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Investing.com -- Whitbread (LON:WTB) shares rose more than 4% Thursday after the Premier Inn owner reported broadly in-line annual results and announced a larger-than-expected £250 million share buyback, helping to offset concerns over muted room growth and rising capital spending.
The company posted pretax profit of £483 million for the year ended February, down 14% from a year earlier and slightly below the Bloomberg consensus of £489 million.
Revenue totaled £2.92 billion, roughly matching expectations. Operating profit reached £652 million, ahead of Barclays’ £629 million estimate, while earnings per share declined 6% to 195 pence.
Free cash flow was £123 million, well above analyst projections. Net debt, excluding leases, rose to £483 million. The total dividend was unchanged at 97 pence, falling short of the 98 pence forecast.
UK sales dropped 3% to £2.69 billion, with flat accommodation revenue and an 11% decline in food and beverage sales due to continued site exits tied to the Accelerating Growth Plan.
Fourth-quarter RevPAR fell 1.4% from a year earlier, slightly ahead of forecasts, with Premier Inn outperforming the midscale and economy segment by 20 basis points.
For the first seven weeks of the new fiscal year, RevPAR declined 1.3%, outperforming internal market benchmarks by about two percentage points.
In Germany, constant-currency sales rose 28% in the fourth quarter, and RevPAR increased 21%. The established hotel cohort saw a 24% gain.
The full-year German pretax loss narrowed to £11 million, in line with expectations. A small profit of £5 million to £10 million is forecast this year.
Net UK room openings totaled 541, well below Barclays’ projection of 1,000. The company expects to add 1,000 to 1,200 rooms in the UK and 400 in Germany this year, at the lower end of previous targets.
Operating costs fell 2% during the year. Cost inflation is expected to remain at the low end of the company’s 2-3% range, aided by £60 million in planned efficiencies and a reversal of one-time costs linked to the growth plan.
Capital spending totaled £488 million, under budget. Whitbread now expects gross capex to rise to £700 million to £750 million, including £100 million to £150 million in AGP-related investment.
It aims to offset this with £250 million to £300 million in property disposals, including sale-and-leasebacks.
Disposal proceeds last year came in at £137 million, below target, though the company said sales completed after year-end will lift proceeds in the current year.
A property revaluation is underway, the first since 2019, with analysts suggesting Whitbread’s asset base remains undervalued relative to its share price.
The company reiterated its long-term goals of £300 million in annual pretax profit and £2 billion in cash returns by 2030.