Saga anticipates higher profits and strong travel growth, plans to refinance £325m debt

Saga, the over-50s financial services and travel provider, has announced that it anticipates reporting an underlying profit before tax higher than previous forecasts.

In a recent trading update, the company predicted that the underlying profit before tax for the last six months of 2024 would be slightly higher than the previous year, as reported by City AM.

Saga's travel division is expected to report an underlying profit before tax "in the high single-digit millions", compared to the £1.5m reported in the prior year, indicating revenue growth of 15 per cent and passenger growth of nine per cent.

Over the past six months, Ocean Cruise achieved a load factor of 91 per cent, three per cent ahead of the previous year, while River Cruise reported a load factor of 89 per cent, with combined ticket prices and onboard revenue per passenger amounting to £327, a total increase of 15 per cent from last year.

"We continued to generate strong demand for both our cruise and travel businesses," stated Saga CEO Mike Hazell. Last month, Saga announced a 20-year partnership with Belgian insurance giant Ageas for motor and home insurance, which will see Saga’s price-comparison website, pricing, claims and customer service activities taken over by the insurer.

However, earlier this week, City broker Peel Hunt downgraded Saga’s stock rating, noting that the firm faced "a refinancing hurdle" this year.

The funds from the partnership with Ageas will be utilised by the firm to refinance £325m of outstanding debt by spring this year. Following the deal, Peel Hunt reduced its price target for the stock to 120p.

Since the beginning of 2025, Saga’s shares have declined by over nine per cent. Looking forward, Saga reported that both Ocean Cruise and River Cruise's booked load factors are surpassing last year's figures.

The company's River Cruise division is scheduled to launch a new ship, the Spirit of the Moselle, in July 2025, which will boost capacity.

Currently, the booked revenue for travel stands at £126m, marking a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, with 39,000 passengers booked in, an 11 per cent rise from the previous year.