Vespa maker Piaggio pledges higher interim dividend as Q2 core profit jumps

July 28 (Reuters) - Italian motor vehicle group Piaggio reported a more than 7% rise in its second-quarter core profit and pledged to pay a higher interim dividend than last year, sending its shares rising 2% on Tuesday.

The group, known for its iconic Vespa scooters, sold 150,400 vehicles between April and June, up from 131,700 in the second quarter of 2025.

• Piaggio's quarterly EBITDA rose to €91.2 million ($103.6 million), with a corresponding margin of 18.2%

• Consolidated net sales grew 7% at constant exchange rates to around €515 million

• Net financial debt at end-June shrank by around 10% from a year ago to €481.7 million

• Piaggio pledged to distribute an interim dividend of 5.7 cents per share on its 2026 results, versus 4 cents last year

($1 = 0.8806 euros)

(Reporting by Fabrizio La Rocca, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)