Preliminary results fiscal year 2025: FORVIA HELLA maintains stable sales and significantly improves profitability and net cash flow
- Currency-adjusted sales held steady at €8.0 billion; taking into account exchange rate effects, sales decrease by 2.1 percent to €7.9 billion
- Profitability improved: Operating income increases to €474 million; operating income margin rises to 6.0 percent
- Net cash flow improves significantly to €318 million; ratio of net cash flow to sales increases to 4.0 percent
- Growth in Electronics drives Group-wide sales; sales decline in the Lighting Business Group; Lifecycle Solutions with largely constant sales
- Company outlook for 2026 and medium-term strategic priorities announced
Lippstadt, 23 February 2026. HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA (“FORVIA HELLA”) today presented preliminary financial results for fiscal year 2025 (1 January to 31 December 2025). Currency-adjusted sales remained at €8.0 billion, the same level as the prior year; taking into account negative exchange rate effects, sales declined by 2.1 percent to €7.9 billion (prior year: €8.0 billion). Operating income improved to €474 million (prior year: €446 million); the operating income margin increased to 6.0 percent (prior year: 5.6 percent). Net cash flow also rose significantly to €318 million (prior year: €189 million); the ratio of net cash flow to sales increases to 4.0 percent (prior year: 2.4 percent).
Prof. Dr. Peter Laier, CEO of FORVIA HELLA: “Overall, fiscal year 2025 was successful for us. On the one hand, we have been able to keep our sales stable at the prior-year level. Key driver was our Electronics business, which addresses core future areas such as automated driving, electromobility, and software-defined vehicle architectures. On the other hand, we significantly increased operating income and net cash flow, driven in part by consistent cost management, sustainable improvements to our cost structures, and a targeted allocation of investments. In a market environment characterized by global supply chain and trade risks, we fully met our company outlook for the year. This once again underscores our high resilience and adaptability.”
Growth in Electronics drives Group-wide sales; sales decline in the Lighting Business Group; Lifecycle Solutions with largely constant sales
In fiscal year 2025, Group-wide sales performance was driven by the global Electronics business. Accordingly, sales in the Business Group Electronics rose by 4.5 percent year-on-year to €3.4 billion (prior year: €3.3 billion). This was primarily due to sales growth in radar, both from the ramp-up of new customer projects and the continued roll-out of existing series production. In Europe and China, FORVIA HELLA benefited from increased demand for vehicle access systems; in China, the low-voltage battery management systems business also developed successfully driven by new series launches in the prior year. Operating income in the Electronics Business Group improved to €269 million (prior year: €226 million), and the operating income margin increases to 7.8 percent (prior year: 6.9 percent).
In the Business Group Lighting, sales decreased by 8.3 percent to €3.7 billion (prior year: €4.0 billion). This was primarily due to the phase-out of large-volume series projects, which had a negative impact on sales development, especially in China and the Americas. In addition, declining production volumes in Europe significantly affected the Lighting business and led to lower call-off volumes. Operating income in the Lighting business decreased to €106 million (prior year: €126 million), and the operating income margin falls to 2.9 percent (prior year: 3.2 percent).
Sales in the Business Group Lifecycle Solutions remained broadly constant at €1.0 billion (prior year: €1.0 billion). The independent aftermarket business has developed steadily, particularly in connection with an expanded range of products in the Asian region. In contrast, the business development of the Lifecycle Solutions Business Group has been slightly negatively affected by continued investment restraint within the agricultural and construction machinery sector as well as in the workshop business. Operating income rose to €109 million during the reporting period (prior year: €99 million), the operating income margin increases to 11.1 percent (prior year: 9.6 percent).
Company outlook for 2026 and medium-term strategic priorities announced
For the current fiscal year 2026 (1 January to 31 December 2026), FORVIA HELLA expects currency-adjusted sales in the range of between around €7.4 and 7.9 billion. The Company anticipates an operating income margin of between around 5.4 and 6.0 percent. For net cash flow, a figure of at least 1.8 percent in relation to sales is expected.
“Industry conditions will remain challenging in 2026, with production volumes likely to stagnate and thus without positive impulses from the market,” says CEO Peter Laier. “We will therefore increase our agility and innovation speed further, consistently strengthen our competitiveness, and accelerate regional diversification. In Lighting, we aim to continue driving forward the transformation and to sustainably improve profitability in this area. In Electronics, we are addressing major mobility trends of tomorrow from a market-leading position, for example with our radar sensors and intelligent, complex control electronics. And in Lifecycle Solutions, we aim to sustainably secure a double-digit margin. In summary, we see great opportunities for our business in the medium term on this basis.”
An explanatory analysts’ and investors’ conference in English will be held today at 10:00 a.m. (CET) (link to webcast). The complete and final results for fiscal year 2025 will be published on 19 March 2026. In addition, FORVIA S.E.’s Capital Markets Day 2026 will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, 24 February 2026, at 9:30 a.m. (CET) (Link).
Contact
Press Officer Lifecycle Solutions, Corporate & Finance
Rixbecker Str. 75
59552 Lippstadt
Phone: +49 170 327 7743
Group Press Officer
Rixbecker Str. 75
59552 Lippstadt
Tel: +49 2941 38-7566

