Mark Lavigne
Analyst · Barclays. Please go ahead
Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining us today. The hard work and dedication of the Energizer teams paid off as we achieved a great deal in 2024. Specifically, we delivered organic net sales within our originally guided range bolstered by second-half top-line momentum. We improved adjusted gross margins by 190 basis points. We delivered free cash flow of nearly $340 million, and we paid down $200 million of debt reducing leverage to below 5 times. Let me expand on each of these. First, advancement of our strategic top-line growth initiatives coupled with steadily improving category trends came through in our back-half results. As we enter the new fiscal year, we are well-positioned to drive both top and bottom-line growth. Second, gross margins and earnings continued to improve. We achieved adjusted gross margins of 42.2% in the fourth quarter and nearly 41% for the full fiscal year. We also generated adjusted earnings per share of $3.32, exceeding the top-end of our original outlook. Third, cash flow remains healthy. Fiscal 2024 was another very good year with free cash flow of nearly 12% of net sales enabling another $50 million of debt reduction in the quarter, and a total of $200 million in the fiscal year. With the progress we have made over the past two years, we are carrying a lot of momentum into the year ahead. For fiscal 2025, we expect to deliver 1% to 2% organic sales growth across both batteries and Auto Care, adjusted EBITDA in the range of $625 million to $645 million, and adjusted earnings in the range of $3.45 to $3.65 per share. John will provide a bit more context on the outlook, but first, I wanted to touch on those areas where we expect to drive consistent top-line growth. First, distribution. We are expanding our footprint with retailers where we do not currently have distribution, and we are also expanding the space we have with existing customers. This is the strength of our organization. And based on the recent customer decisions, we expect to expand distribution in both batteries and Auto Care in 2025. Second, we are accelerating our growth in e-commerce both in the US and in key international markets. During fiscal 2024, we grew e-commerce by roughly 15%, and our goal for fiscal 2025 is even more ambitious. To drive this outsized growth, we have expanded our internal capabilities, enhanced external partnerships and invested in the right product assortment across our categories. Third, we are expanding our presence in developing markets. As we look to 2025, we are investing for growth in markets where population and GDP growth are healthy, where we believe that we can become the market leader. We expect developing markets to continue to drive outsized growth in the years ahead. In addition to expanding our footprint, we are also investing with our customers to drive velocity of our products, while remaining committed to ongoing margin improvement. We have expanded the capabilities of our pricing and revenue management teams to maximize the effectiveness of our trade spend and to optimize our pricing. This group leverages data-driven insights to highlight and emphasize those promotions that are most meaningful to consumers, and that will maximize category value for our customers. Finally, we are very excited about the role innovation will play in our growth. In batteries, we have recently talked about the introduction of the world's first three-in-one coin lithium Child Shield, which is in the market today and designed with secure packaging, bitter taste to deter ingestion and a new color alert technology, which is activated when it comes into contact with saliva. The consumer reaction to this innovation has been very positive and demonstrates our leadership in this fast-growing segment of the category. We have invested further in batteries in the form of plastic-free packaging. We have transitioned our European markets and over the next few years, nearly 90% of our products sold in the North American market will be converted to plastic-free packaging. In Auto Care, on our last earnings call, we mentioned exciting innovation. Today, I am very pleased to introduce our newest and most innovative product line, the Armor All Podium Series developed in partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing. Armor All became the official auto cleaning and care partner of the team in 2021. Since then, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Formula One have seen tremendous success with a global TV audience in excess of 1 billion race fans. Oracle Red Bull Racing's unparalleled performance on-track and global brand recognition combined with the legacy and expertise of Armor All makes this an ideal evolution of the partnership. Podium Series will include a full portfolio of automotive appearance and air freshener products at the premium end-of-the category. We believe the new product line positions us well to capitalize on this fast-growing segment of the market. This type of innovation, combined with our leading brands and global platform will enable us to continue scaling this business into a meaningful growth engine for Energizer. In summary, we are proud of our performance in 2024, a year in which we executed our plan, achieved significant milestones, and delivered on our financial expectations as we closed out the year. As we move into 2025, we are squarely focused on driving growth while growing earnings and generating stable class-leading free cash flow. Let me now turn the call over to John to provide additional details about our financial performance and fiscal 2025 guidance.