Investing.com -- Berenberg reiterated its Buy rating on Vinci (EPA:SGEF) in a note Thursday, maintaining a €130 price target on the stock following the company’s FY24 results.
The bank highlighted Vinci’s “impressive combination of smart capital allocation and resilient growth,” citing strong margin management and exposure to growth markets as key strengths.
Vinci reported 4% revenue growth to €71.6 billion in FY24, while EBIT increased by 8% to €9.0 billion, with margins improving by 50 basis points to 12.6%, Berenberg noted.
Without the impact of a new tax on the Autoroutes division, EBIT growth would have been 11%. “Illustrating the breadth of the momentum across the group, all of its major divisions achieved organic growth and underlying margin progression,” Berenberg said.
Looking ahead, Vinci’s management expressed confidence in FY25, expecting both sales and profits to “rise again” this year.
The company anticipates traffic growth at Autoroutes and Airports, revenue and margin stability at Energies and Cobra, and margin growth at Construction, according to Berenberg. The bank forecasts Vinci’s EBIT to grow by approximately 5% annually over the next three years.
Despite strong operational performance, Vinci faced political headwinds in France, including two new taxes. The Autoroutes division paid an additional €284 million in FY24, equivalent to 3% of group profit, while an extra corporate tax charge of €400 million is expected in FY25.
“Such tax changes not only have a direct negative effect on earnings but also raise concerns about whether the French government may launch further initiatives,” Berenberg warned.
Berenberg believes the company’s valuation remains attractive, with Vinci trading at 12x EPS and 9x EV/EBIT, along with a 4.5% dividend yield based on FY25 forecasts. Berenberg also introduced coverage of Vinci’s ADR, setting a $32.00 price target.