Grifols takes $494 mln writedown on Chinese investment
Adds trading resumes in para 3, results in paragraphs 6-9
By Inti Landauro
MADRID, July 30 (Reuters) -Spanish drugmaker Grifols GRLS.MC has taken a 457 million euros ($494 million) writedown on its accounts for 2020 through 2023, to reflect what it says was a previously incorrect accounting treatment of its stake in China's Shanghai RAAS 002252.SZ.
Spain's stock market regulator CNMV had earlier suspended trading in Grifols shares after Bloomberg reported the revision, citing an unidentified source familiar with the matter, on the day Grifols was due to report earnings.
As trading was allowed to resume after Grifols released a statement on the writedown and posted a first-half profit, its shares were 0.2% down on the day.
"Despite this correction resulting in a reduction of equity by 457 million euros, it has had no impact on the income statement; it represents an incorrect accounting treatment without affecting the correct results for each affected financial year," Grifols said.
Grifols sold the 20% stake it held in Shanghai RAAS earlier this year to Haier Smart Home 600690.SS for $1.8 billion.
Grifols, which produces drugs made with blood plasma, had said it would use the proceeds to reduce its debt.
The company swung to a net profit of 36 million euros ($39 million) in the first half of 2024 from a year-ago loss of 70 million euros, on revenue of 3.4 billion, and reiterated its full-year guidance of revenue above 7 billion euros and adjusted core earnings or EBITDA above 1.8 billion euros.
Adjusted EBITDA rose 22% to 791 million euros in the first half, while Grifols' leverage ratio fell to 5.5 times from 8.9 times at end-2023.
The company has lost almost 40% of its market capitalisation since early January when short-seller fund Gotham City Research issued a report questioning its accounting and debt levels. Grifols has dismissed the report, insisting its data were correct, and has sued Gotham City.
The short-seller's report prompted the company to change auditor, review its corporate structure and reshuffle its top management.
Earlier this month, the Grifols family said it had teamed up with Canadian fund Brookfield BN.TO to evaluate a possible joint takeover bid for the company, now worth about 5.7 billion euros.
($1 = 0.9255 euros)
Reporting by Inti Landauro and Emma Pinedo; Editing by Sarah Young and David Holmes
免責聲明: XM Group提供線上交易平台的登入和執行服務，允許個人查看和/或使用網站所提供的內容，但不進行任何更改或擴展其服務和訪問權限，並受以下條款與條例約束：（i）條款與條例；（ii）風險提示；（iii）完全免責聲明。網站內部所提供的所有資訊，僅限於一般資訊用途。請注意，我們所有的線上交易平台內容並不構成，也不被視為進入金融市場交易的邀約或邀請 。金融市場交易會對您的投資帶來重大風險。
所有缐上交易平台所發佈的資料，僅適用於教育/資訊類用途，不包含也不應被視爲適用於金融、投資稅或交易相關諮詢和建議，或是交易價格紀錄，或是任何金融商品或非應邀途徑的金融相關優惠的交易邀約或邀請。
本網站的所有XM和第三方所提供的内容，包括意見、新聞、研究、分析、價格其他資訊和第三方網站鏈接，皆爲‘按原狀’，並作爲一般市場評論所提供，而非投資建議。請理解和接受，所有被歸類為投資研究範圍的相關内容，並非爲了促進投資研究獨立性，而根據法律要求所編寫，而是被視爲符合營銷傳播相關法律與法規所編寫的内容。請確保您已詳讀並完全理解我們的非獨立投資研究提示和風險提示資訊，相關詳情請點擊 這裡查看。
