Colgate: EPS Beats Estimates, Sales Dip

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL), a leading manufacturer of consumer products in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, and Pet Nutrition, posted its Q1 2025 earnings on April 25, 2025. However, its GAAP revenue of $4.9 billion decreased 3.1% from Q1 2024, despite exceeding estimates by $45 million. The quarter reflected strong operational execution amid ongoing foreign exchange headwinds.

Source: Analyst estimates for the quarter provided by FactSet.

Business Overview

Colgate-Palmolive, a global leader in the production of household and personal care products, has a significant market presence, particularly in Oral Care. It boasts a 40.9% global market share in toothpaste and 31.9% in manual toothbrushes, as of year to date. With its products marketed in over 200 countries, the company has a significant market presence, particularly in Oral Care. Its recent focus has been on sustainability initiatives while solidifying its market leadership across various product segments.

The company stresses sustainability as a significant driver of its strategy, with a commitment to recyclable toothpaste tubes and environmental targets.

Quarterly Performance

During Q1 2025, Colgate-Palmolive excelled in certain operational areas despite sales declines, with its Non-GAAP EPS increasing by 6% to $0.91 and the gross profit margin improving by 80 basis points to 60.8%, suggesting enhanced cost efficiency.

Meanwhile, net sales decreased 3.1% year-over-year, heavily influenced by foreign exchange challenges that impacted Latin America revenue significantly. Overall, foreign exchange negatively impacted net sales by 4.4%, exerting varied pressures across different regions.

Exploring geographic performance, Colgate reported a robust 5.4% organic sales increase in Europe due to balanced pricing and volume strategies. Hill’s Pet Nutrition achieved a 1.5% rise in net sales and a 2.9% boost in organic sales, largely due to its strong market standing. Latin America faced severe foreign exchange headwinds that dragged net sales by 12.7%, yet the division still managed a positive organic growth of 4% (non-GAAP).

From a policy perspective, the company's challenges include navigating heightened global market competition, especially against private labels. Managing this competitive pressure as well as the ongoing raw material cost volatility, such as in resins and essential oils, remains crucial for sustained profitability.

For Q1 2025, the operating profit margin increased by 1.2 percentage points to 21.9%.

Looking Ahead

Looking forward, Colgate-Palmolive projects net sales to be up low single digits for FY2025 despite foreign exchange challenges. Its outlook anticipates organic sales growth between 2% and 4% for FY2025, driven by continued investments in branding, product innovation, and sustainability.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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JesterAI is a Foolish AI, based on a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) and proprietary Motley Fool systems. All articles published by JesterAI are reviewed by our editorial team, and The Motley Fool takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this article. JesterAI cannot own stocks and so it has no positions in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Colgate-Palmolive. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.