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Investing.com -- B&M European Value Retail S.A. (LON:BMEB) shares fell more than 5% Wednesday after the company reported full-year earnings that were broadly in line with expectations but showed weak like-for-like sales, underperformance at Heron Foods, and offered no update on current trading.
For the fiscal year ended March 30, B&M reported group sales of £5.6 billion, consistent with Visible Alpha consensus.
Adjusted EBITDA reached £620 million, slightly above consensus expectations of £616 million and at the upper end of the £605 million to £625 million guidance range issued in April.
Adjusted profit before tax was £469 million, matching consensus estimates. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were 34.5 pence, in line with forecasts.
The company declared a full-year ordinary dividend of 15 pence per share, slightly above the 14.9 pence consensus.
B&M UK, the company’s largest division, reported sales of £4.5 billion, in line with expectations.
Like-for-like sales declined 3.1% year-over-year, compared with a consensus estimate of a 3% decline.
Adjusted EBITDA for the segment was £545 million, ahead of consensus at £538 million. Gross margin improved by 42 basis points, attributed to increased contribution from general merchandise and effective sell-through strategies.
Heron Foods posted sales of £546 million, below the £555 million consensus, and adjusted EBITDA of £30 million, short of the £34 million estimate. B&M France recorded sales of £542 million, missing the £551 million consensus.
Like-for-like sales in France rose 2.6% year-over-year, ahead of the 2.1% forecast, while adjusted EBITDA of £48 million matched expectations.
The company opened 45 gross new B&M UK stores during the fiscal year, along with 14 at Heron Foods and 11 in France. Management said its store pipeline is well established for fiscal year 2026.
Net debt, excluding leases, stood at £781 million at year-end, below consensus expectations of £818 million.
The company cited a working capital build at the end of the year ahead of Easter, which occurred in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.
For the current fiscal year, B&M maintained that sector-wide challenges, including higher minimum wage costs, increased employer national insurance contributions, other tax changes, and input cost inflation, will impact operations.
The company said these factors, along with planned mitigation efforts such as productivity improvements and sales volume growth, are reflected in the current range of analyst consensus forecasts.
Consensus for group adjusted EBITDA in fiscal year 2026 is £621 million, with a range of £569 million to £646 million. Jefferies has an estimate of £627 million.
RBC Capital Markets analysts stated that the warmer weather early in the first quarter should support like-for-like sales, but B&M did not provide a formal update on current trading.
Jefferies analysts noted the absence of this update could be a source of disappointment, despite a solid fiscal 2025 profit in the context of like-for-like headwinds. New chief executive Tjeerd Jegen is set to join on June 16.