$DHL (+2.97%)
@Simpson

Last year, DHL received more complaints than ever before. Nevertheless, the company wants to cut 8,000 jobs.

The Federal Network Agency has never received as many postal complaints as it did last year. As the Bonn-based authority announced in response to a request from the dpa news agency, it received 44,406 complaints about deficiencies in the postal service, 2,817 more than in 2023. This corresponds to an increase of almost seven percent. The previous record of 43,125 complaints in 2022 was therefore just exceeded.

The opportunity to criticize relates to the entire postal and parcel industry, although 89% of complaints last year were directed against the market leader DHL and its mail division Deutsche Post.

Most of the complaints are about deficiencies in delivery, but also about other issues such as branches where consumers were faced with locked doors even during their actual opening hours, or letterboxes that are emptied less frequently than before. Frustration is also caused by allegedly failed delivery attempts, even though the recipient was waiting at home and the doorbell worked fine - this raises the question of whether the parcel carrier made a serious attempt at all.

DHL: low proportion of complaints

The DHL postal group says that the number of complaints relating to it is low in relation to the 12.2 billion letters and 1.8 billion parcels that were delivered last year. However, a company spokesperson emphasizes that every complaint is one too many. "We work every day to improve our quality and minimize the number of complaints," said the spokesperson.

According to the statistics, only 0.0003 percent of shipments result in a complaint to the Federal Network Agency. However, you can also complain directly to DHL. The company does not reveal how many critical reports have reached the company directly.

In addition, there is a number of unreported delivery errors that have led to frustration among recipients but have not prompted them to make a complaint. Ultimately, the number of complaints from the Federal Network Agency is just an indicator that something could be amiss in the industry, which is under great time and cost pressure.

Swiss Post justifies problems with staff shortages

If there are an increasing number of critical reports in a region, the Federal Network Agency initiates what are known as "cause-based investigations" due to non-delivery or inadequate letter delivery. According to the Bonn-based authority, there was a relatively high level of dissatisfaction in Bochum in October 2024, for example, where Swiss Post justified its delivery problems with staff shortages and organizational bottlenecks. Swiss Post responded there by hiring new staff and substitutes. In January 2025, the delivery situation had stabilized, according to the Federal Network Agency.

There were similar delivery deficits last year in Stuhr (Lower Saxony), Erlensee (Hesse), Hamburg, Freudenstadt (Baden-Württemberg), Planegg (Bavaria) and Neuenhagen (Brandenburg). It was not only staff shortages that played a role, but also bad weather and unusually high shipment volumes.

In general, Deutsche Post is struggling with the decline in the mail business. On March 6, 2025, the company announced its intention to cut 8,000 jobs in Germany by the end of the year. The Danish postal service provider Postnord even announced its intention to completely discontinue letter delivery by the end of 2025.

https://www.golem.de/news/briefe-und-pakete-anzahl-der-post-beschwerden-steigt-auf-hoechstwert-2503-194106.html

https://www.ecoreporter.de/artikel/dhl-group-rekordzahl-an-beschwerden-im-post-gesch%C3%A4ft/

Tobias Meyer, the CEO of DHL Group ($DHL (+2.97%) ), and Melanie Kreis, the Chief Financial Officerpresented the results and provided detailed insights into the company's strategies and expectations.

The conference began with an overview of the highlights of the year 2024. The DHL Group recorded an EBIT of 5,886 million euros and a strong year-end spurt driven by a successful peak season in all divisions.

Particularly noteworthy are the targeted measures to increase returns and cost efficiency, especially in the express business, as well as a high cash flow of around EUR 3 billion. The company reaffirmed its policy of a stable dividend of EUR 1.85 per share, increased the share buyback program by EUR 2 billion and extended it by one year. To further increase efficiency and secure the necessary funds for future growth, a Group-wide program called "Fit for Growth" was launched.

Meyer emphasized that the fourth quarter results are in line with the historical shares of full-year sales, with the Express and Post & Parcel (P&P) divisions in particular contributing to this. Express and Post & Parcel (P&P) Germany benefited from a strong end to the year. Despite a volatile start to 2024 with declining revenue in the first half of the year, the company achieved revenue growth in the third quarter and also increased earnings in the fourth quarter. Meyer was confident about 2025 despite the continued volatile conditions, particularly with regard to growth in geographical and industry segments with high growth potential.

There was a particular focus on the e-commerce businesswhich has recorded impressive volume growth of 61% over the last five years. Although this area is not yet fully mature, DHL Group plans to maintain the pace of growth, especially in the B2C segment.

The Supply Chain division exceeded the the EUR 1 billion mark in EBIT for the first time for the first time and, according to Meyer, is on a good structural growth path. Good contract conclusions and a promising pipeline make the company optimistic for the coming years.

Meyer also addressed the the effects of trade barriers and emphasized that although these have a negative impact on volumes, trade is often more resilient than expected. For example, Brexit led to an increased need for customs declarations, which created additional business opportunities for DHL Group. The company's geographic focus on high-growth regions that are less affected by the US government's new trade policies also gives Meyer confidence.

Another important point was the positioning of the express business compared to the general air freight market. Meyer emphasized that the express model has historically gained market share from the carrier-forwarder model and is expected to continue to do so in the future. Particularly in sectors such as life science and healthcare, where smaller, higher value shipments are increasing, he sees a natural advantage for the integrated express model.

Meyer also explained the Strategy 2030 and the "Fit for Growth" program, which aims to increase profitability through various measures in the areas of aviation, airfreight and structural simplification. In Germany, this will unfortunately also lead to staff reductions due to the structural decline in letter volumes.

The outlook for 2025 envisages EBIT of more than EUR 6 billionwith DHL contributing more than EUR 5.5 billion, P&P around EUR 1 billion and Group Functions minus EUR 0.4 billion. Cash flow is expected to remain stable at EUR 3 billion, and investments and the tax rate are also expected to be at a similar level to the past. In the medium term, the company is aiming for EBIT of over EUR 7 billion, relying on its structural growth levers but also taking into account the effects of the macroeconomic environment.

With regard to the distribution to shareholders Meyer reaffirmed the commitment to a stable dividend of EUR 1.85 per share and increased the share buyback program by EUR 2 billion.

In the Post & Parcel Germany division, the successful peak season was unable to fully compensate for the known negative effects of the decline in letter volumes and cost inflation. However, the company expects P&P EBIT to increase in 2025, as regulated letter pricing and continued parcel growth should have a positive impact. However, due to the accelerated decline in letter volumes, cost inflation and the regulatory environment, cost reduction measures had to be accelerated.

The following topics were covered in the subsequent Q&A session:

Muneeba Kayani (Bank of America) asked about the moving factors in the outlook for 2025 and whether the latest developments in Germany have already been taken into account. Meyer replied that the outlook is based on the momentum of 2024 and the short-term changes in Germany will not yet have a significant impact. He pointed out that it is mainly about spending on defense and infrastructure and that the agility of the German administration has suffered in recent years, so it is questionable whether the funds will actually flow in 2025. In terms of reorganization or adapting the legal structure to the management structure, the company believes it is making good progress. Kreis added that at the Capital Markets Day on April 3 will show how the portfolio complements each other and can be used for future growth.

Alexia Dogani (JPMorgan Chase & Co.) asked whether the Fit for Growth" program mainly aimed at cost reduction or whether some of the savings will also increase EBIT, and asked for more details on the shipment mix and weight shipment mix and the weight increase. Kreis explained that the program includes a wide range of measures, some of which will directly change the cost position, while others are intended to help achieve solid guidance for the current and medium-term year. Meyer pointed out that the life science and healthcare sectors are particular areas of focus, while there are gradual changes in other areas. In terms of engagement with the defense sector, Meyer explained that the company is engaging with the sector in different ways, both through civilian and military manufacturers and through engagements with governments, but this is nothing new.

Cedar Ekblom (Morgan Stanley) asked about the impact of the changes to the de minimis rules and the impact on the cost base as well as the positioning of the company in the e-commerce market in the USA. Meyer explained that the short-term suspension of the de minimis rule has caused significant disruption and that the consolidation of shipments usually means that the de minimis rule is no longer applicable. He emphasized that the company has a relevant share of volumes with Express, but does not transport cheap goods by air to the US on a large scale. With regard to the e-commerce market in the USA, Meyer reaffirmed the partnership with the USPS, which handles last-mile delivery. Kreis added that the very good performance of the e-commerce division in the fourth quarter also included a good performance in the USA, which proves the good and healthy relationship with the USPS.

Cristian Nedelcu (UBS) asked for an explanation of the underlying assumptions for volume growth in the EBIT bridge for 2025 and 2027 and the impact of pricing versus inflation. Kreis replied that a more subdued environment is expected for 2025, but a normalization in the long term in line with the guidance expectations of Strategy 2030. She emphasized that the company is fundamentally committed to offsetting inflation through pricing and referred to DHL Express' disciplined annual GPI mechanism. With regard to cost savings, she specified that the target of over EUR 1 billion is to be achieved by the end of 2026 and that the savings will be spread evenly over the years 2025 and 2026.

Marco Limite (Barclays) asked about the outlook for P&P against the background of the wage agreement and whether the staff reduction is part of this agreement. Kreis explained that 2026 will be a more challenging year for P&P, which is why the structural reduction of the workforce by 8,000 employees will be initiated to ensure the division's profitability. She emphasized that this will be done in a socially responsible manner and that no conflicts with the union are expected. With regard to the EUR 1 billion, she emphasized that this will support the result regardless of the macroeconomy.

Patrick Creuset (Goldman Sachs) asked about the potential for an increase in profitability in the Freight Forwarding division and whether the cost reduction program can contribute to achieving the the goal of a 35 percent conversion rate conversion rate. Meyer acknowledged that the division has made great progress in terms of cost efficiency, but that the conversion rate is also influenced by the GP per unit. He emphasized that the company is well on its way to closing the gap with competitors and achieving the long-term goal of exceeding the balance between volume growth and conversion rate.

In summary, DHL Group had a successful 2024 with a strong year-end spurt. The company is well positioned to continue to grow and increase its profitability in the future, even if the macroeconomic environment remains volatile. The focus on increasing efficiency, strategic investments and distributions to shareholders should create long-term value.

Never found the entry into META, now I have the current rise of $DHL (+2.97%) and the weakness of $META (+2.3%) for a rotation... and hope that Trump will slowly calm down 🙈

Reallocation to Allworld

Swiss Post has not been able to convince me for some time now. I am using today's push to get rid of the parcel at least slightly profitably.

Despite taking a profit, it was not a success for me and once again proof that "cheap" is not always cheap 😉

To everyone else with patience, good luck with the paper.

#dhl With a gain of +27% within a month, I simply had to sell the shares, I don't see the best opportunities in the medium term and prefer to redeploy the money.

$DHL (+2.97%)

After one year $DHL (+2.97%) sold with a loss of 5.9% in order to $VWRL (+1.45%) to restructure it. 5 minutes later, the price rose by 10% 🙈😭

Donald Trump wants to overturn US Chips Act + Lufthansa profits slump + DHL expects little earnings growth in 2025 + Merck aims for further profitable growth in 2024 after uprising + Kontron share price jumps to record high after order

Donald Trump wants to overturn US Chips Act

• Should the US government actually stop payments or cut commitments, this would affect many US companies: Although reporting is dominated by Intel $INTC (+0.5%), Micron $MU (+4.84%), Samsung $005930and TSMC $2330, which will receive up to 8.49 billion US dollars. But also Texas Instruments $TXN (-0.11%), Applied Materials $AMAT (+2.92%)and the University of Arizona will also receive money.
• In addition, a number of small companies are to receive between 200,000 and 300,000 US dollars. All projects can be found in a list maintained by Nist. In the case of Intel, the loss of subsidy commitments could exacerbate the current crisis.

Lufthansa $LHA (+2.35%)Profit collapses

• Strikes, higher costs and lower ticket prices caused Lufthansa's profits to plummet last year.
• The core brand Lufthansa Airlines was even in the red in its day-to-day business, as the MDax-listed company announced in Frankfurt on Thursday.
• Group-wide operating profit before special items therefore slumped by over one billion to around 1.65 billion euros.
• For the current year, CEO Carsten Spohr is aiming for a "significant" improvement.
• The already announced restructuring program should contribute to this.
• Last year, Group airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian and Eurowings carried 131 million passengers, seven percent more than in the previous year.
• Turnover increased by six percent to 37.6 billion euros.
• Unlike the passenger division, the cargo subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo and the maintenance division Lufthansa Technik were also able to increase their operating profit.
• The bottom line was a Group-wide surplus of just under 1.4 billion euros, 18 percent less than in the previous year.
• Nevertheless, shareholders are to receive an unchanged dividend of 30 cents per share.

DHL $DHL (+2.97%)expects only little earnings growth in 2025

• The logistics group DHL is implementing a cost-cutting program to combat sluggish global trade and the uncertain geopolitical situation.
• This is accompanied by the reduction of 8,000 jobs in the German mail and parcel business, as the company announced in Bonn on Thursday.
• CEO Tobias Meyer sees "both shadow and light" for the Group in the US customs policy.
• Meanwhile, the Bonn-based DAX-listed company expects only a sluggish improvement in earnings in 2025, after 2024 performed somewhat better than analysts had feared.
• "We continue to expect an operating result (EBIT) of over 7 billion euros in the medium term," Group CEO Tobias Meyer told the financial news agency dpa-AFX.
• He had previously targeted earnings before interest and taxes of more than EUR 7 billion for 2026.
• Similar to Brexit, the number of shipments is expected to decline on the one hand, while on the other hand DHL is likely to gain in added value, for example because more shipments will have to be cleared through customs.
• On this basis, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) are expected to increase slightly to at least EUR 6 billion in 2025.
• However, analysts surveyed by the company had estimated a median of 6.3 billion euros.
• At the same time, free cash flow is expected to remain stable at EUR 3.0 billion and thus be slightly better than expected, as in 2024.
• In 2024, the DAX-listed company earned EUR 5.9 billion in day-to-day business, a good 7 percent less than in the previous year.
• However, the operating result did not fall quite as sharply as analysts had feared.
• At 3.0 billion euros, the free cash flow was also better than experts had expected.
• DHL therefore met the targets it had set itself.
• At EUR 3.3 billion, the bottom line for shareholders in 2024 was a good 9 percent less profit than in 2023.
• The Board of Management intends to propose a stable dividend of EUR 1.85 per share at the Annual General Meeting.
• The share buyback program is to be increased by EUR 2 billion to EUR 6 billion and extended until 2026.

Merck $MRK (-0.63%)aims to continue to grow profitably after the upswing in 2024

• After a weak previous year, day-to-day business at the pharmaceutical and technology group Merck KGaA has picked up again in 2024.
• The final quarter was above average.
• CEO Belen Garijo now wants to build on the upswing in the current year.
• "Merck is back on course for growth with all three businesses," said the manager in a statement on Thursday.
• "In 2025, we will once again grow profitably across the entire company."
• Shareholders are to receive a stable dividend of 2.20 euros for the past year.
• According to the statement, Merck is targeting sales of EUR 21.5 to 22.9 billion in the current year, which corresponds to organic growth of three to six percent.
• Adjusted for special effects, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (adjusted EBITDA) are expected to increase organically by three to eight percent to EUR 6.1 to 6.6 billion.
• Last year, Group revenue climbed by 0.8 percent year-on-year to EUR 21.16 billion, supported by good business with medicines and semiconductor materials for artificial intelligence (AI).
• Since the second half of the year, there have also been signs of an upturn in the laboratory division, after the division had suffered from weak demand for a long time following the coronavirus boom.
• The Group also kept its costs in check.
• Adjusted for special effects, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (adjusted EBITDA) increased by 3.3% to almost EUR 6.1 billion.
• Merck's sales and operating result were thus in line with its own targets and also more or less in line with analysts' expectations.
• Due to higher taxes, however, the Darmstadt-based company earned just under EUR 2.79 billion, around two percent less than in the previous year.

Kontron $KTN (+6.05%)share price jumps to record high after order

• Following an order, Kontron shares reached a record high of EUR 23.34 on Wednesday.
• Most recently, the share price rose by 12.9 percent to EUR 23.18 and was one of the top positions in the small cap index SDax.
• The Austrian technology group announced a further order from the automotive industry worth 40 million euros.
• This involves the delivery of highly developed sensor technologies.
• This should at least benefit the perception of the share, commented a trader.
• On February 20, Kontron had announced an order with a total volume of 250 million US dollars over several years from a "leading supplier to the automotive industry".

Thursday: Stock market dates, economic data, quarterly figures

• ex-dividend of individual stocks
• Qualcomm USD 0.85
• BHP Group AUD 0.80

• Quarterly figures / company dates USA / Asia
• 22:00 Broadcom quarterly figures
• 22:05 Hewlett Packard Enterprise quarterly figures
• No time specified: Costco Wholesale | Universal Music Quarterly figures

• Quarterly figures / Company dates Europe
• 07:00 Lufthansa | DHL Group | Merck KGaA | Siltronic | Ströer | Zalando | Aareal Annual results
• 07:30 Compugroup Medical | Prosiebensat1 | Dürr | GFT Technologies | Air France-KLM | Bouygues Annual results
• 08:00 Deutsche Beteiligungs AG | Reckitt Benckise Annual Results
• 09:00 DHL Group Analyst Conference | Aareal Bank | Zalando BI-PK | Ströer Analyst and Press Conference
• 09:30 Lufthansa BI-PK
• 10:00 Merck KGaA PK | Siltronic Analyst Conference | Dürr BI-PK
• 10:45 Zalando Analyst Conference
• 11:00 DHL Group BI-PK
• 11:30 Prosiebensat1 BI-PK
• 12:30 Lufthansa Analyst Conference
• 14:00 Merck KGaA Analyst Conference | Dürr Analyst Conference
• 18:00 Vivendi Annual Results
• No time specified: Andritz | Solvay Annual figures

• Economic data

08:00 DE: Services turnover December

11:00 EU: Retail Sales January Eurozone FORECAST: +0.1% yoy previous: -0.2% yoy

12:00 TR: Turkish Central Bank, outcome of the Monetary Policy Council meeting Key interest rate FORECAST: n/a previously: 45.00%

14:15 EU: ECB, outcome of the Governing Council meeting and staff projection for growth and inflation in the eurozone Deposit rate FORECAST: 2.50% previously: 2.75%

14:30 US: Initial jobless claims (week) FORECAST: 235,000 previously: 242,000

14:30 US: Trade Balance January FORECAST: -128.7 bn USD previously: -98.4 bn USD

14:30 US: Productivity ex Agriculture (2nd release) 4Q annualized PROGNOSE: +1.2% yoy 1st release: +1.2% yoy 3rd quarter: +2.3% yoy Unit labor costs PROGNOSE: +3.0% yoy Preliminary: 1st release: +3.0% yoy Previously: 3rd quarter: +0.5% yoy

DHL share $DHL (+2.97%) weaker due to warning strikes

The trade union Verdi is extending the warning strikes at Deutsche Post, which is part of DHL. Employees in various areas have been called to temporarily stop work. Verdi is demanding a wage increase of seven percent for the approximately 170,000 employees and additional vacation days. The postal service has so far only made an offer of 1.8 percent plus 2 percent. With the strikes, Verdi wants to increase the pressure on the employers in order to achieve a better offer. The DHL share fell by 0.67 percent to 37.18 euros on Thursday.

AI company SoundHound $SOUN with sales increase despite loss

The AI company SoundHound has published its balance sheet for the fourth quarter of 2024. The loss per share amounted to USD 0.69, which is worse than expected. Nevertheless, SoundHound was able to increase its revenue to 34.543 million US dollars, which represents a significant improvement compared to the previous year. There was also a jump in revenue for the year as a whole, which rose from 45.9 million US dollars to 84.693 million US dollars.

IonQ $IONQ disappoints with losses despite sales growth

IonQ has presented its quarterly figures, which show mixed results. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company posted a loss of USD 0.93 per share, which exceeded analysts' expectations. However, revenue of USD 11.71 million was above estimates and also above the previous year's figure. Despite the losses, CEO Peter Chapman is optimistic and emphasizes the progress made in technology. IonQ is also planning to acquire ID Quantique in order to strengthen its position in the field of quantum-secure network encryption. The shares fell by 12.93 percent to 26.06 US dollars on Thursday.

Sources: https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/tarifstreit-dhl-aktie-post-warnstreiks-werden-zwei-weitere-tage-fortgesetzt-14279751 https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/fokus-auf-geschaeft-soundhound-aktie-zieht-an-soundhound-steigert-umsatz-14271849 https://www.finanzen.net/nachricht/aktien/durchwachsene-zahlen-ionq-aktie-im-minus-ausweitung-der-verluste-laesst-anleger-fliehen-14275951