Energizer (US:ENR) Benzinga·2025-11-18 14:22Core Viewpoint - Energizer Holdings, Inc. reported a decline in adjusted earnings per share for the fourth quarter, missing analyst expectations, despite a slight increase in quarterly sales [1][5]. Financial Performance - The company reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.05, below the consensus estimate of $1.12 [1]. - Quarterly sales reached $832.80 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 3.4%, surpassing the expected $827.962 million [1]. - Organic net sales decreased by 2.2% compared to the previous year [2]. - Volumes fell by 2.9% due to softened consumer demand in North America, although e-commerce and international markets showed growth in the Batteries & Lights segment [3]. - Adjusted gross margin was 38.5%, down 370 basis points from the prior year, attributed to higher input and logistics costs [3][4]. Cost Management and Initiatives - Project Momentum has generated over $200 million in savings over three years, with the program being extended into a fourth year to target tariff mitigation and operational efficiency [2]. - The company faced production inefficiencies related to network rebalancing and the lower-margin APS business, contributing to the decline in gross margin [4]. Future Outlook - For the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Energizer expects adjusted earnings per share between 20 cents and 30 cents, significantly lower than the analyst estimate of 70 cents [5]. - The company anticipates a GAAP loss of 8 to 9 cents per share for the first quarter, contrasting with the projected profit of 70 cents [5]. - The outlook for 2026 adjusted EPS is estimated to be between $3.30 and $3.60, slightly below the analyst estimate of $3.59 [6]. - Following the earnings report, ENR shares fell by 19.25% to $19.26 in premarket trading [6].