EssilorLuxottica reported third-quarter sales of 6.44 billion euros, below market expectations due to a slowdown in China. While shares rose slightly, analysts noted disappointing results, especially from the Asia-Pacific region. Despite this, the company anticipates stronger growth in the fourth quarter and continues to target a 5% annual increase in sales through 2026. UBS suggests investors view the share price dip as a potential buying opportunity, attributing less risk to the company compared to its competitors.
EssilorLuxottica’s performance in the third quarter has drawn attention, particularly due to challenges posed by its operations in China. Opening lower, the shares of the Franco-Italian multinational have since risen by 0.32% to 216.16 euros, despite reporting sales that fell short of expectations. The company attributed this underperformance to a slowdown in the Chinese market. However, during a recent conference call with analysts, EssilorLuxottica provided assurances to investors, indicating an expected acceleration in growth for the fourth quarter, as noted by UBS.
In the third quarter, EssilorLuxottica achieved sales of 6.44 billion euros, reflecting a 4% increase at constant exchange rates, though only a 2.3% rise at current rates. Analysts had predicted sales of 6.53 billion euros with a 5% growth at constant exchange rates.
The Asia-Pacific region generated sales of 794 million euros, marking a 5% increase year-over-year, though this figure is slightly lower than what was seen in the previous two quarters. This trend can be attributed to a strong comparison base, with a significant 11.7% increase recorded during the same quarter last year.
Despite adverse economic conditions in the country, Greater China experienced a minor uptick in sales, thanks to positive results from mainland China, which compensated for the weaker outcomes in Hong Kong, according to the eyewear and sunglasses manufacturer.
The Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region reported sales of 2.43 billion euros, which is a 5.6% increase from the third quarter of 2023, and 5% at current exchange rates, showing a slight slowdown compared to the first half of the year.
For the first nine months of 2024, total sales reached 19.73 billion euros, representing a 4.9% increase over the same period in 2023, with a 3% rise at current exchange rates.
Despite the lackluster performance in the third quarter, UBS believes that investors may overlook these results, perceiving any decrease in EssilorLuxottica’s share price as a potential buying opportunity. They highlight the high level of uncertainty currently affecting the luxury sector.
UBS also points out that the risks facing EssilorLuxottica for the remainder of 2024 appear less pronounced compared to its competitors. Management has reiterated their expectation of a strong start to the fourth quarter, anticipating accelerated sales growth relative to the first nine months of the year.
Alongside its quarterly sales presentation, EssilorLuxottica reaffirmed its goal of achieving a 5% increase at constant exchange rates (based on pro forma 2021 sales) in annual sales between 2022 and 2026, aiming for a revenue target of €27-28 billion, compared to the €29.8 billion forecast by Invest Securities.
The company also expects adjusted operating profit margins to reach between 19-20% of sales by the end of this period, surpassing the 18.5% previously anticipated by Invest Securities.