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Energizer Holdings, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 18 November 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 5 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Full-year adjusted EPS rose 6%: Fiscal 2025 reported diluted EPS was $3.32 and adjusted EPS was $3.52, against $0.52 and $3.32 a year earlier. Source
  • Batteries & Lights profit fell in quarter: Segment profit was $151.8 million in the quarter, against $179.5 million, and $542.2 million for the year, against $554.8 million. Source
  • Fourth-quarter volumes fell 2.9%: Management attributed the volume decline to softer consumer demand, primarily in North America, partly offset by e-commerce and international growth in Batteries & Lights. Source
  • Fourth-quarter adjusted gross margin fell 370bps: Reported gross margin was 36.6% against 38.1%. Management cited higher product costs from network rebalancing, warehousing, distribution and tariff costs, and lower-margin APS sales. Source
  • Free cash flow was $63.2 million: Fiscal 2025 free cash flow was $63.2 million, or 2.1% of net sales, against $339.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Organic sales flat to slightly up: Management expects organic net sales for fiscal 2026 to be flat to slightly up in both Batteries & Lights and Auto Care. Source

“As we begin Fiscal 2026, we are operating through a period of transition, with the first quarter more heavily affected by temporary tariff costs and mitigation efforts.”

Mark LaVigne, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Organic net sales, Batteries & Lights and Auto Care SourceFiscal 2026flat to slightly upNew
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFiscal 2026$3.30 to $3.60New
Adjusted EBITDA SourceFiscal 2026$580 million to $610 millionNew
GAAP EPS (net earnings $172 million to $207 million) SourceFiscal 2026$2.45 to $2.94New
Adjusted diluted EPS SourceFirst quarter of fiscal 2026$0.20 to $0.30New

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Fiscal 2026 guidance was set for adjusted EPS ($3.30 to $3.60) and adjusted EBITDA ($580 million to $610 million). The earlier release gave fiscal 2025 guidance. Source
  • New guidance: First-quarter fiscal 2026 guidance was given: organic net sales to decline high-single digits and adjusted EPS of $0.20 to $0.30. Source
  • New: Project Momentum was extended to a fourth year, with a focus on tariff mitigation, operational efficiency and integrating the APS business. Source
  • New: The company refinanced $500.0 million of debt in the fourth quarter and used the proceeds to redeem the 2027 6.50% notes and restore revolver capacity. Source
  • New: After year-end the company received a $50.7 million tax refund, which included the fiscal 2024 production credit refund, and used it with other funds to pay down about $80.0 million of debt. Source

Fourth quarter and fiscal year results

  • Fourth-quarter net sales rose 3.4%: Net sales were $832.8 million. Acquisition sales added $42.8 million, while organic net sales declined 2.2%. Source
  • Full-year adjusted EPS rose 6%: Fiscal 2025 reported diluted EPS was $3.32 and adjusted EPS was $3.52, against $0.52 and $3.32 a year earlier. Source
  • Production credits lifted full-year earnings: Net earnings were $239.0 million against $38.1 million. Management attributed the increase primarily to production credits of $120.9 million recorded in fiscal 2025. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose on Momentum and credits: Full-year adjusted EBITDA was $623.6 million against $612.4 million. Management said Project Momentum and the FY25 production credits more than offset lower consumer demand and higher costs. Source

Segment sales and profit

  • Batteries & Lights sales rose for year: Batteries & Lights net sales were $677.2 million in the quarter, against $651.6 million, and $2,332.7 million for the year, against $2,259.5 million. Auto Care was $155.6 million and $620.0 million, against $154.1 million and $627.5 million. Source
  • Batteries & Lights profit fell in quarter: Segment profit was $151.8 million in the quarter, against $179.5 million, and $542.2 million for the year, against $554.8 million. Source
  • Auto Care profit rose in quarter: Auto Care segment profit was $25.8 million in the quarter, against $20.0 million, and $105.6 million for the year, against $94.1 million. Source

“By extending Project Momentum and accelerating integration efforts, we will preserve margins and build flexibility to invest in future growth.”

Mark LaVigne, Chief Executive Officer

Volumes and pricing

  • Fourth-quarter volumes fell 2.9%: Management attributed the volume decline to softer consumer demand, primarily in North America, partly offset by e-commerce and international growth in Batteries & Lights. Source
  • Fourth-quarter pricing rose 0.7%: Pricing increased 0.7% on innovation and tariffs across both segments, partly offsetting the volume decline. Source
  • Full-year volumes grew 1.5%: Volume growth came from new and expanded distribution, e-commerce and Auto Care innovation, partly offset by lower back-half category volumes. Source
  • Full-year pricing declined 0.8%: Pricing fell 0.8% on planned strategic pricing and promotional investments, partly offset by innovation and tariff pricing. Source

Gross margin, SG&A and A&P

  • Fourth-quarter adjusted gross margin fell 370bps: Reported gross margin was 36.6% against 38.1%. Management cited higher product costs from network rebalancing, warehousing, distribution and tariff costs, and lower-margin APS sales. Source
  • Credit and savings partly offset costs: The $7.7 million FY25 production tax credit and about $6 million of Project Momentum savings offset part of the decline, along with price increases to offset tariffs. Source
  • Full-year adjusted margin held flat: Adjusted gross margin was 40.9%. Management said the $41.6 million FY25 production credit and about $50 million of Momentum savings were fully offset by product cost, warehousing, tariff, APS and pricing items. Source
  • Fourth-quarter SG&A held near 15%: Adjusted SG&A was $128.2 million. Increases from APS SG&A of $7.3 million, digital transformation and recycling fees were partly offset by about $4 million of Project Momentum savings. Source
  • Advertising spend fell in quarter: A&P was 4.1% of sales in the quarter, down 50 basis points or $3.3 million. For fiscal 2025 A&P rose 10 basis points to 5.1% of sales, or $8.0 million. Source

“With resilient categories, trusted brands, and a clear strategy, we are well-positioned to build on our success and accelerate performance as the year progresses.”

Mark LaVigne, Chief Executive Officer

Cash flow and debt

  • Free cash flow was $63.2 million: Fiscal 2025 free cash flow was $63.2 million, or 2.1% of net sales, against $339.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Net debt rose to $3.2 billion: Net debt was $3,195.5 million at September 30, 2025, against $2,990.8 million a year earlier. Total debt was $3,431.7 million and cash was $236.2 million. Source
  • Operating cash flow fell year on year: Operating cash flow was $147.1 million against $429.6 million a year earlier. The cash flow reconciliation shows production tax credits of $120.9 million as a deduction. Source

Shareholder returns

  • Fourth-quarter buybacks of 1.2 million shares: The company repurchased 1.2 million shares for $27.1 million, or $22.49 per share, in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Fiscal 2025 buybacks of 4.0 million shares: For fiscal 2025 the company repurchased 4.0 million shares at an average of $22.42 per share. Source
  • Dividends of $1.20 per share: Fiscal 2025 dividend payments totaled $87.1 million, or $1.20 per share. Dividends paid in the quarter were $21.3 million, or $0.30 per share. Source

Project Momentum and APS

  • Project Momentum passed $200 million savings: Management said Project Momentum surpassed $200 million in savings over its three-year program. Source
  • APS added to fiscal 2025 SG&A: Management said SG&A rose mainly from APS SG&A of $11.8 million, digital transformation investment and higher legal and recycling fees, partly offset by about $14 million of Momentum savings. Source
  • APS acquisition added fiscal 2025 sales: The acquisition added $63.6 million to fiscal 2025 net sales, and $42.8 million to fourth-quarter net sales, all in Batteries & Lights. Source

Fiscal 2026 guidance and cadence

  • Organic sales flat to slightly up: Management expects organic net sales for fiscal 2026 to be flat to slightly up in both Batteries & Lights and Auto Care. Source
  • Gross margin expected to decline modestly: Gross margin is expected to decline modestly. Tariffs are expected to be largely offset by executed pricing, production credits and productivity, with slight APS dilution. Source
  • Weak first quarter, double-digit growth after: First-quarter organic sales are expected to decline high-single digits, with adjusted EPS of $0.20 to $0.30. Double-digit adjusted EPS growth is expected over the remaining quarters. Source

Impairment, debt costs and tax rate

  • Fourth-quarter impairment of $5.9 million: The non-cash charge relates to proprietary formulas the company no longer plans to use, and it was the main driver of the fourth-quarter net earnings decline. Source
  • Debt extinguishment loss rose in quarter: The quarter's loss related to the September 2025 redemption of $300.0 million of 2027 notes. The fiscal 2025 total loss on debt extinguishment was $12.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted tax rate fell to 20.2%: The adjusted effective tax rate was 20.2% for fiscal 2025, against 22.9% for fiscal 2024, using statutory rates for the jurisdictions where costs were incurred. Source

Coming up, as management said on 18 November 2025

  • APS brands move to legacy brands: Management said the company will work to transition the APS branded business to legacy brands by December 31, 2025. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Volumes, fourth fiscal quarter Sourcedown 2.9%
Volumes, fiscal 2025 Sourceup 1.5%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said the first quarter is affected by a challenging sales comparison and by transitory costs. Source
  • External: Tariff costs and higher warehousing and distribution costs reduced fourth-quarter gross margin, and the APS business carries a lower margin profile. Source
  • External: Currency reduced fiscal 2025 pre-tax earnings by $6.0 million, or $0.07 per share. Source
  • Financial: Management said higher interest expense, from a larger overall debt balance, further reduced adjusted EPS in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Operational: Management attributed the fourth-quarter decline in adjusted gross margin to production inefficiencies from rebalancing the network. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The earlier release set a target of 7% to 10% adjusted EPS growth for fiscal 2025. This release reports adjusted diluted EPS up 6%.
  • Not stated: Management says the three-year program has surpassed $200 million in savings. No target figure is given in the release. Source
  • Not stated: The earlier release gave a fourth-quarter adjusted EPS range of $1.05 to $1.15. This release reports fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.05.

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.