On Wednesday, Truist Securities maintained a Buy rating on Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY), with a steady price target of $258.00. The stance comes in light of UPM-Kymmene Corporation's third-quarter financials, which indicated weaker-than-expected earnings. UPM, a Finnish company specializing in renewable solutions and label production through its Raflatac segment, reported sales and EBIT figures that fell short of consensus estimates.
The company cited subdued demand leading to lower delivery volumes across most of its businesses, particularly noting the impact of a weaker pulp market and high wood costs in Finland on its Fibres division.
UPM's Raflatac reported third-quarter revenues of €374 million, a 7% decrease from the expected €402.2 million, and an EBIT of €24 million, 39.7% below the consensus of €39.8 million. Despite this, Raflatac's sales saw a year-over-year increase of 1.9%, though EBIT dropped by 27.3%, suggesting specific cost or mix-related issues rather than a broader market downturn. Sequentially, Raflatac's sales and EBIT declined by 5.8% and 38.5%, respectively.
Avery Dennison, with approximately 35% of its Materials Segment sales stemming from the EMEA region and about 74% related to label materials, might seem vulnerable to similar market pressures. However, UPM's report also highlighted a slight softening in European demand, but still an increase compared to the previous year, along with a year-over-year reduction in variable costs.
Looking ahead, UPM now anticipates its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 EBIT to be flat or potentially increase year-over-year. This adjustment is a shift from their original forecast, which projected a year-over-year rise. The revised outlook is based on the expectation of demand recovery for various UPM products, the end of destocking activities, and lower fixed costs, among other factors.
In other recent news, Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) exceeded Q2 earnings expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.42, leading to an increased full-year earnings guidance to a range of $9.30 to $9.50 per share.
Despite anticipating a mid-single-digit percentage decline in Q3 EPS due to seasonal volume drops, the company expects record revenue in Q4 and targets over 20% volume growth in intelligent labels for the year. Barclays recently gave Avery Dennison an Overweight rating with a price target of $250, citing the company's strong growth prospects, particularly in its RFID and digital ecosystem ventures.
However, UBS downgraded Avery Dennison from a "Buy" to a "Neutral" rating, citing concerns over slower growth in the RFID segment. Meanwhile, BMO Capital Markets adjusted its price target for Avery Dennison to $252 from $254, maintaining an Outperform rating. Truist Securities also maintained a Buy rating with a steady price target of $258.00.
In other company news, Avery Dennison showcased the strength of its two core platforms during its recent investor day, with targets for its business segments, including a 15%+ growth in Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and a 17%+ increase in margins.
InvestingPro Insights
Despite the challenges faced by UPM-Kymmene Corporation, Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY) appears to be holding its ground. According to InvestingPro data, Avery Dennison's revenue growth for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024 was 1.14%, with a more robust quarterly revenue growth of 6.93% in Q2 2024. This suggests that Avery Dennison may be navigating market pressures more effectively than some of its peers.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that Avery Dennison has maintained dividend payments for 54 consecutive years and has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. This consistency in dividend policy could be attractive to investors seeking stable income, especially in a challenging market environment. The company's dividend yield stands at 1.6%, with a dividend growth of 8.64% over the last twelve months.
Moreover, Avery Dennison's profitability remains strong, with a gross profit margin of 28.81% and an operating income margin of 12.91% for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024. This financial stability aligns with the InvestingPro Tip indicating that analysts predict the company will be profitable this year.
For investors interested in a deeper analysis, InvestingPro offers 8 additional tips that could provide further insights into Avery Dennison's market position and potential.
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