SMA Solar Technology AG

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Analyst and Investor presentation of Full Year Financial Results 2025 Conference Call. I am Valentina, the Chorus Call Operator. I would like to remind you that all participants will be in listen-only mode and the conference is being recorded. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. You can register for questions at any time by pressing star N1 on your telephone. For operator assistance, please press star N0. The conference must not be recorded for publication or broadcast. At this time, it's my pleasure to hand over to Kaveh Rui, CFO. Please go ahead.

Thank you, operator, and welcome, everyone. We very much appreciate that you are taking the time for this investor and analyst call on our full year 2025 results. This conference call is scheduled for up to 60 minutes and will be recorded. After the management presentation, I will be happy to answer your questions. Today's presentation is available on our investor relations website. The replay will also be available on the IR website shortly. Our agenda for today. First, I will give a review of our full-year figures, followed by an update on the restructuring and transformation program, and some insights on strategic topics for our large-scale division. And last but not least, we'll have a look at order backlog as well as our outlook for this financial year, 2026. I expect the presentation part to last a little bit more than 30 minutes. I refer to our disclaimer on page two. Let's move to page four, financial highlights for the full year 2025. Group sales with 1.5 billion euros were nearly in line with last year. In the large-scale and project solutions divisions, sales improved compared to the previous year. The home and business solution division declined year on year. Reported group EBITDA came in at minus 65 million euros after reaching minus 16 million euros in 2024. This was due to the lower sales volume and the resulting lower fixed cost regression in the HBS division, as well as several one-time items such as devaluations and scrappage of inventories, provisions for purchase obligations, and provisions in connection with the restructuring and transformation program. Operating Group EBITDA before one-offs was positive 107 million euros with a strong operating performance in our large-scale division, more than offsetting for the negative operating results in our HBS. I will provide more insights in the individual divisions in a moment. Free cash flow reached 110 million euros after minus 184 million euros the year before. Driven by our ongoing measures to reduce networking capital, which achieved good results in 2025. The strong positive cash flow also shows that our operating results, which exclude mainly non-cash one of effects, were solid last year. Total order backlog stood at 1.3 billion euros at the end of December, as we maintain a similar level as at the end of 2024. Large-scale product business order backlog remains on a high level, providing us with a good level of visibility on 2026 revenue expectations for the division. Now let's go to page five, sales by region and by division. On the left-hand side, you can see that America's revenue share was slightly up to 42% of the 40% in 2024, driven by another strong year for our large-scale division in the U.S. EMEA, which is still our biggest region with 46% share, decreased compared to 48% share in 2024 due to the soft sales development in HBS which has the majority of its sales in the EMEA markets. The APEC regional share was stable with 12%. Here, Australia showed a strong development in the large-scale business again with double-digit growth. The main markets for the U.S. for the SMA group in 2025 were the U.S., Germany, Australia, and the U.K. Now, let me walk you through the sales per division on the right-hand side of the slide. Sales development in the division home and business solutions was affected by lower demand as well as high competitive and price pressure and therefore decreased by 30% from 354 million euros in 2024 to 247 million. Main driver for the decrease in HBS sales was the German market where the installation rate in the home segment was about 30% lower than in 2024. The division's share of sales Thus came down to 16% compared to 23. EMEA remained the biggest region for the division. Large scale again showed a strong revenue development from 1.2 billion euros in 24 to 1.3 billion in 25. Americas was the strongest region with 47% followed by EMEA with 39% and APEC with 14%. Now let me provide you with more information on profitability. Including one-offs, reported group EBITDA reached minus 65 million euros. As mentioned at the beginning of the presentation, one-offs include write-offs and scrappage on inventories, as well as additions to provisions for purchase commitments and restructuring provisions. In total, 182.5 million euros. Provisions for doubtful receivables of 7.5 million euros, and positive one-time effects of around 80 million euros. These one-time effects significantly affected our results this year. Please note that last year's results also included negative one-time effects as well as positive one-time effects from the sale of the Alexon stake of 19 million euros. If you exclude all this, our operating EBITDA reached 107 million euros compared to 148 million euros in 24. Our operating EBIT margin was about 7% for 25 compared to 10% in 24. So you're probably wondering, where do we see the positive effects from our restructuring efforts? What we have not considered in our 2025 one-off adjustments are adverse effects from currency translation and tariffs, which negatively impacted our 2025 results by almost 50 million euros. The U.S. market represents a significant part of our revenues and is key for our business. But at the same time, this increases our exposure to both FX effects, and tariffs. In 2025, we could pass on a large amount of tariffs to our customers, but not fully. In addition to these two effects, we also faced tough price pressure in the HBS market, which impacted our HBS results with the mid-double-digit million margin erosion. And it is in this division that we see that our restructuring and savings efforts overcompensated for this significant effect. Taking all these into account, reported EBITDA margin came in at minus 4% compared to minus 1% in 24. Depreciations was well above the prior year level with 123 million euros in 25 due to the one-time impairments on R&D assets and fixed assets in total of about 71 million euros in the year. Now, let's have a look at the division in detail. EBIT in our large-scale division reached 211 million euros, which was below the level of 24, with 227 million euros. As explained earlier, this division was especially affected by the depreciation of the US dollar compared to 24, but also by tariffs. In addition to that, our update of warranty cost parameters at year-end resulted in increased warranty provisions. and we had to write down open receivables of 7.5 million euros in the US in H1 in the division. These negative effects were partly compensated by the reversal of provisions for legal disputes in connection with the settlement of an O&M contract in North America in the mid-single-digit million-euro range. In comparison, 2024 was negatively impacted by impairments on inventories of 19 million euros while benefiting from a relatively strong US dollar. Ebit for HBS amounted to minus 376 million euros compared to minus 315 million euros in 24 due to the price and volume-related sales decline as we as the one-offs effects from inventory write-offs and scrapping of about 123 million euros, allocations to provisions for purchase commitments of 36 million euros, as well as R&D and fixed assets impairments of 67 million euros. The overall reported EBIT margin for the SMA group amounted to minus 12% compared to 6% in 2024. Operating EBIT margin was 3.6% in 25 with a 6.3% in 24. Now, I will move on to the balance sheet and networking capital on the next slide. Networking capital, which is shown on the left of the page, decreased to 230 million euros compared to the 24-year end figure of 473 million. This leads to a net working capital ratio of 40%, which is significantly improved compared to the ratio at the end of last year, but it also includes reductions related to inventory provisions and write-down of receivables already mentioned. Let me explain the net working capital. Inventories, including advance payments to suppliers on inventories not yet received, were at 357 million euros at the end of December compared to 564 at year end 24. The decrease is related mainly to the inventory write-downs and to a smaller extent scrapping of 123 million euros as well as, and this is very important, operational decreases of physical inventories in our HBS division of about 100 million euros. This has been offset by a build-up of inventories of about 50 million euros related to projects in the pipeline for our large-scale division. Trade receivables at the end of 25 decreased despite higher revenues driven by our ongoing measures to ensure timely customer payments and reduce overdue. Trade payables increased by 12 million euros in 25 mainly related to timing of supply appointments. Advanced payments received from our customers slightly increased compared to 24 as we continue to maintain a strong project pipeline and a stable level of prepayments as part of our terms and conditions in the project businesses. Net cash more than doubled to 176 million euros at the end of December, mainly driven by the operative improvements and our solid operating profitability, while the negative one-timers are mostly non-cash effects. Now let's have a look at the group balance sheet on the right-hand side of this page. As I've already explained the changes in the network and capital position, I will now focus on the major changes in the other balance sheet positions. Let's start with the changes in total cash and financial liabilities. As we need to ensure that we have sufficient cash for our business operations, we continue to use our revolving credit facility with a utilization of 45 million euros per end of December. In the basis of our strong positive cash flow in 25, we were able to reduce our reward and credit facility position by 100 million euros over the year. You will find this under financial liabilities in our balance sheet on the right-hand side of the page. Our total cash is 222 million euros per end of 25. Regarding the other balance sheet items, non-current assets have increased slightly as a result of an increase of our deferred tax assets on losses carried forward and the IFRS 16 asset additions in Q1 related to our new Gigawatt factory building long-term lease, which more than offset the one-off impairments of intangible R&D assets and production assets. Other assets were stable with 52 million euros. Due to the negative results, shareholder equity decreased to 366 million euros per end of December, leading to an equity ratio of 28% at year end. Provisions likely increased to 237 million euros at the end of 25, as the majority of our 24 provisions for restructuring and supplier purchase obligations were consumed in 25, while new positions were made for the additional restructuring measures in late 25. Other liabilities increased to nearly 500 million euros, mainly from the additional leasing liabilities for the new production facilities. This is the corresponding liability to the IFRS 16 assets. That concludes my explanation of the balance sheet. Let's now have a look at our summary of cash flows on the next slide. Let me walk you through the miracle of having a highly negative net income of 181 million euro to a highly positive free cash flow of 110. In the reporting period, our cash flow from operating activities was plus 156 million euros as compared to minus 130 million euros in 2024. The strong turnaround in cash is driven by the optimization of networking capital and the contribution from the operating profits, which is unaffected by the significant one-off effects, as these are nearly all non-cash items. These effects can be seen on the slide in the lines depreciation, amortization, and non-cash P&L effects and changes in provisions. In 2025, the finance operations, sales, and business teams worked closer than ever to adopt processes to closely monitor purchasing volumes, follow up even more diligently on their customer payments, and to enforce tight cost control. This has been a key driver for our successful cash turnaround in the year. Net capex amounted to 50 million euros, which is well below the level of 24, as we are managing our cash spending very closely and currently focusing investments mainly on our new large-scale platform. Cash flows from divestments were 60 million euros in 2025, coming from the sale of battery storage project companies of our Altenso subsidiary, as well as from the sale of our Coniva subsidiary. In 2024, we had slightly higher cash flows from divestments with the sale of a battery storage project company of our Altenso subsidiary, also last year, and from the sale of our election shares. Considering our cash flows from operating and investing activities in total, our free cash flow adds up to a positive 110 million euros and is much better compared to last year with minus 184. Please note that we have cash outflows from the ongoing restructuring program from Q2 onwards in 25. So let's move to the next page, order backlog. Looking at the left side of this slide, you'll see that our order backlog remained on the same level like 24 with over 1.3 billion euros at the end of December 25 and product order backlog stood at 1 billion euros. On the right-hand side of the page, you can see that our large scale product order backlog remained strong with 975 million euros and HBS continues to maintain a lower level with 43 million euros. For the group in total, Order intake in Q4 for large-scale was strong again with €480 million, and for HBS, €66 million. Now, let me briefly give you an update on our restructuring and transformation program, as well as some new developments in our large-scale business. As you know, we presented in the nine-month call last year. We were all well on track with our restructuring program in the home and business divisions and will achieve our ambitious cost-saving targets. However, restructuring the business and bringing down the cost stays alone will not be sufficient to ensure competitiveness for HBS going forward. I would like, therefore, to take a look at the transformation journey that we have initiated. We have already outlined the transformation along the whole value chain in our last call. I would now like to dive into some of our achievements during the last month. Our renewed and leaner portfolio is well underway. This includes the development of new solutions like the three-phase hybrid solution that will be available in two power classes. We will introduce this solution to our customers at InterSolar in June this year. Already in January, we were able to introduce the new Sunny TriPower X60, a new storage solution for the U.S. market will be available during 26. Overall, the portfolio is much more attuned to customer demand while maintaining a more competitive cost base. As part of the advanced integrated solutions concept, SMA will focus on software development, outsourcing the hardware development of HBS solutions to partners. In order to serve the need for more competence in this area, we have successfully ramped up our operations at our global competence center in India and recruited 30 FTEs already in 25, planning for additional 20 in 2026. Additionally, the transition of AIS has allowed us to reduce around 50 FTE in solution development in Germany. Another cornerstone of the HBS transformation is leaner and more efficient supply chain management. We have in the last month established a new AIS-focused procurement setup, which also entails an optimization of our warehouse capacity worldwide. These changes enabled us to further reduce the personnel and supply chain management during the course of 2026. The revised portfolio and our AIS concept naturally have a large impact on our production footprint. We have started to ramp up the assembly at our site in Krakow. First in line, the products from the so-called universe line, such as the Sunny Boy Smart Energy, as well as the Sunny TriPower X. And just this month, the production of the SMAE charger has commenced in Krakow as well. Now we will gradually be introducing our solutions that are based on the IAS concepts. The shift to Krakow has enabled us to significantly reduce our headcount in production in Kassel. One of the cornerstones of a transformed HBS division will be a much more focused sales and service organization that entails a strategic focus on Europe, service excellence in the USP, and cost-efficient operations enabled by the MSSC. We have successfully withdrawn HBS sales businesses from the Australian, Latin, American, and Asian Pacific markets. We have significantly increased the number of FTEs and customer service in our MSSC in Poland, which will allow us to increase customer care while maintaining a lower cost base, obviously. We have also taken decisive steps to reduce the service partner cost and will continue to do so. Overall, the transformation of HBS is in full swing, and we are confident that these steps will lead to a much more flexible and competitive division that will deliver stable growth and profitability in the mid-term. Whilst large-scale and project solutions delivered a great result again in 2025, we are very aware of the fact that markets are also changing in this segment. There are two developments I would like to highlight today. We see a change in our customer base in the market for battery energy storage systems, the so-called best market that we are actively managing. And second, we are constantly looking into adjacent and new possibilities, new possible business fields that we can develop, building on our strong capabilities and market position. Two of those I would like to mention today. Over the past month, we have observed a clear shift in the customer structure within the best market. Historically, our core customers were system integrators, engineering-driven players focused on turnkey delivery. While they remain important partners, growth is increasingly coming from a different segment, independent power producers and specialized energy storage system developers. These customers approach storage not as a component, but as a core asset class. They are optimizing for long-term asset performance, revenue stacking, and lifecycle costs, not just upfront system pricing. This changes the conversation from capex to total value operation. As a result, we are seeing longer project development cycles, larger project sizes, and more sophisticated procurement processes. At the same time, these customers demand deeper integration capabilities, higher system intelligence, and bankability across 15 to 20 years. SMA's technology, combined with our track record in grid integration and lifecycle services, gives us an excellent position to serve these more complex value-focused customers. However, it also requires us to adopt particularly in how we engage commercially, support project development, and structure long-term service offerings. No one can ignore the fundamental shift that artificial intelligence has caused in many business operations and in our everyday lives. But apart from being a revolutionary force that will certainly shape the world we live in, AI is also posing great challenges to our electricity system. According to McKinsey, global demand for electricity from data centers alone will reach almost 40 gigawatts in 2023. So it is fair to say that they are a major driver for electrification. New requirements from grid operators force data centers to actively participate with grid services like ride-through during voltage stacks. Additionally, part of the data center battery backup systems can be done in a large-scale manner, co-located to the data center. inverter system can solve these multifaceted requirements and enable the data center to be connected to the grid. And future generations of data centers will be powered directly with DC voltages of 800 volts and more. This is something that we at SMA are very well prepared for. Highly efficient SICK technology, over one gigawatt of track record to compare the use cases like hydrogen and modular, and flexible systems make us a perfect fit for these challenging use cases. We see the next generation of hybrid solutions, in particular, the new SMA DC-DC converter, so-called Sunny Central Flex DC-DC skid, as a key enabler for the evolution of large-scale solar plus storage systems. Market, grid, and financial pressures are making standalone solar increasingly difficult to finance, while solar plus storage hybrids are becoming the new standard for bankable projects. SMA's modular hybrid solution with grid-forming capability combines solar generation and energy storage within an efficient DC coupling systems approach. We directly address the growing need for stability, flexibility, and predictable power in high-renewable grids. For SMA, this creates value in three key areas. First, lower system costs by integrating advanced stability enhanced DC coupling into our product portfolio. External components can be eliminated, installation simplified, and system complexity reduced, improving project economies at scale. Second, higher reliability and stability. Grid forming functionality enables inertia Black start capability and advanced grid services, improving availability and increasing long-term energy use. Third, greater operational flexibility. As solar and storage become more tightly connected, intelligent DC-DC converters improve control of power flows, enabling optimized dispatch and new revenue opportunities. This is more than a component upgrade. It is the next milestone in a holistic hybrid solution. It strengthens our role as a provider of integrated high-performance grid-forming hybrid systems that reduce costs, enhance performance, and unlock additional value for our customers. Now let's turn to the next page, risk and uncertainty in 2026. Before we have a look at our 2026 guidance, let me say a few words on external factors which we have to consider this fiscal year. Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, we are clearly dealing with a new and highly uncertain situation. At this stage, no one can reliably assess its duration or its concrete impact. On the one hand, it would also result in an acceleration of the expansion of solar as energy security becomes even more important. On the other hand, a prolonged conflict is something none of us want, and this could also create supply chain disruptions. That is why our restructuring and transformation efforts to make SMA more flexible and resilient continue to be important, and on the finance and business side, scenario planning remains very important for us. The U.S. market remains the most important market for that large scale. However, since the decision of the Supreme Court in February that the new tariffs introduced in 2025 are unlawful, We have to cope with an additional uncertainty this year. In some cases, as we have shared with you in the past, we have already passed on tariffs to customers. In some cases, these have been invoiced but not yet paid or still need to be passed through. Until the legal situation is fully clarified, there remains a risk that tariffs may have to be refunded to or cannot ultimately be passed on to customers. Any potential refunds from the US authorities would legally accrue to the importer of records, but it is unclear when these refunds will happen. And given that tariffs were partially passed through to customers in certain cases, the final economic impact will depend on contractual agreements and the evolving legal framework. Our 2026 guidance considers this risk in the mid-double-digit million-euro range as a potential negative impact on our top and bottom line. Regarding the new additional 10% tariffs, which were imposed immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, we currently understand that they are legally valid and will remain in place. PEOC regulations are increasingly emphasizing the role of trusted system technologies in the solar value chain. SMA positions with a systems and solution portfolio given a high standard of data security. Due to SMA's significant portion of revenue generated in the U.S., there is a high degree of dependency on movements of the Euro-U.S. dollar exchange rates. While we actively manage this through natural hedging and selective financial hedging, movements in the U.S. dollar can still create fluctuations in revenue margins. As explained earlier, this resulted in operating margin erosion for us in 25 compared to 24. For 26, we have anticipated a mid-double digit amount, which can have a negative impact on our earnings this year. Exchange retroactions, such as strengthening of the US dollar, can of course also lead to a favorable effect. Let's move on to Europe. The Industry Accelerator Act will drive local content in Europe. Once this act is implemented, we will benefit from it, as SMA's current positioning already meets future requirements, such as reliability, sustainability, and cybersecurity. The current draft of the EEG reform, in Germany is only a leak, though the key points from the EEG draft were just recently confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs. In the past, however, EEG reforms ended differently than the first draft suggested. Therefore, also here, it's too early to assess every individual policy measure in detail. However, in conjunction with the proposed NETS package, the discussions create uncertainty for the German energy market. Australia is still a very attractive market for SMA. The regulatory environment remains highly supportive for solar. With the rapid increase of inverter-based generation, grid stability requirements are changing fundamentally. Grid-forming technologies, particularly large-scale battery storage and hybrid PV plus storage systems, are therefore becoming a critical building block for future power systems. Additionally, the Australian government decided to expand the capacity investment scheme, which contains a strong policy push for storage and system integration. SML is well positioned for these developments. Now let's turn to the last page, our guidance for 2026. Given all these uncertainties, the broader range for our guidance 2026 was necessary to cover the various scenarios we currently consider. This translates into a sales range between 1.475 billion and 1.675 billion euros for the group and 50 to 180 million euros for ABPA. The planning is based on our assessment that sales in the large scale and project solutions division will be slightly above the high level of the previous year as a result of the existing high order backlog and sustained demand. Sales in the home and business solution division are expected to be higher than the previous year. Following a significant drop demand in 25, we are forecasting that market growth in our core countries will be in the low single digits in 26. In addition, actions to fill gaps in the product portfolio are intended to regain market share. Group EBITDA will see a significant positive impact in 2026 due to reductions in costs and increases in efficiency as part of the restructuring and transformation program, as explained during the call. For large scale, we're expecting EBIT below the previous year as a result of higher costs necessary for operations, less capitalization of R&D costs, and potential currency effects. A significant part of the cost increase reflects investments in expanding our service operations. As revenues continue to grow, we are strengthening the service organization within large scale to maintain our high service standards, including targeted measures to further improve response times. For HBS, the managing board is once again expecting negative earnings in 2026, but with a significant improvement over the previous year. due to the ongoing transformation process. The management board does not anticipate any further significant one-time items. Despite the different headwinds, management is confident that we are on the right track, and 2026 will be a much better year for SMA. Last but not least, a note on our upcoming events. First quarter financial results will be published on May 13, combined with an analyst and investor call. With this, I conclude the presentation and happy to take your questions.

We will now begin the question and answer session. Anyone who wishes to ask a question may press star and 1 on their telephone. You will hear a tone to confirm that you have entered the queue. If you wish to remove yourself from the question queue, you may press star and 2. Questioners on the phone are requested to disable the loudspeaker mode while asking a question. In the interest of time, please limit yourself to two questions. Anyone who has a question may press star and 1 at this time. The first question comes from Konstantin Hesse from Jefferies. Please go ahead.