Cimpress plc (CMPR) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.

Overview

The earnings call indicates positive sentiment due to strong revenue growth, optimistic management outlook, and strategic initiatives like cross-Cimpress fulfillment and M&A exceeding expectations. The Q&A session reinforced this with management's confidence in scaling operations and achieving cost efficiencies. The company's proactive approach to technology integration and shareholder returns, alongside stable financial health despite minor disruptions, suggests a positive stock price movement.

Key Financial Performance

Quarterly Revenue Exceeded $1 billion for the first time ever, with organic constant currency growth of 4% year-over-year. Growth was driven by revenue increases across all segments, aided by a tuck-in acquisition in the PrintBrothers segment and currency benefits.

Vista Organic Constant Currency Growth 5% year-over-year, up from 3% in the prior year quarter. Growth was supported by promotional products, apparel, gifts, packaging, and labels, which each grew double digits.

Legacy Products (Business Cards and Stationery) Declined 1% year-over-year, consistent with Q1 and an improvement from last year's decay rate.

Upload & Print Segment Revenue Grew 6% year-over-year on an organic constant currency basis. Growth was fueled by increased customer and order count.

PrintBrothers Segment Revenue Grew 26% year-over-year on a reported basis, including an $18 million contribution from a tuck-in acquisition. Excluding the acquisition and currency benefits, growth was 6%.

Adjusted EBITDA Increased by $6.6 million year-over-year, an 8% growth on a consolidated basis. Growth was driven by higher-value elevated product categories and favorable currency movements.

Gross Margins Declined 110 basis points year-over-year, primarily due to tariff impacts at National Pen, including both tariff costs and offsetting tariff pricing.

Vista Segment EBITDA Improved 10% year-over-year (approximately $10 million), driven by revenue strength, stable gross profit margins, and currency benefits. Negatively impacted by $2 million due to a hurricane in Jamaica, $1.5 million in production start-up costs, and $1 million in tariffs net of pricing increases.

Adjusted Free Cash Flow Declined $9.2 million year-over-year to an inflow of $124 million. Decline was due to lower net working capital flows and higher capital expenditures for production network expansion and efficiency investments.

Net Leverage Ended Q2 at 2.97x trailing 12 months EBITDA, down sequentially from last quarter despite $25 million allocated to share repurchases.

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Operating Highlights

Elevated products: Driving a step function improvement in per customer lifetime value, with variable gross profit per customer growing 9% year-over-year.

New product introduction: Accelerated by cross-Cimpress fulfillment (XCF) and optimization of production footprint, focusing on manufacturing excellence.

Geographic growth: Strong performance in North America driving growth across all markets in Vista.

Tuck-in acquisition: Contributed $18 million to PrintBrothers segment revenue, aiding reported revenue growth.

Shared technology and AI: Enabled organizational delayering, constrained operating expenses, and improved customer value through collaboration between Vista, National Pen, and BuildASign.

Hurricane response: Mitigated operational impact of a hurricane in Jamaica by shifting call volumes and utilizing shared facilities.

Financial targets: Confident in achieving FY '28 EBITDA of at least $600 million and significant deleveraging of the balance sheet.

Efficiency improvements: Focused on cost of goods, technology, and marketing to achieve financial targets.

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Risk or Challenges

Hurricane Impact on Operations: The hurricane in Jamaica caused significant challenges for care team members, impacting operations. Although mitigated by shifting call volumes, it still negatively affected profitability by approximately $2 million.

Tariff Costs: National Pen faced tariff-related price increases, which negatively impacted profitability by $1 million net of pricing increases. This issue is expected to lessen in future quarters as supply chain remediation ramps up.

Production Start-up Costs: Expansion of the North American production network incurred $1.5 million in start-up costs, dampening profitability.

Elevated Capital Expenditures: The company is undergoing a period of elevated capital expenditures, particularly for manufacturing equipment, which could strain financial resources in the short term.

Gross Margin Decline: Gross margins declined by 110 basis points, primarily due to tariff impacts and associated costs.

Supply Chain Challenges: Supply chain issues, including tariffs and production start-up costs, are impacting profitability and operational efficiency.

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Guidance & Outlook

Revenue Growth: Raised expectations for fiscal '26 to 7%-8% growth, with 3%-4% organic constant currency growth.

Net Income: Projected to be at least $79 million for fiscal '26.

Adjusted EBITDA: Increased guidance to at least $460 million for fiscal '26, up from $450 million.

Operating Cash Flow: Expected to be approximately $313 million for fiscal '26.

Adjusted Free Cash Flow: Raised to approximately $145 million for fiscal '26, up from $140 million.

Net Leverage: Expected to decrease slightly by the end of fiscal '26 from the FY '25 level of 3.1x.

Fiscal '28 Targets: 4%-6% organic constant currency growth, $200 million in net income, adjusted EBITDA of at least $600 million, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow conversion of approximately 45%, and net leverage below 2.0x by the end of fiscal '28.

Capital Expenditures: Elevated due to investments in North American production network expansion and efficiency improvements.

Currency Impact: Expected to provide continued year-over-year favorability in the second half of fiscal '26 and into fiscal '27.

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Shareholder Return Plan

Share Repurchase: Over $25 million was allocated to share repurchases in Q2. The company continues to have $250 million remaining on its credit facility that is undrawn at the end of the quarter. Subject to capital allocation choices, such as share repurchases, the company expects to exit fiscal '28 with net leverage below 2.0x.

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Key Q&A

Q:How would you characterize the holiday season that just concluded for Vista? Did it go as planned, better or worse? What worked and what did not? Are there any trends within holiday cards worth mentioning, either regarding the industry, your market share, or anything else? What was the percentage change in cost per click in U.S. consumer this year?

A:The holiday season was strong overall, particularly in North America. Holiday cards and calendars in the U.S. were flat year-over-year, while Canada saw double-digit growth. Europe experienced a decline due to tough comparisons from the previous year. Consumer growth year-to-date is flat in constant currencies with some gross profit growth. Management did not provide specific details on the percentage change in cost per click but mentioned evolving channel mix and bold testing in performance marketing.

Q:Can you talk about the biggest areas of outperformance versus your initial FY '26 guidance?

A:There were no major areas of outperformance; it was a solid quarter of execution across the board. Revenue is on track, with confidence in increasing guidance due to strong first-half performance. Currency and an acquisition in Q2 contributed to growth. EBITDA is also on track, with full-year dollar growth already achieved. Currency benefits and operational themes are consistent with prior guidance.

Q:How are the underlying trends progressing for customer cohorts in promotional products, apparel, gifts, and packaging?

A:Strong growth in these categories reflects investments in elevated products and manufacturing capabilities. The top 2% of customers contribute significantly to gross profit, and variable gross profit per customer grew 9% in Q2. There is still significant opportunity in less penetrated markets, and investments in production hubs are expected to further drive growth.

Q:Can you talk about the North American business for The Print Group? How have things trended versus your initial expectations? How do you view the opportunity ahead for the business? Can you quantify its contribution in the quarter? How do you think about its growth going forward?

A:The North American business is on track, with revenues of about $3 million for the first half, growing rapidly quarter-over-quarter. The focus is on building production capabilities, with limited ad spend so far. The near-term opportunity lies in growing volumes through cross-Cimpress fulfillment. Management is optimistic about scaling categories like multi-page small formats and labels.

Q:What will remain separate in the collaboration between Vista, National Pen, and BuildASign, and why?

A:The brands will remain separate to maintain multiple market presences and varied value propositions. Back-end capabilities like product development, sourcing, and manufacturing will be integrated to drive growth and profitability. This approach allows for shared efficiencies while preserving brand uniqueness.

Q:How do you view the opportunity ahead for cross-Cimpress fulfillment to continue to drive down COGS? How much headroom do you think there is ahead? Is there a certain level of cross-Cimpress fulfillment activity per business that you would like to achieve?

A:Cross-Cimpress fulfillment is a significant opportunity, with activity doubling year-over-year to over $80 million in the first half of FY '26. It delivered $15 million in gross profit increase last year. Focused production hubs lower costs, improve quality, and expand product lines. There is substantial headroom for growth, but specific activity levels per business were not disclosed.

Q:What position did the company buy with the $22.6 million allocated for the purchase of noncontrolling interest? What noncontrolling interests remain outstanding?

A:The $22.6 million was used for two transactions in the PrintBrothers segment: $11 million for a mandatory redemption and $12 million for a put option exercised by minority equity holders. Remaining noncontrolling interest is $6 million, with no mandatorily redeemable interests. Discussions are ongoing for minority shareholders to buy back into the businesses.

Q:How much capital is the company willing to allocate to tuck-in M&A opportunities? Does the fiscal Q2 tuck-in deal clear the 15% hurdle rate?

A:The company evaluates M&A deals against share repurchases and other opportunities. The fiscal Q2 tuck-in deal, an Austrian printing group acquisition, comfortably exceeded the 15% hurdle rate. The deal included $70 million in annual revenue and $5 million in EBITDA pre-synergies, with significant synergy opportunities expected to lower the post-synergy multiple.

Q:How should investors think about the magnitude of share repurchases in the back half of the year?

A:Share repurchases will continue but at a lower intensity than in Q2, where $25 million was allocated at an average price below $70. The magnitude will depend on price and other capital allocation opportunities, but management views current price levels as attractive for repurchases.

Q:What is the company's position on agentic commerce and integration with LLM providers like ChatGPT or Gemini?

A:The company is actively investing in agentic commerce and exploring integration with LLM providers. While specific discussions were not disclosed, management is confident in being at the forefront of this technological shift.

Q:Could you provide a bridge or color around the difference between the all-time high trailing 12-month EBITDA of $469 million from Q4 FY '24 to the current $451 million?

A:The difference is due to $12 million in nonrecurring benefits in FY '24, normalization of supply chains and input costs, declines in business and holiday cards, start-up costs for plant expansion, and increased technology costs. Currency benefits partially offset these factors.

Q:Should we think about the bridge to FY '28 targets differently than what was communicated at the Investor Day?

A:The bridge to FY '28 targets remains consistent with the Investor Day framework. Updates include a $10 million increase in FY '26 guidance and confidence in cost savings, plant start-up cost runoff, tuck-in M&A, and currency benefits. Organic growth remains a key component, with management focused on achieving at least $600 million in EBITDA by FY '28.

Q:What is the current state of operations in Jamaica following the hurricane?

A:Operations in Jamaica are stable, with teams back at work and renovations ongoing. The hurricane caused significant disruption during the peak season, but other service centers stepped in to support. Financial impact is minimal, with insurance expected to cover remediation costs.

Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses

A:Management avoided providing specific details on the percentage change in cost per click in the U.S. consumer market, citing that such details are not disclosed for specific markets.

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Earnings Word Cloud

The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call

CMPR Transcript

Cimpress plc (CMPR) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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The earnings call summary shows strong growth in key segments, record-high adjusted EBITDA, and improved advertising efficiency, despite some margin contraction. The Q&A reveals confidence in meeting or exceeding guidance, minimal tariff impact, and strategic positioning for the holiday season. Concerns about high tax expenses and activist engagement were addressed, albeit vaguely. Overall, the positive growth, strong liquidity, and strategic focus outweigh the concerns, suggesting a positive stock price reaction. Given the market cap, a 2% to 8% increase is likely.

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The earnings call reveals concerns about tariff impacts, with significant exposure in promotional products, apparel, and gifts. Management's inability to provide clarity on several key issues, including cost mitigation and third-party supplier exposure, adds uncertainty. The withdrawal of long-term guidance due to tariff uncertainties and halting of stock purchases further contribute to a negative sentiment. Despite stable April revenue, lackluster growth in certain areas and reliance on price increases without clear demand impact data suggest potential challenges ahead. Given the market cap, this is likely to result in a stock price decrease of -2% to -8%.

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