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Investing.com -- Sulzer (SIX:SUN) shares rose more than 7% on Thursday after the Swiss industrial firm posted better-than-expected first-half results and reaffirmed its full-year outlook, even as second-quarter orders fell due to deferred projects in Chemtech and softness in energy-related capital expenditure.
Group sales for the first half of 2025 came in at CHF1.74 billion, up 3% year-on-year and 7% in local currency, missing the consensus estimate of CHF1.78 billion by 2%.
EBITDA rose 10% to CHF251 million, slightly above the CHF248 million consensus, with the margin improving to 14.4% from 13.5% a year earlier.
The improvement was supported by operational efficiencies and a rising share of Services in the sales mix.
Segment-wise, the Services division posted CHF657 million in revenue, up 11% year-on-year and 15% in local currency.
Flow sales rose 6% to CHF757 million, or 10% in organic local currency terms, aided by demand in the water end-markets.Chemtech revenue dropped 17% to CHF330 million, reflecting weaker equipment spending.
Second-quarter order intake fell 11% to CHF941 million, or 4% lower in organic local currency terms.
Flow orders declined 15% on a reported basis but were up 8% when adjusted for the prior year’s strong baseline.
Services orders rose 7%, while Chemtech orders fell 28%, with Jefferies attributing the decline to project postponements into the second half. No cancellations were reported.
Sulzer’s backlog stood at CHF2.327 billion, broadly unchanged in local currency from the previous quarter and slightly higher than the CHF2.3 billion recorded at the end of 2024. The gross margin on the backlog improved to 36.3% from 35%.
Earnings per share rose 10% to CHF3.77. Operating cash flow fell 19% to CHF79.7 million, while free cash flow dropped 17% to CHF39.1 million.
Sulzer reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Market consensus points to 5% sales growth and a 15.7% EBITDA margin in the second half, which Jefferies said appears achievable given the order backlog and visibility on deferred projects.