Following the spin-off from Daimler AG, today’s first day of listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange denotes Daimler Truck’s embarkment into unrestricted entrepreneurial independence. In a press release, the truck manufacturer noted that this is probably the most important milestone in the company’s history. In the future, investors will have the opportunity to invest directly in the shares of one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers.
Daimler Truck expects its shares to be listed in the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the DAX index, which has been expanded to 40 members, at the next possible date – probably in the first quarter of 2022.
“Today is a historic day for Daimler Truck: For 125 years, our truck and bus business was part of the Daimler Group – now we are becoming an independent, listed company,” said Martin Daum, chairman of the board of management of Daimler Truck Holding AG in the stock exchange hall in Frankfurt. “Making this possible organizationally was a tour de force. My thanks therefore go to our entire team for their unparalleled commitment over the past weeks and months. So in this respect, today is a finish line for us. We have worked hard to get there. However, this 10th of December 2021 is above all the exact opposite, namely a starting line. Because now things are really getting started for Daimler Truck.
“Now we are looking ahead with courage and confidence. Now we are looking forward to using the creative opportunities as an independent company with our great global team – for even more entrepreneurial success in the future. Everyone should benefit from this – our workforce, our customers and, of course, our shareholders.
In preparation for the spin-off, the company has specified its financial ambitions to increase the performance and profitability of its segments. Daimler Truck is consistently and continuously focusing on improving profitability in order to lead the industry on the road to CO2-neutral transport. Based on its cash generation and balance sheet, Daimler Truck has received solid investment-grade credit ratings, the company says.
“Daimler Truck is also financially in a very good starting position for our entrepreneurial independence,” said Jochen Goetz, CFO of Daimler Truck Holding AG. “Our balance sheet is rock solid and we have already proven in the past how reliably we can generate an attractive cash flow. We are now putting all our energy into fully exploiting our earnings potential and driving forward the transformation to emission-free transport in a focused manner. We want to create sustainable value for our investors as well.”
Daimler Truck aims to achieve a double-digit return on sales in its industrial business by 2025, assuming strong market conditions. Daimler Truck’s business activities are structured into five reporting segments for which the company has formulated concrete return targets for strong market conditions. For example, Daimler Truck is specifically targeting an adjusted return on sales of 12% for the Trucks North America (TN) segment in the event of strong market conditions. For the Mercedes-Benz (MB) segment, the target is 10% adjusted return on sales, for the Trucks Asia (TA) segment 9% and for the Daimler Buses (DB) segment 7.5%. With the new Financial Services business of Daimler Truck (DTFS) as a fifth segment, the company is targeting an adjusted return on equity of 14%.
As Daimler Truck announced at its Capital Market Day in November, the focus on increasing profitability is having an incremental effect already. In line with this, the company expects an adjusted return on sales (RoS) in the industrial business of between 6% and 8% for 2021, despite semiconductor shortages and rising raw material prices. Based on the progress already made, Daimler Truck expects to achieve the 15% reduction in fixed costs in its industrial business (compared to 2019) as early as 2023, two years earlier than announced at the Strategy Day in May 2021, the company noted. For 2022, the company expects an adjusted return on sales of the industrial business between 7% and 9%. The investment-grade ratings of the rating agencies in October were correspondingly positive. S&P Global Ratings awarded a first issuer rating of BBB+ (outlook stable), Moody’s a first issuer rating of A3 (outlook stable).
Zero-emissions truck plans
The development of battery electric and fuel cell vehicles is to be accelerated – under its own steam and with strategically sensible partnerships. For example, battery electric and fuel cell vehicles are to account for up to 60% of Daimler Truck sales by 2030. From 2039, the company wants to offer only vehicles in the Triad that are CO2-neutral in driving operation. For Daimler Truck, both technologies are compatible and necessary. Purely battery-powered trucks are used in light and heavy distribution transport, for example when it comes to delivering goods in cities. The hydrogen-based fuel cell drive will be indispensable in the CO2-neutral long-distance truck transport of the future.
Daimler Truck shares are traded on the Regulated Market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the stock symbol DTG. The International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) is DE000DTR0CK8, the German Securities Identification Number (WKN) DTR0CK.
