By Anna Pruchnicka
(Reuters) -Parcel locker company InPost on Wednesday reported better than expected first-quarter core earnings and hiked its revenue and volume forecasts to reflect a recent acquisition in Britain.
InPost, which operates across nine countries including its home base Poland, is best known for its automated parcel machines, or APMs, that allow customers to collect or drop off packages when it suits them.
It has built its stronghold in Poland by expanding the APM network, while also gaining traction abroad, with growing volumes and margins in key international markets France and Britain.
Its adjusted core earnings (EBITDA) rose 24% to 940.2 million zlotys ($248 million), versus 923 million expected by analysts polled by InPost, helped by a 12% increase in volumes.
InPost sees up to 5% growth in Polish e-commerce this year, down from its previous expectations for 5-9% growth, due to weak consumer sentiment, CEO Rafal Brzoska told reporters.
Consumer sentiment is weak across Europe, Brzoska said, citing uncertainty around tariffs and the war in Ukraine.
For the second quarter, InPost expects slower Polish volume growth in a high single-digit percentage, though still outpacing the broader e-commerce market. Abroad, it sees volumes rising about 50% year-on-year.
Its shares were down around 6% at 0854 GMT, after rising in the weeks leading up to the results.
Marek Szymanski from IPOPEMA Securities said the decline in share price performance was likely caused by the weaker volume forecast for Poland in the second quarter, which he said raised a question whether it was only due to consumer sentiment or also some decrease in volumes from e-commerce firm Allegro, one of InPost’s biggest customers.
Worries over Allegro lowering its dependence on InPost for delivery have knocked its shares earlier in the year.
Santander analyst Tomasz Sokolowski meanwhile linked the drop to weaker headline net profit and cash flows.
InPost confirmed annual forecast for adjusted EBITDA growing in a low to mid-twenties percentage, but expects its revenue to grow by 35% to 40% instead of the previously guided high-teens to low twenties growth.
It sees group volumes growing by 25% to 30%, versus previous expectations for mid-teens growth.
The updated guidance reflects InPost’s recent acquisition of parcel delivery firm Yodel in Britain and its new reporting segments, it said.
Volumes in Britain rose 39% in the quarter, and InPost said that after the Yodel deal it collaborates with more than 700 merchants in the strategic business-to-consumer area.
Brzoska said the company would add Britain to its cross-border service this year.
($1 = 3.7857 zlotys)
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Milla Nissi-Prussak)
