March 5 (Reuters) - BAYER AG :: *MEETS ADJUSTED GUIDANCE AND TAKES DECISIVE ACTION TO TACKLE CHALLENGES *OUTLOOK FOR 2025: SALES ROUGHLY AT PRIOR-YEAR LEVEL *2024 GROUP SALES AT 46.606 BILLION EUROS (FX & P ADJUSTED. PLUS 0.7 PERCENT), NEGATIVE CURRENCY EFFECTS OF 1.349 BILLION EUROS *EBITDA BEFORE SPECIAL ITEMS AT 10.123 BILLION EUROS (MINUS 13.5 PERCENT) *FREE CASH FLOW INCREASES TO 3.107 BILLION EUROS *FY NET INCOME AT MINUS 2.552 BILLION EUROS *PROPOSED DIVIDEND OF 0.11 EUROS PER SHARE *NET FINANCIAL DEBT REDUCED TO 32.626 BILLION EUROS *OUTLOOK 2025: EBITDA BEFORE SPECIAL ITEMS AND CORE EPS TO DECLINE *OUTLOOK 2025: FREE CASH FLOW OF 1.5 BILLION TO 2.5 BILLION EUROS *NET FINANCIAL DEBT AS OF YEAR-END 2025 IS EXPECTED TO AMOUNT TO 31.0 BILLION TO 32.0 BILLION EUROS ON A CURRENCY-ADJUSTED BASIS *IS ADDING PROFITABILITY AT CROP SCIENCE AS A FIFTH FOCUS AREA, COUPLED WITH LAUNCH OF A COMPREHENSIVE, FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO IMPROVE EARNINGS *EXPECTS IMPROVED PERFORMANCE FROM 2026 ONWARDS *Further company coverage: [BAYGn.DE] * (Gdansk Newsroom) * ((Gdansk.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 7696600;))