Waberer's International has unveiled bold plans to more than double its revenue and profit by 2030 targeting €1.7bn in sales and over €100mn in operating profit by 2031 and become Central and Eastern Europe's leading logistics group by 2027.

The Budapest-listed company, one of Hungary’s most recognisable transport and logistics brands, plans to invest €400mn in the next five years to expand its warehousing network, modernise its fleet and diversify into insurance and passenger transport.

"This has been a fantastic year financially, we’ve met our short, medium, and long-term goals," chairman-CEO Zsolt Barna told reporters at the group’s annual results presentation. "We are on track to transform Waberer’s into the region’s most complex logistics service provider."

The prime minister’s son-in-law, Istvan Tiborcz became the majority owner of Waberer's in February 2023. He holds a 51.75% stake through his flagship BDPST Group directly and indirectly and a 0.26% stake as a private version. A year ago, MOL’s asset manager MOL Vagyonkezelo bought a 15% stake in the logistics group. Free float is around 32.99%

Last year, the group posted a 7% rise in both revenue and EBITDA, reaching €757mn and €102mn respectively. Operating profit (EBIT) climbed to €45mn, while net profit grew 10% to €25mn, excluding currency effects. Revenue from the international transport segment (ITS) grew 1% to €442mn, but EBIT plunged from €8.9mn to €1.6mn, largely due to losses at Polish subsidiary LINK.

Contract logistics (RCL), by contrast, grew revenue by 25% to €252mn and EBIT by the same rate to €19.2mn, fuelled by client acquisitions and network development. Insurance revenue declined 3% to €80mn due to technical factors, but EBIT jumped 30% to €24.2mn.

In 2025, Waberer’s expects revenues close to €1bn and EBIT of around €50mn, boosted by the integration of recent acquisitions and the turnaround of LINK. Strongest growth is projected in Q2 and Q3.

Recent years have marked a strategic shift for Waberer’s, traditionally focused on international trucking, toward integrated logistics solutions.

A major pillar of the strategy is internalising warehouse development, shifting away from reliance on external property developers. “In-house development is 50% cheaper to operate and far more adaptable to our needs,” said deputy CEO Szabolcs Toth, who also oversees strategic and financial planning.

The company now operates 250,000 sqm of modern warehousing capacity, one of the largest in the region, and aims to add another 100,000 sqm by 2030. Waberer's is building a 40,000 sqm facility in Debrecen to meet the growing need of automotive suppliers. 

The company completed key acquisitions last year, buying Romanian-based PSP and a 70% stake in GySEV Cargo, Hungary's second-largest rail cargo company, marking an entry into rail logistics. Waberer’s also entered passenger transport with its takeover of Pannonbusz and moved into insurance with a majority stake in the Posta Biztosíto group.

The company also sees potential in Hungary's underdeveloped insurance market, where per capita coverage and insurance penetration lag both EU and regional averages. The Posta Biztosito integration alone could push insurance-related EBIT from €24mn to as much as €45mn by 2031, according to Waberer’s projections.

The company is "actively assessing options" for the three-member insurance group – comprising Magyar Posta Insurance, Magyar Posta Life Insurance, and Granit Insurance – with an eye toward a potential initial public offering by the end of the decade. "An IPO could support the capital requirements of the unit’s independent growth, while also highlighting the embedded value within our diversified service portfolio," he told reporters.

By 2031, the group expects to generate an EBITDA of over €220mn, more than double today’s figure and EBIT exceeding €100mn. Roughly half of that projected operating profit growth will come from insurance and the remainder from core logistics.

To finance the expansion, Waberer's plans to rely on asset-backed project loans and potentially bond issuance, but does not foresee the need for fresh equity. "We’re focused on sustainable, self-financed growth," Barna added.

Beyond Hungary, Waberer's began regional expansion in earnest last year, acquiring Serbian logistics company MDI and increasing activity in neighbouring markets. It also aims to overhaul its Budapest-centric operational structure in response to the rise of regional industrial hubs in Debrecen, Gyor, and Szeged.

Waberer’s fleet of 2,800 vehicles has an average age of just 2.5 years, making it one of the youngest in the industry.

The board will propose a dividend of HUF134 per share at the April AGM, up from HUF120 last year, equalling a 3% dividend yield. While Waberer's shares have gained 7.7% this year, their value has surged fivefold over the past five years.