Capgemini forecasts surprise revenue fall on automotive, aerospace downturn

By Dimitri Rhodes and Leo Marchandon

(Reuters) - French IT group Capgemini forecast a surprise fall in annual revenue on Friday, citing a downturn in the automotive and aerospace sectors, sending its shares tumbling more than 9%.

Shares of Capgemini fell 9.4% by 0728 GMT to hit the bottom of the CAC40 index, after the Paris-based group said it now expects its organic sales to fall between 0.5% and 1.5% in 2024, compared with the 0-3% rise previously forecast.

"The slope of recovery in the second half will be affected by the recent deterioration of the outlook in the automotive and aerospace sectors and the slower recovery in financial services," CEO Aiman Ezzat said in a statement.

Ezzat told analysts that supply chain challenges had slowed down the aerospace industry, but noted that this would only affect short-term growth.

Capgemini reported a 3.7% fall in North America revenue for the second quarter, slower than the 7.1% drop seen in the first three months of 2024. For the first half of the year, North America revenue was down 5.4%.

Ezzat said North America showed the strongest recovery between the first and second quarters.

The market was the second biggest for the group, accounting for 28% of its revenue in the first half of the year. It was a drag on Capgemini's results last year as well, amid a tech sector downturn.

The group's total headcount stood at 336,900 at the end of June, down 4% from a year earlier.

Capgemini has slowed hiring since 2023, ending the year with 5% fewer resources than it started it with, a first since 2009.

The group reported H1 revenue of 11.14 billion euros ($12.09 billion), down 2.5% year-on-year on a reported basis.

The group confirmed its 2024 operating margin and organic free cash flow targets.

($1 = 0.9211 euros)

(Reporting by Dimitri Rhodes and Leo Marchandon; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)