Automation And Digitalization Will Improve Manufacturing Efficiency And Sustainability

Key Takeaways

• Strategic focus on industrial automation, digitalization, and sustainability positions SKF for improved operational efficiency and higher-margin, stable revenue streams.
  
• Exiting the automotive segment enables better capital allocation and reduces exposure to volatile markets, supporting higher earnings quality.
  
• Overexposure to declining automotive sales, execution risks in division separation, non-repeatable regional growth, currency headwinds, and costly restructuring threaten margins and earnings stability.

Catalysts

Designs, manufactures, and sells bearings and units, seals, lubrication systems, condition monitoring, and services worldwide.

• The ongoing automation and digitalization of manufacturing, along with AB SKF's continued investments in automation, manufacturing regionalization, and rightsizing are expected to enhance operational efficiency and support sustained improvements in operating and EBITDA margins over the next several years.
  
• The expansion and modernization of the industrial segment-now contributing 72% of sales and 89% of adjusted operating profit-positions SKF to benefit from the global push for energy efficiency and sustainability, driving future revenue growth from advanced, energy-efficient bearing solutions.
  
• Strategic investments and commercial excellence initiatives in high-growth verticals such as aerospace (including increased aftermarket presence and doubling of capacity investments) are expected to deliver above-average sales growth and margin uplift, supporting premium pricing and gross margin expansion.
  
• SKF's development and rollout of predictive maintenance, smart bearings, and digital service solutions-leveraging trends toward digitalization and IoT integration in manufacturing-are likely to grow higher-margin, recurring service and maintenance revenue streams, raising both revenue stability and overall margins.
  
• The separation of the underperforming automotive segment and portfolio focus on core industrial businesses will allow SKF to allocate capital more efficiently, improving future earnings quality and reducing earnings volatility tied to cyclical automotive demand.

AB SKF Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming AB SKF's revenue will grow by 2.0% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 5.6% today to 9.1% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach SEK 9.2 billion (and earnings per share of SEK 20.56) by about September 2028, up from SEK 5.4 billion today. However, there is a considerable amount of disagreement amongst the analysts with the most bullish expecting SEK10.4 billion in earnings, and the most bearish expecting SEK7.6 billion.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 14.9x on those 2028 earnings, down from 20.2x today. This future PE is lower than the current PE for the GB Machinery industry at 22.4x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to remain consistent over the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 6.35%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

AB SKF Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• AB SKF's heavy reliance on the automotive sector, which continues to experience significant organic sales declines, exposes the company to secular risks from accelerating electrification and declining demand for traditional bearings, potentially leading to long-term revenue and earnings pressure.
  
• The ongoing separation of the automotive division is still subject to considerable execution and timing risk, with management acknowledging continued critical milestones and potential for delays; unresolved separation costs and operational dis-synergies could negatively impact net margins and future cash flows.
  
• Recent growth "green shoots" in markets like China wind and Southeast Asia appear to be driven primarily by policy-driven prebuying and timing effects rather than sustainable demand, suggesting that reported regional growth rates may not be repeatable and increasing volatility in revenues.
  
• Continued FX headwinds have materially impacted top-line reported figures (nearly –10% in the most recent quarter), and the company is unable to forecast relief, which could depress reported earnings and return on capital employed if unfavorable currency trends persist.
  
• The company's restructuring and rightsizing program, while intended to boost competitiveness, entails sizable near-term cash costs and workforce reductions; if demand does not recover or cost savings fall short, AB SKF may experience margin compression and slower progress on earnings improvement.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of SEK250.2 for AB SKF 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 SEK280.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just SEK190.0.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be SEK101.4 billion, earnings will come to SEK9.2 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 14.9x, assuming you use a discount rate of 6.4%.
• Given the current share price of SEK238.2, the analyst price target of SEK250.2 is 4.8% higher. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
• 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.