On Tuesday, CFRA upgraded Veolia Environnement SA (EPA:VIE:FP) (OTC: OTC:VEOEY) from Hold to Buy, raising the price target to €34.00 from €32.00. The firm based this decision on a 12-month target price revision, aligning with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 17x for 2024. This P/E ratio is consistent with Veolia's five-year average forward P/E of 16.8x.
Veolia's first-quarter revenue for 2024 reflected a 3.9% year-over-year increase at a constant scope and forex, reaching €11.6 billion. This growth was attributed to strong performance in the Water and Waste sectors, which saw increases of 6.5% and 5.5% respectively. However, growth in the Energy sector was moderated due to fluctuating energy prices.
The company's EBITDA rose by 5.7% year-over-year to €1.6 billion, aligning with consensus estimates. This financial performance was supported by Veolia's effective efficiency plan and cost synergies that exceeded targets following the integration with Suez S.A. Veolia has reaffirmed its ambitious guidance for 2024, aiming for 5-6% EBITDA organic growth, a net income greater than €1.5 billion, and robust organic revenue growth.
CFRA highlighted Veolia's inflation resilience, noting that approximately 70% of its contracts are indexed to cost increases, which provides an edge over other utilities companies. The firm also recognized Veolia's resilient business model, emphasizing its focus on higher value-added services with greater pricing power, which CFRA believes will protect the company's profit margins.
This assessment led to the recommendation to upgrade Veolia's stock to Buy.
InvestingPro Insights
Following CFRA's upgrade of Veolia Environnement SA, real-time data from InvestingPro shows a company with a robust financial profile. Veolia is currently trading at a P/E ratio of 22.44, which is considered low relative to its near-term earnings growth. This data complements CFRA's analysis and supports the potential for investment value. Additionally, Veolia has demonstrated a commitment to returning value to shareholders, maintaining dividend payments for 24 consecutive years, with a dividend yield of 3.18% as of the latest data.
InvestingPro Tips highlight Veolia as a prominent player in the Multi-Utilities industry, with a stock that generally trades with low price volatility, adding a layer of stability for investors. Moreover, analysts predict that the company will continue to be profitable this year, with profitability already established over the last twelve months. For investors seeking more in-depth analysis, InvestingPro offers additional insights and tips on Veolia, available at https://www.investing.com/pro/VEOEY. With 6 more InvestingPro Tips to explore, interested readers can use coupon code PRONEWS24 to get an additional 10% off a yearly or biyearly Pro and Pro+ subscription, enriching their investment strategy with comprehensive data and expert analysis.
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