Vistry shares plummet as housebuilder pauses buyback and warns on inflation
Shares in leading housebuilder Vistry have plummeted on Wednesday’s market open, after it warned of a “significant” profit hit and said the Iran war is spiking building costs.
The housebuilding firm was the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 as its share price fell 11.5 per cent to 288p, leaving the stock down more than 55 per cent in the year so far.
Vistry had warned on Wednesday morning that its profit for the first half of the year is expected to be “significantly lower” than the year prior, as it pauses its share buyback scheme and halts some construction to boost cashflow.
The firm also said it is seeing material and labour costs rise as a result of the Iran war, following construction giants MJ Gleeson and Persimmon in warning that the conflict is beginning to hit housebuilding.
‘Bleak picture of housing market’
Vistry said on Wednesday: “The events in the Middle East have started to create some upward pressure on material and, to a lesser extent, labour prices which we expect to continue into H2.
“We are mitigating these where possible, through proactive engagement with our sub-contractors and suppliers and we will continue to monitor overall build cost inflation.”
The firm said the “increased” level of “macro-economic uncertainty” means it has become harder to predict its financial outlook than at its last update, only two months ago.
Vistry said it expects to see “significantly lower” profit this year because of measures it is taking to generate better cashflow, including delaying some construction, slowing landbuying and pausing its share buyback scheme.
Anthony Codling, research director at RBC Capital Markets, said Vistry’s trading update “paints a bleak picture of the UK housing market,” though its cost-saving measures are having some effect.
Vistry last saw a share price spook in March, after chief executive Greg Fitzgerald announced his shock departure.
Savills: War dampens housing demand
In a further sign the Iran war is battering the UK’s housing market, real estate services firm Savills said on Wednesday the conflict is prompting “greater caution” among buyers and sellers.
The Middle East conflict has also caused profit to “slow materially” in its operations in the region, the FTSE 250 firm said.
“For our Residential Transaction Advisory business, we are assuming somewhat reduced transaction levels to continue in the UK market, and for the slow down in sales activity in the Middle East to temper the performance of our growing International Residential business,” Savills said.
But the firm said it is still on track to deliver profit in line with forecasts, assuming that there is a “timely resolution” to the Middle East conflict.
Savills said it has seen trading levels slightly ahead of its board’s expectations so far this year, as its real estate investment arm is boosted by 20 per cent growth in the US.
In its residential advisory business, Savills said it has seen a 13 per cent year-on-year bump to transactions agreed in London, offsetting slower activity elsewhere in the UK.
Savills’ share price broadly held steady on Wednesday’s open, falling by 0.6 per cent to 828p.