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PPG Wraps Up Sale of Architectural Coatings U.S. & Canada Business

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PPG Industries Inc. (PPG - Free Report) announced that it has closed the divestment of 100% of its architectural coatings business in the United States and Canada for $550 million to American Industrial Partners ("AIP"), an industrial investor. PPG's architectural coatings businesses in other regions of the world, including Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific, remain crucial to its portfolio.

This transaction, along with the completed sale of PPG's silicas products business, further optimizes its portfolio by improving its organic growth and financial return profiles, resulting in increased capability to channel growth resources to areas where it has the strongest competitive advantage with its customers.

The architectural coatings business in the United States and Canada accounted for approximately $2 billion of PPG's 2023 total net sales, with an EBITDA margin in the low single digits. As previously mentioned, excluding this business, PPG's overall company sales volume performance would have risen more than 200 basis points over three years on a pro forma basis. Furthermore, its Performance Coatings segment operational (EBIT) income, excluding the U.S. and Canada architectural coatings EBIT and the corresponding growth-related investments, would have resulted in an approximately 300-basis point increase in segment margins in 2023.

The transaction is the result of PPG's examination of strategic alternatives for the business, which was initially announced on Feb. 26, 2024. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as PPG's sole financial advisor while Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP as its legal advisor.

PPG’s shares have lost 12% in the past year compared with the industry’s 8.1% decline.

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PPG anticipates flat organic sales and adjusted earnings per share to be at the bottom end of the $8.15- $8.30 range for 2024.

PPG’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

PPG currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) , DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DD - Free Report) and CF Industries Inc. (CF - Free Report) . 

Carpenter Technology currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

CRS beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 14.1%. The company's shares have soared 160% in the past year. 

The consensus estimate for DD’s current-year earnings is pegged at $3.88 per share, indicating a year-over-year rise of 11.5%. DD, which currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) , beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 12.9%. The company's shares have gained roughly 16.9% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CF’s current-year earnings is pegged at $6.32 per share. CF, which currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1, beat the consensus estimate in two of the last four quarters and missed twice, with the average earnings surprise being 10.3%. CF has gained around 18.3% in the past year.

 

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