Hera Group acquires Sostelia and becomes Italy’s leading player in water treatment
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The year closed with a 4% increase in net profit attributable to shareholders and a 20% rise in investments. Value creation for all stakeholders and a solid capital structure once again confirm the Group’s ability to combine business growth with sustainable development. The proposed dividend increases to 16 euro cents per share, up 6.7%

Economic and financial highlights
- Revenues at €12,812.2 million (-0.6%)
- EBITDA at €1,537.2 million (-3.2%)
- Net profit attributable to shareholders at €464.3 million (+3.9% on a like-for-like basis compared with FY2024, which benefited from extraordinary items of €47.8 million)
- Gross operating investments of €1,028 million (+19.5%)
- Net financial debt slightly down to €3,944.4 million, with net debt/EBITDA at 2.57x
- ROI at 9.6% and ROE at 11.6%
- Proposed dividend increased to 16 euro cents per share (+6.7%)
Business highlights
- Around 4.4 million energy customers, with over 7.5 million citizens receiving at least one service from the Group
- Innovative initiatives continued to support the communities served in the ecological transition and strengthen the resilience of managed assets, in line with the Business Plan and the Net Zero target by 2050
- Shared-value EBITDA rose to €915.6 million (+7%), while shared-value investments amounted to €810.9 million (78% of total investments). 64% of investments are aligned with the European Taxonomy.
- Economic added value distributed across the areas served exceeded €2.1 billion
The Board of Directors of the Hera Group, chaired by Executive Chairman Cristian Fabbri, unanimously approved the Annual Financial Report as at 31 December 2025, including the Sustainability Reporting pursuant to Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD), containing the information necessary to understand the company’s impact on sustainability matters and how those matters affect its performance and results. In 2025, the Hera Group continued along its path of industrial growth, with investments up by almost 20%, increasing across all businesses and particularly in the environment and integrated water cycle areas. The Group’s commitment to combining business growth and sustainable development, fully in line with the strategic pillars set out in the Business Plan, was confirmed. The economic and balance sheet results in fact highlight the value creation capability underpinning the Group’s growth.
Cristian Fabbri, Executive Chairman of Hera Group:

“The positive results achieved in 2025 bring to a close the three-year term of office of the Board of Directors, a period marked by strong geopolitical instability and extreme weather events, which also had an impact on the businesses we manage. Despite this context, we accelerated industrial growth by investing almost €3 billion, 43% more than in the previous three-year period, improving the resilience of our assets and our contribution to environmental sustainability. We achieved significant results, confirming the validity of the direction taken by our Group and demonstrating that business growth, value creation and sustainable development can go hand in hand. Over these three years, EBITDA has grown by almost 20%, while net profit attributable to shareholders has grown continuously, up 44% overall. The cash flows generated enabled us to reduce debt and improve financial leverage. Total Shareholder Return increased overall by 77%, supported by 27% growth in dividends. At the same time, the economic value distributed to our stakeholders also increased significantly, exceeding €2.1 billion in 2025. In light of the positive results achieved and the financial strength of our Group, we will propose to the Shareholders’ Meeting the distribution of a dividend of 16 euro cents per share, up 6.7% on the last dividend paid. This increase will feed through to our dividend policy over the coming years, up to a dividend of 19 euro cents in 2029, as set out in our Business Plan.”
Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group:
"In 2025, against a complex macroeconomic backdrop, the Hera Group continued along its industrial development path, increasing investments by 20% to €1.028 billion, the highest level in Hera’s history. These investments were fully self-financed thanks to the significant cash generation achieved during the year and provide a solid foundation for the future development of our Group. At EBITDA level, which reached €1.537 billion, 2025 demonstrated our ability to turn the extraordinary opportunities of previous years into structural and sustainable growth. Net finance costs decreased compared with the previous year, confirming our ongoing commitment to the efficient rationalisation of financial resources. Accordingly, in 2025 as well, the Hera Group confirmed its ability to create value, reporting net profit attributable to shareholders of €464.3 million (+3.9%). In summary, the year closed on a positive note, with a further strengthening of our financial and economic solidity, as evidenced by a net debt/EBITDA ratio of 2.57x, which provides us with significant financial flexibility to pursue effectively the objectives set out in the Business Plan. A recent example is the acquisition of the Sostelia Group, a company with more than 1,200 customers, which positions us as a leader also in the market segment for the treatment of civil and industrial wastewater, further expanding our range of services in support of Italy’s industrial fabric".
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Hera Group acquires Sostelia and becomes Italy’s leading player in water treatment
With this integration, the multiutility further strengthens its positioning also in the industrial and civil water treatment sector

Hera Group further strengthens its leadership in the environmental sector, in particular in the treatment of civil and industrial water, thanks to the binding agreement signed for the purchase of 100% of STA and the related stakes in the subsidiaries that are part of the Sostelia Group (NTW, CID, NPC, Trentino Acque, COMS, Acque della Concordia, Arcobaleno GC). Sostelia is an important Italian private player for technologies and the treatment of industrial and civil water, 65% controlled by Xenon Fidec, an impact private equity fund managed by Xenon AIFM, and with the remaining 35% held by entrepreneurs representing the companies within the group.
The transaction has an enterprise value of €138 million. The acquisition by Hera Group is subject to certain customary closing conditions (including notifications and approvals by the competent authorities) and is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026.
Once fully integrated, the transaction is estimated to contribute more than €20 million to the consolidated EBITDA growth of Hera Group, in addition to the value of the expected integration synergies.
The strategic lines of the transaction
The transaction creates a benchmark player in Italy with an integrated offering in the water treatment market - from design and construction (EPC) to operation and maintenance (O&M), up to the treatment and disposal of liquid waste and sludge related to purification processes. It also enables a strong system of synergies with Herambiente, the Hera-controlled subsidiary and Italy’s foremost environmental operator, enhancing quality, efficiency, and service continuity for both public and private customers.
Synergies are, in fact, one of the main drivers of value creation. On the one hand, the integration of Sostelia’s services could enable Herambiente to broaden its commercial offering by providing its customers with additional services such as revamping solutions and the design of new plants, or the operation and maintenance of existing private plants, ensuring technical-operational continuity that translates into greater reliability and lower operating costs. On the other hand, Sostelia’s customer portfolio represents a significant opportunity for Herambiente to integrate its own service offering.
More generally, the combination of Sostelia’s technical expertise, plant infrastructure, and commercial capability will enable Hera Group to expand its customer base, diversify revenues, and increase business resilience in a sector that requires speed of intervention, high quality of service, and continuous innovation.
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