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Veralto Corp.: Q3 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 October 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 1 lowered, 2 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Sales grew 6.9%, core sales 5.1%: Third quarter sales rose 6.9% to $1,404 million. Non-GAAP core sales growth was 5.1%, the company reported. Source
  • Adjusted EPS $0.99 against $0.89: Adjusted net earnings were $247 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, against $0.89 in the year-earlier quarter. GAAP diluted EPS was $0.95. Source
  • Currency cut reported sales growth: Currency exchange rates reduced sales growth by 1.5% for the company, 1.4% for Water Quality and 2.0% for Product Quality and Innovation. Source
  • Operating margin 23.2%, adjusted 23.9%: GAAP operating profit margin was 23.2% and adjusted operating profit margin was 23.9%. Operating profit was $326 million, up from $308 million. Source
  • Demand as expected across end markets: Management said customer demand across its key end markets was as expected in the third quarter. Source
  • Free cash flow $258 million: Operating cash flow was $270 million and free cash flow was $258 million, against $224 million and $215 million a year earlier. Source
  • Financial position continues to strengthen: Management said its financial position continued to strengthen and that it has ample flexibility to invest. Source

“Broadly speaking, customer demand across our key end markets was as expected in the third quarter”

Jennifer L. Honeycutt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Core sales growth Sourcefourth quarter 2025low-single-digitsNew
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefourth quarter 2025$0.95 to $0.98New
Adjusted diluted EPS Sourcefull year 2025$3.82 to $3.85Raised from $3.72 to $3.80
Core sales growth Sourcefull year 2025mid-single-digitsKept
Adjusted operating profit margin change Sourcefull year 2025flat to +25 basis pointsLowered from flat to +50 basis points
Free cash flow to net earnings conversion Sourcefull year 2025approximately 100%Raised from 90% to 100%

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year adjusted EPS guidance raised to $3.82 to $3.85 from $3.72 to $3.80. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year free cash flow conversion guidance raised to approximately 100% from 90% to 100%. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Upper end of the full-year adjusted operating profit margin range reduced to +25 basis points from +50; the low end stays at flat. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth quarter 2025 guidance given for core sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS. The prior release gave guidance only for the third quarter. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year core sales growth assumption of mid-single digits is unchanged from the prior release. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Sales grew 6.9%, core sales 5.1%: Third quarter sales rose 6.9% to $1,404 million. Non-GAAP core sales growth was 5.1%, the company reported. Source
  • Nine-month sales rose to $4,107 million: Nine-month sales were $4,107 million against $3,848 million a year earlier. Nine-month operating profit was $961 million against $900 million. Source
  • Adjusted EPS $0.99 against $0.89: Adjusted net earnings were $247 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, against $0.89 in the year-earlier quarter. GAAP diluted EPS was $0.95. Source

Segments and regions

  • Water Quality core growth 5.3%: Water Quality total sales growth was 7.0% on a GAAP basis, with core sales growth of 5.3% after acquisition and currency effects. Source
  • Product Quality and Innovation core growth 4.6%: Product Quality and Innovation total sales growth was 6.9% on a GAAP basis, with core sales growth of 4.6%. Source
  • Currency cut reported sales growth: Currency exchange rates reduced sales growth by 1.5% for the company, 1.4% for Water Quality and 2.0% for Product Quality and Innovation. Source
  • Acquisitions and divestitures had small effect: Acquisitions and divestitures reduced total sales growth by 0.3 points in each reported column of the segment reconciliation. Source

“In both the third quarter and the first nine months of 2025, we delivered mid-single digit core sales growth and double-digit earnings per share growth through strong commercial performance, disciplined operating execution and rigorous deployment of the Veralto Enterprise System”

Jennifer L. Honeycutt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating margin 23.2%, adjusted 23.9%: GAAP operating profit margin was 23.2% and adjusted operating profit margin was 23.9%. Operating profit was $326 million, up from $308 million. Source
  • Adjusted margin was 24.1% a year earlier: The reconciliation shows adjusted operating profit margin of 24.1% for the third quarter of 2024, against 23.9% in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Selling and R&D costs rose: Selling, general and administrative expenses were $451 million against $412 million. Research and development expenses were $67 million against $63 million. Source
  • Gross profit rose to $844 million: Cost of sales was $560 million against $531 million. Gross profit was $844 million against $783 million a year earlier. Source

Demand and end markets

  • Demand as expected across end markets: Management said customer demand across its key end markets was as expected in the third quarter. Source
  • Durable business model cited: The CEO linked consistent growth this year to the company's durable business model. Source
  • Technologies support customer operations: The CEO said the company's technologies and services play a critical role in supporting customers' daily operations. Source

“Our financial position continued to strengthen, and we have ample flexibility to invest in organic and inorganic opportunities, in-line with our disciplined approach to capital allocation”

Jennifer L. Honeycutt, President and Chief Executive Officer

Capital, cash and returns to shareholders

  • Free cash flow $258 million: Operating cash flow was $270 million and free cash flow was $258 million, against $224 million and $215 million a year earlier. Source
  • Capital expenditures rose modestly: Payments for additions to property, plant and equipment were $12 million, against $9 million a year earlier. Source
  • Financing outflows rose to $36 million: Cash used in financing activities was $36 million, against $16 million. Cash used in investing activities was $12 million, against $6 million. Source
  • Interest expense fell to $21 million: Interest expense, net was $21 million against $27 million a year earlier. Nine-month interest expense was $76 million against $85 million. Source
  • Financial position continues to strengthen: Management said its financial position continued to strengthen and that it has ample flexibility to invest. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Disciplined capital allocation approach: The CEO described the company's capital allocation as disciplined, in line with its financial position. Source
  • Strategic initiative costs of $1 million: The company incurred $1 million, pretax and after-tax, of costs for certain strategic initiatives in the quarter. These costs are excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • Acquisition amortization excluded from adjusted results: Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets was $9 million pretax, adding $0.04 to adjusted diluted EPS. Source

People and leadership

  • Culture credited for steady growth: The CEO credited the company's high-performance culture for the results over its first two years as a public company. Source
  • Two years as a public company: The CEO said she looked back at the first two years as a public company and was proud of the global team's steady growth and improvement. Source
  • Workforce of nearly 17,000 associates: The company describes its global team as nearly 17,000 associates, committed to an enduring positive impact on the world. Source

Guidance basis and non-GAAP adjustments

  • Sales guidance given only non-GAAP: Forecasted sales are given only on a non-GAAP basis because currency, acquisitions and divestitures are hard to estimate. Source
  • Free cash flow definition: Free cash flow is operating cash flow less capital expenditures, plus proceeds from sales of plant, property and equipment. Source
  • Some adjusted guidance not reconciled: Adjusted margin, adjusted EPS and free cash flow conversion guidance are not reconciled to GAAP because some components are hard to estimate. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 October 2025

  • Investor call the day after release: Management will discuss third quarter results and 2025 guidance on the investor call the day after the release, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET. Source
  • Fourth quarter guidance in place: Management gave fourth quarter 2025 guidance for core sales growth and adjusted diluted EPS. The release names no later date for an update. Source

Risks management discussed

  • External: Management named changes in global trade policies as a dynamic macro condition the company had to navigate in the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said customer demand across key end markets was as expected in the third quarter. Source
  • Met: Management said the company delivered mid-single digit core sales growth and double-digit EPS growth in the quarter and first nine months. 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.