Avery Dennison Corporation ( AVY ) reported fourth-quarter sales growth of 3.5% year-on-year to $2.19 billion, matching the analyst consensus estimate.

Adjusted EPS of $2.38 was also in line with the consensus estimate.

Materials Group sales increased 4% to $1.5 billion and that of Solutions Group climbed 3% to $714 million.

Gross profit for the quarter rose 2.2% to $609.2 million with a gross margin of 27.8%. Adjusted EBITDA increased 6% to $358.1 million.

Avery’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.88 per share. The dividend is payable on March 19, 2025 to shareholders of record on March 5, 2025.

During the fourth quarter, the company returned $210 million in cash to shareholders through a combination of dividends and share repurchases. The company repurchased 0.7 million shares at an aggregate cost of $140 million.

"Both our Materials and Solutions Groups delivered strong top-and bottom-line results, with our industries recovering from downstream inventory destocking last year, once again demonstrating the strength of our overall franchise," said president and CEO, Deon Stander.

The company held $329.1 million in cash and equivalents as of December 28, 2024.

Outlook: Avery Dennison sees FY25 adjusted EPS of $9.80 – $10.20, below the estimate of $10.44.

Price Action: AVY shares are trading lower by 6.25% at $180.85 at the last check Thursday.

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