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Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (CPS)·Q2 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q2 2025 delivered margin expansion and an outlook raise: Adjusted EBITDA rose to $62.8M (8.9% margin), up from $50.9M YoY; GAAP net loss improved to $(1.4)M and adjusted EPS turned positive at $0.06 .
- Management raised full‑year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA guidance to $220–$250M (from $200–$235M), while keeping sales at $2.7–$2.8B and trimming net cash taxes to $25–$30M .
- Execution remains strong: 100% of 317 customer scorecards were green; lean/purchasing savings of $25M and restructuring savings of ~$4M in Q2 drove performance despite softer volumes and inflation .
- Liquidity healthy at $272.8M (cash $121.6M; undrawn ABL availability), and management expects positive FY free cash flow with a net leverage ratio below 4x by year‑end, aided by working capital unwind and potential refinancing .
- Near‑term stock catalysts: guidance raise, continued margin trajectory toward ~10% exit run‑rate by Q4, tariff pass‑through agreements, and improving customer schedules into Q3–Q4 .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Operational excellence and customer service at all‑time highs: 100% of 317 customer scorecards green; launch scorecards 97% green; world‑class safety with 0.26 incident rate and 44 plants at zero incidents in H1 .
- Cost actions delivered: $25M lean/purchasing savings and ~$4M restructuring savings YoY in Q2; Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 170 bps YoY to 8.9% despite lower volumes .
- Commercial progress and awards: $77.1M net new business in Q2 (H1 total $132.0M), including wins aligned to hybrid/BEV platforms; Ford Supplier of the Year; strategic collaboration with Renault’s EmBlem project leveraging FlexiCore and Flush Seal .
What Went Wrong
- Top‑line modestly softer: Q2 sales declined 0.3% YoY to $705.973M on unfavorable volume/mix and net price adjustments, partly offset by FX .
- Free cash outflow in Q2: Free cash flow of $(23.352)M, reflecting normal seasonality, higher cash interest, and working capital build (AR normalization from strong Dec collections), expected to unwind in H2 .
- Macro/tariff uncertainty persists: Global trade policy/tariff changes still a near‑term forecasting overhang; management expects tariff pass‑through/recoveries but acknowledges potential production volume impacts .
Financial Results
Estimate comparison (S&P Global consensus; Q4 shown for trend):
- Values retrieved from S&P Global.
- †EBITDA (unadjusted) reconstructed from press release/8‑K reconciliation tables: Q4 2024 $55.705M EBITDA vs $54.283M adjusted; Q1 2025 $56.702M EBITDA vs $58.715M adjusted; Q2 2025 $59.913M EBITDA vs $62.765M adjusted .
Q2 2025 vs estimates: Revenue beat; Primary EPS beat; Adjusted EBITDA beat (vs EBITDA consensus proxy).
- Bolded in context: *Revenue +2.8% vs est ($705.973M vs $687.0M), *EPS beat (0.06 vs −0.056), *EBITDA beat (~$63.8M vs $57.0M)**.
Segment breakdown (Q2 2025):
KPIs and cash metrics:
Guidance Changes
Light vehicle production assumptions updated (North America 14.9M; Europe 16.7M; China 31.2M; South America 3.2M) reflecting July 2025 S&P Global forecasts .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We ended the second quarter with a record 100% of our total 317 customer scorecards for quality and service being green… A huge shout‑out to our manufacturing leadership team, our plant managers, and our plant employees for this remarkable result.” — Jeff Edwards .
- “Lean initiatives in purchasing and manufacturing contributed $25 million in savings… restructuring initiatives added $4 million… despite lower sales and production volumes.” — Jon Banas .
- “We’ve successfully reached agreements with our customers that will allow us to pass through or recover the majority of all direct tariff impacts on our business.” — Jeff Edwards .
- “We ended the second quarter with a cash balance of approximately $122 million… total liquidity of approximately $273 million… we believe we are on track to achieve positive free cash flow for the full year… net leverage ratio below four times at the end of this year.” — Jon Banas .
Q&A Highlights
- Long‑term growth visibility: Discussion of 2030 targets implies ~80% of incremental $1B revenue is already booked (net new business split across Sealing/Fluid), with further upside from system integration in Fluid Handling not yet in plan .
- Margin trajectory: Management reiterated an “outside shot” of approaching ~10% adjusted EBITDA margins by Q4 exit rate, contingent on volumes (S&P forecasts viewed as conservative versus releases) .
- Working capital mechanics: AR normalization from unusually strong Dec collections drove H1 outflow; expected to unwind fully in H2; cash interest ~$110–$115M FY but still positive FY FCF .
- Refinancing optionality: Ratings path toward single‑B could reduce interest costs; potential 100–300 bps improvement depends on market conditions, aiding deleveraging .
Estimates Context
- Q2 2025 vs consensus: Revenue $705.973M vs $687.0M* (beat); Primary EPS $0.06 vs $(0.056)* (beat); EBITDA ~$63.8M† vs $57.0M* (beat). Full table above.
- Q1 2025 vs consensus: Revenue slight beat; Primary EPS beat; EBITDA slightly below the consensus proxy, but Adjusted EBITDA improved materially YoY .
- Q4 2024 vs consensus: Misses on revenue and EPS; EBITDA below estimates amid FX/volume headwinds .
- Values retrieved from S&P Global. †EBITDA actual reflects GAAP EBITDA reconciled from filings .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Guidance raise and margin momentum: Full‑year Adjusted EBITDA increased to $220–$250M, with Q2 margins expanding despite softer volumes—supporting a path toward ~10% exit run‑rate by Q4 .
- Cost discipline is sticking: Lean and restructuring savings are recurring drivers; Expect continued margin expansion as higher‑contribution programs launch .
- Tariff risk largely mitigated: Commercial agreements allow pass‑through of most direct impacts; remaining uncertainty is volume‑related rather than margin structure .
- H2 cash inflection: Working capital unwind plus seasonality and undrawn ABL support management’s positive FCF view for 2025; liquidity ample at ~$273M .
- Segment catalysts: Sealing and Fluid both show double‑digit YoY EBITDA gains; hybrid content and system integration underpin Fluid’s medium‑term margin/ROIC targets .
- Balance sheet optionality: Ratings outlook improving (Moody’s to positive) and potential refinancing could lower cash interest (100–300 bps range), accelerating deleveraging below 4x by YE .
- Trading stance: Near‑term narrative favors guidance raise and execution vs macro noise; watch releases vs S&P production forecasts—upside to volumes would leverage fixed cost base and flow through EBITDA .