Hey guys,

I wanted to address a topic that is certainly of interest to us as investors: the reconstruction of Ukraine and which stocks could benefit from it. The geopolitical situation is constantly changing and there are many uncertainties. What happens if Donbass goes permanently to Russia? Will this slow down the reconstruction of Ukraine or could it still create opportunities for companies in the region?

America is getting involved mit🇺🇸

The USA is playing a central role in the reconstruction of Ukraine. A lot of money is already flowing into the region from the US, particularly for infrastructure, energy and technology. But it's not just about government aid - many US companies also have an interest in investing in the region. Considering how heavily the US is involved in supporting countries such as Poland and Ukraine, there are a number of companies here that could definitely benefit.

What happens if the Donbass goes to Russia?⚔️

If the Donbass is finally controlled by Russia, the geopolitical situation will of course worsen. This could slow down reconstruction in Ukraine, as this part of the country was an important industrial location. Nevertheless, billions of euros will flow into the western and central parts of Ukraine, and Poland could become an even more important partner in reconstruction.

Which stocks could benefit?📈🚀

If you look at who is active in the region, there are some exciting candidates that could benefit from the reconstruction. Here are a few companies that I think are well positioned:

♦️ Strabag (Austria): $STR (-1.22%) A construction company that is active in many infrastructure projects in Europe. They could play an important role in the reconstruction of roads, bridges and buildings - also in Poland and Ukraine.

♦️ PGE (Polska Grupa Energetyczna): $PGE (-1.5%) Poland's largest energy company. PGE could benefit from the expansion of the energy supply in Ukraine.

♦️ Budimex: $BDX (-1.37%) Another Polish construction company that is doing well in infrastructure projects. When Ukraine awards major construction contracts, Budimex could be one of the first ports of call.

♦️ KGHM: $KGH (-0.48%) This company is active in copper production. And we know how important copper is for reconstruction - whether for power lines, machinery or other infrastructure.

♦️ Asseco Poland:
$ACP (-5.48%) An IT company that is active in many areas. They could play a key role in modernizing the digital infrastructure in Ukraine.

♦️ General Electric (USA) $GEC GE operates globally and Ukraine needs a lot of energy infrastructure. GE could benefit by providing solutions in the field of energy supply.

♦️ Siemens: $SIE (+0.86%)
$ENR (+4.25%) The German company could play a crucial role in reconstruction through its expertise in energy and infrastructure.

Conclusion❔☝🏽

The geopolitical situation will keep us busy for some time, but one thing is clear: the reconstruction of Ukraine will require a lot of resources and investment, and many companies from Poland, the EU and the US are well positioned to benefit. Even if the Donbass aligns with Russia, the need for construction projects, energy and technology in western Ukraine and Poland will continue.

What do you think? Which companies do you think are interesting? Do you have any stocks on your radar that have a good chance in this context? Let us hear your opinions and ideas!

$STR (-1.22%)

StRaBaG

The Haselsteiner family wants to sell 1.7 percent of Strabag. The stock market does not like this.

Strabag's founding family Haselsteiner wants to sell around 1.7 percent of the Strabag construction group. That is around two million shares or a stake of 151 million euros (as per the closing price on Tuesday), as the news agency Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday evening.

Now the share is reacting. And not exactly well. On Wednesday morning, the share fell by 12.2 percent to around 66 euros. In contrast, the leading ATX index was only around 0.19 percent lower.

By yesterday, the share price had already risen by around 90 percent since the beginning of the year. After the price drop on Wednesday, the increase was still around 65 percent. The Haselsteiner family, Strabag's largest shareholder, would reduce its stake to 29 percent with the sale.

Hochtief's share price has already gained almost 30 percent in 2025. Whether network centers in the USA or infrastructure in Europe, investors have been buying into the company with great enthusiasm. But in addition to the fantasy, the company is also fundamentally convincing.

In the 2024 financial year, turnover climbed by 20% to around EUR 33.3 billion. Consolidated operating profit rose by over 17% to EUR 625 million, exceeding the upper end of the forecast range of EUR 560 to 610 million. A further increase of 9% to 17% to EUR 680 to 730 million is planned for 2025.

Nobody currently doubts that these targets will be achieved. When US President Trump announced investments of USD 500 billion for AI infrastructure projects in January 2025, the share price rose significantly. This is because Hochtief has a strong presence in the USA. A data center is already being built in Ohio via the subsidiary Turner. The planned special fund for federal infrastructure projects was also a driver for the share price. However, there are two things to bear in mind here: Firstly, this special fund has not yet been approved by the Federal Council and secondly, Hochtief generates 95 percent of its sales outside Europe. For Germany, we estimate a sales share of only 1 to 2 percent.

But things are going well at Hochtief. The figures are impressive proof of this. It is possible that the planned investments by the German government will ensure that the company can benefit noticeably not only from US investments, but also from those in Germany. That would be the best-case scenario. Investors remain on board.

$HOT (+1.42%)

$STR (-1.22%)

$POS (-0.5%)

$GBF (+0.5%)

$CEMEXCPO (-1.51%)

$HEI (+0.84%)

Yesterday I was half asleep reading through the data and bought it this morning, sometimes you just get lucky...

I was inspired by a Focus Money article and because many people here are asking.

I won't be investing myself, it's too short-term for me. But there are still some very interesting companies.

Feel free to write in the comments whether such "copied articles" are of any use to the community or are legally correct :)

The signs of a peace process in Ukraine are solidifying. This is triggering a run on the stock market for shares that could benefit from reconstruction

Regardless of the political interpretation, the stock market has been turning its back on the war for several days now and is betting on the coming peace. Stocks that are likely to benefit from the reconstruction in Ukraine have soared. The UBS Ukraine Reconstruction Index, which comprises 25 of these stocks, has been climbing for days and is at an all-time high. "The effects of a possible ceasefire in Ukraine are still being underestimated on the financial markets," says Bernd Meyer, Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Multi Asset at Berenberg, who is convinced that the rally will continue. Reconstruction requires enormous resources. According to estimates by the World Bank, the costs for this amount to a total of 500 billion dollars - the equivalent of Austria's gross domestic product and more than three times Ukraine's annual economic output before the war. The money is likely to benefit construction companies, suppliers, infrastructure companies and banks in particular. European companies could be the main beneficiaries - especially from neighboring countries such as Poland and Hungary, but also the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.

With Wärtsilä $WRT1V (-4.37%) a provider of technologies for the shipping and energy markets, and Konecranes $KCR (-1.74%) a manufacturer of industrial cranes and drive technology, Finnish companies are also on the list of potential peace beneficiaries - as are Italian companies such as the cement and building materials manufacturer Buzzi $BZU (+0%) The list is long. There is a great need for building materials, steel and cables to restore the destroyed infrastructure and energy supply. There is still no thematic fund or ETF on the beneficiaries of the reconstruction in Ukraine. Investors who want to benefit from this are therefore well advised to combine several securities into a portfolio themselves.

Banks: Erste Group Bank $EBS (-0.27%) Powszechna K. Osz $PKO (-4.54%) Santander Polska $SPL (-3.83%) Polska K. Opieki $PEO (-3.77%) Raiffeisen Bank Int.$RBI (-0.63%)

Construction: Wienerberger $WIE (-0.98%) Sniezka Construction $SKA Strabag $STR (-1.22%)

Insulation: Kingspan Group $KRX (-4.4%) Rockwool $ROCK B (+900%)

Glass: Cie de Saint-Gobain $SGO (-1.21%)

Cranes: Konecranes $KCR (-1.74%)

Cement: CRH $CRH (-0.04%) Buzzi $BZU (+0%) Holcim $HOLN (-2.92%) Heidelberg Mat. $HEI (+0.84%)

Construction machinery: Caterpillar $CAT (-1.3%)

Mining: Ferrexpo $FXPO (+0%) Metso $METSO (-1.42%)

Chemicals: BASF $BAS (-0.56%)

Industrial gases: Air Liquide $AI (-2.63%)

Infrastructure: Schneider Electric $SU (+1.02%) Rexel $RXL (-1.99%) Wärtsilä $WRT1V (-4.37%) Weir Group $WEIR (-1.27%)

Infrastructure (E): Siemens Energy $ENR (+4.25%) Prysmian $PRY (-1.46%) NKT $NKT (-1.57%) Nexans $NEX (+0.71%)

Agriculture: Kernel $KER (-5.86%)

Logistics(warehouse): Kion $KGX (+1.13%)

Steel: Arcelor Mittal $MT (+1.13%) and for stainless steels Outukompu $OUT1V (-0.56%)

Sanitary technology: Geberit $GEBN (-0.68%)

Specialty chemicals: Evonik $EVK (+0.14%) Arkema $AKE (-1.11%) Wacker Chemie $WCH (+2.77%) Lanxess $LXS (+1.7%)

$STR (-1.22%)

13.02.2025 STRABAG enters new financial year with record order backlog

STRABAG SE, the listed European technology group for construction services, today announced initial figures for the 2024 financial year and an outlook for 2025. "2024 was a very successful year for STRABAG in economic terms. We were able to keep output stable and expand the order backlog to a new record high. In addition, an extraordinarily high EBIT margin of close to 6% is on the horizon for 2024, as already announced on January 27, 2025," explains Christian Harder, CFO of STRABAG SE.

Performance

The STRABAG SE Group generated slightly higher output of € 19,238.80 million in the 2024 financial year, an increase of 1% or € 100 million. Strong growth was recorded in Poland and in the infrastructure and building solutions business in Germany. Significant increases in output were also achieved in Italy and the Middle East. As expected, output declined in Austria and Hungary.

Order backlog

After exceeding the € 25 billion mark for the first time in the first half of the year, the order backlog at the end of 2024 was further expanded to € 25,362.47 million, which represents an increase of € 1.9 billion or 8% compared to the previous year. The order backlog rose particularly strongly in Germany, especially in infrastructure and civil engineering. Significant growth was also recorded in Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Romania. The first signs of a turnaround in residential construction in Austria were encouragingly confirmed in the fourth quarter of 2024. In the United Kingdom, the order backlog declined due to the completion of major projects.

The most important additions to the order backlog in Germany include grid expansion projects for the energy transition worth more than € 1.1 billion, the general refurbishment of the Hamburg-Berlin railroad line and the replacement construction of the Kriegenbrunn navigation lock in Bavaria. In Slovakia, STRABAG was awarded the contract for the conversion and extension of the F.D. Roosevelt Clinic, and in the Czech Republic for the construction of the new headquarters of the local subsidiary of Erste Group, which is being built to the highest sustainability standards. In international business, contracts were acquired for a rapid transit line in Toronto and for the construction of a residential quarter in Abu Dhabi, among others.

EBIT margin

The EBIT margin for the 2024 financial year is expected to be close to 6% (2023: 5.0%), which is significantly higher than originally forecast. This is due to positive earnings effects in the North + West segment and - compared to the previous year - lower burdens on earnings in the volatile international project business.

Number of employees

An average of 78,174 employees (FTE) were employed in the 2024 financial year, which corresponds to a slight increase of 1% compared to the previous year. In line with the performance trend and due to acquisitions in the Building Solutions division - to expand the depth of added value in building services and energy management - the largest increases were recorded in Germany and the Benelux region. The changes in the other countries more or less balanced each other out.

Outlook 2025

For the 2025 financial year, the Executive Board expects a significant increase in output to around € 21 billion. This forecast is based on the high order backlog on the one hand and the expected contributions from the acquisitions made on the other. Higher output is forecast in all operating segments for 2025.

Following the combination of several positive earnings effects in 2024, the EBIT margin is expected to normalize in 2025. Due to the initial, noticeable effects of the strategy, the Executive Board is raising the EBIT margin target for 2025 to ? 4.5%.

Net investments (cash flow from investing activities) in 2025 should not exceed € 1,100 million. The increase compared to the previous year is due in particular to planned acquisitions as part of Strategy 2030.

Further figures and details on the 2024 financial year will be published on April 28, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. (CEST) at www.strabag

.com for publication.

Do we already know whether $STR (-1.22%) a special divi will be paid again in 2025? Warsl this is a beginner's question;) But it doesn't hurt to ask... thanks!

$STR (-1.22%) Reached the area above €44.xx today for the 4th time since 2021. It was nice on turbulent days like today😅

But I'm already waiting for the next entry!

$STR (-1.22%)
$POS (-0.5%)

were awarded the contract to build the Liegbrücke bridge near Tyrol on the Brenner highway.

After demolition and construction, the contract is worth over 217 million euros.

Unfortunately, Strabag lost against Rasperia in a Russian court. The conglomerate is expected to receive 2.1 billion euros.

The disputes are taking longer than expected.

Despite the death of company boss Klemens Haselsteiner at the age of 44 (17.1), the remaining board members are sticking to the Strategy 2030.

$STR (-1.22%) The contract is scheduled to be awarded in the first half of 2025

The major project is intended to secure the drinking water supply in Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester in the north-west of England for future generations.

The contract includes the planning, construction, financing and maintenance of six tunnel sections of the pipeline. The construction phase is scheduled to last eight years, followed by a further 25 years of maintenance. STRABAG UK Limited will be responsible for the overall design and construction of the project, while Equitix and the STRABAG Group will be responsible for the financing.

The estimated construction cost will be approximately GBP 2.5 - 2.9 billion.

Source: https://www.strabag.com/databases/internet/_public/content.nsf/web/FEEBBEC45972BE7AC1258C07004E63CB