By Nathan Allen 
 

Shares in Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (HEN.XE) trade lower after the German consumer-goods and chemical producer reported preliminary results for 2018 and posted fresh financial guidance.

The maker of Dial soap and Purex laundry detergent said 2018 sales edged down to 19.9 billion euros ($22.61 billion) from EUR20 billion a year earlier.

Earnings before interest and taxes rose 1% to EUR3.5 billion, while the adjusted EBIT margin strengthened by 30 basis points to 17.6%, Henkel said.

Looking ahead, Henkel said it expects a challenging 2019, characterized by high uncertainty and volatility, with mixed market dynamics and continued headwinds from currencies and commodities.

Against this backdrop the company said it expects 2019 organic sales growth of between 2% and 4%, while the adjusted EBIT margin should be in the range of 16% to 17%.

At 0821 GMT shares were down 5% at EUR92.20.

Write to Nathan Allen at nathan.allen@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 21, 2019 03:38 ET (08:38 GMT)