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Tuesday, Rockwool International A/S (ROCKB:DC) (OTC:RKWBF), a leading manufacturer of stone wool insulation, received an Outperform rating from Bernstein SocGen Group, along with a price target of DKK 360.00. Bernstein’s initiation of coverage comes with a positive outlook on the company’s financial performance, particularly in regard to its EBIT margin and growth potential.
In recent years, Rockwool has shown resilience in its financial outcomes, surpassing its own EBIT margin guidance. Despite a profit warning in February 2023, where the company anticipated an EBIT margin of 8-10%, it achieved a much higher margin of 14.3% by year-end. The following year, Rockwool initially set its EBIT margin guidance at 13% but reported an impressive 17.6% for the full year 2024.
Looking forward, Bernstein analysts have expressed confidence that Rockwool will not only meet but potentially exceed its EBIT margin targets. For fiscal year 2025, management has guided towards a 16% EBIT margin, with Bernstein analysts expecting the company to reach the upper end of this projection. Over the medium term, despite management’s guidance of 13-16% EBIT margin, Bernstein predicts that Rockwool will surpass these figures significantly.
The analysts’ optimism is partly based on the stabilization of costs and the realization of cost synergies. Rockwool has navigated through a period of high raw material and energy costs due to the energy crisis and commodity inflation. These costs are now declining and are expected to continue to do so, which should contribute to further margin expansion. Bernstein forecasts that Rockwool will approach the 16% EBIT margin in FY25 and potentially increase its margin to approximately 17% by 2028.
The positive price-cost spread anticipated for FY25 and beyond is another factor underpinning Bernstein’s favorable rating. The firm’s analysis suggests that the current guidance of low single-digit top-line growth and a 16% EBIT margin may be conservative given the expected positive developments in cost management and market conditions.
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