Interim report january - september

Interim Report January - 30 September 1998 SCA in Brief 98 97 Net sales, SEK M ,355 ,592 Earnings after financial items, 052 262 SEK M Debt/equity ratio, times 71 64 Earnings per share after tax, .39 .51 SEK* Cash flow from operations per 13.95 18.37 share, SEK * Earnings per share amounted to SEK 13.39 (10.51), an increase of 27% compared with the corresponding period in 1997. * Earnings after financial items amounted to SEK 4,052 M (3,262), an increase of 24% compared with the year-earlier period. Excluding nonrecurring gains amounting to SEK 400 M (425), earnings after financial items improved by 29%. * Operating surplus improved, amounting to SEK 7,844 M (6,963), corresponding to 17% (16) of net sales. * Hygiene Products posted a volume growth of slightly more than 10%, with return on capital employed amounting to 21%. * The Packaging business area reported a 35% improvement in earnings compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year. * Operating profit in the Graphic Paper business area more than tripled compared with the corresponding period a year earlier. Wood-containing publications papers posted an improvement in operating profit for the fourth consecutive quarter. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are ready for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1998/10/28/19981028BIT00280/bit0001.doc