(Reuters) - Aurubis further trimmed its annual earnings forecast after counting damages in connection with suspected metal theft, Europe's largest copper producer said on Tuesday.
It now expects annual earnings before taxes (EBT) to be in the range of 310-350 million euros ($331-$374 million), down from the previously anticipated 450-550 million euros.
Earlier this month, Aurubis said it suspected a criminal gang had stolen some of its metal. This sent its shares close to a 10-month low and wiped 500 million euros off its market value.
After concluding its metal stocks inventory, Aurubis identified damage amounting to 185 million euros.
"The multimetal provider expects to claim insurance payouts amounting to around 30 million euros and seize assets from the criminals involved, which could partially compensate for the negative effect on earnings," the company said in a statement.
The firm also downgraded its guidance for return on capital employed (ROCE) to 8-12% from previously 14-18%.
Shares in Aurubis jumped 4% following the announcement.
($1 = 0.9339 euros)