Finance
Sweden's Securitas, largely shielded from trade war, beats profit forecast in Q4
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 4, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 4, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 4, 2026
Securitas reported a Q4 profit beat, exceeding margin targets with strong results in North America and Europe.
By Tomasz Kanik
Feb 4 (Reuters) - Sweden's Securitas, one of the world's largest security services providers, on Wednesday reported bigger than expected fourth-quarter earnings and said it exceeded its operating margin target of 8% in the second half of the year.
The company's results were mostly unaffected by geopolitical volatility and shifts in global trade in 2025 thanks to its operating model that is largely based on services delivered locally, CEO Magnus Ahlqvist said in a statement.
"Performance was strong across all segments," he said, adding that 6% growth in sales of its technology solutions business supported the unit's continued shift toward higher-margin services.
Securitas' operating earnings before amortisation (EBITA) rose to 3.06 billion Swedish crowns ($344.4 million) in the fourth quarter, beating analysts' average forecast of 3.02 billion crowns in a poll provided on its website.
Operating margin rose to 8% in the quarter from 7.3% a year earlier. This growth was supported by broad-based improvements, with the business in North America posting a 10% margin for the first time in its history and Europe delivering another quarter above 8%, it said.
Around 40% of Securitas' revenue comes from North America, but little of it is from imports that would be affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, as the majority of its business is staff-driven.
The company, which recently concluded its business optimisation programme targeting 200 million crowns of annual savings, said it expected to complete most of its underperforming European security services contracts by the first half of 2026.
Securitas should enter 2026 as a "cleaner operation" with higher margins, fewer one-offs, less disruption and better numbers, RBC analysts said in a note to investors.
($1 = 8.8857 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Tomasz Kanik in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi)
EBITA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization. It measures a company's profitability by focusing on earnings generated from operations, excluding the effects of capital structure and tax rates.
Operating margin is a financial metric that shows the percentage of revenue that remains after covering operating expenses. It is calculated by dividing operating income by total revenue.
A financial performance report summarizes a company's financial results over a specific period, detailing revenues, expenses, profits, and other key financial metrics.
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