Vad tycker analytiker Lucas egentligen om rapporten för det fjärde kvartalet från Björn Borg? Finns det chans för lönsam tillväxt inom en snar framtid och vad ligger bakom vår rekommendation och riktkurs?

Björn Borg delivered weak Q4 earnings due to a lower gross margin and higher operating expenses, which more than offset the benefits of strong revenue growth. The company’s earnings multiples for this year are at the upper end of our acceptable valuation range, with a P/E ratio of approximately 18x and an EV/EBIT of ~14x. At current valuations, we would like to see clearer evidence that the company can successfully expand its footwear category while maintaining solid profitability. Based on our updated estimates, we believe the stock is relatively fairly valued. As a result, we lower our recommendation to Reduce (prev. Accumulate) and adjust our target price to SEK 62 per share, primarily due to revised estimates.

Björn Borg publicerade sin Q4-rapport fredag 21/2, som visade stark tillväxt men ett minskat rörelseresultat. Head Coach Henrik Bunge intervjuas av analytiker Lucas Mattsson.

Björn Borg will report its Q4’24 results on Friday. We anticipate good growth in revenue compared to the corresponding quarter last year, primarily driven by the integration of the footwear category, increased sales in the sports apparel category and continued strong development in own e-commerce. We estimate a lower gross margin due to a shift in the sales mix, as well as higher operating costs mainly due to increased marketing activities. Overall, we anticipate that this will offset the benefits of strong revenue growth, leading to relatively flat absolute EBIT development. Our focus in the upcoming report will be on demand-related information and updates on the footwear transition.

The January figures for the Swedish clothing market were published this morning. Sales grew by 4%, continuing the positive sales growth seen at the end of last year.