Power Corporation of Canada Reports 2015 Second Quarter and Six-Month Financial Results and Dividends

All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Readers are referred to the sections entitled "Non-IFRS Financial Measures" and "Forward-Looking Statements" at the end of this release.

TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Power Corporation of Canada (TSX: POW) today reported earnings results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015.

SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

Operating earnings attributable to participating shareholders (a non-IFRS financial measure) for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 were $423 million or $0.91 per share, compared with $324 million or $0.70 per share in 2014.

Other items, not included in operating earnings, were a contribution of $192 million mainly comprised of: a partial recovery of $183 million of prior period impairment charges on the disposal of the Corporation's investment in CITIC Limited; a recovery of $53 million representing the Corporation's share of the partial reversal of impairment charges recorded by Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL) on its investment in Lafarge SA (Lafarge); and the Corporation's share of impairment charges and restructuring costs of $43 million related to the merger of Lafarge with Holcim, and impairment charges at Square Victoria Communications Group Inc. In the corresponding period of 2014, other items represented a net charge of $10 million. Additional details on other items can be found in the table entitled "Other Items" below.

Net earnings attributable to participating shareholders were $615 million or $1.33 per share, compared with $314 million or $0.68 per share in 2014.

SIX-MONTH RESULTS

Operating earnings attributable to participating shareholders for the six months ended June 30, 2015 were $772 million or $1.67 per share, compared with $548 million or $1.19 per share in 2014.

Other items, not included in operating earnings, resulted in a contribution of $197 million, compared with $8 million in 2014.

Net earnings attributable to participating shareholders were $969 million or $2.10 per share, compared with $556 million or $1.21 per share in 2014.

RESULTS OF POWER FINANCIAL CORPORATION

SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

Power Financial reported operating earnings attributable to common shareholders for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 of $559 million or $0.79 per share, compared with $545 million or $0.77 per share in 2014. 

Other items, not included in operating earnings, were a contribution of $57 million mainly comprised of Power Financial's share of GBL's partial reversal of impairment charges on Lafarge, partially offset by impairment charges and restructuring costs recorded by Lafarge related to the merger with Holcim. In 2014, other items represented a contribution of $23 million.

Net earnings attributable to common shareholders were $616 million or $0.87 per share, compared with $568 million or $0.80 per share in 2014.

SIX-MONTH RESULTS

Operating earnings attributable to common shareholders for the six months ended June 30, 2015 were $1,124 million or $1.58 per share, compared with $985 million or $1.39 per share in 2014.

Other items, not included in operating earnings, resulted in a contribution of $65 million, compared with $50 million in 2014.

Net earnings attributable to common shareholders were $1,189 million or $1.67 per share, compared with $1,035 million or $1.46 per share in 2014.

As at June 30, 2015, Power Corporation held a 65.6% economic interest in Power Financial. Power Financial's contribution to Power Corporation's operating earnings was $367 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, compared with $358 million in 2014. For the six months ended June 30, 2015, Power Financial contributed $738 million to Power Corporation's operating earnings, compared with $648 million in 2014.

RESULTS FROM OTHER SUBSIDIARIES AND INCOME FROM INVESTMENTS

SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

The contribution to earnings from other subsidiaries and income from investments was $103 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 compared with $10 million in 2014.

The contribution from other subsidiaries and income from investments includes gains of $114 million from the Corporation's investment activity in China. During the most recent six-month period, markets in China have been volatile and reached near record highs in June. As many of Sagard China's portfolio investments reached historically high valuations, investment gains were realized on certain holdings.

DIVIDENDS ON NON-PARTICIPATING PREFERRED SHARES

The Board of Directors today declared quarterly dividends on the Corporation's preferred shares, as follows:

SERIES – STOCK SYMBOL	RECORD DATE	PAYMENT DATE	AMOUNT
1986 Series – POW.PR.F	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	At a floating rate equal to one quarter of 70% of the average prime rate of two major Canadian chartered banks ^[1]
Series A – POW.PR.A	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	35¢
Series B – POW.PR.B	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	33.4375¢
Series C – POW.PR.C	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	36.25¢
Series D – POW.PR.D	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	31.25¢
Series G – POW.PR.G	September 24, 2015	October 15, 2015	35¢

^[1] In accordance with the articles of the Corporation

DIVIDENDS ON PARTICIPATING SHARES

The Board of Directors also declared a quarterly dividend of 31.125 cents per share on the Participating Preferred Shares and the Subordinate Voting Shares of the Corporation, payable September 30, 2015 to shareholders of record September 9, 2015.

ABOUT POWER CORPORATION

Power Corporation of Canada is a diversified international management and holding company with interests in companies in the financial services, communications and other business sectors in North America, Europe and Asia. To learn more, visit www.powercorporation.com.

EARNINGS SUMMARY

(unaudited) (in millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)		Three months ended				Six months ended
		June 30, 2015		June 30, 2014		June 30, 2015		June 30, 2014
Operating earnings
Contribution to operating earnings from:
	Power Financial	367		358		738		648
	Other subsidiaries ^(1)	(21)		(17)		(39)		(41)
		346		341		699		607
Corporate operations
	Income from investments ^(2)	124		27		165		29
	Operating and other expenses	(34)		(31)		(66)		(62)
Dividends on non-participating shares		(13)		(13)		(26)		(26)
Operating earnings (attributable to participating shareholders)		423		324		772		548
Other items (non-operating earnings) – see below		192		(10)		197		8
Net earnings (attributable to participating shareholders)		615		314		969		556
Earnings per share (attributable to participating shareholders)
	Operating earnings	0.91		0.70		1.67		1.19
	Non-operating earnings	0.42		(0.02)		0.43		0.02
	Net earnings	1.33		0.68		2.10		1.21

(1)	Comprising Square Victoria Communications Group Inc., Power Energy Corporation, and controlled portfolio investments: IntegraMed America, Inc. (held through Sagard Capital), and Les Délices des 7 Vallées and Alvest (held through Sagard Europe)).
(2)	Includes income from Sagard investment funds (excluding income from controlled portfolio investments) and income from other investments.

OTHER ITEMS (NON-OPERATING EARNINGS)

(unaudited) (in millions of Canadian dollars)			Three months ended				Six months ended
			June 30, 2015		June 30, 2014		June 30, 2015		June 30, 2014
Share of Power Financial's other items:
	IGM
		Restructuring and other charges			(5)				(5)
	Pargesa
		Gain on partial disposal of Total SA			11		6		28
		Gain on partial exchange of Suez Environnement Company	1		11		2		11
		Partial reversal of impairment charges on Lafarge	53				53
		Share of Lafarge's impairment charges and restructuring costs	(15)				(15)
		Other (charge) income	(2)		(2)		(4)		(1)
			37		15		42		33
Other subsidiaries			(28)		(25)		(28)		(25)
Corporate operations			183				183
			192		(10)		197		8

Eligible Dividends

For purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any similar provincial legislation, all of the above dividends on the Corporation's preferred shares (including the Participating Preferred Shares) and Subordinate Voting Shares are eligible dividends.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures and Presentation

In analyzing the financial results of the Corporation and consistent with the presentation in previous periods, net earnings attributable to participating shareholders are comprised of:

• operating earnings attributable to participating shareholders; and
• other items or non-operating earnings, including the after-tax impact of any item that in management's judgment would make the period-over-period comparison of results from operations less meaningful. Other items include the Corporation's share of items presented as other items or non-operating earnings by a subsidiary or a jointly controlled corporation or associate.

Management uses these financial measures in its presentation and analysis of the financial performance of Power Corporation, and believes that they provide additional meaningful information to readers in their analysis of the results of the Corporation. Operating earnings, as defined by the Corporation, assist the reader in comparing the current period's results to those of previous periods as items that are not part of ongoing activities are excluded from this non-IFRS measure.

Operating earnings attributable to participating shareholders and operating earnings per share are non-IFRS financial measures that do not have a standard meaning and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other entities.

The Corporation also uses a non-consolidated basis of presentation to present and analyze its results, financial position and cash flows. In this basis of presentation, Power Corporation's interests in Power Financial and other subsidiaries are accounted for using the equity method. Presentation on a non-consolidated basis is a non-IFRS presentation. However, it is useful to the reader as it presents the parent's corporate operations as a holding company separate from the results of its operating subsidiaries.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this News Release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements based on certain assumptions and reflect the Corporation's current expectations, or with respect to disclosure regarding the Corporation's public subsidiaries, reflect such subsidiaries' disclosed current expectations. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of assisting the reader in understanding the Corporation's financial performance, financial position and cash flows as at and for the periods ended on certain dates and to present information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and the reader is cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, strategies and outlook of the Corporation and its subsidiaries, as well as the outlook for North American and international economies for the current fiscal year and subsequent periods. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "seeks", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "may", "will", "should", "would" and "could".

By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' control, affect the operations, performance and results of the Corporation and its subsidiaries and their businesses, and could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations of estimated or anticipated events or results. These factors include, but are not limited to: the impact or unanticipated impact of general economic, political and market factors in North America and internationally, interest and foreign exchange rates, global equity and capital markets, management of market liquidity and funding risks, changes in accounting policies and methods used to report financial condition (including uncertainties associated with critical accounting assumptions and estimates), the effect of applying future accounting changes, business competition, operational and reputational risks, technological change, changes in government regulation and legislation, changes in tax laws, unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings, catastrophic events, the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' ability to complete strategic transactions, integrate acquisitions and implement other growth strategies, and the Corporation's and its subsidiaries' success in anticipating and managing the foregoing factors.

The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Information contained in forward-looking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, including that the list of factors in the previous paragraph, collectively, are not expected to have a material impact on the Corporation and its subsidiaries. While the Corporation considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to management, they may prove to be incorrect.

Other than as specifically required by applicable Canadian law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

Additional information about the risks and uncertainties of the Corporation's business and material factors or assumptions on which information contained in forward-looking statements is based is provided in its disclosure materials, including its most recent Management's Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE Power Corporation of Canada

Mr. Stéphane Lemay, Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary, 514-286-7400