Grupo Nutresa S. A. (NUTRESA) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good morning, and welcome to our investors conference of Grupo Nutresa. We're very happy to share with you the results of our fourth quarter and our full year results. The closing quarter of the year marked a period of positive performance characterized by significant growth across key international markets and core product categories. This strong finish emphasizes the effectiveness of our strategic initiatives, market positioning and brand equities. A cornerstone of the year's success was a substantial improvement in operational efficiency driven by our transformation efforts and proactive hedging strategies. This synergy resulted in a 410 basis points expansion in the adjusted gross margin during the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, demonstrating improvements in operational leverage and disciplined cost management. The year culminated with the achievement of record profitability results and metrics for our organization. The adjusted EBITDA margin reached 19.3% during the fourth quarter. It is the highest ever achieved result of our company. This milestone is particularly relevant as it validates our profitability time line and our strategic execution. In terms of our full year for 2025 the results, the company achieved double-digit top line growth with revenue reaching a 10.7% increase for the period. It is important to note that the Colombian peso revalued 14.8% during 2025 against the U.S. dollar and 40% of our revenues come from outside of Colombia. Double-digit revenue growth was complemented by significant operational efficiency improvements, evidenced by the adjusted EBITDA growth of 45% year-on-year. This increase in profitability resulted on an EBITDA margin of 16.8%, representing a 400 basis point increase compared to the previous year. The 24-month transformation requires quarterly analysis to scale structural profitability. As mentioned, the full year adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.8%, but the adjusted EBITDA margin for the fourth quarter reached a 19.3% number. Due to the accelerated transformation execution in our fourth quarter, we fully accounted for the external adviser fees and internal employees special incentives related to the project during this quarter. In total, 2005 (sic) [ 2025 ] financial statements include COP 534 billion in onetime charges covering employee severances, restructuring costs and the aforementioned adviser and incentive payments. The positive momentum flowed directly to the bottom line with adjusted net profit increasing by 126.6% compared to 2025. From a balance sheet perspective, the company has also demonstrated accelerated deleveraging. The trailing 12 months TTM net leverage stood at 3.73x, while the fourth quarter run rate net leverage stood at 3.16x when accounting for debt principal, financial leasing, mark-to-market hedging and adjusted EBITDA. This compared to a leverage ratio of 5.29x in March 2025 when the initial bridge loan of COP 2 billion was obtained. I will now turn to Cathy and Andres to discuss in detail the rest of the presentation, and I will be back at the end to deliver our expectations for the year ahead.

Thank you, Jaime. On Slide 4, we report total sales for the quarter of COP 5.3 trillion with a 3.8% increase versus the same period last year. As highlighted earlier, it is important to note the revaluation of our local currency against the dollar and that 40% of our revenues originate outside of Colombia. In dollars, quarter sales translated to COP 1.4 billion with a 21.8% increase. These results are leveraged by the Coffee business, which contributed with a double-digit growth of 17.7% and the Ice Cream division with a significant growth of close to 30%. Now moving on to Slide #5. We have the detail of the quarter's results by local and international sales. In Colombia, sales reached COP 3.3 trillion with an 8.9% year-over-year growth. In dollars, reported sales were $867.2 million with a 27.8% growth. Colombian business unit performance was led by the Coffee, Ice Cream and Biscuits businesses, all reporting double-digit growth for the term. For its part, the Chocolates and Pasta divisions had a more challenging competitive environment during the quarter. Channel performance was led by the traditional channel with a 16.6% increase, followed by the modern channel with a 12% increase and the restaurant chains with a 9.5% increase. International sales for the fourth quarter reached $534 million with an increase of 13.2% over the same period in 2024. In Colombian pesos, total sales amounted to COP 2 trillion, a decrease of 3.5%, impacted by a 14.8% revaluation of the local currency. International business unit performance was driven by Coffee, Chocolate and Biscuits, all 3 reporting double-digit growth, followed by Retail Food, Pasta and Tresmontes Lucchetti with a mid- to high single-digit variation. In terms of geographies, the U.S. continued with its positive trend with a 10.5% growth in dollars. On the next slide, we're going to detail the total sales for the year in which the company achieved COP 12.6 trillion (sic) [ COP 20.6 trillion ] with a 10.7% growth compared to the previous year. In terms of sector performance, Coffee reported the most significant expansion with a 31% growth, driven by successful premiumization strategies and market penetration in key international regions. Chocolates sales grew 17.8%, fueled by innovation across the portfolio, increased B2B dynamics in the U.S. and the strengthening of core categories throughout the year. And our Ice Cream segment continued its upward trajectory with a strong 12.4% growth attributable to new and more efficient go-to-market strategies and the successful launch of new high-margin product flavors. In terms of strategic drivers for this growth, we can highlight select price improvements across the portfolio, which were a proactive measure taken especially during the first semester of the year with the aim of covering the substantial rise in input costs. This deliberate strategy, which also included SKU rationalization and a focus on higher-margin segments resulted in a slight decrease in sales volumes. Management views this slight volume contraction as part of our efforts to reorient the portfolio into higher growth and higher-margin categories. On Slide 7, we report our yearly sales evolution in detail. Local revenue reached COP 12.3 trillion with a 9.9% increase. Complementing local execution, international sales reached $2.1 billion (sic) [ $2.2 billion ] with a 31% growth. All International business units reported positive sales dynamics during the year. And lastly, for this slide, total exports from Colombia were $561 million, up 31% year-on-year. Moving on to Slide 8. We share our regional geographic footprint for the year. Colombia sales continue to be relevant, representing 59.6% of total, followed by the U.S. with a 14.7% and Central America with a 10%. And lastly, in my end, on Slide 9, we have our GNCI monitor, which follows the market behavior of our different commodities in dollars. Year-over-year, Grupo Nutresa's Commodities Index increased 19%, driven mainly by higher coffee prices during the year in which the commodity increased 57%. Despite these increases, the revaluation of the local currency, especially during the last months of the year, helped with margin expansion since a large percentage of our inputs are either imported or dollarized. Also, our hedging policies have remained in place, which has allowed for better predictability of our margins throughout the cycle. During the fourth quarter, the index was relatively stable with a 1% quarter-over-quarter increase. I now leave you with Andres Bernal, who will detail margins and leverage.

Thank you very much, Cathy. On Page 10, you can see that we achieved a 16.8% adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2025 and a 19.3% during the fourth quarter, above our initial estimates. During 2025, the [ revenues ] statement reflects COP 534 billion of nonrecurring expenses, which include restructuring charges, employee severances, payment for external advisers and internal incentives specifically related to the execution of the transformation program. EBITDA. During the fourth quarter, adjusted EBITDA, excluding nonrecurring expenses, reflects an improvement in gross margin together with a decrease in SG&A. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter reached COP 1.01 trillion, while reported EBITDA stood at COP 588.4 billion. This EBITDA includes the one-off costs associated with the transformation program, which explains the difference between this figure and the structural result. Growth on adjusted EBITDA was plus 74.4%, and then adjusted EBITDA margin reached 19.3%. Our top performing business were for the quarter include the Retail Food and Ice Cream, both with adjusted EBITDA margins of 27%, followed by Chocolates with a 23.6% margin. It is important to note the structural EBITDA increase with all businesses reporting double-digit growth. On the lower part of the slide, we detail the reported EBITDA for the period. On Page 11, we can see the adjusted EBITDA. It shows strong growth, supported by commercial momentum and operational cost efficiency. Growth was plus 45.2% year-over-year. The adjusted EBITDA was COP 3.45 trillion and the adjusted EBITDA margin was 16.8%. Our top performing units in terms of adjusted margins were Retail Food, Ice Cream, Chocolates and Biscuits. On Slide 12, we detail the net leverage progression that we have had over the past year from a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 5.29x in March, that is post bridge loan, to a progressive 3.16x for the fourth quarter annualized. On a TTM basis, the net debt to EBITDA stands at 3.73x, and we closed the year with a COP 3.2 trillion, roughly $840 million in cash. On Slide 13, we have the maturity of our debt structure with an average duration of 6.1 years. During quarter 4, 2025, and in anticipation of the election cycle in Colombia, we decided to take preventive measures under some available credit lines to have additional cash at hand for the expected volatility. We maintain a hedging strategy focused on principal-only PO swaps with rolling maturities of 6 to 12 months. Although, these hedges do not include margin calls, we have proactively secured the necessary cash reserves to cover these maturities and ensure the continuity of our hedging approach.

Thank you, Andres, and thank you, Cathy, for a thorough presentation. I would like to give the outlook for the current year of 2026. We expect high single to double-digit growth, increased market share penetration in Colombia and continue to grow in the international markets. Our gross margin, we expect it to be around 40%, plus or minus 100 basis points, through continued supplier negotiations, proactive hedging decisions, productivity in production facilities and supply chain enhancements. Continued EBITDA margin expansion, targeting a goal of 20%, plus or minus 100 basis points, for 2026. CapEx is expected to be between 2.5% and 3% of total revenue with a focus on maintenance capacity expansion and increased productivity. Increased cash flow generation, targeting 10% to 12% of our total revenues. With these assumptions, we expect an adjusted EBITDA margin to be in the range of USD 1.15 billion to USD 1.25 billion for the fiscal year end of 2026. Thank you very much for listening to our presentation. And now we can have your questions.

[Operator Instructions]. The first question we have in queue comes from Miguel Ospina from Vinci Compass. Should we expect a cleaner quarter for the first quarter of 2026 without additional one-offs?

This is Andres Bernal. Yes, we do expect some, but smaller than the previous quarter. We continue undergoing projects and on those, we'll incur some nonrecurring expenses. But as I said, very significantly lower than the ones we just had in the previous quarter.

Thank you, Andres. The next question from Miguel as well is, can you elaborate on why CapEx was relatively high in the fourth quarter of 2025? Was it related to the Yupi acquisition?

No, Miguel, it's not related. The amount we spent on the 4 quarters between the range that we have defined for CapEx and all those projects were approved during the year. So it's just a matter of a coincidence that the number was higher in the previous quarters. We believe this year, we're going to be between 2.5% to 3% of total sales and investing in very attractive projects that either generate additional sales or more efficiency on our products.

Thank you, Andres. The next question is from [ Malcolm ] and it says, I understand that the Coffee segment growth was strong in the U.S. due to a better tariff regime compared to your Brazilian competitors. Does the recent striking down of tariffs by the U.S. Supreme Court affect this?

Okay. In Coffee, we have 2 lines. One is business-to-business and other one is business-to-consumer. On the ones we have B2B, the prices and arrangements are already in place. So they shouldn't be changed due to new tariffs or changes on that issue. On the business-to-consumer, we continually see how the prices are performing compared to competitors, and we'll adjust accordingly.

Thank you, Andres. The next question comes from Nicole from MetLife. Can you please elaborate on the strategic rationale behind the approval of the preferred share issuance to Erton Holding? Is it primarily related to restructuring of ownership, organizational structure or is it aimed to inject additional cash into the company with what purpose? I'll take that one. The capitalization proposal...

I will take that one, Cathy.

Okay.

I think that on that one, the capital increase proposal, we are not bringing any new shareholder. I think that has been disclosed in the assembly of shareholders. The investor will be an entity related 100% to me, to Jaime Gilinski. And then Cathy will explain to you the details of the preferred uses.

Sure, Jaime. Thank you. Just to give you -- to give everyone just how it went through, the capitalization proposal was shared at the shareholder meeting, and it was approved by 99.99% of the shares represented. Now the funds -- I'm going to rephrase the actual approval for everyone to understand the use of funds and what was approved, which is currently under the approval of the local regulator. The funds obtained as a result of the capitalization will be used to strengthen the company's equity and financial structure and may be used in whole or in part to make a direct or indirect capital investments in subsidiaries, affiliates and/or related companies of the company domiciled in Colombia and/or abroad or to provide financing for any kind to said companies located in Colombia and/or abroad. And furthermore, as Jaime mentioned, Erton Holding is a company controlled by our majority shareholder. Thank you, Nicole, for your question. The next question says, a lot of competition in packaged goods sector in the U.S. How is this impacting the business?

You're right. There is a strong competition in prices during the previous months. We, as I mentioned before, keep controlling and checking prices on our competitors, and we'll be moving accordingly. It is important to note that the price of commodities have been going down and consumption previous years went down as well in the United States. So it's a matter of time to accommodate both pressures.

And just to complement what Andres is saying. We have spent a lot of time during the year analyzing all of our SKUs in the different markets, both in Colombia and international. And we are becoming much more efficient in terms of providing consumers sizes and prices that are more affordable. I think that, that strategy has proven to be very successful this year, and we expect -- last year, and we expect this year to allow us to start gaining market shares in the different markets where we participate.

Thank you, Jaime. The next question states, thank you for your presentation, can you share your financial policy in terms of dividend and leverage target? I'll take that one. As we mentioned during 2025, for the first year after our issuance, there were no dividends distributed. And from 2026 going forward, the policy is to distribute between 20% and 30% of EBITDA on dividends. Now in terms of long-term targets for leverage, just to share with everyone, as of December of 2025, we practically reached our initial goal with a net leverage-to-EBITDA ratio of 3.16x on a 4Q run rate. Now for the long term, as many of you well know, we are in continuous conversations with the rating agencies, as we have been for the last year, to guarantee the best possible rating outcome for this company. For the long term, we expect a net debt-to-EBITDA indicator ranging between 3x and 4x and that could be up or down in certain periods, but that would be a long-term indicator for the leverage.

Just one point to clarify on Cathy's information. We continue forecasting between 20% to 30% of EBITDA as dividend. But keep in mind that here in Colombia, you can either pay dividends or buy back shares. So the company has decided to buy back shares, and we did so during the month of January.

Thank you, Andres. The next question comes from [ Brandon ]. Can you please help us understand what unadjusted EBITDA growth looks like in 2026, and when we can expect adjusted EBITDA and unadjusted EBITDA to be closer together? Also, can you please let us know cash restructuring expense for 2026?

Yes. I think that on adjusted, what we did last year was a tremendous transformation effort, and that's what reflected such a large expense. During 2026, we continue that transformation plan. As we said at the beginning of last year, our transformation plan was a 24-month program. We expect, in order to achieve the guidance that we gave, to continue to find some savings, both in cost and also in margins, improvement in margins during 2026. The reported should be between $1.15 billion and $1.25 billion and the adjustments will be much smaller than last year, to answer specifically your question.

Thank you, Jaime. The next question comes from [ Nicholas ], and he states, how have your exports been affected with the local currency devaluation?

[indiscernible] during 2025 continue to grow. We didn't experience a decay, but as you saw before, we grew. I think that in the second part of the year, the growth was less than during the first part of the year, especially to the U.S., but we continue to experience growth. During 2026, on our plans, we expect to continue growing our exports, especially to the United States.

Thank you, Jaime. The next question comes from Vidhi Veera from Goldman Sachs. Can you share some color on potential from sales to Venezuela? He actually asked 3 questions. So I'm going to read one by one. Andres, can you share something on that one?

Yes. We have been working really hard since January 3, as Maduro was out of power in Venezuela, looking for opportunities. Last year, sales to Venezuela accounted for only $14 million. We have sent our teams. We have been talking with different players locally in order to find ways to export as much as possible. We have plants very close nearby to Venezuela borders that we can export from there. At this point in time, it is impossible to forecast any amount, but we're confident that within the next 3 to 5 years, Venezuela will go back to previous GDP per capita that they had 15, 20 years ago, and thus will become a very important partner of Grupo Nutresa. At one time in the past, sales to Venezuela accounted for 20% to 30% of Nutresa sales. So we're looking forward for those changes to be implemented in the country, and we're moving as fast as possible to be there since moment one.

Thank you, Andres. The second question is, what is the go-forward strategy on debt reduction versus equity distributions?

I think that on that, as was previously said, equity distributions, we still have approximately 30% of our EBITDA that we will consider once we reach lower levels. And I think that in terms of debt reduction, we are continuously reducing debt. Depending on opportunities, we have to increase it during some periods of the year. But I think we will stay within the 3x to 4x ratio, as was mentioned by Cathy.

Thank you, Jaime. Details on cash pledge for nonconsolidated subsidiaries. What are these subsidiaries and possible release of these pledges?

Okay. As that was made 1 year ago, we explained the strategy on that situation. We issued a bond for $2 billion and at the same time, we opened CDs for those same $2 billion, same tenor, same interest rate. Those funds are based on a company that belongs to Grupo Nutresa in Costa Rica, and they are pledged until the expiration of the bonds that is in 5 years from issuance and 10 years from issuance. We do not foresee any changes on that in the short period of time.

Thank you, Andres. The next question comes from [ Gustavo ], and he's asking about M&A for this year. Are we going to execute M&A, in which sectors, which countries?

I'll take that one. Basically, what we're doing is we spent last year all of our effort making the improvements in efficiencies that have been mentioned. We started with a 12% EBITDA margin at the beginning of the year from the previous year, and we finished on a run rate at 19%, 19.3% in the month of December in the last quarter. So it has been a tremendous effort to achieve those efficiencies, and that has been most of what we have done. I think on M&A for 2026, we constantly are looking at opportunities, but we are being very careful, very selective. And we don't want to increase our leverage. So we want to be sure that any acquisition, it fits our strategy, but we don't have in our plans for 2026 any major acquisition. We will hopefully finalize the Mimo's acquisition that is subject to approval during this quarter. And at the moment, we will be selectively looking at opportunities both in the countries where we participate and probably in Venezuela, which might become a market for growth for us in the next 2 to 5 years. In addition to that, it has been accretive, and we will most likely see bolt-on acquisitions with clear synergies.

Thank you, Jaime. Next question from Vidhi Veera from Goldman Sachs. Is there a goal internally to get back to IG rating?

I think the answer is yes. We are working on it. We have been with the agencies constantly reviewing our -- one of the agencies maintains the IG rating. The other one is in the process of analyzing it. I think that we have achieved more than what we were supposed to do. I think that the results of 2025 have been better than we initially expected. And I think that the trends for 2026 were very positive, as you saw from our guidance. So we expect that to improve and give us the second rating. But I think it's really up to the agencies and how they see it going forward.

Thank you, Jaime. We don't have any more questions for this section. Thank you, everyone, for joining today's conference. And any further detail or any additional questions, of course, we can answer them via the Investor Relations office. Thank you again, and have a good week.

Thank you very much, and we look forward for our next conference call and to report our first quarter report. And thank you for joining us.