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Investing.com -- Shares of GN Store Nord edged up 1% despite the company’s cautious outlook for fiscal year 2025, which may have set investor expectations lower than consensus estimates.
The Danish manufacturer, known for its audio solutions, predicted an organic sales growth (OSG) excluding its Consumer wind-down to be between 3-7%, which translates into a -1% to 4% OSG including the Consumer wind-down, slightly under the consensus of 1.5%.
The expected EBITA margin of 12-14% also fell short of the 14.7% anticipated by analysts, with tariffs between China and the USA cited as a slight headwind on margins, particularly affecting the Gaming segment and, to some extent, Enterprise (Ent).
The company is planning investments in IT, supply chain, and cybersecurity to pave the way for a 16-17% margin by 2028, which partially explains the disappointing margin outlook for 2025. GN Store Nord’s Hearing market is projected to grow 3-5% in value, while the company’s Hearing business is expected to outpace this with a 5-9% OSG following recent product launches. The Enterprise market is anticipated to grow modestly this year, resulting in a 0-4% OSG for the company’s Enterprise business.
The Consumer wind-down, completed by the end of fiscal year 2024, has led to a significant headwind on the Group & Consumer (G&C) OSG, with revenues from the Consumer segment expected to be negligible compared to DKK 866 million in FY24. This is projected to result in a 19-20 percentage point headwind on the G&C OSG. The Gaming segment alone is forecasted to grow 7-12% OSG, but overall, this still translates to a -12% to -7% OSG.
For the recent fiscal year, GN Store Nord reported a 1% sales beat, a 4% EBITA miss, but a 15% EPS beat compared to expectations. The company delivered 0% OSG, 4% excluding the Consumer wind-down, which was above the consensus of -1.6%. The EBITA margin increased by 850 basis points year-over-year but fell short of consensus at 14.4%, due to expectations of lower management and administrative costs. The EPS exceeded expectations mainly due to approximately DKK 80 million less in financial expenses than anticipated.
The company reached the low-end of its FY24 guidance, with a 1% OSG and a 12.0% EBITA margin, aligning with the cautious tone set during the Q4 pre-close call. The Hearing division missed market expectations with a 7% OSG compared to the predicted 9.1%, yet achieved a division profit margin of 36.1%, surpassing the consensus of 35.3%.
The Enterprise division outperformed expectations with a 3% sales beat and a 7% division profit beat, reflecting double-digit growth in video and stable headset sales, along with an improving decline in speakerphones. The G&C division reported a 25% sales beat and a 25% division profit beat, with a -8% OSG, much better than the -15.1% expected by analysts.
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