Solvay first quarter 2025 results

Core Viewpoint - The company demonstrates resilient performance supported by a diversified portfolio and cost savings despite facing an uncertain macro-environment and challenges in demand [1][3]. Financial Performance - Q1 2025 underlying net sales were €1,122 million, down 6.6% from Q1 2024, with an organic decline of 5.8% [2][4]. - Underlying EBITDA for Q1 2025 decreased to €250 million, a 5.9% decline year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin of 22.3%, slightly up by 0.2 percentage points [2][4]. - Free Cash Flow (FCF) in Q1 2025 was €42 million, a significant drop of 66.5% compared to €126 million in Q1 2024 [2][4]. - The return on capital employed (ROCE) fell to 17.2%, down 2.7 percentage points from 19.8% in Q1 2024 [2][4]. Cost Management and Savings - Structural cost savings initiatives yielded €27 million in Q1 2025, bringing total cumulative savings to €137 million since the beginning of 2024 [4]. - The company aims to achieve total cost savings of €200 million by the end of 2025 [8]. 2025 Outlook - The company expects Q2 2025 underlying net sales to remain stable sequentially compared to Q1 2025, while underlying EBITDA is anticipated to decrease due to a one-off gain in Q1 and increased stranded costs from exiting a service agreement [3][4]. - The guidance for underlying EBITDA in 2025 is expected to reach the lower half of the range of €1.0 billion to €1.1 billion [8]. - Free cash flow guidance for 2025 is confirmed at around €300 million, primarily expected in the second half of the year [8]. Market Conditions - The macro-environment remains uncertain, leading to cautious behavior from customers, particularly affecting the Soda Ash segment in March [4]. - Despite these challenges, most other business segments have shown resilient performance [4].