Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Bunzl shares slide on margins warning as US ops weigh

(Sharecast News) - Shares in Bunzl slipped on Monday as the distribution specialist said it expected a slight fall in operating margin after posting a 10% rise in annual profits, as revenues were hit by weaker trading at its North American operations. Pre-tax profit for 2023 came in at £698.6m on revenue of £11.8bn, down 2%. Shareholders will receive 68.3p a share.

The acquisition-hungry group also announced two more purchases - an 80% stake in Bristol-based catering giant Nisbets for £338m and Pamark in Finland for an undisclosed sum.

Bunzl also maintained guidance for 2024.

"Following a slower than expected start to the year in North America, we now expect to deliver slight revenue growth in 2024, at constant exchange rates, driven by acquisitions announced in 2023; with underlying revenue, which is organic revenue adjusted for trading days, declining slightly," said chief executive Frank van Zanten.

"Group operating margin is now expected to be slightly below 2023."

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Hummingbird announces restart at Kouroussa
(Sharecast News) - Hummingbird Resources announced the remobilization of Corica Mining Services at the Kouroussa Gold Mine in Guinea on Friday, after a work stoppage on March 17.
Drilling to start on Oracle's Northern Zone project
(Sharecast News) - Oracle Power announced on Friday that drilling is set to start next week at the Northern Zone Gold Project, 25 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Fulcrum Metals extends date for sale of uranium assets
(Sharecast News) - Fulcrum Metals announced an extension to the completion date for the proposed sale of its Saskatchewan uranium projects to Terra Balcanica Resources on Friday.
PipeHawk subsidiary awarded £0.75m contract
(Sharecast News) - PipeHawk announced on Friday that an unnamed building materials company had awarded its subsidiary QM Systems a significant contract.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.