South Africa: Blue Label to take a huge knock from Cell C impairment, losses
September 18th 2019
Blue Label Telecoms will take an almost R6.71/share hit to its earnings per share for the full-year to 31 May 2019 thanks to the ongoing woes at Cell C, it warned on Thursday. The share price fell to an all-time low of R2.51 shortly after the trading statement was released, but recovered ground to R2.65 shortly after 11.30am. Blue Label said in a trading statement on Thursday that the Cell C impairments and trading losses, coupled with other challenges, including at its operations in India, will serve as a major drag its full-year earnings. Fair-value downward adjustments and trading losses and impairments in its Indian operations will also knock the numbers lower, it warned. These factors will knock its earnings per share by a negative R8.23 and its headline earnings per share by a negative R4.05. Although the core businesses of the Blue Label group continued to generate profits, the negative contributions to the May 2019 basic, headline and core headline earnings per share were attributable to:
- Cell C’s trading losses, impairment of its property, plant and equipment, the impact of a de-recognition of its deferred tax asset and the impairment of Blue Label’s total investment therein.
- Fair value downward adjustments of the complete exposure relating to Blue Label investment vehicles SPV1 and SPV2.
- A fair-value downward adjustment of Glocell Distribution, attributable to the impact of unfavourable wholesale trading conditions.
- An impairment of Blue Label’s total investment in the Oxigen India group, including 2Dfine Holdings Mauritius (OSI), as well as providing for loan impairments and guarantees payable. “This was attributable to an anticipated corporate transaction not materialising,” it said.
- Partial impairments of goodwill relating to Viamedia and Blue Label Connect and a partial impairment of the investment in a joint venture called SupaPesa.