Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported adjusted EBITDA of $30 million for Q1 2025, at the high end of guidance, driven by strong operational performance and increased production and sales volumes, primarily due to the Augusta acquisition [6][24] - Net sales increased by 46% to $378 million compared to Q1 2024, largely attributed to the Augusta acquisition [6][24] - The company incurred a consolidated net loss of approximately $6 million from continuing operations, equating to $0.36 per diluted share [23] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Augusta mill integration has been successful, with targeted volume and cost synergies expected by the end of 2026 [7] - Fixed cost structure was reduced by eliminating over 200 positions, representing around 10% of total roles, aiming for $30 to $40 million in savings for 2025 [7][18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Industry shipments increased by 2% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, with demand projected to grow by 3% to 5% in 2025 [8][9] - Industry utilization rates improved to 88% in Q1 2025 from 84% in Q1 2024, but remain below the cross-cycle average of 90% to 95% [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to strengthen its position as a premier independent supplier of paperboard packaging products, investing in product development across three categories: compostable food service products, lightweight folding carton products, and alternative poly-free barrier technologies [13][14][15] - The company is exploring expansion into additional paperboard substrates, which make up approximately 50% of the paperboard market outside of SBS [16] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about medium to long-term industry prospects, expecting strong margins and cash flows through the cycle [34] - The company anticipates continued demand recovery, with internal utilization projected at around 85% and revenue expectations of approximately $1.5 to $1.6 billion for 2025 [29] Other Important Information - The company repurchased approximately $11 million of its shares in Q1 2025, totaling about $15 million since the new $100 million share buyback authorization [7][26] - The company is targeting a reduction in SG&A as a percentage of sales to 6% to 7% by year-end 2025 [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the sense of what's happening with FPB imports recently? - Management noted that imports were up in 2024, with forecasts for a 5% decrease in imports and a 1% increase in exports for 2025 [38][39] Question: Can you clarify the geographic split of the $20 million to $25 million purchases from outside the US and Canada? - Approximately $80 million of imports are from Canada, with the remaining $20 million from other parts of the world, including potential exposure to China [40][41] Question: What are the criteria for evaluating M&A opportunities for expanding product offerings? - The company seeks strategic fit, quality assets, and a belief in the ability to win in the market when considering M&A [46][47] Question: What kind of costs are associated with the paper machine upgrades for lightweight folding carton products? - Upgrades will be on existing machines, with capital fitting within the previously stated capital range, focusing on mix shift rather than incremental revenue growth [48] Question: What is the expected impact of cost savings in Q2? - Management expects to see roughly double the amount of savings in Q2 compared to Q1, with incremental benefits ramping through the year [51]

Clearwater Paper (CLW) Q1 2025 Earnings Call April 29, 2025 05:00 PM ET Company Participants Sloan Bohlen - DirectorArsen Kitch - CEO, President & DirectorSherri Baker - Senior VP & CFOMatt McKellar - Vice President Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. My name is Carmen, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the Clearwater Paper First Quarter twenty twenty five Earnings Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any back ...

Smurfit Westrock PLC (SW) is scheduled to report first-quarter 2025 results on May 1, before market open.Smurfit Westrock was formed by the merger of two major paper and packaging industry players, Smurfit Kappa and WestRock, on July 5, 2024. The company started reporting results for the combined company from the third quarter of 2024.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SW’s first-quarter revenues is pegged at $7.85 billion, indicating 4.1% growth from the fourth quarter's reported figure. The estimate for ear ...

Core Viewpoint - The earnings season is particularly significant this year due to recent changes that may affect companies' near-term guidance [1] Company Overview - Kimberly-Clark reported weaker-than-expected results and has cut its full-year outlook [2] - The company has a diverse portfolio of everyday-use brands and professional products centered on paper [2] Financial Performance - Kimberly-Clark has maintained steady demand for its products, allowing it to raise its dividend for 53 consecutive years, earning it a place among Dividend Kings [3] - The stock currently yields 3.8%, making it an attractive source of passive income [3] - The company has lowered its 2025 organic sales growth guidance from an expected outperformance of 2% to a range of 1.5% to 2% [6] - Adjusted earnings per share (EPS) guidance has been revised to flat to positive on a constant currency basis, down from mid-to-high single-digit growth [6] - Free cash flow (FCF) is now expected to be $2 billion, compared to an earlier forecast of more than $2 billion [7] Historical Context - Kimberly-Clark's stock price has stagnated over the last decade, with operating margins consistently in the mid-teens and modest revenue growth in recent years [8] - The company has been underperforming its peer group for several years [10] Strategic Initiatives - The company launched its Powering Care strategy to reorganize into three segments, aiming to streamline operations and enhance flexibility [11] - The impact of this strategy is expected to take time to reflect in the company's results [11] Investment Appeal - Despite recent challenges, Kimberly-Clark's reliable dividend and improved balance sheet, with total net long-term debt at $6.7 billion, make it appealing to risk-averse investors [12][13] - The stock trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.3, below its 10-year median of 23.1, suggesting it may be undervalued [13] - The stock is considered a good buy for income investors, offering a higher yield compared to peers like Procter & Gamble, which has a lower yield of 2.7% and a higher P/E of 26.7 [14][15] Future Outlook - With lowered growth projections, Kimberly-Clark has more potential for positive surprises [16] - The sizable 3.8% yield provides a strong incentive for income investors to hold the stock [16]

Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Sealed Air (SEE) , which belongs to the Zacks Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, could be a great candidate to consider.This packaging company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 15.82%.For the most recent quarter, Sealed Ai ...

Wall Street expects a year-over-year decline in earnings on lower revenues when AptarGroup (ATR) reports results for the quarter ended March 2025. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 1. On the oth ...

Company Overview - DallasNews Corporation is the holding company for The Dallas Morning News and Medium Giant, based in Dallas [3] - The Dallas Morning News is recognized as Texas' leading daily newspaper, known for its strong journalistic reputation and community ties, having won nine Pulitzer Prizes [3] - Medium Giant is an integrated creative marketing agency that has received multiple industry awards, including the AAF Addy and AMA DFW Annual Marketer of the Year Award for Campaign of the Year in 2024 [4] Upcoming Financial Results - DallasNews Corporation will release its first quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on May 1, 2025 [1] - A conference call to discuss the financial results will take place on May 1, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. CDT [1] - The conference call will be available via webcast on the company's investor relations website, with an archive accessible afterward [2]

Company Performance - Avery Dennison reported quarterly earnings of $2.30 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.32 per share, representing an earnings surprise of -0.86% [1] - The company posted revenues of $2.15 billion for the quarter, also missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.11%, with year-ago revenues remaining the same at $2.15 billion [2] - Over the last four quarters, Avery Dennison has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times and topped revenue estimates only once [2] Stock Movement and Outlook - Avery Dennison shares have declined approximately 6.6% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has decreased by 10.1% [3] - The future performance of the stock will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the trends in earnings estimate revisions [3][4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $2.55 on revenues of $2.25 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $9.87 on revenues of $8.9 billion [7] Industry Context - The Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, to which Avery Dennison belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 25% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges ahead [8] - The performance of Avery Dennison's stock may be influenced by the overall outlook for the industry [8]

Core Insights - Packaging Corp. reported quarterly earnings of $2.31 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.21 per share, and showing an increase from $1.72 per share a year ago [1] - The company achieved revenues of $2.14 billion for the quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.03% and up from $1.98 billion year-over-year [3] Earnings Performance - The earnings surprise for the quarter was 4.52%, with the company having surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times over the last four quarters [2] - In the previous quarter, the company reported earnings of $2.47 per share against an expectation of $2.51, resulting in a surprise of -1.59% [2] Future Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $2.71 on revenues of $2.24 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $10.52 on revenues of $8.92 billion [8] - The estimate revisions trend for Packaging Corp. is mixed, leading to a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market [7] Industry Context - The Containers - Paper and Packaging industry is currently ranked in the bottom 19% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges for stocks in this sector [9] - Another company in the same industry, Sonoco, is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.41 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 25.9% [10]

Sealed Air (SEE) shares rallied 12.8% in the last trading session to close at $26.98. This move can be attributable to notable volume with a higher number of shares being traded than in a typical session. This compares to the stock's 20.9% loss over the past four weeks.Sealed Air’s shares got a boost yesterday after U.S President Trump announced a 90-day pause on certain tariffs for most countries (except China). SEE serves diverse industries with operations in 117 countries/territories.This packaging compa ...