EQS-News: R. STAHL increases sales in financial year 2024 – profitability below high level of the prior year

R. STAHL increases sales in financial year 2024 – profitability below high level of the prior year

• Group sales up 4.1% to € 344.1 million
• At € 327.6 million, order intake did not reach the strong level of the previous year (€ 342.5 million)
• Profitability below very good prior-year figure due to one-time items. EBITDA pre exceptionals down from € 38.6 million in the previous year to € 34.4 million. EBITDA margin pre exceptionals also lower at 10.0% (previous year: 11.7%).
• Free cash flow increases significantly to € 14.7 million (previous year: € 0.3 million).

Waldenburg, 18 February 2025 – According to preliminary figures, R. STAHL closed out financial year 2024 in line with its planning. Demand for products and services from the explosion protection specialist weakened in the second half of the year due to increasing political and economic uncertainty.

Sales up 4.1% to € 344.1 million – order intake below the high level of the previous year
The high order backlog at the beginning of the year and good production capacity utilization, particularly in the first half of the year, ensured stable sales development overall in financial year 2024. This enabled R. STAHL to increase sales for full year 2024 by 4.1% to € 344.1 million (previous year: € 330.6 million). The forecast corridor was between € 335 million and € 350 million.

At € 327.6 million, order intake did not reach the strong level of the previous year of € 342.5 million. The general economic slowdown and increasing political and economic uncertainties meant that customers were less willing to invest. Order intake has, however, picked up again significantly since the start of 2025. Because sales exceeded order volume in the past financial year, order backlog decreased to € 95.8 million at the end of 2024 (previous year: € 115.1 million).

Profitability down due to high one-time items – free cash flow significantly improved
R. STAHL’s profitability in the past financial year was below the very high level of the previous year. This was mainly due to one-time items resulting from the implementation of the strategy program combined with higher personnel costs as a result of collective bargaining agreements. In addition, the reduction in finished and unfinished goods had a negative impact on total operating performance, which grew at a slower rate than sales.

EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) pre exceptionals showed a year-on-year decline of € 4.3 million to € 34.4 million (previous year: € 38.6 million). It was therefore close to the forecast corridor of € 35 million to € 40 million specified in November 2024. The company’s profitability, measured by the EBITDA margin pre exceptionals, fell from 11.7% in the previous year to 10.0%.

R. STAHL 2024 significantly improved its free cash flow by € 14.5 million to € 14.7 million (previous year: € 0.3 million). Here, R. STAHL had forecast a figure in the mid single-digit positive million euro range. Free cash flow exceeded expectations mainly due to the strong reduction of raw materials inventories that had been built up in previous years and the recognition of sales from finished products.

“Despite the challenging macroeconomic conditions, R. STAHL closed the financial year 2024 with a solid performance overall. This shows that the company is well positioned during economic downturns. With our high level of investment and the consistent implementation of our corporate strategy, we have laid the foundation for R. STAHL's sustainable and successful future,” says Dr. Mathias Hallmann, CEO at R. STAHL.

The figures and forward-looking statements in this press release relating to 2024 are preliminary. R. STAHL will provide an outlook for 2025 together with the release of its audited Annual Report 2024 on 10 April 2025.

Key figures of R. STAHL Group pursuant to IFRS¹⁾

¹⁾ Preliminary business figures; the final and complete business figures and the Annual Report 2024 will be published on 10 April 2025.

²⁾ Exceptionals: restructuring charges, unscheduled depreciation and amortization, charges for designing and implementing IT projects, M&A costs, profit and loss from deconsolidation transactions as well as profit and loss from the disposal of assets no longer required for business operations

³⁾ Cash and cash equivalents less interest-bearing loans; excluding pension provisions and lease liabilities

⁴⁾ Without apprentices

Percentages and figures may include rounding differences. Rates of change > +100% are shown as > +100%, rates of change < -100% as “n/a“ (not applicable).

Financial calendar 2025

10 April  Publication of Annual Report for FY 2024
6 May    Quarterly Statement Q1 2025
3 June   32^nd Annual General Meeting
7 Aug.    Interim Report H1 2025
4 Nov.   Quarterly Statement Q3 2025

About R. STAHL – www.r-stahl.com
R. STAHL is one of the world's leading suppliers of electrical and electronic products and systems for explosion protection. These products and systems prevent explosions in hazardous areas and contribute to the safety of people, machines and the environment. The portfolio covers the portfolio segments Electrical, Automation as well as Lighting and is completed by the cross-divisional function Customer Solutions. Typical customers are the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, the oil & gas industry - including LNG applications - as well as the food and beverage industry. Most of the R. STAHL products are also approved for use with hydrogen. According to preliminary figures in 2024, global sales amounting to € 344 million were generated by around 1,700 employees. The shares of R. STAHL AG are traded on the Regulated Market/Prime Standard of Deutsche Boerse (ISIN DE000A1PHBB5).

Forward-looking statements
This release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and estimates of R. STAHL’s management. Although we assume that the expectations of these forward-looking statements are realistic, we cannot guarantee that these expectations will prove to be correct. The assumptions may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such discrepancies include: changes in the macroeconomic and business environment, exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations, the roll-out of competing products, a lack of acceptance of new products or services, and changes in business strategy. R. STAHL does not plan to update these forward-looking statements nor does it accept any obligation to do so.