Bapcor shares plunge after flagging softer trading in April
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
More news: Shares in Bapcor were hammered in afternoon trade after the automotive company downgraded its FY26 earnings guidance following softer trading conditions in April, driven by lower consumer demand.
Shares tumbled 20.87% to 40 cents at 3:00pm AEST.
Bapcor downgrades earnings guidance on Middle East conflict
The news: Car parts retailer Bapcor has downgraded its FY26 earnings guidance, after seeing “materially deteriorated” trading conditions since late March, despite the company flagging “positive sales momentum” ahead of the conflict in the Middle East.
The company also blamed higher interest rates for impacting sales.
The numbers: Underlying FY26 EBITDA guidance has been lowered to between $144 million and $150 million from the range of $150 million and $160 million announced to the market in February.
When including the impact of operating leases, the guidance range has been lowered to the range between $62 million and $68 million from the range between $74 million and $79 million.
Bapcor said its four business segments posted sales growth between February 2026 and April 2026 compared to the previous corresponding period.
Unaudited debt at the end of April 2026 was about $168 million.
The context: Bapcor has been undertaking a series of capital management and improvement initiatives to boost sales performance but has faced “softer trading conditions in April continuing through to the end of FY26 driven by lower business confidence and consumer sentiment”.
The company is also facing higher fuel, freight and supplier costs experienced in April, driven by the Middle East conflict, which Bapcor said is “forecast to continue in May and June”.
The depreciation of the New Zealand dollar against the Australian dollar is also negatively impacting the New Zealand business segment.
The source: ASX
