Maersk and HMM container ships dock at the Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Danish shipping giant maersk on Thursday announced better-than-expected third-quarter operating profit, supported by higher container volumes, and raised the lower end of its full-year outlook.
The company, widely regarded as a barometer of global trade, reported preliminary earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $2.68 billion for the July-September period.
This is higher than the $2.6 billion expected by analysts in the LSEG consensus, but is significantly lower than the $4.8 billion reported in the same period last year.
Maersk also raised its full-year operating profit forecast to $9.0 billion to $9.5 billion from its previous forecast of $8 billion to $9.5 billion.
“I think it was really a story of resilience that allowed us to raise our guidance,” Maersk CEO Vincent Clair told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday.
“Demand is rebounding in all regions, and towards the end of the quarter in the U.S., it’s rebounding again towards its year-end peak,” Clark said.
“Our business operations have also been resilient, and despite significant inflationary pressures and much uncertainty, we have been able to reduce costs and manage costs, which has resulted in higher margins across all our businesses,” he added.
The company’s shares fell more than 6% on Thursday morning. The stock price has increased about 5% since the beginning of the year.
In addition to revising its full-year operating profit, Maersk also announced that it expects global container market volume to increase by about 4% in 2025, up from its previous forecast of 2-4%.
Asked how Maersk would characterize the outlook for global trade, Clark said talk of the end of globalization seemed “quite premature”.
“We’re seeing, on the contrary, an increasing level of trade and economic integration, and the main driver behind that is actually the strength of China as a manufacturing powerhouse, which continues to grow across multiple regions,” Clark said.
“This is largely a story of the past two years and one of the reasons we continue to be amazed by the strength and resilience of demand across all the products we carry.”
