Nokia Reports Strong End to 2015, Market Uncertainty in 2016

Nokia reported Q4 2015 net sales of EUR 3.6 billion in Q4 2015, compared with EUR 3.5 billion in Q4 2014.  Full year 2015 sales were EUR 12.5 billion, compared with EUR 11.8 billion in full year 2014.

Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia, commented: “2015 was another year of dramatic transformation for Nokia and I am pleased that in the midst of all this change we were able to close the year with solid performances at both Nokia Networks and Nokia Technologies.

I was particularly pleased with our progress towards completing the Alcatel-Lucent transaction in the fourth quarter, culminating with the start of combined operations in early January. Our work as a combined company has gotten off to a strong start. Teams are preparing joint bids, we are working closely with our customers to ensure we can make fast and effective decisions about overlapping areas of our portfolio, and we are on target to deliver on our previously announced synergy savings.

While the competitive environment in Networks remained generally stable in the fourth quarter, we do expect some market headwinds in 2016 as 4G/LTE rollouts in China and some other markets start to slow. The first quarter, in particular, looks quite challenging as customers assess their CAPEX plans in light of increasing macro-economic uncertainty. In this environment, we will continue our sharp focus on operational and commercial discipline, ensure we deliver synergies as quickly as possible, and focus our energy on targeting the growth segments within the overall telecom market.”

Some highlights:

Nokia Networks

• 5% year-on-year net sales decrease in Q4 2015 and 3% net sales growth in full year 2015. On a reported basis, Greater China and Middle East & Africa were the strongest regions. On a constant currency basis, 12% year-on-year net sales decrease in Q4 2015 and 6% net sales decrease in full year 2015.
• Non-IFRS gross margin of 39.6% in Q4 2015 primarily due to elevated levels of software in Mobile Broadband, partially offset by the absence of non-recurring intellectual property rights net sales which benefitted Q4 2014.
• Non-IFRS operating margin of 14.6% in Q4 2015. Nokia Networks delivered full year financial results towards the high end of its original 2015 targets, with a non-IFRS operating margin of 10.9% in full year 2015, through strong operational performance and continued focus on execution excellence.

Nokia Technologies

• 170% year-on-year net sales growth in Q4 2015 and 77% net sales growth in full year 2015. On a year-on-year basis, non-IFRS operating profit grew 318% in Q4 2015 and 102% in full year 2015, primarily related to the growth in net sales resulting from a settled arbitration. This was partially offset by higher non-IFRS operating expenses.

http://company.nokia.com/en/news/press-releases/2016/02/11/nokia-corporation-report-for-q4-2015-and-full-year-2015