Page 10 of 26 INTERIM FINANCIAL REPORT – COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 1161 – 23 October 2025
Market development
Air
Despite ongoing trade uncertainties, our addressable global air
freight market, excluding e-commerce and perishables,
continued the relatively stable trend from last quarter. We
estimate that our addressable market saw low-single digit
volume growth in Q3 2025.
In Q3 2025, average air freight rates were slightly lower
compared to the same period last year. This change was
influenced by capacity slightly exceeding demand and market
volatility arising from US tariff policies and de minimis exemption
regulations. Higher volumes on other trades, including imports
into Europe, contributed to more stable market conditions.
DSV’s air freight volumes grew by 64% in Q3 2025 and by 37%
in the first nine months compared to the same periods last year.
Organic volume growth in air freight decreased by 1.6% in Q3
2025 compared to the same period last year. Adjusted for the
exit of low-yielding volumes, the organic volume growth is
estimated to be on par with the addressable market growth.
Sea
The uncertainties related to trade tariffs and the macroeconomic
situation, especially in the US, impacted the sea freight market
during the quarter. Cargo flows have not followed normal
seasonality patterns in 2025, partly influenced by volume front-
loading in the previous quarter and ongoing economic concerns
among US consumers, which negatively impacted volume
development in Q3 2025. We estimate that the market saw low
single-digit growth in Q3 2025. Significant variations in growth
were observed across trade lanes, with estimated volume
declines on the Trans-Pacific lane.
During the third quarter, the average sea freight rates declined
due to overcapacity. We expect this trend to continue throughout
2025, with some risk of further market imbalances related to a
normalisation of the traffic in the Red Sea, as changes in the
current security situation might affect maritime operations and
routing decisions.
DSV’s sea freight volumes grew by 52% in Q3 2025 and by 33%
in the first nine months compared to the same periods last year.
Organic growth in sea freight volumes decreased by 5.0% in Q3
2025, compared to a strong quarter last year, which is below the
estimated market growth.
In Q3 2025, we saw organic growth in number of shipments,
especially for air freight, with a smaller average shipment size
compared to the same period last year. This continues the trend
from recent quarters and benefits the average gross profit yield.
The activities from Schenker were impacted by the same volatile
market conditions, especially the downtrading in the Automotive
industry, leading to below-market growth in Q3 2025.
Divisional revenue
For Q3 2025, revenue amounted to DKK 38,688 million,
compared to DKK 28,416 million for the same period last year.
On an organic basis and in constant currencies, revenue for the
quarter was down 5.4% compared to the same period last year.
The decline was primarily driven by lower volumes and sea
freight rates.
The division’s revenue amounted to DKK 99,271 million for the
first nine months 2025. Organically and in constant currencies,
revenue was up 3.9% compared to DKK 75,748 million for the
same period last year.
Gross profit
For Q3 2025, gross profit increased to DKK 9,160 million,
compared to DKK 6,458 million for the same period last year,
mainly driven by Schenker and higher average gross profit
yields for air freight.
Organically and in constant currencies, gross profit increased by
0.5% in Q3 2025 compared to the same period last year. The
lower volume and lower average gross profit yield for sea freight
were partly offset by higher gross profit in air, driven by a higher
average air freight yield. The organic sea freight yield saw a
decline of 3.7% in Q3 2025 compared to last quarter due to
lower freight rates and currency headwind, primarily relating to
the USD. The organic air freight yield was on par with previous
quarter. For both air and sea, gross profit from value-added
services remains stable per unit before currency impact.
In Q3 2025, the gross profit margin was 23.7%, compared to
22.7% in the same period last year. The organic improvement
was partly offset by the relatively lower gross profit yields in air
and sea in the Schenker business. It is our ambition to improve
the combined yields for both segments during the Schenker
integration.
For the first nine months of 2025, gross profit amounted to DKK
24,019 million, compared to DKK 18,293 million for the same
period last year. Organically and in constant currencies, gross
profit increased by 6.3%.
For the first nine months of 2025, the gross margin was 24.2%,
compared to 24.1% last year, due to the impact from Schenker.
The organic gross margin was slightly higher than in the same
period last year.
EBIT before special items
For Q3 2025, EBIT before special items increased to DKK 3,532
million, compared to DKK 3,260 million in the same period last
year. Organically and in constant currencies, EBIT before
special items was 6.3% lower than last year.
The conversion ratio was 38.6% for Q3 2025, compared to
50.5% for the same period last year, primarily due to Schenker
contributing to a lower conversion ratio. Organically, the
conversion ratio was slightly down, driven by a slight increase in
the cost base compared to last year.
EBIT before special items was DKK 9,942 million for the first
nine months 2025, compared to DKK 8,785 million for the same
period last year. EBIT before special items for the first nine