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Investing.com -- Shares of Breedon Group PLC (LON:BREE) jumped 13.7% after the company reported its full-year 2024 financial results, which included a revenue increase and a successful acquisition that is expected to significantly boost its U.S. operations.
Breedon’s FY24 revenue reached £1,576m, marking a 6% rise YoY but falling 2% short of the company-compiled consensus. Despite the slight miss on revenue expectations, the company’s underlying operating profit, including joint ventures and associates, was £173.7m, an 11% increase YoY and 2% above the consensus.
This result also surpassed the implicit guidance of £169m. The company’s EBIT margin expanded by 50 basis points to 11%, outperforming the consensus by 43 basis points.
Underlying adjusted EPS was reported at 34.4p, a 1% decrease YoY but still 4% higher than consensus estimates. The dividend per share (DPS) was announced at 14.5p, a 7% increase YoY and 4% above consensus, correlating to a 42% underlying payout ratio.
Breedon also reported a lower net debt of £405.3m, compared to the consensus estimate of £422m, which implies a covenant leverage of 1.4x. However, this leverage is expected to increase to approximately 1.9x following the closure of the Lionmark acquisition.
The acquisition of Lionmark Construction Companies, a Missouri-based firm specializing in construction materials and road surfacing, is poised to more than double Breedon’s U.S. revenues and be immediately accretive to earnings. Lionmark brings with it around 100 million tonnes of reserves and resources.
The transaction, which saw Breedon pay $238m, is expected to be completed by 7th March 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. In FY24, Lionmark had revenues of $246m and EBITDA of $31m, boasting an EBITDA margin of 12.6%.
The strategic move into the U.S. market has been well received by analysts, with RBC commenting, "The strategy that has worked very well in the UK appears to also be working very well in the US."