Wienerberger Grooms Nevitt for UK & Ireland COO as Analysts Turn Wary Ahead of Q3 Print
Published on 10/27/2026 at 15:11 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Wienerberger has moved to lock down the leadership of its UK & Ireland business, naming Nevitt as Chief Operating Officer effective 1 November 2026. Barker, the incumbent, will retire on schedule and is expected to stay on through the end of December to smooth the handover. The succession touches the operational management of the regional unit, with the transition beginning in early November and Barker's support extending past that point to year-end.
The appointment lands at a delicate moment for the Vienna-listed brickmaker, which is contending with a two-front squeeze: sluggish construction activity and a sharp run-up in energy, raw material and logistics costs. Management framed its recent guidance cut — issued a little over three weeks ago — around a weaker-than-expected September for building work, and it pointed to persistent weakness in residential new-build across the UK, the US and Canada. The pressures, in the company's telling, are not confined to any single sales market.
Guidance Points to a Softer Second Half
For the third quarter of 2026, Wienerberger's trading update at the time flagged revenue of roughly EUR 1.2–1.3 billion and operating EBITDA of about EUR 170–180 million. Those were expectations, not published quarterly figures. For the full 2026 financial year, the company is guiding to EBITDA of EUR 640–650 million.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Wienerberger?
Analysts have been recalibrating in response. UBS cut its rating on Wienerberger to "Sell" and trimmed its price target to EUR 14.50 from EUR 18.00, according to media reports. Jefferies, meanwhile, initiated coverage with a "Hold" and a EUR 16 target, with the broker calling hopes for a recovery driven by European construction stimulus in 2027 premature and flagging uncertainty around any US new-build boom. Jefferies also drew attention to the strategic review being run under interim CEO Gerhard Hanke.
On Field Investment Research took a different tack, reaffirming its Neutral rating while lowering its target value. The shares added 0.2% in the previous session to close at EUR 16.17, a modest gain at the start of the trading week.
UBS Stake Shifts Toward Instruments
Separately, UBS Group AG's voting-rights position has changed. Its prior disclosure stood at 4.49%. The more recent total breaks down into 0.55% held through shares and 3.65% through financial instruments — meaning the bulk of the reported voting rights sits in instruments rather than directly held stock.
Wienerberger has scheduled an earnings call and has promised an update on the strategic review alongside accelerated cost-optimisation measures. The next hard datapoint on the calendar is 12 November 2026, when the company is due to publish its third-quarter 2026 results.
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Wienerberger Stock: New Analysis - 27 October
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