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Deluxe Corp.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 5 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Comparable revenue rose 1.1%: Reported full-year revenue rose 0.5% to $2,133.2 million. Comparable adjusted revenue, which removes business exits, rose 1.1% from $2,111.0 million. Source
  • Comparable EBITDA margin up 90 basis points: Comparable adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2% to $431.5 million from $406.5 million. The margin was 20.2% against 19.3% in the prior year. Source
  • Data Solutions revenue grew the most: Full-year Data Solutions revenue was $307.3 million against $234.0 million, with adjusted EBITDA of $86.4 million against $60.5 million and a 28.1% margin against 25.9%. Source
  • Free cash flow reached $175.3 million: Operating cash flow was $270.6 million against $194.3 million. Purchases of capital assets were $95.3 million against $94.3 million, giving free cash flow of $175.3 million against $100.0 million. Source
  • Total and net debt both reduced: Total debt was $1,429.4 million against $1,503.1 million, and net debt was $1,392.5 million against $1,468.7 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Net income and EPS revised lower: The earlier release [P] reported full-year net income of $85.3 million, diluted EPS of $1.87 and comparable adjusted diluted EPS of $3.67. The later release [A] reports $82.2 million, $1.80 and $3.61. Fourth-quarter diluted EPS moved from $0.33 to $0.26.

“We grew revenue organically, expanded each of our core earnings metrics, and deployed significantly increased free cash flow to lower our net debt and leverage ratio ahead of schedule in 2025, highlighting our execution discipline”

Barry McCarthy, President and CEO of Deluxe

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue SourceFull year 2026$2.11 to $2.175 billionKept
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFull year 2026$445 to $470 millionKept
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFull year 2026$3.90 to $4.30Kept
Free cash flow SourceFull year 2026approximately $200 millionKept
Quarterly dividend SourceDeclared for payment February 23, 2026$0.30 per shareKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: The 2026 guidance figures are identical in the earlier release [P] and the later release [A]. Source

Full-year results and growth drivers

  • Comparable revenue rose 1.1%: Reported full-year revenue rose 0.5% to $2,133.2 million. Comparable adjusted revenue, which removes business exits, rose 1.1% from $2,111.0 million. Source
  • Comparable EBITDA margin up 90 basis points: Comparable adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2% to $431.5 million from $406.5 million. The margin was 20.2% against 19.3% in the prior year. Source
  • Comparable adjusted EPS up 10.7%: Comparable adjusted diluted EPS was $3.61 against $3.26 in 2024. Source
  • Net income gains tied to lower costs: Management attributed the full-year net income increase to revenue growth and lower SG&A and restructuring spend. Source

Segments and revenue mix

  • Data Solutions revenue grew the most: Full-year Data Solutions revenue was $307.3 million against $234.0 million, with adjusted EBITDA of $86.4 million against $60.5 million and a 28.1% margin against 25.9%. Source
  • Merchant and B2B margins expanded: Merchant Services margin was 21.6% against 20.4% and B2B Payments margin was 22.2% against 19.8% for the year. Full-year revenue was $398.6 million and $290.5 million. Source
  • Print adjusted EBITDA and corporate costs: Print adjusted EBITDA was $366.9 million against $376.6 million, with a 32.3% margin against 31.3%. Corporate and business-exit costs were $172.1 million against $160.6 million. Source
  • Print revenue fell year over year: Print revenue was $1,136.8 million against $1,205.1 million for the year, and $284.5 million in the quarter against $295.7 million. Source

“We finished 2025 with an improved leverage position including lowered debt and strengthened liquidity.”

Chip Zint, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Deluxe

Costs and expenses

  • SG&A expense declined for year: Full-year SG&A was $873.3 million against $909.2 million. Quarterly SG&A was $221.3 million against $213.5 million. Source
  • Restructuring spend declined: Restructuring and integration expense was $19.3 million for the year against $48.6 million, and $4.6 million in the quarter against $12.7 million. Source
  • Cost of revenue increased year over year: Cost of revenue was $1,002.5 million for the year against $995.3 million, and $256.0 million in the quarter against $248.2 million. Source
  • Interest expense and other income: Interest expense was $122.0 million against $123.3 million. Other income was $8.7 million against $7.6 million. Source

Cash flow and debt

  • Free cash flow reached $175.3 million: Operating cash flow was $270.6 million against $194.3 million. Purchases of capital assets were $95.3 million against $94.3 million, giving free cash flow of $175.3 million against $100.0 million. Source
  • Total and net debt both reduced: Total debt was $1,429.4 million against $1,503.1 million, and net debt was $1,392.5 million against $1,468.7 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Buy-out and acquisition payment in 2025: Investing outflows in 2025 included a $36.0 million residual commission buy-out and a $12.1 million payment for an acquisition. Neither appears in the 2024 column. Source

Dividend and share count

  • Quarterly dividend set at $0.30: The board recently approved a regular quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share. Dividends paid in 2025 totaled $55.2 million against $54.2 million. Source
  • Diluted share count increased: Weighted-average diluted shares were 45.5 million against 44.7 million for the year. Shares outstanding were 45.0 million at year end against 44.3 million. Source

Management's view of 2026

  • CEO cites execution for 2026 view: The CEO ties his optimism for 2026 to ongoing execution. Source
  • 2026 guidance unchanged across documents: The full-year 2026 guidance figures are the same in the earlier release [P] and the later release [A]. Source

Revisions to the earlier release

  • Net income and EPS revised lower: The earlier release [P] reported full-year net income of $85.3 million, diluted EPS of $1.87 and comparable adjusted diluted EPS of $3.67. The later release [A] reports $82.2 million, $1.80 and $3.61. Fourth-quarter diluted EPS moved from $0.33 to $0.26.
  • Depreciation and intangibles revised: The earlier release [P] showed depreciation and amortization of $133.8 million and intangibles of $352.5 million; the later release [A] shows $137.9 million and $348.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA is $431.5 million in both.

Coming up, as management said on 5 February 2026

  • Dividend record and payment dates: Shareholders of record at market close on February 9, 2026 receive the $0.30 quarterly dividend, payable February 23, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Annual payment volume processed Sourcemore than $2 trillion

Risks management discussed

  • External: Macroeconomic conditions and global instability, including tariffs, are named as factors that could change the guidance. Source
  • Operational: Labor supply challenges, inflation and possible changes to the portfolio are named as factors that could change the guidance. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said the reduction in net debt and leverage came ahead of schedule in 2025. Source
  • Ahead: Management said the targeted 2026 free cash flow levels were delivered ahead of schedule. 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.