Good afternoon, and welcome everybody. During the second quarter, we operated in a far from stable environment. The war in the Gulf, which began at the end of February, caused significant disruption to the global supply chains of oil, gas, and aluminum, among other things. Our first concern was to secure our supply of aluminum and especially slabs, as a large part of our current contracts were for material produced in this area. As we said on the first quarter call, we had already secured our quantities throughout August. We can now safely say that we're well supplied for the whole year and beyond. On the side of copper, we had two things affecting copper. Although no primary copper is produced in the region, a lot of sulfuric acid is, and this is necessary for the production of copper concentrate.
In addition, the expected decision on U.S. tariff on copper cathodes, expected to come out on June 30th, created again a modest arbitrage window between prices in the LME and COMEX, which drew some more cathodes to the U.S. However, at no point did we face issues with our copper supply. The situation in the Gulf has yet to be resolved, and its duration may have broader implications on energy prices, on inflation, on interest rates, and the situation still seems to be very volatile, as we all know, there can be no certainty about when it will end and what will the long-term effects be.
Before I pass the floor to my colleagues to give you a full view of results for the period, allow me to take this opportunity to both thank and congratulate everyone in the financial department of the company, but also the group. This year, the group decided to improve closing procedures and to publish results for all companies in the beginning of August rather than September, without losing any accuracy, which is very important to us. Despite the extra pressure our recent share capital increase has put on the financial department, they were so effective with these new procedures that we were able to bring the results announcement date even earlier. Again, thanks and well done, and I'll pass the floor to Nikos.
Thank you, Mr. Kokkolis. Now l et me walk you through the presentation and the highlights of the semester. ElvalHalcor delivered a strong first half amid a challenging and volatile economic environment. The aluminum segment grew sales volume by 7% to 227,000 tons, led by packaging and transportation, while copper volumes held steady at 91,000 tons. Higher sales volumes, partially offset by inflationary pressures, resulted in increased operational profitability, with adjusted EBITDA reaching EUR 143 million, up by 7% compared to the prior year respective period. Earnings before taxes surged to EUR 159 million, mostly affected by the positive accounting metal results, which rose by EUR 71 million year-on-year.
Net debt stood at EUR 548 million, down by EUR 82 million from the first half of 2025, thanks to a robust operational profitability and strong cash generation, which more than covered working capital needs, capital expenditure, and the increased dividend of EUR 41 million. Compared to the year end, net debt decreased by EUR 57 million, despite the sharp rise in LME prices that drove higher working capital needs through the period. The leverage continued with the net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio, improved to 2.2 from 2.4 in the first half of 2025. At this point, I will hand over to Mr. Aizologlu who will cover details of our performance.
Thank you, Nikos. Before we see numbers and performance, let me present the macro environment in which we operated in during the first half of the year. From the graphs for natural gas and electricity prices, it is evident that during the second quarter, geopolitical developments in the Middle East contributed to upward pressure in energy markets. However, the first semester had no material impact, with energy costs remaining at lower levels than the corresponding period of 2025. Electricity costs were lower year-over-year, with DAM prices down 15% versus 2025, and TTF broadly stable. Eurozone inflation increased from 2.2% to 2.6%, meaning labor, third-party services, and other production costs remained under pressure. Euribor stayed stable until June, reducing net financial costs. The cost environment was mixed. Energy and rates were supportive, but inflationary pressures remained visible and energy trends tend upward toward the period end.
Moving on the next slide about the LME prices. Both metals followed the same trend that started in 2025. Aluminum price is up 24% year-over-year, while copper is up 30%. Copper hit historic highs in May. Higher metal prices supported revenue and metal results, but also increased working capital intensity and underpinned market volatility. The next question is how these external conditions affected the group's cost base. Total costs, excluding metal costs, increased by 5% to EUR 367 million, versus EUR 349 million in 2025. Employee benefits remained the largest cost category at 28%, and third-party fees increased to 17%, both reflecting inflationary pressures. Energy declined from 16% to 13%, helped by lower electricity prices. The message is balanced. Inflation was visible, but lower energy costs and operating discipline limited the impact on adjusted profitability.
Now let's look at where the operational growth came from, starting with the aluminum volumes and market mix. Starting from the graph at the top of the slide, we see that for a second consecutive quarter, aluminum volumes stood higher than the respective quarters of the previous year, up 8% and 6%. The momentum remained positive, with volumes rising to 227,000 tons in 2026, up 7% year-over-year. Transportation increased strongly by 34%, reaching 15% of segment volumes, while rigid packaging remained the largest market at 51% of volumes and grew approximately 9%. Flexible packaging, HVAC&R and industrial applications were stable, while building and construction moved lower. Aluminum growth is not only volume- driven, but also tied to attractive end markets linked to mega trends such as circularity and light weighting. Moving to copper volumes.
The Copper Segment demonstrated resilient performance during the second quarter, focused on shifting to higher value products and markets rather than increasing volumes in lower profitability markets. Volumes reached 91,000 tons, up 0.6% year-over-year. Energy and power networks grew by 8%, supported by grid investment across Europe, industrial applications by 9%, and HVAC&R by 4%, underpinned by heat pumps installation, air conditioning and data centers projects. This was offset by a 20% decline in building and construction and a 5% decline in transportation, mirroring reduced output from European automotive manufacturers. With the end market picture covered, let's move to the geographical revenue mix across both segments. Starting with the aluminum segment, on the left-hand side, we see that geographic mix remained stable. Europe continues to be the dominant market, while the Americas remain significant at 13%, despite duties.
Moving to the Copper Segment, Europe stands out as the dominant market, with our presence in other areas remaining stable. It is evident that the group has diversified the national footprint with the EU providing the core revenue basis.
Having reviewed now volume and revenue mix, let's move to profitability. The second quarter was particularly strong for the aluminum segment at EUR 51 million, up 20% year-over-year following an equal positive first quarter. Adjusted EBITDA reached EUR 91 million in the first semester compared to EUR 81 million in 2025, and the adjusted EBITDA per ton increased from EUR 383 per ton to EUR 401, up by 5%. The drivers for this performance were volume growth, improved margins, and lower energy costs. The segment benefits from prior investments, operational improvement and favorable product mix. On this slide we have a graph showing EVA per ton, which is a very useful indicator of value creation in both segments. Before discussing the trend, let me briefly explain the metric. EVA or industrial value added represents the value created by our industrial transformation processes and excludes the direct impact of metal prices.
When adjusted EBITDA per ton tell us how much profitability we retain from each ton, EVA per ton tell us how the quality and the value we generate from every ton sold. Aluminum EVA per ton increased by 3% compared to the previous year and is moving at the same positive direction as adjusted EBITDA per ton. Moving for the Copper Segment. During the second quarter, the Copper Segment experienced a more competitive environment with pricing pressures and cost inflation. However, it maintained operational profitability of EUR 52 million in 2026, slightly below EUR 53 million in 2025. Adjusted EBITDA per ton is from EUR 584 to EUR 572. On this slide, I will emphasize EVA, which is likely more engaging and insightful. Despite the challenging pricing environment and margin pressure in some product categories, EVA increased by 5%.
The increase in EVA per ton indicates that our product mix and value added positioning improved, which underpins the strategic shift toward higher value added products like energy, infrastructure, industrial applications, and data centers. Let's bring all these developments together into a consolidated financial picture. This slide provides the best summary of the group's overall performance. Volumes increased by approximately 5% to 390,000 tons, reflecting continuing momentum in aluminum and resilient performance in copper. Revenue increased by 18% to approximately EUR 2.2 billion, supported by higher volumes and significantly higher aluminum and copper prices. Most importantly, adjusted EBITDA increased to EUR 143 million, up approximately 7% year-over-year. Despite inflationary pressure on labor services and products costs, the group delivered higher adjusted profitability through volume growth, improved product mix, and continued operational discipline. In addition, the metal result increased significantly, reaching approximately EUR 78 million versus EUR 7 million last year.
As a result, EBITDA increased by approximately 52% to EUR 212 million, and EBT increased by approximately 17% to EUR 159 million. The next slide illustrates the EBT increase and shows which factors drove the year-over-year bridge. The EBT bridge demonstrates that the first semester of 2026, earnings growth was driven by both stronger operating performance and highly supportive metal price environment, resulting in a significant increase in reported profitability. EBT increased from approximately EUR 89 million in 2025 to EUR 159 million in 2026, a very strong year-over-year improvement. The largest contributor was the metal result, which added approximately EUR 71 million. This reflects the significantly higher aluminum and copper price environment during the first half and explains most of the increase in reported profitability. Volumes contributed approximately EUR 11 million, demonstrating underlying demand resilience and good operating execution, particularly in aluminum.
Offsetting factors included EUR 4 million from price and cost mix, EUR 4 million from SG&A, and EUR 5 million from other income expenses, while financial costs were broadly stable. Having explained the P&L bridge, let's show how this translated into cash flow. While adjusted EBITDA, EBT, and EVA evaluate performance, free cash flow reveals the actual cash generated for shareholder value. During the first semester, the group posted a very strong free cash flow of EUR 97 million. EBITDA was EUR 212 million. The main cash outflows were interest paid of EUR 18 million, working capital at EUR 39 million, affected by higher metal prices, and investments of EUR 56 million. Moreover, we repaid EUR 61 million in debt and paid a higher dividend of EUR 41 million. Moving to the balance sheet.
The slide illustrates how strong cash flow generation and disciplined working capital management enabled the group to reduce net debt and improve leverage despite higher metal prices, increased CapEx, and dividend payments. Working capital was EUR 596 million in June 2026, up 7% versus year-end, reflecting elevated aluminum prices. However, it remained materially lower year-over-year, despite much higher metal prices, demonstrating tight inventory and receivables control. Net debt was EUR 548 million, down EUR 57 million from year-end and EUR 82 million year-over-year. Leverage improved to 2.2x , while financial costs declined to EUR 17 million, reflecting lower rates and lower debt levels. Finally, let's look at our CapEx. We recently completed a EUR 250 million share capital increase to finance a EUR 455 million CapEx program. These new investments will enable us to increase final capacity in the Aluminium Segment and increase the usage of recyclable materials in both segments.
For the first semester, CapEx is targeted to support future growth, efficiency, and operational flexibility. Before we move to the Q&A session, let me summarize the group's performance during the first semester of 2026. The group delivered a strong first half, combining volume growth, strong adjusted profitability, and a much stronger EBT. Volumes increased, indicating continued momentum in key markets despite the challenging macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. The 7% increase in adjusted EBITDA shows that operating execution remains strong and that we successfully navigated cost inflation. Despite working capital needs, CapEx, and dividends, the financial position continues to strengthen, with the group further reducing net debt and improving leverage. Most importantly, all the above were achieved in a very demanding environment due to geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures, and metal price volatility. I think now we can take your questions.
Thank you for your attention. We can proceed to the Q&A session. We would like to inform you that you can place your questions in two different ways, either by raising your hand or by submitting it on the Q&A tab. Both options are available at the bottom of the screen. We have a question by Mr. Athanasakis. Mr. Athanasakis?
You hear me now? Hello?
Yeah. I can hear you.
Okay. I noticed that working capital went very well, the management of working capital This quarter, it was very well. Can you elaborate on what actions you took to take care of working capital? That's one. Two, if you can discuss what is driving the increase in industrial value added per ton in the Copper Segment, and whether we should be expecting that to hold or even increase going forward. Thank you.
Okay, I will start with the working capital. I think it's right, I can dispute that the LME prices, the elevated LME prices, put some pressure in our working capital. Of course, we have to say that working capital is always rising in the first months of the year and improves as the year progresses toward the end. In order to mitigate the risk from the volatility of the LME prices and the increased working capital, we are optimizing our inventory monitoring to better control the price impact. We had some issues during 2025 with the disruptions that we experienced in raw material market with the imposition of tariffs. As Spyros said at the beginning of the presentations, we managed to secure our raw materials for 2026 during first quarter until August. Now we are secured for the whole year.
We believe that the way that we control our inventories during the year will give us the opportunity to improve our working capital for the future months. About the EVA, I think that your question was what the improvement of EVA in copper suggest, and if we can further improve EVA per ton. Am I correct?
Yes. Sorry, I was muted and I didn't manage to speak before. Evangelos will cover that. The question was about the increase in the industrial value added of the Copper Segment. Also, I have to add that 2024, which shows a larger EVA, was just seasonal. The average EVA for the year was low. Our target is definitely to improve and increase EVA. What we're actively doing at the moment is decreasing the quantities of extruded brass products. One reason why we had a very small increase overall for the semester in copper volumes was that we cut down 2,500 tons of brass rod production. This helps improve the industrial value added of the segment, also we are generally targeting, even in the sectors that we're increasing in quantities, to even higher value added products all the time.
I believe that covers your question and the target is for it to go higher. I will add also for the working capital what Evangelos said, that we can definitely go for the end of the year to even better figures than we had in the end of 2025. Of course, working capital and especially inventory is something that we target. We do not always guarantee that we will do it because it's also affected by external factors like supply chain disruptions, like metal price spikes that have various direct or indirect effects that are beyond our immediate and easy control.
We have a written question by Mr. Arkoulis. Which export markets are showing the strongest growth momentum?
Sorry, Nikos, before-
Yeah.
We have a question from Vasilis Roumanias. A lot of questions, I think. I believe that the first one about the working capital is already addressed. The second is about, was the volume growth in rigid packaging driven by market growth or by market share gains? What is the driver? How pricing in rigid packaging compares to other end markets? Okay, I will start with the growth in rigid packaging. Growth in rigid packaging comes from market growth. The market is experiencing steady growth, and because it is fully aligned with future mega trends such as sustainability and green transition, we expect it to maintain that growth and likely accelerate. The market is undersupplied by domestic producers, creating for us a market opportunity in the next year. Now, about pricing.
In the market, there are products like beverages whose prices are not at the upper end. They give us a lot of quantities, so we benefit from this to increase our profitability. In this sector, we have products like food products, where prices are very profitable. What has been the benefit on the results from the recent high premia through the recycling activity? On this flip side, what has been the cost impact of the Middle East disruption on the supply of ingots and slabs? I will start with premiums. The reason we are trying in both segments to increase our consumption of recyclable materials is because the profit from the premium is significant. Yes, during the second quarter, higher premiums boosted our profitability. It is evident.
After all, that is one of the reasons we are planning to further invest in scrap consumption in aluminum and copper also. About the impact of the Middle East disruption on the supply of ingots, I think Spyros has already addressed this topic, this issue.
I think it addresses the cost side, Evangelos, which has not been significant because we had new contracts for new quantities. There is no significant difference between the old quantities that we got.
Okay, moving on to the next question. This is regarding the Copper Segment. Can you please elaborate on the competitive pricing pressure and cost inflation, and how do you see them affecting performance over the next quarters? Okay. I will start with the extruded products, where imports from lower cost countries such as China, Mexico, Vietnam, and others account for almost 23% of European imports. It is evident that pricing pressure is material. This is one of the reasons an anti-dumping investigation is already underway against those countries. We expect to be concluded positively in the end of the year. I must say that we already seeing the first ripple effects from customers that are placing orders to avoid the retrospective duties. Regarding inflationary pressure, inflation impact is everywhere.
As a group, we are trying through our selective investments, not only to unlock extra capacity, but also to achieve efficiencies that will enable us to capitalize on our advantages over competitors such as quality and trustworthiness. This also relates with the question of room for further growth. Of course, there is room for growth, especially in markets like heat pumps, where we expect to see growth in the future. Because we are in a stronger position relative to our competitors, we are well- positioned to gain this extra volume.
We have the capacity to add.
We have the capacity. Okay, let's move to the next question. Dimitrios Arkoulis.
Yes. Mr. Arkoulis asks, which export markets are showing the strongest growth momentum, and how is geopolitical uncertainty affecting demand?
Well, I will say that, as you see from the chart, our export markets are the EU and European countries. However, we managed to retain a good presence in the U.S. Long- term, with 50% duties, it's something that's perhaps not sustainable. Geopolitical uncertainty is affecting demand both ways. In one sense, it's decreasing demand. In another sense, it might be creating some panic buying. We believe that this has not happened significantly, and we expect no change in demand. Of course, it yet remains to be seen. As I said in my opening statement, nobody knows yet what the long-term implications are going to be. If this continues for long, I'm sure there are going to be significant long-term implications like decreased global growth rates and long-term higher prices, which of course, nobody wishes for. Everybody wishes for the fast resolution of this issue.
On the other hand, we go through a Scottish shower every day. It starts again, it stops. I don't know if it stopped again even since we started the call, we'll have to see. Let's go to the next.
Yes. Moving on to Mr. Morfidis' question. Could you please comment on how the third quarter has started? Are you seeing the strong momentum of the first half continuing in terms of demand and order intake, or have recent geopolitical developments and tariffs changed the picture in any way?
I think I already covered that in my previous answer. It's too early to say because we're doing our call earlier than usual also means that we've seen July. July is doing great. Nothing to comment, not out of line. What will happen is yet to be seen.
Mr. Mathuloglu asks how is the adjusted EBITDA per type, both for aluminum and copper, going to be affected if the geopolitical tensions rise even more, save the price of these commodities get plus 15% more in average price for the rest of the year?
Not much. As we said, our adjusted EBITDA, we said a lot of times, which is the most representative metric of our operational profitability, is not directly affected by the prices of the commodities because we pass through everything. There are indirect effects and like what Evangelos said before, we get a better benefit from scrap prices because the discounts that we buy our scrap, if it's 10%, is different if it's 10% on EUR 10,000 or 10% on EUR 20,000, then it's a different discount. There are other indirect effects like, for example, higher interest rate. Of course, this does not affect the EBITDA. Maybe customers get scared and short- term, decrease their orders, if they get scared is from the price movements. Long- term, there's substitution, which has been done a lot in copper. We don't expect anymore.
We don't expect substitution in aluminium at reasonable prices, of course. It's not going to affect the adjusted EBT.
Okay. Moving on to Mr. Varla's question regarding CBAM. You mentioned the press release that CBAM already in place, with no tangible benefits as of yet. Can you please discuss what the benefits will be for you, the potential financial impact and the likely timing they will accrue? Thank you.
We don't expect significant effects from CBAM. CBAM will mean that all imports of aluminium products will be more costly because they will pay the CBAM for the aluminium, which will make it a level playing ground because we already have a cost of carbon that the imported material does not have. However, i t's not so huge, so big in comparison to the whole price of aluminium and to the whole conversion price to really affect the pricing of the competition. It's not like if we go to the steel segment where we're talking about a very higher value cost of CBAM in comparison to the whole price, then they cannot absorb it, so the prices have risen for all European producers. We do not expect to have some significant or visible change in a total price of an aluminium product being at around EUR 3,000, EUR 4,000.
I mean, EUR 50 or EUR 20 or EUR 30, whatever the CBAM is going to be, depending on the country, it's not going to affect the whole situation.
Mr. Renault has two questions. The first one is copper profitability remained under pressure despite stable volumes. Should we expect an improvement in the second half?
Well, it depends. It depends a lot on how this action will affect the demand for European products because one big part of the price pressure has been the imported and rising imports in the last years of Mexican, Vietnamese, et cetera, et cetera, products. This will affect things, and the other is what competition is doing. However, we're increasing quantities, we are improving our operational efficiency after having done investments to increase capacity in the rod products, and we'll have to see. We don't want to foresee the future there or give any guidance on it. However, we can say that it's strong profitability.
We've reached significantly high levels after 2023, and we're maintaining a very good profitability, this is the target, gaining market share because we can become gradually reach number two in rod products and number one in brass bars, of course, maintain our number one in copper tubes in Europe.
His second question, you have medium and long-term targets for volumes and adjusted EBITDA. When do you expect to reach these milestones? Is it reasonable to expect the medium-term targets to be achieved before the investment program is completed in 2030?
I think Thomas is referring to our new investment program that we have announced with the share capital increase. We said during this presentation about the share capital increase that about the investments in Aluminium Segment, we expect to have our new cast house operational by 2029 and the new cold rolling mill in 2030. For the investments in the Copper Segment, we expect to have them operational at late 2027, early 2028 and 2029. We expect to see an incremental profitability from these years onwards, but it will be lower than the profitability that we expect to have through the increase of capacity in the Aluminium Segment and the increase in recyclable usage with the new cast house. Yes, we expect to have some incremental benefits before 2030, but the biggest portion of that will be after 2030.
Mr. Morfidis returns with a question. You announced a share buyback program today, only a few weeks after completing your capital increase. What message are you trying to send to the market? Do you believe the current valuation does not fully reflect the company's medium-term growth prospects?
Well, first of all, we always have for the last three years, a share buyback program starting at this period or thereabout. This is one of the reasons that we started it. Generally, we believe that a lot of long-term investors entered our share capital increase, looking at our business plan and our prospects. Of course, it's probably an opportunity to get the share that we need for our future needs for the incentives program of the company. I have nothing more to say. You can understand whatever you can understand. Quite clear.
Okay, Mr. Arkoulis asks which part of the EBITDA increase is structural and which is cyclical.
This is quite clear where the difference between adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA is. We always stress our adjusted EBITDA because the metal result, which is the part of the effect of the valuation of the metal price, is something that depends on the method of valuation. You can look at the metal result and assume, depending on where metal prices will be in the future, that it will either be zero or be negative or continue to be positive. This is the part that's beyond our control because we do not affect metal prices. Our risk profile is fixed. We do not speculate, we do not gamble, we do not buy low to sell cheap or sell high to buy low. A metal result is the difference from the EBITDA that is cyclical or beyond our control and our operational flexibility.
Okay, moving on to Mr. Athanasakis' question. In the longer term, how much do you think your operating cost would have to grow as a result of the planned significant capacity increase in aluminum?
Well, not significantly, because we are operating it in the same plant, actually. We're not building a new facility which will not require a lot of extra annual things. Evangelos, I don't know if you have to add something to that.
We already said that this is one of the main drivers of the incremental profitability through our new investments. We will not have to increase our fixed costs because we already have the infrastructure, we already have added capacity from our previous investments. We will increase our final capacity, we will increase, of course, our variable cost, but per ton, this is stable. We will not have to increase our fixed costs at the same level, so the incremental profitability will be as a result of this reality that we will not have to increase fixed costs. The allocation of the existing fixed costs will be in much higher volumes.
Okay, we have one last question from Mr. Morfidis. Following the successful capital raise and the strong first half performance, are there any project within your EUR 850 million investment plan that you are now considering accelerating or bringing forward? Also would you consider any organic growth opportunities, or does your capital allocation remain fully focused on executing the current investment plan?
I wouldn't say that we change our plans every two weeks regarding our investments and bringing them forward because, okay, or one month, because we did the presentations and prepared the latest business plan and updated it not more than two months ago. It's not like we'll bring something forward. The main investments will go ahead being that they can go because, of course, they are big investments and they cannot be accelerated. You cannot press a button and have a new cold mill. Unfortunately, it takes time. Regarding inorganic growth opportunities, we're always looking into them. It's not our preference, but we always have our eyes open and may do something, but it's not our number one focus. Our number one focus is organic growth. This does not mean, again, that we are blind and may not take a good opportunity.
We have two people thanking us for our effort, then Mr. Athanasakis and Mr. Morfidis .
We thank you for your interest.
Another one.
Mr. Athanasakis asks, "Can you please remind us what is the level of maintenance CapEx and how will this could be affected after the new investments?
Evangelos?
If we talk about only maintenance because we have some operational CapEx also, if we talk about maintenance, no more than EUR 440 million per year. EUR 40 million-EUR 50 million per year will be the maintenance CapEx that we will have for the next years. If this will be affected by the new investments, not so much because at the beginning, the need for maintenance CapEx is not so high, we don't expect to see a significant increase in maintenance, but we will have our operational CapEx also. You can consider that around EUR 80 million-EUR 90 million per year will be the CapEx excluding any investments.
I think we have no further questions, so we'd like to thank you for your participation in our webcast, and we trust in your long-term belief in our business plan and prospects. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.