ACCO

SharkNinja, Inc. SN delivered impressive second-quarter 2026 results, with both the top and bottom lines surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increasing year over year. This was supported by broad-based demand across its product portfolio, continued international expansion and strong execution. The company reported its 13th consecutive quarter of double-digit sales growth while raising its fiscal 2026 outlook across key financial metrics, reinforcing confidence in its long-term growth strategy. Investors have rewarded the strong execution. Shares of SharkNinja have gained 72.6% over the past three months, significantly outperforming the industry's 19.1% growth. The stock has outpaced the sector's 1.9% increase and the S&P 500's 3.9% rise. SN Stock Past Three-Month Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research SharkNinja reported second-quarter net sales of $1.77 billion, up 22.2% year over year, marking its fastest growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2024. The company delivered broad-based growth across categories, geographies and sales channels, reflecting the strength of its diversified business model. Management highlighted that SharkNinja continues to gain market share by consistently solving consumer problems through innovation rather than relying on a handful of viral products.Growth was driven by strength across all four major product categories. Cooking and Beverage Appliances revenues increased 36.5% to $499 million, supported by strong demand for the Ninja Luxe Cafe espresso machine and Ninja Crispi. Food Preparation Appliances revenues rose 13.3% to $458.6 million on continued momentum in blending products. Beauty and Home Environment Appliances revenues surged 65.3% to $285.8 million, fueled by skincare and fan products, while Cleaning Appliances revenues increased 4.1% to $522 million, driven by carpet extractors and cordless vacuums.International markets remained a major growth engine. International net sales increased 36.6%, with particularly strong performance across the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, while domestic sales advanced more than 15%.The company delivered healthy earnings growth. Adjusted EBITDA increased 18.6% year over year to $264.9 million, while adjusted net income climbed 29.3% to $178.2 million. Adjusted earnings per share increased 29.9% to $1.26 from 97 cents in the prior-year quarter. Management raised its 2026 outlook following stronger-than-expected operating performance. The company expects net sales growth of 16-17% compared with its previous outlook of 11.5-12.5%. Adjusted earnings per share are projected between $6.45 and $6.55, reflecting a 22.2% to 24.1% increase year over year, up from the prior guidance of $6-$6.10.  Approximately 15 cents of the increase reflects the expected benefit from tariff refunds.Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $1.36 billion and $1.37 billion compared with the previous outlook of $1.29-$1.30 billion. Roughly $30 million of the increase reflects the anticipated benefit from tariff refunds. Despite the stock's impressive rally, SharkNinja continues to trade at an attractive valuation relative to its growth profile. SN currently trades at a trailing price-to-sales ratio of 3.80X, below the industry average of 6.35X, suggesting investors are not paying a premium for its improving growth profile. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research SharkNinja's biggest competitive advantage remains the strength of its established core business. Management emphasized that the company's largest franchises, including Cleaning and Blending, continue to expand through diversification and innovation. This strategy allows SharkNinja to build growth on a broad portfolio rather than relying primarily on newly launched or viral products. Management pointed to the Ninja CREAMi as an example of this model, with the product evolving into a global family spanning more than 30 countries.Innovation is helping SharkNinja expand its addressable market. Management highlighted the company's focus on identifying categories with limited innovation and applying its product development expertise to create new opportunities. The Ninja Crispi Microwave and other upcoming launches demonstrate the company's strategy of entering underdeveloped spaces while continuing to strengthen its existing franchises.International expansion provides another significant avenue for long-term growth. SharkNinja has completed its distributor-to-direct-market transitions in Italy and Spain and finished the rollout of its direct-to-consumer platform across major international markets. France and Germany have expanded from a low double-digit number of categories to more than 50, while management estimates that the company remains less than 10% penetrated across EMEA on an overall category basis. This leaves considerable room to introduce established SharkNinja categories into new markets.The company's expanding omnichannel capabilities are further strengthening its international growth strategy. SharkNinja is combining relationships with major retailers such as Amazon and Mercado Libre with its DTC platform and social commerce initiatives. Management highlighted the early success of TikTok Shop in newly launched markets, providing the company with additional ways to create consumer demand and accelerate product launches globally.SharkNinja is simultaneously investing in its growth infrastructure. The company expects 2026 capital expenditures of $190 million to $210 million, primarily for new product launches and technology. SharkNinja is also increasing its focus on AI capabilities, media and retail activation. In addition, the company repurchased 1.01 million shares during the first half of 2026 under its $750 million share repurchase authorization, providing an additional avenue for shareholder returns. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SharkNinja's 2026 earnings implies year-over-year growth of 17.6%, while the estimate for 2027 indicates another 15.6% increase.Analysts have become more optimistic following the company's strong execution. Earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027 have been revised upward by 5 cents and 7 cents, respectively, over the past seven days, reflecting confidence in SharkNinja's growth trajectory. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research SharkNinja's strong second-quarter execution, raised outlook and diversified growth strategy position the company favorably for continued expansion. Its established franchises provide a solid foundation, while innovation, international penetration and broader distribution channels offer additional avenues for growth.The stock's recent gains demonstrate strong investor interest, while its below-industry price-to-sales multiple and upward earnings estimate revisions provide further support to the investment case.With strong fundamentals, multiple long-term growth opportunities and favorable earnings revisions, SharkNinja remains an attractive investment opportunity. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). ACCO Brands Corporation ACCO is a global consumer and business products company that designs, manufactures and markets office, school, technology and workspace products. It currently holds a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACCO Brands’ current financial-year earnings and sales indicates growth of 4.8% and 3%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. ACCO delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 35.7%.Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. SBH is a specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies headquartered in Plano, TX. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sally Beauty’s current fiscal-year earnings and sales implies growth of 9% and 0.8%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. SBH delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 6.4%.Interparfums, Inc. IPAR designs, manufactures, markets and distributes prestige fragrances and beauty products under licensing agreements with leading luxury fashion brands. It has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Interparfums’ current financial-year earnings and sales implies a decline of 7.4% and 0.6%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. IPAR delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 8.4%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SharkNinja, Inc. (SN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. (SBH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Interparfums, Inc. (IPAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acco Brands Corporation (ACCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, July 31, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. ET Senior Director of Investor Relations - Christopher McGinnis President and Chief Executive Officer - Thomas Tedford Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer - Deb O'Connor Operator: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us, and welcome to ACCO Brands Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] I will now hand the conference over to Chris McGinnis, Senior Director of Investor Relations. Chris, please go ahead. Christopher McGinnis: Thank you. Good morning, and welcome to ACCO Brands conference call to review our second quarter results. Speaking on the call today is Tom Tedford, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACCO Brands; and Deb O'Connor, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Slides that accompany this call have been posted to the Investor Relations section of accobrands.com. When speaking about our results, we may refer to adjusted results. Adjusted results exclude amortization and restructuring costs, noncash goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges, bargain purchase gain, unusual tax items and other nonrecurring items and include adjustments to reflect the estimated annual tax rate on quarterly earnings. Schedules of adjusted results and other non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are in the earnings release and slides that accompany this call. Due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts, we do not reconcile our forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures. Forward-looking statements made during the call are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management based on the information we have at the time the statements are made. Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and our actual results could differ materially. Please refer to our earnings release and SEC filings for an explanation of certain risk factors and assumptions. Our forward-looking statements are made as of today, and we assume no obligation to update them going forward. Now I will turn the call over to Tom Tedford. Thomas Tedford: Thank you, Chris. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today for ACCO Brands second quarter earnings call. Last night, we reported second quarter results with sales and adjusted EPS exceeding our outlook. We are pleased with our first half performance, reflecting the results of our multiyear cost reduction program and our renewed focus on commercial excellence and strategic growth initiatives, including the recent acquisition of EPOS. Our work integrating EPOS is progressing as planned, and we are pleased with the results in the quarter. Based on the first half performance, we are raising our full year outlook for both sales and adjusted EPS while maintaining a prudent view of the second half of the year. Our outlook reflects the seasonally adverse product and geographic mix in the back half of the year as well as an uncertain global operating environment. Deb will review the details of the drivers of our revised annual outlook. Second quarter consolidated sales grew 5%, ahead of our expectations, driven by strong performance in the Americas segment, solid contribution from the EPOS acquisition and favorable foreign exchange. In the Americas segment, sales benefited from strong back-to-school placements in North America and solid growth in Mexico. This more than offset weak industry demand in technology peripherals as well as soft demand in Brazil. North America back-to-school is an important season for ACCO Brands and product sales and margins are recovering from the tariff disruption a year ago. Our focus on creative product solutions, strong supply chain support and compelling value for our consumers has been well received by our channel partners. In Latin America, sales were mixed with strong performance in Mexico, offset by weaker sales in Brazil due to a soft economy, which has created hesitancy in customer purchasing and an adverse product mix. Over the past several quarters, we have adjusted our product assortment, go-to-market strategies, sales incentive plans and pricing where appropriate to better align with consumer needs. In the International segment, sales growth was driven by the EPOS acquisition and favorable foreign exchange. Demand in Australia and EMEA was weaker than expected due to geopolitical and economic conditions. EMEA sales were also negatively affected by a systems upgrade at our largest distribution center in Europe. That upgrade is now behind us with performance improving in June. Sales for technology peripherals were soft in the second quarter. The difficult demand environment for peripherals reflects cautious spending for end users due to elevated hardware costs, constrained memory chip availability, a soft console gaming market and shifts in enterprise investments to AI. We expect these trends to continue in the second half of the year. In gaming accessories, second quarter comparisons were difficult due to last year's initial load-in of accessories for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. We remain optimistic in our PowerA brand and believe we are well positioned to benefit when industry dynamics improve. We expect the fourth quarter release of Grand Theft Auto 6 to drive positive sales momentum in gaming accessories categories. In computer accessories, industry trends worsened as global PC shipments declined. Our computer accessory categories were directly impacted by lower hardware demand. EPOS integration remains on track with second quarter sales ahead of our expectations. We continue to expect approximately $80 million in sales in 2026 and $15 million in cost synergies in 18 months from the closing date of the acquisition. While the near-term demand environment is challenging, the targeted technology peripheral categories in which we compete offer attractive long-term growth opportunities. We continue to execute our strategy to expand our global market shares and enhance our technology peripherals portfolio through organic and inorganic initiatives in these large and growing categories. Turning to cost optimization and productivity. We continue to manage costs well and expect to realize our targeted $100 million cost reductions this year. In summary, I am pleased with the second quarter results and the execution against our value-enhancing initiatives. We are making meaningful progress on our strategy to transform ACCO Brands into a more focused, efficient and growth-oriented company. I will return to answer your questions. Now let me turn the call over to Deb. Deborah OConnor: Thank you, Tom, and good morning, everyone. We were pleased to deliver second quarter sales and adjusted EPS above our outlook. Reported sales in the second quarter increased 5% and comparable sales were down 2%. Growth in the quarter was driven by the EPOS acquisition and favorable FX. Comparable sales reflect growth for back-to-school products in North America as well as strong performance in Mexico. This was partially offset by soft demand in Brazil and in technology peripherals. Our International segment experienced a weak quarter in most markets. Adjusted gross profit for the second quarter was $138 million, an increase of 6% with a margin rate of 33.1%, which was up 20 basis points. The margin rate increase was mostly attributable to cost savings. Adjusted SG&A expense of $89 million is up compared to the prior year, but the increase is entirely due to the EPOS acquisition. We continue to have strong cost mitigation in place with savings more than offsetting cost inflation. Adjusted operating income for the second quarter was $48 million, up versus the prior year, reflecting cost savings, partially offset by fixed cost deleveraging due to organic volume declines. The integration of EPOS remains on track, and our full year outlook includes $80 million of 2026 sales. As we previously mentioned, EPOS has a higher gross profit rate than our consolidated average, but we expect it to be neutral to adjusted EPS for the year. We remain on track to deliver the outlined $15 million in cost synergies within 18 months from the date of the acquisition. Before moving to the segment results, let me provide an update on the status of our tariff refunds. We recently submitted claims for $20 million of refunds related to Phase 2, which we expect to receive in 2026. We will submit an additional claim of $5 million expected to be received in 2027. Our actual results and our outlook does not assume any benefit from these 2 claims. We are accounting for this benefit as a gain contingency, which delays our recording of the refund until receipt is assured. Let's turn to our segment results for the second quarter. In the Americas segment, sales were up 6% with comparable sales up 2%. We had good growth in Learning & Creative in both North America and Mexico, which was partially offset by softer demand in Brazil and in our core office and technology peripheral products. We now expect sales of back-to-school products to be up mid-single digits for the full season. The Americas adjusted operating income was $56 million in the second quarter, up approximately $13 million with the margin rate improving 380 basis points to 21.2%. The margin rate improvement was driven by stronger volume and cost savings. Remember that prior year results were impacted by tariff-related disruption and the current year margin rate is comparable to the 2024 rate. In the International segment for the second quarter, sales were up 4% with comparable sales down approximately 9%. Demand in EMEA and Australia was soft due to purchasing hesitancy related to geopolitical and economic factors. In addition, the planned EMEA distribution system upgrade disrupted our supply chain and customer deliveries, which also negatively impacted sales. This disruption is behind us, and we saw improved performance in June. International adjusted operating income was $4 million with the margin rate at 2.4%, both down versus the prior year. The second quarter is seasonally our weakest margin quarter due to lower sales and volume. This was compounded by the softer demand. Historically, the second half has had stronger sales and improved margin rate. Due to our seasonality, we generally use cash in the first half of the year and generate significant cash flow in the second half of the year. Year-to-date free cash outflow was $39 million, comparable to last year and in line with our plan. While inventory was up $14 million compared to last year, this was entirely due to the EPOS acquisition as underlying organic inventory was down. During the quarter, we returned $7 million to shareholders in the form of dividends. At quarter end, we had approximately $205 million available for borrowing under our revolver and finished the quarter with a consolidated leverage ratio of 4.3x, which is well below our debt covenants. Just a reminder that the second quarter is our peak quarter for borrowing, and we anticipate leverage to be within the range of 3.7 to 3.9x at year-end. Now let's move to the outlook. For 2026, we are raising our expectation for both full year reported sales and adjusted EPS. We expect reported sales to be up within a range of 2% to 5% and adjusted EPS to be within the range of $0.87 to $0.91. This outlook reflects a prudent sales expectation in the back half of the year as we are forecasting weaker demand due to geopolitical and economic factors. In addition, the second half sales has a greater mix of lower growth traditional office products. We do anticipate a lower gross profit and operating income margin compared to prior year due to higher inflationary costs and the fact that our pricing efforts will lag cost increases. Free cash flow is expected to be within the range of $75 million to $85 million with $24 million in restructuring payments and $15 million in CapEx. Lastly, as I previously said, we anticipate a consolidated leverage ratio within a range of 3.7 to 3.9x. For the third quarter, we expect reported sales to be within a range of down 1% to up 2%. We expect adjusted EPS to be within a range of $0.17 to $0.21. While the current environment remains dynamic, we are confident in the future of our company. We have no debt maturities until 2029 and a long history of productivity savings and cost management. Our strategy pivot is an exciting opportunity for ACCO Brands to accelerate growth and potential value creation for our shareowners. Now let's move on to Q&A, where Tom and I will be happy to answer your questions. Operator? Operator: [Operator Instructions] Your first question is from the line of Greg Burns with Sidoti. Gregory Burns: Could you just talk about, I guess, the performance you're seeing in the back-to-school channels, what you're seeing there? How the inventory levels look in the channel and what your sense is for how the retailers are approaching the back-to-school season? Thomas Tedford: This is Tom. We're pleased with the early reads that we see in back-to-school. Our sell-in was strong. We see the sell-through or sellout of our products, again, early in the season to be in line or better than our plan. And our brands are taking share in the first few weeks of back-to-school. Our inventory positions are in a good spot. Our supply chain teams work very closely with our customers to ensure that we set on time. Our sell-through targets are consistent to prior year, and we came out of the season last year fairly clean across most retailers. So we're cautiously optimistic about the season, and we'll see. This is an important few weeks of selling for our brands in retail. Gregory Burns: All right. And with the EPOS acquisition, I know you have a line of headsets through PowerA. I think it's the LucidSound brand. Is that like something that you license? And what are the opportunities for you to leverage EPOS through PowerA and gaming? Thomas Tedford: Good question. LucidSound is not a licensed brand. It's an own brand for ACCO Brands. It's largely dedicated to retail, and it's exclusively supporting gaming consumers. EPOS has a bit of a different consumer set. It's predominantly focused on enterprise. It is a brand that has unified certification certificates across most of the solutions that are in the market today, including things like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet. So it serves a different purpose. It serves a different consumer. It's typically higher quality sound and audio solutions. So there are opportunities for us to expand the EPOS brand to serve more customers, more consumers within our portfolio. We're early in the integration efforts. We have focused the initial integration efforts on ensuring that we're doing no damage to the company. So the IT infrastructure, getting the synergy conversations complete and behind us. We just now are starting to focus on the growth opportunities and growth synergies. So we're excited about what the potential is for the EPOS product portfolio and capabilities within our organic product portfolio, but we're early in identifying those growth opportunities. As we said in our prepared remarks, we're very pleased with EPOS in the first few months of ownership. They've overachieved our expectations. We've inherited a great team, really strong capabilities, a great product portfolio. So we're excited about the future. Operator: Your next question is from the line of Kevin Steinke with Barrington. Kevin Steinke: Great. So you raised your full year guidance for sales and adjusted EPS despite some cautious comments about the second half of the year. So is that just that raise being driven by the stronger back-to-school season or kind of any other factors that you would point to? Deborah OConnor: No, I think that's right, Kevin. I think we've had a strong first half, and it flowed through to the full year. Our expectations for the back half are fairly consistent with what we've been saying all along. But I do think we've had a stronger first half than we had previously provided. Kevin Steinke: Okay. Makes sense. And you talked about the softer industry demand for technology peripherals. I think previously, you had made some comments about a pretty good pipeline for computer accessories. And do you think that demand eventually comes back? Or I know you're putting a lot of emphasis on the technology peripherals strategically going forward. So maybe just what the pipeline looks like or what your view is longer term on that -- those categories? Thomas Tedford: Yes. Good question, Kevin. So we continue to be optimistic about the future growth opportunities within our technology peripheral categories. Long term, we see them as very attractive growth opportunities for the company. We think our brands have a strong position in the categories in which we compete in that we can leverage for growth. Our pipeline has been disrupted in the short term within our enterprise businesses, predominantly supported by our Kensington brand globally. Enterprise spend has slowed, particularly in the second quarter. The beginning of the year was consistent with our expectations in the planning process, but Q2 saw a significant slowdown in some of our end-user demand in our pipeline, while still robust, our close rate is just slowing. We think those deals are just getting postponed as enterprises are trying to absorb the additional hardware expenses that they're experiencing, and they're navigating a fairly dynamic AI environment that's taking up operating budgets that were probably initially focused on accessory spend. So there's a number of dynamics that in the short term are disrupting demand, but we do think long term, these are very attractive categories for our company to compete in. Kevin Steinke: Great. That's helpful. You mentioned some better-than-expected performance in Mexico. Maybe any factors what was driving that strength there? Thomas Tedford: Yes. So last year, we made some aggressive changes in how we went to market, including some aggressive price increases. We have really looked at that business very strategically, looked at how we go to market, our pricing in our core categories, our sales incentive plans, our product assortment. And I think it's just a combination of a number of changes that we've made strategically in the market. Our team there is doing a great job of executing against our strategies, and you can see it in the results. Operator: Your next question is from the line of Hale Holden with Barclays. Hale Holden: I had just 2 questions. The first one is you guys are doing really well with the integration of the EPOS acquisition. And I was wondering where that kind of leaves you in terms of future M&A pipeline or ability to integrate another acquisition of that size soon? Or would you need more time? Thomas Tedford: Yes. It's a good question, Hale. So we certainly want to be careful about our pipeline. We're excited about opportunities we see in the market. We are getting close to the completion of the internal integration of EPOS and starting to shift our efforts towards growth initiatives and growth synergies. But we do think the pipeline is attractive. We think in the near term, there may be opportunities for us. But we obviously can't comment on any specifics, but we're close to the end of the integration efforts for EPOS and should be in a position to do something again relatively shortly. Hale Holden: Great. And I just wanted to kind of pull the thread on, I guess, Kevin's question before me. So just the thought pattern there is that AI integration or spending in enterprises was reducing PC buys or overall tech accessory buys and that could continue for a couple of months, a couple of quarters. We're not really sure until things get back into balance. Thomas Tedford: Yes. So you may have seen or you may start seeing hardware really being impacted by these shifts and these cost increases and disruptions. Accessories, particularly, our accessories tend to flow along with hardware deployments. And so with PC sales being down, it's impacting our accessories attach rates. Operator: Your final question is from the line of William Reuter with Bank of America. William Reuter: So Deb, you mentioned some incremental inflationary impacts. How has that cost increased this year? And I guess, how much greater cost do you expect versus your expectations at the beginning of the year? Deborah OConnor: Yes. So we started seeing some in the second quarter that were a little bit greater. I think as we look to the back half, there's a lot of factors that weigh into how much inflation will actually come through, how long the conflicts continue and how long fuel is questionable. So we've, again, as I said, kind of programmed the back half here comparably to what we've done in the past. Our price increases generally lag when you're thinking of kind of our International segment and some of the global entities around the world. So we're kind of comparable to where we were, except we're a little hesitant to -- a little more hesitant as we see these conflicts going longer. William Reuter: Got it. I guess you mentioned the timing of price increases. Are you having to meaningfully raise your prices as a result of these higher input costs? Thomas Tedford: So our pricing strategy is different by market and geography and product category. So we're looking at each one of our categories, each one of our geographies, assessing the ability to pass through price. We don't want to harm demand in an environment that's already got a cautious consumer and business spending dynamic that we're trying to navigate through. But we do anticipate having to push through additional cost increases globally, and those will differ by market and differ by product category. Operator: There are no further questions at this time. I will now turn the call back to Tom Tedford for closing remarks. Thomas Tedford: Thank you, everyone, for joining us. We are pleased with our second quarter results and expect the combination of the EPOS acquisition, momentum from our growth initiatives and positive foreign exchange to drive revenue improvement in 2026. Our commitment to operational excellence through continued cost management and productivity programs position us to deliver improved profits and cash flow. With our optimized operational structure and momentum with leading brands, we have a strong platform to generate consistent free cash flow while strategically repositioning ACCO Brands towards faster-growing technology peripheral categories. I want to thank our ACCO Brands team for their dedication and good work this quarter. We appreciate your interest in ACCO Brands, and I look forward to talking with you when we report our third quarter results in October. Operator: This concludes today's call. Thank you for attending. You may now disconnect. Before you buy stock in Acco Brands, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Acco Brands wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $397,405!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,344,091!* That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by 4x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 7, 2026. This article is a transcript of this conference call produced for The Motley Fool. While we strive for our Foolish Best, there may be errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in this transcript. As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. ACCO (ACCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool

SharkNinja, Inc. SN delivered another strong quarterly performance, supported by broad-based category growth, accelerating international demand and continued product innovation. The company reported adjusted earnings of $1.26 per share, increasing 29.9% year over year and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10 by 14.5%.Net sales increased 22.2% year over year to $1,765.5 million or 21.6% on a constant-currency basis, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1,639 million by 7.7%. Management noted that the company delivered its 13th consecutive quarter of double-digit net sales growth, with revenues expanding at its fastest pace since the fourth quarter of 2024. Management attributed the performance to SharkNinja's three-pillar growth strategy focused on expanding existing product categories, entering adjacent categories and accelerating international expansion. Strong execution across these initiatives, coupled with improving profitability, prompted management to raise its 2026 outlook across net sales, adjusted earnings and adjusted EBITDA. Investors responded positively to the results, sending SN shares up by approximately 8.3% in yesterday's trading session. SharkNinja, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | SharkNinja, Inc. Quote SharkNinja generated growth across each of its four major operating segments during the second quarter. Cleaning Appliances revenues increased 4.1% year over year to $522 million, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $551 million, as growth was driven by continued demand for carpet extractors and cordless vacuums. Cooking and Beverage Appliances remained one of the strongest contributors, with revenues increasing 36.5% to $499 million, surpassing the consensus estimate of $406 million, supported by robust sales of the Ninja Luxe Cafe espresso machine and Ninja Crispi platform.Food Preparation Appliances revenues rose 13.3% year over year to $458.6 million, which surpassed the consensus estimate of $446 million, benefiting from continued strength in the blending category. Beauty and Home Environment Appliances once again delivered the strongest growth, with revenues surging 65.3% to $285.8 million, which surpassed the consensus estimate of $218 million and was driven by strong consumer demand for skincare products and fan offerings.Management highlighted multiple innovation-led product launches during the second quarter, including Shark Luxe Home, Shark CarpetForce, Shark PowerDetect Transformer and BlendBOSS. The company further expanded into adjacent categories with the introduction of the Ninja Crispi Microwave, thereby reinforcing its strategy of solving consumer problems through continuous innovation. Management noted that the new microwave generated more than 8 million social media impressions during its first week, reflecting strong early consumer interest. International operations remained SharkNinja's fastest-growing business during the second quarter. International net sales increased 36.6% year over year to $624 million, substantially exceeding domestic sales growth of 15.5% year over year to $1.14 billion. Management attributed the strong performance to continued expansion across the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, supported by successful rollout of existing product categories into additional international markets.Management emphasized the growing importance of social commerce. TikTok Shop operations expanded from zero countries a year ago to seven countries by the end of the second quarter. Products such as the Ninja NeverDull Knife System continued to attract younger consumers, while management expects its TikTok Shop presence to more than double before the holiday season. SN's profitability reflected continued operational strength despite tariff-related cost pressures. Gross profit increased 21.5% year over year to $860.3 million. However, gross margin declined 30 basis points to 48.7%. Adjusted gross profit increased 20.4% to $860.3 million, while adjusted gross margin contracted 70 basis points to 48.7%.The margin pressure primarily reflected higher U.S. tariff costs, unfavorable foreign exchange movements and increased retailer activations. These headwinds were partially offset by cost optimization initiatives, favorable category and channel mix and lower sourcing service fees following the expiration of the JS Global sourcing agreement in July 2025. SharkNinja continued investing aggressively to support product innovation and international growth. Research and development expenses increased 22.3% year over year to $109.3 million, primarily reflecting higher personnel expenses, increased prototype development and testing costs.Sales and marketing expenses increased 23.4% to $441.5 million, driven by higher delivery and distribution expenses, advertising investments, personnel costs supporting product launches and international expansion, as well as higher merchant processing fees. General and administrative expenses rose 40.8% to $130.1 million, mainly due to higher personnel-related costs, including increased share-based compensation, along with higher professional and consulting expenses.Management discussed its expanding artificial intelligence initiatives, highlighting that AI is accelerating product development, improving consumer insights and enhancing marketing analytics. The company continues to advance multiple AI projects through its "Jailbreak SharkNinja" program, which management believes will strengthen innovation and operating efficiency. SharkNinja continued translating strong revenue growth into improved profitability. Adjusted operating income increased 19.6% year over year to $231.5 million, while adjusted operating margin was 13.1% compared with 13.4% in the prior-year quarter.Adjusted EBITDA increased 18.6% year over year to $264.9 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin was 15% compared with 15.5% in the year-ago period. Adjusted net income increased 29.3% to $178.2 million despite ongoing tariff-related headwinds. SharkNinja ended the second quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $779.8 million and $489.8 million of available borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility. Total debt, excluding unamortized deferred financing costs, stood at $718.9 million.Inventories increased 14.1% to $1.14 billion compared with year-end 2025 as the company continued building inventory to support product launches and international expansion. During the second quarter, SharkNinja repurchased 815,233 ordinary shares for $99.7 million under its existing share repurchase authorization. Management raised its 2026 outlook following stronger-than-expected operating performance. The company expects net sales growth of 16-17% compared with its previous outlook of 11.5-12.5%. Adjusted earnings per share are projected between $6.45 and $6.55, reflecting a 22.2% to 24.1% increase year over year and up from the prior guidance of $6-$6.10.  Approximately 15 cents of the increase reflects the expected benefit from tariff refunds.Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $1.36 billion and $1.37 billion, compared with the previous outlook of $1.29-$1.30 billion. Roughly $30 million of the increase reflects the anticipated benefit from tariff refunds.Management disclosed that approximately $247.1 million of tariff refund claims have been accepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As a result, SharkNinja expects to recognize an approximately $247.1 million benefit as a reduction in cost of sales, together with a corresponding receivable, in the third quarter of fiscal 2026.Capital expenditures are expected to be between $190 million and $210 million, primarily to support new product launches and technology. Management noted that tariff refund proceeds will also be reinvested into retail activation, media spending and mitigating ongoing tariff and input-cost pressures while maintaining confidence in the company's long-term growth strategy. SN Stock Past-Three Month performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have risen 61% over the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 11.9%. Newell Brands Inc. NWL is a global consumer goods company that designs, manufactures and markets branded products across home, kitchen, writing, baby, outdoor and commercial categories. It currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NWL’s current financial-year sales and earnings indicates growth of 1.2% and 12.3%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 40%, on average. ACCO Brands Corporation ACCO is a global consumer and business products company that designs, manufactures and markets office, school, technology and workspace products. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ACCO Brands’ current financial-year earnings and sales suggests growth of 4.8% and 2.8%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. ACCO delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 35.7%.Interparfums, Inc. IPAR designs, manufactures, markets and distributes prestige fragrances and beauty products under licensing agreements with leading luxury fashion brands. It has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Interparfums’ current financial-year earnings and sales implies a decline of 7.4% and 0.6%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. IPAR delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 8.4%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report SharkNinja, Inc. (SN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Newell Brands Inc. (NWL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Interparfums, Inc. (IPAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acco Brands Corporation (ACCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Reported Sales Growth: Increased 5% in Q2 2026, driven by the EPOS acquisition and favorable foreign exchange. Comparable Sales: Decreased 2% in Q2 2026. Adjusted Gross Profit: $138 million in Q2, up 6% year-over-year. Adjusted Gross Margin: 33.1%, up 20 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted SG&A Expense: $89 million in Q2, up year-over-year entirely due to the EPOS acquisition. Adjusted Operating Income: $48 million in Q2, up versus the prior year. Americas Segment Sales: Up 6% in Q2, with comparable sales up 2%. Americas Segment Adjusted Operating Income: $56 million in Q2, up approximately $13 million year-over-year. Americas Segment Margin Rate: Improved 380 basis points to 21.2%. International Segment Sales: Up 4% in Q2, with comparable sales down approximately 9%. International Segment Adjusted Operating Income: $4 million in Q2, with a margin rate of 2.4%. Free Cash Flow: Year-to-date outflow of $39 million, comparable to last year. Leverage Ratio: 4.3x at quarter end. Full-Year 2026 Reported Sales Growth Outlook: Raised to a range of 2%-5%. Full-Year 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook: Raised to a range of $0.87-$0.91. Full-Year 2026 Free Cash Flow Outlook: Expected to be within a range of $75 million-$85 million. Q3 2026 Reported Sales Growth Outlook: Expected to be within a range of -1% to +2%. Q3 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook: Expected to be within a range of $0.17-$0.21. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with ACCO. Is ACCO fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: July 31, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Second quarter sales and adjusted EPS exceeded the company's outlook, with consolidated sales growing 5%. Strong back-to-school product sales in North America and solid growth in Mexico drove Americas segment performance. The EPOS acquisition is integrating well, with sales ahead of expectations and on track to deliver $80 million in 2026 sales and $15 million in cost synergies. Cost reduction programs are on track to achieve $100 million in savings this year, helping offset inflation and improve margins. The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook for both sales and adjusted EPS, reflecting strong first-half performance. Comparable sales declined 2% in the quarter, with soft demand in technology peripherals and Brazil. International segment sales were weak, with comparable sales down approximately 9% due to geopolitical and economic factors. Technology peripherals demand remains challenged due to high hardware costs, memory chip shortages, and a soft console gaming market. The EMEA distribution system upgrade disrupted supply chain and customer deliveries, negatively impacting sales. The company expects lower gross profit and operating income margins in the second half due to higher inflationary costs and pricing lag. Q: You raised your full-year guidance for sales and adjusted EPS, despite some cautious comments about the second half of the year. Is that just the raise being driven by the stronger back-to-school season or any other factors?A: Deb O'Connor (EVP and CFO) confirmed that the raise is primarily due to a stronger-than-expected first half, which flowed through to the full-year outlook. She noted that expectations for the back half remain consistent with prior guidance, but the company had a better first half than previously provided. Q: Can you talk about the performance you're seeing in the back-to-school channels, inventory levels, and how retailers are approaching the season?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) stated that early reads on back-to-school are positive, with strong sell-in and sell-through in line with or better than plan. Brands are gaining share, inventory positions are healthy, and the company came out of last season clean. He expressed cautious optimism, noting the next few weeks are critical for retail sales. Q: You mentioned softer industry demand for technology peripherals. Do you think demand eventually comes back, and what does the pipeline look like longer term?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) said the company remains optimistic about long-term growth in technology peripherals, but short-term enterprise demand has slowed, particularly in Q2. The pipeline remains robust, but close rates are slowing as enterprises absorb higher hardware costs and shift budgets toward AI initiatives. He believes deals are being postponed, not lost, and the categories remain attractive long-term. Q: With the EPOS acquisition, what are the opportunities to leverage EPOS through PowerA in gaming, and how is integration progressing?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) explained that LucidSound is an owned brand focused on retail gaming, while EPOS is enterprise-focused with certifications for platforms like Microsoft Teams. The initial integration focused on IT infrastructure and synergies, but the company is now shifting to growth opportunities. EPOS has overachieved expectations, and the team is excited about expanding the brand across the portfolio. Q: You mentioned some incremental inflationary impacts. How has cost increased this year, and how much greater cost do you expect versus your expectations at the beginning of the year?A: Deb O'Connor (EVP and CFO) noted that inflationary costs were slightly greater in Q2, and the back half outlook is cautious due to factors like ongoing conflicts and fuel prices. Price increases generally lag cost increases, particularly in the international segment, and the company is being more hesitant as conflicts persist. Q: Are you having to meaningfully raise prices as a result of higher input costs?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) said pricing strategy varies by market, geography, and product category. The company is assessing the ability to pass through price increases without harming demand in a cautious spending environment. They anticipate pushing through additional cost increases globally, but the approach will differ by market and category. Q: You mentioned better-than-expected performance in Mexico. What was driving that strength?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) attributed the strength to aggressive strategic changes made last year, including pricing adjustments, go-to-market strategies, sales incentive plans, and product assortment. The team in Mexico is executing well against these strategies, which is reflected in the results. Q: Where does the EPOS integration leave you in terms of future M&A pipeline or ability to integrate another acquisition of that size soon?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) said the company is close to completing the internal integration of EPOS and is shifting focus to growth initiatives. The M&A pipeline is attractive, and while they cannot comment on specifics, they believe they could be in a position to act on opportunities relatively shortly. Q: Can you elaborate on the thought that AI integration or spending in enterprises was reducing PC buys or overall tech accessory buys?A: Tom Tedford (President and CEO) confirmed that hardware is being impacted by shifts in spending and cost increases. Accessories tend to flow along with hardware deployments, so with PC sales down, it is impacting accessory attach rates. The trend could continue for a couple of months or quarters until things get back into balance. Q: You mentioned submitting claims for tariff refunds. Can you provide an update on the status and how it impacts the outlook?A: Deb O'Connor (EVP and CFO) stated that the company recently submitted claims for $20 million in refunds related to phase II, expected in 2026, and will submit an additional $5 million claim expected in 2027. The actual results and outlook do not assume any benefit from these claims, as they are accounted for as a gain contingency until receipt is assured. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Performance exceeded expectations driven by strong North American back-to-school placements and the successful integration of the EPOS acquisition. The Americas segment saw a recovery in product sales and margins as the company moved past tariff disruptions experienced in the prior year. Management attributed soft technology peripheral demand to elevated hardware costs, constrained memory chip availability, and enterprise budget shifts toward AI investments. In Latin America, strategic pivots in Mexico including revised go-to-market strategies and pricing adjustments drove growth, offsetting economic weakness in Brazil. International segment results were negatively impacted by a planned systems upgrade at the largest European distribution center, though performance improved in June post-completion. The company is executing a multiyear cost reduction program, targeting $100 million in savings this year to offset fixed cost deleveraging from organic volume declines. Full-year sales and adjusted EPS guidance were raised based on first-half strength, though management maintains a 'prudent' view of the second half due to geopolitical uncertainty. The second-half outlook assumes a seasonally adverse product mix with a higher concentration of lower-growth traditional office products. Management expects lower gross profit and operating margins in the near term as pricing efforts are anticipated to lag rising inflationary and fuel costs. The EPOS acquisition is projected to contribute approximately $80 million in sales for 2026 with $15 million in cost synergies expected within 18 months of closing. Gaming accessory momentum is expected to accelerate in the fourth quarter, specifically tied to the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6. Tariff refund claims totaling $20 million have been submitted for 2026, with an additional $5 million claim expected to be submitted for 2027., but these are treated as gain contingencies and excluded from current guidance. Consolidated leverage ended the quarter at 4.3x, which is the seasonal peak for borrowing, with a target to reduce this to 3.7 to 3.9x by year-end. The company faces a difficult year-over-year comparison in gaming accessories due to the prior year's initial load-in for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management noted that enterprise close rates for accessories have slowed as customers prioritize AI-related hardware expenses within fixed operating budgets. The company views this as a postponement rather than a cancellation of demand, as accessory sales typically follow hardware deployment cycles. With the internal integration of EPOS nearly complete, management indicated they will soon be in a position to pursue additional M&A opportunities. The focus is shifting from back-office integration to identifying growth synergies and expanding the EPOS brand into broader customer segments. Management plans to push through additional price increases globally but will differentiate by market and category to avoid harming demand. They acknowledged that price increases generally lag cost spikes, particularly in international markets, creating a temporary margin headwind.

Interested in Acco Brands Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. Second-quarter sales rose 5%, driven by the Americas, the EPOS acquisition and favorable foreign exchange, although comparable sales fell 2% amid weakness in international markets and technology peripherals. Acco raised its full-year outlook to 2%–5% reported sales growth and adjusted EPS of $0.87–$0.91, supported by cost reductions and strong Americas back-to-school demand, while warning that margins may decline as inflationary costs rise. EPOS integration is on track, with the company targeting approximately $80 million in 2026 sales and $15 million in synergies; however, soft enterprise, PC-accessory and gaming demand is expected to persist through the second half. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Trading at a Discount Acco Brands (NYSE:ACCO) said second-quarter sales increased 5% from a year earlier, exceeding the company’s outlook, as strength in its Americas business, the recently acquired EPOS business and favorable foreign exchange more than offset weaker demand in several international and technology-peripheral markets. President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Tedford said the company’s first-half performance reflected its multiyear cost-reduction program, commercial initiatives and strategic growth efforts. Based on those results, Acco raised its full-year outlook for reported sales and adjusted earnings per share, while retaining a cautious view of demand in the second half. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now Reported second-quarter sales rose 5%, while comparable sales declined 2%, according to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Deb O’Connor. The difference reflected contributions from the EPOS acquisition and favorable currency movements. In the Americas segment, sales rose 6% and comparable sales increased 2%. The company cited strong North American back-to-school placements and growth in Mexico, particularly in learning and creative products. Those gains were partly offset by softer conditions in Brazil, core office products and technology peripherals. → Microsoft Just Flipped the AI Spending Narrative Overnight Tedford said early back-to-school indicators have been favorable. “Our sell-in was strong,” he said, adding that early sell-through was in line with or better than the company’s plan and that its brands were gaining share in the initial weeks of the season. He said channel inventory positions were in good shape and that Acco exited the prior back-to-school season “fairly clean across most retailers.” O’Connor said Acco now expects sales of back-to-school products to rise by the mid-single digits for the full season. Americas adjusted operating income was $56 million, up about $13 million from the prior year, while the segment’s adjusted operating margin improved 380 basis points to 21.2%. The company attributed the improvement to stronger volume and cost savings. → Carrier Earnings Could Send the Stock to a New All-Time High International sales increased 4% on a reported basis but declined about 9% on a comparable basis. Growth from EPOS and foreign exchange was offset by weaker demand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Australia. Sales also were affected by a planned systems upgrade at the company’s largest European distribution center, which disrupted deliveries. Tedford said the upgrade was completed and performance improved in June. Acco said technology-peripheral demand was weak in the quarter, citing cautious end-user spending, higher hardware costs, constrained memory-chip availability, a soft console-gaming market and a shift in enterprise spending toward artificial intelligence. The company expects those trends to continue during the second half. Computer accessory categories were affected by lower global PC shipments, Tedford said. He added that accessories tend to move alongside hardware deployments, meaning weaker PC demand has affected accessory attach rates. Enterprise demand, including categories supported by the Kensington brand, slowed significantly during the second quarter, according to Tedford. While the company’s sales pipeline remains “robust,” he said deal close rates have slowed as businesses absorb higher hardware expenses and allocate budgets toward AI-related initiatives. Gaming accessory comparisons were also difficult because the prior-year period included an initial load-in of products tied to the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. Tedford said Acco remains optimistic about its PowerA brand and expects the planned fourth-quarter release of Grand Theft Auto VI to support sales momentum in gaming-accessory categories. The company said EPOS sales exceeded its expectations during the quarter. Acco continues to expect approximately $80 million in EPOS sales during 2026 and $15 million in cost synergies within 18 months of the acquisition’s closing date. O’Connor said EPOS carries a higher gross-profit rate than Acco’s consolidated average but is expected to be neutral to adjusted EPS for the year. Tedford said integration efforts have initially focused on preserving the acquired business, including IT infrastructure and synergy planning. He said the company is now beginning to evaluate growth opportunities across the EPOS portfolio. EPOS primarily serves enterprise customers and offers audio products with certifications for platforms including Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, Tedford said. He contrasted it with Acco’s LucidSound brand, which is owned by Acco, primarily retail-focused and geared toward gaming consumers. Acco also said it sees an attractive acquisition pipeline and may be positioned to pursue another transaction relatively soon as internal EPOS integration work approaches completion. Tedford did not provide details on potential deals. Second-quarter adjusted gross profit increased 6% to $138 million, and adjusted gross margin expanded 20 basis points to 33.1%, primarily because of cost savings. Adjusted selling, general and administrative expense rose to $89 million entirely due to the EPOS acquisition, O’Connor said. Adjusted operating income was $48 million, benefiting from cost savings but partly offset by fixed-cost deleveraging from organic volume declines. Acco remains on track to achieve $100 million in targeted cost reductions this year. However, O’Connor said the company expects lower gross-profit and operating-income margins for the full year compared with the prior year as inflationary costs rise and pricing actions lag those increases. The company said it submitted claims for $20 million in Phase II tariff refunds that it expects to receive in 2026, plus an additional $5 million claim expected in 2027. Neither actual results nor guidance includes any benefit from the claims. Full-year reported sales are now expected to increase 2% to 5%. Full-year adjusted EPS is forecast at $0.87 to $0.91. Third-quarter reported sales are expected to range from a 1% decline to 2% growth. Third-quarter adjusted EPS is projected at $0.17 to $0.21. Full-year free cash flow is expected to be $75 million to $85 million, including $24 million of restructuring payments and $15 million of capital expenditures. Year-to-date free-cash-flow outflow was $39 million, in line with the prior year and the company’s plan. Acco ended the quarter with about $205 million available under its revolver and a consolidated leverage ratio of 4.3 times. The company expects year-end leverage of 3.7 times to 3.9 times and said it has no debt maturities until 2029. Acco Brands Corporation is a global provider of branded office and school supplies, serving consumers, educational institutions and commercial customers. Headquartered in Lake Zurich, Illinois, the company designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of products that enhance productivity and organization in work and learning environments. The company's portfolio includes staplers, hole punches, binding and laminating systems, writing tools, binders, folders and desktop accessories under well-known names such as ACCO, Swingline, GBC, Kensington, Mead and Five Star. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. The article "Acco Brands Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for July 2026.

Acco Brands (ACCO) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.29 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.27 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.28 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +7.41%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of office supplies would post a loss of $0.05 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.02, delivering a surprise of +140%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Acco, which belongs to the Zacks Consumer Products - Discretionary industry, posted revenues of $415.1 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.12%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $394.8 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates two times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Acco shares have added about 16.1% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Acco has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Acco was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.21 on $381.28 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.87 on $1.56 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Consumer Products - Discretionary is currently in the bottom 22% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the same industry, Honest (HNST), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 5. This consumer products company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.02 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -33.3%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Honest's revenues are expected to be $77.65 million, down 16.9% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Acco Brands Corporation (ACCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report The Honest Company, Inc. (HNST) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Reported net sales increased 5.1% to $415 million Diluted EPS of $0.15; Adjusted diluted EPS of $0.29 Raises full-year 2026 sales and adjusted EPS outlook Reiterates full-year free cash flow of $75 million to $85 million LAKE ZURICH, Ill., July 30, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. "We delivered a strong second quarter, with sales and adjusted EPS exceeding both prior-year results and our outlook. In the Americas segment, sales benefited from strong back-to-school sell-in and better-than-expected performance in Mexico. The International segment faced market softness and shipment disruptions from a planned systems upgrade at our largest distribution center in EMEA. The system upgrade is now complete, resulting in an improved and modernized warehouse management system. Based on our first half performance, we are raising our full-year sales and EPS outlook. We remain disciplined in this dynamic global operating environment as we position ACCO Brands for long-term growth," stated ACCO Brands' President and Chief Executive Officer, Tom Tedford. "The EPOS integration remains on track, and we are in the early stages of expanding the brand across our global platform. We are on target to achieve the expected synergies from this acquisition and continue to realize savings from our $100 million multi-year cost reduction program. These cost savings along with our cash flow allow us the flexibility to invest in organic and inorganic growth initiatives," added Mr. Tedford. Second Quarter Results Second quarter net sales increased 5.1 percent to $415.1 million from $394.8 million in 2025. This increase reflects 5.7 percent from the EPOS acquisition and 1.7 percent from favorable foreign exchange. Comparable sales declined 2.3 percent as growth in the Americas segment's learning and creative category was more than offset by softness in the International segment and technology peripherals globally. Operating income was $30.3 million, compared with $33.0 million in 2025. Current-year operating income included one-time charges of $5.2 million, while prior-year operating income included a $6.9 million gain on the sale of assets. Restructuring expense was $1.3 million, compared with $9.4 million in the prior year. Adjusted operating income increased to $48.1 million, from $47.1 million in 2025, reflecting cost savings that were partially offset by lower organic volumes. Net income was $14.1 million, or $0.15 per share, compared with $29.2 million, or $0.31 per share, in 2025. Prior year net income was positively impacted as the Company settled the outstanding tax assessments in Brazil, resulting in a net discrete tax benefit of $13.4 million. Adjusted net income increased to $27.4 million, from $25.8 million in 2025, and adjusted earnings per share rose to $0.29 from $0.28 in 2025. Business Segment Results ACCO Brands Americas – Second quarter segment net sales of $262.9 million increased 5.8 percent from $248.5 million in the prior year. Growth was driven by the EPOS acquisition of 2.7 percent and favorable foreign currency of 1.3 percent. Strong performance in the learning and creative category in North America and Mexico more than offset declines in workspace solutions and technology peripherals. Comparable sales of $253.0 million, were up 1.8 percent versus prior year. Second quarter operating income was $46.4 million, compared with $40.7 million a year earlier. Current-year operating income included one-time charges, while prior-year operating income included a gain on the sale of assets. Adjusted operating income increased to $55.8 million, from $43.2 million in the prior year. The increase in both operating and adjusted operating income reflects cost savings and volume growth. ACCO Brands International – Second quarter segment net sales were $152.2 million an increase of 4.0 percent from $146.3 million in the prior year. The EPOS acquisition increased sales by 10.8 percent and favorable foreign exchange added 2.5 percent. Comparable sales were $132.8 million, down 9.3 percent year-over-year, reflecting reduced demand for office product categories, particularly in EMEA and Australia. Sales were also adversely affected by a planned systems upgrade in EMEA. Second quarter operating loss was $4.8 million, compared with operating income of $0.8 million in the prior year. Current-year operating loss included a one-time charge. Restructuring expense related to the multi-year cost reduction program was $1.0 million, compared with $8.6 million in the prior year. Adjusted operating income was $3.6 million, compared with $12.4 million in the prior year, as lower volumes more than offset cost savings and price increases. Six Month Results Net sales of $758.8 million, increased 6.5 percent from $712.2 million in 2025. The EPOS acquisition increased sales by $37.6 million, or 5.3 percent, and favorable foreign exchange increased sales by $26.0 million, or 3.7 percent. Comparable sales decreased 2.5 percent as stronger demand for learning and creative categories in the Americas segment and growth in Mexico were more than offset by softness in technology peripherals and lower demand for workspace solutions globally. Operating income was $19.9 million compared with $26.3 million in 2025. Restructuring expense, primarily related to EPOS, and a litigation settlement, totaled $12.0 million, compared with $11.7 million in the prior year related to the multi-year cost reduction program. Operating income also reflects the items noted above in second quarter operating income. Adjusted operating income increased to $59.8 million from $54.0 million in 2025, reflecting cost savings, partially offset by lower organic volumes. Net income was $33.5 million, or $0.35 per share, compared with a net income of $16.0 million, or $0.17 per share, in 2025. Six-month net income benefited from a $36.5 million bargain purchase gain related to the preliminary purchase price allocation for the EPOS acquisition. Prior year net income was positively impacted as the Company settled the outstanding tax assessments in Brazil, resulting in a net discrete tax benefit of $13.4 million. Adjusted net income was $29.2 million compared with $23.7 million in 2025, and adjusted earnings per share were $0.31 per share compared with $0.25 per share in 2025. Cash Flow, Debt and Dividend Year to date, free cash outflow was $38.6 million compared with an outflow of $40.2 million in the prior year. The Company's consolidated leverage ratio was 4.3x as of June 30, 2026. Year to date, the Company has paid dividends of $13.8 million. On July 24, 2026, ACCO Brands announced that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share, payable on September 9, 2026 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 21, 2026. Full Year 2026 and Third Quarter Outlook "We are pleased with the second quarter and first half results. We continue to make progress on our growth initiatives and the integration of the EPOS acquisition. These results give us confidence to raise our full year outlook. We believe we are well positioned to create long-term value for our shareholders," concluded Mr. Tedford. For the full year, the Company now expects reported sales to increase 2.0 percent to 5.0 percent, compared with the prior range of flat to up 3.0 percent. Full-year adjusted EPS is now expected to be within the range of $0.87 to $0.91, compared with the prior range of $0.84 to $0.89. The Company continues to expect 2026 free cash flow and the consolidated leverage ratio to be within the ranges of $75 million to $85 million and 3.7x to 3.9x, respectively. In the third quarter, the Company expects reported sales to be in the range from down 1.0 percent to up 2.0 percent and adjusted EPS to be within a range of $0.17 to $0.21. Webcast At 8:30 a.m. ET on July 31, 2026, ACCO Brands Corporation will host a conference call to discuss the Company's second quarter 2026 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, the timing and recoverability of tariff refund claims, 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 and receive certifications from equipment and software businesses to support our technology accessories business; the introduction by third parties of new and successful gaming consoles; 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 the use by us and other suppliers of artificial intelligence, 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, 2025, and in other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures We explain below how we calculate each of our non-GAAP financial measures. This is followed by a reconciliation of our current period and historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. We use our non-GAAP financial measures both to explain our results to stockholders and the investment community and in the internal evaluation and management of our business. We believe our non-GAAP financial measures provide management and investors with a more complete understanding of our underlying operational results and trends, facilitate meaningful period-to-period comparisons and enhance an overall understanding of our past and future financial performance. Our non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain items that may have a material impact upon our reported financial results such as restructuring charges, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, unusual tax items, goodwill and indefinite-lived trade name impairments and charges, and other non-recurring items that we consider to be outside of our core operations. On an interim basis, we also calculate adjusted income tax expense using our estimated annual income tax rate. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the directly comparable GAAP financial measures and should be read in connection with the Company’s financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP. Our non-GAAP financial measures include the following: Comparable Sales: Represents net sales excluding the impact of material acquisitions, if any, with current-period foreign operation sales translated at prior-year currency rates. We believe comparable sales are useful to investors and management because they reflect underlying sales and sales trends without the effect of material acquisitions and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and facilitate meaningful period-to-period comparisons. We sometimes refer to comparable sales as comparable net sales. Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Operating Income (Loss)/Adjusted Income (Loss) Before Taxes/Adjusted Net Income (Loss)/Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Per Diluted Share: Represents gross profit, operating income (loss), income (loss) before taxes, net income (loss), and net income (loss) per diluted share excluding restructuring and goodwill and indefinite-lived trade name impairment charges, the amortization of intangibles, bargain purchase gain, non-recurring items, other income/expense, adjustments to reflect the estimated annual tax rate and discrete income tax adjustments, including income tax related to the foregoing. We believe these adjusted non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors and management because they reflect our underlying operating performance before items that we consider to be outside our core operations and facilitate meaningful period-to-period comparisons. Senior management’s incentive compensation is derived, in part, using adjusted operating income and adjusted net income per diluted share, which is derived from adjusted net income. We sometimes refer to adjusted net income per diluted share as adjusted earnings per share or adjusted EPS. Adjusted Income Tax Expense (Benefit): Represents income tax expense (benefit) excluding the tax effect of the items that have been excluded from adjusted income (loss) before taxes, unusual income tax items such as the impact of tax audits and changes in laws, and other discrete tax items. We believe our adjusted income tax expense (benefit) is useful to investors because it reflects our income tax calculated using the estimated annual tax rate before discrete tax items that we consider to be outside our core operations and facilitates meaningful period-to-period comparisons. For interim periods, the income tax expense (benefit) is calculated using the estimated annual income tax rate. Adjusted EBITDA: Represents net income excluding the effects of depreciation, stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangibles, interest expense, net, other (income) expense, net, and income tax expense, restructuring and goodwill and indefinite-lived trade name impairment charges, bargain purchase gain, and other non-recurring items. We believe adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it reflects our underlying cash profitability and adjusts for certain non-cash charges and other items that we consider to be outside our core operations and facilitates meaningful period-to-period comparisons. In addition, this calculation of adjusted EBITDA is used in our loan agreement to calculate our leverage ratio covenant. Free Cash Flow: Free cash flow represents cash flow from operating activities less cash used for additions to property, plant and equipment. We believe free cash flow is useful to investors because they measure our available cash flow for paying dividends, reducing debt, repurchasing shares and funding acquisitions. Net Debt: Represents balance sheet debt plus unamortized debt origination costs and less any cash and cash equivalents. Consolidated Leverage Ratio: Represents net debt divided by trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA. We also provide forward-looking non-GAAP comparable sales, adjusted earnings per share, free cash flow, adjusted EBITDA and historical and forward-looking consolidated leverage ratio. We do not provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking and historical non-GAAP measures to GAAP because the GAAP financial measure is not currently available and management cannot reliably predict all the necessary components of such non-GAAP measures without unreasonable effort or expense due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such a reconciliation, including adjustments that could be made for restructuring, integration and acquisition-related expenses, the variability of our tax rate and the impact of foreign currency fluctuation and material acquisitions, and other charges reflected in our historical results. The probable significance of each of these items is high and, based on historical experience, could be material. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260730283912/en/ Contacts For further information: Christopher McGinnisInvestor Relations(847) 796-4320 Kori ReedMedia Relations(224) 501-0406