On Wednesday, UBS maintained its Sell rating on Legrand SA (EPA:LEGD) (LR:FP) (OTC: LGRDY) stock, with a consistent price target of EUR82.00. The company's management presented its targets for the years 2025-2030, aiming for annual organic growth of 3-5% and acquired growth of the same rate, alongside a 20% adjusted EBIT margin.
Legrand's focus on data centers and electrification, combined with positive segment outlooks, supports the lower to mid-point of the organic growth guidance. The potential for reaching the higher end of the growth targets is seen as plausible within the 2025-2028 period, assuming a recovery in construction end-markets.
Despite the feasible growth targets, UBS sees limited potential for Legrand to exceed these expectations. The current trading price, nearly 25 times the projected 2024 earnings, suggests limited investment appeal compared to other companies in the sector.
UBS expresses a preference for Assa Abloy (OTC:ASAZY) and Schindler, citing their slightly better growth profiles and lower trading multiples, as well as Schneider for its clearly faster growth at only a modest premium.
Legrand's strategy indicates a commitment to maintaining a stable margin, but UBS anticipates possible downside from the current level above 20% to the targeted 20%. This perspective is grounded in the company's valuation, which is viewed as high relative to its growth prospects.
In conclusion, while acknowledging the solidity of Legrand's growth plan, UBS suggests that investors may find more attractive opportunities in competitors with better growth potential and more favorable valuations.
In other recent news, Legrand SA has seen an array of analyst upgrades and adjustments. Bernstein SocGen Group upgraded Legrand's stock from Market Perform to Outperform, raising the price target to €116.00 based on expected organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. Legrand's strategic growth in the data center market and its M&A approach were noted as key drivers for this upgrade.
JPMorgan also upgraded its rating for Legrand from Neutral to Overweight, raising the price target to €115 from €100, due to Legrand's involvement in the datacenter sector and an anticipated rebound in core construction markets.
Goldman Sachs raised its price target for Legrand to EUR112 from EUR110, maintaining a Buy rating, following the company's strong Q2 2024 results, particularly in the data center and non-residential market segments.
On the contrary, Jefferies maintained a Hold rating on Legrand's stock but reduced the price target slightly from EUR104.00 to EUR103.00, following an update to the Low Voltage proxy database. Despite these positive signs in Europe, Jefferies adjusted its EBITA forecast for the year 2024 downward by 1%, influencing the new price target for Legrand's shares. These are the recent developments for the company.
InvestingPro Insights
As Legrand SA (OTC: LGRDY) outlines its growth targets, real-time data from InvestingPro provides additional context for investors. With a market capitalization of $30.48 billion and a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 25.6, Legrand is trading at a premium compared to its historical earnings. The company's gross profit margin remains impressive at 52.15% over the last twelve months as of Q2 2024, supporting its strategy of maintaining stable margins. Additionally, Legrand has demonstrated a commitment to shareholder returns, raising its dividend for 4 consecutive years and maintaining dividend payments for 19 consecutive years. The dividend yield stands at 1.41%, with a notable dividend growth of 13.73% over the last twelve months.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that Legrand operates with a moderate level of debt and that its liquid assets exceed short-term obligations, providing financial stability. However, analysts have revised their earnings expectations downwards for the upcoming period, which could impact future performance. For investors seeking deeper analysis, there are 10 additional InvestingPro Tips available for Legrand at https://www.investing.com/pro/LGRDY, which may offer further insights into the company's valuation and growth prospects.
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