The action is riding the strong rise in the greenback following the election of Donald Trump. But the good results of the third quarter also supported it.
Ahold Delhaize is holding its own in the highly competitive retail environment, despite the cessation of tobacco sales in the Netherlands. Its stock gained 8% after the publication of its quarterly results on November 6, ending the day with a gain of 3.6%. That day, we found out that Donald Trump had won the election. The subsequent strong appreciation of the dollar is one of the reasons for the sharp rise in the share price, with the group generating two thirds of its turnover (CA) in the United States. Also, the quarterlies are good and a bit better than expected.
Turnover came to 22.0 billion euros, up 1.0% at constant exchange rates but down 0.2% if we take into account the exchange rate effect. An appreciable turnover, knowing that the cessation of the sale of tobacco products deprived it of 3.3% compared to a year earlier. In addition, the evolution of the Ebit margin, one of the main parameters to consider, increased by 0.1 percentage point, to 3.9%, driven by a timid recovery in Europe, while it remained stable in the United States.
Ahold Delhaize reiterated its targets for 2024: operating margin will be at least 4.0%, underlying earnings per share will be around that of 2023 and free cash flow will reach around 2.3 billion euros . The group announced that it would buy back 1 billion euros of its shares in 2025.
Conclusion
Based on expected earnings per share (EPS) for 2024 (2.55 euros), the price/earnings ratio is around 12.5. A reasonable valuation, which however does not contain strong growth potential. This does not take away from the stock its predictable nature: a stable or slightly increasing EPS in the years to come and a growing dividend – the current yield of which is 3.6%. It remains to be preserved, therefore.
Tip: keep/wait
Risk: low
Rating : 2A
Course: 32.22 euros
Ticker : AD NOW
Code ISIN : NL0011794037
Market: Euronext Amsterdam
Capit. stock market: 27.80 billion EUR
C/B 2023 : 15,5
Expected P/E 2024: 12.5
Perf. price over 12 months: +20%
Perf. price since 1/1: +21%
Dividend yield: 3.6%
Belgium
