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Investing.com -- Spain’s Telefonica (NYSE:TEF) reported a 2.8% decline in full-year adjusted profit on Thursday after writing off more than €2 billion ($2.09 billion) in the fourth quarter due to impairments on its Latin American assets.
The company’s US-listed shares slipped 0.5% in premarket trading.
The telecom company posted an adjusted profit of €2.3 billion for 2024, surpassing analysts’ expectations of €1.8 billion, according to an LSEG poll. However, a €1 billion accounting loss in the fourth quarter, largely due to impairments tied to its operations in Argentina, Peru, and Chile, resulted in a full-year net loss of €49 million.
Telefonica said it met all of its 2024 financial targets and reduced its leverage by 2.8 times as of December.
"We maintained momentum in our key markets, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Britain, with solid cash generation," Executive Chairman Marc Murtra, who took on the role on January 18, said in a statement.
Looking ahead, the company indicated that it will conduct a strategic review, which it aims to complete in the second half (H2) of the year.
"With this in mind, the mid-term targets provided during the Nov 2023 CMD will be updated following this review," Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analysts noted.
Telefonica expects organic revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth in 2025, with free cash flow projected to remain in line with 2024 levels. It also aims to continue reducing debt.
For the full year, revenue increased by 1.6%, while adjusted EBITDA rose 1.2%. Cash flow saw a significant 14.1% increase.
Excluding the provisions, fourth-quarter net profit fell to €425 million from €730 million a year earlier. Telefonica noted that exchange rate fluctuations, particularly the depreciation of the Brazilian real, had a negative impact on revenue.
The board proposed a 2025 dividend of €0.30 per share, unchanged from the previous year.
To strengthen its balance sheet and invest in 5G technology, Telefonica has been selling assets to reduce its debt burden while navigating intense market competition. The company has been gradually cutting its exposure to Latin America, where economic volatility has weighed on its stock performance.
On Tuesday, it sold its Argentina unit for $1.25 billion, marking the first major transaction under Murtra’s leadership.