Quarter                       January-June Full year
     MSEK      2-09     1-09     2-08              2009     2008     2008
 Net                                          
 turnover     4 496    4 529    4 826             9 025    9 700   19 334
 Operating                                    
 profit*        372      415      257               787      704    1 051
 Profit                                       
 after tax      256      245      124               501      395      642
 Earnings                                     
 per
 share,
 SEK            3.0      2.9      1.5               6.0      4.7      7.6
 Return on                                    
 equity, %      6.6      6.4      3.0               6.5      4.7      3.9

 
* The operating profit for full year 2008 includes items affecting comparability of cost SEK 361 million, of which cost SEK 63 million in January-June 2008.
  • The Group's net turnover for January-June 2009 amounted to SEK 9 025 million (January-June 2008: 9 700 million).
  • Profit after tax was SEK 501 million (395).
  • Earnings per share amounted to SEK 6.0 (4.7). The return on equity was 6.5 per cent (4.7).
  • Operating profit reached SEK 787 million (704). Increases in prices of newsprint and paperboard had a favourable effect on the result, whereas weak demand led to extensive production curtailments.

    In the second quarter operating profit amounted to SEK 372 million, which was SEK 43 million lower than during the first quarter 2009. The decrease is primarily due to seasonally lower results for Holmen Energi.
  • The market for the Group's products remained weak. In Europe, demand for newsprint was 15 per cent lower and for virgin fibre board it was 13 per cent lower in the first half of 2009 than during the corresponding period in 2008.

For further information please contact:

Magnus Hall, president and CEO, tel. +46 8 666 21 05

Anders Almgren, CFO, tel. +46 8 666 21 16

Ingela Carlsson, Public Relations Director, tel. +46 8 666 21 15