Research News and Market Data on ACCO
10/30/2025
- Reported net sales of $384 million
- Gross margin expanded; SG&A down compared to prior year
- Multi-year cost reduction program has yielded more than $50 million of savings
- Earnings per share of $0.04, adjusted earnings per share of $0.21, in line with the Company’s outlook
LAKE ZURICH, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO) today reported financial results for its third quarter and nine-months ended September 30, 2025.
“We delivered third quarter adjusted EPS in line with our outlook and expanded gross margin by 50 basis points as we continue to demonstrate strong operational discipline through continued execution of our $100 million cost reduction program. Sales were lower than expected in the quarter, as the demand environment for many of our categories remained soft globally. We expect sales trends to improve in the fourth quarter, reflecting the favorable impact of foreign exchange and growth in the technology accessories categories,” stated ACCO Brands’ President and Chief Executive Officer, Tom Tedford.
“We are confident in our ability to deliver future value creation for our shareholders. Our teams continue to execute on our cost management initiatives, while remaining focused on enhancing our revenue opportunities. Innovation is core to our strategy; the fourth quarter new product launches will help abate the secular headwinds, while we also evaluate strategic opportunities that align with our growth objectives. We believe our leading brands, combined with our optimized operational structure, give us a strong platform for growth,” concluded Mr. Tedford.
Third Quarter Results
Net sales were $383.7 million, down 8.8 percent from $420.9 million in 2024. Favorable foreign exchange increased sales by $6.5 million, or 1.5 percent. Comparable sales decreased 10.3 percent. The decline in net sales reflects softer global demand for our products.
Operating income was $26.0 million, versus $26.3 million in 2024. Restructuring expense was $1.5 million, compared to $6.7 million in the prior year. Adjusted operating income was $39.2 million, compared to $44.7 million in 2024. The decline in adjusted operating income reflects lower sales volume, lower fixed-cost absorption, and tariff-related impacts, which were partially offset by cost savings and lower incentive compensation expense.
Net income was $4.0 million, or $0.04 per share, compared with prior-year net income of $9.3 million, or $0.09 per share. The decline in net income reflects items noted above in operating income, as well as discrete tax items and other expense of $5.5 million, compared to $0.2 million of a reversal in the prior year. Adjusted net income was $19.5 million, compared with adjusted net income of $22.5 million in 2024, and adjusted earnings per share were $0.21, compared with $0.23 in 2024.
Business Segment Results
ACCO Brands Americas – Third quarter segment net sales of $227.6 million decreased 12.2 percent from $259.1 million in the prior year. Net sales in the quarter were negatively impacted by softer demand for our product categories, partly offset by price increases.
Third quarter operating income was $24.7 million, compared to $25.9 million a year earlier. Restructuring expense associated with the multi-year cost reduction program was $0.6 million, compared to $3.4 million in the prior year. Adjusted operating income was $32.7 million, down from $36.7 million in the prior year. The decrease in adjusted operating income reflects lower sales volume, lower fixed-cost absorption and impacts from tariffs, partially offset by cost savings and price.
ACCO Brands International – Third quarter segment net sales of $156.1 million decreased 3.5 percent from $161.8 million in the prior year. Favorable foreign exchange increased sales by 3.8 percent. Comparable sales were $150.0 million, down 7.3 percent versus the prior year. Comparable sales declines reflect reduced demand for our product categories, partially offset by the benefit of price increases and the acquisition of Buro Seating.
Third quarter operating income was $10.5 million, compared to $9.5 million in the prior year. Restructuring expense associated with the multi-year cost reduction program of $1.1 million, compared to $3.3 million in the prior year. Adjusted operating income was $15.9 million, compared with $17.1 million in the prior year. The decrease in adjusted operating income reflects the impact of lower sales volume, partially offset by pricing actions and cost savings.
Nine Month Results
Net sales were $1,095.9 million, down 10.0 percent from $1,218.1 million in 2024. Net sales declines reflect the impact from softer global demand and tariff-related impacts.
Operating income was $52.3 million, versus an operating loss of $79.0 million in 2024, primarily due to non-cash impairment charges of $165.2 million related to goodwill and intangible assets within the Americas segment in the prior year. Restructuring expense of $13.2 million, compared to $6.1 million in the prior year. Current year operating income benefited from a gain on sale of assets of $6.9 million. Adjusted operating income was $93.2 million, down from $125.5 million in 2024. Adjusted operating income decline reflects lower sales volume and tariff related impacts, which were partially offset by cost savings and lower incentive compensation expense.
Net income was $20.0 million, or $0.21 per share, compared with a net loss of $122.2 million, or $(1.27) per share, in 2024. Net income in the nine-month period was positively impacted by the same items noted above in operating income. Current year net income was also positively impacted by the settlement of outstanding tax assessments in Brazil, resulting in a benefit of $13.1 million. The prior year loss reflects the items noted above in operating income. Adjusted net income was $43.3 million, compared with $61.7 million in 2024, and adjusted earnings per share were $0.46 per share, compared with $0.63 per share in 2024.
Capital Allocation and Dividend
Year to date, operating cash flow was $38.1 million versus $95.5 million in the prior year. Adjusted free cash flow of $42.3 million compared to $86.9 million in the prior year. The Company’s consolidated leverage ratio as of September 30, 2025 was 4.1x.
Year to date, the Company has paid dividends of $20.3 million. In the first quarter, the Company repurchased 3.2 million shares of common stock for $15.1 million.
On October 24, 2025, ACCO Brands announced that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share. The dividend will be paid on December 10, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 21, 2025.
Reaffirming Full Year 2025 Outlook
For the full year, the Company expects reported sales to be down in the range of 7.0% to 8.5%. Full year adjusted EPS is expected to be within the range of $0.83 to $0.90. The Company expects 2025 adjusted free cash flow to be within the range of approximately $90 million to $100 million, which includes $17 million in cash proceeds from the sale of two facilities.
“While we navigate the uncertain demand environment, we continue to focus on our faster growing categories. Our proven ability to manage costs and generate cash flow, combined with our market-leading brands and operational excellence, gives us confidence in our long-term value creation potential,” concluded Mr. Tedford.
Webcast
At 8:30 a.m. ET on October 31, 2025, ACCO Brands Corporation will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s third quarter 2025 results. The call will be broadcast live via webcast. The webcast can be accessed through the Investor Relations section of www.accobrands.com. The webcast will be in listen-only mode and will be available for replay following the event.
About ACCO Brands Corporation
ACCO Brands is the leader in branded consumer products that enable productivity, confidence and enjoyment while working, when learning and while playing. Our widely recognized brands, include AT-A-GLANCE®, Five Star®, Kensington®, Leitz®, Mead®, PowerA®, Swingline®, Tilibra® and many others. More information about ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO) can be found at www.accobrands.com.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to financial results reported in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we have provided certain non-GAAP financial information in this earnings release to aid investors in understanding the Company’s performance. Each non-GAAP financial measure is defined and reconciled to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure in the “About Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this earnings release.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained herein, other than statements of historical fact, particularly those anticipating future financial performance, business prospects, growth, strategies, business operations and similar matters, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, and those relating to cost reductions and anticipated pre-tax savings and restructuring costs are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management based on information available to us at the time such statements are made. These statements, which are generally identifiable by the use of the words “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “future”, “project,” “plan,” and similar expressions, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, are made as of the date hereof, and we undertake no duty or obligation to update them. Forward-looking statements are subject to the occurrence of events outside the Company’s control and actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those suggested or implied by such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Investors and others are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements when deciding whether to buy, sell or hold the Company’s securities.
Our outlook is based on certain assumptions which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. These include, without limitation, assumptions regarding consumer demand, tariffs, global geopolitical and economic uncertainties, and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and the other factors described below.
Among the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements are: changes in trade policy and regulations, including changes in trade agreements and the imposition of tariffs, and the resulting consequences; global political and economic uncertainties; a limited number of large customers account for a significant percentage of our sales; sales of our products are affected by general economic and business conditions globally and in the countries in which we operate; risks associated with foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; challenges related to the highly competitive business environment in which we operate; our ability to develop and market innovative products that meet consumer demands and to expand into new and adjacent product categories; our ability to successfully expand our business in emerging markets and the exposure to greater financial, operational, regulatory, compliance and other risks in such markets; the continued decline in the use of certain of our products; risks associated with seasonality, the sufficiency of investment returns on pension assets, risks related to actuarial assumptions, changes in government regulations and changes in the unfunded liabilities of a multi-employer pension plan; any impairment of our intangible assets; our ability to secure, protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, and our ability to license rights from major gaming console makers and video game publishers to support our gaming accessories business; our ability to grow profitably through acquisitions, and successfully integrate them; our ability to successfully execute our multi-year restructuring and cost savings program and realize the anticipated benefits; continued disruptions in the global supply chain; risks associated with inflation and other changes in the cost or availability of raw materials, transportation, labor, and other necessary supplies and services and the cost of finished goods; risks associated with outsourcing production of certain of our products, information technology systems and other administrative functions; the failure, inadequacy or interruption of our information technology systems or their supporting infrastructure; risks associated with a cybersecurity incident or information security breach, including that related to a disclosure of personally identifiable information; risks associated with our indebtedness, including limitations imposed by restrictive covenants, our debt service obligations, and our ability to comply with financial ratios and tests; a change in or discontinuance of our stock repurchase program or the payment of dividends; product liability claims, recalls or regulatory actions; the impact of litigation or other legal proceedings; the impact of additional tax liabilities stemming from our global operations and changes in tax laws, regulations and tax rates; our failure to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations and self-regulatory requirements, the costs of compliance and the impact of changes in such laws; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the volatility of our stock price; risks associated with circumstances outside our control, including those caused by telecommunication failures, labor strikes, power and/or water shortages, public health crises, such as the occurrence of contagious diseases, severe weather events, war, terrorism and other geopolitical incidents; and other risks and uncertainties described in “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and in other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Christopher McGinnis
Investor Relations
(847) 796-4320
Kori Reed
Media Relations
(224) 501-0406Source: ACCO Brands Corporation