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Investing.com -- Shares of Interroll (SWX:INRN) soared by 11% following the release of their second half and full-year 2024 financial results.
The Swiss manufacturer of products for internal logistics reported a slight increase in order intake and maintained strong profitability, despite facing a year-on-year decline in revenue and net profit.
The company’s order intake in the second half of 2024 grew by 6.8% year-on-year (YoY), although it saw a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) drop of 18.7%, totaling CHF 233 million for the half-year and bringing the full-year total to CHF 519.5 million.
Revenue for the second half fell by 6.8% YoY to CHF 279.7 million, with earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) decreasing by 7.2% to CHF 47.9 million. Net profit also declined by 9% to CHF 38.6 million, which was just shy of the consensus estimate of CHF 39 million.
The drop in revenue was primarily due to a 27.3% decrease in conveyors and sorters, partially offset by a 70.7% increase in pallet handling solutions, and modest growth in rollers and drives.
Despite the revenue and profit decline, the company’s profitability in the second half remained robust, with an EBIT margin of 17.1%, compared to 18.4% in the same period the previous year. Free cash flow (FCF) was particularly strong at CHF 66.3 million, a significant improvement from CHF 31.1 million in the second half of 2023. This improvement was aided by a delay in capital expenditures, as some investments planned for 2024 are now rescheduled for 2025 and 2026.
Looking ahead, while the company’s management has noted that the fundamental market drivers remain intact and the product business has bottomed out, there is still a cautious outlook on the order front.
Customers are hesitant about investing in larger projects, and analysts have expressed concerns that the consensus forecast for fiscal year 2025 orders, which predicts a 7.1% increase to CHF 556 million, may be overly optimistic.
Jefferies analysts commented on the results, stating, "We believe consensus orders might potentially be too ambitious at +7.1% CHF556m, without a proper indication of a rebound in ’25."
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