Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Coty Thrives in the Growing Beauty Space Despite Cost Challenges

Read MoreHide Full Article

Coty Inc. (COTY - Free Report) continues to benefit from robust growth in the global beauty market, driven by a strong brand presence and consumer demand for fragrances, cosmetics and skincare. With a focus on six growth pillars, including growing Consumer Beauty and fragrances, the company demonstrates a proactive approach to sustainable growth. 

Despite rising costs and currency fluctuations, Coty's commitment to innovation and strategic partnerships enhances its competitive position across the beauty market. These fundamental factors underscore Coty's resilience and potential for long-term success, irrespective of short-term headwinds. Let’s discuss.

Coty's Strong Performance and Market Presence

Coty has demonstrated significant growth in the global beauty market, driven by strong brand strength and consumer demand for fragrances, cosmetics, and skincare products. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, Coty’s net revenues reached $1,363.4 million, marking a 1% increase year over year. This growth was fueled by a rise in prestige and mass fragrances, as well as prestige cosmetics and mass skin & body care. Notably, the company's revenue growth was particularly strong in Latin America, Asia (excluding China), and the Travel Retail channel, with Consumer Beauty seeing a 4% increase on a like-for-like (LFL) basis.

Coty’s Focused Strategy and Innovations Fuel Growth

Coty is advancing its strategic goals through six key priorities aimed at sustainable growth. These include stabilizing and growing Consumer Beauty brands, accelerating luxury fragrances, and enhancing e-commerce and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) capabilities. The company's focus on innovation has led to successful product launches such as Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid and Burberry Goddess. Coty’s e-commerce channel saw impressive growth in the fiscal fourth quarter, with Consumer Beauty e-commerce revenues up over 30%. In addition, Coty’s Travel Retail segment experienced over 20% LFL growth in fiscal 2024, benefiting from its extensive geographic reach and strategic retailer partnerships.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Coty’s Cost-Saving Tactics and Partnerships Show Promise

Coty is committed to optimizing its cost structure through the All In to Win transformation program, which achieved over $115 million in savings for fiscal 2024 and aims for an additional $75 million in fiscal 2025. The company has also formed strategic partnerships to enhance its brand portfolio, including long-term agreements with Lena Gercke, Etro and Marni. Coty renewed its license with Jil Sander and entered into agreements with Orveda and Perfect Corp., reinforcing its position in both the prestige and Consumer Beauty segments. These efforts highlight Coty’s focus on driving growth and maintaining a competitive edge in the beauty industry.

COTY’s Roadblocks: What You Need to Know

Coty faced increased operating costs in a challenging geopolitical and macroeconomic climate. In the fiscal fourth quarter, the company’s SG&A expenses surged to $791 million, up from $672.9 million a year ago, equating to 58% of net revenues compared with 49.8% previously. The company's A&CP spend reached nearly 27% of sales. If rising costs are not managed, they could further affect margins and profitability. 

Coty’s global operations expose it to currency risk, potentially squeezing profit margins abroad. In the quarter, net revenues were negatively impacted by 2% due to unfavorable foreign exchange rates. For fiscal 2025, Coty anticipates a low-single-digit percentage headwind from currency fluctuations, highlighting the ongoing risk posed by volatile exchange rates.

Coty’s Future Growth: Key Takeaways

Despite these challenges, the global beauty market, especially prestige fragrances, is thriving. Coty anticipates mid-single-digit growth in mature markets and double-digit increases in key growth areas and travel retail for fiscal 2025. With a robust e-commerce boost and an innovative pipeline, Coty expects 6-8% LFL revenue growth for fiscal 2025 and the first half of the year. Adjusted earnings per share is projected to rise 15-20% year-over-year, reaching 54-57 cents for the year.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have declined 8.8% in the past three months, surpassing the industry’s 25.9% decline.

Better-Ranked Staple Stocks

Here, we have highlighted three better-ranked food stocks, namely, The Chef's Warehouse (CHEF - Free Report) , Ollie's Bargain Outlet (OLLI - Free Report) and Flowers Foods (FLO - Free Report) .

The Chef’s Warehouse, which engages in the distribution of specialty food products, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

CHEF has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 33.7%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for The Chef’s Warehouse’s current fiscal year sales and earnings each indicates growth of 9.7% and 12.6%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

Ollie's Bargain, the extreme-value retailer of brand-name merchandise, carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). OLLI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 7.9%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimated figure for Ollie's Bargain’s current financial-year sales and earnings each indicates a rise of around 8.7% and 12.7%, respectively, from the year-earlier figures.

Flowers Foods, one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. FLO has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.9%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Flowers Foods’ current financial-year sales and earnings each implies growth of around 1.1% and 4.2%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

Published in