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Brazil's Gerdau posts 48% fall in fourth quarter revenue on lower steel sales

Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau published on Thursday a 47.9% reduction in its adjusted net revenue for the first quarter from the very same period a year earlier, impacted by lower steel sales amid higher imports in Brazil.

It reported a 1.25 billion reais ($ 244.6 million) adjusted net profit for the three-month period ended in March.

Gerdau, which has most of its organization in Brazil and North America, published a net profits decline of 14.1% year-on-year, as steel sales fell 8.6% in volume, with the business attributing the performance to excessive imports in the Brazilian market.

However, the company welcomed Brazil's

federal government decision

in late April to establish import quotas for 11 steel items and to enforce higher taxes on them when those volumes are surpassed, dubbing the move a crucial progress in the business defense of the national steel market.

Gerdau said the measure would incorporate about 25% of the volume it sells in Brazil.

It posted adjusted profits before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 2.81 billion reais, down 34.9% from a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA margin declined 5.5 portion indicate 17.4%.