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Residential Recovery And Energy Costs Will Shape Medium Term Resilience Outlook

Published
29 Dec 24
Updated
11 Nov 25
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AnalystConsensusTarget's Fair Value
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1Y
-4.3%
7D
5.9%

Author's Valuation

€33.6721.6% undervalued intrinsic discount

AnalystConsensusTarget Fair Value

Last Update 11 Nov 25

WIE: Residential Market Recovery Will Drive Improved Outlook Amid Energy Headwinds

Wienerberger's analyst price target has seen a modest increase from EUR 35 to EUR 36 as analysts cite a cautiously improved outlook despite ongoing concerns about residential market recovery and rising energy costs.

Analyst Commentary

Recent street research has provided a nuanced outlook for Wienerberger, reflecting both cautious optimism and notable concerns regarding the company's near-term prospects and valuation trajectory.

Bullish Takeaways

  • Bullish analysts have modestly increased their price targets for Wienerberger. This signals confidence in the company's valuation potential even in a challenging market environment.
  • Incremental upward adjustments suggest that the company's fundamentals are perceived as resilient, with execution considered solid enough to warrant a more favorable price target.
  • The updated targets indicate expectations for improved business performance as sector headwinds gradually subside and management steers the company through ongoing volatility.
  • The Equal Weight ratings that accompany target increases point to a stable outlook, with room for upside if residential end markets recover more quickly than anticipated.

Bearish Takeaways

  • Bearish analysts remain cautious about the pace of recovery in residential construction, which is seen as slower than previously expected and may limit growth opportunities.
  • Persistently high energy costs are projected to exert margin pressure, potentially offsetting gains from any volume improvements.
  • There is concern that lower overall volumes combined with challenging price dynamics could lead to weaker profitability in the near term.
  • Neutral ratings and conservative targets reflect skepticism over the timing of a sustained sector rebound, with risks skewed to the downside if current macroeconomic conditions persist.

What's in the News

  • Wienerberger completed the repurchase of 2,250,000 shares, representing 2.03% of outstanding shares, for a total of €63.1 million as part of the buyback initiative announced on October 15, 2024 (company announcement).
  • From April 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025, the company reported that no additional shares were repurchased during the latest tranche (company announcement).

Valuation Changes

  • Fair Value: Remained steady at €33.67, indicating no change in consensus intrinsic valuation.
  • Discount Rate: Rose slightly from 8.05% to 8.40%. This suggests a marginally higher risk premium applied in models.
  • Revenue Growth: Remained stable at 3.34%, reflecting no significant shift in expectations for top-line expansion.
  • Net Profit Margin: Held steady at 8.30%, with no meaningful change in projected earnings efficiency.
  • Future P/E Ratio: Increased modestly from 10.58x to 10.68x. This indicates slightly higher valuation multiples for forward earnings.

Key Takeaways

  • Sustained demand in renovation, infrastructure, and sustainable materials, along with strategic acquisitions, supports revenue growth and offsets weakness in new residential construction.
  • Cost optimization, digitalization, and scale efficiencies from M&A improve margins, while regulatory trends in energy efficiency boost demand and earnings resilience.
  • Prolonged weakness in housing markets, higher input costs, and reliance on traditional materials threaten Wienerberger's profit margins, revenue growth, and investment capacity amidst currency headwinds.

Catalysts

About Wienerberger
    Produces and sells clay blocks, facing bricks, roof tiles, and pavers in Europe West, Europe East, and North America.
What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
  • Wienerberger is benefiting from sustained demand in renovation and infrastructure segments-underpinned by urban population growth and the need for water management and housing upgrades-which is expected to provide multi-year revenue visibility and offset cyclical weakness in new residential construction.
  • The company is actively expanding its portfolio in energy-efficient and sustainable building materials (e.g., through acquisitions like Terreal and solar supplier GSI), aiming to capture market share and support premium pricing, which should drive both revenue growth and net margin expansion.
  • Wienerberger's ongoing cost optimization and digitalization initiatives-including production efficiency, logistics optimization, and potential workforce adjustments-are expected to mitigate persistent cost inflation and support operating margin improvement.
  • An accretive M&A strategy, with bolt-on acquisitions in fragmented markets (as seen with recent deals in Ireland, Netherlands, and France), expands Wienerberger's scale and geographic reach, providing revenue and EBITDA growth levers through both cross-selling and integration synergies.
  • The company's leading position in sustainable materials and readiness for regulatory tightening around energy efficiency and emissions standards favor incremental demand for its solutions, supporting long-term earnings resilience and margin protection.

Wienerberger Earnings and Revenue Growth

Wienerberger Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

How have these above catalysts been quantified?
  • Analysts are assuming Wienerberger's revenue will grow by 3.6% annually over the next 3 years.
  • Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 4.0% today to 9.0% in 3 years time.
  • Analysts expect earnings to reach €464.4 million (and earnings per share of €3.45) by about September 2028, up from €187.4 million today.
  • In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 10.5x on those 2028 earnings, down from 17.1x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the GB Basic Materials industry at 17.1x.
  • Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 0.76% per year for the next 3 years.
  • To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 7.53%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Wienerberger Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Wienerberger Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

What could happen that would invalidate this narrative?
  • Persistent high mortgage rates and weak new residential housing demand in key markets like the U.S. and Germany are leading to lower sales volumes for Wienerberger's core products, which could cause continued revenue pressure if these trends remain unchanged.
  • Rising energy and personnel costs, especially through 2025 and 2026, are expected to remain at elevated levels due to existing forward contracts and inflation-linked agreements, potentially compressing net margins if cost increases cannot be fully offset by price hikes.
  • The company's ongoing exposure to traditional building materials (like bricks and clay blocks), which are particularly vulnerable to market downturns in new residential construction, risks topline weakness as secular shifts favor more innovative or sustainable construction materials, impacting long-term revenue growth.
  • Increased capital expenditure requirements (growth and maintenance CapEx totaling nearly €300 million) combined with volatile working capital and seasonal negative free cash flow could constrain earnings growth and restrict funds available for future investments.
  • Currency headwinds, particularly the weakening U.S. dollar, are eroding earnings contributions from North America, and further volatility could negatively impact group EBITDA and reported earnings.

Valuation

How have all the factors above been brought together to estimate a fair value?
  • The analysts have a consensus price target of €37.117 for Wienerberger based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of €40.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just €33.0.
  • In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be €5.2 billion, earnings will come to €464.4 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 10.5x, assuming you use a discount rate of 7.5%.
  • Given the current share price of €29.26, the analyst price target of €37.12 is 21.2% higher.
  • We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.

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Disclaimer

AnalystConsensusTarget is a tool utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) that ingests data on consensus price targets, forecasted revenue and earnings figures, as well as the transcripts of earnings calls to produce qualitative analysis. The narratives produced by AnalystConsensusTarget are general in nature and are based solely on analyst data and publicly-available material published by the respective companies. These scenarios are not indicative of the company's future performance and are exploratory in nature. Simply Wall St has no position in the company(s) mentioned. Simply Wall St may provide the securities issuer or related entities with website advertising services for a fee, on an arm's length basis. These relationships have no impact on the way we conduct our business, the content we host, or how our content is served to users. The price targets and estimates used are consensus data, and do not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and they do not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Note that AnalystConsensusTarget's analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

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