Duell - Softness to continue

Preliminary FY 2023 figures short of our estimates

In connection with the profit warning, Duell provided preliminary financial information regarding FY 2023 figures. Duell now expects net sales to be approximately EUR 118 million (EUR 124m FY 2022, EUR 125m Evli est.) and adjusted EBITA to be approximately EUR 4.5m (EUR 8.7m FY 2022, EUR 7.4m Evli est.). The preliminary figures imply net sales of roughly EUR 29m (-16% y/y) and adjusted EBITA of roughly EUR 0.1m during Q4.

Market pressure expected to persist

For FY 2023, our estimates now align with the preliminary figures provided by the company for revenue and adj. EBITA. We previously estimated revenue growth of 4.1% y/y for Q4 2023 driven by inorganic growth while we estimated that the organic sales continue to decline. With the implied net sales of EUR 29m in Q4, the company’s net sales declined roughly 16% y/y. Adj. EBITA was also clearly lower than our estimate. Our interpretation is that the weak net sales and profitability were driven by lower-than-expected volumes, FX related losses and discount sales. In addition to the preliminary figures, Duell also commented that it has been able to reduce inventory levels as planned which lowers the net debt. We now estimate that the market pressure is likely to continue as we see no signs of fast recovery in the consumer confidence across the operating regions. In addition, Duell’s customers have indicated that the conservative approach to inventory management is likely to continue. In addition to FY 2023, we have revised our estimates for coming years as we see the softness likely to continue especially during FY 2024.

HOLD (BUY) with a TP of EUR 0.9 (1.4)

With the substantial downward revisions to our estimates, we downgrade our rating to HOLD (BUY) and TP to EUR 0.9 (1.4). The beforementioned headwinds are likely to continue to affect Duell’s performance. On the other hand, the decrease in inventory levels eases short-term balance sheet pressure.