Andrea H. Simon
Thanks, Dave, and good afternoon, everyone. I'll start with a review of our fourth quarter financial results followed by a brief recap of the full year. Then I'll share more details on our guidance for 2026 and provide some perspective on the full year ahead. Now turning to our fourth quarter results. Net sales were $644.6 million, a 3.5% decrease compared to $667.7 million in the same period last year. The continued softness across our addressable market, which was down mid-single digits, was partially offset by the anticipated flow through of prior pricing actions, including tariff mitigation price actions. Gross profit was $167.5 million, down 17.6% from $203.3 million in the same period last year. Gross profit margin was 26%, down 440 basis points year over year, primarily reflecting lower volume mix and the related unfavorable fixed cost leverage, tariffs net of supply chain mitigation, and restructuring-related expenses. These headwinds were partially offset by higher net average selling price improvement from prior pricing actions, including our tariff mitigation actions, our continuous improvement efforts, and Supreme integration synergies. Tariffs had a negative impact of nearly 300 basis points to our gross margin in the quarter, though we were able to offset approximately one-third of this impact through mitigation. SG&A expenses totaled $186.9 million compared to $152.3 million in the same period last year. This was primarily driven by a $17 million one-time provision for bad debt related to a specific customer, personnel costs, and inflation, acquisition-related costs, restructuring-related costs, and depreciation costs, and continued investments in our strategic initiatives, particularly around digital, technology, and marketing, partially offset by lower commission and freight costs following volume decline. Interest expense declined to $17.6 million from $19.3 million in the same period last year, reflecting progress as we continue to pay down our debt. Net loss was $42 million in the fourth quarter compared to net income of $14 million in the same period last year. Net income margin was negative 6.5% compared to positive 2.1% in the prior year, reflecting the items I just outlined, partially offset by lower interest expense and lower income tax expense. Adjusted EBITDA was $35.1 million compared to $74.6 million in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 5.4%, a decline of 580 basis points year over year due to lower volume and the related unfavorable fixed cost leverage, tariffs net of supply chain mitigation, and material freight and personnel inflation, partially offset by continuous improvement savings, the flow through of our prior pricing actions, and Supreme integration synergies. As Dave mentioned, the variance in adjusted EBITDA relative to our implied fourth quarter guide was primarily driven by a late quarter slowdown in new construction. The late quarter demand change created a more unfavorable mix and lower price realization than we had embedded in the outlook we shared in November. At these lower volume levels, mix has a greater impact on our bottom line. The shift reduced factory utilization, resulting in a mid-single-digit increase in down days versus our plan, which drove fixed cost under absorption and contributed to manufacturing inefficiencies. Given this dynamic, we expect continued margin pressure if trade-down behavior persists across the portfolio or if mix shifts further unfavorably. Diluted loss per share was $0.33 in the fourth quarter of 2025, based on 126.8 million diluted shares outstanding. This compares to earnings per share of $0.11 in 2024, which was based on 131.2 million diluted shares outstanding. Adjusted loss per share was $0.02 in the current quarter, compared to earnings per share of $0.22 in the prior year period. Moving to our full-year results, we delivered 2025 net sales of $2.7 billion, up 1% versus the prior year, driven by the contribution from Supreme and improvements in net average selling price despite a market that we estimate declined mid-single digits year over year. Supreme contributed approximately 5% to full-year net sales, consistent with our expectations, and pricing contributed to offsetting underlying market pressure. Gross profit was $827.6 million, down 5.6% compared to $877 million in the prior year. Gross profit margin declined 220 basis points year over year from 32.5% to 30.3%. The full-year margin decline was due to lower unit volume and the related unfavorable fixed cost leverage, inflation, and tariffs. This was partially offset by net average selling price improvements and the full-year inclusion of Supreme and its related synergies. Notably, tariffs had a negative impact of approximately 115 basis points to our gross margin throughout the year, and we were able to offset over half of this impact through mitigation actions. SG&A expenses were $667.8 million compared to $603.1 million in the same period last year. This increase was primarily driven by the addition of Supreme's SG&A expenses, the same one-time bad debt provision impacting the quarter, digital and technology investment, and freight inflation, partially offset by lower volume-related variable SG&A costs. Income tax was $19.6 million for the year, or a 42.3% effective tax rate, compared to $42.4 million or a 25.2% rate in 2024. The increase in effective tax rate was driven by non-deductible expenses and a jurisdiction valuation allowance driven by the tariff impact on products sourced internationally. Without these items, our effective tax rate for the year would have been approximately 23.5%. Net income was $26.7 million compared to $125.9 million in the prior year. The decrease was primarily related to lower gross profit and higher SG&A, partially offset by lower income tax expense. Adjusted EBITDA was $298.2 million in 2025, down 18% compared to $363.6 million in the prior year, and adjusted EBITDA margin declined 260 basis points to 10.9% for the full year compared to 13.5% in the prior year. These results were driven by lower volume and the related unfavorable fixed cost leverage, inflation, tariffs, net of supply chain mitigation, and incremental strategic investments. This was partially offset by net average selling price improvements, including tariff-related pricing and Supreme contributions and integration synergies. Diluted earnings per share were $0.21 in 2025, down from diluted earnings per share of $0.96 in 2024, based on 129.2 million and 130.9 million diluted shares outstanding, respectively. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.91 compared to $1.4 in the prior year. Despite a soft end market in 2025, we believe our long-term financial targets remain attainable, although delayed as we enter our fourth year of market decline in 2026. As discussed at our 2022 Investor Day, these targets were based on some level of annual market growth. While we continue to execute operationally, position the company for future growth, and augment our growth through acquisitions, market growth will be necessary to fully realize the benefits of these efforts and achieve our stated long-term financial targets. Turning to the balance sheet, we ended the year with $183.3 million of cash on hand and $441.9 million of liquidity available under our revolving credit facility. Net debt at the end of the fourth quarter was $791.2 million, resulting in a net debt to adjusted EBITDA leverage ratio of 2.7 times. Despite a sequential reduction in net debt, our leverage ratio increased due to a lower trailing twelve-month adjusted EBITDA. Net cash provided by operating activities was $195.7 million for full-year 2025 compared to $292 million in the full year 2024, driven by lower net income, increased restructuring-related cash outflows, and deal costs. Capital expenditures for the full year 2025 were $78.2 million compared to $80.9 million for the full year 2024, in line with our plan and driven primarily by the Supreme integration. Free cash flow was $117.5 million for the full year 2025, compared to $211.1 million for the full year 2024, reflecting lower net income. Our merger agreement with American Woodmark share repurchase activity until the transaction closes. Before turning to our outlook, I want to take a moment to address recent tariff developments and the implications for our business. Since our third quarter call in early November, the trade backdrop has become more volatile, with actions announced, revised, implemented, and postponed in quick succession, directly impacting our industry and increasing near-term uncertainty around cost and timing. As Dave noted earlier, in late 2025, the planned Section 232 tariff rate increase on finished wood products, including kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, was postponed. To be clear, existing 25% Section 232 tariffs remain in place throughout 2026. In addition, Mexico announced tariffs on Chinese imports, reflecting further uncertainty in the global trade environment. Finally, countervailing and antidumping duties on hardwood and decorative plywood imports were delayed from 2025. The countervailing duties went into effect on January 12, and the antidumping duties are now anticipated to be fully implemented later this month. We are actively managing tariff impacts through targeted price adjustments, supplier renegotiations, alternative sourcing, and manufacturing optimization. As I've noted previously, these efforts take one to twelve months to fully materialize. As we prepare for the potential combination with American Woodmark, we are also intentionally sequencing certain actions and deferring select decisions to avoid implementing standalone changes that could prove disadvantageous post-close. In parallel, we are continuing to monitor potential trade measures, including the antidumping duties of plywood. Above all, we remain focused on minimizing disruption, protecting customer value, and sustaining our competitive position. Given the dynamic nature of the recent trade we just discussed, the related ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, and actions deferred ahead of the anticipated American Woodmark merger, our visibility into key performance drivers, cost inputs, and near-term demand has become more limited. While we have a clear plan and are actively executing mitigation actions, the timing and magnitude of their impact can vary significantly as the trade environment shifts. As a result, MasterBrand is taking a measured approach to its outlook and transitioning to providing quarterly guidance until longer-term visibility improves. We believe this is the most transparent way to communicate our expectations in the current environment and provide stakeholders decision-useful updates as we navigate these changing dynamics. Our financial outlook includes those tariffs currently in effect and the anticipated antidumping plywood duties. It does not reflect potential implications from other proposed or future trade changes. Further, our outlook does not reflect any anticipated financial benefits from the pending merger with American Woodmark, nor does it include expected transaction or integration-related costs. With those assumptions in mind, for the first quarter, our end markets are expected to be down mid to high single digits year over year. Against that backdrop, we expect first-quarter 2026 net sales to be down mid-high single digits versus the prior year. To help manage near-term pressure on profitability, we are taking action to reduce costs and align our cost structure with current demand levels. We are implementing $30 million of planned cost reductions in 2026 and anticipate we will begin to realize savings in the first quarter, with full realization expected by year-end. We believe these steps, in combination with our mitigation strategy, will help offset margin pressures, preserve liquidity, and position MasterBrand to remain resilient through this period of elevated uncertainty. Given these considerations, for the first quarter, we expect adjusted EBITDA in the range of $23 million to $33 million, representing an adjusted EBITDA margin of 3.9% to 5.3%. We expect first-quarter adjusted diluted loss per share of $0.06 to $0.00. This outlook primarily reflects the impact of lower expected volumes on fixed cost absorption, as well as the timing of our tariff mitigation and cost rationalization actions. Notably, this outlook also reflects our typical fourth quarter to first quarter seasonal step down. Based on our fourth-quarter performance and expectations around the first quarter, net debt to adjusted EBITDA leverage at the close of the pending American Woodmark transaction is no longer expected to be sub-two times, reflecting the current trade environment and our decision to sequence certain mitigation and integration actions to avoid standalone changes ahead of closing. We remain focused on disciplined cash generation and deleveraging post-close and continue to expect leverage to trend down towards the end of the year as mitigation actions and synergies are realized. On the full year, as Dave mentioned, we continue to expect our addressable market in 2026 to be down mid-single digits year over year, with continued variability across end markets. For 2026, we expect decremental margins to remain elevated, driven by year-over-year volume declines, mix, and the timing of tariff mitigation. We anticipate that our decrementals will improve in the second half as our tariff mitigation and cost rationalization actions phase in further. For the full year, we also expect interest expense to be flat to down as we continue to pay down our outstanding debt. Our effective tax rate is expected to improve year over year, primarily due to the absence of certain one-time costs. Additionally, we continue to expect free cash flow for 2026 to be in excess of net income for the year. Finally, based on our current sourcing profile and product mix, the trade policies currently in effect, and the anticipated antidumping duties on plywood, we estimate that our unmitigated gross tariff exposure for the full year is approximately 5% to 6% of 2026 net sales. We anticipate tariff pressures to be partially offset by the benefits of our mitigation efforts, which will take time to fully materialize. As such, we expect more than 85% of the full-year net negative tariff impact to be reflected in 2026. Importantly, we expect to fully offset 100% of tariff dollar costs on a run-rate basis by 2026 through our mitigation initiatives. We will continue to closely evaluate the impact of tariffs and remain committed to executing our comprehensive mitigation strategy, providing quarterly updates as we navigate these dynamics. In closing, while the industry has worked through a prolonged period of soft demand over the past three years and near-term conditions remain challenging, we are using this period to strengthen the business and position it for the next upcycle through thoughtful execution of our strategic initiatives. As we progress toward the pending combination with American Woodmark, we remain focused on maintaining continuity for customers while preparing to capture the value of the transaction. By leveraging our complementary capabilities and realizing the expected synergies, we are confident that the combined enterprise will be primed to emerge stronger and better positioned to deliver enhanced value to customers and shareholders as demand returns. Now I would like to return the call back to Dave.