Novo Nordisk A/S – Annual report – 31 December 2021
Industry: pharmaceuticals
Non-IFRS financial measures
(part of Management’s review – not audited)
In the Annual Report, Novo Nordisk discloses certain financial measures of the Group’s financial performance, financial position and cash flows that reflect adjustments to the most directly comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS. These non-IFRS financial measures may not be defined and calculated by other companies in the same manner, and may therefore not be comparable.
The non-IFRS financial measures presented in the Annual Report are:
– sales and operating profit in constant exchange rates
– operating profit after tax to net operating assets (OPAT/NOA)
– financial reserves
– free cash flow
– cash to earnings
IFRS refers to an IFRS financial measure.
Sales and operating profit growth in constant exchange rates
‘Growth in constant exchange rates’ means that the effect of changes in exchange rates is excluded. It is defined as sales/operating profit for the period measured at the average exchange rates for the same period of the prior year compared with net sales/operating profit for the same period of the prior year. Price adjustments within hyperinflation countries as defined in IAS 29 ‘Financial reporting in hyperinflation economies’ are excluded from the calculation to avoid growth in constant exchange rates being artificially inflated. Growth in constant exchange rates is considered to be relevant information for investors in order to understand the underlying development in sales and operating profit by adjusting for the impact of currency fluctuations.
Operating profit after tax to net operating assets (OPAT/NOA)
‘Operating profit after tax to net operating assets’ is defined as ‘operating profit after tax’ (using the effective tax rate) as a percentage of average inventories, receivables, property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and deferred tax assets, less non-interest-bearing liabilities including provisions and deferred tax liabilities (where the average is the sum of the above assets and liabilities at the beginning of the year and at year-end divided by two).
Management believes operating profit after tax to net operating assets is a useful measure in providing investors and Management with information regarding the Group’s performance. The calculation of this financial target is a widely accepted measure of earnings efficiency in relation to total capital employed.
Solely for the purpose of calculating average net operating assets for 2019, year-end net operating assets for 2018 have been adjusted upwards by DKK 3,778 million to DKK 40,541 million, reflecting the recognition by Novo Nordisk of right-of-use assets of DKK 3,778 million as of 1 January 2019 in accordance with IFRS 16. The following table shows the reconciliation of operating profit after tax to net operating assets with operating profit/equity in %, the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure:
1. Average net operating assets for 2019 was calculated based on an adjusted net operating assets figure for 2018, which was adjusted by the right-of-use assets of DKK 3,778 million as of 1 January 2019, following the implementation of IFRS 16. As a consequence, the net operating assets figure for 2018 was adjusted to DKK 40,541 million for the calculation of the average net operating assets for 2019.
Financial reserves
‘Financial reserves at the end of the year’ is defined as the sum of cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year, marketable securities with original term to maturity exceeding three months and undrawn committed credit and loan facilities with a maturity of more than 12 months, less loans and bank overdrafts classified as liabilities arising from financing activities with obliged repayment within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Management believes that financial reserves at the end of the year are an important measure of the Group’s financial strength from an investor’s perspective, capturing the robustness of the Group’s financial position and its financial preparedness for unforeseen developments.
The following table reconciles total financial reserves with cash and cash equivalents, the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure:
1. Financial reserves for 2020 include amounts undrawn under credit facilities and overdrafts where the repayment of such facilities or overdrafts is not contractually required within 12 months of the balance sheet date. Financial reserves for 2020 include the DKK 5,577 million (EUR 750 million) undrawn portion of a bridge facility as the terms of the facility provided that the maturity could be extended, at the option of Novo Nordisk, through June 2022. In accordance with IFRS, the DKK 5,577 million (EUR 750 million) drawn portion of the bridge facility has nevertheless been classified as current debt as it was Management’s expectation that the facility would be repaid in 2021. The loan was repaid in 2021.
Free cash flow
Free cash flow is a measure of the amount of cash generated in the period which is available for the Board to allocate between Novo Nordisk’s capital providers, through measures such as dividends, share repurchases and repayment of debt (excluding lease liability repayments) or for retaining in the business to fund future growth.
The following table shows a reconciliation of free cash flow with net cash generated from operating activities, the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure:
Cash to earnings
Cash to earnings is defined as ‘free cash flow as a percentage of net profit’.
Management believes that cash to earnings is an important performance metric because it measures the Group’s ability to turn earnings into cash. Since Management wants this measure to capture the ability of the Group’s operations to generate cash, free cash flow is used as the numerator instead of net cash flow.
The following table shows the reconciliation of cash to earnings to cash flow from operating activities/net profit in %, the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure:
.
Accounts examples 