Duesseldorf, Germany, April 5 - German specialty chemicals maker Cognis, which is considering a listing or sale this year, saw its 2005 core profit slip amid high energy and raw material costs and tough markets for some of its products.
Cognis said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) and before special items fell 1.7 percent to 356 million euros ($445 million) as sales ticked up 3.3 percent to 3.18 billion euros.
"Our 2005 performance reflects a mixture of challenging conditions in certain markets -- namely textiles, vitamin E and glycerin -- and strong personal and home care markets," Chief Executive Antonio Trius said in a statement on Wednesday.
He told a news conference he expected a significant increase in core profit this year, and further growth in sales.
The company's 2005 net loss surged by five times to 136 million euros due to an impairment charge on its oleochemicals unit, which makes chemicals from edible oil, and the effect of the stronger dollar on its debt. Around 40 percent of Cognis's net debt of 1.59 billion euros is denominated in dollars.
Its operating business was hit by higher raw material and energy costs, a strike at a U.S. factory and lower sales of Vitamin E due to health worries about the vitamin's use. "It was mildly disappointing," a bond trader said about the results. "But Cognis is not about the figures at the moment, it's an IPO story."
Cognis's 9.5 percent fixed-rate bonds due 2014 were bid at 114 percent of face value by 1052 GMT, half a point lower on the day, he said.
Cognis said on Tuesday its owners Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and private equity firm Permira, who bought the company in 2001 from German consumer goods firm Henkel, planned to decide this year whether to float or sell it.
The options include an initial public offering as well as a sale to a financial investor or strategic partner, said the firm, which has hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan as advisers.
There remain questions, however, over how much debt reduction could be achieved through an IPO, the trader said, with Cognis having an array of notes outstanding including a pay-in-kind note due 2015 with a steep coupon of 900 basis points over 6-month Euribor.
He said the fixed-rate bond was being valued as if it were certain to be bought back, although there was no certainty that this would be the case.
"It looks like a good bet the other way, and we're starting to see a little bit of selling," the trader said.
Trius told Reuters the company could consider entirely spinning off its oleochemicals business, currently part of a joint venture with Malaysia's Golden Hope Plantations, but that such a move would not happen this year.
The venture had sales of 690 million euros in 2005.
SPECIALTY CHEMICAL IPOS
If Cognis were to go for an IPO, it would be the second listing by a German specialty chemicals company this year.
Silicon and polymer maker Wacker Chemie is selling 1.2 billion euros worth of shares, which are due to start trading publicly on Monday.
The listing comes as the global chemicals cycle -- overall profitability in the sector -- is heading for a peak. Twenty of 24 analysts in a Reuters poll last month forecast a peak this year or next.
In general, specialty chemical makers have fallen behind their commodity chemical counterparts in a sectoral upswing that has lasted eight quarters.
They have had difficulties raising product prices, and their margins are squeezed by high oil costs.
"It is not easy to pass on price increases to customers -- we are lagging raw material costs by three to six months," Trius said.