/IRBIS, Galina Tsalyuk, April 20, 05/ - Kant JSC (Taraz), whose shares are circulating in the official "A" listing category of Kazakhstan stock exchange Inc. (KASE), provided KASE with non-audited financial statement for year 2004.

Following indicators are result of the issuer's financial and economic activity in 2004, based upon issuer's data (th. KZT, unless otherwise specified):

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               As of      As of  Change,
Indicator                                  Jan 1, 03  Jan 1, 04        %
-----------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  -------
Authorized capital (paid minus withdrawn)    681,248    687,065     +0.9
Shareholders' equity                       1,983,129  2,228,934    +12.4
Total assets                               3,266,760  5,975,510    +82.9
Net working capital                          890,895  1,042,719    +17.0
Accounts receivable                        1,343,837    872,435    -35.1
Liabilities, total                         1,283,631  3,746,576   +191.9
Borrowed loans                               816,855  1,999,845   +144.8
Accounts payable                             424,385  1,746,732   +311.6
Sales volume                               7,291,566  8,797,197    +20.6
Cost goods sold                            6,501,323  8,252,084    +26.9
Net income                                   485,847    237,203    -51.2
-----------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  -------
Calculated by issuer's data:
-----------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  -------
Return on sales (ROS), %                       10.84       6.20    -42.8
Return on equity (ROE), %                      24.50      10.64    -56.6
Return on assets (ROA), %                      14.87       3.97    -73.3
Earnings per 1 share (EPS), KZT*               71.38      34.54    -51.6
Price earning ratio (P/E)                       5.03          -        -
Book value of one share, KZT                  291.10     324.41    +11.4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* - for year 2004 calculated taking into account dividends on privileged
shares in the amount, which is paid within the last seven years.

Relative to 2003 there is growth of:

• shareholders' equity - by KZT245.8 m. as the result of growth of total amount of undistributed income by 337.9 m. and authorized capital - by 5.8 m., whereas additional unpaid capital fell by 97.7 m. and reserve capital - by 244.0 th.;
• assets - by KZT2.7 bn., due to growth of funds by 2.2 bn., inventory - by 914.9 m. and other assets - by 94.3 m. that was partially compensated by falling of accounts receivable by 471.4 m.;
• liabilities - by KZT2.5 bn., including: borrowed loans - by 1.2 bn. and accounts payable - by 1.3 bn.;
• sales volume - by KZT1.5 bn.;
• cost of goods sold - by KZT1.7 bn.

Net income, which Kant JSC earned in 2004, is less than its net income earned in 2003 by KZT248.6 m.

Company's primary activities - production and sale of goods, carrying out of works and rendering services for enterprises, organizations and citizens.

[2005-04-20]