Fourth Quarter and Annual Results 2009

Philips reports fourth-quarter sales of EUR 7.3 billion and EBITA of EUR 662 million

  • Strongly improved performance across all sectors 
  • Comparable sales on par with Q4 2008; sales in emerging markets up 8% 
  • EBITA improves to 9.1% of sales; adjusted EBITA of 12.3% at record level 
  • Operating cash flow of EUR 1.4 billion, once adjusted for legal settlement in North America 
  • Net income of EUR 260 million, driven by strong improvement in operational earnings and significantly lower charges 
  • Proposed dividend maintained at EUR 0.70 per share 

 

Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Royal Philips Electronics:

“Thanks to the increased resilience of our company, we ended the year with a strong fourth quarter. Comparable sales came in at last year’s level, delivering a record adjusted profitability of 12.3%. This reflects our strengthened fundamentals and the successful manner in which we have been managing through the downturn.

 

I am particularly pleased as our improved performance is visible across all three operating sectors:

  • Despite continuing weakness in the US market, our Healthcare sector managed to deliver another bumper quarter with sales broadly on par with the strong performance of last year and with significantly higher earnings;
  • Our Consumer Lifestyle sector managed to show sales growth, with Television turning a profit and virtually all other businesses posting significantly higher earnings despite the absence of a material recovery in consumer confidence;
  • The Lighting sector continued on its road to recovery with strongly improved earnings and rebounding sales even though the commercial construction market continued to be in decline; and for the first time, LED-based products exceeded 10% of total sector sales.

 

Philips today is a simpler company that is both agile and more resilient to market fluctuations. We faced the economic recession in 2009 head-on, but without sacrificing our longer-term ambitions: we sustained our investments in marketing and innovation, while continuing with responsible acquisitions to fill gaps in our portfolio, such as with Saeco, establishing ourselves as a leader in the high-growth, high-margin espresso machine market.

 

While today’s economic circumstances do not allow for a reliable prediction of future developments, I am confident that based on our Q4 performance, the strength of our portfolio of globally leading businesses and our engaged workforce, 2010 will be a year of further progress towards becoming the leading company in Health & Well-being. And as a sign of our confidence in our future, we propose to maintain, despite the high pay-out ratio, our dividend at EUR 0.70 a share, on par with last year; with an eye on maintaining our financial prudence, we will offer our shareholders a choice of cash or stock.”

4th Quarter and Annual Results 2009

Quarterly report

Presentation

Speech

Audio Webcast: Q4 2009 results conference call

A conference call with Gerard Kleisterlee, President & CEO, and Pierre-Jean Sivignon, CFO, to discuss the results, will start at 9:15AM CET. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available through the link below.

Philips' Business Highlights 2009

More information about Pierre-Jean Sivignon and Gerard Kleisterlee

 
Press conference

Gerard Kleisterlee (left), CEO of Philips, and Pierre-Jean Sivignon, CFO of Philips, present the NUCLEUS table lamp from LIRIO by Philips and the Econic LED 7W which can deliver energy savings of 80% compared to incandescent light bulbs.


 
 
Campus for imaging systems in China

Philips has signed an MOU with the Suzhou Municipal Government to establish an Industrial Campus for imaging systems in China. To be developed over the next five years at an investment of EUR 36 million, the Philips campus will have integrated facilities of R&D, manufacturing, assembly and sourcing in one site and will further enhance the company’s presence in healthcare in China.


 
 
Philips and Achmea – Health at home

“With the flick of a switch, Philips Electronics may have just dramatically lowered America's electric bill,” Time Magazine commented after naming a widely-publized Philips’ LED retrofit lamp the 3rd best invention of 2009. This bulb was also the very first submission in a US Department of Energy contest in search of feasible LED replacements for 60W lamps.


 
 
Solar Powered LED floodlighting

Philips introduced the world’s first solar- powered portable LED floodlighting (intense beams of light) system. This system provides up to eight hours of lighting on a single solar charge. The system can also be used in areas without or with limited access to electricity.


 

For further information, please contact:

Joon Knapen

Philips Corporate Communications
Tel:  +31 20 59 77477   
Email:  joon.knapen@philips.com

Arent Jan Hesselink

Philips Corporate Communications
Tel:  +31 20 59 77415   
Email:  arentjan.hesselink@philips.com

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 116,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 26 billion in 2008, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.


Forward-looking statements

This document contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items, in particular the outlook paragraph in this report. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about our strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA and future developments in our organic business. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
These factors include but are not limited to domestic and global economic and business conditions, the successful implementation of our strategy and our ability to realize the benefits of this strategy, our ability to develop and market new products, changes in legislation, legal claims, changes in exchange and interest rates, changes in tax rates, pension costs, raw materials and employee costs, our ability to identify and complete successful acquisitions and to integrate those acquisitions into our business, our ability to successfully exit certain businesses or restructure our operations, the rate of technological changes, political, economic and other developments in countries where Philips operates, industry consolidation and competition. As a result, Philips’ actual future results may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in such forward-looking statements.
Statements regarding market share, including those regarding Philips’ competitive position, contained in this document are based on outside sources such as specialized research institutes, industry and dealer panels in combination with management estimates. Where information is not yet available to Philips, those statements may also be based on estimates and projections prepared by outside sources or management. Rankings are based on sales unless otherwise stated.

 

Use of non-US GAAP information
In presenting and discussing the Philips Group’s financial position, operating results and cash flows, management uses certain non-US GAAP financial measures. These non-US GAAP financial measures should not be viewed in isolation as alternatives to the equivalent US GAAP measure(s) and should be used in conjunction with the most directly comparable US GAAP measure(s). A discussion of the non-US GAAP measures included in this document and a reconciliation of such measures to the most directly comparable US GAAP measure(s) are contained in this document.

 

Use of fair-value measurements
In presenting the Philips Group’s financial position, fair values are used for the measurement of various items in accordance with the applicable accounting standards. These fair values are based on market prices, where available, and are obtained from sources that are deemed to be reliable.
Readers are cautioned that these values are subject to changes over time and are only valid at the balance sheet date. When an observable market value does not exist, fair values are estimated using valuation models which we believe are appropriate for their purpose. They require management to make significant assumptions with respect to future developments which are inherently uncertain and may therefore deviate from actual developments. In certain cases, independent valuations are obtained to support management’s determination of fair values.


 
4 million Ambilight TVs

Philips celebrated the sale of its four millionth Ambilight television. Introduced in 2004, Ambilight enlarges the television screen by projecting a glow of light around the TV that automatically matches the color of the screen, creating an immersive cinematic viewing experience at home.


 
 
DirectLife

Philips successfully launched its DirectLife services in the US and the Netherlands. DirectLife combines a wearable activity monitor, a personalized web page and individual coaching to offer a fun and simple solution to help people with busy lives become more active.