (%) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
42.4 |
N/A |
N/A |
||
Operating Margin (before GW and except.) (%) |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
39.9 |
N/A |
N/A |
||
BALANCE SHEET |
||||||||
Fixed Assets |
|
|
243 |
1,048 |
1,665 |
11,270 |
11,858 |
12,668 |
Intangible Assets |
72 |
130 |
231 |
371 |
601 |
796 |
||
Tangible Assets |
14 |
740 |
1,258 |
1,211 |
1,569 |
2,183 |
||
Investments |
157 |
178 |
176 |
9,688 |
9,688 |
9,688 |
||
Current Assets |
|
|
16,113 |
12,684 |
10,377 |
6,162 |
3,647 |
2,043 |
Stocks |
0 |
20 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
15 |
||
Debtors |
1,401 |
1,402 |
1,224 |
1,945 |
1,782 |
1,813 |
||
Cash |
14,598 |
11,099 |
9,011 |
3,987 |
1,634 |
0 |
||
Other |
114 |
163 |
130 |
215 |
215 |
215 |
||
Current Liabilities |
|
|
(1,110) |
(196) |
(337) |
(494) |
(415) |
(366) |
Creditors |
(1,110) |
(196) |
(337) |
(494) |
(415) |
(366) |
||
Short term borrowings |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Long Term Liabilities |
|
|
(680) |
(474) |
(571) |
(674) |
(624) |
(2,281) |
Long term borrowings |
(457) |
(152) |
(222) |
(178) |
(128) |
(1,785) |
||
Other long term liabilities |
(223) |
(322) |
(349) |
(496) |
(496) |
(496) |
||
Net Assets |
|
|
14,566 |
13,062 |
11,134 |
16,264 |
14,466 |
12,064 |
CASH FLOW |
||||||||
Operating Cash Flow |
|
|
(1,532) |
(3,546) |
(2,595) |
4,515 |
(2,399) |
(2,288) |
Net Interest |
(0) |
48 |
78 |
88 |
27 |
42 |
||
Tax |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Capex |
(187) |
(867) |
(786) |
(329) |
(830) |
(1,045) |
||
Acquisitions/disposals |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(9,500) |
0 |
0 |
||
Financing |
13,500 |
1,171 |
1,145 |
129 |
850 |
0 |
||
Dividends |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Net Cash Flow |
11,781 |
(3,194) |
(2,158) |
(5,097) |
(2,353) |
(3,292) |
||
Opening net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(2,360) |
(14,141) |
(10,947) |
(8,789) |
(3,809) |
(1,506) |
HP finance leases initiated |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
117 |
50 |
51 |
||
Closing net debt/(cash) |
|
|
(14,141) |
(10,947) |
(8,789) |
(3,809) |
(1,506) |
1,734 |
Source: Carbios accounts, Edison Investment Research. Note: *FY16 revenues include an €8m non-cash payment treated as licensing revenues as per management guidance; this non-cash payment has been adjusted in the operating cash flow accordingly.
|
|
Research: TMT
Mondo’s FY16 results, which were delivered ahead of guidance and show a significant increase in sales from the strategically important Asian market, are a confident step towards delivering its ambitious five-year growth plan. The shares, at the bottom of peers on 2017e P/E, have yet to catch up.