Persimmon warns on profits and slashes dividend by 75%

Persimmon has issued a revenue warning and slashed its dividend by 75 per cent because the British builder faces as much as a slowing UK housing market.

The housebuilder, which started flagging slowing demand within the second half of final yr, advised buyers on Wednesday its 2022 underlying revenue margin of 27.2 per cent may very well be chopped down by 500 foundation factors, or 5 per cent, because of annualised price inflation of 8 per cent.

Its margins may dip one other 800bps (8 per cent) because of diminished volumes, and elevated gross sales incentives and advertising and marketing prices. The builder mentioned its weekly gross sales charge had virtually halved.

As a end result, Persimmon has slashed its dividend to 60p from 235p final yr.

Persimmon shares fell 9.2 per cent in early buying and selling to £13.18, bringing losses to 43 per cent over one yr.

The UK housing market has slowed in current months, as larger mortgage charges and broader financial considerations drive homebuyers away and falling home costs squeeze margins.

Britian’s greatest constructing society Nationwide reported right now that home costs are falling yearly for the primary time for the reason that begin of the pandemic. 

Persimmon’s common web personal weekly gross sales charge at the moment stands at 0.52, in comparison with 0.96 a yr earlier.

Its present ahead gross sales stand at £1.52billion, together with personal common gross sales of £810million, with a mean promoting value of £288,638 ‘indicating that pricing stays agency’.

Persimmon mentioned whereas it’s ‘too early’ to evaluate a full-year gross sales charge, present charges indicate 8,000-9,000 authorized completions for 2023, down from 14,868 in 2022 and 14,551 in 2021.

Persimmon will not be alone amongst friends warning of the influence of a slowing housing market, with Barratt Development, Redrow and Bellway reporting a extreme downturn of their ahead order books final month.

Group CEO Dean Finch mentioned: ‘The market stays unsure. Our advertising and marketing marketing campaign has helped enhance the group’s gross sales charges within the new yr from the lows on the finish of 2022, however they nonetheless stay decrease yr on yr.

‘We have fastidiously managed our pricing, recognising the improved worth and vitality effectivity of our product in these tough instances and gross sales costs have proved resilient.

‘We responded shortly to stimulate gross sales, improve price controls and protect money, promptly slowing new land funding within the fourth quarter of final yr.

‘Nonetheless, the gross sales charges seen over the past 5 months imply completions can be down markedly this yr and as a consequence, so will margin and profits. However, it’s too early to offer agency steerage.’

However, Persimmon did carry out higher than anticipated final yr amid worsening market circumstances.

Underlying pre-tax revenue rose 4 per cent to only over £1billion within the yr to 31 December, in comparison with a mean of analysts’ estimates of £983.4million.

Head of markets at Interactive Investor Richard Hunter mentioned: ‘Persimmon has floor out a creditable efficiency contemplating the challenges of the final yr, though the present outlook is quite extra troubling.

‘All issues thought-about, the housebuilding sector is one which is at the moment fraught with difficulties and the share value efficiency displays the altering of the tide.

‘Over the final yr, Persimmon shares have fallen by 40 per cent as in comparison with a bounce of seven.4 per cent for the broader FTSE 100, regardless of a more moderen reduction rally of 14 per cent over the past three months, which has been largely undone in early commerce following these outcomes.

‘Perhaps extra noticeable is the impact on the final view of the shares. After some appreciable time of a constructive consensus which included Persimmon as one of many most well-liked performs, the market consensus of the inventory has now switched to a promote, implying that when it comes to the financial cycle, the worst might but be to come back.’