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Investing.com -- Traton SE (ETR:8TRA), a unit of Volkswagen (ETR:VOWG_p) Group on Monday reported a 42% drop in adjusted operating profit and a 10% decline in revenue for the first quarter of 2025, largely driven by weaker vehicle sales across key markets.
Despite the lower results, the company saw strong order growth, which contributed to a more positive outlook and helped drive a 5% rise in its stock price.
Revenue for Q1 totaled €10.6 billion, down from €11.8 billion in the same quarter last year. Adjusted operating result fell to €646 million from €1.1 billion a year earlier, with earnings per share dropping to €0.93 from €1.50.
Unit sales declined 10% to 73,090 vehicles, with a 16% decrease in truck deliveries to 57,566 units.
Bus sales rose sharply by 66%, reaching 8,328 units, while sales of MAN TGE vans fell slightly by 2% to 7,196 units.
The company also reported a slight increase in battery-electric vehicle sales, which made up 0.9% of total vehicle sales, up from 0.4% in the previous year.
Despite the decline in sales, Jefferies highlighted that order growth remained strong, with total orders up 56% to 29,300 units, including a 57% increase in German orders. The firm noted that the book-to-bill ratio was greater than 1 for the first time since Q3 2022, signaling robust future demand.
As per Palfinger (VIE:PALF), as cited by Jefferies, “sentiment of our customers, especially from Germany, was extremely positive,” further supporting the positive outlook in the market.
The analysts noted that while concerns remain over the potential spillover effects of U.S. tariffs on the European market, the strength of customer sentiment and the fiscal environment provide a solid foundation for future growth.
Gross profit for Q1 fell 15% year-over-year, primarily due to lower vehicle volumes and reduced capacity utilization, particularly in heavy trucks.
The company’s net cash flow stood at negative €253 million, compared to negative €240 million in the same quarter last year.
However, Traton maintained a strong outlook for the full year, reaffirming its 2025 guidance. It forecasts sales to range between a 5% decline and a 5% increase, with adjusted operating return on sales expected to be between 7.5% and 8.5%.
This guidance implies EBIT of €3.4 billion to €4.2 billion, with the midpoint aligning with consensus estimates.
On the financial front, Traton reported a slight increase in net financial debt, which stood at €21.8 billion, up from €21.5 billion at the end of 2024.
The company issued €1.8 billion in bonds under its expanded €18 billion EMTN program but also made repayments totaling €2.1 billion.
Traton’s net industrial cash position was reported as negative €5.185 billion, an improvement from the negative €5.481 billion in Q1 2024.
Jefferies emphasized that despite weaker-than-expected Q1 earnings, the strength in orders and customer sentiment bodes well for the company’s future performance.
The brokerage noted that Traton’s reaffirmed guidance for 2025 suggests confidence in achieving solid results, with particular emphasis on strong order intake and sustained demand, particularly in defense and fiscal sectors.
Traton remains cautiously optimistic, recognizing geopolitical risks, especially U.S. tariffs. Nevertheless, the company is confident that robust fiscal and defense policies, particularly in Germany, will sustain customer demand.