greeksoup/ stock research

Tennant Co.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 24 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 9 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter sales and EBITDA fell: Fourth-quarter net sales were $291.6 million, down 11.3%, with a 13.9% organic decline; adjusted EBITDA was $25.6 million, down 46.0%. Source
  • Order and scheduling disruption after go-live: Order management, production scheduling and fulfillment were disrupted, with reduced inventory visibility in Parts and Consumables and Service. Source
  • ERP disruption cut sales and EBITDA: Management estimates the ERP disruption reduced net sales by roughly $30 million and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $22 million. Source
  • Americas organic decline led quarter: Americas organic sales fell 22.3% in the fourth quarter and 10.5% for the year, driven by North America volume and ERP-related fulfillment disruption. Source
  • Fourth-quarter gross margin fell to 34.6%: Gross margin fell from 41.3% to 34.6%, with about $13.5 million of ERP volume impact, $8.5 million of extra costs and about $4.5 million of other charges. Source
  • Operating cash flow fell to $65.0 million: Operating cash flow was $65.0 million against $89.7 million, driven by lower operating performance, higher ERP spend and more working capital. Source

“We have taken targeted and decisive actions to stabilize operations, and we are seeing steady improvement across our core processes.”

Dave Huml, Tennant President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales Source2026 full year$1,240 - $1,280 (millions)New
Organic net sales growth Source2026 full year3.0% - 6.5%New
Diluted net income per share Source2026 full year$4.05 - $4.65New
Adjusted diluted net income per share Source2026 full year$4.70 - $5.30New
Adjusted EBITDA Source2026 full year$175 - $190 (millions)New
Adjusted EBITDA margin Source2026 full year14.1% - 14.8%New
Capital expenditures Source2026 full year~$25 (millions)New
Adjusted effective tax rate Source2026 full year24% - 29%New
Gross margin trajectory Sourcefirst quarter of 2026 and rest of yearfirst quarter generally aligned with fourth-quarter 2025 run-rate levels, then gradual improvementNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: The company issued 2026 guidance ranges; the prior quarter's release gave 2025 ranges only. Source
  • New: The North America ERP system went live in the first week of November 2025, which management links to the fourth-quarter disruption. Source

Fourth-quarter and full-year results

  • Fourth-quarter sales and EBITDA fell: Fourth-quarter net sales were $291.6 million, down 11.3%, with a 13.9% organic decline; adjusted EBITDA was $25.6 million, down 46.0%. Source
  • Full-year sales and EBITDA declined: Full-year net sales were $1,203.5 million, down 6.5%, including a 0.7% foreign currency tailwind; adjusted EBITDA was $167.4 million, down 19.8%. Source
  • Full-year net income and EPS fell: Full-year net income was $43.8 million, down $39.9 million, and diluted EPS was $2.36; adjusted diluted EPS was $4.57 against $6.57. Source

ERP transition and recovery actions

  • Order and scheduling disruption after go-live: Order management, production scheduling and fulfillment were disrupted, with reduced inventory visibility in Parts and Consumables and Service. Source
  • Slower processing and customer delays: Transaction processing slowed and customer delays were prolonged, as ERP constraints in November limited order fulfillment and shipment visibility. Source
  • Recovery teams and January shutdown: Recovery teams, interim workarounds and added on-site ERP support were used. A two-week manufacturing shutdown in early January is expected to significantly affect first-quarter sales and costs. Source
  • ERP disruption cut sales and EBITDA: Management estimates the ERP disruption reduced net sales by roughly $30 million and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $22 million. Source
  • December recovered at higher cost: December revenue recovered from November levels in line with expectations, but stabilization required incremental labor and other operating costs. Source

Segments and regions

  • Americas organic decline led quarter: Americas organic sales fell 22.3% in the fourth quarter and 10.5% for the year, driven by North America volume and ERP-related fulfillment disruption. Source
  • EMEA and APAC grew in quarter: EMEA organic sales rose 3.0%, mainly on equipment volume in France, the UK and Spain; APAC rose 11.0% on volume in Australia and China. Source
  • EMEA full-year growth came from price: Full-year EMEA organic sales rose 0.5% on price, partly offset by volume declines in Germany, Benelux, Scandinavia and France. Source
  • Asia Pacific fell on pricing and demand: Full-year APAC organic sales fell 2.2%, reflecting pricing actions and softer demand in China and Southeast Asia, partly offset by growth in Australia and India. Source

Demand, orders and backlog

  • Orders and backlog rose in 2025: Orders grew about 4% and backlog rose roughly $15 million over 2025, while net sales declined. Source
  • Industrial and aftermarket demand softer: Softer underlying demand for industrial equipment and aftermarket products, together with North America volume, reduced fourth-quarter sales. Source
  • Volume fell sharply in quarter: Volume declined 15.1% in the fourth quarter and 8.7% for the year, while price added 1.2% and 1.4%. Source

Margins, costs and S&A

  • Fourth-quarter gross margin fell to 34.6%: Gross margin fell from 41.3% to 34.6%, with about $13.5 million of ERP volume impact, $8.5 million of extra costs and about $4.5 million of other charges. Source
  • Full-year gross margin fell on mix and tariffs: Full-year gross margin was 40.2% against 42.7%, with unfavorable volume and mix, higher tariff costs and service deleverage, plus a larger 2024 backlog reduction in the comparison. Source
  • Pricing partly offset tariff costs: Favorable price realization, including pricing taken against tariff cost increases, and foreign exchange partly offset the margin decline. Source
  • S&A fell in quarter, rose for year: Fourth-quarter S&A fell $22.6 million on lower legal and compensation costs, while full-year adjusted S&A rose to 27.7% of sales, mainly on sales deleverage. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin fell 560 basis points: Adjusted EBITDA margin was 8.8% in the fourth quarter, down 560 basis points, and 13.9% for the year, down 230 basis points. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Operating cash flow fell to $65.0 million: Operating cash flow was $65.0 million against $89.7 million, driven by lower operating performance, higher ERP spend and more working capital. Source
  • Free cash flow after ERP spending: Free cash flow was $43.3 million after $59.1 million of ERP modernization investment; excluding ERP cash flows, free cash flow was 157% of net income. Source
  • $110.4 million returned to shareholders: Returns included about $88.5 million of repurchases, roughly 6% of outstanding shares, and $21.9 million of dividends; capital expenditures were $21.7 million. Source
  • Cash and leverage within stated target: Cash was $106.4 million with $374.3 million of unused revolver capacity; net leverage was 1.00 times adjusted EBITDA, against a 1x to 2x target. Source

Strategy and growth initiatives

  • Robotics and go-to-market investment continues: Management said it continued investing in growth strategies, including robotics portfolio expansion, a targeted go-to-market initiative and strategic pricing actions. Source
  • ERP framed as operational foundation: Management described the ERP investment as strengthening operations, enabling scalable growth and operating efficiency, improving data consistency and customer service. Source

Coming up, as management said on 24 February 2026

  • Normalized operating rhythm by mid-year: Management expects a return to a more normalized and efficient operating rhythm by mid-year, underpinned by process refinement and productivity initiatives. Source
  • Operational stabilization in first half: Management anticipates operational stabilization in the first half of 2026 and says disciplined execution of initiatives will position the company to return to margin expansion. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Orders growth, full year Sourceapproximately 4%
Backlog change, full year Sourceroughly $15 million increase
Volume change, fourth quarter Source(15.1)%
Volume change, full year Source(8.7)%

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Operating below optimal efficiency during system stabilization is expected to raise costs and compress margins, most notably in the first quarter. Source
  • External: Management expects continued gross margin pressure from tariffs implemented in the second half of 2025. Source
  • Demand: Underlying demand for industrial equipment softened in the second half of 2025, weighing on Americas sales. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Missed: Management said fourth-quarter performance fell short of expectations, citing production disruptions during the North America ERP transition. Source
  • Missed: Full-year net sales finished below the 2025 guidance range of $1.21 - $1.25 billion, primarily driven by fourth-quarter results. Source
  • Missed: Full-year adjusted EBITDA finished below the $196 - $209 million range, reflecting lower volume. 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.