Europe Movers: Beiersdorf, Covestro, Eni, London Stock Exchange, Rolls-Royce, Sulzer, Telefonica

Inga Muller
27 Feb, 2025
Frankfurt

Covestro AG dropped 0.3% to €58.52 after the producer of polyurethane and polycarbonate raw materials reported lower sales in fiscal 2024 ending in December.

Sales decreased to €14.18 billion from €14.38 billion, net loss expanded to €266 million from €198 million, and loss per share deepened to €1.41 from a loss of €1.05 a year ago.

The company guided fiscal 2025 sales between €14.5 billion and €15.5 billion and financial results between €120 million and €160 million, compared to €114 million in 2024.

Sulzer AG gained 2.7% to CHF 145.80 after the Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing company reported improved sales in the fiscal year 2024 ending in December.

Sales increased 7.6% to CHF 3.53 billion from CHF 3.28 billion, net income jumped to CHF 265.4 million from CHF 230.5 million, and earnings per diluted share climbed to CHF 7.64 from CHF 6.67 a year ago.

For fiscal 2025, the company estimated sales growth between 5% and 8%, intake order growth between 2% and 5%, and the EBITDA margin to improve to above 15% of sales.

Sulzer proposed a dividend of CHF 4.25 per share to the annual general meeting on April 23, compared to a dividend of CHF 3.75 per share in 2024.

Telefonica gained 0.5% to €4.33 after the Spanish telecom company reported a revenue increase in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, and net loss narrowed.

Revenue jumped 5.4% to €10.70 billion from €10.15 billion, net loss narrowed to €1.00 billion from €2.15 billion, and loss per basic share declined to 19 cents from a loss of 39 cents a year ago.

The company proposed to pay a cash dividend of 15 cents per share in June 2025, a dividend of 15 cents per share in December 2025, and a dividend of 15 cents per share in June 2026.

Beiersdorf AG traded flat at €127.15 after the parent company of Nivea cream reported higher sales in fiscal 2024 ending in December.

Group sales increased to €9.85 billion from €9.45 billion, operating EBIT income jumped to €1.29 billion from €1.10 billion, and earnings per share rose to €4.05 from €3.24 a year ago.

The company plans to repurchase shares for up to €500 million following the annual general meeting, to be completed by the end of 2025.

Beiersdorf paid dividends of $1.05 per share within the last 12 months, corresponding to a dividend yield of 0.79%.

London Stock Exchange Group Plc. gained 3.3% to 11,470 pence after the provider of financial markets data and trading infrastructure reported fiscal 2024 results.

Revenue increased to £8.58 billion from £8.06 billion, profit declined to £921 million from £948 million, and earnings per diluted share fell to 128.0 pence from 138.1 pence a year ago.

The dividend declared for the year rose to 89.0 pence per share, compared to 79.3 pence per share a year ago, giving a total for the year of 130.0 pence, up 13.0% from 2023.

The company guided for fiscal 2025 organic growth in total income between 6.5% and 7.5%, excluding recoveries and on a constant currency basis.

LSE plans to execute a share buyback of £500 million by July 2025.

Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc. surged 15.4% to 728.20 pence after the British aerospace and defense company reported strong results for fiscal 2024 ending in December.

Statutory revenue increased to £18.91 billion from £16.49 billion, profit jumped to £2.48 billion from £2.40 billion, and earnings per diluted share rose to 29.87 pence from 28.70 pence a year ago.

The company proposed a dividend of 6.0 pence per share for 2024, based on a 30% payout ratio of the underlying profit after tax.

Rolls-Royce guided for fiscal 2025 underlying operating profit between £2.7 billion and £2.9 billion, compared to £2.5 billion in 2024.

The company will commence a £1 billion share buyback program immediately and for completion through 2025.

Eni S.p.A. edged up 0.2% to €14.31 after the Italian energy company missed analysts’ expectations in the fourth quarter ending in December.

Revenue declined 5% to €23.49 billion from €24.62 billion, net profit jumped to €247 million from €173 million, and earnings per diluted share rose to 7 cents from 5 cents a year ago.

In 2024, the company paid dividends worth €227 million and returned over €5 billion to shareholders, driven by underlying performance and deleveraging.