Street Calls of the Week
Investing.com -- Mobico Group Plc (LON:MCG) shares tumbled more than 22% on Tuesday after the transport operator reported a first-half adjusted operating profit below expectations and a widened statutory loss, though it reiterated its full-year guidance.
The company said adjusted operating profit dropped 12.7% to £59.9 million in the first half of 2025, compared with a limited Visible Alpha consensus of £64.4 million.
On a constant currency basis, the decline was 4.8%. Adjusted profit before tax fell to £19.8 million from £28.8 million a year earlier.
Mobico posted a statutory loss of £257.4 million, deeper than the £37.6 million loss recorded in the first half of 2024.
The result included £275 million in adjusting items, driven largely by a £238 million non-cash impairment tied to the North America School Bus division.
The company said it expects this to be partly offset by a £100 million non-cash release of foreign exchange reserves linked to the disposal of that unit.
Segment performance was mixed. ALSA reported adjusted EBIT of £82 million, down 0.6%. WeDriveU recorded adjusted EBIT of £2.6 million, an 80% drop attributed to temporary operational challenges in two contracts.
The U.K. and Germany businesses posted a combined operating loss of £9.1 million, narrowing from a £11.9 million loss a year earlier, with U.K. bus operations continuing to weigh on results.
To address profitability, Mobico has implemented an 8.6% price change effective June 16 and completed a 2% network reduction.
It also plans to fold its U.K. coach operations into ALSA to create a pan-European coach unit.
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets noted, “This will require an 2H weighted FY25 to deliver on adjusted operating profit guidance, and we think there could be consensus earnings downgrades within Mobico’s guided range.”
On the balance sheet, covenant gearing rose to 3x in the first half, ahead of receiving proceeds from the disposal of the School Bus unit.
The company expects gearing to decline to 2.5x by year-end, in line with earlier guidance.
Adjusted net debt increased to £1.29 billion from £1.20 billion at the end of 2024, while provisions were £276 million, slightly lower than £288 million at year-end 2024.
Mobico reaffirmed its forecast for adjusted operating profit from continuing operations in 2025 to be between £180 million and £195 million.
RBC maintained its “sector perform” rating on the stock with a 35p price target, writing that other companies in the sector trade at larger discounts to long-term valuation multiples.