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Investing.com -- Morgan Advanced Materials Plc (LON:MGAMM) warned on Friday that organic revenue is likely to decline this year due to uncertain demand, partly driven by trade tensions linked to US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
The company’s shares tumbled over 20% in London trading Friday by 09:52 GMT.
The company, which operates manufacturing plants in the US as well as in tariff-targeted countries such as Mexico, Canada, and China, said it is considering alternative locations to offset potential impacts from US trade measures.
Morgan Advanced reported a 1.3% dip in revenue for 2024, bringing total sales to £1.1 billion ($1.38 billion). However, adjusted operating profit rose 6.7% last year, supported by restructuring efforts that included streamlining reporting segments and consolidating manufacturing sites.
Looking ahead, the UK chip supplier now expects organic revenue to decline by a mid-single-digit percentage in 2025.
For the second half (H2) of 2024, the firm reported revenue of £528 million. Organic revenue declined by 1%, a sharp slowdown from the 8% growth in H1, as industrial markets weakened globally and semiconductor supply chains saw inventory build-ups alongside slowing EV demand.
EBITA for the period reached £57 million, 8% ahead of consensus, with a margin of 10.8%, up 70 basis points. Profitability improved due to pricing actions, operational efficiencies, and restructuring measures.
Due to weak guidance, Barclays (LON:BARC) analysts cut their EBITA estimates for the full fiscal 2025 by 7% to £129 million “amidst weak end market demand.”
During 2024, Morgan Advanced saw an improvement in return on invested capital, which rose 90 basis points to 18.5%.
It generated a 29% increase in cash from operations, reaching £162.9 million, while free cash flow edged up 2.7% to £15 million.
Its financial position remained stable, with net debt rising to £226.2 million but staying within the company’s targeted leverage range.
The board approved an extension of its share buyback program, announcing a second tranche of up to £10 million, following an initial £10 million repurchase.
Morgan also revised its investment plans in semiconductor capacity, lowering planned spending to £60 million from a previous estimate of £100 million. It now anticipates incremental revenues of £40 million and an adjusted operating profit of £12 million by 2027 from these investments.
While acknowledging near-term demand uncertainty, the company reaffirmed confidence in its medium-term financial outlook, maintaining its capital expenditure guidance and forecasting an effective tax rate between 26% and 28%.