Metlen announced a share buyback program worth up to 600 million euros (approximately 10% of its market capitalization), which begins today and will run through June 2031, Morgan Stanley notes in a report. The purchases will be carried out in accordance with the resolutions of the 2026 Annual General Meeting, with a maximum number of shares set at 14,302,298.
The company will implement the program in successive phases, with purchases on both the London Stock Exchange and Euronext Athens. The repurchased shares will be held as treasury shares or used for employee stock plans.
The firm believes that the launch of the buyback program provides flexibility to support the stock. However, we expect its implementation to proceed at a gradual pace, given that: (1) the program’s duration is five years, and (2) Metlen’s short-term priority remains deleveraging its balance sheet, with the goal of reducing the net debt-to-EBITDA ratio to 2.0x or lower by the end of 2026, compared to 3.1x at the end of 2025.
The deleveraging effort is based on both increased profitability and debt reduction, as the company intends to return to positive free cash flow (FCF) in 2026, the report adds.
The recommendation is “overweight” and the price target is 55 euros.
Citi’s View
Citi notes that the announcement of the buyback is standard practice for the company, based on its track record. Metlen has repurchased its own shares in the past, with the majority of these used to cover obligations related to equity-based compensation plans, while the remaining treasury shares were used to bring strategic investors into its share capital.
We believe that the new buyback program of up to 600 million euros is a continuation of this practice. We estimate that the company’s capital allocation policy remains primarily focused on growth capital expenditures (growth capex), enabling it to achieve its medium-term EBITDA target of 2 billion euros.
We continue to expect positive free cash flow for 2026, which should help the company achieve a further reduction in debt compared to the previous year.
The target price is 52 euros, and the recommendation is “buy.”