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Investing.com -- Lifco on Friday reported a 20.4% increase in profit before tax for the first quarter of 2025, boosted by higher organic sales and contributions from new acquisitions, sending shares up over 3%.
Profit before tax rose to SEK 1.13 billion from SEK 941 million a year earlier. Net sales climbed 15.4% to SEK 6.93 billion, up from SEK 6,006 million, with organic growth contributing 8.1% and acquisitions adding 7.5%. Currency effects had a minor negative impact of 0.1%.
EBITA grew 17% to SEK 1,495 million from SEK 1,278 million. The EBITA margin improved to 21.6%, compared with 21.3% a year earlier. Net profit increased to SEK 844 million from SEK 701 million, also up 20.4%. Earnings per share rose 21.1% to SEK 1.84 from SEK 1.52.
Cash flow from operating activities amounted to SEK 772 million, up from SEK 754 million. During the quarter, Lifco completed two acquisitions, namely, Arnold Deppeler, a Swiss manufacturer of dental instruments, and Heavy Duty Parts, a U.K.-based coach parts supplier. The combined annual net sales of the two businesses is about SEK 200 million.
In the Dental segment, net sales rose 4.9% to SEK 1,645 million. EBITA increased 3.7% to SEK 339 million, while the EBITA margin narrowed slightly to 20.6% from 20.9%.
The Demolition & Tools business area posted a 10% rise in net sales to SEK 1,639 million. EBITA jumped 36.5% to SEK 416 million, with the EBITA margin improving to 25.4% from 20.5%, driven by organic earnings growth.
Systems Solutions recorded a 23.8% increase in net sales to SEK 3,648 million. EBITA rose 14.6% to SEK 789 million, while the EBITA margin fell to 21.6% from 23.4%.
The margin decline was attributed to the product mix and lower profitability in Environmental Technology and Transportation Products.
Interest-bearing net debt decreased by SEK 550 million during the quarter to SEK 7,201 million. Total (EPA:TTEF) net debt was SEK 10,939 million at the end of March, down SEK 654 million from December.
Net debt in relation to EBITDA stood at 1.6 times, while interest-bearing net debt in relation to EBITDA was 1.1 times, within the company’s target range.
The net debt/equity ratio remained unchanged at 0.6. Lifco’s climate targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative after the quarter ended.
The company aims to cut Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030 and to ensure that 10% of its customer base, by revenue, has science-based climate goals by 2029.