bioMerieux faces volatility risk ahead of H1 results, RBC maintains hold

Published 14/08/2025, 08:24
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Investing.com -- bioMerieux may face share price volatility around its upcoming half-year results on September 4, as market expectations for guidance upgrades might not materialize, according to RBC analysts.

The bank maintains a Sector Perform rating on the diagnostics company with a price target of €125, noting that while consensus has increased expectations for full-year constant exchange rate (CER) sales growth from 7.4% to 8.4% since April, conditions may not support such upgrades.

RBC forecasts second-quarter sales of €973 million, representing 4% year-over-year growth (7% at CER), and first-half core earnings before interest and taxes (cEBIT) of €341 million with a 16.5% margin, in line with consensus estimates.

Analysts point to recent weakness in the company’s Microbiology and Immunoassay segments, plus challenging comparisons for respiratory products in the fourth quarter as factors that could prevent bioMerieux from raising its current guidance of "at least" 7% CER growth.

Despite these near-term concerns, RBC believes bioMerieux’s mid-term growth drivers remain intact.

The company is well-positioned in key markets with opportunities to gain share in new sub-segments, potentially delivering above-market sales growth and double-digit earnings per share growth over the medium term.

The diagnostics firm also has significant financial capacity for acquisitions, with RBC estimating approximately €3 billion available this year.

Foreign exchange and tariff headwinds are expected to impact margins, with RBC projecting a cumulative FX headwind of about 190 basis points for fiscal years 2024-2025 and a potential tariff headwind of roughly 70 basis points based on updated US-China rates.

After strong year-to-date share price performance (+22% versus double-digit declines among peers), bioMerieux now trades at 13.5x 2026 estimated EV/EBITDA and 26.4x P/E, representing premiums of 10% and 38% respectively to selected in-vitro diagnostics peers.

RBC considers the current valuation fair, justifying a slight premium to its growth-derived multiple versus peers.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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