Bekaert Feedback conference call
Below is the feedback from the 3Q conference call. Bekaert lowered its FY guidance to an uEBIT range of 340-350m, which at midpoint is c. 9% below our forecast (378m) and 8% below consensus (373m), reflecting weaker end markets. Importantly and taking into account the solid balance sheet (net debt/EBITDA below 1x) and limited recent M&A activity, Bekaert announced to immediately resume share buybacks and launched a € 200m (>10% of current market cap) SBB program, to be executed over the next 24 months. Despite the reduced FY guidance which will prompt a revision of our forecasts, we welcome th...