Metsä Board’s, part of Metsä Group, comparable operating result in July–September 2019 is better than the company’s result guidance.
The result guidance in Metsä Board’s January–June 2019 half-year financial report was: “Metsä Board’s comparable operating result for the third quarter of 2019 is expected to weaken compared with the second quarter of 2019.”
The comparable operating result for the second quarter of 2019 was EUR 41 million. The comparable operating result for the third quarter of 2019 is estimated to be EUR 42 million.
The negative impacts of the weakened macro economy were smaller than expected. Paperboard delivery volumes in the third quarter were higher compared to the previous quarter and price level remained stable. In addition, the wood costs were slightly lower than expected.
The result for the full year is still negatively affected by the low market pulp price. The paperboard business is expected to remain stable, although delivery volumes in the fourth quarter may be impacted by a seasonally slower December.
Metsä Board will publish its interim report for January–September 2019 in 31 October 2019 at 12:00 EET. The report will include the result guidance for October–December 2019.