ABF shares rise after results beat expectations, Primark drives growth

Investing.com -- Shares of Associated British Foods (ABF) (LON:ABF ) rose on Tuesday following its results, which beat expectations. 

At 5:07 am (1007 GMT), ABF was trading 4.1% higher at £2,383.

The company reported a profit before tax of £1.917 billion, slightly above analysts' estimates of £1.873 billion. 

ABF's unit, Primark, has seen its operating profit surpass forecasts, while the Grocery segment's performance was in line with expectations.

“Primark had a stronger end to FY24 than initially guided, with the company’s exit rate boosted by favourable UK weather in September (albeit we believe somewhat expected, given recent UK datapoints),” said analysts at Morgan Stanley in a note.

However, the Ingredients, Sugar, and Agriculture divisions fell short of analyst predictions.

ABF also announced a new share buyback program worth £500 million for fiscal year 2025. 

With leverage standing at 0.7 times, slightly better than anticipated, the company announced a total dividend payout of 90 pence per share, which includes a special dividend of 27 pence, exceeding previous forecasts.

ABF is targeting mid-single digit sales growth for Primark in fiscal year 2025, projecting a space growth of 4-5%. 

This suggests low single-digit positive like-for-like sales growth, albeit with a small negative impact from foreign exchange fluctuations. 

The company anticipates that its adjusted operating margin will remain broadly in line with this year's level, as it plans to stabilize gross margins while increasing investments to boost sales growth.

In its Grocery division, ABF intends to enhance its marketing investments to maintain sales momentum and expects a return to normal operations in its U.S. businesses. 

For the Ingredients division, the company anticipates ongoing growth in yeast and bakery ingredients, alongside improved performance in specialty ingredients. 

Meanwhile, the Sugar division has reiterated its expectation for a decline in operating profit to between £50 million and £75 million for fiscal year 2025, with a projected recovery in fiscal year 2026, aligning more closely with the previous fiscal year's profit of £181 million due to lower contracted beet prices and a market rebalancing.

“ABF's largest business, Primark, offers a strong space rollout story in Europe and the US, and remains the leading value player in the UK retail space. We expect a return to positive LFL sales growth in FY25 and for operating margin to be fairly stable yoy,” said analysts at RBC Capital Markets in a note.

Source: Investing.com