OREANDA-NEWS. Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) delivered a record set of results for Q4 2015 reflecting a relentless focus on execution, as the Group prepares to combine with Nokia, as well as benefitting from a high level of activity at the end of the year.

Commenting on the results, Philippe Camus, Chairman and CEO of Alcatel-Lucent, said: “Our Q4 results demonstrate best-in-class execution, enabling us to close the Shift journey with the pride of having accomplished what we had committed to. Until the very last day of the quarter, the organization showed relentless dedication leading to the fulfillment of the major goals of The Shift Plan, the most emblematic being free cash flow positive and reaching Euro 950 million of cumulative fixed costs savings. I would like to thank all our employees for such an achievement and our customers for their trust. Based on this success, the Group has now embarked on the next chapter of its story with Nokia and will continue to deliver value as part of a global leader in technology and services for an IP connected world.”

Highlights of The Shift Plan

  • The Shift Plan was launched in June 2013 with the triple ambition of repositioning the Group from a telecom equipment generalist to a specialist in IP, cloud and ultra-broadband technologies, re-establishing competitiveness and restoring a sound balance sheet. The release of Q4 and Full-Year 2015 results demonstrate the success of this turnaround.
  • Major KPIs of the Plan fulfilled:
    • Free Cash Flow: the target of being free cash flow positive in 2015 was largely exceeded with inflows of Euro 660 million for the year as a whole. This compares to an outflow of Euro (668) million in 2012.
    • Fixed Cost savings: the target of Euro 950 million cumulative fixed costs savings was surpassed with an actual realization of Euro 1,031 million.
    • Core Networking segment: revenues totaled Euro 6,780 million and adjusted operating margin reached 10.0% in 2015, consistent with the revised objectives. In 2012, Core Networking revenues were Euro 6,180 million and adjusted operating margin was 2.3%.
    • Access segment: operating cash flow reached Euro 627 million for 2015, largely exceeding the Shift Plan target of Euro 200 million. In 2012, Access segment cash flow was (105) million.
  • The Group successfully repositioned itself as a leader in IP, Cloud and Ultra-broadband technologies, as evidenced by the growing share of next-generation technologies which, from around half of revenues in 2012, represented 77% in 2015, growing at a double-digit pace on average over the period. At the same time, the share of R&D spending into next-generation technologies expanded from 67% in 2012 to 87% of total R&D in 2015.
  • The Group operating model now allows for a cost structure that is aligned with peers and a lower breakeven point, primarily through sales and marketing efficiency, R&D resources allocation, and procurement optimization. Gross margin moved up from 29.1% in 2012 to 36.0% in 2015, gaining nearly 7 percentage points over the period, while adjusted operating margin expanded by 9 percentage points from (1.8%) in 2012 to 7.2% in 2015. This represents an improvement of nearly Euro 1.3 billion in operating income throughout the period.
  • Substantial decrease of our pension risk exposure in the Group’s US pension plan liabilities notably as a result of the previously announced lump sum offer, which stood at US$ 21.7 billion at the end of 2015 compared to US$ 30.0 billion at the end of 2012, despite the negative impact of new mortality tables over the period.
  • Lastly, the Group completed its refinancing as soon as 2014. In less than a year, the debt was reprofiled, maturity lengthened and cash interest costs reduced. At the end of 2015, the Group had a net cash position of Euro 1,409 million compared to a net debt position of Euro (794) million at the end of Q2 2013.

Highlights of Q4 2015

  • Group revenues, excluding Managed Services and at constant perimeter, increased 15% year-on-year, with strong growth in next-generation revenues, which were up 36%. At constant exchange rates, Group revenues increased 6% while next-generation revenues were up 26%. The weight of next-generation revenues continued to progress, representing 79% of revenues compared to 67% in the year-ago quarter.
  • ?Gross margin expanded to its highest-level since the Alcatel-Lucent merger, at 39.4%, an increase of 470 bps year-on-year, driven by improved profitability in certain business lines and a high level of activity at the end of the year, composed notably of a high proportion of software sales. On a more normalized basis, gross margin for the quarter would have been lower by a few percentage points though still substantially above the level of Q4 2014.
  •  Adjusted operating income totaled Euro 560 million, or 13.5% of revenues, compared to Euro 284 million in the year-ago quarter, or 7.7% of revenues. The substantial increase in adjusted operating margin reflects the improvement in gross margin and relatively lower operating expenses. Profitability of our Core Networking segment improved slightly compared to the year ago quarter to reach an adjusted operating margin of 16.3% while our Access segment set a new record with an adjusted operating margin of 11.8% compared to 0.3% in the year-ago quarter.
  • As reported, Group share of net income amounted Euro 589 million or Euro 0.21 per share. Excluding Nokia transaction related costs, Group share of net income was Euro 659 million for the fourth quarter compared to Euro 271 million in the year-ago period. The improvement compared to the year-ago quarter mainly stems from improved adjusted operating income as well as the recognition of the positive impact of the US pension lump-sum offer, as described in our Q3 results report. The successful completion of such lump-sum pension offer to US retirees resulted in an actual increase in US pension surplus of US$ 449 million which was recognized in Q4. This was partially offset by an increase in financial expense of Euro 62 million largely as a result of mark-to-market of certain positions.
  • Free cash flow excluding transaction related costs was Euro 1,020 million, the highest level ever recorded since the Alcatel-Lucent merger. In addition to stronger profitability, free cash flow performance reflects continued efforts to tightly manage working capital, with a particular focus on reducing inventories and overdues, and the ability to rapidly monetize revenues recorded at the end of the year.

Highlights of 2015

·      Group revenues, excluding Managed Services and at constant perimeter, increased 10% year-on-year, driven by notable strength in next-generation revenues, which grew 24%. At constant exchange rates, Group revenues were down 2%, while next-generation revenues were up 11%. The weight of next-generation revenues continued to progress, representing 77% of revenues compared to 67% last year.

  • Gross margin reached 36.0% of revenues, an increase of 260 bps year-on-year.
  • Adjusted operating income totaled Euro 1,029 million, or 7.2% of revenues, compared to Euro 623 million in 2014, or 4.7% of revenues. Our Core Networking segment reached an adjusted operating margin of 10.0%, a slight decrease compared to 2014 but on substantially higher revenues, while our Access segment adjusted operating margin increased 510 bps year-over-year to 5.7%.
  • In 2015, the Group’s income tax benefit showed a substantial decrease compared to 2014, reflecting the increase in deferred tax assets in 2014 as a result of the improvement of the profitability of the Group as part of the Shift Plan.
  • At December 31, 2015, the Group’s overall Pensions and OPEB exposure indicated a deficit of Euro 1,271 million compared to a deficit of Euro 1,350 million as of December 31, 2014 (in each case before taking into account applicable asset ceilings). In addition, there was a substantial decrease in the Group’s US pension plan liabilities as a result of the previously announced lump sum offer, which stood at US$ 21.7 billion at the end of 2015 compared to US$ 29.5 billion at the end of 2014. The US qualified pension plans surplus, as a result of the lump sum offer, has increased by US$ 449 million to reach US$ 2.4 billion, or 11.1% of liabilities, compared to US$ 2.0 billion, or 7.2% of liabilities, immediately prior to the offer.
  • As reported, the Group showed a net income (Group share) of Euro 257 million in 2015, or Euro 0.09 per share, compared to a net loss of Euro (118) million in the year-ago period.

CORE NETWORKING

Core Networking segment revenues were Euro 2,047 million in Q4 2015, an increase of 14% year-over-year at actual rates and 7% at constant rates. Adjusted operating income totaled Euro 333 million, or 16.3% of segment revenues in Q4 2015, up from Euro 288 million and 16.0% respectively in Q4 2014. Core Networking segment operating cash flow was Euro 454 million in the quarter, an increase of Euro 39 million compared to Q4 2014.

For the full year 2015, Core Networking segment revenues were Euro 6,780 million, up 14% at actual rates and 4% at constant rates, compared to 2014. Adjusted operating income was Euro 678 million or 10.0% of segment revenues in 2015, a decrease of 60 bps compared to 2014. Core Networking segment operating cash flow of Euro 650 million increased 122 million compared to 2014.

Breakdown of segment
(In Euro million)

Fourth
quarter
2015

Fourth
quarter
2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

Third
quarter
2015

Change
q-o-q (actual)

Change
q-o-q (constant)

Core Networking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

2,047

1,802

14%

7%

1,608

27%

27%

IP Routing

778

664

17%

10%

649

20%

19%

IP Transport

772

649

19%

15%

556

39%

38%

IP Platforms

497

489

2%

-6%

403

24%

23%

Adjusted Operating income

333

  288

45

 

151

182

 

in % of revenues

16.3%

16.0%

30 bps

 

9.4%

690 bps

 

Segment Operating Cash-Flow

454

  415

39

 

45

409

 

in % of revenues

22.2%

23.0%

-80 bps

 

2.8%

1940 bps

 

 

Breakdown of segment
(In Euro million)

2015

2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

Core Networking

 

 

 

 

Revenues

6,780

5,966

14%

4%

IP Routing

2,669

2,368

13%

2%

IP Transport

2,450

2,114

16%

10%

IP Platforms

1,661

1,484

12%

0%

Adjusted Operating income

678

630

48

 

in % of revenues

10.0%

10.6%

-60 bps

 

Segment Operating Cash-Flow

650

528

122

 

in % of revenues

9.6%

8.9%

70 bps

 

IP Routing revenues were Euro 778 million in Q4 2015, an increase of 17% at actual rates and 10% at constant rates, when compared to Q4 2014. The business recorded its best quarter ever, registering double digit growth in EMEA, APAC (excluding China) and CALA and modest growth in North America. Revenues from non-telco customers continued to progress and represented more than 15% of total IP Routing sales. Full year revenues for IP Routing increased 13% at actual rates and 2% at constant rates.

  • Traction in our 7950 XRS IP Core router remained solid, with 5 new wins in Q4 2015, bringing the total to date to 55. Notable wins include Telecom Italia, which extends our presence to 50 of the top 50 Service Providers (by Capex), and the Swiss national rail organization SBB, which illustrates the competitive effectiveness associated with a converged IP/Optics portfolio. XRS revenues once again grew at a very strong rate year-over-year while market share continued to expand (7.5% in Q3’15, according to Dell’Oro).
  • Virtualized routing momentum continues, with 13 new customers for the VSR in Q4 2015, bringing the total to 44 deployments and over 90 trials.
  • Nuage gained 20 new customers in the fourth quarter, bringing the total to 50 wins, with recent announcements at Telefonica Business Solutions and Centurylink, in addition to recent wins at a number of financial institutions and a leading insurance company.

IP Transport revenues were Euro 772 million in Q4 2015, up 19% at actual rates and 15% at constant rates, compared to the year-ago quarter. Terrestrial optics experienced solid year-over-year revenue growth, with particular strength in EMEA, APAC (excluding China), CALA and a recovery in North America. ASN witnessed a strong order book, notably driven by 2 major contracts coming into force including Seabras, and reflecting increasing investments from webscale players, to cope with their massive need of data transmission. Full year revenues for IP Transport increased 16% at actual rates and 10% at constant rates.

  • Within WDM, our 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform represented 70% of terrestrial optical product revenues in the quarter, up 15 percentage points year-on-year, and was notably selected by the Ooredoo Group, TTCL and the Swiss national rail organization, SBB.
  • In Q4 2015, our 100G shipments represented 46% of total WDM line cards shipments, an increase of 14 percentage points year-on-year. Traction for 200G continues, as an increasing amount of line ports shipped in Q4 were 200G capable.
  • Bell Labs revealed an optical networking technology that could potentially help operators address rapid network data traffic growth, through world’s first demonstration of the MIMO-SDM technique, which has the potential to increase today’s 10 to 20 Terabit-per-second fiber capacities to Petabit-per-second capacity.
  • ASN continues to build its pipeline as evidenced by recent turnkey contract with Amper SA, subsidiary Bluesky Pacific Group, to roll out a new submarine cable system spanning more than 9,700 km across the Pacific, in addition to the recent Phase II roll-out of the African Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable system.

IP Platforms revenues were Euro 497 million in Q4 2015, a year-on-year increase of 2% at actual rates and a 6% decline at constant rates, impacted by a tough comparison basis in the year ago quarter while strong commercial traction witnessed at the end of the year has yet to translate into revenues. Full year revenues for IP Platforms increased 12% at actual rates and were flat at constant rates.

ACCESS

Access segment revenues were Euro 2,117 million in Q4 2015, up 13% year-over-year at actual rates and 4% at constant rates. In Q4 2015, segment operating income was Euro 250 million, an increase of Euro 244 million from the year-ago quarter. Segment operating cash flow was Euro 515 million in the quarter, Euro 361 million better than Q4 2014.

For the full year 2015, Access segment revenues were Euro 7,482 million, up 5% at actual rates and down 8% at constant rates, compared to 2014. Adjusted operating income improved to Euro 423 million or 5.7% of segment revenues in 2015, an increase of 510 bps compared to 2014. Access segment operating cash flow of Euro 627 million increased 579 million compared to 2014, largely exceeding the Shift Plan target of Euro 200 million in 2015.

Breakdown of segment
(In Euro million)

Fourth
quarter
2015

Fourth
quarter
2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

Third
quarter
2015

Change
q-o-q (actual)

Change
q-o-q (constant)

Access

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues

2,117

1,871

13%

4%

1,811

17%

16%

Wireless Access

1,380

1,211

14%

3%

1,184

17%

15%

Fixed Access

666

549

21%

15%

548

22%

22%

Managed services

61

96

-36%

-38%

65

-6%

-6%

Licensing

10

15

-33%

-27%

14

-31%

-27%

Adjusted Operating income

250

6

244

 

83

167

 

in % of revenues

11.8%

0.3%

1150 bps

 

4.6%

720 bps

 

Segment Operating Cash-Flow

515

154

361

 

41

474

 

in % of revenues

24.3%

8.2%

1610 bps

 

2.3%

2200 bps

 

 

Breakdown of segment
(In Euro million)

2015

2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

Access

 

 

 

 

Revenues

7,482

7,157

5%

-8%

Wireless Access

4,896

4,685

5%

-10%

Fixed Access

2,268

2,048

11%

2%

Managed services

262

369

-29%

-33%

Licensing

56

55

3%

-2%

Adjusted Operating income

423

42

381

 

in % of revenues

5.7%

0.6%

510 bps

 

Segment Operating Cash-Flow

627

48

579

 

in % of revenues

8.4%

0.7%

770 bps

 

Wireless Access revenues were Euro 1,380 million, a year-on-year increase of 14% at actual rates and 3% at constant rates. Within Wireless, growth was essentially driven by 4G LTE, with notable strength in both China and North America. Full year revenues for Wireless Access increased 5% at actual rates and declined 10% at constant rates.

  • Alcatel-Lucent was chosen by China Telecom to expand 4G LTE across 12 provinces in China in addition to deploying its carrier aggregation capability, allowing LTE radios to combine multiple frequency bands to increase data speeds and lower latency.
  • Four new small cell customers were added in the quarter, bringing our total to 87, while Alcatel-Lucent’s 9961 Multi-Standard Home Cell was deployed by T-Mobile as part of its 4G LTE CellSpot.
  • Alcatel-Lucent introduced a radio interface for distributed antenna systems, the DAS-RFM, which allows mobile operators to improve signal performance while reducing power consumption, space and operational costs by as much as 90% when connecting subscribers at large public venues, such as shopping malls, hotels and office blocks.
  • To accelerate the delivery of commercial virtualized radio access network (vRAN) products, Alcatel-Lucent recently signed collaboration agreements with the industry-leading cloud software and hardware companies, Red Hat, Advantech and 6WIND in order to meet mobile operators’ requirements for performance, scalability and availability.

Fixed Access revenues were Euro 666 million in Q4 2015, an increase of 21% compared to the year-ago quarter at actual rates and 15% at constant rates. Strong year-over-year growth was driven primarily by APAC, notably in Australia and China, CALA and, to a lesser extent, North America. Full year revenues for Fixed Access increased 11% at actual rates and 2% at constant rates.

  • Alcatel-Lucent was selected as exclusive supplier of ultra-broadband fixed access technology for A1 Telekom Austria, which includes both G.fast and Vplus technologies, in addition to IP routing and optical equipment.
  • Alcatel-Lucent’s fiber technology helped Swisscom reach its 1 million fiber-to-the-home target in Switzerland in 2015.
  • Indian cable operator DEN Networks to launch ultra-broadband Internet connectivity to homes and businesses using GPON fixed access, IP routing and aggregation technologies.
  •  A lab trial with Deutsche Telekom was recently completed demonstrating XG-FAST, an extension of G.fast technology, which generated data throughput speeds of more than 10 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) over bonded telephone lines.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

North America revenues increased 15% at actual rates year-over-year and 2% at constant rates reflecting a strong end of year activity notably in terrestrial optics, wireless and fixed networks. Revenues in Europe increased 2% year-over-year and 1% at constant rates. Excluding Managed Services, revenue growth in Europe stood respectively at 4% and 3%. Asia Pacific posted 20% year-over-year growth at actual rates and 12% at constant rates, notably reflecting continued strength in Australia. In Rest of World, revenues were up 15% at actual rates and 12% at constant rates mainly driven by CALA.

Geographic breakdown
of revenues
(In Euro million)

Fourth
quarter
2015

Fourth
quarter
2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

Third
quarter
2015

Change
q-o-q (actual)

Change
q-o-q (constant)

North America

1,718

1,489

15%

2%

1,416

21%

20%

Europe

906

890

2%

1%

797

14%

14%

Asia Pacific

904

754

20%

12%

779

16%

15%

RoW

633

549

15%

12%

437

45%

44%

Total group revenues

4,161

3,682

13%

4%

3,429

21%

21%

 

Geographic breakdown
of revenues
(In Euro million)

2015

2014

Change
y-o-y (actual)

Change
y-o-y (constant)

North America

6,222

5,793

7%

-10%

Europe

3,199

2,982

7%

6%

Asia Pacific

2,958

2,631

12%

1%

RoW

1,896

1,772

7%

2%

Total group revenues

14,275

13,178

8%

-4%

P&L HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)

Adjusted Profit & Loss
Statement
(In Euro million except for EPS)

Fourth
quarter
2015

Fourth
quarter
2014

Change
y-o-y

Third
quarter
2015

Change
q-o-q

Revenues

4,161

3,682

13%/4%*

3,429

21%/21%*

Cost of sales

(2,521)

(2,403)

(118)

(2,247)

(274)

Gross profit

1,640

1,279

361

1,182

458

in % of revenues

39.4%

34.7%

470 bps

34.5%

490 bps

SG&A expenses

(477)

(417)

14%

(422)

13%

R&D costs

(603)

(578)

4%

(548)

10%

Adjusted Operating income

560

284

276

212

348

in % of revenues

13.5%

7.7%

580 bps

6.2%

730 bps

Restructuring costs

(126)

(157)

31

(84)

(42)

Litigations

(3)

2

(5)

2

(5)

Gain/(loss) on disposal of consolidated entities & transaction costs

-

40

(40)

-

-

Nokia transaction costs

(70)

-

(70)

(27)

(43)

Impairment of assets

-

-

-

(193)

193

Post-retirement benefit plan amendment

405

9

396

1

403

Financial expense

(164)

(102)

(62)

(99)

(65)

Share in net income of equity affiliates

-

7

(7)

1

(1)

Income/(loss) tax benefit

15

216

(201)

1

14

Income/(loss) from discontinued activities

1

(2)

3

(4)

5

Adjusted Net income (loss) (Group share)

592

278

314

(203)

796

Non-controlling interests

26

19

7

13

12

Adjusted EPS diluted (in Euro)

0.18

0.09

Nm

(0.07)

Nm

Adjusted E/ADS* diluted (in USD)

0.20

0.10

Nm

(0.08)

Nm

Number of diluted shares (million)

3,415.7 

3,473.4 

Nm

2,796.5 

Nm

 

Adjusted Profit & Loss
Statement
(In Euro million except for EPS)

2015

2014

Change

Revenues

14,275

13,178

8%/-4%*

Cost of sales

(9,132)

(8,770)

(362)

Gross profit

5,143

4,408

735

in % of revenues

36.0%

33.4%

260 bps

SG&A expenses

(1,763)

(1,594)

11%

R&D costs

(2,351)

(2,191)

7%

Adjusted Operating income

1,029

623

406

in % of revenues

7.2%

4.7%

250 bps

Restructuring costs

(401)

(574)

173

Litigations

(20)

7

(27)

Gain/(loss) on disposal of consolidated entities & transaction costs

(1)

20

(21)

Nokia transaction costs

(104)

-

(104)

Impairment of assets

(193)

-

(193)

Post-retirement benefit plan amendment

404

112

292

Financial expense

(405)

(502)

97

Share in net income of equity affiliates

2

15

(13)

Income/(loss) tax benefit

6

297

(291)

Income/(loss) from discontinued activities

(16)

(49)

34

Adjusted Net income (loss) (Group share)

272

(86)

358

Non-controlling interests

29

35

(6)

Adjusted EPS diluted (in Euro)

0.10

(0.03)

Nm

Adjusted E/ADS* diluted (in USD)

0.11

(0.04)

Nm

Number of diluted shares (million)

2,852.7 

2,815.4 

Nm

*At constant rate

CASH FLOW STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)?

 

Cash Flow highlights
(In Euro million )

Fourth
quarter 2015

Fourth
quarter 2014

2015

2014

Adjusted operating income

  560

  284

  1,029

  623

Change in operating  WCR

  382

  234

  160

 (129)

Segment Operating Cash Flow

  942

  518

  1,189

  494

Depreciation & Amort and other adjustments

  399

  149

  790

  587

Operating Cash Flow

  1,341

  667

  1,979

  1,081

Interest

 (1)

 (13)

 (198)

 (225)

Income tax (expense)

 (20)

 (18)

 (75)

 (93)

Pension funding & retiree benefit cash outlays

 (33)

 (39)

 (105)

 (173)

Restructuring cash outlays

 (116)

 (156)

 (424)

 (463)

Capital expenditures (incl. R&D cap.)

 (184)

 (178)

 (580)

 (556)

Disposal of Intellectual Property

  13

  1

  29

  9

Free Cash Flow

  1,000

  264

  626

 (420)

o/w Transaction related costs

  20

  -

  34

  -

Free Cash Flow excluding transaction related costs

  1,020

  264

  660

 (420)

Free Cash Flow excl. restructuring cash outlays & transaction costs

  1,136

  420

  1,084

  43

BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED)

Statement of position - Assets

Dec 31, 2015

Sept 30, 2015

(In Euro million)

Total non-current assets

11,597

11,222

   Goodwill & intangible assets, net

4,650

4,567

   Prepaid pension costs

2,935

2,813

   Other non-current assets

4,012

3,842

Total current assets

11,592

10,747

   OWC assets

4,180

4,451

   Other current assets

881

987

   Marketable securities, cash & cash equivalents

6,531

5,309

Total assets

23,189

21,969

 

Statement of position - Liabilities and equity

Dec 31, 2015

Sept 30, 2015

(In Euro million)

Total equity

4,597

2,678

   Attributable to the equity owners of the parent

3,693

1,811

   Non controlling interests

904

867

Total non-current liabilities

10,645

11,801

   Pensions and other post-retirement benefits

4,506

5,611

   Long term debt

4,632

4,798

   Other non-current liabilities

1,507

1,392

Total current liabilities

7,947

7,490

   Provisions

1,128

1,151

   Short term debt

579

503

   OWC liabilities

4,372

4,240

   Other current liabilities

1,868

1,596

Total liabilities and shareholder's equity

23,189

21,969