Philips reports fourth-quarter net income of EUR 465 million, EBITA of EUR 873 million and sales of EUR 7.4 billion

• Net income of EUR 465 million, an increase of EUR 205 million compared to Q4 2009
• EBITA of EUR 873 million at 11.8% of sales in the quarter
• Nominal sales of EUR 7.4 billion, 2% higher year-on-year
• Comparable sales declined 4%, primarily reflecting weak consumer demand in Western Europe
• Emerging market sales increased from 31% to 33% of Group sales
• Strong cash flow of EUR 1.3 billion
• Proposed dividend increased to EUR 0.75 per share

Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Royal Philips Electronics:
 
“We finished a strong 2010 on a stable note with fourth-quarter EBITA of EUR 873 million, or 11.8% of sales, bringing EBITA for the full year to a record 10%.

Revenue for the quarter came in at EUR 7.4 billion, a nominal increase of 2%. Comparable sales however declined by 4%, impacted by a weak Television market, negative consumer sentiment in developed markets and inventory management in the trade which resulted in a particularly slow December. Revenue in all three sectors was also negatively affected by fewer working days in the Philips reporting calendar.

On the positive side, we continued to see good mid-single-digit comparable sales growth at Home Healthcare Solutions and Patient Care & Clinical Informatics in Healthcare. Additionally, Healthcare orders grew 3% in the quarter, allowing order intake to grow 9% for the year, providing an excellent basis for sales growth in 2011. In Consumer Lifestyle, Personal Care and Health & Wellness posted strong high-single-digit growth. And in Lighting, Lumileds and LED-based lighting products and solutions continued their high double-digit growth rate.

For the full-year, sales, having rebounded strongly in the first half of the year, came in at EUR 25.4 billion, a 10% nominal increase from 2009. On a comparable basis, that represents growth of almost 4.5% for the year.

2010 was an eventful and overall positive year for Philips. We rebounded strongly from the economic downturn caused by the financial crisis. Within the constraints of an economy that remained weak, with fragile consumer confidence in most mature markets, we successfully implemented a major part of our Vision 2010 roadmap. Television profitability, however, remained a major issue that we are committed to resolve. We continued to strengthen our business portfolio and achieved an adjusted EBITA margin of 10.5%, significantly exceeding the target we had set ourselves three years ago. With that we set the stage for a successful future as outlined by our Vision 2015 program. Last but not least, we started to prepare for a seamless transition to a new leadership team.
 
Philips has undergone a profound transformation over the last decade. We are now a company with a clear focus, a customer-centric approach, a strong brand and a simpler structure. We are a global leader in important markets that are essential for tomorrow’s world. We are a new Philips and we are ready for an even better future.”