March 10, 2022: South Africa-based lead and lithium batteries group Metair said on February 22 that it expects to report an increase in earnings per share (EPS), when full-year results are posted later this month.

Metair said in a Johannesburg Stock Exchange trading statement it is in the process of finalizing its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The company, whose battery businesses include Romania-based Rombat and Turkey-based Mutlu Akü, said it expects to report EPS of between ZAR 3.45 ($0.22) and ZAR 3.55, compared to EPS of ZAR 0.91 for the prior comparative period.

One of Metair’s newest shareholders, Truffle Asset Management, claimed on February 21 that the company was preparing to sell of its battery businesses.

However, a Metair spokesperson told Batteries International the company did not expect to comment on Truffle’s claims ahead of the release of its annual results.