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Picture: SUPPLIED
Picture: SUPPLIED

WeBuyCars, SA’s largest second-hand vehicle trader, expects to report higher earnings at the halfway stage as it advances its plans to sell and buy 23,000 units a month by the 2028 financial year.

The group said in a statement on Tuesday that headline earnings per share (HEPS) were expected to be between 121.3c and 122.3c for the six months to end-March after a headline loss per share of 20.7c a year ago.

The group expects core headline earnings to increase 24%-28% to between R500.2m and R516.3m. It uses core headline earnings — headline earnings adjusted for non-recurring or non-cash items that may distort the financial results from period to period — to benchmark the underlying performance of the business.

Core HEPS are expected to be 119.4c-124.2c from 119.9c a year ago.

The group issued 83.18-million new shares in February 2024, March 2024 and April 2024 in terms of the prelisting capital raise, which had an unfavourable effect on core HEPS, the basic EPS and HEPS in the six months to end-March 2025, the group said.

The group, which was listed on the JSE on April 11 2024 after breaking away from parent company Transaction Capital, has been well received by investors, with its share price rising 127.58% on the JSE over the past year.

Business Day reported previously that the group’s management was bullish about growth prospects, as it enhanced its buying strategy, expanded its physical footprint and bulked up its online presence.

The company has positioned itself to integrate popular Chinese brands in its network.

WeBuyCars, which has Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen as its top selling brands, has taken note of the rise in popularity of Chinese brands in SA. It said over the past 18 months, SA consumers had embraced the expanding range of Chinese vehicles available in the local market.

“These brands offer a diverse range of makes and models at competitive price points, making them compelling alternatives to traditional household brands,” according to the group’s annual report.

With Kabelo Khumalo

mackenziej@arena.africa

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