Lahore: Century Paper & Board Mills Limited has reported its financial results for the quarter ending September 30, 2026, revealing a challenging period marked by a decline in net turnover and increased finance costs. The company’s net turnover for the quarter fell to 9.72 billion rupees from 10.64 billion rupees in the same period last year, representing a decrease of 8.66%, classified as a very large or significant move.

The cost of sales for the quarter decreased to 9.07 billion rupees from 10.06 billion rupees in the previous year, resulting in a gross profit of 647.55 million rupees, which is higher compared to the 579.46 million rupees recorded in the same quarter of the prior year.

General and administrative expenses remained relatively stable at 288.29 million rupees, compared to 287.16 million rupees in the previous year. Selling expenses rose marginally to 28.65 million rupees, while distribution expenses saw a notable increase to 44.03 million rupees from last year’s 34.04 million rupees.

Other operating charges, including contributions to the Workers' Profit Participation Fund, Workers' Welfare Fund, and other expenses, totaled 15.31 million rupees, slightly up from 10.30 million rupees the previous year. Other income for the quarter stood at 73.65 million rupees, down from 86.63 million rupees in the prior year.

The company’s operating profit improved to 344.91 million rupees from 307.43 million rupees in the same period last year. However, finance costs surged to 407.66 million rupees from 283.00 million rupees, significantly impacting the bottom line. According to information available from the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company's loss before income tax and levy was 62.75 million rupees, in stark contrast to a profit of 24.44 million rupees in the same period of the previous year.

The levy for the minimum tax differential stood at 122.10 million rupees, bringing the loss before income tax to 184.85 million rupees, compared to a loss of 102.06 million rupees in the previous year. No current or deferred taxation was reported for the period.

The loss for the quarter was recorded at 184.85 million rupees, compared to a profit of 13.30 million rupees in the same quarter last year. Consequently, the loss per share was reported at 0.46 rupees, compared to earnings per share of 0.03 rupees in the previous year.