Everything is improving at L'Oreal. The activity is accelerating in its four divisions – professional products, consumer, luxury, and active cosmetics – and in all regions of the world. Operating income rose twice as fast as the turnover and can find a record level of margin, and net profit falls sharply increase.

In detail, while turnover rose 6.3% to 9.67 billion euros in the first half of 2010 – a 13% growth in the Asia-Pacific – the Operating profit climbed 21.4% over the first six months of 2009, to 1.67 billion euros. The operating margin amounted to 17.3% as well. This is well beyond what the consensus expected, with a margin of 15.4% referred. And allowing it to regain its peak level reached in the first half of 2008.In the public sector, the margin rises to 20.4% while in the luxury, it is 28%.

In this context, the net profit of L'Oreal rises 21.2% to 1.316 billion euros. Per share, net income amounted to 2.39 euros, an increase of 15.3%.

Note also that the net debt stood at 1.67 billion euros at June 30, 2010, and is thus reduced from 300 million euros compared to late 2009.The debt ratio amounted to 11.7% of equity.

DG confident

Commenting on these figures, Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L'Oreal, welcomes the group's strategic choice: "focus on innovations with high value added and affordable price, expansion into new product categories, accelerating the international expansion and investment in proactive ways advertising and promotion and research. "

"These findings fall within the virtuous spiral of growth of the group and confirm the vitality of the business model L'Oreal," he added.

A stock market as attractive

The L'Oréal closed Wednesday at 75.77 euros on the Paris Stock Exchange, posting a decline of 2.9% since the beginning of the year, while the index diversified European consumer goods ahead of 10 5% over the period.At this price level, the Group's market capitalization stood at 45.2 billion euros.

The value of trades on valuation multiples of about 17.5 times its earnings estimates by analysts for 2011, well below the average for the last five years (24.5 times) but considerably higher than the 14.7 overall average in the sector. The chifrfes indicating that L'Oreal shares are not expensive in terms of its performance. Natixis Securities aims, for example 97 euros for a potential increase in value by 28%.

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