Investing.com -- Pierer Mobility (SIX:PKTM), the parent company of KTM, saw its shares dip following a mixed set of results and a downgrade from analysts at Stifel.
At 6:08 am (1008 GMT), Pierer Mobility was trading 6% lower at CHF 13.84.
The Austrian-based manufacturer, known for its premium motorcycles, has been struggling with rising debt levels and weakening demand, especially in its core motorcycle segment.
These factors led Stifel to revise its outlook on the company, cutting its rating to “sell” from “hold” and slashing the price target to CHF 12 from CHF 28.
The company reported that net debt had surged from €775.9 million at the end of 2023 to €1.47 billion by mid-2024.
This rising debt load is partly attributed to increased support extended to its dealers and suppliers during a challenging sales environment.
Despite earlier hopes for a recovery in the latter half of 2024, Pierer had to cancel its full-year guidance, pointing to persistent headwinds.
Stifel mentions that Pierer’s profitability has significantly eroded, projecting an EBITDA loss of €51 million for 2024.
In addition to operating losses, the brokerage is anticipating impairments by the end of the year.
Although the impairments remain unspecified, they reflect the broader challenges across the company’s product lines, from off-road motorcycles to e-bikes, where inventory issues and weaker-than-expected demand continue to weigh heavily.
The downgrade also reflects broader trends in Pierer’s market. Stifel noted that motorcycle registrations in key markets like the U.S. fell by 6.3% between January and September 2024.
Meanwhile, the European market showed stagnation, with only low-cost segments providing any momentum. In response to these market shifts, Pierer plans to resize its bicycle division through 2025, suggesting further restructuring and cost-cutting efforts will be needed.
“With higher balance sheet and operational risks, we now take a more conservative valuation approach,” said analysts from Stifel in a note.
Given the projected widening of losses and limited visibility on when the company might stabilize, the analysts adopted a more conservative valuation method, focusing solely on the 2025 book value.
In the near term, the analysts are concerned about Pierer's ability to generate free cash flow, predicting more challenges over the next few quarters.