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Investing.com -- Continental AG O.N. (ETR:CONG) shares plunged close to 9% in European trading Tuesday after the German auto supplier’s guidance missed average analyst expectations.
For Q4 2024, Continental reported fourth-quarter sales of €10.1 billion, slightly below the €10.3 billion consensus estimate, while operating profit of €920 million came in 1% above expectations. Performance across its key segments—Automotive, Tire, and ContiTech—fell short of consensus, declining by 2%, 2%, and 4%, respectively.
The company’s operating cash flow for Q4 2024 totaled €2.35 billion, down from €2.54 billion in the same quarter last year. Adjusted free cash flow also declined to €1.53 billion from €1.75 billion in Q4 2023.
For full-year 2024, Continental’s cost-cutting efforts helped boost margins, with adjusted earnings rising 6.6% to €2.7 billion ($2.83 billion), even as sales declined 4% to €39.7 billion, in line with analyst expectations.
"Our cost and efficiency measures are proving effective. This is all the more important because we again do not expect any tailwinds from the market this year,” CFO Olaf Schick said.
Continental is undergoing a major restructuring, which includes plant closures in Germany and thousands of job cuts. The German auto supplier plans to outline new short- and mid-term targets during its capital markets day later this year.
For 2025, Continental expects revenue between €38 billion and €41 billion, a 3% miss at the midpoint, and an adjusted earnings margin of 6.5% to 7.5%, a 4% miss to consensus.
Jefferies analysts said the company’s commentary suggests "that guidance does not take significant changes in tariffs into account, which adds a layer of uncertainty about the guide."