Dutch freight and delivery group TNT Express posted weaker-than-expected results and highlighted a bleak economic outlook, undermining its attempts to extract a higher price from suitor United Parcel Service and attract others.
TNT, which said on Friday it was still in talks with UPS after rejecting a 4.9 billion euro ($6.5 billion) bid, swung to a fourth-quarter operating loss, hit by an impairment charge at its troubled Brazilian business, where it has struggled to integrate acquisitions.
TNT said on Tuesday it would look for buyers or partners for both Brazil and its Chinese unit in order to focus on Europe.
At 1050 GMT, its shares were down 2.4 percent at 9.9 euros. That is still above the 9 euros per share offered by UPS, but is below Monday's peak of 10.24 euros, reached amid speculation UPS might have to offer much more to clinch a deal or that US rival Fedex might make a counterbid.
"The dip in this morning's share price reflects prudent profit-taking but also a nervousness that unless FedEx enters the fray, TNT may struggle to solicit much more than 10.50 euros from UPS," said Alex White, corporate finance partner at accountants BDO.
TNT, under fire from activist shareholders to improve its performance, reported a fourth-quarter operating loss of 104 million euros, after a profit of 24 million in the 2010 period, as it took an impairment charge of 104 million euros on its business in Brazil and a 45 million impairment on aircraft.
Adjusted underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were 57 million euros on quarterly revenue of 1.87 billion euros. Analysts in a poll commissioned by Reuters had forecast a fourth-quarter underlying operating profit of 61.2 million euros and revenue of 1.85 billion euros.
TNT chief executive Marie-Christine Lombard has staked her reputation on turning round the troubled operations in Brazil, where TNT has struggled to integrate Expresso Mercurio, which it bought in 2007, and its delivery partner Expresso Aracatuba, acquired in 2009.
TNT said it planned to cut 150 million euros in costs by the end of 2013, while taking 150 million euros of restructuring expenses and writeoffs.
"We ... do not expect the UPS proposal to increase significantly and we doubt TNT could deliver the value implied by the UPS proposal for several years due to the depressed economic climate in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region that is key to profitability and the difficult issues still to be resolved in the Brazilian and Chinese markets," Citi analyst Roger Elliott said in a research note.
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