Shares in Remy Cointreau climbed despite a drop in sales and earnings for the first half of fiscal 2024.
At 0929 GMT on Thursday shares were down 0.5% at EUR108, having risen as high as 7.4% earlier in the session.
The French distiller reported current operating profit of 169.1 million euros ($185.5 million) in the six months to Sep. 30, a 43% decrease compared to the previous year, while sales fell 22% to EUR636.7 million.
The company’s performance was affected by high inventories and rising interest rates in the U.S. market, it said.
Despite near-term volatility and low visibility, Remy Cointreau remains an attractive long-term growth opportunity in the European beverages market, according to Jefferies analysts Edward Mundy and Andrei Andon-Ionita in a note to clients.
To mitigate short-term effects, the owner of Remy Martin cognac implemented cost-cutting measures, estimated to be around EUR100 million this year.
Remy Cointreau expects a decline of between 15% and 20% for fiscal 2024, but the company remains confident in achieving its long-term targets of a gross margin of 72% and a current operating margin of 33% by 2029-2030.
Due to the lack of near-term visibility, investor sentiment towards the stock is likely to remain subdued for now, according to Citi analysts. However, they noted that the first-half results, along with the maintained guidance and details about the cost savings plan, should provide enough support for the shares.