URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C., a Cypriot holding company of the URALCHEM Group, one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers in Russia, announced its unaudited IFRS financial results for the first quarter of 2013.

Moscow, Russia (May 29, 2013)

– Revenue increased to US $683 million, compared to US $673 million in Q1 2012.
– Operating profit increased to US $220 million, compared with US $178 million in Q1 2012.
– Adjusted EBITDA grew to US $250 million, compared to US $207 million in Q1 2012.
– Net profit amounted to US $161 million, compared with US $354 million in Q1 2012*.

URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C. (hereinafter URALCHEM Holding or the Company), a Cypriot holding company of the URALCHEM Group (hereinafter the Group), one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers in Russia, announced its unaudited IFRS financial results for the first quarter of 2013.

Dmitry Konyaev, CEO of URALCHEM, OJSC (the Russian holding company of the Group), commented on the results, “In the first quarter of this year, URALCHEM increased its revenues and the adjusted EBITDA grew substantially. This shows how effectively the Company is working. URALCHEM is still focusing on production of high-margin products demanded by the market. The first three months of 2013 showed the sort of results which we had anticipated. This is a positive testament to our strategy of strengthening our position in the nitrogen segment.”

Financial Results

Revenue for the first quarter of 2013 grew to US $683 million, compared to US $673 million in the first quarter of last year. Operating profit amounted to US $220 million, or 32% of the revenue, compared with the operating profit of US $178 million, or 26% of the revenue, in the first quarter of 2012. Net profit for the first quarter of 2013 amounted to US $161 million, compared to US $354 million in the first quarter of 2012.

During the first quarter of 2013, adjusted EBITDA reached US $250 million, compared to US $207 million the year before, a rise of 19%. The adjusted EBITDA margin for the first quarter of 2013 comprised 37% of revenue compared with 31% of revenue for the first quarter of 2012.

Revenue, EBITDA margin and adjusted EBITDA increased during the first quarter of 2013 as compared to the same period in 2012. The difference in the net profit is due to revaluation of the Company’s share in Minudobrenia, Perm carried out in 2012 and foreign exchange differences that showed opposite dynamics in 2013.

Markets

Ammonia
During the quarter, the price of ammonia was slowly declining. The main factor determining the price dynamics was the lack of demand in both the agricultural and the industrial segments. Reduced production of phosphate fertilizers in North Africa and India resulted in lower demand for ammonia in these regions. US demand for ammonia for direct application was satisfied by supplies from Trinidad and from domestic market. The growth of the industrial segment in East Asia appeared to be insufficient to cover spot volumes and the demand was met by contract supplies. Ammonia production in Egypt decreased due to the limitations of gas supplies for nitrogen production, but at the same time, capacities utilization in Trinidad increased to 90%.

Urea
At the beginning of the quarter prices for urea increased rapidly. Quotes for prilled urea in the Black Sea ports showed growth from $375/t FOB in early January to $445/t FOB in mid-February. In the Baltic, the corresponding figures were at $360/t FOB and $430/t FOB. The most significant factor that determined the dynamics of prices at the beginning of the first quarter was the shift of the market balance towards demand.

On the one hand, the early part of the year is traditionally a period of high demand from Europe and the USA, and European importers had low stocks at the start of the purchasing season. On the other hand, restrictions on the supply of gas to nitrogen production facilities in Egypt at the beginning of the year led to a substantial reduction in export supply.

Shortages of supply of Egyptian urea increased the interest of European buyers in products from other countries, including the supply of prilled urea from the CIS. However, from mid-February, there was a reduction in prices, which continued until the end of the quarter. In the ports of CIS, price reduction was associated with the sale of long positions by traders. A decline in prices for ammonium nitrate in Europe produced additional pressure on the price of urea.

Prices continued to decline in March due to lower demand in the US and Europe, caused by the delay in fertilizer application due to adverse weather conditions. Latin American importers, the biggest buyers of Russian urea, switched to purchasing for current needs, focusing on the dynamics of prices. Toward the end of March, supply increased in the Ukrainian ports in connection with the completion of the season in that area.

Ammonium nitrate
Quotes for ammonium nitrate generally followed the trends in the price of urea. During January and February there was a steady growth in the quotations for the product at the ports of the CIS because of the shortage of the product available for export, due to supplies being allocated for domestic use. In mid-March the trend changed markedly due to lower domestic demand.

Phosphate fertilizers
Until mid-February, global decline in prices continued due to the lack of current demand. In February, major suppliers decreased production, which made it possible to stabilize prices. Then, due to increased demand in Latin America, prices started to restore. By the end of March, indicators of export prices in Tampa rose to $515/t FOB against the lowest prices of $465/t – $475/t FOB. Still, Latin America remained the single largest source of demand. Indian buyers refrained from transactions; closed tenders were held, mostly to test price expectations.

Production and sales

In the first quarter of 2013 the fertilizer market was stable and the Group’s products enjoyed strong demand. Volume of production by the Group’s enterprises remained at the level of the first quarter of last year. A significant portion of production output was sold in April 2013 due to adverse weather conditions and late start of the sowing season.

Financial Situation

Cash generated from operating activities in the first quarter of 2013 amounted to US $168 million, compared to US $174 million in the first quarter of 2012.

As at 31 March 2013, the Company’s net debt amounted to US $801 million. The weighted average interest rate of the loan portfolio in the first quarter of 2013 equalled 4.6% annually compared to 5.8% annually during the same period last year.

-Ends-

For more information, please visit the Company web site http://www.uralchem.com or use the following contact information:

PR department
URALCHEM, OJSC
Tel: +7 (495) 721 89 89
E-Mail: pr@uralchem.com

URALCHEM HOLDING P.L.C. is a holding company of the URALCHEM Group, which includes four fertilizer manufacturing facilities in Russia. URALCHEM Group is one of the largest producers of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers in Russia and the CIS with production capacities of over 2.5 million tons of ammonium nitrate, 2.8 million tons of ammonia, 0.8 million tons of MAP and DAP, 0.8 million tons of complex fertilizers and 1.2 million tons of urea per year. URALCHEM Group is the second largest ammonium nitrate producer in the world and number one in Russia, the second largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers in Russia. URALCHEM Group’s key production assets include Azot Branch of URALCHEM, OJSC in Berezniki, Perm Region; OJSC Minudobrenia, Perm; MFP Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Works, OJSC Branch in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov region; Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers, OJSC in Voskresensk, Moscow region.