Geberit forecasts flat 2024 sales amid weak construction demand
Writes through with share reaction, analyst comment and details on outlook
By Anastasiia Kozlova and Amir Orusov
Aug 15 (Reuters) -Swiss plumbing materials supplier Geberit GEBN.S said on Thursday it expected 2024 organic sales to be similar to those of last year, below market expectations, weighed down by slow construction activity in Europe.
Its shares were 3.9% lower at 0941 GMT, among the worst performers on Europe's benchmark STOXX 600 index .STOXX.
Geberit, whose products are used in new build and renovation projects alike, said the construction industry was expected to decline overall in 2024, with sharpest declines anticipated in Northern Europe, Germany and Austria.
Germany's property sector, which is in its third year of decline, has been undergoing its most severe slump in decades.
The sales forecast implies an organic decline in the second half of the year, after they rose 1.7% in the first half when adjusted for negative currency effects.
The outlook is affected by uncertainty around wholesalers' inventory levels and a higher year-ago comparison base in the fourth quarter, CEO Christian Buhl told analysts in a call.
Geberit, which supplies piping, bathroom ceramics and shower toilets, also said its core profit (EBITDA) margin should be around 29% this year, down from 29.9% in 2023.
Jefferies analysts wrote that the outlook for flat full-year sales was below consensus, which was expecting organic growth of 1.1%. The margin guidance was also below expectations.
Geberit's half-year EBITDA fell 1.6% to 518 million Swiss francs ($599 million), resulting in a margin of 31.6%. The margin is expected to decline in the second half due to typical seasonality, it said.
Record-breaking inflation and higher interest rates across Geberit's core markets have pushed consumers and companies to delay building projects to save cash.
That has led to other construction sector suppliers, such as Heidelberg Materials HEIG.DE and Holcim HOLN.S, to report lower sales figures recently.
($1 = 0.8651 Swiss francs)
Reporting by Anastasiia Kozlova and Amir Orusov in Gdansk; editing by Milla Nissi
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