(Bloomberg) -- LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE probably had another difficult quarter, so the jury might still be out on whether the luxury sector has hit a bottom. The French luxury group is the first of Europe’s majors to report for the three months ended Sept. 30.
While its sheer scale of brands and product categories should act as a buffer against demand weakness, concerns about China prevail. Tariff tensions are adding to the pressure.
“A lingering consumer slowdown could widen the gap in luxury goods companies’ ability to shield operating margin, with the highest-end brands best positioned to pass on prices and new premium designs,” said Bloomberg Intelligence’s Deborah Aitken.
Nestle SA’s report needs to “calm the jitters” following the surprise departure of Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider in August, BI’s Duncan Fox said. The stock has barely budged from an almost six-year low reached after Schneider’s replacement, Laurent Freixe, took the reins.
Telecommunication archrivals Ericsson AB and Nokia Oyj need to progress on cost cuts to keep margins intact as 5G spending by mobile carriers stays muted. Swedish truckmaker Volvo AB is expected to show resilience in the face of waning industry demand.
A high order backlog should keep Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML Holding NV on track to meet its annual sales targets.
Monday: No notable earnings
Tuesday: LVMH (MC FP) is expected to report organic sales growth of 2.9% for fashion and leather goods, slower than 9% in the year before. Sales in Asia, excluding Japan, likely slid 14%, the third decline in a row. Growth can stabilize in the coming months if key units, including fashion and leather, match second-quarter rates and travel rebounds, BI’s Aitken said.
- Ericsson’s (ERICB SS) adjusted Ebit is seen jumping 39% year on year as cost cuts take hold. While revenue probably fell for a fifth straight quarter, the pace of decline likely slowed, consensus shows. Challenges will persist as a ramp-up in AT&T’s adoption of its Open RAN technology can only partly compensate for a shrinking RAN market, Kepler Cheuvreux analysts said.
Wednesday: ASML’s (ASML NA) order intake is estimated to have more than doubled year on year, coming just below the €5.57 billion it reported in the second quarter. Sales growth was likely driven by increased demand for its extreme ultraviolet tools, including the new higher-priced NXE 3800E model. The company’s high China sales exposure remains a concern, BI said.
Thursday: Nestle (NESN SW) might lower guidance in its nine-month sales update, according to UBS analyst Guillaume Delmas, who has lowered his EPS estimates for this year and next. Accelerating volume-mix growth will be a focus for new CEO Freixe, especially in the key coffee, pet care and nutrition segments, according to BI.
- Nokia (NOKIA FH) could post a 5.1% increase in adjusted operating income, consensus shows. Its full-year guidance should remain intact despite persisting market challenges, and momentum on the network infrastructure side will likely improve in coming quarters, Kepler Cheuvreux said. Analysts at Barclays view Nokia’s guidance for a stable Ebit margin in the third quarter as “demanding,” in part because a one-time gain in the second quarter makes comparisons tough.
Friday: Volvo Group’s (VOLVB SS) market volume guidance for 2025 will be key in its report, according to Carnegie, which expects a “resilient” third-quarter performance. Adjusted operating profit is set to fall 21%, according to analyst estimates. Deutsche Bank’s Nicolai Kempf expects orders grew slightly, both sequentially and from a year earlier, supported by South America. The mix might be slightly weaker in the second half, with a higher share of large fleets with typically stronger pricing power, he said.
--With assistance from Christopher Jungstedt, Jenny Che, Paula Doenecke, Jonas Ekblom, Joshua Gaunt-Warner and Allegra Catelli.
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