Universal (US:UVV) Prnewswire·2025-07-31 15:45Core Insights - Universal Music Group N.V. (UMG) reported strong financial results for Q2 and H1 2025, driven by growth in Recorded Music and Music Publishing segments [4][10][14] Financial Performance - Q2 2025 revenue reached €2,980 million, a 1.6% increase year-over-year, or 4.5% in constant currency, with growth in Recorded Music and Music Publishing [6][8] - H1 2025 revenue was €5,881 million, up 6.4% year-over-year, or 6.9% in constant currency, attributed to improvements in both segments [10][14] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2025 was €676 million, a 4.2% increase year-over-year, or 7.3% in constant currency, with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.7% [6][9] - H1 2025 Adjusted EBITDA was €1,336 million, up 7.7% year-over-year, or 8.5% in constant currency, maintaining an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.7% [12][14] Segment Performance Recorded Music - Q2 2025 Recorded Music revenue was €2,224 million, a 1.1% increase year-over-year, or 3.9% in constant currency, with subscription revenue growing 5.3% and streaming revenue increasing 4.4% [20][21] - H1 2025 Recorded Music revenue totaled €4,464 million, up 6.5% year-over-year, or 7.0% in constant currency [21] - Recorded Music EBITDA for H1 2025 was €1,092 million, improving 13.9% year-over-year, with an EBITDA margin of 24.5% [23] Music Publishing - Q2 2025 Music Publishing revenue was €570 million, an 11.5% increase year-over-year, or 14.5% in constant currency, driven by digital revenue growth [25][26] - H1 2025 Music Publishing revenue reached €1,125 million, up 11.6% year-over-year, or 12.1% in constant currency [27] - Music Publishing EBITDA for H1 2025 was €252 million, a 10.0% increase year-over-year, with an EBITDA margin of 22.4% [28] Merchandising and Other - Q2 2025 Merchandising and Other revenue declined to €192 million, down 15.4% year-over-year, or 12.7% in constant currency, due to lower direct-to-consumer sales [30] - H1 2025 revenue for Merchandising and Other was €305 million, a 10.6% decrease year-over-year, attributed to the same factors [31] Profitability Metrics - Net profit attributable to equity holders for H1 2025 was €1,432 million, compared to €914 million in H1 2024, resulting in an EPS of €0.78 [14] - Adjusted net profit for H1 2025 was €882 million, leading to an Adjusted EPS of €0.48, up from €0.44 in H1 2024 [14] Cash Flow and Dividends - Net cash provided by operating activities before income tax paid increased to €488 million in H1 2025, compared to €436 million in H1 2024 [15] - An interim dividend of €440 million, or €0.24 per share, was declared for H1 2025 [17] Debt Position - Net debt at the end of H1 2025 was €2,734 million, an increase from €2,098 million at the end of 2024, primarily used for investing activities and dividends [18]