Aspo Plc’s Half-year Financial Report, January 1 – June 30, 2025: Continued profit improvement in a challenging market
Globenewswire·2025-08-18 06:00

Core Insights - Aspo Plc reported continued profit improvement in a challenging market for the first half of 2025, with net sales and comparable EBITA showing significant growth compared to the previous year [1][13][17] Financial Performance - Net sales for January to June 2025 increased to EUR 314.0 million, up 9.7% from EUR 286.2 million in the same period of 2024 [21] - Comparable EBITA grew to EUR 18.0 million, representing 5.7% of net sales, compared to EUR 12.4 million and 4.3% in the previous year [21][11] - Comparable return on equity (ROE) improved to 14.3%, up from 8.0% in the corresponding period of 2024 [21][11] - Free cash flow was EUR 8.8 million, down from EUR 22.9 million in the previous year, primarily driven by investments [11][21] Business Segment Performance - ESL Shipping's comparable EBITA was EUR 5.0 million, down from EUR 6.1 million, affected by weak spot market conditions and lower demand in the forest industry [14] - Telko's comparable EBITA more than doubled to EUR 4.3 million, driven by acquisitions completed in 2024 and improved product mix [15] - Leipurin achieved a record-high comparable EBITA of EUR 1.7 million, benefiting from growth in Sweden and supply chain efficiency improvements [16] Strategic Actions - Aspo announced the divestment of its Leipurin business to Lantmännen for an enterprise value of EUR 63 million, expected to generate a sales gain of approximately EUR 16 million [5][18] - The company is focusing on profitability improvement through various actions across all business segments, leveraging past acquisitions and investments [12][19] Market Outlook - The operating environment is expected to remain challenging due to geopolitical uncertainties and global trade tensions, which may impact economic growth [6][7] - Demand for ESL Shipping is anticipated to remain weak in the second half of 2025, while Telko aims to secure organic growth following recent acquisitions [8][9]