0949 GMT - Kingfisher's guidance for fiscal 2026 is anticipated to be conservative as a performance recovery in France remains a key concern, Deutsche Bank analysts say in a note. The home-improvement retailer is expected to issue a pretax profit guidance range of 500 million to 550 million pounds for the new fiscal year, they say. For the fiscal 2025 ended Jan. 31, KingFisher is forecast to deliver a pretax profit of 512 million pounds, in line with the company's guidance range of 510 million to 540 million pounds, the analysts say. By division, France sales are expected to drop 7.1%, while U.K. sales should rise 1.6%, they say. "Importantly, we expect management to talk more positively about the prospects for European DIY after a number of years of retrenchment post-Covid," they say. Shares are up 0.5%. (michael.susin@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 17, 2025 05:49 ET (09:49 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.