Report for quarter 4 and full-year 2024: Essity

Strong growth in fourth quarter ended a successful 2024

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Quarter 4, 2024

• Net sales increased 3.2% to SEK 37,805m (36,625)
• Organic growth amounted to 3.9%, of which volume accounted for 1.7% and price/mix 2.2%. Excluding restructuring, organic growth increased 4.9%.
• EBITA decreased 1% to SEK 4,585m (4,611)
• EBITA excl. IAC increased 2% to SEK 4,969m (4,853)
• EBITA margin excl. IAC decreased 0.2 percentage points to 13.1% (13.3)
• ROCE decreased to 15.8% (16.2) and ROCE excl. IAC amounted to 17.1% (17.1)
• Profit for the period, total operations, amounted to SEK 2,893m (2,891)
• Earnings per share, continuing operations, increased to SEK 4.13 (4.04).
• Earnings per share, total operations, increased to SEK 4.13 (4.02).

Full-year 2024

• Net sales decreased 1.1% to SEK 145,546m (147,147)
• Organic growth amounted to 0.2%, of which volume accounted for 0.5% and price/mix -0.3%. Excluding restructuring, organic growth increased 1.8%.
• EBITA increased 17% to SEK 19,475m (16,607)
• EBITA excl. IAC increased 8% to SEK 20,344m (18,898)
• EBITA margin excl. IAC increased 1.2 percentage points to 14.0% (12.8)
• ROCE increased to 16.9% (14.4) and ROCE excl. IAC increased to 17.6% (16.4)
• Profit for the period, total operations, amounted to SEK 21,048m (9,796)
• Earnings per share, continuing operations, increased to SEK 17.09 (13.44). Earnings per share, total operations, increased to SEK 29.83 (13.60).
• The Board of Directors proposes an increase in the dividend of 6.5% to SEK 8.25 (7.75) per share.
• President and CEO Magnus Groth will leave Essity during 2025

CEO'S COMMENTS

Essity is in better shape than ever and our focus on accelerated profitable growth is yielding results. For full-year 2024, sales amounted to SEK 146bn and profit reached its highest level ever at SEK 20.3bn.

Strong growth and crucial innovation

Sales increased in all of Essity's business areas in the fourth quarter. High organic growth was noted in our most profitable categories: Incontinence Products, in both healthcare and the retail trade, Medical Solutions, Feminine Care and, excluding restructuring, Professional Hygiene. Despite continued global economic challenges, our focus on accelerated profitable growth has yielded results. People are prioritizing hygiene and health and choosing the product offerings that can best improve their everyday lives, making relevant innovation crucial. Our launches of, for example, TENA Proskin Pants, incontinence products for better absorption and skin health, and improved Cutimed Sorbion wound dressings are examples of innovations that have contributed to our favorable performance. The latest major innovation is Tork Optiserve Coreless, a new toilet paper system that complements our big seller Tork PeakServe in Professional Hygiene.

Higher profit

Profit (EBITA excl. IAC) for the quarter was higher than in the year-earlier period. Higher volumes and sales prices, and a favorable product mix, had a positive impact. However, the EBITA margin excl. IAC was lower, mainly on account of higher costs in Consumer Goods and the Consumer Tissue category. The rapid and sharp strengthening of the USD increased costs, which has not yet been fully offset. Health & Medical and Professional Hygiene reported significantly higher margins. Our efficiency programs continued to generate high cost savings.

Successful 2024

2024 was a successful year. We achieved sales of SEK 146bn and our highest-ever profit of SEK 20.3bn, corresponding to a margin of 14%. We improved the portfolio mix through the divestment of Vinda and by prioritizing growth in categories that yield a high return. Our continuous efforts to improve efficiency have resulted in cost savings of SEK 1.5bn. We also presented new financial targets during the year, raising the level of ambition for growth and profitability, and launched a share buyback program financed by the strong cash flow from operations. The aim is to continue buying back shares as a recurring part of Essity's capital allocation. The Board of Directors proposes an increase in the dividend of 6.5% to SEK 8.25 per share.

Leaving as CEO

After 14 years with the company and ten years as President and CEO, I have decided to leave Essity during 2025. Essity is today a global leading hygiene and health company with strong brands and market positions, fantastic employees and recognized sustainability work, reflected in profitable growth. I look forward to continuing to develop Essity with full speed together with my colleagues until my successor is in place.

Magnus Groth, President and CEO

Invitation to presentation

President and CEO Magnus Groth and Executive Vice President and CFO Fredrik Rystedt will present the report for the fourth quarter and full-year 2024 at a live webcast and teleconference at 09:00 CET on January 23, 2025.

Link to the live presentation, which can also be viewed afterwards:

https://essity.videosync.fi/2025-01-23

Contact information for conference call with the possibility to ask questions:

UK: +44 (0) 33 0551 02 00
USA: +1 786 697 35 01
SWE: +46 (0) 8 505 204 24

Please call in well in advance of the start of the presentation. Indicate: "Essity".

For additional information, please contact:

Fredrik Rystedt, Executive Vice President and CFO, tel: +46 (0) 8 788 51 31

Sandra Åberg, Vice President Investor Relations, tel: +46 (0) 70 564 96 89

Per Lorentz, Vice President Corporate Communications, tel: +46 (0) 73 313 30 55

NB: This information is such information that Essity Aktiebolag (publ) is obligated to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. This report has been prepared in both Swedish and English versions. In case of variations in the content between the two versions, the Swedish version shall govern. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of Karl Stoltz, Media Relations Director, at 07:00 CET on January 23, 2025.

This report has not been reviewed by the company's auditors.

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SOURCE Essity