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Axalta Coating Systems Ltd.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 29 October 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 2 lowered, 4 new, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net sales rose on volume and currency: Net sales rose 2% to $1.3 billion. Volume grew in three of four regions, with favorable currency, acquisitions and positive price mix, partly offset by volume declines mainly in Europe. Source
  • Net income fell on merger costs: Net income fell $15 million to $95 million, a 7.2% net income margin. The company tied the decrease mainly to higher merger and acquisition-related expenses in the period. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA down four percent: Adjusted EBITDA was $282 million, down 4% from the prior year, with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 21.5%. Source
  • Adjusted EPS down six percent: Adjusted Diluted EPS was $0.63, down 6%. Lower volumes and higher variable costs were partly offset by lower interest expense, which the company linked to continued deleveraging. Source
  • Mobility Coatings posted record sales: Mobility Coatings net sales reached a quarterly record of $493 million, up 7% year over year. Source
  • Leverage at lowest level in history: Total net leverage was 2.1x, which the company described as the lowest in its history. Source
  • Shareholders approved merger resolutions: Shareholders of both companies voted in favor of all resolutions related to the Proposed Merger at their August 5 meetings. Source

“Axalta delivered another quarter of revenue growth, strong cash generation and robust profitability despite a more challenging operating environment,”

Chris Villavarayan, Chief Executive Officer and President of Axalta

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales growth SourceQ4 2026~FLATNew
Adjusted EBITDA SourceQ4 2026$254 - $264New
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFY 2026$1,100 - $1,110Lowered from $1,140 - $1,170
Adjusted Diluted EPS SourceQ4 2026~$0.55New
Adjusted Diluted EPS SourceFY 2026~$2.45Lowered from $2.55 - $2.70
Free cash flow SourceFY 2026 (table column not separable in the text)~$450New
Depreciation and amortization Source2026 (single figure in table)$310Raised from $305
Tax rate, as adjusted Source2026 (single figure in table)~24%Kept
Diluted shares outstanding Source2026 (single figure in table)~215Kept
Interest expense Source2026 (single figure in table)~$150Kept
Capital expenditures Source2026 (single figure in table)~$200

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA guidance moved from $1,140 million to $1,170 million to $1,100 million to $1,110 million. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Full-year Adjusted Diluted EPS guidance moved from $2.55 to $2.70 to about $2.45. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2026 guidance was given for net sales growth, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Diluted EPS. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year net sales growth guidance stayed at a low single digit percentage. Source
  • New: Shareholders of Axalta and AkzoNobel approved all resolutions related to the Proposed Merger on August 5, 2026. Source
  • New: The release lists a planned divestiture of the North America Building Products business, which is not described in the prior release. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net sales rose on volume and currency: Net sales rose 2% to $1.3 billion. Volume grew in three of four regions, with favorable currency, acquisitions and positive price mix, partly offset by volume declines mainly in Europe. Source
  • Net income fell on merger costs: Net income fell $15 million to $95 million, a 7.2% net income margin. The company tied the decrease mainly to higher merger and acquisition-related expenses in the period. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA down four percent: Adjusted EBITDA was $282 million, down 4% from the prior year, with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 21.5%. Source
  • Adjusted EPS down six percent: Adjusted Diluted EPS was $0.63, down 6%. Lower volumes and higher variable costs were partly offset by lower interest expense, which the company linked to continued deleveraging. Source
  • Diluted EPS lower on volumes and costs: Diluted EPS was $0.44 against $0.51 a year earlier. The company cited lower Performance Coatings volumes and higher merger and acquisition-related expenses. Source

Segments and regions

  • Mobility Coatings posted record sales: Mobility Coatings net sales reached a quarterly record of $493 million, up 7% year over year. Source
  • Commercial Vehicle sales rose on Class 8: Commercial Vehicle net sales rose 24% to $119 million, on higher volume tied to Class 8 production growth in North America. Source
  • Industrial sales rose on Asia Pacific: Industrial net sales rose 1% to $314 million, mainly from volume growth in Asia Pacific. Source

“We maintained Adjusted EBITDA margin above 20%, further strengthened our balance sheet and achieved record quarterly net sales in Mobility Coatings.”

Chris Villavarayan, Chief Executive Officer and President of Axalta

Demand and volumes

  • Refinish sales fell on Europe volumes: Refinish net sales fell 2% to $504 million, mainly on lower volumes in Europe, partly offset by acquisitions and favorable price mix. Source
  • Demand outside Europe mixed by region: Outside Europe, Performance Coatings demand was generally stable. Sales fell low single digits in North America and rose high single digits in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Source
  • Light Vehicle sales up on currency: Light Vehicle net sales rose 2%, driven mainly by favorable foreign currency translation. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Performance Coatings margin fell: Performance Coatings Adjusted EBITDA was $188 million, against $211 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 23.0%, compared with 25.5%. Source
  • Performance cost drivers named: The company cited lower volumes, variable cost inflation and investments supporting recently awarded business wins, partly offset by lower operating expenses, pricing actions and acquisitions. Source
  • Mobility margin rose 100 basis points: Mobility Coatings Adjusted EBITDA was $94 million, a third-quarter record, with a 19.0% margin. Higher volumes and lower operating expenses offset variable cost inflation and unfavorable price mix. Source

“As we look ahead, we remain focused on disciplined execution and are confident in the significant value creation opportunity associated with our proposed combination with AkzoNobel.”

Chris Villavarayan, Chief Executive Officer and President of Axalta

Cash, leverage and capital

  • Operating cash flow flat year on year: Cash provided by operating activities was $135 million, in line with the prior-year period. Source
  • Free cash flow up three percent: Free cash flow was $92 million, up 3% year over year, after merger and acquisition-related cash costs in the quarter. Source
  • Leverage at lowest level in history: Total net leverage was 2.1x, which the company described as the lowest in its history. Source

Proposed merger with AkzoNobel

  • Shareholders approved merger resolutions: Shareholders of both companies voted in favor of all resolutions related to the Proposed Merger at their August 5 meetings. Source
  • Adjusted measures exclude merger costs: Adjusted net income excludes merger and acquisition-related expenses. Adjusted net income was $136 million, down 6%. Source
  • Further merger filings still to come: The company says it will file other relevant documents in connection with the Proposed Merger. Source

Coming up, as management said on 29 October 2026

  • Further merger filings to come: The company says it will file other relevant documents in connection with the Proposed Merger. No closing date is given in the release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Customers Sourcemore than 100,000 in over 140 countries

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Lower volumes, higher raw material costs and higher freight costs pressured Performance Coatings results and adjusted net income. Source
  • Demand: Volume declines in Europe, mainly in Refinish, offset gains elsewhere and weighed on Performance Coatings sales. Source
  • Financial: Merger and acquisition-related costs continued to weigh on net income and free cash flow in the quarter. Source
  • External: Management described the operating environment as more challenging than in prior periods. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: The prior release said the company looked forward to the August 5 special meeting. The current release states that shareholders voted in favor on that date. Source
  • Not stated: Management linked lower interest expense to the company's continued deleveraging efforts. The release does not state a status against a stated plan. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.