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Novonesis (Novozymes) B (NVZMF) (Q4 2024) Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Organic Sales Growth ...

In This Article:

  • Organic Sales Growth: 8% for 2024, with a 7% growth in Q4.

  • Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA Margin: 36.1% for 2024, an increase of 2.3 percentage points from 2023.

  • Gross Margin: 47.4% reported, 56.7% adjusted for purchase price allocation impacts.

  • Revenue Synergy Program: On track for DKK200 million run rate, with initial contributions expected in 2025.

  • Emerging Markets Growth: 12% growth for 2024.

  • Food & Health Biosolutions Organic Sales Growth: 7% for 2024 and Q4.

  • Household Care Organic Sales Growth: 13% for 2024.

  • Adjusted Earnings Per Share: EUR1.28, a decrease of 15% compared to the previous year.

  • Free Cash Flow: EUR667.5 million for 2024.

  • 2025 Organic Sales Growth Outlook: 5% to 8%, with a 37% to 38% adjusted EBITDA margin expected.

Release Date: February 26, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Novonesis (Novozymes) B (NVZMF) achieved an 8% organic sales growth in 2024, driven by a 6% volume increase and a 2% contribution from pricing.

  • The company successfully integrated two strong organizations, maintaining high employee engagement with a score of 82, well above industry benchmarks.

  • Novonesis is on track to realize a full-year revenue synergy program of DKK200 million, with initial contributions expected in 2025.

  • The company has made significant progress in sustainability, reducing Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 63% since 2018, and 93% of its electricity usage is from renewable sources.

  • Novonesis launched 45 new products in 2024, with nearly 30% of revenue coming from products launched within the past five years, solidifying its innovation leadership in biosolutions.

Negative Points

  • The decision to exit Russia and Belarus is expected to negatively impact 2025 organic sales growth by around 1 percentage point.

  • The divestment of the lactase enzyme business impacted growth negatively by around 1 percentage point in 2024.

  • The company faces risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements.

  • The adjusted earnings per share decreased by 15% compared to the previous year, despite a 15% increase when adjusted for merger-related PPA amortization.

  • The exit from certain countries is expected to impact full-year organic sales growth in Food & Beverages by around 3 percentage points.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Can you expand on the revenue synergies and the EUR200 million target? A: Ester Baiget, CEO, explained that they are on track to achieve the EUR200 million run rate due to strong customer interest and cross-fertilization of solutions. They expect 1% of the 2025 growth to come from these synergies, with a healthy pipeline supporting long-term innovation.