Kodak (KODK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Kodak (KODK) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Motley Fool Transcribing, The Motley FoolTue, March 17, 2026 at 8:02 PM UTC
0
Logo of jester cap with thought bubble.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET
Call participants -
Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer — James Continenza
Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President — David Bullwinkle
Takeaways -
Revenue -- $290 million, a 9% increase driven by growth in both Advanced Materials and Chemicals (AM&C) and Print segments.
Gross profit -- $67 million, up by $16 million, marking a 31% increase; gross margin improved to 23%, a rise of 4 percentage points.
Full-year revenue -- $1.069 billion, rising by $26 million, or 2% overall.
Operational EBITDA -- $22 million for the quarter, representing 144% year-over-year growth.
Net cash position -- $337 million unrestricted cash at year-end, a $136 million increase from the prior year.
Pension reversion transaction -- $1.023 billion in total proceeds with a net $870 million benefit after $153 million excise tax, enabling $312 million of debt reduction and $256 million toward new pension funding.
Term loan reduction -- Principal reduced by $303 million during the year, leaving a $200 million balance at year-end.
Preferred equity amendment -- Extension of Series B mandatory redemption to June 2029, dividend rate increased to 6%, and conversion price reduced to $10 per share.
Adjusted net loss -- Excluding major nonrecurring items and noncash charges, net loss was $12 million, down from net income of $27 million in the prior year quarter.
AM&C segment growth -- Fourth-quarter revenue up 25%, attributed to the launch of a direct distribution brand of still films and increased market activity.
Print segment highlights -- Growth led by North American plate sales, transition of PROSPER 520 to full production, and ongoing investments in rapid response and AI-driven service systems.
Brand licensing -- Ongoing growth continues to contribute material value and higher gross profit, with notable expansion in Asia.
Cash flow from operations -- $21 million provided by operating activities for the year, a $28 million improvement excluding reversion and asset sales impacts.
Compliance -- The company remains in full compliance with all financial covenants.
Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email pr@fool.com
Risks -
Chief Financial Officer Bullwinkle reported that fourth-quarter GAAP net loss of $108 million was primarily due to a $153 million excise tax expense tied to pension reversion, and a $7 million loss on early extinguishment of debt, only partially offset by a $66 million gain on KRIP plan settlement.
Operational net loss, after adjusting for nonrecurring and noncash items, declined by $39 million year over year, largely attributed to a $41 million reduction in noncash pension income, and a $7 million rise in restructuring costs.
Full-year adjusted net loss of $11 million, versus $87 million adjusted net income in the prior year, was driven by $111 million less noncash pension income, and a $13 million increase in restructuring costs.
Summary
Eastman Kodak (NYSE:KODK) announced completion of a $1.023 billion pension reversion, materially strengthening the balance sheet and funding its new cash balance pension plan. Management implemented strategic amendments to Series B preferred equity, extending redemption to 2029, while reallocating $100 million to reduce higher-cost debt and improve future cash flows. Adjusted operational performance displayed significant EBITDA improvement and a marked increase in unrestricted cash, reflecting greater operational efficiency and focus on free cash flow. Capital deployment prioritized deleveraging, pension obligations, and ongoing investment in new business lines, underpinning the company's growth-focused transformation.
The company highlighted that both Print and AM&C divisions are now driving revenue, with Print advancing AI and rapid-response initiatives, and AM&C seeing resurgence in film and pharma product launches.
James Continenza said, "took out over $200 million of operating expense over the last few years, invested heavily in new infrastructure and new products."
Brand licensing growth outside the U.S., especially in Asia, now includes standalone stores dedicated solely to Kodak-branded apparel and merchandise.
Ongoing reallocation of debt and preferred equity payments through recent amendments is expected to further decrease interest expense due to the 12.5% term loan rate.
Industry glossary -
KRIP (Kodak Retirement Income Plan): The former defined benefit pension plan for Kodak U.S. employees, subject to recent termination and reversion transactions.
Operational EBITDA: Company-defined earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, adjusted to exclude certain non-recurring income and expense items.
Brand licensing: The granting of permission to third parties to use the Kodak brand in exchange for royalties or fees, contributing to company revenue and profit.
Full Conference Call Transcript
Anthony Redding: Thank you, and good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to Kodak's Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Earnings Call. At 4:15 p.m. this afternoon, Kodak filed its annual Form 10-K and issued its release on financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2025. You may access the presentation and webcast for today's call on our Investor Center at investor.kodak.com. During today's conference call, we will be making certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend for these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on forward-looking statements and such statements should not be read or understood as a guarantee of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based upon Kodak's expectations and various assumptions. Future events or results may differ from those anticipated or those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others, the risks, uncertainties and other factors described in more detail in Kodak's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.
All forward-looking statements attributable to Kodak or persons acting on its behalf only apply as of the date of the presentation and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included or referenced in this presentation. Kodak undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In addition, the release just issued and the presentation provided contain certain measures that are deemed non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures have been provided with the release and within the presentation on our website in our Investor Center at investor.kodak.com.
Speakers on today's call are Jim Continenza, Kodak's Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and David Bullwinkle, Kodak's Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President. We will not be holding a formal Q&A during today's call. However, as always, the Investor Relations team is available for follow-up. I will now turn the call over to Jim. Thank you, and have a great day.
James Continenza: Welcome, everyone, and thank you for joining the Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Investor Call for Eastman Kodak. I'm proud to say our long-term plan continues to be on track. We finished the quarter and the year very strong. It's almost a tale of 2 halves. If you look at the first and second quarter and look at the results of the third and fourth and the closet of the year, and we're going to cover that through the presentation, you'll see the difference. And the difference really comes from the long-term investments that we've made are really starting to pay off. One piece you'll notice going forward is the pension fund and the reversion.
As you look at the reversion in the 2025 numbers, right, it really took place in late November, early December. So the numbers you're seeing, the interest expense and the reversion had very little impact. These are true operating numbers within the business. By completing that, we're able to focus more clearly on our financial reporting and operations. It simplifies the company and easier for everyone to understand the true impact of the operations. And I'm proud to say our balance sheet hasn't been this strong in many years. We have continued to reduce debt over the last several years. We've reduced over $40 million of interest expense, and that all falls to the bottom line.
So where does Kodak go from here, right? We stabilized the business. We put the investments in place. We fixed the balance sheet over several years. We've lowered our interest. We're poised for growth. And that is where we're going. When you look at the company going forward, heavily delevered, streamlined operations and investments in new products. We have continued to rationalize the business, focused on smart revenue, took out over $200 million of operating expense over the last few years, invested heavily in new infrastructure and new products. Today, Kodak is well positioned to drive growth. Kodak is in a good position between balance sheet and operations to focus on free cash flow.
Highlights for the fourth quarter, as I said, it's a tale of 2 halves of the year, the success of the third quarter carried into the fourth quarter as we expected, increase in both revenue and profits. Revenues of $290 million, an increase of 9%. Fourth quarter revenues grew for both AM&C and Print. Said differently, both sides of the company are now contributing to our growth and our success. Gross profit percentage of 23%, an increase of 4 percentage points demonstrates our value of executing on smart revenue. Now let's jump to highlights of the full year. Consolidated revenues of $1.069 billion, an increase of $26 million or 2%.
Gross profit percentage of 22% compared with 19% for the prior year is an increase of 3 percentage points. What's driving these results are a number of factors: streamlined operations focused on innovation, putting that customer first and continuing to drive smart revenue. Moving on, let me give you an update on AM&C. As we said for the last several years, right, we're a great industrial manufacturer and primarily American manufacturer, bringing back that Park and investing into our core competencies, we're starting to see the results truly pay off. When you look at revenue, up 25% for the fourth quarter.
We launched owned direct distribution brand of still films to stabilize the market and to provide distributors and retailers, consumers with a more reliable source. Many Oscar nominees were shot on Kodak film. As an example, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Marty Supreme and many others. We've seen a real resurgence in our film group. And on to Pharma, we've invested into our Pharma group. And let's be very clear, our goal here is to get Class II certification. In the interim, we also launched 4 new products from PBS to Water for Injection. Continued highlights, right? Again, remind everyone the 3 core things Kodak does today: brand licensing, AM&C and commercial print.
I'm pleased to say our investment in commercial print has been paying off. We continue to be heavily committed to Print. Areas of growth for our Print division have been in North America in our Plates division, imprinting systems. I'm proud to say finally, the PROSPER 520 is moving from controlled introduction to full production. We've also invested in a new rapid response service system to better serve our customers, and we continue to incorporate AI and machine learning to also better serve our customers. These investments will help drive additional growth and better margins. As I touched on brand licensing, something we should not forget, it continues to grow. It's a significant contributor to our gross profit.
It adds value, increased awareness of Kodak, especially among the next-generation of consumers. Our brand continues to grow outside the U.S., particularly in Asia, there are stores that sell only Kodak-branded clothes and materials. I will now turn it over to Dave to discuss the fourth quarter and full year financial results.
David Bullwinkle: Thanks, Jim, and welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. This afternoon, we filed the annual Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, with the SEC. As always, I encourage you to read this filing in its entirety. Before we review the details for the quarter and full year, I want to address a few significant developments that occurred after the filing of our Form 10-Q for the third quarter 2025. In November 2025, following the full settlement of all Kodak retirement income plan obligations, we successfully completed the pension reversion process.
This transaction generated approximately $1.023 billion in pension reversion proceeds, a combination of cash and investment assets that strengthens our balance sheet, establishes an overfunding of the new Kodak cash balance pension plan, reduces our ongoing interest expense and supports future growth. Here is a brief overview of the pension reversion proceeds which totaled $870 million of net benefit to the company after excise tax payments of $153 million on the reversion surplus. Number one, debt reduction.
Under the November 2025 term loan credit agreement amendment, we paid $312 million of cash proceeds to reduce the term loan principal to $200 million and to satisfy accrued interest and prepayment premiums, significantly lowering our ongoing interest expense by approximately $40 million annually and further strengthening our capital structure. Number two, funding the new pension plan. We contributed $251 million in investment assets and $5 million in cash to fund the new Kodak cash balance plan. The establishment of this replacement plan provides the same level of benefit for active Kodak employees that was available under the KRIP plan, which is very rare in pension terminations. Number three, net proceeds to Kodak.
After the pay down of debt, replacement plan funding and excise tax payments, Kodak received net cash of $144 million and $158 million in investment assets. $9 million of these investment assets was redeemed in the form of cash proceeds in December 2025. As a result, Kodak ended 2025 in a net positive cash position relative to our $300 million in term loan and Series B preferred equity obligations with a cash balance of $337 million as of December 31, 2025. Lastly, on March 11, 2026, the company filed the 2026 Series B amendment effective on the same date.
In summary, the amendments extended the mandatory redemption date of the Series B preferred equity obligation out 3.25 years' time from the effective date of the amendment to June 2029. It revised the terms of the cumulative dividends payable to a rate of 6% per annum from 4% previously. It reduced the conversion price from $10.50 to $10 per share, and it revised the mandatory conversion terms. In parallel to this amendment, the term loan credit agreement was also amended on March 11, 2026, and requires the company to further pay down the term loans by $50 million within 5 days of the effective date and by another $50 million on or before June 1, 2026.
As a reminder, prior to this amendment, the Series B preferred equity obligation of approximately $100 million was coming due in May 2026. Also note, that the term loans accrue interest at a rate of 12.5%. Thus, by extending the preferred equity obligation, the company will be using $100 million to pay down the higher interest rate bearing term loan balance over the next 3 months, which will further strengthen the company's liquidity position as well as reduce our weighted average interest rate and therefore, cash used for interest and dividend payments. Please refer to the annual Form 10-K filed with the SEC today for further information and disclosure on all of these matters.
I will now review the financial highlights, including operational EBITDA and cash flow performance for both the fourth quarter and full year 2025. Despite a challenging global environment marked by economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including pressures on global trade and inflation, we delivered strong financial results. Our progress is especially evident in gross profit and operational EBITDA, demonstrating continued execution against our priorities and long-term objectives. Turning to Slide 7. Key highlights for the fourth quarter of 2025 include revenue of $290 million, an increase of $24 million or 9% year-over-year. Revenue increased $19 million on a constant currency basis. Gross profit of $67 million, up $16 million or 31% from 2024. Foreign exchange had no impact on gross profit.
Advertisement
The gross profit percentage was 23% compared to 19% in the prior year quarter. Our GAAP net loss of $108 million compared to GAAP net income of $26 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 represents a decline of $134 million. The primary drivers impacting fourth quarter GAAP net loss are $153 million related to excise tax expense on the KRIP reversion surplus and a $7 million loss on early extinguishment of debt tied to the term loan paydown using reversion proceeds. These were partially offset by a $66 million gain on the settlement of the KRIP plan.
Adjusting for these nonrecurring items and excluding noncash asset impairment charges and noncash changes in workers' compensation and other employee benefit reserves impacting both periods, net loss was $12 million for the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to net income of $27 million in the prior year quarter for a decline of $39 million.
This decline was largely due to a $41 million year-over-year reduction in noncash pension income, excluding service cost component and a gain on the settlement of KRIP, stemming from a lower expected return on KRIP assets following a strategic shift in investment strategy leading up to the planned termination and a $7 million increase in restructuring costs compared to the prior year quarter as we continue to streamline our global operating model. All these factors weighed on our year-over-year comparison, each reflects deliberate decisions that enhance the company's long-term stability, strengthen our balance sheet and position us to drive sustainable value creation going forward.
For the quarter, operational EBITDA was $22 million, up $13 million or 144% year-over-year, driven by improved pricing and higher volume, partially offset by higher manufacturing costs and continued global cost increases. Our operational EBITDA increased $15 million year-over-year when adjusted for noncash changes in workers' compensation and other employee benefit reserves impacting both periods. Moving on to the company's cash performance for the fourth quarter of 2025 as shown on Slide 8. The company ended the quarter with $337 million in unrestricted cash.
On an adjusted basis, cash and cash equivalents increased by $24 million year-over-year after excluding the favorable impact of net proceeds from the KRIP reversion, net of debt-related repayments and excise tax as well as the effects of changes in restricted cash and foreign exchange. Turning to Slide 9, which summarizes our full year 2025 results. Consolidated revenue was $1.069 billion, an increase of $26 million or 2%. On a constant currency basis, revenue increased $15 million. Gross profit improved $29 million or 14%. On a constant currency basis, gross profit improved $28 million. Gross profit percentage was 22% for 2025, up from 19% in the prior year period, reflecting stronger pricing discipline and continued operational execution.
The GAAP net loss for the full year 2025 was $128 million compared to GAAP net income of $102 million in 2024, for a decline of $230 million. However, similar to the impact of nonrecurring items on our fourth quarter results, full year net loss includes the impact of pension-related excise tax and a loss on early debt extinguishment, partially offset by a gain on the settlement of KRIP. In addition, the prior year period includes a net gain on sale of assets and both years reflect noncash asset impairment charges and noncash changes in workers' compensation and other employee benefit reserves.
Adjusting for these current and prior year items, net loss was $11 million for 2025 compared to net income of $87 million in 2024, a decline of $98 million. This is largely driven by $111 million reduction in noncash pension income, excluding service cost component in 2025 and a gain on the settlement of KRIP and a $13 million increase in restructuring costs when compared to the prior year. Our full year operational EBITDA was $62 million, an increase of $36 million or 138% year-over-year. This increase was driven by improved pricing, operational efficiencies and lower inventory reserve adjustments in our EPS business, partially offset by higher aluminum and manufacturing costs.
There was no net impact on the year-over-year change in operational EBITDA when adjusted for the impact of foreign exchange in the current year and the impact of noncash changes in workers' compensation and other employee benefit reserves in both periods. Moving to Slide 10, which outlines our full year 2025 cash performance. As I stated earlier, we ended the year with $337 million in unrestricted cash, up $136 million from year-end 2024, largely reflecting proceeds from the KRIP settlement and asset reversion and operational improvements. We reduced the principal balance of our term loans by $303 million, bringing the year-end balance to $200 million.
As a result, Kodak is in a net positive cash position relative to our term loans and Series B preferred equity obligations, significantly strengthening our balance sheet and supporting future growth. Excluding the favorable impact of the KRIP settlement and reversion proceeds, net cash provided by operating activities was $21 million, an improvement of $28 million compared to 2024, driven by stronger operating performance, partially offset by working capital changes. Excluding the net impact of the KRIP reversion, debt-related repayments, excise tax, changes in restricted cash and the effects of foreign exchange, we decreased our use of cash year-over-year by $26 million. Finally, as disclosed in our annual Form 10-K, we remain in full compliance with all financial covenants.
I will now turn the discussion back to Jim. Thank you.
James Continenza: If you can leave here with anything that you've heard or seen today, I want to make sure you leave with this message. Kodak is focused on growth following a very strong 2025. We continue to be one Kodak. Customer-first has not changed. Today, we are a diversified industrial manufacturer with one goal, winning. We put our customers first because we only win when they win. We had a very strong finish to 2025. Year-over-year, fourth quarter 2025 revenue increased by $24 million or 9%. Gross profit increased by $16 million or 31%. Operational EBITDA increased by $13 million or 144%. Growth in key businesses, plates and in film. Kodak today is on a very solid foundation for growth.
We have a strong balance sheet with more cash than debt. In many years, that has not been the case. Back in second quarter, we had approximately $700 million of debt. Today, we're sitting at $300 million with $300 million plus of cash. We're on the way of taking out another $100 million of long-term debt, which will leave us with over $200 million of cash and $200 million of debt. We'll continue to strengthen that balance sheet, which allows us to execute on growth in our long-term plan. All 3 businesses, Print, AM&C and Brand Licensing are contributing. And inside of that, we have promising new investments in our pharma division, in our battery coating.
We continue to invest in the business for a long-term plan. We are pleased with the direction we're in. We have a long way to go. But I can tell you, this is a good start, especially having the balance sheet out of the way. We're really truly focused on growth in our business. I would be remiss if I didn't again thank the leadership team. Over the last several years, we made over a 50% change in the leadership and a melding of the best of what Kodak had and the best of the skills that we knew we needed to bring in to help drive the fundamentals of this company to bring Kodak where it is today.
We look forward to the future, and thank you for your support.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect.
Should you buy stock in Eastman Kodak right now?
Before you buy stock in Eastman Kodak, 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 Eastman Kodak wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut 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 $513,407!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,123,237!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 938% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 188% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of March 17, 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. Parts of this article were created using Large Language Models (LLMs) based on The Motley Fool's insights and investing approach. It has been reviewed by our AI quality control systems. Since LLMs cannot (currently) own stocks, it has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
Source: “AOL Money”
