Welcome to Industries. Hello, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Industries Qatar conference call. Please note that this call is being recorded. Please be advised that there will be no question and answer during today's event. I will now turn the call over to Bobby Sarkar, Head of Research of QNB Financial Services. Please go ahead. Okay. Thank you. Hi. Hello, everyone. This is Bobby Sarkar, Head of Research at QNB Financial Services. I wanted to welcome everyone to Industries Qatar's Third Quarter and Nine Months 2026 Results Finance Conference Call. On this call from QatarEnergy's Privatized Companies Affairs Group, we have Abdulla Al-Hay, who is the Manager for Privatized Companies Affairs. We have Saoud Abdulghani, who is the Head of IR and Communications, and we have Ahmed Zakri, who is the Assistant Manager, Financial Operations. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Saoud. Saoud, please go ahead. Thank you, Bobby. Good afternoon, and thank you all for joining us today. Before we go into the business and performance update, I would like to mention that this call is purely for IQ investor, and no media representative should be attending this call. Additionally, please note that this call is subject to Industries Qatar disclaimer statement as detailed on slide number 2 of the IR presentation. Kindly note that the Microsoft Teams link provided will display the investor relation presentation as we present the results. Moving on to the call, on Wednesday, 28th October 2026, Industries Qatar published its results for the nine-month period ended 30th September 2026. During today's call, we will go through these results and discuss the key financial and operational highlights. Today's speaker, we have Ahmed Zakri, Assistant Manager, Financial Operation, and myself, Saoud Abdulghani, Head of Investor Relation and Communication. We will structure this call as follow. First, I will provide a brief overview of IQ ownership structure, competitive strength, and overall governance structure. Secondly, Ahmed will provide an overview of the group financial and operational performance and update on the performance of each operating segment. To begin with, as detailed in the presentation, QatarEnergy holds 51% stake in IQ, while the remaining 49% is free float on Qatar Stock Exchange, held by a range of domestic and international institution, corporates, and individuals. Industries Qatar is the second-largest company in the Qatar Stock Exchange by market capitalization. The group maintains a strong credit profile and is currently rated AA- with a stable outlook by S&P Global Ratings, and A3 with a stable outlook by Moody's, reflecting IQ's strong business and financial fundamentals. QatarEnergy, as IQ's main shareholder, provides most of the head office function through a service level agreement, while the operations of IQ group companies are independently managed by their respective board of directors and senior management team. In terms of competitive advantages, as detailed in the IR presentation, the group benefits from several key strengths, including an efficient and well-maintained asset base, a highly skilled and experienced workforce, reliable access to feedstock and competitively priced energy source, and a low-cost operating structure. The group also benefits from a dedicated marketing capability through QatarEnergy Marketing for its petrochemical and fertilizer products, as well as strong and well-established joint venture partnership. In addition, the group is supported by an experienced senior management team with a proven track record of delivering value. The IR presentation also provides additional details on IQ's governance structure, including various aspects of the group's corporate governance framework. I will now hand over to Ahmed. Thank you, Saud. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. I will begin with an overview of the group's operational and financial performance for the period. Starting with operations. As previously announced, the group implemented production reductions and temporary stoppages across certain product lines during the reporting period. As a result, overall production volumes were lower compared to the corresponding period last year, and also on a quarterly basis. Utilization rates and average reliability were also lower, primarily reflecting an increase in planned and unplanned shutdowns associated with these production adjustments since the onset of the regional conflict. Despite these challenges, the underlying integrity and condition of our assets remain strong, reflecting the resilience of our facilities and our continued commitment to operational excellence. At the same time, health, safety, and environment remained our highest priority, with a continued focus on maintaining safe, reliable, and environmentally responsible operations across all facilities. Turning to financial performance, the group reported a net loss of QAR 809 million for the nine-month period ended 30th September 2026, representing a decrease of 124% compared to the same period in 2025. Revenue for the period amounted to QAR 8.1 billion, while EBITDA reached QAR 1.1 billion, resulting in an EBITDA margin of 13%, compared to 36% in the corresponding period last year. The decline in profitability was primarily driven by lower revenue, resulting from reduced sales volumes, as well as lower other income, which reflected lower investment income and one-off accounting adjustments, mainly related to the change of control in QAFAC. While higher average selling prices and lower variable operating costs provided some support, they were not sufficient to offset the impact of lower sales volumes. Looking at the key drivers of performance, average selling prices increased by 24% year-on-year, supported by favorable market fundamentals and supply-side challenges. Sales volumes declined by 53% compared to the nine-month period in 2025, mainly reflecting lower production levels and logistical disruptions arising from the regional conflict. On the cost side, operating costs decreased, largely driven by lower sales volumes and the corresponding reduction in variable input costs. Moving to quarterly performance, the group reported a larger net loss in the third quarter compared to the second quarter of 2026, despite higher total revenues. Revenues increased on the back of a 59% rise in sales volumes, partially offset by a 20% decrease in average selling prices. However, margins came under pressure from higher input costs, lower selling prices, and changes in the product sales mix. The quarter was also impacted by lower other income, mainly due to one-off accounting adjustments following the change of control in QAFAC during the third quarter of 2026, which resulted in QAFAC becoming an associate of IQ. Despite the challenging operating environment, the group continues to maintain a strong financial position, supported by robust liquidity, including cash and bank balances of QAR 8.3 billion, with strong cash generation capabilities and a debt-free balance sheet with no long-term financial borrowings. During the period, the group distributed dividends relating to the second half of 2025 while continuing to execute its CapEx program. CapEx spending was focused on investment projects, planned turnarounds, initiatives to enhance asset reliability, and projects aimed at further strengthening health, safety, and environment performance. The group also continued to generate positive operating cash flows, which allowed it to fund its ongoing capital investments while maintaining positive free cash flow during the period. Turning now to segmental performance, I will begin with the petrochemical segment. The petrochemical segment reported a net loss of QAR 545 million during the nine-month period of 2026, representing a significant decline compared to the corresponding period last year. The decrease in profitability was primarily driven by lower revenue and weaker gross margins. Revenue declined as a result of lower sales volumes, reflecting reduced production levels together with shipping and logistics challenges experienced during the period. From a market perspective, product prices increased significantly during March 2026, supported by supply-side disruptions and higher supply costs, and reached a peak in the month of April 2026 before easing through May 2026 as supply conditions improved. Despite this moderation, average product prices through the nine months of 2026 remained above those recorded in the nine-month period of 2025. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the segment's net loss increased by 25% to QAR 305 million in the third quarter of 2026, primarily due to lower average selling prices. Sales volumes remained relatively stable, but well below business-as-usual levels due to ongoing supply chain and logistics disruptions. Moving on to the fertilizer segment. This segment reported a net loss of QAR 692 million for the nine-month period in 2026, compared to a QAR 2.1 billion profit in the corresponding period of last year. The decline in profitability was primarily driven by lower sales volumes and reduced revenue during the period, reflecting reduced production levels and shipping and logistics disruptions. Operating costs also decreased, mainly due to lower production levels and the corresponding reduction in input costs. Average selling prices increased year-on-year, supported by solid demand from key agricultural markets, global supply limitations, and export restrictions. However, this positive pricing environment was insufficient to offset volume-related impact on revenue. Compared with the previous quarter, the segment's net loss increased by 18% to QAR 643 million in the third quarter of 2026, primarily due to lower operating margins amid lower weighted average selling prices, which dropped by 51%. The decline in average selling prices reflected changes in the sales mix of products sold, and its impact was partially offset by improved sales volumes, with revenue increasing by 87%. Moving on to the steel segment. The segment reported a net profit of QAR 493 million for the nine-month period of 2026, representing an increase of 43% compared to the corresponding period of last year. The improvement was primarily driven by stronger gross margins, supported by higher average selling prices and lower operating costs, despite lower sales volumes. Selling prices benefited from improving regional market fundamentals, tighter supply conditions, and a gradual recovery in demand across key end markets. Compared to the previous quarter, the segment's net profit decreased by 26% despite higher revenue. Sales volumes increased, but higher operating costs more than offset the revenue growth, resulting in compressed margins. With that, I will now hand the call back to Saud for closing remarks. Thank you, Ahmed. With that conclude our call, we'd like to thank our investors for their continued trust and support, and we look forward to speaking with you again during the next earning call. Thank you, everyone. That concludes our call for today. You may now disconnect. Have a nice day.
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