Nokia expects to revise upwards its 2021 financ...

Nokia Corporation
Inside information
13 July 2021 at 9:00 EET

Nokia expects to revise upwards its 2021 financial guidance

Espoo, Finland – Nokia is today providing an update to its financial guidance for full year 2021. In the second quarter Nokia saw continued strength in the business, improving its expectations for the full year. Nokia now expects to revise upwards its prior outlook ranges for 2021. Nokia plans to provide full details on its second quarter and half-year financial performance and revised full year 2021 guidance on 29 July 2021.

The previous outlook for 2021 ( reiterated on 29 April 2021) was :

Net sales, adjusted for currency fluctuations1	€20.6bn to €21.8bn
Comparable operating margin	7 to 10%
Free cash flow	Positive
Comparable ROIC	10 to 15%

^{1 )} Assuming continuation of 2020 year-end EUR/USD rate of 1.23 .

“We are progressing well with our three-phased plan to achieve sustainable, profitable growth and technology leadership laid out at our Capital Markets Day in March. Our first half performance has shown evidence of this in good cost control and also benefited from strength in a number of our end markets. We continue to expect some headwinds in the second half as we have previously highlighted but our performance in the first half provides a good foundation for the full year,” said Pekka Lundmark, Nokia President and CEO.

The company will release its second quarter and half year 2021 financial results on Thursday 29 July 2021.

Nokia will conduct a conference call with analysts and investors to discuss its second quarter performance and business outlook on 29 July 2021 at 11:30am EET / 9:30am BST / 4:30am US EST.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a trusted partner for critical networks, we are committed to innovation and technology leadership across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. We create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities needed for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

Inquiries :

Nokia
Communications
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Katja Antila, Head of Media Relations

Nokia
Investor Relations
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Forward-looking statements
It should be noted that Nokia and its businesses are exposed to various risks and uncertainties and certain statements herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements . These forward-looking statements reflect Nokia's current expectations and views of future developments and include statements regarding : A) expectations, plans or benefits related to our strategies , growth management and operational key performance indicators ; B) expectations, plans or benefits related to future performance of our businesses ( including the expected impact, timing and duration of that impact of COVID-19 on our businesses, our supply chain and our customers ’ businesses) and any future dividends including timing and qualitative and quantitative thresholds associated therewith ; C) expectations and targets regarding financial performance, cash generation , results , the timing of receivables , operating expenses , taxes, currency exchange rates, hedging , cost savings , product cost reductions and competitiveness , as well as results of operations including targeted synergies, better commercial management and those results related to market share , prices , net sales, income and margins ; D) expectations, plans or benefits related to changes in organizational and operational structure; E) expectations regarding competition within our market , market developments , general economic conditions and structural and legal change globally and in national and regional markets , such as China; F) our ability to integrate acquired businesses into our operations and achieve the targeted business plans and benefits , including targeted benefits , synergies, cost savings and efficiencies ; G) expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or to business collaboration agreements or patent license agreements or arbitration awards , including income to be received under any collaboration or partnership, agreement or award ; H) timing of the deliveries of our products and services, including our short term and longer term expectations around the rollout of 5G, investment requirements with such rollout , and our ability to capitalize on such rollout ; I) expectations and targets regarding collaboration and partnering arrangements, joint ventures or the creation of joint ventures , and the related administrative, legal , regulatory and other conditions, as well as our expected customer reach ; J) outcome of pending and threatened litigation , arbitration, disputes, regulatory proceedings or investigations by authorities ; K) expectations regarding restructurings , investments , capital structure optimization efforts, uses of proceeds from transactions, acquisitions and divestments and our ability to achieve the financial and operational targets set in connection with any such restructurings , investments , capital structure optimization efforts, divestments and acquisitions, including our current cost savings program; L) expectations, plans or benefits related to future capital expenditures , reduction of support function costs , temporary incremental expenditures or other R&D expenditures to develop or rollout software and other new products , including 5G, ReefShark and increased digitalization ; M) expectations regarding our customers ' future actions, including our customers ’ capital expenditure constraints and our ability to satisfy customer’s needs and retain their business; and N) statements preceded by or including “ believe ”, “ expect ”, “expectations”, “ deliver ”, “ maintain ”, “ strengthen ”, “ target ”, “ estimate ”, “plan”, “ intend ”, “ assumption ”, “focus”, “continue”, “ should ", " will ” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties , many of which are beyond our control, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from such statements . These statements are based on management’s best assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to them . These forward-looking statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and views of future events and developments and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Factors , including risks and uncertainties that could cause these differences include , but are not limited to: 1) our strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties and we may be unable to successfully implement our strategic plans, sustain or improve the operational and financial performance of our business groups, correctly identify or successfully pursue business opportunities or otherwise grow our business; 2) general economic and market conditions, general public health conditions ( including its impact on our supply chains ) and other developments in the economies where we operate , including the timeline for the deployment of 5G and our ability to successfully capitalize on that deployment ; 3) competition and our ability to effectively and profitably invest in existing and new high- quality products , services, upgrades and technologies and bring them to market in a timely manner ; 4) our dependence on the development of the industries in which we operate , including the cyclicality and variability of the information technology and telecommunications industries and our own R&D capabilities and investments ; 5) our dependence on a limited number of customers and large multi- year agreements , as well as external events impacting our customers including mergers and acquisitions and the possibility of our customers awarding business to our competitors ; 6) our ability to maintain our existing sources of intellectual property-related revenue through our intellectual property , including through licensing , establishing new sources of revenue and protecting our intellectual property from infringement ; 7) our ability to manage and improve our financial and operating performance, cost savings , competitiveness and synergies generally , expectations and timing around our ability to recognize any net sales and our ability to implement changes to our organizational and operational structure efficiently ; 8) our global business and exposure to regulatory , political or other developments in various countries or regions , including emerging markets and the associated risks in relation to tax matters and exchange controls , among others ; 9) our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits , synergies, cost savings and efficiencies of acquisitions; 10) exchange rate fluctuations, as well as hedging activities ; 11) our ability to successfully realize the expectations, plans or benefits related to any future collaboration or business collaboration agreements and patent license agreements or arbitration awards , including income to be received under any collaboration, partnership, agreement or arbitration award ; 12) Nokia Technologies' ability to protect its IPR and to maintain and establish new sources of patent, brand and technology licensing income and IPR- related revenues, particularly in the smartphone market , which may not materialize as planned , 13) our dependence on IPR technologies, including those that we have developed and those that are licensed to us, and the risk of associated IPR- related legal claims, licensing costs and restrictions on use; 14) our exposure to direct and indirect regulation , including economic or trade policies , and the reliability of our governance , internal controls and compliance processes to prevent regulatory penalties in our business or in our joint ventures ; 15) our reliance on third -party solutions for data storage and service distribution, which expose us to risks relating to security , regulation and cybersecurity breaches ; 16) inefficiencies , breaches , malfunctions or disruptions of information technology systems , or our customers ’ security concerns ; 17) our exposure to various legal frameworks regulating corruption, fraud , trade policies , and other risk areas, and the possibility of proceedings or investigations that result in fines, penalties or sanctions; 18) adverse developments with respect to customer financing or extended payment terms we provide to customers ; 19) the potential complex tax issues, tax disputes and tax obligations we may face in various jurisdictions , including the risk of obligations to pay additional taxes; 20) our actual or anticipated performance, among other factors , which could reduce our ability to utilize deferred tax assets; 21) our ability to retain , motivate , develop and recruit appropriately skilled employees ; 22) disruptions to our manufacturing , service creation , delivery , logistics and supply chain processes , our ability to procure certain standard components such as semiconductors , and the risks related to our production sites; 23) the impact of litigation , arbitration, agreement- related disputes or product liability allegations associated with our business; 24) our ability to re- establish investment grade rating or maintain our credit ratings; 25) our ability to achieve targeted benefits from , or successfully implement planned transactions, as well as the liabilities related thereto ; 26) our involvement in joint ventures and jointly-managed companies ; 27) the carrying amount of our goodwill may not be recoverable ; 28) uncertainty related to the amount of dividends and equity return (if any ) we are able to distribute to shareholders for each financial period ; 29) pension costs , employee fund-related costs , and healthcare costs ; 30) our ability to successfully complete and capitalize on our order backlogs and continue converting our sales pipeline into net sales; 31) risks related to undersea infrastructure; and 32) the scope and duration of the COVID-19 impact on the global economy and financial markets as well as our customers , supply chain , product development , service delivery , other operations and our financial , tax , pension and other assets, and the shape of the economic recovery following the pandemic as well as the risk factors specified in our 2020 annual report on Form 20-F published on March 4, 2021 under "Operating and financial review and prospects-Risk factors " and in our other filings or documents furnished with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors or underlying assumptions subsequently proven to be incorrect could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements . We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements , whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise , except to the extent legally required .