On Friday, UBS modified its stance on Super Retail Group Ltd. (SUL:AU), downgrading the stock from Buy to Neutral, despite raising the price target to AUD18.00 from AUD15.00. The adjustment follows the company's fiscal year 2024 report, which indicated a mixed performance across its various business segments.
The company's reported sales showed a modest increase of 2% compared to the prior corresponding period (pcp), but earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and normalized net profit after tax (NPAT) fell by 9% and 11% respectively.
The EBIT figures were in line with market expectations, though they fell short of UBS's estimates. Within the group, Supercheap Auto (SCA), Macpac, and Group & Unallocated performed better than UBS anticipated, while Rebel and BCF did not meet the firm's projections.
The normalized NPAT was lower than both market and UBS expectations, attributed to higher net interest expenses. However, Super Retail Group exhibited strong cash generation, with an 85% conversion rate, outperforming UBS's forecast of 73%.
Additionally, Super Retail Group announced a special dividend of 50 Australian cents per share, following a 25-cent dividend at the FY23 result. This move is part of the company's progress towards meeting its capital management framework, targeting a net debt to EBITDA ratio before AASB16 of 0.0x to 0.5x; the ratio is expected to reach -0.5x by the end of FY24.
UBS has revised its earnings per share (EPS) estimates for FY25 and FY26, decreasing them by 0.5% for FY25 and increasing them by 1.5% for FY26. These revisions take into account the varying performances of SCA, BCF, Macpac, and Rebel, as well as the anticipated higher net interest expenses.
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