3i Group (III)

Sector:

Financials

Index:

FTSE 100

4,056.00p
   
  • Change Today:
    -81.00p
  • 52 Week High: 4,298.00
  • 52 Week Low: 2,863.00
  • Currency: UK Pounds
  • Shares Issued: 973.40m
  • Volume: 174,686
  • Market Cap: £39,481m
  • RiskGrade: 122

3i Group reports progress at Action, shares slide

By Josh White

Date: Thursday 20 Mar 2025

LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Shares in investing giant 3i Group were sliding on Thursday morning, even after it reported positive progress ahead of a capital markets seminar focused on its largest portfolio company, the Benelux-focussed general discount retailer Action.
The FTSE 100 company said the retailer reported strong growth in 2024 and a solid start to 2025, while its broader private equity portfolio continued to perform well, despite macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties.

It said Action recorded net sales of €13.78bn in 2024, a 22% increase from the prior year, while operating EBITDA rose 29% to €2.08bn.

Like-for-like sales grew 10.3%, supported by disciplined cost management and operating leverage, which drove EBITDA margins up to 15.1%.

The firm expanded its footprint significantly, adding 352 stores in 2024.

Momentum reportedly carried into 2025, with net sales reaching €2.95bn in the first 11 weeks of the financial year, up 17% year-on-year.

Like-for-like sales growth stood at 6.1%, with transactions increasing by 6.5%.

Temporary availability issues caused by an ERP system transition at the start of the year had now been resolved.

Action had opened 38 new stores so far in 2025, and held €927m in cash as of mid-March.

The company said it was planning another dividend distribution by the end of the month.

Looking ahead, 3i said Action expected like-for-like sales growth for 2025 to exceed year-to-date levels and remain in the mid-to-high single-digit range.

The firm was targeting around 370 net new store openings and aims to expand its EBITDA margin by 10 to 20 basis points from the 15.1% recorded in 2024.

Action had also increased its estimate of total store potential in its core European markets to 4,850 locations, up from the previous estimate of 4,350, reflecting further expansion opportunities.

The retailer had strengthened its financial position, completing a leverage-neutral repricing of 53% of its debt facilities in March, generating annual interest savings of approximately €19m.

That, 3i said, followed a similar debt transaction in November that secured €14m in savings.

Elsewhere in 3i's portfolio, Royal Sanders continued to perform well, and the broader private equity portfolio was making steady progress despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.

The company said that while a small number of investments still faced headwinds, performance in early 2025 had been encouraging across most of its holdings.

3i said it would report full-year results in May.

At 0853 GMT, shares in 3i Group were down 6.95% at 3,550p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

Email this article to a friend

or share it with one of these popular networks:


Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Note 2: RiskGrade figures are provided by RiskMetrics.

 

3i Market Data

Currency UK Pounds
Share Price 4,056.00p
Change Today -81.00p
% Change -1.96 %
52 Week High 4,298.00
52 Week Low 2,863.00
Volume 174,686
Shares Issued 973.40m
Market Cap £39,481m
RiskGrade 122

3i Star Ratings

Compare performance with the sector and the market.
more star ratings
Key: vs Market vs Sector
Value
18.56% below the market average18.56% below the market average18.56% below the market average18.56% below the market average18.56% below the market average
36% below the sector average36% below the sector average36% below the sector average36% below the sector average36% below the sector average
Price Trend
87.08% above the market average87.08% above the market average87.08% above the market average87.08% above the market average87.08% above the market average
81.13% above the sector average81.13% above the sector average81.13% above the sector average81.13% above the sector average81.13% above the sector average
Income
12.14% below the market average12.14% below the market average12.14% below the market average12.14% below the market average12.14% below the market average
48.28% below the sector average48.28% below the sector average48.28% below the sector average48.28% below the sector average48.28% below the sector average
Growth
79.70% above the market average79.70% above the market average79.70% above the market average79.70% above the market average79.70% above the market average
78.26% above the sector average78.26% above the sector average78.26% above the sector average78.26% above the sector average78.26% above the sector average

What The Brokers Say

Strong Buy 3
Buy 6
Neutral 1
Sell 1
Strong Sell 0
Total 11
buy
Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

3i Dividends

  Latest Previous
  Final Interim
Ex-Div 19-Jun-25 28-Nov-24
Paid 25-Jul-25 10-Jan-25
Amount 42.50p 30.50p

Trades for 28-May-2025

Time Volume / Share Price
11:47 2 @ 4,055.00p
11:47 107 @ 4,056.00p
11:47 12 @ 4,056.00p
11:47 19 @ 4,056.00p
11:47 75 @ 4,056.00p

3i Key Personnel

CEO Simon Borrows

Top of Page